Software Requirements

PostNuke is a great Content Management System (CMS), but it's only one piece in the server puzzle. It requires a database to store content and a web server to serve pages to the world. You should have all of the associated software installed and configured before placing PostNuke on your server. Failure to properly set up a required component can prevent the success of your PostNuke install, and you might have to completely reinstall PostNuke again, after fixing the other software.

Databases

PostNuke currently only runs with the MySQL database engine (www.mysql.com). You need to have MySQL version 3.23 or higher to interface properly with PostNuke. When the system was originally designed, specific Structured Query Language (SQL) code was used that limited PostNuke to MySQL. The PostNuke SQL is now being generalized to enable a wider range of databases. The next database that will be supported is PostgreSQL (www.postgresql.org), another open source engine.

There are plans to have eventual support for mainstream commercial database engines, such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. Being noncommercial themselves, the PostNuke developer community has not had easy access to those environments.

PHP

PostNuke is written entirely in the PHP scripting language (www.php.net). Your server needs PHP version 4.0.1pl2 or higher installed to render PostNuke pages. PHP 4 has built-in MySQL support and uses the Zend Engine 2 (www.zend.com), which are both important to PostNuke.

When you install PHP, you have the option of letting PHP make web server setting changes for you. To take advantage of this convenience, you need to install your web server software first.

Tip

You might need to stop your web server before installing PHP. The install might not be completed properly with the service still running. IIS and PWS specifically do not have this issue and can remain running.

Web Servers

PostNuke runs on any web server that has PHP support. The vast majority of web servers in the world use the Apache Web Server (httpd.apache.org), and you certainly can't go wrong with that choice. If you are using Windows XP, you might want to use IIS instead, which is included with the OS.

Tip

Need a little more security? Try the Apache-SSL Server (www.apache-ssl.org). It is based on Apache and OpenSSL and includes 128-bit encryption.

Combined Server Packages

You might find it more convenient to install one of the combined server packages. Most packages at least include the Apache HTTP Server, PHP, and MySQL. Some have added additional features and tools, such as the Zend Optimizer (see Appendix A) in FoxServ and phpMyAdmin (see the "Administration Tools" section later in this chapter) with PHP Triad.

• ApacheToolbox (www.apachetoolbox.com)

• AppServ (www.appservnetwork.com)

• EasyPHP (www.easyphp.org)

• FoxServ (www.foxserv.net)

• NuSphere TechPlatform (www.nusphere.com)

• PHP Triad (sourceforge.net/projects/phptriad/)

Tip

Mitel Networks' SME Server (www.e-smith.org) can get you up and running in a flash. The package includes a modified Red Hat Linux installation with web, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and mail servers, Samba file sharing, and a firewall all installed and configured for you. And it's all in one easy ISO.