# Start here

New to oiv.ae? Read these pages first to see what the portal offers and where to find things.

# Welcome to oiv.ae

oiv.ae is a Linux portal for the GCC community. It brings together a fast local package mirror, practical guides, community events and Arabic localisation work, in English and Arabic.

## What you'll find here

| Area | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror | Local copies of openSUSE, OPNsense and other key projects, served over HTTPS and rsync | [mirrors.oiv.ae](https://mirrors.oiv.ae) and the **Mirrors** shelf |
| Guides | Step-by-step how-tos, tested on hardware you can buy in the region | **Community** shelf ▸ Guides |
| Events | Install fests, release parties and talks around the Gulf | **Community** shelf ▸ Events and meetups |
| Localisation | Help translating desktops, installers and documentation into Arabic | **Community** shelf ▸ Arabic localisation |

## Quick start

1. Point your package manager at the Gulf mirror. See **Mirrors ▸ mirrors.oiv.ae ▸ Use the mirror**.
2. Pick a guide for what you want to set up.
3. Say hello at the next meetup, or suggest a project for the mirror.

<p class="callout info">The mirror is being set up. Paths in these docs are the planned layout and will work once the mirror is online.</p>

## About this site

oiv.ae is an independent community project. The layout, type and colour follow the open-source UAE Design System guidelines. oiv.ae is not affiliated with the UAE Government or TDRA.


# Why a mirror in the Gulf?

Most Linux distributions serve packages from Europe or the US. A mirror inside the region keeps that traffic closer to the people who use it.

## Shorter path

Updates travel from a server in the region instead of Europe or the US, so downloads start sooner and finish faster.

## Less international traffic

Universities, offices and ISPs can keep package traffic local, and run their own downstream copies over rsync.

## Built by the community

Which projects come next is decided with the people who use them. Suggest one and help maintain it: see **Get involved ▸ Suggest a project**.


# How these docs are organised

These docs use BookStack's four levels. Each level has one job.

| Level | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Shelf | A broad area of oiv.ae | Mirrors |
| Book | One product, service or programme | mirrors.oiv.ae |
| Chapter | A group of related tasks inside a book | Use the mirror |
| Page | One task or one topic, readable in a few minutes | OPNsense |

## Shelves

- **oiv.ae**: what the project is and how to take part.
- **Mirrors**: using and running mirrors.oiv.ae.
- **Community**: guides, events and Arabic localisation.
- **Brand and design**: the oiv.ae logo, colour and type, and how the site applies the UAE Design System.

## Writing conventions

- Page titles say what the reader will do or learn: "Use the mirror with openSUSE", not "openSUSE".
- Start each page with one or two sentences on what it covers. The page title is already shown as the heading, so body sections start at Heading 2.
- Put commands in code blocks, one command per line, so they can be copied.
- Mark unfinished pages with a yellow warning callout that says "Draft outline".
- Tag pages with `Section`, `Topic`, `Distro` and `Audience` where they apply, so search filters work.


# Get involved

Ways to help: bandwidth and storage, new mirror projects, guides and translations.

# Contribute to the mirror

The mirror grows with the bandwidth, storage and time people give it.

## Ways to help

- **Bandwidth and storage**: host a node or offer capacity in a regional data centre. co-location is very welcomed.
- **Maintenance**: watch sync jobs for one project and report or fix problems.
- **Monitoring**: help build the status checks shown on the mirror status page.

## What we need from a hosting partner

- Linux machine with any storage, any bandwidth and ability to maintain reasonable uptime
- Location in a GCC country
- Public IPv4 (IPv6 preferred as well)
- A named contact for incidents

## How to offer help
- Contact maintainer (contribute -at- oiv.ae)

## Priorities list
- Co-location in Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Fujeirah in UAE
- VMs in other locations
- Servers (reasonable aged, post-production hardware is welcomed)
- SSD and SAS disks (can be collected and wiped per standards on-site before media leaves the building)
- Financial contribution with all formalities (project is non-profitable organization)
- Legal support
- Contribution appreciation
- Events invitations

# Code of conduct

oiv.ae is a place to learn and help each other.

## Expected behaviour

- Be respectful and patient, especially with people who are new to Linux.
- Keep discussion on topic and in English.
- Credit other people's work.

## Not accepted

- Harassment, insults or personal attacks.
- Sharing other people's private information.
- Spam and unsolicited advertising.

## Reporting a problem

Contact the maintainers. Reports are handled privately.