INSTALL

   1 ---
   2 Installing MediaWiki
   3 ---
   4
   5 Starting with MediaWiki 1.2.0, it's possible to install
   6 and configure the wiki "in-place", as long as you have
   7 the necessary prerequesites available.
   8
   9 Required software:
  10 * Web server with PHP 5.x or higher.
  11 * A MySQL server, 4.0.14 or higher.
  12
  13 MediaWiki is developed and tested mainly on Unix/Linux
  14 platforms, but should work on Windows as well.
  15
  16 If your PHP is configured as a CGI plug-in rather than
  17 an Apache module you may experience problems, as this
  18 configuration is not well tested. safe_mode is also not
  19 tested and unlikely to work.
  20
  21 If you want math support see the instructions in math/README
  22
  23 Don't forget to check the RELEASE-NOTES file...
  24
  25
  26 Additional documentation is available online, which may include more
  27 detailed notes on particular operating systems and workarounds for
  28 difficult hosting environments:
  29
  30 http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Installation
  31
  32
  33 ********************** WARNING **************************
  34
  35 REMEMBER: ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATABASE BEFORE ATTEMPTING
  36 TO INSTALL OR UPGRADE!!!
  37
  38 ********************** WARNING **************************
  39
  40 ----
  41 In-place web install
  42 ----
  43
  44 Decompress the MediaWiki installation archive either on
  45 your server, or on your local machine and upload the
  46 directory tree. Rename it from "mediawiki-1.x.x" to
  47 something nice, like "wiki", since it'll be in your URL.
  48
  49   +-----------------------------------------------------------+
  50   |  Hint: If you plan to use a fancy URL-rewriting scheme    |
  51   |  to prettify your URLs, you should put the files in a     |
  52   |  *different* directory from the virtual path where page   |
  53   |  names will appear.                                       |
  54   |                                                           |
  55   |    See: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Rewrite_rules      |
  56   +-----------------------------------------------------------+
  57
  58 To run the install script, you'll need to temporarily make
  59 the 'config' subdirectory writable by the web server. The
  60 simplest way to do this on a Unix/Linux system is to make
  61 it world-writable:
  62
  63   chmod a+w config
  64
  65 Hop into your browser and surf into the wiki directory.
  66 It'll direct you into the config script. Fill out the form...
  67 remember you're probably not on an encrypted connection.
  68 Gaaah! :)
  69
  70 If all goes well, you should soon be told that it's set up
  71 your wiki database and written a configuration file. There
  72 should now be a 'LocalSettings.php' in the config directory;
  73 move it back up to the main wiki directory, and the wiki
  74 should now be working.
  75
  76   +------------------------------------------------------------+
  77   |  Security hint: if you have limited access on your server  |
  78   |  and cannot change ownership of files, you might want to   |
  79   |  *copy* instead of *move* LocalSettings.php.               |
  80   |                                                            |
  81   |  This will make the file owned by your user account        |
  82   |  instead of by the web server, which is safer in case      |
  83   |  another user's account is compromised.                    |
  84   +------------------------------------------------------------+
  85
  86 Once the wiki is set up, you should remove the config
  87 directory, or at least make it not world-writable (though
  88 it will refuse to config again if the wiki is set up).
  89
  90
  91 ----
  92
  93 Don't forget that this is free software under development!
  94 Chances are good there's a crucial step that hasn't made it
  95 into the documentation. You should probably sign up for the
  96 MediaWiki developers' mailing list; you can ask for help (please
  97 provide enough information to work with, and preferably be aware
  98 of what you're doing!) and keep track of major changes to the
  99 software, including performance improvements and security patches.
 100
 101 http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce (low traffic)
 102
 103 http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l (site admin support)
 104
 105 http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l (development)
 106