How to Install phpBB on CentOS 5.5

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing phpBB on a CentOS server. phpBB is a popular open-source forum software that can be installed on any major operating system with PHP support. This tutorial is designed for CentOS servers and assumes that you have already installed Apache, MySQL, and PHP.

For a successful phpBB installation, there are a few prerequisites. You need a webserver or web hosting account running on any major Operating System with support for PHP. In this tutorial, we will be using Apache HTTPD, one of the best web servers available.

You also need a SQL database system. We will be using MySQL database server in this tutorial. PHP 4.3.3+ is required, and the getimagesize() function needs to be enabled.

Before we begin, it’s important to prepare your database. We will be using MySQL, with the database name as ‘phpbbdb’, the username as ‘phpbbuser’, and the password as ‘phpbbpassword’. The database port will be 3306.

Database Preparation

Start by accessing your MySQL server. You can do this by typing the following command in your terminal:

mysql -u root -p

You will be prompted to enter your password. Once you’re in, you can start creating your database and user. Here are the commands you need to run:

CREATE DATABASE phpbbdb;
CREATE USER 'phpbbuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'phpbbpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON phpbbdb.* to phpbbuser@localhost;
SHOW GRANTS FOR 'phpbbuser'@'localhost';

After running these commands, you can exit the MySQL server by typing ‘exit’.

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Installation Steps

Download the phpBB3 file and decompress the archive to a local directory on your system.

Upload all the files to the root directory of your CentOS server.

Change the permissions on config.php to be writable by all (666 or -rw-rw-rw-). This can be performed from your FTP Client or SSH. If using SSH, run the following command:

chmod 666 config.php

Change the permissions on the following directories to be writable by all (777 or -rwxrwxrwx):

chmod 777 store/
chmod 777 cache/
chmod 777 files/
chmod 777 images/avatars/upload/

To start the installation, navigate your web browser to the location where you placed phpBB3 with the addition of install/index.php or pointing directly to install/.

For example: http://localhost/phpbb3/install

Follow the on-screen instructions. You will go through several menus. Just click ‘Next Step’ and ‘Start Install’. The menus include ‘Introduction’, ‘Requirements’, ‘Database settings’, ‘Administrator details’, ‘Configuration file’, ‘Advanced settings’, ‘Create database tables’, and ‘Final stage’.

During the installation, the database connection will be tested. If everything seems OK, the test connection result will be successful and you can proceed with the installation.

On ‘Advanced settings’, you will need to configure E-mail settings.

phpbb

Commands Mentioned

  • mysql -u root -p – Access MySQL server as root
  • CREATE DATABASE phpbbdb; – Create a new database
  • CREATE USER ‘phpbbuser’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘phpbbpassword’; – Create a new user
  • GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON phpbbdb.* to phpbbuser@localhost; – Grant all privileges to the new user on the new database
  • SHOW GRANTS FOR ‘phpbbuser’@’localhost’; – Show the privileges for the new user
  • chmod 666 config.php – Change the permissions on config.php to be writable by all
  • chmod 777 store/ – Change the permissions on the store directory to be writable by all
  • chmod 777 cache/ – Change the permissions on the cache directory to be writable by all
  • chmod 777 files/ – Change the permissions on the files directory to be writable by all
  • chmod 777 images/avatars/upload/ – Change the permissions on the images/avatars/upload directory to be writable by all
See also  How to Install and Configure Joomla 2.5.4 on CentOS 5.8

Conclusion

In conclusion, installing phpBB on a CentOS server involves several steps, including preparing your database, downloading and decompressing the phpBB3 file, uploading the files to your server, changing permissions, and navigating through the installation process in your web browser.

Remember, phpBB is a powerful tool that can help you create a vibrant online community. It’s flexible, easy to customize, and with a little bit of effort, you can make it work exactly the way you want. Whether you’re running a small community forum or a large-scale discussion platform, phpBB is a great choice.

We hope this guide has been helpful in explaining how to install phpBB on CentOS. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

See also  How to Install and Setup Joomla 2.5.3 on CentOS 6/RHEL 6

Happy hosting!

FAQ

  1. What is phpBB?

    phpBB is a free and open-source forum software that is easy to use, powerful, and highly customisable. It’s used by millions of people on a daily basis, making it the most widely used open-source forum system in the world.

  2. What are the prerequisites for installing phpBB?

    You need a webserver or web hosting account running on any major Operating System with support for PHP, a SQL database system, PHP 4.3.3+, and the getimagesize() function needs to be enabled.

  3. What are the permissions needed for the installation of phpBB?

    The config.php file and certain directories (store/, cache/, files/, images/avatars/upload/) need to be writable by all. This can be achieved by setting their permissions to 666 for config.php and 777 for the directories.

  4. How do I start the phpBB installation process?

    To start the installation, navigate your web browser to the location where you placed phpBB3 with the addition of install/index.php or pointing directly to install/.

  5. What happens during the phpBB installation process?

    During the installation, the database connection will be tested. If everything seems OK, the test connection result will be successful and you can proceed with the installation. You will go through several menus including ‘Introduction’, ‘Requirements’, ‘Database settings’, ‘Administrator details’, ‘Configuration file’, ‘Advanced settings’, ‘Create database tables’, and ‘Final stage’.

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