J3.x:Installing Joomla

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Hosting Requirements

Installing Joomla! for the first time is very easy. Joomla!’s built-in web installer makes setting up your new site a breeze.

Before we start installing Joomla!, there are a couple prerequisites that need to be met to install Joomla! successfully. These apply whether you have a dedicated server, a shared hosting plan, or are installing a copy on a local computer for testing or development. You’ll need to meet the following requirements below to install and use Joomla! 3.0

Downloading and Uploading Joomla! Package Files

1. Download the current release of Joomla! 3.0.x
2. Create a database for use with Joomla! You will need to note basic database information needed when the actual Joomla! installation is started.
   • Location of datase, localhost? Or a specific host's server such as dbserver1.yourhost.com
   • The database name
   • The database user's name
   • The database user's password
3. Move the downloaded Joomla! installation package to the server. Use a FTP Client to transfer the Joomla! 3.0 files to your server. If you don’t already have an FTP client, we recommend Filezilla

Hint - This can be accomplished by simply moving the downloaded package to your server, then unpacking it. Or you can unpack the files on your local computer, then move the Joomla installation over to your server. Either way, the Joomla installation needs to be unpacked in the root of your site.

Warning!

Installation

Main Configuration

With the above requirements met, a database created and the required Joomla! files in place, you are ready to install Joomla!. Start the Joomla! web installer by browsing to the site's domain name, www.yoursitename.com and you should see:

Joomla! will try to identify the Select Language field automatically from your browser's language. You can change this if needed.

Fill in the following information.

• Site Name: The name of your website — this can be changed at any point later in the Site Global Configuration page.
• Description: Enter a description of the website. This is a the global fallback meta description used on every page which will be used by search engines. Generally, a maximum of 20 to 25 words is optimal. Again, this can be changed on the Site Global Configuration page at any time. For more on metadata, see Global Metadata Settings and Entering search engine meta-data.
• Admin Email Address: The admin email address. Enter a valid email in case you forget your password. This is the email address where you'll receive a link to change the admin password.
• Admin Username: Joomla! uses a default "admin" as the username for the Super User. You can leave it as is, change it now(which a good Security measure) or use My Profile in the Administration interface to change it later.
• Admin Password: Remember that super user has maximum control of the site (frontend & backend), so try to use a difficult password. Use My Profile in the Administration interface to change it later. Confirm the password in the Confirm Admin Password box.
• Site Offline: Click the Yes or No box. Yes - this means when installation is complete, your Joomla! website will display the 'Site is offline message' when you browse to yoursitename.com to view the home page. No - this means the site is live when you browse to yoursitename.com to view the home page. You can use the Site Global Configuration in the Administration interface to change the Offline status at any time.

When everything on the first page is completed, click the next button to proceed:

Database Configuration

You will need the information about the database which was suggested above to note.

For simplification, these intructions are a reference to installing with a MySQLi database. The instructions on the installation page are self explanatory, but here they are again:

• Database Type: MySQLi is the common database used
• Hostname: Where is your database located? Common is localhost, but some hosts use a specific database server such as dbserver1.yourhost.com
• Username: The username used to connect to the database
• Password: The password for the database's username
• Database Name: The name of the database
• Table Prefix: One is generated automatically, but you can change it. For example, jos3_ can be used. Just don't forget to put the underscore character(_) at the end of the prefix.
• Old Database Process: Should the installer backup or delete existing tables during the installation of new tables? Click, Yes or No to select the choice.

All these choices can be edited on the Site Global Configuration page, under Server options after the installation is completed. Note, you will break your installation if you change these settings after installation unless you have a complete copy of the current database being used by the Joomla! installation. Common uses would be to update the username and password of the database or to complete a move of an existing installation to a new host with different parameters.

When all the information has been filled in, click the next button to proceed:

Install Sample Data

It is now time to finalise the Joomla! installation. This includes configuration checks at the bottom of the page. The first options are for automatically installing sample content to the website and emailing the configuration settings.

If you are new to Joomla! it would be benefical to install some sample data to see how Joomla! works. You can at this time choose to have the configuration settings emailed to you. The email password choice is off by default for security.

Time to check the configurations of your install and the environment of the installation.

Checking Your Configurations

Success and Finishing Up the Installation

Joomla! 3 is now installed, but there is one last step to complete. You must delete the Installation Folder.