Note: You are currently viewing documentation for Moodle 2.0. Up-to-date documentation for the latest stable version is available here: Installing Moodle.

Installing Moodle: Difference between revisions

From MoodleDocs
Main page ► Installing Moodle
Main page
 
(349 intermediate revisions by 85 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Don't panic! :-)'''
{{Template:Main page}}
'''First, don't panic!''' [[Image:F1 35px.png]]


This guide explains how to install Moodle for the first time. For some of these steps it goes into a lot of detail to try and cover the majority of possible web server setups, so this document may look long and complicated. Don't panic, once you know how to do it you can install Moodle in minutes!
This guide explains how to install Moodle for the first time. There are links to other pages that go into more detail and try to cover the majority of possible web server setups.  


If you have problems please read this document carefully - most common issues are answered in here. If you still have trouble, you can seek help from [http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=5 Moodle Help]
Second, you may want to consider reviewing [[Finding and Selecting A Web Host]] to consider whether you really want to install Moodle yourself. If you decide to move forward with an installation, please read all the installation documentation carefully.


Another option is to contact a [http://moodle.com/hosting/ web hosting company] who can completely maintain Moodle for you, so that you can ignore all this and get straight into educating!
Third, if you still have a problem for which you can't find the answer, please see the Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=28 Installation problems forum] where there are many people who can help you.


__TOC__
* [[Moodle site moodle directory|Moodle directory]]
* [[Create_Moodle_site_database|Moodle site database]]
* [[Creating_Moodle_site_data_directory|Moodle site data directory]]
* [[Installation FAQ]]


== Requirements ==
== Requirements ==


Moodle is primarily developed in Linux using Apache, MySQL and PHP (also sometimes known as the LAMP platform), but is also regularly tested with PostgreSQL and on Windows XP, Mac OS X and Netware 6 operating systems
Moodle is primarily developed in Linux using [[Apache]], [[MySQL]] and [[PHP]] (also sometimes known as the LAMP platform).  It is also regularly tested with Windows XP/2000/2003 (WAMP), Solaris 10 (Sparc and x64), Mac OS X and Netware 6 operating systems. Support for PostgreSQL, Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server is also available.


The requirements for Moodle are as follows:
The requirements for Moodle are as follows:


# Web server software. Most people use [http://www.apache.org/ Apache], but Moodle should work fine under any web server that supports PHP, such as IIS on Windows platforms.
=== Hardware ===
# [http://www.php.net/ PHP] scripting language (version 4.1.0 or later). PHP 5 is supported as of Moodle 1.4.
* Disk space: 160MB free (min). You will require more free space to store your teaching materials.
# a working database server: [http://www.mysql.com/ MySQL] or [http://www.postgresql.org/ PostgreSQL] are completely supported and recommended for use with Moodle. MySQL is '''the''' choice for many people because it is very popular, but there are some [[arguments in favour of PostgreSQL]], especially if you are planning a large deployment.
* Memory: 256MB (min), 1GB (recommended). The general rule of thumb is that Moodle can support 50 ''concurrent'' users for every 1GB of RAM, but this will vary depending on your specific hardware and software combination.
** This includes hosting limits of PHP  or MySQL on a hosting service.
** The capacity can limit the number of users your Moodle site can handle. See [[User site capacities]]


Most web hosts support all of this by default. If you are signed up with one of the few webhosts that does not support these features ask them why, and consider taking your business elsewhere.
=== Software ===
Moodle requires a web server environment and will run in [[Apache]] and [[IIS]] easily. Moodle should run in any server environment that supports [[PHP]].  


If you want to run Moodle on your own computer and all this looks a bit daunting, then please see our guide: [[Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP]]. It provides some step-by-step instructions to install all this on most popular platforms.
Moodle is written in the PHP scripting language. Currently, Moodle v 1.9.x requires a minimum of PHP v4.3.0 to run. Moodle 2.0 needs PHP v 5.2.8. Moodle 2.1 needs PHP v 5.3.x. There have been some issues with deprecated tags in PHP v 5.3.0 which have a negative impact on a number of PHP Apps, Moodle not exempted, so please ensure your PHP version is later than v 5.3.2 if using a v5.3.x.  There has also been reported some issues installing Moodle with [http://www.php-accelerator.co.uk PHP-Accelerator]. See the PHP Moodle version requirements here [[PHP settings by Moodle version]] for more information.
 
Moodle will use MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL or Oracle as a database, but no others. There is some real issues in the interoperability interface of different databases, which complicates the whole issue. For version information, you can go to the [http://download.moodle.org/ Download page] and that will describe version requirements for available packages. 
 
If you want to run Moodle on your own computer, please see [[Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP]] for step-by-step instructions for installation on most popular platforms.


== Download and copy files into place ==
== Download and copy files into place ==


There are two ways to get Moodle, as a compressed package or via CVS. These are explained in detail on the download page: http://moodle.org/download/
There are two ways to get Moodle, either as a compressed package from http://download.moodle.org/ or via [[CVS for Administrators|CVS]].


After downloading and unpacking the archive, or checking out the files via CVS, you will be left with a directory called "moodle", containing a number of files and folders.
After downloading and unpacking the archive, or checking out the files via CVS, you will be left with a directory called "moodle", containing a number of files and folders.  


You can either place the whole folder in your web server documents directory, in which case the site will be located at '''<nowiki>http://yourwebserver.com/moodle</nowiki>''', or you can copy all the contents straight into the main web server documents directory, in which case the site will be simply '''<nowiki>http://yourwebserver.com</nowiki>'''.
For the standard package, you can either place the whole folder in your web server documents directory, in which case the site will be located at '''<nowiki>http://yourwebserver.com/moodle</nowiki>''', or you can copy all the contents straight into the main web server documents directory, in which case the site will be simply '''<nowiki>http://yourwebserver.com</nowiki>'''.


If you are downloading Moodle to your local computer and then uploading it to your web site, it is usually better to upload the whole archive as one file, and then do the unpacking on the server. Even web hosting interfaces like Cpanel allow you to uncompress archives in the "File Manager".
:''Tip:'' If you are downloading Moodle to your local computer and then uploading it to your web site, it is usually better to upload the whole archive as one file, and then do the unpacking on the server. Even web hosting interfaces like cPanel allow you to uncompress archives in the "File Manager".


== Site structure ==
If you're interested, [[Moodle site moodle directory]] gives a quick summary of the contents of the Moodle folder, to help get you oriented.


You can safely skip this section, but here is a quick summary of the contents of the Moodle folder, to help get you oriented:
:''NOTE:'' The "connectionless" nature of the Internet, HTML and server-side file generation allows you to simply copy over critical files without having to uninstall then reinstall. When you do this, go to the Administration > Notifications page to see if any change has been properly registered within Moodle. Time your upgrades to periods of minimal activity, safer that way.


* '''config.php''' - contains basic settings. This file does not come with Moodle - you will create it.
* '''install.php''' - the script you will run to create config.php
* '''version.php''' - defines the current version of Moodle code
* '''index.php''' - the front page of the site
* '''admin/''' - code to administrate the whole server
* '''auth/''' - plugin modules to authenticate users
* '''blocks/''' - plugin modules for the little side blocks on many pages
* '''calendar/''' - all the code for managing and displaying calendars
* '''course/''' - code to display and manage courses
* '''doc/''' - help documentation for Moodle (eg this page)
* '''files/''' - code to display and manage uploaded files
* '''lang/''' - texts in different languages, one directory per language
* '''lib/''' - libraries of core Moodle code
* '''login/''' - code to handle login and account creation
* '''mod/''' - all the main Moodle course modules are in here
* '''pix/''' - generic site graphics
* '''theme/''' - theme packs/skins to change the look of the site.
* '''user/''' - code to display and manage users


== Run the installer script to create config.php ==


To run the installer script (install.php), just try to access your Moodle main URL using a web browser, or access '''<nowiki>http://yourserver/install.php</nowiki>''' directly.
== Setting-up your web server ==
You need to create a blank '''database''' for Moodle to use and finally create a '''directory''' on your hard disk for Moodle to save your materials and other files you upload into your courses before you can start the installation process.


(The Installer will try to set a session cookie. If you get a popup warning in your browser make sure you accept that cookie!)
=== Create empty database ===


Moodle will detect that configuration is necessary and will lead you through some screens to help you create a new configuration file called '''config.php'''. At the end of the process Moodle will try and write the file into the right location, otherwise you can press a button to download it from the installer and then upload '''config.php''' into the main Moodle directory on the server.
You need to create an empty database (eg "''moodle''") in your database system along with a special user (for example "moodleuser") that has access to that database (and that database only). You could use the "root" user if you wanted to for a test server, but this is not recommended for a production system: if hackers manage to discover the password then your whole database system would be at risk, rather than just one database.


Along the way the installer will test your server environment and give you suggestions about how to fix any problems. For most common issues these suggestions should be sufficient, but if you get stuck, look below for more information about some of common things that might be holding you up.
For more help with this see [[Create Moodle site database]].
 
=== Check web server settings ===
 
Firstly, make sure that your web server is set up to use index.php as a default page (perhaps in addition to index.html, default.htm and so on). In Apache, this is done using a DirectoryIndex parameter in your httpd.conf file. Mine usually looks like this:
 
'''DirectoryIndex''' index.php index.html index.htm
 
Just make sure index.php is in the list (and preferably towards the start of the list, for efficiency).
 
Secondly, '''if you are using Apache 2''', then you should turn on the ''AcceptPathInfo'' variable, which allows scripts to be passed arguments like <nowiki>http://server/file.php/arg1/arg2</nowiki>. This is essential to allow relative links between your resources, and also provides a performance boost for people using your Moodle web site. You can turn this on by adding these lines to your httpd.conf file.
 
'''AcceptPathInfo''' on
 
Thirdly, Moodle requires a number of PHP settings to be active for it to work. '''On most servers these will already be the default settings'''.  However, some PHP servers (and some of the more recent PHP versions) may have things set differently. These are defined in PHP's configuration file (usually called '''php.ini'''):
 
magic_quotes_gpc = 1    (preferred but not necessary)
magic_quotes_runtime = 0    (necessary)
file_uploads = 1
session.auto_start = 0
session.bug_compat_warn = 0
 
If you don't have access to '''httpd.conf''' or '''php.ini''' on your server, or you have Moodle on a server with other applications that require different settings, then don't worry, you can often still OVERRIDE the default settings.
 
To do this, you need to create a file called '''.htaccess''' in Moodle's main directory that contains lines like the following. This only works on Apache servers and only when Overrides have been allowed in the main configuration.
 
DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.htm
 
<IfDefine APACHE2>
    '''AcceptPathInfo''' on
</IfDefine>
 
php_flag magic_quotes_gpc 1
php_flag magic_quotes_runtime 0
php_flag file_uploads 1
php_flag session.auto_start 0
php_flag session.bug_compat_warn 0
 
You can also do things like define the maximum size for uploaded files:
 
LimitRequestBody 0
php_value upload_max_filesize 2M
php_value post_max_size 2M
   
The easiest thing to do is just copy the sample file from lib/htaccess and edit it to suit your needs. It contains further instructions. For example, in a Unix shell:
 
cp lib/htaccess .htaccess
 
=== Creating a database ===
 
You need to create an empty database (eg "''moodle''") in your database system along with a special user (eg "moodleuser") that has access to that database (and that database only). You could use the "root" user if you wanted to for a test server, but this is not recommended for a production system: if hackers manage to discover the password then your whole database system would be at risk, rather than just one database.


If you are using a webhost, they will probably have a control panel web interface for you to create your database.
If you are using a webhost, they will probably have a control panel web interface for you to create your database.


The '''Cpanel''' system is one of the most popular of these. To create a database in Cpanel,
The '''[http://www.cpanel.com/ cPanel]''' system is one of the most popular of these.  
To create a database using cPanel:


# Click on the "'''MySQL Databases'''" icon.
# Click on the '''MySQL Databases''' icon.
# Type "moodle" in the database field and click "'''Add Database'''".
# Type the new, empty database name (e.g., '''moodle''') in the New Database field and click '''Create Database'''.
# Type a username and password (not one you use elsewhere) in the respective fields and click "'''Add User'''".
# Type a ''username'' and ''password'' (not one you use elsewhere) in the respective fields and click '''Create  User'''.<br>Note that the ''username'' and ''database'' names may be prefixed by your cPanel account name and an underscore, and truncated to 16 characters. When entering this information into the Moodle installer - use the full names.
# Now use the "'''Add User to Database'''" button to give this new user account "'''ALL'''" rights to the new database.
# Now use the '''Add Users to Databases''' button and give this new user account '''ALL''' rights to the new database.
# Note that the username and database names may be prefixed by your Cpanel account name. When entering this information into the Moodle installer - use the full names.


If you have access to Unix command lines then you can do the same sort of thing by typing commands.
=== Create the data directory  ===


Here are some example Unix command lines for MySQL:
Moodle will also need some space on your server's hard disk to store uploaded files, such as course documents and user pictures. The Moodle installer tries hard to create the '''moodledata''' directory for you but if it fails then you will have to create a directory for this purpose manually.


  # mysql -u root -p
<table style=background-color:lightCyan border=1 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0 ><tr><td>
  > CREATE DATABASE moodle;
'''Security warning''': For security purposes, it is '''CRITICAL''' that this directory is '''NOT''' accessible directly via the web. The easiest way to do this is to simply locate it OUTSIDE the web site root directory (it is the folder that the main part of your URL - that is, the part up to the first single "/" points to.
  > GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,CREATE,DROP,INDEX,ALTER ON moodle.*
          TO moodleuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
  > quit
  # mysqladmin -p reload
   


And some example command lines for PostgreSQL:
For example, in <nowiki>http://your.domain.com/moodle/admin/cron.php</nowiki>, it is <nowiki>http://your.domain.com/</nowiki>).


  # su - postgres
'''If you don't protect the data directory from direct web access, anybody will be able to impersonate any user of your Moodle site (including the admin user!!!), and all of your course materials will be available to the web at large.'''
  > psql -c "create user moodleuser createdb;" template1
</table>
  > psql -c "create database moodle;" -U moodleuser template1
  > psql -c "alter user moodleuser nocreatedb;" template1


=== Creating a data directory ===
See [[Creating Moodle site data directory]] for more information about security in creating a data directory in CPanel in webhosts.


Moodle will also need some space on your server's hard disk to store uploaded files, such as course documents and user pictures.
=== Troubleshooting ===


The Moodle installer tries hard to create this directory for you but if it fails then you will have to create a directory for this purpose manually.
If you run into problems when installing Moodle you might have to tweak some of the settings for your Apache server or your PHP installation.


For security, it's best that this directory is NOT accessible directly via the web. The easiest way to do this is to simply locate it OUTSIDE the web directory, but if you must have it in the web directory then protect it by creating a file in the data directory called .htaccess, containing this line:
* [[Installing Moodle/httpd.conf setup]]
* [[Installing Moodle/Creating custom php.ini files]] for details.
* '''Alternative to ''php.ini'' and ''httpd.conf'' files''': If you do not have access to your php.ini or httpd.conf files on you web host, see [[Create .htaccess file]].
* Warning: as noted at http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=124441&parent=550026 some Moodle installers such as Ubuntu populate an Apache conf.d file with php directives.  Before trying to change any php directives make sure that no php directives are set in any apache conf file,  including files in /etc/apache2/conf.d or similar directory.


  deny from all
== Start Moodle install ==
There are two basic ways to install Moodle: Most Moodlers are used to the installer script but with Moodle 2.0 you may install it from the command line.


To make sure that Moodle can save uploaded files in this directory, check that the web server software (eg Apache) has permission to read, write and execute in this directory.
=== Install with installer script ===


On Unix machines, this means setting the owner of the directory to be something like "nobody" or "apache", and then giving that user read, write and execute permissions.
To run the installer script (install.php), just try to access your Moodle main URL using a web browser, or access '''<nowiki>http://yourserver/install.php</nowiki>''' directly.


On Cpanel systems you can use the "File Manager" to find the folder, click on it, then choose "Change Permissions". On many shared hosting servers, you will probably need to restrict all file access to your "group" (to prevent other webhost customers from looking at or changing your files), but provide full read/write access to everyone else (which will allow the web server to access your files).
(The Installer will try to set a session cookie. If you get a popup warning in your browser make sure you accept that cookie!)


Speak to your server administrator if you are having trouble setting this up securely. In particular some sites that use a PHP feature known as "Safe Mode" may ''require'' the administrator to create this directory properly for you.
Moodle will detect that configuration is necessary and will lead you through some screens to help you create a new configuration file called '''config.php'''. At the end of the process Moodle will try and write the file into the right location, otherwise you can press a button to download it from the installer and then upload '''config.php''' into the main Moodle directory on the server.
 
== Go to the admin page to continue configuration ==
 
Once the basic config.php has been correctly created in the previous step, trying to access the front page of your site will take you the "admin" page for the rest of the configuration.


The first time you access this admin page, you will be presented with a GPL "shrinkwrap" agreement with which you must agree before you can continue with the setup.
Along the way the installer will test your server environment and give you suggestions about how to fix any problems. For most common issues these suggestions should be sufficient, but if you get stuck, check in the Installation Forum for more help.


Now Moodle will start setting up your database and creating tables to store data. Firstly, the main database tables are created. You should see a number of SQL statements followed by status messages (in green or red) that look like this:
==== Go to the admin page to continue configuration ====


{| border=1
Once the basic config.php has been correctly created in the previous step, trying to access the front page of your site will take you to the "admin" page for the rest of the configuration.
|<nowiki>CREATE TABLE course ( id int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment, category int(10) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', password varchar(50) NOT NULL default '', fullname varchar(254) NOT NULL default '', shortname varchar(15) NOT NULL default '', summary text NOT NULL, format tinyint(4) NOT NULL default '1', teacher varchar(100) NOT NULL default 'Teacher', startdate int(10) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', enddate int(10) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', timemodified int(10) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', PRIMARY KEY (id)) TYPE=MyISAM</nowiki>


<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>
The first time you access this admin page, you will be presented with a GPL "shrink wrap" agreement with which you must agree before you can continue with the setup.
|}


...and so on, followed by: <font color="green">Main databases set up successfully.</font>
Now Moodle will start setting up your database and creating tables to store data. First, the main database tables are created. You should see a number of SQL statements followed by status messages.  You should see  <font color="green">SUCCESS</font> next to each one until you see "<font color="green">Main databases set up successfully</font>."


If you don't see these, then there must have been some problem with the database or the configuration settings you defined in config.php. Check that PHP isn't in a restricted "Safe Mode" (commercial web hosts sometimes have safe mode turned on). You can check PHP variables by creating a little file containing '''<?php phpinfo() ?>''' and looking at it through a browser. Check all these and try this page again.
:''Tip:'' If you don't see these, then there must have been some problem with the database or the configuration settings you defined in config.php. Please see [[Install Moodle with installer script]] for more details and issues.  


Scroll down the very bottom of the page and press the "Continue" link.
Scroll down the very bottom of the page and press the "Continue" link.


You should now see a form where you can define more configuration variables for your installation, such as the default language, SMTP hosts and so on. Don't worry too much about getting everything right just now - you can always come back and edit these later on using the admin interface. The defaults are designed to be useful and secure for most sites. Scroll down to the bottom and click "Save changes".
You should now see a form where you can define more configuration variables for your installation, such as the default language, SMTP hosts and so on. Don't worry too much about getting everything right just now - you can always come back and edit these later on using the admin interface. The defaults are designed to be useful and secure for most sites. Scroll down to the bottom and click "Save changes".
If (and only if) you find yourself getting stuck on this page, unable to continue, then your server probably has what I call the "buggy referrer" problem. This is easy to fix: just turn off the "secureforms" setting, then try to continue again.


Next you will see more pages that print lots of status messages as they set up all the tables required by the various Moodle module. As before, they should all be <font color="green">green</font>.
Next you will see more pages that print lots of status messages as they set up all the tables required by the various Moodle module. As before, they should all be <font color="green">green</font>.
Line 193: Line 125:
The next page is a form where you can define parameters for your Moodle site and the front page, such as the name, format, description and so on. Fill this out (you can always come back and change these later) and then press "Save changes".
The next page is a form where you can define parameters for your Moodle site and the front page, such as the name, format, description and so on. Fill this out (you can always come back and change these later) and then press "Save changes".


Finally, you will then be asked to create a top-level administration user for future access to the admin pages. Fill out the details with your own name, email etc and then click "Save changes". Not all the fields are required, but if you miss any important fields you'll be re-prompted for them.
Finally, you will then be asked to create a top-level administration user for future access to the admin pages. Fill out the details with your own name, email etc and then click "Save changes". Not all the fields are required, but if you miss any important fields you'll be re-prompted for them. You can change this information later via the [[User profile]].


'''Make sure you remember the username and password you chose for the administration user account, as they will be necessary to access the administration page in future.'''
'''Make sure you remember the username and password you chose for the administration user account, as they will be necessary to access the administration page in future.'''


(If for any reason your install is interrupted, or there is a system error of some kind that prevents you from logging in using the admin account, you can usually log in using the default username of "'''admin'''", with password "'''admin'''".)
:''TIP:'' If for any reason your install is interrupted, or there is a system error of some kind that prevents you from logging in using the admin account, you can usually log in using the default username of "'''admin'''", with password "'''admin'''".)
 
Once successful, you will be returned to the home page of your new site! Note the administration links that appear down the left hand side of the page (these items also appear on a separate Admin page) - these items are only visible to you because you are logged in as the admin user. All your further administration of Moodle can now be done using this menu, such as:
 
* creating and deleting courses
* creating and editing user accounts
* administering teacher accounts
* changing site-wide settings like themes etc
 
But you are not done installing yet! There is one very important thing still to do (see the next section on cron).
 
== Set up cron ==
 
Some of Moodle's modules require continual checks to perform tasks. For example, Moodle needs to check the discussion forums so it can mail out copies of posts to people who have subscribed.
 
The script that does all this is located in the admin directory, and is called cron.php. However, it can not run itself, so you need to set up a mechanism where this script is run regularly (eg every five or ten minutes). This provides a "heartbeat" so that the script can perform functions at periods defined by each module. This kind of regular mechanism is known as a '''cron service'''.
 
Note that the machine performing the cron '''does not need to be the same machine that is running Moodle'''. For example, if you have a limited web hosting service that does not have a cron service, then you can might choose to run cron on another server or on your home computer. All that matters is that the cron.php file is called regularly.
 
The load of this script is not very high, so 5 minutes is usually reasonable, but if you're worried about it you can reduce the time period to something like 15 minutes or even 30 minutes. It's best not to make the time period too long, as delaying mail-outs can slow down activity within the course.
 
First, test that the script works by running it directly from your browser: '''<nowiki>http://example.com/moodle/admin/cron.php</nowiki>'''
 
Now, you need to set up some of way of running the script automatically and regularly.
 
=== On Windows systems ===
 
The simplest way is to use this little package [http://moodle.org/download/modules/moodle-cron-for-windows.zip moodle-cron-for-windows.zip] which makes this whole thing very easy by installing a small Windows service. Run it and forget about it! :-)
 
=== On web hosting services ===
 
Your web-based control panel may have a web page that allows you to set up this cron process. For example, on Cpanel system, look for a button called "Cron jobs". In there you can put the same sort of Unix commands as listed below.
 
=== Using the command line on Unix ===
 
There are different command line programs you can use to call the page from the command line. Not all of them may be available on a given server.
 
For example, you can use a Unix utility like 'wget':
 
wget -q -O /dev/null <nowiki>http://example.com/moodle/admin/cron.php</nowiki>
 
Note in this example that the output is thrown away (to /dev/null).
 
The same thing using lynx:
 
lynx -dump <nowiki>http://example.com/moodle/admin/cron.php</nowiki> > /dev/null
 
Alternatively you could use a standalone version of PHP, compiled to be run on the command line. The advantage with doing this is that your web server logs aren't filled with constant requests to cron.php. The disadvantage is that you need to have access to a command-line version of php.


/opt/bin/php /web/moodle/admin/cron.php
Once successful, you will be sent to the home page of your new site! Please note the [[Site administration block]] on the left with links. These items are only visible to you because you are logged in as the admin user. All your further administration of Moodle can now be done using this block.


=== Using the crontab program on Unix ===
=== Installing Moodle using command line ===


All that Cpanel does is provide a web interface to a Unix utility known as crontab. If you have a command line, you can set up crontab yourself using the command:
[[Installing Moodle using command line]] is recommended only for experienced server administrators. Please note you have to execute the installation script as the same user used for apache. Command line installation is not compatible with Windows platforms.


  crontab -e
  $cd /var/www/html/moodle/admin/cli


and then adding one of the above commands like:
More information about the options can be found using
$sudo -u wwwrun /usr/bin/php install.php --help


*/5 * * * * wget -q -O /dev/null <nowiki>http://example.com/moodle/admin/cron.php</nowiki>
==Last tasks==


Usually, the "crontab" command will put you into the 'vi' editor. You enter "insert mode" by pressing "i", then type in the line as above, then exit insert mode by pressing ESC. You save and exit by typing ":wq", or quit without saving using ":q!" (without the quotes).
=== Set up cron ===


== Create a new course ==
Moodle's background tasks (e.g. sending out forum emails and performing course backups) are performed by a script which you can set to execute at specific times of the day. This is known as a cron script. Please refer to the [[Cron|Cron instructions]].


Now that Moodle is running properly, you can try creating a new course to play with.
=== Set up backups ===


Select "Create a new course" from the Admin page (or the admin links on the home page).
Please refer to the [[Backup settings| backup instructions]].


Fill out the form, paying special attention to the course format. You don't have to worry about the details too much at this stage, as everything can be changed later by the teacher. Note that the yellow help icons are everywhere to provide contextual help on any aspect.
=== Send a test email ===


Press "Save changes", and you will be taken to a new form where you can assign teachers to the course. You can only add existing user accounts from this form - if you want to create a new teacher account then either ask the teacher to create one for themselves (see the login page), or create one for them using the "Add a new user" on the Admin page.
Create a [[Manual_accounts|test user]] with a valid email address and [[message|send them a message]]. Do they receive an email copy of the message? If not then your email server and/or Moodle email settings may be misconfigured (see [[Email_processing|Email Processing]] for details.


Once done, the course is ready to customise, and is accessible via the "Courses" link on the home page.
===Create a new course===


See the "[[Documentation_for_Teachers]]" for more details on course-building.
Congratulations on setting up your Moodle site! You can now [[Adding/editing a course|create a new course]] and have a play ;-)


===Install Moodle with just one-click===


You can skip the installation procedure and install moodle with just one click on your local host through AMPPS.
http://www.ampps.com/apps/php/educational/Moodle


<center>'''Happy exploring and happy Moodling!'''</center>
== See also ==
* [[Complete install packages]]
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=28 Installation problems forum]
* [[Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP]]
* [[Upgrading Moodle]]
* [[Beginning_Moodle_2.0_Administration|Beginning Moodle 2.0 Administration FAQ]]
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=42688 Selecting a web host for Moodle] forum discussion
* [[masquerading|Masquerading]] - Running Moodle behind a masquerading/NAT firewall
* [http://ic.eflclasses.org/tutorials/settingupmoodleonhostingwitholdcpanel.swf Tutorial on choosing a host and setting up moodle via the old cpanel]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=182086 New Video Tutorial- How to Install Moodle on Shared Hosting via cPanel (Not Fantastico)]
* [[Installation FAQ]]
* [[Finding and Selecting A Web Host]]
* [[experimental:Getting Help Installing and Managing Moodle]]
* [[Step-by-step Guide for Installing Moodle on Mac OS X 10.4 Client]]
* [[Installing Moodle on Windows Vista]]
* [[Step-by-step Installation Guide for Ubuntu]]
* [[RedHat Linux installation]]
* [[CentOS Linux installation]]


<center>'''If you like Moodle, please consider [http://moodle.org/donations/ donating] to help us cover our costs!'''</center>
[[es:Instalaci%C3%B3n_de_moodle]]
[[de:Installation von Moodle]]
[[fr:Installation de Moodle]]
[[ja:Moodleのインストール]]
[[ru:Установка Moodle]]
[[zh:安装Moodle]]
{{Review}}

Latest revision as of 04:42, 20 November 2011

First, don't panic! F1 35px.png

This guide explains how to install Moodle for the first time. There are links to other pages that go into more detail and try to cover the majority of possible web server setups.

Second, you may want to consider reviewing Finding and Selecting A Web Host to consider whether you really want to install Moodle yourself. If you decide to move forward with an installation, please read all the installation documentation carefully.

Third, if you still have a problem for which you can't find the answer, please see the Using Moodle Installation problems forum where there are many people who can help you.

Requirements

Moodle is primarily developed in Linux using Apache, MySQL and PHP (also sometimes known as the LAMP platform). It is also regularly tested with Windows XP/2000/2003 (WAMP), Solaris 10 (Sparc and x64), Mac OS X and Netware 6 operating systems. Support for PostgreSQL, Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server is also available.

The requirements for Moodle are as follows:

Hardware

  • Disk space: 160MB free (min). You will require more free space to store your teaching materials.
  • Memory: 256MB (min), 1GB (recommended). The general rule of thumb is that Moodle can support 50 concurrent users for every 1GB of RAM, but this will vary depending on your specific hardware and software combination.
    • This includes hosting limits of PHP or MySQL on a hosting service.
    • The capacity can limit the number of users your Moodle site can handle. See User site capacities

Software

Moodle requires a web server environment and will run in Apache and IIS easily. Moodle should run in any server environment that supports PHP.

Moodle is written in the PHP scripting language. Currently, Moodle v 1.9.x requires a minimum of PHP v4.3.0 to run. Moodle 2.0 needs PHP v 5.2.8. Moodle 2.1 needs PHP v 5.3.x. There have been some issues with deprecated tags in PHP v 5.3.0 which have a negative impact on a number of PHP Apps, Moodle not exempted, so please ensure your PHP version is later than v 5.3.2 if using a v5.3.x. There has also been reported some issues installing Moodle with PHP-Accelerator. See the PHP Moodle version requirements here PHP settings by Moodle version for more information.

Moodle will use MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL or Oracle as a database, but no others. There is some real issues in the interoperability interface of different databases, which complicates the whole issue. For version information, you can go to the Download page and that will describe version requirements for available packages.

If you want to run Moodle on your own computer, please see Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP for step-by-step instructions for installation on most popular platforms.

Download and copy files into place

There are two ways to get Moodle, either as a compressed package from http://download.moodle.org/ or via CVS.

After downloading and unpacking the archive, or checking out the files via CVS, you will be left with a directory called "moodle", containing a number of files and folders.

For the standard package, you can either place the whole folder in your web server documents directory, in which case the site will be located at http://yourwebserver.com/moodle, or you can copy all the contents straight into the main web server documents directory, in which case the site will be simply http://yourwebserver.com.

Tip: If you are downloading Moodle to your local computer and then uploading it to your web site, it is usually better to upload the whole archive as one file, and then do the unpacking on the server. Even web hosting interfaces like cPanel allow you to uncompress archives in the "File Manager".

If you're interested, Moodle site moodle directory gives a quick summary of the contents of the Moodle folder, to help get you oriented.

NOTE: The "connectionless" nature of the Internet, HTML and server-side file generation allows you to simply copy over critical files without having to uninstall then reinstall. When you do this, go to the Administration > Notifications page to see if any change has been properly registered within Moodle. Time your upgrades to periods of minimal activity, safer that way.


Setting-up your web server

You need to create a blank database for Moodle to use and finally create a directory on your hard disk for Moodle to save your materials and other files you upload into your courses before you can start the installation process.

Create empty database

You need to create an empty database (eg "moodle") in your database system along with a special user (for example "moodleuser") that has access to that database (and that database only). You could use the "root" user if you wanted to for a test server, but this is not recommended for a production system: if hackers manage to discover the password then your whole database system would be at risk, rather than just one database.

For more help with this see Create Moodle site database.

If you are using a webhost, they will probably have a control panel web interface for you to create your database.

The cPanel system is one of the most popular of these. To create a database using cPanel:

  1. Click on the MySQL Databases icon.
  2. Type the new, empty database name (e.g., moodle) in the New Database field and click Create Database.
  3. Type a username and password (not one you use elsewhere) in the respective fields and click Create User.
    Note that the username and database names may be prefixed by your cPanel account name and an underscore, and truncated to 16 characters. When entering this information into the Moodle installer - use the full names.
  4. Now use the Add Users to Databases button and give this new user account ALL rights to the new database.

Create the data directory

Moodle will also need some space on your server's hard disk to store uploaded files, such as course documents and user pictures. The Moodle installer tries hard to create the moodledata directory for you but if it fails then you will have to create a directory for this purpose manually.

Security warning: For security purposes, it is CRITICAL that this directory is NOT accessible directly via the web. The easiest way to do this is to simply locate it OUTSIDE the web site root directory (it is the folder that the main part of your URL - that is, the part up to the first single "/" points to.

For example, in http://your.domain.com/moodle/admin/cron.php, it is http://your.domain.com/).

If you don't protect the data directory from direct web access, anybody will be able to impersonate any user of your Moodle site (including the admin user!!!), and all of your course materials will be available to the web at large.

See Creating Moodle site data directory for more information about security in creating a data directory in CPanel in webhosts.

Troubleshooting

If you run into problems when installing Moodle you might have to tweak some of the settings for your Apache server or your PHP installation.

Start Moodle install

There are two basic ways to install Moodle: Most Moodlers are used to the installer script but with Moodle 2.0 you may install it from the command line.

Install with installer script

To run the installer script (install.php), just try to access your Moodle main URL using a web browser, or access http://yourserver/install.php directly.

(The Installer will try to set a session cookie. If you get a popup warning in your browser make sure you accept that cookie!)

Moodle will detect that configuration is necessary and will lead you through some screens to help you create a new configuration file called config.php. At the end of the process Moodle will try and write the file into the right location, otherwise you can press a button to download it from the installer and then upload config.php into the main Moodle directory on the server.

Along the way the installer will test your server environment and give you suggestions about how to fix any problems. For most common issues these suggestions should be sufficient, but if you get stuck, check in the Installation Forum for more help.

Go to the admin page to continue configuration

Once the basic config.php has been correctly created in the previous step, trying to access the front page of your site will take you to the "admin" page for the rest of the configuration.

The first time you access this admin page, you will be presented with a GPL "shrink wrap" agreement with which you must agree before you can continue with the setup.

Now Moodle will start setting up your database and creating tables to store data. First, the main database tables are created. You should see a number of SQL statements followed by status messages. You should see SUCCESS next to each one until you see "Main databases set up successfully."

Tip: If you don't see these, then there must have been some problem with the database or the configuration settings you defined in config.php. Please see Install Moodle with installer script for more details and issues.

Scroll down the very bottom of the page and press the "Continue" link.

You should now see a form where you can define more configuration variables for your installation, such as the default language, SMTP hosts and so on. Don't worry too much about getting everything right just now - you can always come back and edit these later on using the admin interface. The defaults are designed to be useful and secure for most sites. Scroll down to the bottom and click "Save changes".

Next you will see more pages that print lots of status messages as they set up all the tables required by the various Moodle module. As before, they should all be green.

Scroll down the very bottom of the page and press the "Continue" link.

The next page is a form where you can define parameters for your Moodle site and the front page, such as the name, format, description and so on. Fill this out (you can always come back and change these later) and then press "Save changes".

Finally, you will then be asked to create a top-level administration user for future access to the admin pages. Fill out the details with your own name, email etc and then click "Save changes". Not all the fields are required, but if you miss any important fields you'll be re-prompted for them. You can change this information later via the User profile.

Make sure you remember the username and password you chose for the administration user account, as they will be necessary to access the administration page in future.

TIP: If for any reason your install is interrupted, or there is a system error of some kind that prevents you from logging in using the admin account, you can usually log in using the default username of "admin", with password "admin".)

Once successful, you will be sent to the home page of your new site! Please note the Site administration block on the left with links. These items are only visible to you because you are logged in as the admin user. All your further administration of Moodle can now be done using this block.

Installing Moodle using command line

Installing Moodle using command line is recommended only for experienced server administrators. Please note you have to execute the installation script as the same user used for apache. Command line installation is not compatible with Windows platforms. 

$cd /var/www/html/moodle/admin/cli

More information about the options can be found using 

$sudo -u wwwrun /usr/bin/php install.php --help

Last tasks

Set up cron

Moodle's background tasks (e.g. sending out forum emails and performing course backups) are performed by a script which you can set to execute at specific times of the day. This is known as a cron script. Please refer to the Cron instructions.

Set up backups

Please refer to the backup instructions.

Send a test email

Create a test user with a valid email address and send them a message. Do they receive an email copy of the message? If not then your email server and/or Moodle email settings may be misconfigured (see Email Processing for details.

Create a new course

Congratulations on setting up your Moodle site! You can now create a new course and have a play ;-)

Install Moodle with just one-click

You can skip the installation procedure and install moodle with just one click on your local host through AMPPS. http://www.ampps.com/apps/php/educational/Moodle

See also

This page requires a review. Please do so and remove this template when finished.

Retrieved from "https://docs.moodle.org/20/en/index.php?title=Installing_Moodle&oldid=93591"
Powered by MediaWiki