Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a free, open-source discussion board software that allows you to create an online community where users can engage in discussions, share files, and collaborate on projects. In this tutorial, you will learn how to install SMF on Fedora Server Latest.
Before we start, let's update the system to ensure that all the packages are up to date:
sudo dnf update -y
SMF requires a web server to function properly. We will be using Apache web server for this installation. To install Apache, run the following command:
sudo dnf install httpd -y
After installation, start the Apache service and set it to start at boot time:
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start httpd
Verify that Apache is running by visiting your domain name or server IP address in your web browser:
http://your_domain_name_or_server_IP_address
You should see the default Apache page.
SMF also requires a database server to store its data. We will be using MySQL database server for this installation. To install MySQL, run the following command:
sudo dnf install mysql-server -y
After installation, start the MySQL service and set it to start at boot time:
sudo systemctl enable mysqld
sudo systemctl start mysqld
Next, run the MySQL secure installation script to secure the database:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
You will be prompted to enter the root password that you set during installation. Follow the prompts to secure the database.
Next, we need to create a new MySQL database and user for SMF. Log in to the MySQL shell as the root user:
sudo mysql -u root -p
Enter the root password when prompted.
Next, create a new database and user for SMF:
CREATE DATABASE smf_db;
CREATE USER 'smf_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON smf_db.* TO 'smf_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit
Replace 'your_password' with a strong password that you have generated.
Download the latest version of SMF from the official website:
wget https://github.com/SimpleMachines/SMF2.1/archive/refs/tags/SMF_2_1_4.zip
Unzip the downloaded file:
unzip SMF_2_1_4.zip
Move the extracted directory to the Apache web root directory:
sudo mv SMF_2_1_4 /var/www/html/smf
Change the ownership of the SMF directory to the Apache user:
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/smf
Next, we need to configure SMF to use the MySQL database that we created earlier. Open the SMF configuration file:
sudo nano /var/www/html/smf/Settings.php
Find the database configuration section and replace the values with the database name, user, and password that you set earlier. Save and close the file:
$db_server = 'localhost';
$db_name = 'smf_db';
$db_user = 'smf_user';
$db_passwd = 'your_password';
If you have enabled the firewall on your server, you will need to allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic through the firewall. Use the following commands to allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic respectively:
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
You are now ready to access SMF using your web browser. Open your web browser and navigate to:
http://your_domain_name_or_server_IP_address/smf
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
That's it! You have successfully installed SMF on Fedora Server latest. You can now use SMF to create an online community where users can engage in discussions, share files, and collaborate on projects. Enjoy!
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