Nextcloud Hub: User Tips: by Jack Wallen April 2020

NEXTCLOUD HUB: USER TIPS
By Jack Wallen
April 2020
COPYRIGHT ©2020 CBS INTERACTIVE INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 Nextcloud evolves into Nextcloud Hub to

better meet your company’s needs
6 How Nextcloud Hub can help you work
from home
9 How to connect ONLYOFFICE Desktop
Editors to your Nextcloud server
12 How to enable 2FA for groups in
Nextcloud
15 How to enable 2FA on a per-user basis in
Nextcloud
18 How to create data reports in
Nextcloud Hub
2
INTRODUCTION
Nextcloud has evolved from a tool that can be installed and expanded with a number of applications, to an
out-of-the-box, one-stop shop collaboration suite.
The Nextcloud developers have unleashed one of their most significant upgrades to their on-premises cloud
hosting platform: Nextcloud Hub.
Once installed, Nextcloud Hub includes built-in video chat, OnlyOffice integration, and so much more--out of
the box. Admins will no longer have to install or connect to a separate OnlyOffice server. That’s big news for
anyone who’s taken the time to add business-grade collaboration to the Nextcloud platform. Open source now
has a seriously robust and user-friendly web-based office groupware suite.
NEXTCLOUD EVOLVES INTO NEXTCLOUD HUB TO

BETTER MEET YOUR COMPANY’S NEEDS
The Nextcloud developers have unleashed one of their most significant upgrades to their on-premises cloud
hosting platform: Nextcloud Hub. I was invited to test the pre-release version and never before have I been so
impressed with a piece of open source software. Nextcloud has evolved from a tool that can be installed and
expanded with a number of applications, to an out-of-the-box, one-stop shop collaboration suite.
Once installed, Nextcloud Hub includes built-in video chat, OnlyOffice integration, and so much more--out of
the box. Admins will no longer have to install or connect to a separate OnlyOffice server. That’s big news for
anyone who’s taken the time to add business-grade collaboration to the Nextcloud platform. Open source now
has a seriously robust and user-friendly web-based office groupware suite.
This evolution of the hottest on-premises cloud server software will come about with the next release (version
18 is available now) and will bring with it a full-blown, fully-featured cloud-based set of collaboration tools
unlike anything you’ve witnessed in an open source stack.
That’s how impressive the next iteration of Nextcloud is.
WHAT NEXTCLOUD HUB BRINGS

The two biggest additions to Nextcloud are the built-in OnlyOffice office suite and the Talk tool. With those two
additional features alone, Nextcloud has become a major contender in the all-in-one cloud collaboration space.
3
But the fun doesn’t end with documents and Figure A

chats. Nextcloud Hub has a few more tricks up
its sleeve that are sure to impress those looking
for a cost-effective solution that doesn’t skimp
on features.
Case in point: Flow. With Nextcloud Hub there

are new workflow capabilities which includes
the ability to automatically turn documents
into PDFs, automatically send action-triggered
messages, and more. With Flow, it’s possible to
automate just about any repetitive task and build
efficient team collaboration workflows. Creating a new Flow in Nextcloud Hub.
For example, say you want to automatically Figure B
send a message to a particular user once you’ve
uploaded a file that is over a specific size. With
Nextcloud Hub, it’s just a matter of creating
a new Flow, based on that particular action
(Figure A).
The Files tool has two new features that will

help make your collaboration efforts a bit easier.
The first feature is called Workspaces. This
feature brings context to your folders and facil-
itates collaboration efforts in a single location.
With Workspaces, you can make notes about a Making notes on what a particular folder contains.
particular folder to indicate, for example, what
purpose, project, or clients those files are for
(Figure B). This feature will be a boon to anyone who likes to stay as organized as possible.
You can add notes, images, links, lists--anything to help you and your collaborators stay organized within a
directory.
The next feature added to Files is file locking, which will prevent conflicts when editing files shared with
other users. This won’t impair your ability to collaborate on a document in real time. That’s still very possible.
4
But, when you want to manually lock a file, to prevent anyone from Figure C
making any changes while you have control, all you have to do is click
the Lock File entry from the file’s menu drop-down (Figure C).
Just remember to unlock the file when you’re done, otherwise none
of your collaborators will be able to open the file for editing.
This is just the start of what’s to come with Nextcloud Hub.

Anyone that’s spent time with this cloud server software within the
data center will be thrilled with how the developers have evolved
this tool into an even more powerful cloud-based collaboration
server. If you’ve been looking for an open source, on-premise alter-
native to Microsoft Office 365 or Google Docs, Nextcloud Hub Locking a file.
might be exactly what you’re looking for.
5
HOW NEXTCLOUD HUB CAN HELP YOU WORK

FROM HOME
Chances are pretty good that you’re having to work from home at the moment due to the coronavirus
pandemic. For some, this has been a no-brainer. You can always remote into your servers and administer them
from the command line or using various and sundry technologies to gain you access to the GUI tools.
But for some, the migration from working in a corporate or even a small business setting to working from
home is an exercise in unsettling discomfort. You don’t have all the tools you’re used to, you can’t collaborate in
the same ways.
What do you do? Fortunately, there are tools out there to make your work from home experience a bit easier.
One such tool is Nextcloud Hub, which is one of the most powerful and flexible on-premises cloud server
solutions on the market. If you’re not up to the task of installing Nextcloud on your own hardware, you can
always opt for a hosted solution. Either way, Nextcloud is ready to help.
But how?
Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can use Nextcloud to improve your work from home experience.
ONLY OFFICE
The first thing I will mention is that the latest release of Nextcloud (called Nextcloud Hub) includes a built-in
office suite solution, Only Office. You can think of this as your own in-house Google Docs or Office 365.
But why would you want this, when you already can use Google Docs or Office 365? First off, you might have
sensitive documents and data that your company doesn’t want hosted on either of those services. If so, you can
always host them in your personal cloud solution.
Next, I will bring up the fact that, while working from home, you’re dependent on a less-than-enterprise-grade
network provider. Because of that, your network connectivity could go out at any time. So why not house your
cloud inside your LAN, so when your connection to the outside digital world goes down, you can still work.
INTEGRATE YOUR CLOUD PROVIDER

Say you’ve Installed Nextcloud on a machine in your home and you need to find a way to connect it to another
cloud service. Fortunately, Nextcloud includes a number of third-party integrations. From the Nextcloud App
Store you can install the likes of:
6
• Draw.io
• GitHub
• OneDrive
• Zimbra Drive
• Google Drive
• Dropbox
If you have to, you could always connect Nextcloud to another cloud and share folders with your coworkers to
make collaboration even easier.
TALK
Nextcloud Hub includes a chat, video, and audio-conferencing tool called Talk. With Talk, you can have private,
group, public, and even password-protected calls. Talk even allows you to do screen sharing and it integrates
into other Nextcloud apps.
The one caveat to using Talk is that your Nextcloud instance will need to have a public-facing IP address, which
could be a good reason to go with a hosted version of the server, otherwise only those within your LAN will
be able to use the feature. This will, of course, be dictated by your service provider.
If you cannot give Nextcloud access from the outside world, you can always use it for communication with
those who live in the house with you. Instead of them knocking on your door to interrupt your workflow, give
them accounts on Nextcloud and have them use Talk. This could come in handy, if you’re unsure of the health
status of those you live with.
If you have the ability, you can always setup a VPN (using a technology like WireGuard) so those on the
outside can gain access to your Nextcloud server.
If you find you have a spare server or desktop lying around, you can follow the instructions in my post: How
to install Nextcloud 18 on Ubuntu Server. If you’re unsure how to install Ubuntu, give How to install Ubuntu
Server 18.04 a read first.
YOUR PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT

When you’ve been relegated to working from home, you might find yourself feeling a bit paranoid about
privacy and security. You’re not used to working outside of your company network and the security that offers.
7
There’s also one thing you’ve considered, but have been afraid to voice. While you’re working from home, you’ll
have more opportunities to deal with personal data than you would have at work. That being the case, why not
make use of Nextcloud and create a directory for work and a directory for home. Keep that data separated, but
within the same server. Either way, your data will be private and you don’t have to worry about a third party
having access to anything you’ve saved.
Once you’ve completed working on a project, you can then share it out as needed. Your privacy, your way.
MAKE IT YOURS
One of the best things about Nextcloud is that you can truly make it yours. Add just the right apps you need
to help you get your daily work done, knowing everything is secure and accessible by only those you allow. It
might take you a bit of time to get Nextcloud up and running and configured to perfectly meet your needs, but
the effort will pay off. Having your own in-house cloud server can make your work-at-home life more efficient,
more reliable, and better personalized and customized.
8
HOW TO CONNECT ONLYOFFICE DESKTOP

EDITORS TO YOUR NEXTCLOUD SERVER
If you have deployed the latest iteration of Nextcloud, then you have an outstanding (nearly) drop-in
replacement for Google Drive/Docs and Office 365. Along with the usual cloud bits and pieces, Nextcloud
Hub includes the ONLYOFFICE suite of tools, so you and your employees have access to documents, spread-
sheets, and presentations.
As an admin, there might be instances where you don’t want certain users logging directly in to the
Nextcloud portal. Or maybe you have users who’d prefer a desktop app that allows them direct access to the
ONLYOFFICE instance within your Nextcloud cloud server.
Either way, it’s not only possible it’s easy.
Let me show you how.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• A running instance of Nextcloud Hub (aka Nextcloud 18)
• ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors installed on one or more desktops within your LAN
• A Nextcloud admin account
Your Nextcloud instance doesn’t have to be installed on your LAN, but I’m assuming you have deployed this to
be an on-premises cloud server, so we’ll go from that angle.
HOW TO LOCATE THE NEXTCLOUD ADDRESS

In order to connect the ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, you must locate a specific address. To locate this
address, you must log in to Nextcloud as the admin user. Once you’ve done that, click your profile icon in the
upper-right corner and select Settings from the drop-down. In the resulting window, click ONLYOFFICE,
under the Administration menu.
You will then be Figure A

presented with the
Document Editing
Service Address
(Figure A). Copy that
address. The address required to connect the ONLYOFFICE editors.
9
HOW TO CONNECT Figure B
ONLYOFFICE DESKTOP
EDITORS
Open the installed ONLYOFFICE editor instance
on one of the desktops and, from the main
window, click Connect Now (Figure B).
In the resulting window, select Nextcloud from

the drop-down and paste the copied Nextcloud
address in the field below (Figure C).
Click Connect Now and you will then be

presented with the user login prompt (Figure D).
Once the user successfully authenticates, they’ll be

presented with a new ONLYOFFICE editor tab, The connect link within the ONLYOFFICE editors
connected to their Nextcloud account (Figure E). main window.
Figure C Figure D
Connecting to your Nextcloud instance in the The Nextcloud user login window.
ONLYOFFICE editors.
10
And that’s all there is to connecting the Figure E

ONLYOFFICE editors application to your
Nextcloud Hub on-premises cloud server.
With this setup, your users have quick and easy
access to the ONLYOFFICE portion of their
Nextcloud account.
Our ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors application is now

connected.
11
HOW TO ENABLE 2FA FOR GROUPS IN

NEXTCLOUD
Nextcloud is a powerhouse of an on-premises cloud server solution. And with recent iterations, you can use it
as a near drop-in replacement for Google Drive and Office 365. And for those that require a bit more security
options than you’ll find with the competition, you’ll be glad to know that Nextcloud delivers.
Take, for instance, the ability to control two-factor authentication (2FA). With Nextcloud Hub (the latest
release) you can enable 2FA globally, for individuals, or for groups.
It’s that last category I want to address—enabling 2FA for groups in Nextcloud Hub.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• A running instance of Nextcloud Hub (Nextcloud 18)
• A user with admin privileges
If you have installed the TOTP app (as demonstrated in How to enable 2FA on a per-user basis in Nextcloud),
you’ll need to temporarily disable it. Once you have 2FA working for groups, you can then re-enable it, so
users can then set it up to use for their login codes. If you leave TOTP enabled, you won’t get 2FA working for
groups.
HOW TO CREATE A GROUP

The first thing you must do is create a group. Figure A
To do this, log in to Nextcloud with an admin
account, click your profile icon in the upper right
corner, and click Users. In the resulting window,
click Add Group (Figure A).
You will be prompted to name your group. Do

so and click Enter on your keyboard to save the
new group. You will be prompted to type your
admin password to complete the action. Type
the admin password and click Confirm. Your
Adding a new group in Nextcloud.
group has been created.
12
HOW TO ADD USERS TO A GROUP

Next you need to add users to the newly-created group. To do this click the edit icon (pencil) associated with a
user. This will open the user editor, where you can then add the user to the newly-created group by clicking the
group text area and selecting the new group from the drop-down (Figure B).
Once you’ve added the new group, click the check mark and the changes will be saved.
Figure B
Adding Olivia to the Editorial group.
ENABLING 2FA FOR THE NEW GROUP

Now we’re going to enable 2FA for the new group we just created. To do that, click on your profile icon and
then click Settings. In the resulting window, click the checkbox for Enforce Two-Factor Authentication. This
will then reveal the group options (Figure C).
Figure C
The Nextcloud 2FA group options are now available.
Click Enforced Group and select the new group from the drop-down. Click Save Changes and the group has
now been added to two-factor authentication on your Nextcloud cloud server.
13
Once this is up and working, Figure D

you then re-enable the TOTP
app, so the users won’t have
to use up their backup codes.
Make sure your users then
enable TOTP (as shown in
the How to enable 2FA on a
per-user basis in Nextcloud
how-to). Once they’ve done
that, they’ll then be able to use
an authenticator app on their
mobile device for codes. If
they haven’t logged in before
you re-enable TOTP, they will
then be prompted to set it up First time login for a user who belongs to the new 2FA-enabled group.
upon next login (Figure D).
And that’s it. You now have two-factor authentication working for specific groups in Nextcloud. Enjoy this
added layer of security for your on-premises cloud solution.
14
HOW TO ENABLE 2FA ON A PER-USER BASIS IN

NEXTCLOUD
If you’ve deployed Nextcloud as your on-premises cloud server, you’ve probably already taken some steps
to secure the platform. If that’s the case, you might be looking to enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
Although it’s a good idea to enforce such a policy, what happens when the server is only accessible from within
your LAN and you have some accounts who should use 2FA and some who shouldn’t?
Fortunately, with the latest releases of Nextcloud--and a handy app--it’s possible to make it such that your users
can decide if 2FA is necessary for their account.
I can already hear your guffaws. You’re thinking, “It’s my choice, as the admin, whether or not 2FA is used.”
But what about that CEO? Or anyone above you, for that matter? You might find yourself in a situation
where there are particular users (with the power to do so) who insist they do not have to take the extra step for
logging in.
Of course, this might be a different case if the server was accessible from the WAN. At that point, you’d insist
2FA is enabled for all accounts. But a LAN-only server? A per-user enabling could be feasible.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to show you. Once you have this setup taken care of, it’ll be up to your users
whether or not they want to take advantage of this added layer of security.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• A running instance of Nextcloud (version 16+)
• A Nextcloud account that has admin privileges
HOW TO INSTALL Figure A
THE 2FA PLUGIN

The first thing you must do is enable
two-factor authentication for your
Nextcloud server. To do this, log in as
the admin user, click your profile icon
(in the upper-right corner) and click
Apps. In the resulting search field,
type TOTP (Figure A). Locating the correct 2FA app.
15
When the app appears, click Enable (Figure B). Figure B
Once you’ve enabled the app, 2FA is ready. You

now have two choices:
1. Enforce system-wide usage of 2FA.

2. Allow users to choose whether or not to
enable 2FA.
If you opt to enable it system-wide, click your
profile icon again and click Settings. Under
Administration, click Security. In the resulting
window, click the check box for Enforce
Two-Factor Authentication (Figure C).
If you opt to go the individual route, there’s

Enabling the TOTP app.
nothing more for you to do.
Figure C
Enabling system-wide 2FA.
HOW TO ENABLE 2FA ON A PER-USER BASIS

For each user to enable 2FA for their Nextcloud account, they must do this:
3. Log in to Nextcloud.
4. Click on their user profile icon.
5. Click Settings.
6. Click Security under Personal in the left sidebar.
7. Click the check box for Enable TOTP.
8. Scan the presented QR Code with a mobile authentication app, such as Authy (Figure D) .
9. Type the authentication code given by the app and click Verify.
16
And that’s it. The next time the user Figure D

logs in to their Nextcloud account,
they’ll be required to enter the 2FA
code from their mobile app.
Congratulations, you’ve just made

it possible for your Nextcloud
users to decide if they want to add
two-factor authentication to their
Nextcloud account. Just remember,
it is in your power to enforce the
policy system-wide, so if you don’t
trust your users to do so, take the
necessary precautions to lock down
every account with the added layer of
protection.
Enabling 2FA for an account.
17
HOW TO CREATE DATA REPORTS IN

NEXTCLOUD HUB
Nextcloud Hub is the latest iteration of the Nextcloud on-premises cloud server software and it offers a lot of
features businesses of all sizes can use. One such feature is the new built-in data analytics tool.
With this analytics tool you can create reports that will display data visualizations of all sorts. Because it’s ready
to go out-of-the-box, all you have to do is log in and start creating your reports.
I’m going to show you how to create a simple report using the new Nextcloud Analytics tool, so you can get
the most out of your company’s cloud server software.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED Figure A

• A running instance of Nextcloud Hub
• A user account on that cloud server
• Some data
You can follow the same instructions for
installing Nextcloud 16 (they haven’t changed
for the 18th release) in the article: How to install
Nextcloud 16 on Ubuntu 18.04. The Analytics icon in the toolbar.
Figure B
HOW TO CREATE A
REPORT IN NEXTCLOUD
HUB
Log in to your instance of Nextcloud Hub.
Once logged in, you should see the Analytics
icon at the far right of the icon toolbar
(Figure A).
Click that icon and then click New Report

(Figure B).
The Analytics window.
18
You should see a report titled New listed. Click Figure C

the menu button and then click Basic Settings
(Figure C).
In the resulting window (Figure D), start filling

out information for the report.
In this tab you’ll want to at least name the

report, title the column headers, and select the
type of visualization you want to use.
Once you’ve filled out the basic information

about the report, click the Data tab and then
Accessing the settings for the new report.
start adding data to the report (Figure E).
Figure D Figure E
Filling out information for the report. Adding data to the report.
19
You can add data manually, or import it from a file. To manually enter data, fill out the necessary values and
click Save Data. You can then continue to add data to the report until you’re finished.
If you then click on the report name in the left navigation, you can view the chart and manipulate the data as
you see fit (Figure F).
From the chart menu (Figure G), you can download the chart as an image, CSV list, or XLS spreadsheet; print
the generated chart; view the data table; or open the chart in Highcharts Cloud.
NOT PERFECT, BUT STILL USEFUL

It does take a bit of chart experience to get the most out of this feature. And the Nextcloud Hub Analytics
tool isn’t 100% perfect. For instance, it seems you are limited to only three data columns and you cannot
change the data type for those columns.
But, even with these limitations, this tool is an outstanding addition to Nextcloud. Hopefully, future updates
will bring a bit more flexibility to the tool. But even as is, any user who depends on data analytics will see this as
a big step forward for Nextcloud.
Figure F Figure G
Our newly generated chart.
Downloading the chart in

various formats.
20
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3 Nextcloud evolves into Nextcloud Hub to

NEXTCLOUD EVOLVES INTO NEXTCLOUD HUB TO

That’s how impressive the next iteration of Nextcloud is.

WHAT NEXTCLOUD HUB BRINGS

But the fun doesn’t end with documents and Figure A

Case in point: Flow. With Nextcloud Hub there

The Files tool has two new features that will

This is just the start of what’s to come with Nextcloud Hub.

HOW NEXTCLOUD HUB CAN HELP YOU WORK

INTEGRATE YOUR CLOUD PROVIDER

YOUR PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT

HOW TO CONNECT ONLYOFFICE DESKTOP

Either way, it’s not only possible it’s easy.

Let me show you how.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

HOW TO LOCATE THE NEXTCLOUD ADDRESS

You will then be Figure A

HOW TO CONNECT Figure B

In the resulting window, select Nextcloud from

Click Connect Now and you will then be

Once the user successfully authenticates, they’ll be

And that’s all there is to connecting the Figure E

Our ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors application is now

HOW TO ENABLE 2FA FOR GROUPS IN

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

HOW TO CREATE A GROUP

You will be prompted to name your group. Do

HOW TO ADD USERS TO A GROUP

Adding Olivia to the Editorial group.

ENABLING 2FA FOR THE NEW GROUP

The Nextcloud 2FA group options are now available.

Once this is up and working, Figure D

HOW TO ENABLE 2FA ON A PER-USER BASIS IN

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

HOW TO INSTALL Figure A

THE 2FA PLUGIN

When the app appears, click Enable (Figure B). Figure B

Once you’ve enabled the app, 2FA is ready. You

1. Enforce system-wide usage of 2FA.

If you opt to go the individual route, there’s

Enabling system-wide 2FA.

HOW TO ENABLE 2FA ON A PER-USER BASIS

And that’s it. The next time the user Figure D

Congratulations, you’ve just made

Enabling 2FA for an account.

HOW TO CREATE DATA REPORTS IN

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Figure A

Click that icon and then click New Report

The Analytics window.

You should see a report titled New listed. Click Figure C

In the resulting window (Figure D), start filling

In this tab you’ll want to at least name the

Once you’ve filled out the basic information

NOT PERFECT, BUT STILL USEFUL

Our newly generated chart.

Downloading the chart in

Copyright ©2020 by CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. TechRepublic

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