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Installing moodle on our linux hosting
Please note that moodle requires PHP and databases to run so if you are on a starter hosting package you will need to upgrade to our Advanced package to run it.For any significant installation of Moodle we advise considering an upgrade to a Virtual server or dedicated server. If you would like information on these please contact our Sales department and they can discuss the package which best suits your needs.
We recommend you install Moodle on a linux package, this tutorial relates to installation on our linux packages.
There are a few things you need to do to set Moodle up on our hosting.
1) Create a database for moodle to use by clicking on "Configure MySQL" in your control panel and then on "Add database"
You will also need to create a database user and give them a password. Moodle will look for this information during the installation procedure. Your MYSQL hostname will also be displayed in this section.
For more information on setting up a database click here
2) Moodle uses php so you will probably want to set the main page of your site to index.php. To do this click on "Configure websites" in your control panel then scroll down and click on "Directory Indexes" set this to on and type index.php in the box.
To install the Moodle files to your website:
1) download moodle as a zip file from http://www.moodle.org
2) upload this zip fie to your website folder either via ftp or the file manager.
3) Once it is uploaded to the server click on the file in file manager and then on the "uncompress" option.
Alternatively your ftp program may allow you to do this.
This will now unzip all of the files into a folder called moodle.
If your entire site is running off of moodle you can copy the contents of your moodle folder into the main website directory.
.htaccess file.
if you already have a .htaccess file on your site please add the line
php_flag register_globals off
to it.
If you do not have a .htaccess file already, open up a text editor on your pc such as notepad. paste in the line
php_flag register_globals off
Save it as a file called .htaccess
Upload this file to your website folder.
If you do not do this moodle will give you an error message when you try to install.
Moodle data folder
This part is best done in the file manager in your H-sphere control panel.
create a folder called "moodledata" in your home directory so that it appears on the same screen as the folder with your website name.
Click on the folder icon to the left of where it says "moodledata" On the right of the screen it should now have a section called "Access permissions" put a tick in the write box for other and hit submit.
This will allow moodle to write data to your website.
Again if you do not do this now you'll run into problems in the installation.
Permissions on moodle folder/website folder
1) If you have uploaded your files to a folder called moodle
Click on the folder icon to the left of where it says "moodle" On the right of the screen it should now have a section called "Access permissions" put a tick in the write box for other and hit submit.
2) If you have uploaded your moodle files to your website folder
Click on the folder icon to the left of where it says your website name. On the right of the screen it should now have a section called "Access permissions" put a tick in the write box for other and hit submit.
Once moodle is installed you will need to go back in and remove this tick.
Installation
Now when you go to your site it will automatically take you to the install.php page.
After you choose the language it will run some tests. If you have followed the instructions above they should all pass.
The next page will ask you to "Please confirm the locations of this Moodle installation"
Click "next"
If it says there is an error
Where it says "Data directory"
Paste the line below
/hsphere/local/home/yourusername/moodledata
but instead of yourusername put in your Hsphere username.
Click "next"
It will now ask you for your database information. Fill in the info for the database you created earlier.
Click "next"
It will now do some more server checks.These should all pass.
Click "next"
It will mention downloading a language pack.
Click "next"
It should now say
Configuration completed
Moodle made an attempt to save your configuration in a file in the root of your Moodle installation.
config.php has been successfully created.
Congratulations! You have installed Moodle.
Click "Continue" to get started.
One last important change
Go back into your file manager.
1) If you have installed your files to a "moodle" folder
click the folder button beside it.
On the right hand side of the page, Where it says "Access permissions" remove the tick in the write section for "other"
2) If you have installed your moodle files to your website folder
click the folder button beside your website name.
On the right hand side of the page, Where it says "Access permissions" remove the tick in the write section for "other"
This step is important as leaving these write permissions on can make the site potentially easier to hack in the future.
NB As with all custom installed software we highly recommend you keep your installation of Moodle installed with the latest patches and updates released by the Moodle Community. This will keep your site more secure against possible hackers.
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Last Updated
7th of January, 2010
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