Tutorials - New CGI Platform > Help Installing Ikonboard

Tutorials & FAQs: Scripts: How to install Ikonboard

If you use your account to run your own website, one feature which will inject some life into your website is a discussion forum.

This will enable both you and the users of your website to communicate via various discussion topics. Our tutorial provides guidance for installing the Ikonboard bulletin board software. Read on to see how you can make your website truly interactive!

Expertise required

You'll be able to install this software very easily if you follow the step-by-step instructions methodically and accurately type what you see.

• In two places, you will be required to transfer a file to the CGI server machine. If you have a graphical FTP software package, such as CuteFTP, you may use that. Otherwise, you may use a command line interface (instructions given). However, to do this you'll need to know how to bring up a Command Prompt (possibly called a DOS command,or DOS box) on your operating system and how to then change directory.
  
• The installation process also requires you to log on to the CGI server machine. Don't worry, all the commands you'll need are given within the tutorial, so even relatively inexperienced users should not be put off.
  
• Non-Windows users should have little difficulty in interpreting the instructions for their operating systems. Very little is actually done on the local host, so the procedure is essentially operating system neutral in this respect.
  

Getting started with Ikonboard

Prior to starting, make sure you have activated both MySQL and CGI usage for your account. (The Website Settings link of the Portal provides tools for doing this. If you do not see the MySQL and CGI configuration tools when you select Website settings, you'll need to upgrade to an account type which includes them.)

For simplicity, red text has been used to indicate text which must be entered exactly as shown. Do not alter it at all (unless you know what you are doing).

Using Ikonboard with your CGI webspace

Obtaining the Ikonboard software

1. Visit the Ikonboard website to obtain the Ikonboard software.
   
2. Click on the Download Now link.
   
3. You will need to open the file with a program like WinZip or WinRar and extract the files to local folder. You don't need to upload all of the files, only those in the 'upload' folder. There are two folders in the upload folder that need to go in two different places on the CGI server. The cgi-bin folder contains CGI files and needs to uploaded into the cgi-bin whereas the iB_html folder needs to go outside the cgi-bin.
   
4. The easiest way to do this is to create two zip files from these folders and upload them via ftp. First rename the cgi-bin folder something more memorable like 'ikonboard', and then use WinZip to create a zip file of each folder and all its contents.
   

Transferring the Ikonboard package to the CGI server

In this step, we're concerned with placing a copy of the Ikonboard files onto the PlusNet CGI server.

You use FTP to copy the package to the server. If you have graphical FTP software (such as CuteFTP) you can use that to put it in your home directory on the CGI server. (You'll see there's already a directory called cgi-bin in your home directory - do not put the Ikonboard files in this directory, they should go in your home directory.)

If you don't have a graphical FTP software package (or if you'd like to try the command line for a change) follow the detailed instructions below for using a command line interface. Note that commands are sent by typing the command and then 'sending' it by pressing the Return or Enter key.

1. Bring up a Command Prompt.
   
2. Switch to the directory containing the Ikonboard zip files you created earlier.
   

   drive:\dir> cd <directory name> Now FTP the Ikonboard files to the CGI server: drive:\dir> ftp cshell.plus.net Connected to <CGI server name> 220 ProFTPD 1.2.10 Server (ProFTPD) [212.159.7.170] User (<CGI server name>:(none)): <your username> 331 Password required for <your username> Password: <your password for the CGI server machine> 230 User <your username> logged in ftp> bin 200 Type set to I. ftp> prompt Interactive mode Off . ftp> mput iB_html.zip 200 PORT command successful 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for iB_html.zip 226 Transfer complete ftp: 544080 bytes sent in 17.13Seconds 31.77Kbytes/sec. ftp> cd cgi-bin ftp> mput ikonboard.zip 200 PORT command successful 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for ikonboard.zip 226 Transfer complete ftp: 544080 bytes sent in 17.13Seconds 31.77Kbytes/sec ftp> quit 221 Goodbye drive:\dir> (Back at the Windows Command Prompt) Keep the Command Prompt window open -- we use it in the next step!

Extracting the software on the CGI server
Your gzip ikonboard package is now in your home directory on the CGI server. You now need to unpack it:

1. Log on to the CGI server machine using telnet.
   
2. If you used graphical FTP software to transfer the package to the CGI server, this is the point at which you need to open a Command Prompt.
   
   

   drive:\dir> telnet cshell.plus.net [Connecting] Linux 2.6.11-PlusNet-cgi (<timestamp>) login: <your username> Password: <your password for the CGI server machine> Last login: <timestamp> from <your username>.plus.com username@cshell1 username $

You have now logged on, and you're at a Linux 'shell' prompt (a Linux way of saying 'Command' Prompt). A feature of the shell is that if you write a few letters of a filename and then press the tab key, it will complete the rest of the name, based on the files in the directory. We'll make use of that feature here, so you don't have to remember the full name of the file we're interested in.

Note: Linux systems are case sensitive (i.e. it matters whether you type in upper case or lower case). Use exactly the same case as is shown here, otherwise Linux won't understand. If you type 'ikonboard' this is not the same as 'Ikonboard', for example.

Extracting the files from the Ikonboard package

username@cshell1 username $ unzip iB_html.zip username@cshell1 username $ rm iB_html.zip username@cshell1 username $ cd cgi-bin username@cshell1 username $ unzip ikonboard.zip username@cshell1 username $ rm ikonboard.zip username@cshell1 username $ chmod -R 750 ikonboard username@cshell1 username $ dos2unix ikonboard/*.cgi - Do this to strip out Windows line termination characters from the .cgi files contained in ~/cgi-bin/ikonboard. If this is not done they will not run.

1. You'll see each file listed as it is extracted, and when extraction has finished you should now have a directory called ikonboard which contains all your ikonboard files in the cgi-bin and the html files in the iB_html directory.
   
2. For use a bit further down the line we also need to know the 'absolute path' to your CGI folder on the CGI platform using the pwd command:
   

   username@cshell1 username $ pwd /files/home4/pugtest08/cgin-bin

   
   
   
3. The CGI server will respond with the absolute path of the form /files/homeX/username/cgi-bin where X is 1, 2 , 3 or 4, and username is your username. Make a note of this for later.
   

Installing the software
The next step of the installation is carried out from your web browser on your PC.

1. Browse to <your forum address> which we've just determined: http://<forum hostname>/ cgi-bin/ikonboard/installer.cgi.
   
2. You'll now see the iB System Profiler installation page for Ikonboard. This will confirm that everything is set up OK.
   
3. Click Proceed with the installation.
   
4. You will now need to complete some information. (You can confirm the value of X from pwd command you noted down earlier).:
   
   
   
   • Your CGI Path: /files/home4Xusername/cgi-bin
     
   • Your NON-CGI Path: /files/homeX/username/iB_html
     
   
   
5. Complete the remaining fields:
   
   
   
   • Address for sendmail: /usr/lib/sendmail .
     
   
   
6. Click Proceed.
   
7. You should see confirmation that your permissions are correct. Click Proceed.
   
8. Choose 'Extract the tar archives for me' from the Installing Ikonboard Files screen. Click Proceed.
   
9. The files will now be extracted. Once this is complete click Proceed.
   
10. Click Proceed to install the Ikonboard files.
    
11. Choose the database type, in this tutorial we have chosen DBM Database and click Proceed.
    
12. Once the database is complete click Proceed.
    
13. Click Proceed to populate the database.
    
14. Click Proceed.
    
15. Set up your admin account and click Proceed.
    
16. Congratulations you’ve completed the setup and should be presented with the ib Administration Account Creation screen.
    
17. Click Proceed and you'll now be able to login to Ikonboard!
    

Acknowledgements
This document was originally hosted on the PlusNet Portal, and has been reproduced here at the request of PlusNet Staff.

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Original Article by: csogilvie - Edited by: csogilvie