Installation
You don't have to be a web developer or programmer to install Vanilla. Vanilla has an installer which will do most of the work for you, and the rest can be done from your dashboard. Free Installations: If you are a complete novice (or are just not into DIY) check hosted service at VanillaForums.com. Installing Vanilla on your localhost: Top
1. Step by step installation
Before You Begin
Before installing, please read the Requirements and Setup information. Proper planning can ensure a worry-free installation. If you are looking for a new webhost, we have a list of Vanilla Friendly Hosts. The instructions below are generic and apply to most shared hosts. See Installation Guides for instructions for specific combinations of operating system and web servers. Top Pre-requisitesThis guide assumes you have
- FTP or SSH (shell) access to a webserver (such as Apache) with PHP5
- Access to a MySQL database (should be provided by your webhost)
Step 1. Create the database
Vanilla requires MySQL. Many hosts offer a point & click interface to create databases and database users. For example, if your web host has cPanel you probably can see phpMyAdmin in the main menu or a the section labeled Databases. Creating a database (and a database user) is a very simple operation. Essentially you will create a blank (empty) database that the Vanilla installer will later populate with the correct tables and data. collation" drop-down box in phpmyadmin. If you select a different encoding method, you may need to manually update your ../db/local.php file. Tip: If you plan on having multiple Vanillainstallations, don't use vanilla as the database name.
- Be sure to record the database name, you will need it later.
2. Create a database user(with password)
- Again, don't get fancy with the database username. In fact, you can use the same name that you selected for the database (in step 1).
- Select a strong password. You can easily recover your database username and password if necessary (by reviewing the vanilla/conf/config.php file in your Vanilla directory.
- Be sure to record the username and password. You will need it later.
3 Assign all database permissions to the database user that you created (in step 2). Congratulations. You now have a database that is ready to use, as well a a database user (and password) with the necessary permissions. Top
Step 2: Download and unzip
Download the current version of Vanilla to your local computer. You can also find Vanilla on github. The full download is roughly 2MB. Once you have downloaded, you should decompress (unzip) the Vanilla archive file to your local hard drive. Top
Step 3: Upload
Next, you need to connect via FTP (or SCP, SFTP, Rsync, SSH, etc) to your web host. Once connected, find your web directory. It is often called www or public_html or httpdocs (this is different from host to host). Then, copy all the Vanilla files. If Vanilla will be sharing the space with other applications, it is a good idea to put it in a subdirectory (ex.: http://www.yourdomain.com/vanilla/). Otherwise, you can put it directly in the web directory, and thus, Vanilla will be accessible when you visit http://www.yourdomain.com Top
Step 4: Go to your website.
Open your browser and go to your new website address (such as http://www.yourdomain.com/vanilla/. The installation screen will appear. Add image here Top
Step 5: Run the Vanilla installer
Just follow the easy steps in the installer.
If you must use Vanilla with a database socket connection, use this syntax for the database host: localhost;unix_socket=/tmp/mysql5.sock Top
Step 6: Sign in for the first time
Sign in using the Sign In button in the right-hand column, also known as the panel.
- Enter the information used in step 5 (the Vanilla installer).
- Click Sign In.
Step 7: Configure and Explore Vanilla
Congratulations and welcome to your shiny new Vanilla Forum! Take some time to familiarize yourself with the Dashboard and the many features Vanilla has to offer. Enable "Pretty" URLs
- Apache: Requires .htaccess to be working on your server. Edit your config.php file and set $Configuration['Garden']['RewriteUrls'] = TRUE;
- Lighttpd: See this discussion
Also see Initial Configuration to explain the recommended next steps. Top
2. For more information on the Vanilla installation process...
Installation FAQ Installation Guides - recipes, tips and detailed knowledge about specific hosting environments Migrate to Vanilla Move Vanilla to a new server Reinstall - point Vanilla to a new Database or re-run an upgrade Using SSH (for newbies) Multi Vanilla
| Edited January 2012 by Lincoln |