T3 Framework - Installation Tutorials

How to Install Joomla 3.1 Steps by Step

Hosting Requirements

Installing Joomla! for the first time is very easy. Joomla!’s built-in web installer makes setting up your new site a breeze.

Before we start installing Joomla!, there are a couple prerequisites that need to be met to install Joomla! 3.1 successfully. These apply whether you have a dedicated server, a shared hosting plan server, or are installing a copy on a local computer for testing or development.

You’ll need to meet the following requirements below to install and use Joomla! 3.1 

Software	Recommended	Minimum
PHP (Magic Quotes GPC off)	5.3.1 +	5.3.1 +
Supported Databases:
MySQL[1] (InnoDB support required)	5.1 +	5.1 +
MSSQL	10.50.1600.1 +	10.50.1600.1 +
PostgreSQL	8.3.18 +	8.3.18 +
Supported Web Servers:
Apache(with mod_mysql, mod_xml, and mod_zlib)[2][3]	2.x+	2.x+
Nginx	1.1	1.0
Microsoft IIS	7	7

You will need two complete two tasks before you can install Joomla! on your server. First, you will need to download the Joomla! package files. Next, you will need to have a database for Joomla! use.

Downloading and Uploading Joomla! Package Files

1. Download the current release of Joomla! 3.1
2. Move the downloaded Joomla! installation package to the server. Use a FTP Client to transfer the Joomla! 3.0 files to your server. If you don’t already have an FTP client, we recommend Filezilla

Hint - This can be accomplished by simply moving the downloaded package to your server, then unpacking it. Or you can unpack the files on your local computer, then move the Joomla installation over to your server. Either way, the Joomla installation needs to be unpacked in the root of your site.

 Warning!

If you unpack the files on your own computer, then copy them to your server, be sure to move only the folders and files contained INSIDE the Joomla! package. If you unpack the folders and files into a folder, for example called, Joomla and then upload that folder, your site will have to be accessed at yoursitename.com/Joomla instead of yoursitename.com.

Database for Joomla! Installation

1. If you need to create a database, please read "Create a database for use with Joomla!" first or skip to step #2.
2. You will need to note basic database information needed when the actual Joomla! installation is started.
• Location of datase, localhost? Or a specific host's server such as dbserver1.yourhost.com
• The database name
• The database user's name
• The database user's password

Main Configuration

With the above requirements met, a database created and the required Joomla! files in place, you are ready to install Joomla!. Start the Joomla! web installer by opening your favorite browser and browsing to the site's domain name. On host installation you will use http://www.yoursitename.com. If your are installing Joomla! locally, you will usehttp://localhost/<path to joomla files>, and you should see the installation screen.

Joomla! will try to identify the Select Language field automatically from your browser's language. You can change this if needed.

Fill in the following information.

• Site Name: The name of your website — this can be changed at any point later in the Site Global Configuration page.
• Description: Enter a description of the website. This is a the global fallback meta description used on every page which will be used by search engines. Generally, a maximum of 20 to 25 words is optimal. Again, this can be changed on the Site Global Configuration page at any time. For more on metadata, see Global Metadata Settings and Entering search engine meta-data.
• Admin Email Address: The admin email address. Enter a valid email in case you forget your password. This is the email address where you'll receive a link to change the admin password.
• Admin Username: Joomla! uses a default "admin" as the username for the Super User. You can leave it as is, change it now(which a good Security measure) or use My Profile in theAdministration interface to change it later.
• Admin Password: Remember that super user has maximum control of the site (frontend & backend), so try to use a difficult password. Use My Profile in the Administration interface to change it later. Confirm the password in the Confirm Admin Password box.
• Site Offline: Click the Yes or No box. Yes - this means when installation is complete, your Joomla! website will display the 'Site is offline message' when you browse toyoursitename.com to view the home page. No - this means the site is live when you browse to yoursitename.com to view the home page. You can use the Site Global Configuration in theAdministration interface to change the Offline status at any time.

When everything on the first page is completed, click the next button to proceed:

Database Configuration

You will need to enter the information about the database you will use for Joomla! now. It was suggested to write this information down under "Prepare for Install" tab. You may also read or review Creating a Database for Joomla!.

For simplification, these intructions are a reference to installing with a MySQLi database. The instructions on the installation page are self explanatory, but here they are again:

• Database Type: MySQLi is the common database used
• Hostname: Where is your database located? Common is localhost, but some hosts use a specific database server such as dbserver1.yourhost.com
• Username: The username used to connect to the database
• Password: The password for the database's username
• Database Name: The name of the database
• Table Prefix: One is generated automatically, but you can change it. For example, jos3_ can be used. Just don't forget to put the underscore character(_) at the end of the prefix.
• Old Database Process: Should the installer backup or delete existing tables during the installation of new tables? Click, Yes or No to select the choice.

All these choices can be edited on the Site Global Configuration page, under Server options after the installation is completed. Note, you will break your installation if you change these settings after installation unless you have a complete copy of the current database being used by the Joomla! installation. Common uses would be to update the username and password of the database or to complete a move of an existing installation to a new host with different parameters.

When all the information has been filled in, click the next button to proceed:

Overview

It is now time to finalise the Joomla! installation. The last page of the web brower installation contains all the information about the installation. This includes the options(at the top) for installing sample data and the installation's configurations(at the bottom).

Install Sample Data and Email Configurations

The first options are for automatically installing sample content to the website and emailing the configuration settings.

If you are new to Joomla! it would be benefical to install some sample data to see how Joomla! works. You can at this time choose to have the configuration settings emailed to you. If the Email Configuation choice is selected, the Email Password choice will appear. The email password is off by default for security. You can choose to have the password included, just click Yes.

Time to check the configurations of your install and the environment of the installation.

Checking Your Configurations

If everything is in order, you will see the install at the top of the overview page. If not, this is the place to check and see what may be causing an issue.

The section is broken into 4 groups:

• Main Configuration: All the website specific information, such as the website name, description, admin username, etc.
• Database Configuration: Contains the information about the database Joomla! will use.
• Pre-Installation Check: These requirements must all be shown as Yes, otherwise you will not be able to install Joomla! With the exception of the PHP Version, the rest are usually controlled in the php.ini. You may need assistance from your host in correcting these settings or checking to see if it is possible to adjust them. For more information, see PHP configuration file file.
• Recommended Settings: These are settings are recommended in your PHP configuration, but will not prevent Joomla! from being installed. You can refer to the above instructions on how they may be changed.

If everything is correct and all checks are passed, you may now click the Install button in the top right corner of the Overview page. This will start the actual installation process.

After you click the Install button, you should see a progress bar with additional information of the installation. Once the installation completes, you should see the success page!

Success and Finishing Up the Installation

Congratulations! Joomla! 3 is now installed, but there is one last step to complete the installation and start using your Joomla! powered site. You must delete the Installation Folder. Click on Remove Installation folder and a success message will appear. Now you can navigate to the Administrator log in by clicking Administrator or go right to your site by clicking Site.

How to Install Joomla 2.5 Steps by Step

Hosting requirements

Installing Joomla! for the first time is very easy. Joomla!’s built-in installer makes setting up your new site a breeze.

Before we start installing Joomla!, there are a couple prerequisites that need to be met to install successfully:

• Hosting - whether you have a dedicated server, or shared hosting plan, you’ll need some sort of web hosting that meets the following requirements:
  • PHP v. 5.2+
  • MySQL 5.04+
  • Apache 1.3
• MySQL Database - you’ll need access to a MySQL database, as well as the following credentials.
  • DB Name
  • Host Name
  • Username
  • Password
• FTP Client - for transferring files to your server. If you don’t already have an FTP client that you use, we recommend Filezilla (ensure transfers are set to Binary)
• Latest Release of Joomla! 2.5.X - you can find that here Download .

Installation

With these requirements met, and resources in place, we are ready to install Joomla

To begin our installation, we’ll first need to move our Joomla installation package to the server. This can be accomplished by simply moving the downloaded package to your server, then unpacking it. Or you can unpack the files on your local computer, then move the Joomla installation over to your server. Either way, the Joomla installation needs to be unpacked in the root of your site.

Caution - if you unpack the files on your own computer, then copy them to your server, be sure to move only the files contained INSIDE the Joomla package. If you transfer the Joomla folder as well, your site will be accessed at yoursite.com/Joomla instead of yoursite.com.

The Joomla installer now makes it very easy to install Joomla. With the files transferred to your server, access the Joomla installation through your web browser by entering the address of your site, for example http://www.example.com.

Step 1 is to select your language in the screen above, then press the 'Next' button in the upper right corner.

Step 2 runs a series of system and server checks to ensure that Joomla will be able to install, and function correctly. The top section of items should all be green and 'Yes'. If any are not (they'll be red and say "No") then you will need to take action to correct them. The bottom section of items are not required, but are recommended to ensure that Joomla can operate smoothly.

Step 3 is to review the GNU license. This is the software license agreement for Joomla use, and simply requires you to press 'Next' in the top right corner after reviewing.

Step 4 is configuring the database connection for Joomla. Here you will need to enter the Database type, Hostname, User name, Database name and the Database prefix for the MySQL database you have set up. If your settings are not correct, you might be unable to connect to the database. An additional option is to change the Table prefix. (Note: Joomla 2.5.x now offers a random default prefix) This may be helpful for security purposes.

Step 5 is the FTP Configuration. This step is unnecessary for most sites and its need is usually identified if you find you cannot upload media or images or install Extensions. The details can be added at a later time directly within the Global Configuration in the Joomla Administration pages. This step is not required on servers installed on a Windows operating system.

Step 6, and the last to installing Joomla, is the Site Configuration. Here you must add a Site Name, Admin User Name, Admin Password, and Admin e-mail address. If you are new to Joomla you should also CLICK Install the Sample Content, this will help with learning about Joomla.

Step 7 Is the final step. Joomla is now installed! You must now remove the installation directory, this needs to be removed for security reasons to prevent anyone else from coming along and reinstalling Joomla over your existing site. Click the Remove Installation Directory button.