Version 0.9x
HOW TO – Set up Owl
using cPanel
Introduction
Much of the documentation for the installation of Owl Intranet Knowledgebase assumes a knowledge of servers, and that the installation is on one's own server. However, many prospective users have neither a server to host the software, nor the skill to manage one, yet wish to enjoy the benefits of the Owl Knowledgebase product. Suitable hosts can be found by a web search using the term 'Owl Knowledgebase Hosting'. It is recommended to find a provider that is open to the installation of scripts from outside their normal list (fantastico, Plesk), as there are fewer impediments to the installation of Owl. Some providers will install Owl for a fee; a very few others will install it at no cost. Even fewer providers that have installed Plesk Power Pak 8.0 offer an automated install of Owl, though it may be an older version than is currently available from Sourceforge.net. However, an installation of Owl is relatively straightforward, even for those unfamiliar with the process.
This document is by no means exhaustive, it describes one method of installing the product on a hosted server. This tutorial takes the user through an understandable path to install Owl. It is not the most expedient, and a number of extra steps are included to help the uninitiated follow the process of installing the Owl Intranet Knowledgebase, so that they can update or change the product themselves.
We begin with a number of definitions, and follow through to the conclusion of the installation.
You should also download a copy of the Owl Installation Manual at www.sourceforge.net/projects/owl.
Comments, suggestions and improvements for this document may be forwarded to:
Terms used in this document
cPanel the interface on *nix based computers that allows you limited manipulation of the remote system.
Intranet the name given to your installation of Owl and the
subdirectory in which Owl resides. Often is also the name used for your first repository.
knowledgebase the fully operational product.
local computer the one you are sitting in front of.
repository ONE file set. Many repositories can be managed from one
instance of Owl.
owl_db_filedir[x] the directory(s) you create in “/” to hold your repository(s).
Each must hold a sub-directory with the name Documents. This would be /Intranet in our example (actually
/home/username/Intranet).
owl_db_name[x] the SQL database associated with the repository named owl_db_filedir[x]. This would be Intranet in our example.
owl_db_user the name of the user of the database (i.e. the
Knowledgebase).
owl_db_pass password of above user.
root the top level directory on the remote computer. Usually
designated /
username the name your ISP has assigned for you to access their
system. It will have a password associated with it. You will need these two pieces of information to access cPanel.
yourdomain.name the Domain name you have registered, and your ISP has set
up on their host for you.
yourroot the highest directory you can reach in your hosted space
This document assumes you are familiar with your chosen FTP program. Notes for Installer:
Record your chosen names here for future reference ISP:
Domain:
Login: (username)
Password:
yourroot: /home/username
owl_db_filedir[x]:/Intranet[0] /Second[1] /Third[2] /Fourth[3] owl_db_name[x]: Intranet[0] Second [1] Third[2] Fourth[3] owl_db_user: owl
owl_db_pass: owlpass
Tools:
Browser
FTP program that you are familiar with using installed on local computer File Editor (Wordpad (Win) or FileEdit (linux))
Access to cPanel on ISP host computer The file phpinfo.php
Installation:
1. Create the following file (phpinfo.php) in your text editor, save it, and upload it using FTP to the public_html folder on your ISP host.
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
Run it by typing: http://www.yourdomain.name/phpinfo.php in the location bar on your browser. If you receive an error message, you will need to discuss your needs with your ISP and see if you can obtain appropriate permissions for your script. If the script is successful, you will see a lot of information from your ISP. Confirm the following: PHP is greater than 4; and also the real path to yourroot , your assigned (virtual) home folder.
2. Using your browser, download the most recent version of Owl from
www.sourceforge.net/projects/owl to your local computer. If your Host is running linux, then the owl-0.xx.tar.gz is the best choice.
2.1 Using FTP, upload the Owl compressed file to the /public_html directory on the Host computer.
Also, in yourroot, create a directory (owl_db_filedir[0]) named Intranet and place a
subdirectory within it named Documents. Repeat this step, using a fresh directory name, for each repository you wish to have on your host. Note: this can also be done in cPanel.
3. Using your browser, login to cPanel (www.yourdomain.name:2082) (Login & Password needed)
Open File Manager Note: MySQL Databases Note: Error Log
Move to the directory
/public_html by clicking on the folder icon
Extract Owl-XX-XX.tar.gz by clicking on the filename and choosing extract file contents from the list on the upper right of the screen.
Return to /public_html, and find the folder that contains all the extracted files (not the tar file). Should be owl-0.XX. Click on the foldername and choose rename this folder from the selection list at the upper right of the window. Rename this directory Intranet.
You will notice that the real path to <yourroot> is
displayed at the upper right of the screen during this process.
You may need to change permissions on these folders. My ISP seems happy with 755. To accomplish this, you click on the foldername and choose
Change Permissions from the selections at the upper right of the window.
Make selections as shown and save your changes. You may have to repeat this step with each of the subdirectories within the Intranet directory.
Exit File manager by clicking on the X at the top right of the left-hand panel on the screen.
4. Return to your FTP program, and download the following files to a known location on your local computer:
/Intranet/config/owl.php
5. At cPanel, choose mySQL
You will need to create a database for each repository, one database user, and permissions for that user within each database.
5.1 Create a database
<username>_Intranet. Repeat with a new
database name for each repository.
5.2 Create a user <username>_owl, with a
password owlpass
5. Give <username>_owl all permissions
to database <username>_Intranet. The
database must have at least CREATE, INSERT, SELECT, DELETE, & UPDATE
permissions on the databases. Repeat with this user for each database. Note: the remote system will automatically pre-pend your database name and database user name with the
<username>_ portion of the names.
Now we have to shape the database(s). 5.4 Choose phpMyAdmin at bottom of page
5.4.1 Choose a database from the selection box on the left of the screen.
5.4.2 Select your database name from the list on the left.
5.4.4 Press 'Browse'; a selection window will open to your local computer. Browse to the folder on your local computer where you placed the file mysql-tables.sql, select that file and click 'open'. The selection window will close, returning you to myPHPadmin.
5.4.5 Click on 'GO'. The tables will be loaded into your database.
5.4.6 Repeat for each database. Exit phpMyAdmin.
6. Open owl.php on your local computer. If using Windows, Wordpad is the better editor to use, as it preserves carriage returns better than notepad.
Make the following changes to owl.php:
6.1 $default->owl_root_url = "/Intranet"; 6.2 $default->owl_use_fs = true; 6.3 $default->owl_lang = "English";
Insert your choice instead of English
You may have to upload other language files to the /locale directory
6.4 $default->owl_db_id[0] = "0"; $default->owl_db_user[0] = "<username>_owl"; $default->owl_db_pass[0] = "owlpass"; $default->owl_db_host[0] = "localhost"; $default->owl_db_name[0] = "<username>_Intranet"; $default->owl_db_display_name[0] = "Intranet"; $default->owl_db_ldapserver[0] = "your.ldap.server.address"; $default->owl_db_ldapdomain[0] = ""; //$default->owl_db_FileDir[0] = "/var/www/html/owl-0.90"; $default->owl_db_FileDir[0] = "/home/<username>/Intranet"; $default->peer_auto_publish[0] = "false";
Repeat for each repository changing the database ID, database name, and repository name, as needed. All the databases will have the same user.
7. Using FTP, upload the modified owl.php to /Intranet/config/owl.php. You will have to overwrite the existing file. (Note: you may wish to rename the original file on the host computer back-owl.php before uploading the modified file). Open a browser and type www.yourdomain.name/Intranet.
You should see the login screen and can login: admin / password: admin
If you get an error on startup, the use of 'Error Logs', on your cPanel page, can help you to determine the problem. The most common difficulty is permissions. Some ISP are satisfied with 755, others have indicated that the permissions must be set to 644 or 744, before the script will run. Yet other ISPs will not allow unapproved scripts at all! As stated earlier, discuss your needs with your ISP, or if you are looking to find an ISP to host your Knowledgebase, do a quick web search, to find suitable hosts.
