Using phpBB on SourceForge.net
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phpBB 3.0.x
Ok, this is actually really easy.
For reference, '$projecthome' is '/home/groups/n/na/name' - that is, '/home/groups/(first letter)/(first two letters)/(full name)'.
Download phpBB3
Download phpBB3 to your PC, and use scp to copy it onto Sourceforge. I untarred it to '$projecthome/htdocs/forum/'.
Set Up A Database
First you need to configure the database.
All the information you need can be found in the Shell/DB/Web page under 'Admin' on your Sourceforge project page. You'll need to:
- configure phpbb using the admin username/password given on the database page
- launch phpmyadmin to create a database for phpbb to use
Whilst it's a bit verbose, read carefully and it's all straightforward.
Configure Writable Directores
There are 4 directories that you want to be able to write to, 'cache', 'files', 'store', and 'images/avatars/upload'. Create these in '/tmp/persistent/projectname/' and symlink to them. Since a few of the directories have a file in them, the quickest way is to move them.
cd $projecthome/htdocs/forum # if it does not exist yet mkdir /tmp/persistent/projectname # organisation is a good habit ;) mkdir /tmp/persistent/projectname/forum # move the directories mv cache /tmp/persistent/projectname mv files /tmp/persistent/projectname mv store /tmp/persistent/projectname mv images/avatars/upload /tmp/persistent/projectname # create appropriate symlinks ln -sf /tmp/persistent/projectname/cache ln -sf /tmp/persistent/projectname/files ln -sf /tmp/persistent/projectname/store ln -sf /tmp/persistent/projectname/upload images/avatars/upload # set appropriate permissions chmod 777 /tmp/persistent/projectname/forum/*
You can also move/symlink 'config.php' to make it writable as well but I opted to just download it and copy it over manually.
Start Installation
Visit 'projectname.sourceforge.net/forum' and there should be some introductory material there, including a link to more information on the installation which you should read if you are taking this seriously. When ready, click on the 'Install' tab to get started.
All the necessary tests should pass (those that don't shouldn't matter - e.g. we only need 1 type of database). If you didn't move 'config.php' to '/tmp/persistent', then it will complain that 'config.php' is unwritable but that's OK.
The only thing you need to enter is the database information, including admin username/password. Everything else should be fine left as it is.
For the mailing configuration, Sourceforge doesn't support SMTP but the local 'mail' application should work fine. More importantly, you shouldn't need to change any of these settings.
Upload New Config
When most of the way through the installation it should attempt to write config.php and fail, but provide a download button. Press it, get it, and upload it, overwriting the existing '$projecthome/htdocs/forum/config.php' and press 'Done'.
With those steps done, you should be able to complete the installation of phpBB3.
Post-Installation
Once the installation has completed, remove the forum/install directory and set up your forum! :)
You also need to display the Sourceforge logo. Will add this bit later --FreeGamer 16:57, 14 March 2008 (CET)
