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- Update installation instructions to use generic install.pl
  included in linux/install.tar.
- Update instructions for creating Domain Coordinator to reflect changes
  in loncom/build/make_domain_coordinator.pl script in 2.10.

    1: <h1>Installing LON-CAPA on a minimal CentOS Linux 5 System</h1>
    2: <p>
    3: This document guides you through the process of setting up a new LON-CAPA
    4: server running CentOS Linux 5 with a minimum of packages installed.  
    5: The computer will be configured solely as a LON-CAPA server and will be 
    6: expected to have no other services running.  Your server is expected to have
    7: a reasonably fast connection to the internet.
    8: </p><p>
    9: More information is available at 
   10: <a href="http://install.lon-capa.org/">http://install.lon-capa.org/</a>.
   11: </p>
   12: 
   13: <h2>Before you begin</h2>
   14: <p>
   15: Installing Linux is getting easier and easier.
   16: You will be required to log in to the machine and execute
   17: some routine Unix commands.  Familiarity with the Apache web server, mod_perl, 
   18: perl, and MySQL are not required to install and run LON-CAPA.
   19: </p>
   20: 
   21: <h2>Installation Overview</h2>
   22: <p>
   23: The installation process takes the following steps:
   24: </p>
   25: <ol>
   26:   <li><a href="#obt">Obtain CentOS Linux 5 installation CDs</a></li>
   27:   <li><a href="#net">Determine Network Settings</a></li>
   28:   <li><a href="#lin">Install CentOS Linux 5</a></li>
   29:   <li><a href="#upd">Update your system</a></li>
   30:   <li><a href="#ilc">Install LON-CAPA</a></li>
   31:   <li><a href="#cdc">Create a Domain Coordinator</a></li>
   32:   <li><a href="#sts">Start/Restart services</a></li>
   33:   <li><a href="#log">Log in to LON-CAPA</a></li>
   34: </ol>
   35: 
   36: <hr>
   37: <h2>1. <a name="obt">Obtain CentOS Linux 5 CDs</a></h2>
   38: <p>
   39: CentOS isos can be obtained from links included on the <a href="http://mirror.centos.org/centos/5/isos/">CentOS download page</a><br>
   40: For the minimal install on 32-bit architecture you will need only the first CD.
   41: For the minimal install on 64-bit architecture you will need CDs 1, 2, and 4.
   42: 
   43: </p>
   44: 
   45: <h2>2. <a name="net">Determine Network Settings</a></h2>
   46: <p>
   47: You will need to know the following network settings for your installation.
   48: <b>Note:</b>You must have a static IP address to use LON-CAPA.
   49: DHCP is <em>not</em> supported.
   50: 
   51: <ul>
   52:   <li>ip address </li>
   53:   <li>netmask </li>
   54:   <li>hostname </li>
   55:   <li>gateway </li>
   56:   <li>domain name server(s) </li>
   57: </ul>
   58: 
   59: <h2>3. <a name="lin">Minimal CentOS Linux 5 Install</a></h2>
   60: <p>
   61: Installing CentOS Linux is quite easy, particularly if you've installed any of the Red Hat, Fedora or CentOS Linux distributions before.
   62: Documentation is available from
   63: <a href="http://wiki.centos.org/">http://wiki.centos.org/</a>
   64: Most of the installation screens are self explanatory.
   65: There are a few steps that require comment and are dealt with below.
   66: </p>
   67: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
   68:    <dt>Installation Language</dt>
   69:    <dd>Use English as your installation language.</dd>
   70:    <dt>Installation Type</dt>
   71:    <dd>If this is a fresh install choose "Install CentOS Linux Server". If updating from a previous LON-CAPA installation on an earlier Redhat or Fedora version you may prefer to choose the upgrade option, although if you established a separate partition for /home it will be faster to perform an install instead of an upgrade, and use "Create Custom Layout" to set up partitions - making sure to select the "unchanged data" option for the /home partition, in order to preserve your existing LON-CAPA data. A full back-up to tape or some external system is also strongly advised when updating the operating system in use on an existing LON-CAPA server.</dd>
   72: 
   73:    <dt>Partitioning your Drive</dt>
   74:    <dd>For a fresh install may want to use the automatic partitioning feature of the installer,
   75:        however you should review the results and be prepared to modify them.  If you want to customize partitioning use "Create Custom Layout".
   76:        LON-CAPA resource files are stored in the /home directory, so the
   77:        majority of the disk space should be allocated here.  If you have 20 GB 
   78:        of space for CentOS, /home should receive at least 10 to 12 gigs.  
   79:        Since MySQL uses the /var filesystem to store its databases you should
   80:        have at least 4 gigs of space available on /var.  Be sure to 
   81:        include adequate swap space.  A minimum is 512 Megs, but you should
   82:        typically have 1 or 2x as much swap space as you do physical RAM.</dd>
   83: 
   84:    <dt>Network Configuration</dt>
   85:    <dd>LON-CAPA will <b>not</b> work with a machine set up to use a dynamic 
   86:        IP address.  When configuring your network card, be sure to unselect
   87:        the DHCP option and enter in your network information.</dd>
   88:    <dt>Software</dt>
   89:    <dd>Click the "Customize Now" radio button and for a minimal install uncheck all packages except "Base" in the Base System category.  If you leave other packages checked in any of the other categories, you'll need additional ISO CDs.</dd>
   90: </dl>
   91: 
   92: <p>
   93: Finish installing your server, reboot it, and log in as root.
   94: </p>
   95: 
   96: <h3>Firewall and SELinux Configuration</h3>
   97: <p>
   98: The first time you log-in, the Setup Agent will be displayed.
   99: If you exit it early you can enter it again buy running the command
  100: </p>
  101: <pre>setup</pre>
  102: <p>
  103: This tool should be used to configure the Firewall and SELinux.
  104: </p>
  105: 
  106: <ol>
  107:    <li>Select Security Level: Enabled, and Customize, to allow
  108:        incoming: SSH (remote login), WWW (HTTP) and secure WWW
  109:        (HTTPS).
  110:    </li>
  111:    <li> Set SELinux to Disabled.</li>
  112:    <li> Select OK, and then Quit</li>
  113: </ol>
  114: 
  115: <pre>reboot</pre>
  116: 
  117: <h2>4. <a name="upd">Update your system</a></h2>
  118: <p>
  119: Update your system to the latest versions of the system software using yum.
  120: </p>
  121: <pre>
  122: yum update
  123: </pre>
  124: <p>
  125: Reboot your system before continuing with the installation.
  126: </p>
  127: <p>
  128: Retrieve the centos5_loncapa_yum file from the LON-CAPA install site:
  129: </p>
  130: <pre>
  131: wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/centos/5/centos5_loncapa_yum.conf
  132: </pre>
  133: <p>
  134: Install the centos5_loncapa_yum.conf
  135: </p>
  136: <pre>
  137: mv /etc/yum.conf /etc/yum.conf.backup
  138: cp centos5_loncapa_yum.conf /etc/yum.conf
  139: yum update
  140: </pre>
  141: 
  142: 
  143: <h2>5. <a name="ilc">Installing LON-CAPA</a></h2>
  144: <h3>Import the LON-CAPA encryption key</h3>
  145: <pre>rpm --import http://install.loncapa.org/versions/centos/RPM-GPG-KEY-loncapa</pre>
  146: <h3>Install prerequisites</h3>
  147: <p> Execute: </p>
  148: <pre>
  149: yum install LONCAPA-prerequisites
  150: </pre><p>
  151: This may take some minutes due to LON-CAPA's large number of dependencies.
  152: </p>
  153: <h3>Retrieve and execute LON-CAPA setup program</h3>
  154: <p>
  155: Retrieve the LON-CAPA setup with the following command:
  156: </p>
  157: <pre>
  158: wget http://install.loncapa.org/linux/install.tar
  159: </pre>
  160: <p>
  161: Extract the archive with the following command:
  162: </p>
  163: <pre>
  164: tar xf install.tar
  165: </pre>
  166: <p>
  167: This creates a directory named <tt>installation</tt>.  Change to it and
  168: execute the setup script with the following commands:
  169: </p>
  170: <pre>
  171: cd installation
  172: ./install.pl
  173: </pre>
  174: <p>
  175: The script is used to prepare a Linux system to run LON-CAPA, and can also be
  176: used to check the configuration of a system on which LON-CAPA has already been installed.  Typically, though, you will run this script only once, when you first install LON-CAPA.
  177: </p>
  178: <p>
  179: The script will analyze your system to determine which actions are recommended.  The script will then prompt you to choose the actions you would like taken.
  180: Once a choice has been entered for all nine possible actions, required changes will be made.
  181: </p>
  182: <p>The possible actions are:
  183: <ul>
  184: <li>Create the www user/group</li>
  185: <li>Install the package LON-CAPA uses to authenticate users.</li>
  186: <li>Set-up the MySQL database</li>
  187: <li>Set-up MySQL permissions</li>
  188: <li>Configure Apache web server</li>
  189: <li>Configure start-up of services</li>
  190: <li>Check firewall settings</li>
  191: <li>Stop services not used by LON-CAPA,<br />
  192:     e.g., services for a print server: cups daemon</li>
  193: <li>Download LON-CAPA source code in readiness for installation</li>
  194: </ul>
  195: </p>
  196: 
  197: <h3>Determine LON-CAPA Settings</h3>
  198: <p>
  199: LON-CAPA requires a number of identifying parameters to be set in order
  200: for it to function at all.  Below is a list with descriptions.
  201: </p>
  202: <dl>
  203:   <dt>Host Type (library or access)</dt>
  204:   <dd>The server must be designated a 'library' or an 'access' server.  In
  205:       general you should have a library server for your instructors to create
  206:       their course content on and run their courses.  Students should connect
  207:       to access servers.  If you are doing the first install of LON-CAPA at 
  208:       your site, or if you are playing with it for your own edification you
  209:       should make your machine a 'library' server.</dd>
  210:   <dt>LON-CAPA domain</dt>
  211:   <dd>Each site or school which installs LON-CAPA needs its own domain.
  212:       Here at MSU we use 'msu'.  You should choose something short but
  213:       meaningful.  <i>Restriction: One word, no hyphens, underscores, or 
  214:       special characters.</i><br>Domain names which include a departmental 
  215:       abbreviation are not recommended as although LON-CAPA may start in
  216:       a single department, other departments frequently join subsequently.
  217:       For a domain name: 'msu' is a superior choice to 'msuphys' for example.
  218:   </dd>
  219:   <dt>LON-CAPA host id</dt>
  220:   <dd>Each LON-CAPA server requires a unique internal name.  We use names
  221:       such as "msul1" for the first library server. <i>Restriction: One word, 
  222:       no hyphens, underscores, or special characters.</i>
  223:   </dd>
  224:   <dt>Domain's Primary Library Server ID</dt>
  225:    <dd>If you are setting up a domain with a single library server, then the domain's primary library server ID will be the LON-CAPA host id of that server (e.g., msul1). Once your domain grows and you need to add more servers, one of the library servers in the domain should be assigned as the domain's primary library server.  This will be where domain-wide settings will be stored.<dd>
  226:   <dt>Host administrator email</dt>
  227:   <dd>The amount of email sent to this address is relatively minimal.  Messages
  228:       are sent every time the system starts up, or if the system is in 
  229:       serious trouble. On a laptop, make this <tt>root@localhost</tt>.
  230:   </dd>
  231:   <dt>Support email address</dt>
  232:   <dd>If you enter an e-mail address here, then users of the system  
  233:       will be able to click an "Ask Helpdesk" link in the system to 
  234:       display a web form which they will complete to request support from
  235:       your institution's helpdesk. On form submission the contents 
  236:       will be sent to the e-mail address you specify. 
  237:   </dd>
  238: </dl>
  239: 
  240: <h3>Configuring LON-CAPA</h3>
  241: <p>
  242: To configure and install LON-CAPA, execute the following commands:
  243: </p>
  244: <pre>
  245: cd /root/loncapa-X.Y.Z     (X.Y.Z should correspond to a version number like '2.10.0')
  246: ./UPDATE
  247: </pre>
  248: <p>
  249: You will need to enter the LON-CAPA configuration information you determined 
  250: in the previous section.
  251: </p>
  252: 
  253: <h2>6. <a name="cdc">Creating a Domain Coordinator</a></h2>
  254: <p>
  255: You will need at least one user at your site who has the role of
  256: 'domain coordinator'.  This user creates accounts for other users and
  257: grants them additional privileges.  The make_domain_coordinator.pl script
  258: invoked below requires that you enter the user's password.
  259: Feel free to use the "passwd username" command to change it later.
  260: Replace USERNAME and DOMAIN with an appropriate user name and your domain.
  261: </p>
  262: <pre>
  263: cd /root/loncapa-X.Y.Z/loncom/build
  264: perl make_domain_coordinator.pl USERNAME DOMAIN
  265: </pre>
  266: 
  267: <h2>7. <a name="sts">Start/Restart Services</a></h2>
  268: <p>
  269: The LON-CAPA network services take a moment to start.  Most misconfigurations
  270: will be apparent at this step.
  271: </p>
  272: <pre>
  273: /etc/init.d/loncontrol start
  274: /etc/init.d/httpd start
  275: </pre>
  276: <p>
  277: If you receive warnings when starting the httpd about missing perl modules,
  278: please make sure you followed the instructions in 
  279: <b>Installing LON-CAPA Dependencies</b>.  If you still have errors, please
  280: contact the MSU LON-CAPA group.
  281: </p>
  282: 
  283: <h2>8. <a name="log">Log in to your LON-CAPA Machine</a></h2>
  284: <p>
  285: Point a web browser at your new machine and log in as the domain
  286: coordinator.  Congratulations!
  287: </p>
  288: 
  289: <hr>
  290: <h2>If things aren't working right</h2>
  291: <p>
  292: If you've followed the steps above and the server doesn't start or you think 
  293: there's something wrong, please send a <a href="http://help.loncapa.org/help">help request</a> to the MSU LON-CAPA group.  If there were errors in installation of the dependency RPMs or errors during the
  294: automatic setup, please send us as much information as possible.
  295: If some part of this document is unclear please let us know.
  296: </p>