Web based family history software

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Question can't install

  • froob
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11 years 9 months ago #1 by froob
can't install was created by froob
Total noob here, can't get off the ground with install.

Server is running ubuntu with mysql 5.0.51a-3ubuntu5.8, php 5.2.4-2ubuntu5.14 and apache2.

I created a webtrees folder in apache's website location [I have an existing website there which works fine], and copied all the files from the webtrees download into this folder.

When I navigate to the URL for this folder from my browser [safari 5.1.7 on snow leopard], I get a blank screen, nothing happens.

I can navigate to the readme.html file and it displays.

What is missing in order to launch the setup wizard?

Thank you for your attention.
-F
www.raintown.net/fBlog

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  • ToyGuy
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11 years 9 months ago #2 by ToyGuy
Replied by ToyGuy on topic Re: can't install
What about permissions? Does the server have the rights to read the webtrees folder and files?
Have you confirmed that all the files transferred correctly?

For later, have you created or have a database in place with a U/N and Password?

Santa Stephen the Fabled Santa
Latest webtrees at MyArnolds.com
Hosted by webtreesonline.com , a division of GeneHosts LLC
MacOS 10.6.8, Apache 2.2+, PHP 5.4.16, MySQL 5.5.28

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  • fisharebest
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11 years 9 months ago #3 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Re: can't install
<<When I navigate to the URL for this folder from my browser [safari 5.1.7 on snow leopard], I get a blank screen, nothing happens.>>

Actually, something does happen. Presuming you have installed webtrees in www.raintown.net/webtrees/ then the server is generating a "500" response code. This means that a fatal error has occured. The good news is that apache will have almost certainly recorded more details of the problem in an error log.

If this is a virtual server, then the apache logs are probably in /var/log/apache/error.log
If this is an account on a shared server, then the apache logs will probably be in a subfolder in your home folder.

Look in the logs and tell us what the error says.

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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  • fisharebest
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11 years 9 months ago #4 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Re: can't install
I've just had another look.

My guess is that you didn't copy all the files to the server. Make sure you copy all the sub-folders, etc. to the server.

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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  • froob
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11 years 9 months ago #5 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
OK thanks for the suggestions. I checked the error.log file and noticed it was failing to include an include file. Which made me realize that the webtrees download has multiple subfolders which I did not copy with my simple scp command.

I will add the missing subfolders and their contents and try again.

And a good reminder to always check the log files for errors before complaining to a public forum!

-F

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11 years 9 months ago #6 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
OK now the setup wizard is running [now that all the files are in place].

Re the database -- are there requirements and/or guidelines or suggestions re the database -- for instance recommended size? Does name matter? Should there be users with read/write as well as read-only access to this database? Etc.

-F

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  • froob
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11 years 9 months ago #7 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
And the main question, do I need to create the database prior to running setup? Will setup create it for me?

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  • fisharebest
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11 years 9 months ago #8 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Re: can't install
<<Will setup create it for me? >>

Yes and no.

If you specify a database name that does not exist, webtrees will *try* to create it.

However, on many shared servers, the DB user account does not have this permission. The webhost creates the DB and you just use the one you are given.

So, it works both ways. It will either use or create the DB name you give it.

<<Does name matter?>>

IIRC, MySQL will let you have any database name that is also a valid name in the filesystem.

However, I would strongly recommend just alphanumerics, 15 characters or less.

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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11 years 9 months ago #9 by ToyGuy
Replied by ToyGuy on topic Re: can't install

Re the database -- are there requirements and/or guidelines or suggestions re the database -- for instance recommended size?

Yes, in the readme and on the wiki.
wiki.webtrees.net/Category:ReadMe (or included with your download)
wiki.webtrees.net/System_requirements
wiki.webtrees.net/Installation

Santa Stephen the Fabled Santa
Latest webtrees at MyArnolds.com
Hosted by webtreesonline.com , a division of GeneHosts LLC
MacOS 10.6.8, Apache 2.2+, PHP 5.4.16, MySQL 5.5.28

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11 years 9 months ago #10 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
OK guys, I'm really close but one more snag: setup wants me to download file config.ini.php but when I click the download button... nothing appears to happen.

I checked both the webroots and webroots/data folders and this file is not in either. The closest match is includes/config_data.php

I set webroots/data to 777 prior to attempting the download.

I checked error.log and no errors are reported for this step.

??

-Froob

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  • froob
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11 years 9 months ago #11 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
s/webroots/webtrees/ m

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  • fisharebest
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11 years 9 months ago #12 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Re: can't install
<<when I click the download button... nothing appears to happen.>>

This is a file that is downloaded to your LOCAL computer. You then need to upload this to the SERVER.

The purpose of this step it to make sure that only the owner of a site can configure it.

Have you disabled JavaScript in your browser?
Have you configured your browser to automatically save download files without asking you?

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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11 years 9 months ago #13 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
OK that was correct, the file had downloaded to my client machine. I copied it to the server's data folder, set perms to 444, and now when I click setup's 'continue' button setup starts all over again from the beginning.

I went through and reentered all the answers again, and yet again, after clicking the 'continue' button on the page to copy the config.ini.php file, setup starts from the beginning again.

This doesn't seem right. When I open a new browser tab at www.raintown.net/webtrees it starts setup too.

?

Sorry for throwing all these noob install questions at ya, thanks for your continued attention and patience.

-F

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  • froob
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11 years 9 months ago #14 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
OK fixed, I had accidentally moved the config file into another folder. Setup completed successfully, yay! Next step: learn to use the software.

Thanks for all the helpful replies on this forum folks!

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  • froob
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11 years 9 months ago #15 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
Well now webtrees is installed I have the following security problem:

When I set perm 777 to the data folder, and point my browser to site /data/config.ini.php I see the semicolon rather than a page forbidden error.

So according to the README I set the data perm to 700. After which, when I navigate to my webtrees site it automatically starts running setup. When I explicitly type webtrees/login.php it still switches to setup.php.

...?

Is there a way to configure a secure data folder in the webtrees site AND still access the site?

Access for most files in the webtrees folder is 644.

-F

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  • fisharebest
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11 years 9 months ago #16 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Re: can't install
<<When I set perm 777 to the data folder, and point my browser to site /data/config.ini.php I see the semicolon rather than a page forbidden error.>>

This is OK.

We use two separate techniques to protect the contents of this file.

1) .htaccess files. Not all servers are configured to use them. I guess yours is not.
2) "header guards". This is a PHP script embedded in the first line of the config file. If you see just a semicolon, it is working!

So, set the permission on the data folder so that apache can both read and write to it. For you, this means 777.

Once you are running, there is a site-configuration setting that allows you to split the data directory into two. The current one needs to contain the config.ini.php file. The other will contain all your other temporary files. This can be moved outside the document root.

When you've done this, you'll be able to set the data directory and its contents to be read-only.

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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11 years 9 months ago #17 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
Actually apache2 on my server does use .htaccess files. So that's probably working. I was just following the README instructions which say if you see the semicolon then it's a security hole.

I changed perm back to 777 on data, now I can login to webtrees again.

My current problem is blank screens when I click assorted admin items. apache2's error.log shows this is a result of PHP fatal error bytes exhausted [insufficient memory to load php files].

Any suggestion on this one?

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11 years 9 months ago #18 by fisharebest
Replied by fisharebest on topic Re: can't install
<<Actually apache2 on my server does use .htaccess files. So that's probably working.>>

The /data directory contains a .htaccess file.

Perhaps you didn't upload it?

<<My current problem is blank screens when I click assorted admin items. apache2's error.log shows this is a result of PHP fatal error bytes exhausted [insufficient memory to load php files].>>

By default, the memory allocated to PHP is oftern very small.

In the admin -> site preferences page, you can ask webtrees to request more memory. (Your server may not honour the request, but webtrees can always ask!). In this case, you'll need to increase the PHP memory_limit setting in the main PHP configuration file.

Greg Roach - greg@subaqua.co.uk - @fisharebest@phpc.social - fisharebest.webtrees.net

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11 years 9 months ago #19 by froob
Replied by froob on topic Re: can't install
Inc'd the memory_limit in PHP and that fixed it, thanks.

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