We are happy to share some new updates about the CDS Videos platform. Our latest infrastructure upgrade introduces several improvements to enhance performance, security, and user experience. Here’s a summary of the key changes:

Upgraded search software

We’ve transitioned to OpenSearch, a central IT service that significantly boosts our search functionality and ensures a better integration with IT-provided services, removing maintenance’s redundancy.

Platform and security upgrades

We’ve upgraded our system from CERN CentOS 7 (CC7) to AlmaLinux 9 operating system. This change was part of the CERN campaign to upgrade all systems running on the former software as it is not actively supported anymore. This change ensures our platform’s resiliency and provides a more secure environment for all our users.

Improved upload features

  • Parallel uploads: We’ve addressed and resolved previous issues with multiple large parallel uploads. Uploading several large files simultaneously is now faster and more reliable.

Upload form improvements

We have made some changes in the upload form based on feedback we gathered from you. We hope they improve how you upload content on our platform.

  • Keywords: You can now enter keywords separating them with commas. That will allow you to paste e.g. “keyword1, keyword2” and the system will automatically convert them into 2 separate tags for you after pressing ENTER, improving the process of tagging and categorizing videos.
  • Date: We’ve enhanced the date input functionality to allow you to input dates directly instead of using always the date picker widget. That is useful when you want to input a rather old date.
  • Contributors:
    • When you enter a custom contributor name, the system will convert the name automatically to a capitalized version e.g. “doe, joe” will be converted to “Doe, Joe“, ensuring a consistent appearance across the platform.
    • We’ve added a new contributor role, “Subtitles by” so you can give proper credit to those who provide subtitles for your videos.

These upgrades are part of our continuous efforts to improve the CDS Videos platform. We hope these changes will provide you a better, more efficient experience.