Installing Web Applications

Once you’ve selected a content management system (CMS) to use for your site, NML staff will help you to install it and can provide advice for configuring and beginning to develop your site.  However, you are responsible for keeping your site software up to date.

This page helps to make sense of installation and upgrade instructions provided with your software, including how to best follow those instructions when installing on the NML server. The following is not exhaustive but includes links to some of the most common downloads at the NML.  Because installation instructions can change at anytime, we try to keep the advice on this page general.

Download links

Links below lead to the latest releases of each CMS as well as to galleries and repositories of plugins, themes, and other extensions.  Each download offers installation instructions, sometimes on the download page, sometimes by following a link, sometimes as a readme.txt or install.txt file included in the download.  Be sure to read and understand all the installation instructions before proceeding.  Adding any features to your CMS can permanently change your database, so the only way to undo an installation is to restore a backup.

Following installation instructions for the NML server

Installing any of the tools above requires essentially the same steps.  These steps are easy but require understanding a lot of terminology. Though they’re sometimes listed in a different order, an installation generally requires, at most, that you:

  1. download software from the CMS website, plugin repository, or similar location;
  2. decompress the download;
  3. update configuration files;
  4. upload software to the web server;
  5. change permissions to allow the server to write files to an uploads directory;
  6. set up a database for the new software;
  7. run the installation script or enable the plugin or theme in the dashboard or admin area of your CMS; and, finally,
  8. test the installation and clean up.

Theme and plugin installations often only require a few of these steps, since they can rely on your already-installed CMS to automate the others.

Downloading the correct version

Use the links above or use a search engine to find the correct version of the software you’d like to install.  Some software is available in both its standard format and bundled with packages extensions, themes, or customizations.  You’ll usually want to begin with the simple version and only add the extensions you need.  Download the software to any location on your computer, not directly to the server.

Decompressing/extracting files

If the instructions suggest decompressing or extracting (which are more or less synonymous) the download, do that on your computer.  On a Mac, you can double click most compressed and archived formats, such as .zip, .gz/.gzip, and .tar.  On a Windows computer, sometimes double clicking will allow you to browse the compressed file without decompressing it, so you might need to right click and select “Extract All” from the contextual menu.  If installation instructions don’t specify that you should extract files, don’t do so.  Some CMSs expect that a plugin or theme will be installed from a single file and require extraction to happen as part of the installation/enabling process.

Editing config(uration) or other files

Web application configuration files

If the instructions require you to create or edit a configuration file, open the file with a basic text editor, such as Text Wrangler on a Mac or Notepad on a PC.  (Don’t use OS X’s TextEdit. It will make convert straight quotes to curved quotes, which will cause errors.)

Only modify exactly what you know needs to be changed, and keep in mind that every character, including spaces, tabs, and returns has the potential to make a difference in how the file is read.  If you’re unclear how to update the file, NML staff can help.

Server configuration files

Most CMSs—but few plugins or themes—require additional configuration of the server.  This is usually done with files named .htaccess, but the NML server, lw4, is configured to ignore these files, since they can be the target of hacking attempts.  If your installation includes any files named .htaccess,  NML staff can help update your site’s configuration file as needed.  Files with names beginning with a period are hidden from view by OS X (and other Unix-like operating systems), so you’ll need to use FileZilla or a program with similar functions to look for .htaccess files.

Uploading to and setting permissions on the NML server

After any necessary extraction and configuration, you are ready to upload your software to the NML server.  If you are familiar with using a Unix-style command shell, you’re welcome to use one.  If not, we recommend interacting with the server through FileZilla.

Databases and database users

Virtually all CMSs require a database where the CMS can store settings, user info, content, and metadata.  To keep each site on the NML server protected from hacking and other accidental changes, we create a new database for each site, and each database has its own user.  NML staff will help you create the database for your CMS and its user.

When you make a backup of your site, or in the unlikely situation that you need to access your database tables without using your CMS, you can use phpMyAdmin to look directly at your database content.  Access phpMyAdmin on the NML server with your database username and password, which are saved in your site configuration file, not with your normal server or Grad Center login credentials.

Installation scripts and enabling plugins

Once your files are in place and your database is set up, you will need to use a web browser to run your CMS’s installation script.  This will create database tables, check your installation for basic problems, and allow you to create your administrative user.  Similarly, when you install a plugin or theme, you will need to check the support documentation for your CMS and properly enable the plugin or theme.  Doing so usually makes permanent changes to your CMS database, so it’s best to test new extensions on a development server and/or to backup your site first.

Always clean up and test your installation

Be sure to promptly check that your installation works well. Even if your site isn’t yet meant for public viewing, a problematic installation has the risk of creating error messages that expose private information about your site configuration, and that information could be used later to compromise your site.  Be sure to follow any post-installation instructions as well.  These often include reminders to reset configuration file permissions, if installer scripts wrote to those files.