The installer will take care of creating your database, all tables, and installing a new MySQL user with restricted permissions to the dadaIMC database. If you are upgrading an existing installation, the installer will attempt to make only those changes necessary to update your configuration.

If you are installing more than one instance of dadaIMC on your server (to support multiple IMCs), be sure that you configure a DIFFERENT "IMC database name," so that each IMC has its own database. For multiple-IMC servers, it is also recommended that you place the imc_classes folder in a directory configured as an "include_path" in PHP. That way, each IMC will share the main class files (meaning fewer copies to maintain), but can still customize their own output files.

We assume you have a "real" domain name (e.g. baltimoreimc.org) and an "IndyMedia" domain name (e.g. baltimore.indymedia.org). The former is used primarily for building email addresses (e.g. editors*at*baltimoreimc.org) and your default ServerName (www.baltimoreimc.org) inthe Apache configuration file, while the latter will be used as the base URL for links on your site.

Be sure to note the difference between being asked for a domain name like baltimoreimc.org, and a URL, which would include the full http://blah.blah.blah.

If you have full control of your server, the installer will also need to know your MySQL "root" username and password. Keep in mind that these are not necessarily the same thing as your system root username/password. They only need to be a username and password that has FULL privileges to the MySQL database, and can create databases and tables. This information is only used during the installation process, and is not kept later. The IMC DB User is the only username which will be stored for access to the dadaIMC database.

If you are installing dadaIMC on a shared server and you do not have root access to MySQL, you need to have your ISP create a MySQL database for you, and to provide you with the username and password necessary to access that database.

To run the installer, open a browser and go to
http://[your_ip_address]/dadaIMC/install.php. I'll wait.

Pay attention to the output code on the Installer page after you submit. It will verify file permissions and check database access before attempting to proceed.
If you encounter an error, attempt to follow the instruction to correct the problem, then re-run the installer. If you encounter a problem during the creation of MySQL database tables, you may not be able to resolve the problem on your own. Take note of what tables were created by dadaIMC in your MySQL database, and inform support (at) dadaimc.org of your problem.