path: root/INSTALL.txt

Friendika Installation

We've tried very hard to ensure that Friendika will run on commodity hosting 
platforms - such as those used to host Wordpress blogs and Drupal websites. 
But be aware that Friendika is more than a simple web application. It is a 
complex communications system which more closely resembles an email server 
than a web server. For reliability and performance, messages are delivered in
the background and are queued for later delivery when sites are down. This
kind of functionality requires a bit more of the host system than the typical
blog. Not every PHP/MySQL hosting provider will be able to support Friendika. 
Many will. But please review the requirements and confirm these with your 
hosting provider prior to installation.


1. Requirements
	- Apache with mod-rewrite enabled and "Options All" so you can use a 
local .htaccess file

	- PHP > 5.1. The later the better. You'll need 5.3 for encryption of key
exchange conversations
encryption support
		- PHP *command line* access with register_argc_argv set to true in the 
php.ini file
		- curl, gd, mysql, and openssl extensions
		- some form of email server or email gateway such that PHP mail() works
		- mcrypt (optional; used for end-to-end message encryption)

	- Mysql 5.x

	- ability to schedule jobs with cron (Linux/Mac) or Scheduled Tasks
(Windows)

	- Installation into a top-level domain or sub-domain (without a 
directory/path component in the URL) is preferred. Directory paths will
not be as convenient to use and have not been thoroughly tested.  

	[Dreamhost.com offers all of the necessary hosting features at a 
reasonable price. If your hosting provider doesn't allow Unix shell access, 
you might have trouble getting everything to work.] 

2. Unpack the Friendika files into the root of your web server document area.

	- If you copy the directory tree to your webserver, make sure
	that you also copy .htaccess - as "dot" files are often hidden 
	and aren't normally copied.

3. Create an empty database and note the access details (hostname, username, 
password, database name).

4. Visit your website with a web browser and follow the instructions. Please 
note any error messages and correct these before continuing.

5. *If* the automated installation fails for any reason, check the following:

	- ".htconfig.php" exists 
		If not, edit htconfig.php and change system settings. Rename 
to .htconfig.php
	-  Database is populated.
		If not, import the contents of "database.sql" with phpmyadmin 
or mysql command line

6. At this point visit your website again, and register your personal account. 
Registration errors should all be recoverable automatically. 
If you get any *critical* failure at this point, it generally indicates the
database was not installed correctly. You might wish to move/rename 
.htconfig.php to another name and empty (called 'dropping') the database 
tables, so that you can start fresh.  

7. Set up a cron job or scheduled task to run the poller once every 5-10 
minutes to pick up the recent "public" postings of your friends. Example:

	cd /base/directory; /path/to/php include/poller.php

Change "/base/directory", and "/path/to/php" as appropriate for your situation.

If you are using a Linux server, run "crontab -e" and add a line like the 
one shown, substituting for your unique paths and settings:

*/10 * * * *	cd /home/myname/mywebsite; /usr/bin/php include/poller.php

You can generally find the location of PHP by executing "which php". If you 
have troubles with this section please contact your hosting provider for 
assistance. Friendika will not work correctly if you cannot perform this step.