SMF installation issue (requires php)

[Jefff]

I am reinstalling SMF after a year and it fails to run the installer script because it needs php to run. However it worked a week ago, before I reinstalled WAMP. Now I am repeating the installation procedure and something went wrong, cant find what.

1. I have WAMP running (green) and the phpinfo page is accessible.
2. Is there a special step needed after reinstalling WAMP to make it work? I am using the exact same procudure like when it was installed the first time, which was, install wamp. start all services, then run the installer.php, which is in the www folder of my wamp install.

The server is WIN2008.

[kat]

Hiya, Jeff!



The best that I could come-up with, was this:

http://www.absolutemg.com/2010/08/20/manually-install-php-on-wampserver

Any use?

[margarett]

Use XAMPP

[Illori]

or how about if you dont know how to fix this then you really should not be self hosting a forum that can be accessed on the internet. you are just asking to be hacked, and you will get hacked at some point.

[kat]

Use XAMPP

I've got a lava lamp!

[Arantor]

Use XAMPP

I wouldn't be using any of these things if this is a public facing server, which judging by the use of Win2008 - presumably Windows Server 2008 - sounds like it might be.

None of these all in one things are suited to public facing machines.

[Kindred]

seriously... WAMP and XAMP are great for local install testing...   they should never be used to run a public server...

(and, if you don't know how to configure a public server, quite honestly, you have no business running one.)

[JBlaze]

(and, if you don't know how to configure a public server, quite honestly, you have no business running one.)

Or... you know, just take some time to read some of the many tutorials on how to properly set up a public server from scratch. Best bet is to use a Linux-based distro (Ubuntu is my personal favorite). Windows machines are a royal ****** for servers, unlike their ease-of-use for desktops.

[Arantor]

Windows servers are a pain if you head outside the norm; running IIS for example is a snap compared to running Apache on Windows in a sane configuration for a server.

[JBlaze]

Windows servers are a pain if you head outside the norm; running IIS for example is a snap compared to running Apache on Windows in a sane configuration for a server.

I just prefer to save myself the headache and use Ubuntu + Apache. I've tried Windows twice, and neither time had the patience to figure out why things kept imploding.

[Jefff]

Thanks for the advice so far.
I will check Ks advice and report back.

(and, if you don't know how to configure a public server, quite honestly, you have no business running one.)

Why is it that on every IT or webprogramming topic, there is someone giving this useless "go back to your cave" advice?

Or... you know, just take some time to read some of the many tutorials on how to properly set up a public server from scratch. Best bet is to use a Linux-based distro (Ubuntu is my personal favorite). Windows machines are a royal ****** for servers, unlike their ease-of-use for desktops.

Would you be able to hint me towards  information where I can read up on the matter?

[Arantor]

Because security is something not to be taken lightly and as a general rule, people who assume they don't need to worry about it are people who shouldn't be doing it because they won't look after it properly.

We've seen way too many cases of this stuff. Heck, I've been running my own server for years and I still learn new things. It is not for the faint of heart and there is going to be a serious learning curve if you want to do it properly, and I don't think you appreciate how big a learning curve that's going to be.

[Jefff]

I would like to learn more on how to do it properly. But some advice people give especially on webprogramming topics is just downright hostile. Everone asking questions, or making mistakes he is not even aware of gets treated like a caveman that is too stupid to switch on a pc.

So far my approach was this:

Install wamp, then use it to host the forum
I have read some things about security but I am probably overlooking things I am not even aware of. Also I should add the forum I am attempting to host has no commercial application and if the thing goes down in flames it would not cause any damage financially or otherwise.

So, where should I start looking on how to do that properly?

[Arantor]

There's a reason people like me are so hostile, actually. I've been working on the web for 16 years, 12 of them in PHP... and there's still stuff I learn on a regular basis. If I haven't mastered it in 16 years, can you imagine my reaction to people that think they're going to master it in a few weeks or months? (That is, for better or worse, my reaction to your posts.)

As far as 'overlooking things you are not aware of'... that's the fundamental reason we're trying to discourage you from doing this. Unless you're willing to put in a *huge* amount of time to learn how to do this properly, you're simply better off not doing it at all, and paying a host to do it for you, because computing is one of those environments where a little knowledge is the most dangerous of all.

Case in point: you seem to have the opinion that a forum going down in flames would not cause any damage financially. Except should you be hacked, it's quite possible that there will be real consequences because of users sharing passwords etc. between critical sites including banking, not to mention that compromised sites also tend to become sludge pits of sending spam email which can have other consequences (not least some providers trying to issue you with fines)

Trust me: if you're starting out with a forum, the last thing you want to do is spend a volume of time acquiring technical skills. You just want to get on and run the forum, which is how the whole 'use a hosting company' comes into play. Let them do the complicated work, that's what they're specialised in.

[Jefff]

Thanks for that advice.
To go back to the issue I had with SMF.
If I navigate to my localhost and the phpinfo page correctly shows, then it indicates PHP is enabled for my server? If that is the case, why does the SMF installer show "this server requires PHP" when attempting to install? I installed an earlier SMF 2 years ago on the exact same server configuration with that issue. So what is the issue?

[Arantor]

What version of PHP does phpinfo() tell you that you have?

More importantly... is localhost the same thing that the server is configured to be serving as? (The two are not necessarily the same thing.)

[Jefff]

PHP 5.5.12 is the version.

I can remotely access host root folder and call phpinfo() from the wamp main page.

[Arantor]

Not what I asked.

So... on your computer, you go to localhost... are you logged into the server at the time when you do that? Because if you are, that implies you don't have WampServer installed on your Windows Server.

Because I get the impression you're actually using IIS on the Windows Server which doesn't naturally have PHP support (and WampServer wouldn't necessarily be able to play nicely without reconfiguring IIS anyway)