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Optimized overview and navigation in installation guides:
- Added links in overview which point to the main steps
- Added numbering to main step headlines (corresponding to numbering in overview)
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- Removed some trailing blanks

(Thanks to Jannis Ohms)

<h1>Installing LON-CAPA on a minimal SuSE Linux 10.3 System</h1>
<p>
This document guides you through the process of setting up a new LON-CAPA
server running SuSE Linux 10.3 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. 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><a href="#obt">Obtain SuSE 10.3 installation media (DVD, or CD)</a></li>
  <li><a href="#net">Determine Network Settings</a></li>
  <li><a href="#lin">Install Suse 10.3</a></li>
  <li><a href="#upd">Update your system</a></li>
  <li><a href="#ilc">Install LON-CAPA</a></li>
  <li><a href="#cdc">Create a Domain Coordinator</a></li>
  <li><a href="#sts">Start/Restart services</a></li>
  <li><a href="#log">Log in to LON-CAPA</a></li>
</ol>
<hr />

<h2>1. <a name="obt">Obtain SuSE Linux 10.3</a></h2>
<p>
A SuSE 10.3 iso for burning to DVD can be obtained from the opensuse download site: <a href="http://software.opensuse.org/">http://http://software.opensuse.org/</a>, or from an opensuse mirror site - <a href="http://en.opensuse.org/Mirrors_Released_Version">http://en.opensuse.org/Mirrors_Released_Version</a>.  You will also find links there to sites with iso files for burning a Start-CD-Image (a mini.iso) used in a network install, if burning a CD is more convenient for you.
</p>

<h2>2. <a name="net">Determine Network Settings</a></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>3. <a name="lin">Minimal SuSE 10.3 Install</a></h2>
<p>
Installing SuSE 10.3 is quite easy if you've installed Linux products
before.  Some documentation is available from
<a href="http://en.opensuse.org/INSTALL_Local">
http://en.opensuse.org/INSTALL_Local</a> for installations from DVD and
<a href="http://en.opensuse.org/INSTALL_Internet">http://en.opensuse.org/INSTALL_Internet</a> for installations via the network, booting from the mini.iso CD.<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>Installation Language</dt>
   <dd>Use English as your installation language.</dd>
   <dt>Desktop Selection</dt>
   <dd>Click <i>Other</i> and choose <i>Text Mode</i></dd>
   <dt>Software Selection</dt>
   <dd>Choose Expert Mode and for Software enable Base System, Yast Installation Packages and Software Management</dd>
   <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 SuSE 10.3, /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>
</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>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>Firewall</dt>
   <dd>Enable the firewall, and allow the following services: web services (http and https) and login services (SSH). Use the "Advanced..." option to open the following ports for TCP services: 8080 5663.</dd>
   <dt>Online Update Configuration</dt>
   <dd>It is recommended that you register your server with Novell for future updates during the installation process, and then run the online update.</dd>
   </dt>
</dl>
<p>
After finishing the online update, the system should reboot, and
proceed to have you create a user account, show you the Release Notes,
and let you configure any extra hardware, and then finish up the boot
process. At the prompt login as root.
</p>

<h2>4. <a name="upd">Change software sources for your system</a></h2>
<p>If you do not already have a SuSE 10.3 installation source at your location, you may want to consider creating one from the iso file for the DVD. Proceed as follows (e.g., for 32 bit):</p>
<pre>
mkdir -p suse103/DVD
mount -o ro,loop SUSE-Linux-10.3-GM-i386-DVD.iso /mnt
cp -rv /mnt/* suse103/DVD
umount /mnt
</pre>
Next you will use yast to import packages required for LON-CAPA.<br />
Execute:
</p>
<pre>
yast
</pre>
<p>
Select "Installation Source" and change to point at OSS and non-OSS repositories: (http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/10.3/repo/oss and http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/10.3/repo/non-oss) or alternatively at iternet installation repositories close to your location (see <a href="http://en.opensuse.org/Mirrors_Released_Version">http://en.opensuse.org/Mirrors_Released_Version</a>), or a local institutional source you have built from the SuSE 10.3 DVD, or you may prefer to continue to point at the installation DVD.
</p>
<h3>Add an additional installation source</h3>
<p>Add the LON-CAPA SuSE 10.3 repository as an additional installation source. Once this is done, software installation in yast should then have access to a minimum of three repositories - a YUM source for SuSE updates (established when you run online update from yast), an installation source (for OSS packages included in 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>Media Type</dd>
<dt>HTTP</dt>
<dd>Protocol</dd>
<dt>HTTP</dt>
<dd>Server Name</dd>
<dt>install.loncapa.org</dt>
<dd>Directory on server</dd>
<dt>suse/10.3/</dt>
<dd>Authentication</dd>
<dt>Anonymous</dt>
</dl>
After saving this configuration information for the LON-CAPA repository, you will need to import a public LON-CAPA key, before the catalog is read, and the repository is available to you. Quit yast.
</p>

<h2>5. <a name="ilc">Installing LON-CAPA</a></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.
</p>
<h3>Retrieve and execute LON-CAPA setup program</h3>
<p>
Retrieve the LON-CAPA setup with the following command:
</p>
<pre>
wget http://install.loncapa.org/versions/suse/10.3/suse10.3_install.tar
</pre>
<p>
Extract the archive with the following command:
</p>
<pre>
tar xf suse10.3_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 '2.2.2')
./UPDATE
</pre>
<p>
You will need to enter the LON-CAPA configuration information you determined
in the previous section.
</p>

<h2>6. <a name="cdc">Creating a Domain Coordinator</a></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)
</pre>

<h2>7. <a name="sts">Start/Restart Services</a></h2>
<p>
The LON-CAPA network services take a moment to start.  Most misconfigurations
will be apparent at this step.
</p>
<pre>
/etc/init.d/loncontrol start
/etc/init.d/apache2 start
</pre>
<p>
If you receive warnings about missing perl modules when starting apache2,
please make sure you followed the instructions in
<b>Installing LON-CAPA Dependencies</b>.  If you still have errors, please
contact the MSU LON-CAPA group.
</p>

<h2>8. <a name="log">Log in to your LON-CAPA Machine</a></h2>
<p>
Point a web browser at your new machine and log in as the domain
coordinator.  Congratulations!
</p>

<hr />
<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 MSU LON-CAPA group.
You can submit a help request using our web form:<br />
<a href="http://help.loncapa.org/help/">http://help.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.
Please let us know if any parts of this document are unclear.
</p>