• Themes ( 383)
• Templates demo
• Ranks ( 472)
• Avatars ( 149)
• Smileys ( 162)
• Folder Images ( 58)

• What is phpbb
• Install phpBB
• Install themes
• Install ranks
• Install avatars
• Install smilies

• Help us
• Contact us
• Guestbook
• M1ke's blog [FR]

• [en] Big Boards
• phpBB 3

Introduction

A phpBB forum can easily be installed using an FTP client as well as your Internet browser of choice. To do this, your provider must support the php language as well as one of these databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS SQL or Access via ODBC.
It could not be important that your provider uses apache, any webmaster must be able to install a phpBB forum simply in a minimum of time.

Requirements

• A phpBB is written in php. You have to know if your server accepts this language. If you don't know the answer to this question, enter this little code (visible in image below this text) into a folder and call it phpinfo.php (extension .php).
  
  
• Upload this folder into your server and go to its address. If your provider doesn't support php, the only thing you will is the line of code that you wrote in the folder phpinfo.php. Contact your internet provider to learn if the language can be activated (very unlikely).
  
  
• If php is enabled by your provider, you should see a table summarizing the configuration of the server. You can, for example, see which type of database is supported for your forum. In the majority of cases, this will be MySQL (search in the above-mentioned "phpinfo.php" for the words with-mysql). PostgreSQL is no longer really used. If this is the case, however, you will find the words with-mysql. In the same manner, you can see if your server supports ODBC by searching for the line with-odbc.
  
  
• For all these databases, look in the "phpinfo" for the version that is used. You must know this, because this information will be requested of you at the time of the installation.

Uploading the files

• Assuming that you downloaded and decompressed the file containing your phpBB forum, all you have to do is completely upload the folder named phpBB2. However, the only thing really necessary to do is to respect the structure and hierarchy contained in this file. You can for example rename the folder phpBB2 in forum for example, or any other thing. If you wish that your forum be at the root of your site, put the contents of the folder phpBB2 in the root of your site.
  
  
• Now open your favorite FTP client (you don't have one? Download FileZilla, it performs well and is free). Make sure to verify that all files which ARE NOT images are transferred as ASCII. Don't worry, the majority of FTP clients do this automatically, (FileZilla included).
  
  
• Once everything has been transferred, change the permissions of the file "config.php" as shown in the picture of chmod 777, below. You don't know how to do it? No problem. At the time of the installation, you will be able to manually change the contents of config.php.
  
  

Installation Preparation

• To install your forum, you must be in possession of some information:
  
  
  • Database Server Hostname/DSN
  • Database Name
  • Database Username
  • Database Password
  • Admin Email Address
  
  
  
• "Database Server Hostname/DSN", that's the place where your database is. If it is at the same place as your web pages, the address will be "localhost". If it is not located at this place, you must enter the precise address, or its IP address. If you use ODBC as a database, you will also need its connection name. In case of doubt, contact the technical support department of your Internet provider.
  
  
• "Database Name" is simply the name of the database that you wish to use. You can use one that already exists, or another one, if that is possible for you.
  
  
• "Database Username" and "Database Password" represent, obviously, the user name and password needed to use the database. L'"Admin Email Address" will be the e-mail address from which your forum will communicate and send notifications of responses, confirmations of registrations, etc.

Installation

• Use your Internet navigator (Mozilla works well ) and go to the file install.php present from now on the web server of your internet provider. If you uploaded the folder phpBB2 to your website's root directory, the address that you should put it at will be: http://www.your-domain/phpBB2/install/install.php.
  
  
• Complete all the fields and click on "Start Install". If you followed the procedure well, the new tables necessary to the operation of the forum were creates for you in your database.
  
  
• Close your navigator, then erase via your FTP client the "contrib" and "install" folders. If, during the installation, you are asked to upload the file "config.php", do it from now on by replacing the existing one.
  
  

Administration

• To administrate on your forum, point your navigator towards the address of your forum, which should be http://www.your-domain/phpBB2/index.php. Connect yourself with the administrator's account (using your password), which you specified beforehand at the time of installation. Click now on the button "Administration Panel", visible at the bottom of the forum page. You will probably wish to be in the part Forum Admin >> Management to configure your forums and categories.
  
  
• Styles Admin will probably be where you want to find yourself after this. Look a little bit at all the templates that we offer you for download. subSilver is the theme by default, but you can install as many themes as you wish!

Conclusion

After just a bit of effort, you just installed a forum of professional quality. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the "administration panel". You have nothing more to do than to personalize your forum in choosing among the hundreds of templates that we offer you free of charge for download. We hope that this little tutorial was useful to you, and we wish you a good use of your new phpBB forum

® phpbb design | Contact us | Site map | English Translation by Jason K.
phpBB-design hosting: Infomaniak