Annotation of doc/build/suse9.3_install.frag, revision 1.1

1.1     ! raeburn     1: <h1>Installing LON-CAPA on a minimal SuSE 9.3 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 9.3 (SLP 9.3) 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 9.3 installation media (DVD, or CDs)</li>
        !            28:   <li> Determine Network Settings</li>
        !            29:   <li> Install SLP 9.3</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 9.3</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 9.3 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="http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse93/">
        !            61: http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse93/</a>.<br /><br />
        !            62: Most of the subsequent installation screens are self explanatory.
        !            63: There are a few steps that require comment and are dealt with below.
        !            64: </p>
        !            65: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
        !            66:    <dt>Partitioning your Drive</dt>
        !            67:    <dd>For a LON-CAPA library server (i.e., the main server used 
        !            68:        for permanent storage of course and user data), 
        !            69:        a separate partition is recommended for /home, as this    
        !            70:        simplifies future upgrades of the operating system.
        !            71:        If you are adding an additional access server to an 
        !            72:        existing LON-CAPA domain, this does not apply as no 
        !            73:        permenent data are stored on an access server.
        !            74:        As LON-CAPA resource files are stored in the /home directory,
        !            75:        the majority of the disk space should be allocated here.    
        !            76:        If you have 20 GB of space for SLP9.3, /home should
        !            77:        receive at least 10 to 12 gigs. Since MySQL uses the /var 
        !            78:        filesystem to store its databases you should have as least 
        !            79:        4 gigs of space available on /var.  Be sure to 
        !            80:        include adequate swap space.  A minimum is 512 Megs, but you should
        !            81:        typically have 1 or 2x as much swap space as you do physical RAM.
        !            82:        </dd>
        !            83:    <dt>Package Group Selection</dt>
        !            84:    <dd>Click on the "Software" link or use the "Change" select box in 
        !            85:    the installation Setting screen, and choose Minimal Install.</dd>
        !            86: </dl>
        !            87: <p>Once you system has rebooted, you will use yast to complete the configuration. Change the following settings:
        !            88: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
        !            89:    <dt>Firewall</dt>
        !            90:    <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>
        !            91:  </p>
        !            92:  <p>       
        !            93:    <dt>Network Configuration</dt>
        !            94:    <dd>LON-CAPA will <b>not</b> work with a machine set up to use a dynamic
        !            95:        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).
        !            96:    </dd>
        !            97:    <dt>Online update</dt>
        !            98:    <dd>Indicate "Yes" when prompted to "run online update now?"</dd>
        !            99:    </dt>
        !           100: </dl>
        !           101: <p>
        !           102: Finish installing your server, read the "readme", reboot and log in as root.
        !           103: </p>
        !           104: 
        !           105: <h2>Change software sources for your system</h2>
        !           106: <p>
        !           107: You will use yast to import packages required for LON-CAPA.<br />
        !           108: Execute:
        !           109: </p>
        !           110: <pre>
        !           111: yast
        !           112: </pre>
        !           113: <p>
        !           114: 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>.
        !           115: </p>
        !           116: <h3>Add an additional installation source</h3>
        !           117: <p>Add the LON-CAPA SuSE 9.3 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:
        !           118: <dl style="list-style:square outside none">
        !           119: <dd>Protocol</dd>
        !           120: <dt>HTTP</dt>
        !           121: <dd>Server Name</dd>
        !           122: <dt>install.loncapa.org</dt>
        !           123: <dd>Directory on server</dd>
        !           124: <dt>suse/9.3/</dt>
        !           125: <dd>Authentication</dd>
        !           126: <dt>Anonymous</dt>
        !           127: </dl>
        !           128: After saving this configuration information for the LON-CAPA repository, choose "Edit", then "Refresh" the quit yast.    
        !           129: </p>
        !           130: <h2>Update pwdutils package</h2>
        !           131: <p>
        !           132: 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>    
        !           133: <h2>Installing LON-CAPA</h2>
        !           134: <h3>Install prerequisites</h3>
        !           135: <p> Execute: </p>
        !           136: <pre>
        !           137: yast -i LONCAPA-prerequisites
        !           138: </pre><p>
        !           139: 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.  
        !           140: </p>
        !           141: <h3>Retrieve and execute LON-CAPA setup program</h3>
        !           142: <p>
        !           143: Retrieve the LON-CAPA setup with one of the following commands:
        !           144: </p>
        !           145: <i>32 bit architecture</i>
        !           146: <pre>
        !           147: wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/9.3/i386/suse_install.tar
        !           148: </pre>
        !           149: <br />
        !           150: <i>64 bit architecture</i>
        !           151: <pre>
        !           152: wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/9.3/x86_64/suse_install.tar
        !           153: </pre>
        !           154: <p>
        !           155: Extract the archive with the following command:
        !           156: </p>
        !           157: <pre>
        !           158: tar xf suse_install.tar
        !           159: </pre>
        !           160: <p>
        !           161: This creates a directory named <tt>installation</tt>.  Change to it and
        !           162: execute the setup script with the following commands:
        !           163: </p>
        !           164: <pre>
        !           165: cd installation
        !           166: ./install.pl
        !           167: </pre>
        !           168: <p>
        !           169: This script will prompt you for the MySQL root password and will download the latest LON-CAPA release.
        !           170: </p>
        !           171: <h3>Determine LON-CAPA Settings</h3>
        !           172: <p>
        !           173: LON-CAPA requires a number of identifying parameters to be set in order
        !           174: for it to function at all.  Below is a list with descriptions.
        !           175: </p>
        !           176: <dl>
        !           177:   <dt>Host Type (library or access)</dt>
        !           178:   <dd>The server must be designated a 'library' or an 'access' server.  In
        !           179:       general you should have a library server for your instructors to create
        !           180:       their course content on and run their courses.  Students should connect
        !           181:       to access servers.  If you are doing the first install of LON-CAPA at 
        !           182:       your site, or if you are playing with it for your own edification you
        !           183:       should make your machine a 'library' server.</dd>
        !           184:   <dt>LON-CAPA domain</dt>
        !           185:   <dd>Each site or school which installs LON-CAPA needs its own domain.
        !           186:       Here at MSU we use 'msu'.  You should choose something short but
        !           187:       meaningful.  <i>Restriction: One word, no hyphens, underscores, or 
        !           188:       special characters.</i>
        !           189:   </dd>
        !           190:   <dt>LON-CAPA host id</dt>
        !           191:   <dd>Each LON-CAPA server requires a unique internal name.  We use names
        !           192:       such as "msul1" for the first library server. <i>Restriction: One word, 
        !           193:       no hyphens, underscores, or special characters.</i>
        !           194:   </dd>
        !           195:   <dt>Host administrator email</dt>
        !           196:   <dd>The amount of email sent to this address is relatively minimal.  Messages
        !           197:       are sent every time the system starts up, or if the system is in 
        !           198:       serious trouble. On a laptop, make this <tt>root@localhost</tt>.
        !           199:   </dd>
        !           200: </dl>
        !           201: 
        !           202: <h3>Configuring LON-CAPA</h3>
        !           203: <p>
        !           204: To configure and install LON-CAPA, execute the following commands:
        !           205: </p>
        !           206: <pre>
        !           207: cd /root/loncapa-N.N     (N.N should correspond to a version number like '1.3')
        !           208: ./UPDATE
        !           209: </pre>
        !           210: <p>
        !           211: You will need to enter the LON-CAPA configuration information you determined 
        !           212: in the previous section.  
        !           213: </p>
        !           214: <h2>Creating a Domain Coordinator</h2>
        !           215: <p>
        !           216: You will need at least one user at your site who has the role of
        !           217: 'domain coordinator'.  This user creates accounts for other users and
        !           218: grants them additional privileges.  The make_domain_coordinator.pl script
        !           219: invoked below requires that you enter the users password.  The password will
        !           220: show in plaintext as you type it.  Feel free to use the "passwd username"
        !           221: command to change it later.  Replace USERNAME and DOMAIN with an 
        !           222: appropriate user name and your domain.
        !           223: </p>
        !           224: <pre>
        !           225: cd /root/loncapa-N.N/loncom/build
        !           226: perl make_domain_coordinator.pl USERNAME DOMAIN
        !           227: (WILL PROMPT FOR PASSWORD HERE)
        !           228: mkdir ~USERNAME
        !           229: mkdir ~USERNAME/public_html
        !           230: chown USERNAME:www ~USERNAME/public_html
        !           231: chmod 0775 ~USERNAME/public_html
        !           232: chmod a+x ~USERNAME
        !           233: </pre>
        !           234: <h2>Start/Restart Services</h2>
        !           235: <p>
        !           236: The LON-CAPA network services take a moment to start.  Most misconfigurations
        !           237: will be appearant at this step.
        !           238: </p>
        !           239: <pre>
        !           240: /etc/init.d/loncontrol start
        !           241: /etc/init.d/apache start
        !           242: </pre>
        !           243: <p>
        !           244: If you receive warnings when starting the httpd about missing perl modules,
        !           245: please make sure you followed the instructions in 
        !           246: <b>Installing LON-CAPA Dependencies</b>.  If you still have errors, please
        !           247: contact the LON-CAPA support team.
        !           248: </p>
        !           249: <h2>Log in to your LON-CAPA Machine</h2>
        !           250: <p>
        !           251: Point a web browser at your new machine and log in as the domain
        !           252: coordinator.  Congratulations!
        !           253: </p>
        !           254: <h2>If things aren't working right</h2>
        !           255: <p>
        !           256: If you've followed the steps above and the server doesn't start or you think
        !           257: there's something wrong, please get in touch with the LON-CAPA support team.
        !           258: You can submit a help request using our web form:<br />
        !           259: <a href="http://support.loncapa.org/help/">http://support.loncapa.org/help/</a><br />
        !           260: If there were errors in installation of the dependency RPMs or during the
        !           261: automatic setup, please send us as much information as possible.
        !           262: If some part of this document is unclear please let us know.
        !           263: </p>

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