git-annex/doc/tips/using_box.com_as_a_special_remote.mdwn

[Box.com](http://box.com/) is a file storage service, currently notable 
for providing 50 gb of free storage if you sign up with its Android client.
(Or a few gb free otherwise.)

git-annex can use Box as a [[special remote|special_remotes]].
Recent versions of git-annex make this very easy to set up:

	WEBDAV_USERNAME=you@example.com WEBDAV_PASSWORD=xxxxxxx git annex initremote box.com type=webdav url=https://www.box.com/dav/git-annex chunksize=75mb encryption=you@example.com

Note the use of chunksize; Box has a 100 mb maximum file size, and this
breaks up large files into chunks before that limit is reached.

# old davfs2 method

This method is deprecated, but still documented here just in case.
Note that the files stored using this method cannot reliably be retreived
using the webdav special remote.

## davfs2 setup

* First, install
  the [davfs2](http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/davfs2) program,
  which can mount Box using WebDAV. On Debian, just `sudo apt-get install davfs2`
* Allow users to mount davfs filesystems, by ensuring that
  `/sbin/mount.davfs` is setuid root. On Debian, just `sudo dpkg-reconfigure davfs2`
* Add yourself to the davfs2 group.

        sudo adduser $(whoami) davfs2

* Edit `/etc/fstab`, and add a line to mount Box using davfs.

        sudo mkdir -p /media/box.com
        echo "https://www.box.com/dav/	/media/box.com	davfs	noauto,user	0 0" | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

* Create `~/.davfs2/davfs2.conf` with some important settings:

        mkdir ~/.davfs2/
        echo use_locks 0 > ~/.davfs2/davfs2.conf
        echo cache_size 1 >> ~/.davfs2/davfs2.conf
        echo delay_upload 0 >> ~/.davfs2/davfs2.conf

* Create `~/.davfs2/secrets`. This file contains your Box.com login and password.
  Your login is probably the email address you signed up with.

        echo "/media/box.com joey@kitenet.net mypassword" > ~/.davfs2/secrets
        chmod 600 ~/.davfs2/secrets

* Now you should be able to mount Box, as a non-root user:

        mount /media/box.com

## git-annex setup

You need git-annex version 3.20120303 or newer, which adds support for chunking
files larger than Box's 100 mb limit.

Create the special remote, in your git-annex repository.
** This example is non-encrypted; fill in your gpg key ID for a securely
encrypted special remote! **

	git annex initremote box.com type=directory directory=/media/box.com chunksize=2mb encryption=none

Now git-annex can copy files to box.com, get files from it, etc, just like
with any other special remote.

	% git annex copy bigfile --to box.com
	bigfile (to box.com...) ok
	% git annex drop bigfile
	bigfile (checking box.com...) ok
	% git annex get bigfile
	bigfile (from box.com...) ok