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Drupal is a feature-rich Content Management System (CMS) that allows webmasters to run dynamic websites without PHP knowledge. Publishers can add website content through the admin interface. Thanks to many modules it is possible to install many additional features such as spell check, display of banners or AdSense ads, chat, mailing lists, e-commerce modules etc. Drupal CMS was written in PHP and is free to download. In this article I will explain how to install this script and describe the basics of configuration.
Web hosting requirements for Drupal CMS
Before starting the installation process, make sure your web host offers PHP, cron job and MySQL database support. Drupal requires PHP version 4.3.3 or higher (Drupal 4.5 and lower will not work on PHP 5), PHP XML extension and MySQL v3.23.17 or higher. If you’re not sure what version of PHP and MySQL your web hosting provider is currently using, contact their help desk and ask them first.
How to install Drupal CMS
First download the latest version of Drupal from the developer website. Use software like WinZip or Total Commander to extract the downloaded archive to your hard drive. Edit the file called settings.php located in the sites/default folder. Set your website URL and basic MySQL database variables like username, password and database server. Use any ftp program to upload the extracted files to your web host. If you have never configured a MySQL database before, access your web hosting control panel and create a new one. Now log into your phpMyAdmin and create MySQL tables using the database.mysql file located in the “database” folder. Now open your browser and direct it to your website. Create a new account: The first account you create will automatically become the administrator account with full administrator rights.
Another and easier solution to install this PHP script is to sign up with a quality web hosting service that offers pre-installed PHP scripts. Then easily go to your control panel, find the section with pre-installed scripts and select Drupal. The installer will do all the work for you. All you have to do is choose the script you want to install.
How to set up Drupal CMS
The script installed successfully and now it’s time to do some additional settings. Optionally, you can create a folder in your Drupal installation directory where files such as custom logos and user avatars will be stored. Create this subdirectory and set “read and write” permissions. Many Drupal modules have periodic tasks. Because of this you will need to set up cron jobs. Call the cron page by visiting the cron.php file in your root directory.
Now browse the administrator control panel. Consider enabling some new modules and tweaking the menus. Open “theme manager” to change the theme. Set up a welcome message for your users. Edit your meta tags for higher search engine rankings. Check the settings and make sure everything meets your needs. And if you need help with any specific problem, visit the support forum where you’ll find thousands of interesting threads. Good luck!