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Installation instructions for SuSE 9.3

<h1>Installing LON-CAPA on a minimal SuSE 9.3 Linux Professional System</h1>
<p>
This document guides you through the process of setting up a new LON-CAPA
server running SuSE Linux Professional 9.3 (SLP 9.3) with a minimum of packages installed.  
The computer will be configured solely as a LON-CAPA server and will be 
expected to have no other services running.  Your server is expected to have
a reasonably fast connection to the internet.
</p><p>
More information is available at 
<a href="http://install.lon-capa.org/">http://install.lon-capa.org/</a>.
</p>

<h2>Before you begin</h2>
<p>
Installing Linux is getting easier and easier.  However, it is still a
non-trivial undertaking and experience with SuSE Linux will make this 
process easier.  You will be required to log in to the machine and execute
some routine Unix commands.  Familiarity with the Apache web server, mod_perl, 
perl, and MySQL are not required to install and run LON-CAPA.
</p>

<h2>Installation Overview</h2>
<p>
The installation process takes the following steps:
</p>
<ol>
  <li> Obtain SLP 9.3 installation media (DVD, or CDs)</li>
  <li> Determine Network Settings</li>
  <li> Install SLP 9.3</li>
  <li> Update your system </li>
  <li> Install LON-CAPA </li>
  <li> Create a Domain Coordinator </li>
  <li> Start/Restart services </li>
  <li> Log in to LON-CAPA </li>
</ol>

<h2>Obtain SuSE Linux Professional 9.3</h2>
<p>
SuSE ISO files can be obtained from the Novell SuSE site: <a href="ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/">ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/</a> or one of its <a href="http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/downloads/ftp/int_mirrors.html">mirrors</a>.  
</p> 

<h2>Determine Network Settings</h2>
<p>
You will need to know the following network settings for your installation.  
<b>Note:</b>You must have a static IP address to use LON-CAPA.
DHCP is <em>not</em> supported.
</p>
<ul>
  <li>ip address </li>
  <li>netmask </li>
  <li>hostname </li>
  <li>gateway </li>
  <li>domain name server(s) </li>
</ul>

<h2>Minimal SLP 9.3 Install</h2>
<p>
Installing SuSE Linux Professional is quite easy if you've installed Linux products
before.  Some documentation is available from 
<a href="http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse93/">
http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse93/</a>.<br /><br />
Most of the subsequent installation screens are self explanatory.
There are a few steps that require comment and are dealt with below.
</p>
<dl style="list-style:square outside none">
   <dt>Partitioning your Drive</dt>
   <dd>For a LON-CAPA library server (i.e., the main server used 
       for permanent storage of course and user data), 
       a separate partition is recommended for /home, as this    
       simplifies future upgrades of the operating system.
       If you are adding an additional access server to an 
       existing LON-CAPA domain, this does not apply as no 
       permenent data are stored on an access server.
       As LON-CAPA resource files are stored in the /home directory,
       the majority of the disk space should be allocated here.    
       If you have 20 GB of space for SLP9.3, /home should
       receive at least 10 to 12 gigs. Since MySQL uses the /var 
       filesystem to store its databases you should have as least 
       4 gigs of space available on /var.  Be sure to 
       include adequate swap space.  A minimum is 512 Megs, but you should
       typically have 1 or 2x as much swap space as you do physical RAM.
       </dd>
   <dt>Package Group Selection</dt>
   <dd>Click on the "Software" link or use the "Change" select box in 
   the installation Setting screen, and choose Minimal Install.</dd>
</dl>
<p>Once you system has rebooted, you will use yast to complete the configuration. Change the following settings:
<dl style="list-style:square outside none">
   <dt>Firewall</dt>
   <dd>Enable the firewall, and allow the the following services: web services (http and https) and login services (secure shell). Use the "Expert" option to open the following ports for TCP services: 8080 5663.</dd>
 </p>
 <p>       
   <dt>Network Configuration</dt>
   <dd>LON-CAPA will <b>not</b> work with a machine set up to use a dynamic
       IP address.  When configuring your network card, you should include host name information (e.g., host name = tmp1, domain = lite.msu.edu), as well as name server. Other settings (ip address, gateway, netmask will have been set when you included them in the boot configuration).
   </dd>
   <dt>Online update</dt>
   <dd>Indicate "Yes" when prompted to "run online update now?"</dd>
   </dt>
</dl>
<p>
Finish installing your server, read the "readme", reboot and log in as root.
</p>

<h2>Change software sources for your system</h2>
<p>
You will use yast to import packages required for LON-CAPA.<br />
Execute:
</p>
<pre>
yast
</pre>
<p>
Select "Change Source of Installation" and change to point at a SuSE mirror close to your location. You can find a list of mirrors at the<a href="http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/downloads/ftp/int_mirrors.html">SuSE mirror page</a>.
</p>
<h3>Add an additional installation source</h3>
<p>Add the LON-CAPA SuSE 9.3 repository as an additional installation source, so software installation in yast will have access to two repositories - a SuSE mirror (for packages included for the standard distribution) and the LON-CAPA repository (for extra packages needed to run LON-CAPA). For the LON-CAPA source you will use:
<dl style="list-style:square outside none">
<dd>Protocol</dd>
<dt>HTTP</dt>
<dd>Server Name</dd>
<dt>install.loncapa.org</dt>
<dd>Directory on server</dd>
<dt>suse/9.3/</dt>
<dd>Authentication</dd>
<dt>Anonymous</dt>
</dl>
After saving this configuration information for the LON-CAPA repository, choose "Edit", then "Refresh" the quit yast.    
</p>
<h2>Update pwdutils package</h2>
<p>
Start yast, and choose the "Install and Remove software" option, and use "Search" to find pwdutils. Indicate that you wish to update to version 3.0.2.</p>    
<h2>Installing LON-CAPA</h2>
<h3>Install prerequisites</h3>
<p> Execute: </p>
<pre>
yast -i LONCAPA-prerequisites
</pre><p>
This may take a moment due to LON-CAPA's large number of dependencies. When prompted to choose an apache package, select apache, NOT apache2, then click Solve.  
</p>
<h3>Retrieve and execute LON-CAPA setup program</h3>
<p>
Retrieve the LON-CAPA setup with one of the following commands:
</p>
<i>32 bit architecture</i>
<pre>
wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/9.3/i386/suse_install.tar
</pre>
<br />
<i>64 bit architecture</i>
<pre>
wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/9.3/x86_64/suse_install.tar
</pre>
<p>
Extract the archive with the following command:
</p>
<pre>
tar xf suse_install.tar
</pre>
<p>
This creates a directory named <tt>installation</tt>.  Change to it and
execute the setup script with the following commands:
</p>
<pre>
cd installation
./install.pl
</pre>
<p>
This script will prompt you for the MySQL root password and will download the latest LON-CAPA release.
</p>
<h3>Determine LON-CAPA Settings</h3>
<p>
LON-CAPA requires a number of identifying parameters to be set in order
for it to function at all.  Below is a list with descriptions.
</p>
<dl>
  <dt>Host Type (library or access)</dt>
  <dd>The server must be designated a 'library' or an 'access' server.  In
      general you should have a library server for your instructors to create
      their course content on and run their courses.  Students should connect
      to access servers.  If you are doing the first install of LON-CAPA at 
      your site, or if you are playing with it for your own edification you
      should make your machine a 'library' server.</dd>
  <dt>LON-CAPA domain</dt>
  <dd>Each site or school which installs LON-CAPA needs its own domain.
      Here at MSU we use 'msu'.  You should choose something short but
      meaningful.  <i>Restriction: One word, no hyphens, underscores, or 
      special characters.</i>
  </dd>
  <dt>LON-CAPA host id</dt>
  <dd>Each LON-CAPA server requires a unique internal name.  We use names
      such as "msul1" for the first library server. <i>Restriction: One word, 
      no hyphens, underscores, or special characters.</i>
  </dd>
  <dt>Host administrator email</dt>
  <dd>The amount of email sent to this address is relatively minimal.  Messages
      are sent every time the system starts up, or if the system is in 
      serious trouble. On a laptop, make this <tt>root@localhost</tt>.
  </dd>
</dl>

<h3>Configuring LON-CAPA</h3>
<p>
To configure and install LON-CAPA, execute the following commands:
</p>
<pre>
cd /root/loncapa-N.N     (N.N should correspond to a version number like '1.3')
./UPDATE
</pre>
<p>
You will need to enter the LON-CAPA configuration information you determined 
in the previous section.  
</p>
<h2>Creating a Domain Coordinator</h2>
<p>
You will need at least one user at your site who has the role of
'domain coordinator'.  This user creates accounts for other users and
grants them additional privileges.  The make_domain_coordinator.pl script
invoked below requires that you enter the users password.  The password will
show in plaintext as you type it.  Feel free to use the "passwd username"
command to change it later.  Replace USERNAME and DOMAIN with an 
appropriate user name and your domain.
</p>
<pre>
cd /root/loncapa-N.N/loncom/build
perl make_domain_coordinator.pl USERNAME DOMAIN
(WILL PROMPT FOR PASSWORD HERE)
mkdir ~USERNAME
mkdir ~USERNAME/public_html
chown USERNAME:www ~USERNAME/public_html
chmod 0775 ~USERNAME/public_html
chmod a+x ~USERNAME
</pre>
<h2>Start/Restart Services</h2>
<p>
The LON-CAPA network services take a moment to start.  Most misconfigurations
will be appearant at this step.
</p>
<pre>
/etc/init.d/loncontrol start
/etc/init.d/apache start
</pre>
<p>
If you receive warnings when starting the httpd about missing perl modules,
please make sure you followed the instructions in 
<b>Installing LON-CAPA Dependencies</b>.  If you still have errors, please
contact the LON-CAPA support team.
</p>
<h2>Log in to your LON-CAPA Machine</h2>
<p>
Point a web browser at your new machine and log in as the domain
coordinator.  Congratulations!
</p>
<h2>If things aren't working right</h2>
<p>
If you've followed the steps above and the server doesn't start or you think
there's something wrong, please get in touch with the LON-CAPA support team.
You can submit a help request using our web form:<br />
<a href="http://support.loncapa.org/help/">http://support.loncapa.org/help/</a><br />
If there were errors in installation of the dependency RPMs or during the
automatic setup, please send us as much information as possible.
If some part of this document is unclear please let us know.
</p>