SMART04 - install MediaWiki at dc-hosting (read all 2 entries…)
getting closer

I spent 2 or 3 hours working intensively on Sunday morning, completing SMART03 and then tackling the next steps towards getting the wiki up and running on the new host.

  • I saved the account details in gmail and private furl.
  • I set up a new ftp connection in Dreamweaver.
  • uploaded all the mediaWiki subdirectories and files to the new host.
  • logged in to the dc-hosting control panel
  • experimented with the file manager therein. This is a tricky tool, when choosing a file from the directory tree-structure on the left it doesn’t always seem to tally with the one pointed to by the control panel ( add read/write/exe permissions etc ) on the right. It took many attempts to make the /config directory writable.

*But once I succeeded, the php script which configures the wiki did actually start to run.

That was a breakthrough.

The script then demanded answers to questions about the mySQL database

it took several attempts to even find the place for managing this part of the hosting, but once discovered it is easier to recognise another time. I created a database called “wiki” and a user for it, then put these details into the config script. After a few goes, I got it right and the script ran right through, telling me that my wiki is now installed – and I can click ::here:: to start using it.

Another breakthrough, even if clicking there does only result in an error message from the browser – “ukcider.co.uk not found”.

Since then I have wondered whether it’s todo with the delay in DNS transference, although that doesn’t make total sense it’s the next thing to rule out. So tomnorrow will tell. If that’s not it, then I have to look at the database creation, config parameters and file permissions again, uninstall and re-install everything and try again looking out for references to the domain which may be absolute instead of relative or something like that.

So I was disappointed that I didn’t get it working today, but I suppose I have made quite a lot of progress really.



Comments:

Wayhay!!!!!! it's working tra la la

Yes!

It was just the DNS delay, I tried again this afternoon and got the holding page for ukcider.co.uk then went to /wiki and there it is :-)

This means that everything I did on those 3 hours on Sunday morning was quite enough, I just needed to patient for the DNS propagation to wing its way around the world.

Fantastic. Now I can set the next immediate tasks :

Tidying up the permissions, diractories and “skinning” sic.

Then start planning the social aspects of the research, drafting a message to members, soliciting editors and so on.

(This comment was deleted.)

Easy???!!

“Well done, seems like you had a fairly easy installation.”

Ha ha ha . It tool up a quarter of my inter-semester holidays!

I think I’l restrict skinning to changing the home button image and including links back to the main ukcider website. Then seed the content to show how the structure might start off, and think about licensing. There will need to be changes to the navigation in order to integrate the wiki with the static site.

The next Smart task will probably be about writing to the community.

Well Done :-)

What a very productive inter-semester holiday you had! How useful are you finding SMART tasks and are you going to write about the process of using them on 43 things or elsewhere?

SMART tasks

Thanks Linda,
I’m finding the SMART process very useful, especially doing it through 43things I think. Have you seen how these entries and comments turn into a “threaded forum” conversation with identity pics and everything?

So here I am, working my way through the necessary steps, documenting the plans, the successes and failures as I go along, and being accompanied by my peer-review partners, my techie support person, and my Learning Faciliator (Hi Gina), all of whom are alerted to new entries via RSS.

That package altogether makes for an enjoyable and satisfying way to learn and get things done. It’s early days yet, but it seem highly likely I’ll be recommending it.


 

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