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Installation

Ulf Dittmer

Installation & Configuration

This section shows how to configure and install JForum using the web wizard interface. It is assumed that you have some knowledge on how to install/configure a Java servlet container (or already have one up and running), and the database is properly configured. For manual installation instructions, check the [ManualInstallation].

Downloading JForum

To get JForum, go to the download page and get the latest version.

Note: These instructions are for current versions of JForum, release version 2.4.x and later. Some of the steps here described may not be valid for older versions, which are no longer supported.

Unpacking

After the download, unpack the .war file into your webapp's directory (or any place you want to put it). A directory named jforum-<release> will be created, where <release> is the version, which may be "2.3.0", "2.3.1" etc... this it just for easy version identification.

You can rename the directory if you want. The next step you should do is register the JForum application within your Servlet Container, like Tomcat. This document will use the context name "jforum2", but of course you can use any name you want.

Directory permissions

JForum expects that some directories are writable by the web server. Before you start installing, please check if the following directories, and their sub-directories, exist and have full write permissions:

  • upload
  • tmp
  • images
  • WEB-INF/config
  • WEB-INF/jforumLuceneIndex

Configuring

Next, point your browser to the following address: http://localhost:8080/jforum2/

The part "jforum2" is the context's name. If you changed the context name you will need to change it here too. After the page loads, you should see the screen in Image 1

Image 1 - Welcome page

Please read carefully the fields' tips, since they contain valuable information. Below is a little explanation of each field:

Field Name Required Description
Default Board Language Yes The language to display the messages in the forum. Note that, if the translation for some text is not available, an English text will be used
Database Type Yes The database server to use. If you don't know which one to choose, select "HSQLDB" from the list
Installation Type Yes Installation mode. Currently only "New Installation" is supported
Connection type Yes Which method to use to connect to database. Native will use regular connections, while DataSource will try to connect using the specified datasource name
DataSource name no If you chosen DataSource as Connection Type, then inform the name of the datasource
Database Server Hostname Yes The host where the database is located
Database Name Yes Where the tables will be created. Note that the database should already exist. If you're going go use HSQLDB, no extra configuration is needed, since it is created on the fly. If you are using Oracle, you probably will have to enter the SID here.
Database username No * The user of your database instance. This field is required for databases other than HSQLDB
Database Password No The database password, if any. Please note that errors may occur when not using any password
Database Encoding No The text encoding for the database. You can specify it by hand in the "Other" field
Use Connection Pool Yes In case of doubt, choose No
Forum Link Yes The link to the forum context. If you are hosting it under some "real" domain and the context path is "/", the "Forum Link" will be the address of your site, in most cases.
Website Link Yes The link to your website.
Administrator Password Yes Type the password of the administrator (Admin user).

Now you can click the "Next Step "button. You will see the page shown in Image 2, which that contains a summary of your choices.
Image 2 - Checking the configuration before installation begins

If is everything looks good, click on the "Begin Install" button. Note that if some warning message is shown, then there are some required steps that should be made before proceding with the installation. Wait until the installation ends. If no errors occur, then you will see a page like the one shown in Image 3
Image 3 - Installation Finished

Congratulations! You have finished your JForum Installation. Before accessing the forum, do the actions pointed by the arrows, click on the check button and click on the button "Click Here to Access the Forum".

Administering the Forum

Now you can login as Admin / <the_password_you_set> and click in the link "Admin Control Panel", at the end of the page. There you will be able to create Categories, Forums, Groups, and Users. Don't forget to give write access to the webserver's user to the directories "images" and "tmp" (as well from its subdirectories, if any ).

Also, check the settings on theConfigurations page - there are sure to be quite a few that you'll want to adjust. Note that some of them take effect only after a web app restart.


Related

Wiki: Documentation
Wiki: Home
Wiki: ManualInstallation

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