Linux for Community: Groupware Solution

TikiWiki is an open source CMS (Content Mangement System)/Groupware Web application that provides a full Wiki-like environment, as well as Articles, Sections/Categories, User/Group Management (including optional LDAP), Polls and Quizzes, File and Image Galleries, Forums, Weblogs, Calendars and Chat.

PCQLinuix 2004 comes with TikiWiki installation RPM which can be installed during setup by selecting PCQLinux Specials>Personal>tikiwiki. If you want to install it after you have a running PCQLinux 2004 system, then install the RPM file tikiwiki-1.7.4-1.noarch.rpm from PCQLinuix 2004 CD 2. Other software required to run TikiWiki are PHP, MySQL and Apache. Install the RPMs for these from the PCQLinux 2004 CDs. First we will look at PHP, MySQL and Apache configuration and then TikiWiki configuration.

PHP configuration

TikiWiki is coded in PHP so, in a sense, PHP is the core of TikiWiki. You will need to change few settings in the PHP configuration file. Open the file php.ini in any editor and ensure that the following lines appear in it.

file_uploads = On

session.save_handler = files 

session.save_path = /tmp

memory_limit = 16M

max_execution_time = 60

default_charset = “utf-8” 

MySQL configuration

First make sure that MySQL database is running by issuing the command:



#service mysqld status

If it is not running start it by issuing the command



#service mysqld start



Now you have to create the database in MySQL where all user data and files will be stored. For that run the command



#mysqladmin create tikidb



Create a new user for acces to the created databse.



#mysql -e “grant all on tikidb.* to tikidbuser@localhost identified by ‘tikipass’;”

#mysql -e “flush privileges;”



Remember the username, which is tikidbuser and the password, tikipass, as you will be required to enter them later on when you run
TikiWiki.

Apache configuration

Using the Rewrite Engine in Apache you will be able to shorten URLs used for accessing TikiWiki. Go to http://doc.tikiwiki.org/tiki-index.php?page=Rewrite +Rules and copy the Rewrite Rules listed on the page to the Apache configuration file /etc/httpd/conf/
httpd.conf.

TikiWiki configuration

There are not many things that you have to do now to get TikiWiki up and running. TikiWiki installs all its file under the Apache Web-hosting directory /var/www/html/tiki-1.7. Open a command prompt and run the following script.



#/var/www/html/tiki-1.7/setup.sh



This script assigns necessary permissions for the directories that the Web server writes files to and also creates the cache directories. Now open a Web browser and enter the url http://127.0.0.1/tiki-1.7/tiki-index.php to access the TikiWiki home page. You can access the url from another machine also, in that case change 127.0.0.1 to the IP address of the machine. The first time you access TikiWiki home page you see an error message saying ‘Unable to login to the MySQL database’. Do not worry and click on the link ‘Go here to begin the installation process’ present just below the error message. This will take you to a form where you can enter the database connection information. Enter the MySQL username, password and database name that you have assigned above in the MySQL Configuration section. After entering the correct information you will be taken to another screen where you will create a default database to be used by TikiWiki. Click the button ‘Create’ written in front of the line ‘Create database from scratch’. On the next screen click on the link ‘Click here to proceed into tiki without removing the script’.

Now you will be taken to the TikiWiki home page. You may see some error messages on this screen also but ignore them and login with the default administrator username ‘admin’ and password ‘admin’. A ‘Change password enforced’ screen will appear to let you change the default password for the admin user. Change the password and now you are in to your personal home page. From here you can create new users and assign rights to them. Also assign permissions like what content will be available to anonymous and registered users and who all can add, delete or change the content on the website. This can be done from the ‘perms’ tab on the Admin’s home page. Now you have a full-fledged groupware and content-management system running. There are several customizations options present in it that can be used according to your requirements.

Anoop Mangla