INSTALL

   1 ---
   2 Installing MediaWiki
   3 ---
   4
   5 Starting with MediaWiki 1.2.0, it's possible to install and configure the wiki
   6 "in-place", as long as you have the necessary prerequisites available.
   7
   8 Required software:
   9 * Web server with PHP 5.x or higher.
  10 * A MySQL server, 4.0.14 or higher OR a Postgres server, 8.1 or higher
  11
  12 MediaWiki is developed and tested mainly on Unix/Linux platforms, but should
  13 work on Windows as well.
  14
  15 If your PHP is configured as a CGI plug-in rather than an Apache module you may
  16 experience problems, as this configuration is not well tested. safe_mode is also
  17 not tested and unlikely to work.
  18
  19 If you want math support see the instructions in math/README
  20
  21 Don't forget to check the RELEASE-NOTES file...
  22
  23
  24 Additional documentation is available online, which may include more detailed
  25 notes on particular operating systems and workarounds for difficult hosting
  26 environments:
  27
  28 http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Installation_guide
  29
  30
  31 ******************* WARNING *******************
  32
  33 REMEMBER: ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATABASE BEFORE
  34 ATTEMPTING TO INSTALL OR UPGRADE!!!
  35
  36 ******************* WARNING *******************
  37
  38 ----
  39 In-place web install
  40 ----
  41
  42 Decompress the MediaWiki installation archive either on your server, or on your
  43 local machine and upload the directory tree. Rename it from "mediawiki-1.x.x" to
  44 something nice, like "wiki", since it'll be in your URL.
  45
  46   +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  47   |  Hint: If you plan to use a fancy URL-rewriting scheme to prettify your  |
  48   |  URLs, you should put the files in a *different* directory from the      |
  49   |  virtual path where page names will appear.                              |
  50   |                                                                          |
  51   |    See: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Short_URL                   |
  52   +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  53
  54 To run the install script, you'll need to temporarily make the 'config'
  55 subdirectory writable by the web server. The simplest way to do this on a
  56 Unix/Linux system is to make it world-writable:
  57
  58   chmod a+w config
  59
  60 Hop into your browser and surf into the wiki directory. It'll direct you into
  61 the config script. Fill out the form... remember you're probably not on an
  62 encrypted connection.
  63 Gaaah! :)
  64
  65 If all goes well, you should soon be told that it's set up your wiki database
  66 and written a configuration file. There should now be a 'LocalSettings.php' in
  67 the config directory; move it back up to the main wiki directory, and the wiki
  68 should now be working.
  69
  70   +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  71   |  Security hint: if you have limited access on your server and cannot    |
  72   |  change ownership of files, you might want to *copy* instead of *move*  |
  73   |  LocalSettings.php.                                                     |
  74   |                                                                         |
  75   |  This will make the file owned by your user account instead of by       |
  76   |  the web server, which is safer in case another user's account is       |
  77   |  compromised.                                                           |
  78   +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  79
  80 Once the wiki is set up, you should remove the config directory, or at least
  81 make it not world-writable (though it will refuse to config again if the wiki
  82 is set up).
  83
  84
  85 ----
  86
  87 Don't forget that this is free software under development! Chances are good
  88 there's a crucial step that hasn't made it into the documentation. You should
  89 probably sign up for the MediaWiki developers' mailing list; you can ask for
  90 help (please provide enough information to work with, and preferably be aware of
  91 what you're doing!) and keep track of major changes to the software, including
  92 performance improvements and security patches.
  93
  94 http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce (low traffic)
  95
  96 http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l (site admin support)
  97
  98 http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l (development)
  99