If you are moving your installation to a new server, please follow the instructions in the Moving Servers portion of this manual.
Introduction
At this point it is assumed you have extracted the archive containing AutoKB.
If you have not yet done so, you should do that now.
You should also have the following information on hand:
- The name of the MySQL database which you will be using to store the data*
- The username which you use to access the MySQL database
- The password which you use to access the MySQL database
If you do not have this information, contact your server administrator to get it.
* This name is not something you can just make up. The database must be created by your
server administrator in order for you to use it. If you don't know the name of a database
which you are allowed to use, contact your server administrator to get that information
or to have them create a database for you. Some servers offer control panels where you
can create your own MySQL database. In that case you will need to have created the MySQL
database before you continue.
Creating Directories
The next step is to login to your server and create the necessary directories for AutoKB. First off, decide where you want the knowledge base
files installed. On most servers you need to put your .php files outside the cgi-bin. Once you have decided where you want the knowledge base
located, create that directory if it does not already exist and then change into that directory. Inside that directory you will need to create
several subdirectories; name them admin, cache, data, images, templates, and userimages.
Note: The only files
you should place in these directories are the ones indicated in this documentation. Uploading other files can and will cause problems.
Example Directory Structure:
| /kb |
location of common.php and index.php files |
| /kb/admin |
location of admin.php and main.php files |
| /kb/cache |
this directory will be empty to start out |
| /kb/data |
location of script data files |
| /kb/images |
location of the images provided with the software |
| /kb/templates |
location of all template files |
| /kb/userimages |
this directory will be empty to start out |
Uploading Files
Now you are ready to begin uploading the files to your server.
VERY IMPORTANT: On most servers you can upload the .php
files in ASCII or binary mode, however some servers require that they be uploaded in ASCII mode. If you are not sure how to do this, consult the
documentation for your FTP client.
Below is a table of where each file should be uploaded, using the example directory structure above:
/kb
attachment.php
comment.php
common.php
email.php
glossary.php
index.php
init.php
mysql.php
rate.php
suggest.php
/kb/admin
admin.php
editor.php
main.php
menu.php
patch.php
/kb/data
tables
/kb/images
All files from the images directory of the software distribution
/kb/templates
All files from the templates directory of the software distribution
Setting Permissions
Next, you will need to set permissions on the directories and files that AutoKB will be
using. If you are not sure how to set permissions, consult the documentation for your FTP client
and/or contact your server administrator for more information. Below is a table containing the
permissions you will need to set on each directory or file.
| File or Directory |
Permissions |
| All .php files |
644 |
| tables file in the data directory |
644 |
| All files in the templates directory |
666 |
| All files in the images directory |
644 |
| images directory |
755 |
| data directory |
777 |
| cache directory |
777 |
| admin directory |
777 |
| templates directory |
777 |
| userimages directory |
777 |
These are only the recommended file permissions, and may need to be altered depending on your server configuration.
Software Initialization
You are now ready to begin the web based portion of the setup. In your browser, type in the full URL to the init.php file on your server.
The init.php script will run a few diagnostic tests to make sure your server has all of the required modules and that all of the permissions
have been set correctly. If there are any problems, a page will be displayed that details them. Instructions for correcting the problems can
also be found on that page.
If all of the diagnostic tests pass, you will see a page where you will need to enter your MySQL database information. Complete instructions
are provided on that page. Once you have filled in all of the fields, press the Submit button. The MySQL database information will be tested
to make sure it is working. If it is not, you will get an error message indicating the problem.
If the MySQL information is entered correctly, you will be brought to a page that will have the URL and login information for the control panel.
Accessing the Control Panel
On the final screen of the init.php script you will find a link to the control panel. Click that link and enter the login information indicated
on the final init.php screen. This will log you into the control panel so you can setup the software's options. The first time you login to the
control panel you will automatically be taken to the Edit Options interface. On this page you will be able to enter the options you want AutoKB
to use. Each of the options has a [?] after it, which you can click on to get more information about that field. After you have set all of the
options how you want them, you can click on the Save Options button located at the top or bottom of the page.
You are now ready to begin using the software. From here you should read the First Steps portion of the manual. That will instruct you on what to do
before you begin accepting gallery submissions.