Install Drupal on Microsoft Server

Install Drupal on Microsoft Server Organic Design procedure

In this example, the remote Windows Server 2003 SP2 with IIS6 is being accessed from an Ubuntu Linux local machine, and Drupal 6 is being installed.

Install rdesktop

Download rdesktop from http://www.rdesktop.org/ (in the case that you are using a remote server).

Install rdesktop in a terminal as root:

• Extract to any dir and copy as root to /usr/local
• cd to the rdesktop dir
• Install as follows

<bash> % ./configure % make % make install </bash>

• Navigate to the server using rdesktop servername (or IP), then logon using the username and password that the server owner will have provided you with.

If you get an ERROR: Could not find X Window System headers/libraries, apt-get install libx11-dev

Note you can use the -g n% switch to make the remote desktop bigger, n being a percentage of your own screen size.

Install Mysql

• If you are using Drupal 6, you need to use mysql. Drupal 7 can be run on MSSQL.

• Go to http://www.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/#downloads and download the community edition for Windows 32 bit depending on the Windows install.

• FTP or otherwise transfer the mysql MSI to any folder on the remote server. Nautilus is not much use for this so install Filezilla via the Ubuntu Software Center.

• Install the MSI into C:\mysql, then run MySQLInstanceConfig.exe

• Go through the install procedure, remembering to allow root access remotely.

• Test by using the MySQL command utility to check for databases, there should be a test database that you can access.

Install PHP

First download and install Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package.

Then download and install FastCGI.

Then download and install the msi version PHP non-thread safe 32 bit into C:\PHP. Install with the FastCGI option checked and also the mysql extension. Then follow these instructions from No. 7 on, using the php.ini file in C:\PHP, when you are done with the ini file copy it into C:\WINDOWS. Test as per the article. The install procedure will have registered the .php extension for you as well as adding c:\PHP to the Path.

Install Drupal

Download the zipped version of Drupal 6.

Extract it into a subfolder of C:\inetpub\wwwroot, e.g. C:\inetpub\wwwroot\drupal.

Follow these instructions to install Drupal.

You will then be able to access the Drupal using the server's IP, e.g. http://XX.XX.XX.XX/drupal, or via http://localhost/drupal using the RDP.

Set Up Drupal

Skinning

Skinning procedures for Mediawiki largely apply here, i.e. generic HTML/PHP/CSS/JavaScript. JQuery is now default.

• You need to add page.tpl.php from the starterkit and edit that along with the chosen layout css if you want to make changes outside the block administration.
• For a different front page skin, create and edit page-front.tpl.php and create and link to a front-page css loaded after the other scripts.
• If you want to make any sort of new region on a page, the code in the Zen-based skin has to be refactored into tables, as IE7 loses the plot with the negative margins in the div-only version.