Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a popular open source forum software that is written in PHP. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Simple Machines Forum on Ubuntu Server.
Before proceeding, make sure you have the following:
First, we need to download the latest release of Simple Machines Forum from their official website. Run the following command on your terminal:
wget https://download.simplemachines.org/index.php/smf_2-1-1.tar.gz
Once the file is downloaded, extract it to your Apache web root directory /var/www/html. You can use the following command:
sudo tar -zxvf smf_2-1-1.tar.gz -C /var/www/html/
Next, we need to set the file permission so that Apache can read and write the required files. Run the following command:
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/smf/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/smf/
Now let's create a MySQL database and a database user for Simple Machines Forum. Run the following command:
sudo mysql -u root -p
Enter your MySQL root password and login.
Now create a new database by running the following command:
CREATE DATABASE smfdb;
You can choose any name you like for the database nam.
Next, create a user and grant it the required privileges to access the database:
CREATE USER 'smfuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password_here';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON smfdb.* TO 'smfuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Don't forget to replace password_here with a strong password.
Now we are ready to start the installation process. Open your web browser and enter your server's IP address or domain name followed by /smf/.
For example, if your server's IP address is 192.168.0.101, enter http://192.168.0.101/smf/ in your browser.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. Provide the required MySQL database details and credentials when prompted.
You will be asked to create an Admin account for SMF, make sure to choose a strong password.
After the installation is complete, it is recommended to remove the install.php file and the install directory for security reasons.
To do this, run the following commands:
sudo rm /var/www/html/smf/install.php
sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/smf/install/
That's it! You have successfully installed Simple Machines Forum on Ubuntu Server.
You can now log in to your SMF boards and start customizing it as per your requirements.
If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!
Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!
