Introduction

There are just a few steps to get up and going. Community Server is a rich knowledge management and collaboration platform designed to meet the the most rigorous collaborative needs. Community Server is perfect for setting up a support system for products, reporting, and general information management by organizations or individuals.

I have installed a lot of products and very few were as easy to get up and going as Community Server 1.0. In just a few minutes you will have your very own Community Site.

Installation Instructions

Step 1 - Download files, FTP files to server

1. Register and download Community Server from www.communityserver.org.
2. You should know the following database information before getting started. You will get this from your hosting provider when you sign up. Please contact your hosting provider about your SQL Server credentials. You will enter your database information when using the web-installer.
   1. Name of the database.
   2. Name of the database server.
   3. Username for the database.
   4. Password for the database
3. You need to copy the necessary files and folders to your remote server. You will need to FTP all the files and folders from the Web directory. By default, the Community Server download should have all the necessary files located in a folder named Web.

Step 2 - Enable the Web-Installer

1. Follow the step-by-step instructions located under "Enable Installer" here: http://docs.communityserver.org/default.aspx/CS.WebBasedInstaller
   This will be done only for the initial install.

Step 3 - Run the Installer

1. After enabling the installer in Step 2, go to your website either by IP Address (http://x.x.x.x/installer/) or domain name (http://YourDomain.com/installer/)
2. 2. Follow instructions located under the Detailed Steps at this link http://docs.communityserver.org/default.aspx/CS.WebBasedInstaller
   You will use the database login information gathered in Step 1.

Step 4 - Run and Enjoy

1. In your web browser, go to the root of your website and enjoy. You will be required to log in for administrative features. Use the username and password you set up while installing Community Server.

Note: To run in a sub-folder:

• When your install has completed, send an email to your hosting provider  and request write permissions on the 'blogs' and 'photos' directories.
• Community Server can also be installed in a sub-folder of your site (http://YourDomain.com/subFolder). Just send an email to your hosting provider's support department to mark the folder as an application.

Steve Schofield is a Senior Internet support specialist with ORCS Web, Inc. - a company that provides managed hosting services for clients who develop and deploy their applications on Microsoft Windows platforms.