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SMF (SIMPLE MACHINES FORUM) INSTALLATION GUIDE

Website

FTP and uploading

Siteadmin control panel

VPS

Scripting

MySQL and databases

Domain names

Account Management Pages

Miscellaneous topics

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We also have an automatic SMF installer. The installer is available here.

First of all create you need to create database in siteadmin if you have not already done so. if you are unsure how to do this then follow this excellent tutorial first then come back to this tutorial.

Create a DB -> http://support.34sp.com/mysql-and-databases/mysql-and-databases/mysql-database

Once you have your database created make a note of the database name, the username and the password that you used as you will need those during install.

If you haven't already done it you need to upload your SMF files to your webspace using whichever FTP program you're most comfortable with. Please ensure that your FTP program does not alter the case of any of the files/folders, you need to preserve case or you will have problems during install.

You can just upload the folder you unzipped SMF to and then rename once uploaded if you wish to have your forum under a different name (/forum/, /messageboard/ etc.). Please see your FTP program documentation for information on how to do this. I will use {SMF_folder} to mean this folder throughout this tutorial.

Once uploaded point your browser to http://yourdomain.ext/{SMF_folder}/install.php and you will see the following screen:-

Breakdown of Installer Screen

Server - localhost (should already be set)
Port - 21 (Should already be set)
Username - Enter your FTP username here
Password - Enter your FTP Password here
Install Path - Enter - httpdocs/{SMF_folder}

Once you have filled in all the relevant information click the 'Connect' button. You should then see the following screen.

Breakdown Of The Basic Settings

Forum Name - This is the name you want for your forum, it will be displayed at the top left of your forum
Forum URL - This is the URL people will use to access your forum - http://yourdomain.ext/{SMF_folder}
GZip Output - leave this ticked to save your bandwidth, it works fine on 34SP
Database Sessions - leave this ticked, it is recommended

When you have filled in that information you will see the following section below it

Breakdown Of The MySQL Server Settings

MySQL Server Name - localhost (should be set)
MySQL Username - Your database username (set when you created the database)
MySQL Password - Your database password (set when you created the database)
MySQL Database Name - The name you gave your database on creation
MySQL Table Prefix - Leave as smf_ this is a bit of text that goes before the table name so you can install more than one script into your database without worrying about clashing table names.

Once you have entered those details click 'Proceed' and you should see the following page

Breakdown Of Create Your Account Settings

Your Username - The username you wish your Admin account to have (i.e. your username or 'Admin')
Password - The password you want the account to have
Password - Enter the same password again to verify
E-Mail Address - Enter the e-mail address you want to run your Admin account from.
MySQL Database Password - Enter the password for your database to prove you are authorised to set up the Admin account.

Once all details have been entered click 'Finish' to end the install and you should then see the following screen.

Log into your FTP with your FTP client and delete the install.php file in the {SMF_folder} root, once done click the 'your newly installed forum' link to move to your forum

If you forget to delete install.php you will get this warning displayed on your forum

Now you're installed you can enjoy your forum. Check out the Simple Machines support page for tutorials, FAQ's and further help running your forum

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