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    1: <h1>Installing LON-CAPA on a minimal SuSE 9.2 Linux Professional System</h1>
    2: <p>
    3: This document guides you through the process of setting up a new LON-CAPA
    4: server running SuSE Linux Professional 9.2 (SLP 9.2) 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.  However, it is still a
   16: non-trivial undertaking and experience with SuSE Linux will make this 
   17: process easier.  You will be required to log in to the machine and execute
   18: some routine Unix commands.  Familiarity with the Apache web server, mod_perl, 
   19: perl, and MySQL are not required to install and run LON-CAPA.
   20: </p>
   21: 
   22: <h2>Installation Overview</h2>
   23: <p>
   24: The installation process takes the following steps:
   25: </p>
   26: <ol>
   27:   <li> Obtain SLP 9.2 installation media (DVD, CDs or mini-installation CD)</li>
   28:   <li> Determine Network Settings</li>
   29:   <li> Install SLP 9.2</li>
   30:   <li> Update your system </li>
   31:   <li> Install LON-CAPA </li>
   32:   <li> Create a Domain Coordinator </li>
   33:   <li> Start/Restart services </li>
   34:   <li> Log in to LON-CAPA </li>
   35: </ol>
   36: 
   37: <h2>Obtain SuSE Linux Professional 9.2</h2>
   38: <p>
   39: SuSE ISO files can be obtained from the Novell SuSE site: <a href="ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/">ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/</a> or one of its <a href="http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/downloads/ftp/int_mirrors.html">mirrors</a>.  
   40: </p> 
   41: 
   42: <h2>Determine Network Settings</h2>
   43: <p>
   44: You will need to know the following network settings for your installation.  
   45: <b>Note:</b>You must have a static IP address to use LON-CAPA.
   46: DHCP is <em>not</em> supported.
   47: </p>
   48: <ul>
   49:   <li>ip address </li>
   50:   <li>netmask </li>
   51:   <li>hostname </li>
   52:   <li>gateway </li>
   53:   <li>domain name server(s) </li>
   54: </ul>
   55: 
   56: <h2>Minimal SLP 9.2 Install</h2>
   57: <p>
   58: Installing SuSE Linux Professional is quite easy if you've installed Linux products
   59: before.  Some documentation is available from 
   60: <a href="ttp://www.novell.com/documentation/suse92/">
   61: http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse92/</a>.<br /><br />
   62: If booting from a mini installation CD, use F3 to select FTP or HTTP, and provide the IP address of a SuSE 9.2 mirror and a path to the 9.2 directory (e.g., 204.152.191.7  and suse/i386/9.2/), and enter the network information in the boot configuration (e.g., hostip=IPADDRESS netmask=NETMASK gateway=GATEWAY), replacing IPADDRESS, NETMASK and GATEWAY with appropriate values for your server.<br /><br />     
   63: Most of the subsequent installation screens are self explanatory.
   64: There are a few steps that require comment and are dealt with below.
   65: </p>
   66: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
   67:    <dt>Partitioning your Drive</dt>
   68:    <dd>For a LON-CAPA library server (i.e., the main server used 
   69:        for permanent storage of course and user data), 
   70:        a separate partition is recommended for /home, as this    
   71:        simplifies future upgrades of the operating system.
   72:        If you are adding an additional access server to an 
   73:        existing LON-CAPA domain, this does not apply as no 
   74:        permenent data are stored on an access server.
   75:        As LON-CAPA resource files are stored in the /home directory,
   76:        the majority of the disk space should be allocated here.    
   77:        If you have 20 GB of space for SLP9.2, /home should
   78:        receive at least 10 to 12 gigs. Since MySQL uses the /var 
   79:        filesystem to store its databases you should have as least 
   80:        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.
   83:        </dd>
   84:    <dt>Package Group Selection</dt>
   85:    <dd>Click on the "Software" link or use the "Change" select box in 
   86:    the installation Setting screen, and choose Minimal Install.</dd>
   87: </dl>
   88: <p>Once you system has rebooted, you will use yast to complete the configuration. Change the following settings:
   89: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
   90:    <dt>Firewall</dt>
   91:    <dd>Enable the firewall, and allow the the following services: web services (http and https) and login services (secure shell). Use the "Expert" option to open the following ports for TCP services: 8080 5663.</dd>
   92:  </p>
   93:  <p>       
   94:    <dt>Network Configuration</dt>
   95:    <dd>LON-CAPA will <b>not</b> work with a machine set up to use a dynamic
   96:        IP address.  When configuring your network card, you should include host name information (e.g., host name = tmp1, domain = lite.msu.edu), as well as name server. Other settings (ip address, gateway, netmask will have been set when you included them in the boot configuration).
   97:    </dd>
   98:    <dt>Online update</dt>
   99:    <dd>Indicate "Yes" when prompted to "run online update now?"</dd>
  100:    </dt>
  101: </dl>
  102: <p>
  103: Finish installing your server, read the "readme", reboot and log in as root.
  104: </p>
  105: 
  106: <h2>Change software sources for your system</h2>
  107: <p>
  108: You will use yast to import packages required for LON-CAPA.<br />
  109: Execute:
  110: </p>
  111: <pre>
  112: yast
  113: </pre>
  114: <p>
  115: Select "Change Source of Installation" and change to point at a SuSE mirror close to your location. You can find a list of mirrors at the<a href="http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/downloads/ftp/int_mirrors.html">SuSE mirror page</a>.
  116: </p>
  117: <h3>Add an additional installation source</h3>
  118: <p>Add the LON-CAPA SuSE 9.2 repository as an additional installation source, so software installation in yast will have access to two repositories - a SuSE mirror (for packages included for the standard distribution) and the LON-CAPA repository (for extra packages needed to run LON-CAPA). For the LON-CAPA source you will use:
  119: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
  120: <dd>Protocol</dd>
  121: <dt>HTTP</dt>
  122: <dd>Server Name</dd>
  123: <dt>install.loncapa.org</dt>
  124: <dd>Directory on server</dd>
  125: <dt>suse/9.2/</dt>
  126: <dd>Authentication</dd>
  127: <dt>Anonymous</dt>
  128: </dl>
  129: After saving this configuration information for the LON-CAPA repository, choose "Edit", then "Refresh" the quit yast.    
  130: </p>
  131: <h2>Update pwdutils package</h2>
  132: <p>
  133: Start yast, and choose the "Install and Remove software" option, and use "Search" to find pwdutils. Indicate that you wish to update to version 3.0.2.</p>    
  134: <h2>Installing LON-CAPA</h2>
  135: <h3>Install prerequisites</h3>
  136: <p> Execute: </p>
  137: <pre>
  138: yast -i LONCAPA-prerequisites
  139: </pre><p>
  140: This may take a moment due to LON-CAPA's large number of dependencies. When prompted to choose an apache package, select apache, NOT apache2, then click Solve.  
  141: </p>
  142: <h3>Retrieve and execute LON-CAPA setup program</h3>
  143: <p>
  144: Retrieve the LON-CAPA setup with one of the following commands:
  145: </p>
  146: <i>32 bit architecture</i>
  147: <pre>
  148: wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/9.2/i386/suse_install.tar
  149: </pre>
  150: <br />
  151: <i>64 bit architecture</i>
  152: <pre>
  153: wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/9.2/x86_64/suse_install.tar
  154: </pre>
  155: <p>
  156: Extract the archive with the following command:
  157: </p>
  158: <pre>
  159: tar xf suse_install.tar
  160: </pre>
  161: <p>
  162: This creates a directory named <tt>installation</tt>.  Change to it and
  163: execute the setup script with the following commands:
  164: </p>
  165: <pre>
  166: cd installation
  167: ./install.pl
  168: </pre>
  169: <p>
  170: This script will prompt you for the MySQL root password and will download the latest LON-CAPA release.
  171: </p>
  172: <h3>Determine LON-CAPA Settings</h3>
  173: <p>
  174: LON-CAPA requires a number of identifying parameters to be set in order
  175: for it to function at all.  Below is a list with descriptions.
  176: </p>
  177: <dl>
  178:   <dt>Host Type (library or access)</dt>
  179:   <dd>The server must be designated a 'library' or an 'access' server.  In
  180:       general you should have a library server for your instructors to create
  181:       their course content on and run their courses.  Students should connect
  182:       to access servers.  If you are doing the first install of LON-CAPA at 
  183:       your site, or if you are playing with it for your own edification you
  184:       should make your machine a 'library' server.</dd>
  185:   <dt>LON-CAPA domain</dt>
  186:   <dd>Each site or school which installs LON-CAPA needs its own domain.
  187:       Here at MSU we use 'msu'.  You should choose something short but
  188:       meaningful.  <i>Restriction: One word, no hyphens, underscores, or 
  189:       special characters.</i>
  190:   </dd>
  191:   <dt>LON-CAPA host id</dt>
  192:   <dd>Each LON-CAPA server requires a unique internal name.  We use names
  193:       such as "msul1" for the first library server. <i>Restriction: One word, 
  194:       no hyphens, underscores, or special characters.</i>
  195:   </dd>
  196:   <dt>Host administrator email</dt>
  197:   <dd>The amount of email sent to this address is relatively minimal.  Messages
  198:       are sent every time the system starts up, or if the system is in 
  199:       serious trouble. On a laptop, make this <tt>root@localhost</tt>.
  200:   </dd>
  201: </dl>
  202: 
  203: <h3>Configuring LON-CAPA</h3>
  204: <p>
  205: To configure and install LON-CAPA, execute the following commands:
  206: </p>
  207: <pre>
  208: cd /root/loncapa-N.N     (N.N should correspond to a version number like '1.3')
  209: ./UPDATE
  210: </pre>
  211: <p>
  212: You will need to enter the LON-CAPA configuration information you determined 
  213: in the previous section.  
  214: </p>
  215: <h2>Creating a Domain Coordinator</h2>
  216: <p>
  217: You will need at least one user at your site who has the role of
  218: 'domain coordinator'.  This user creates accounts for other users and
  219: grants them additional privileges.  The make_domain_coordinator.pl script
  220: invoked below requires that you enter the users password.  The password will
  221: show in plaintext as you type it.  Feel free to use the "passwd username"
  222: command to change it later.  Replace USERNAME and DOMAIN with an 
  223: appropriate user name and your domain.
  224: </p>
  225: <pre>
  226: cd /root/loncapa-N.N/loncom/build
  227: perl make_domain_coordinator.pl USERNAME DOMAIN
  228: (WILL PROMPT FOR PASSWORD HERE)
  229: mkdir ~USERNAME
  230: mkdir ~USERNAME/public_html
  231: chown USERNAME:www ~USERNAME/public_html
  232: chmod 0775 ~USERNAME/public_html
  233: chmod a+x ~USERNAME
  234: </pre>
  235: <h2>Start/Restart Services</h2>
  236: <p>
  237: The LON-CAPA network services take a moment to start.  Most misconfigurations
  238: will be appearant at this step.
  239: </p>
  240: <pre>
  241: /etc/init.d/loncontrol start
  242: /etc/init.d/apache start
  243: </pre>
  244: <p>
  245: If you receive warnings when starting the httpd about missing perl modules,
  246: please make sure you followed the instructions in 
  247: <b>Installing LON-CAPA Dependencies</b>.  If you still have errors, please
  248: contact the LON-CAPA support team.
  249: </p>
  250: <h2>Log in to your LON-CAPA Machine</h2>
  251: <p>
  252: Point a web browser at your new machine and log in as the domain
  253: coordinator.  Congratulations!
  254: </p>
  255: <h2>If things aren't working right</h2>
  256: <p>
  257: If you've followed the steps above and the server doesn't start or you think
  258: there's something wrong, please get in touch with the LON-CAPA support team.
  259: You can submit a help request using our web form:<br />
  260: <a href="http://support.loncapa.org/help/">http://support.loncapa.org/help/</a><br />
  261: If there were errors in installation of the dependency RPMs or during the
  262: automatic setup, please send us as much information as possible.
  263: If some part of this document is unclear please let us know.
  264: </p>