TWiki Installers

If you'd like to view the older discussion on this topic see the history.

WikiRing.com were contracted to build TWiki installers for a client. We are releasing the work as we can, and will release the source for the build tool once we have had time to ensure that all proprietary portions have been purged.

These installers contain everything needed to get a base TWiki running, including apache, rcs and perl (where they are optional on a platform). Over time I'm planning to add more Plugins and their pre-requisites, but for now, I'm focusing on getting more testing for the FreetownRelease.

The initial set will be Windows, OSX, Centos and Fedora Core, with Solaris and FreeBSD planned. If you're interested in a particular platform, please me, so I know which platforms people are most interested in.

(this is not a branded TWiki; it's plain vanilla open-source TWiki, as distributed on the TWiki.org website. All we have done is wrap a Windows installer script around it. It comes under the same terms as all the rest of TWiki.)

-- SvenDowideit - Oct 2007

TWiki 4.2.0 Windows Installer

TWiki 4.2 is much easier to install - with fully integrated native installers that will update your Computer with perl, apache and other tools needed to run TWiki.

The first of these installers released is the Windows TWiki installer, and includes

1. Apache 2.2,
2. ActiveState Perl
3. Gnu Grep
4. Gnu rcs
5. Vanilla TWiki 4.2.0.

Please download it, try it out and report your impressions, gripes, bugs and successes here on TWiki.org, or in the TWiki Bugs system.

For the extremely adventurous - I have also built an installer using StrawberryPerl - TWiki-4.2.0-rc2.1-strawberry.exe - Warning: Search does not work, and needs someone to debug it (I'm away over xmas)

Another TWiki innovation brought to you by WikiRing.com.

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TWiki 4.2.0 Apple OSX (Tiger) (intel) Installer

TWiki 4.2 is much easier to install - with fully integrated native installers that will update your Computer with perl, apache and other tools needed to run TWiki.

The OSX (intel) TWiki installer includes

1. rcs
2. Vanilla TWiki 4.2.0.

This installer works on my Tiger system, and was tested only using the as shipped with Apache. - I don't have a Leopard system, which comes with Apache 2, so have not (yet) updated the installer to work with that. Thanks to SueBlake, I have also added the powerpc rcs binaries, so it is likely that it will work for that too, but I cannot test either.

Please download it, try it out and report your impressions, gripes, bugs and successes here on TWiki.org, or in the TWiki Bugs system.

Another TWiki innovation brought to you by WikiRing.com.

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TWiki 4.2.0 (Centos 4 & 5, Fedora Core 5 & 7) rpm (intel) Installer

TWiki 4.2 will be a much easier Wiki to install - with fully integrated native RPM based installers that will update your Computer with perl, apache and other tools needed to run TWiki.

The Centos 4 & 5 , Fedora Core 5 & 7 (intel) TWiki installer includes

1. apache 2 (from the respective distribution - only installed if necessary)
2. perl (from the respective distribution - only installed if necessary)
3. rcs (from the respective distribution - only installed if necessary)
4. Vanilla TWiki 4.2.0 rc 2.

Please download it, try it out and report your impressions, gripes, bugs and successes here on TWiki.org, or in the TWiki Bugs system.

Another TWiki innovation brought to you by WikiRing.com.

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This sounds great. I'd also like to point out that there are TWiki packages for Debian and Ubuntu that make it very easy to install TWiki - see TWikiOnDebian and TWikiOnUbuntu. These distros' versions are currently TWiki 4.0.5 or 4.1.2 based, depending on the distro version, but Sven has later versions including pre-4.2 snapshots that are directly downloadable from his site.

Also, for TWikiOnWindows users who need I18N, TWikiVMDebianStable is currently the only option that works completely, though workarounds are possible with native Windows TWiki installations.

-- RichardDonkin - 10 Oct 2007

This proposal was raised and put in UnderConstruction. It is a bit difficult to track proposals when the approval flow is not followed.

This proposal does not affect the normal released code as it has been implemented and is actually outside the scope of the release process.

So I am putting this as ImplementedAsExtension which requires no approval by community.

-- KennethLavrsen - 17 Dec 2007

I suspect that the orginal version of this topic predates the process :).

It would be nice to increase the installer's visibility - I have received several complaints that they are hidden from the users that need it most - New users that just want to try TWiki out.

-- SvenDowideit - 17 Dec 2007

The Windows TWiki installer is AWESOME! I've installed TWiki on nix platforms previously and it was relatively easy, but getting binaries of mod_perl for Windows was a hassle. So I tried the TWiki Windows installer and it *did work - the easiest install I've ever done of TWiki. The ONLY problem I encountered is that I thought the install FAILED because the Windows shortcuts created pointed to http:///twiki/bin/view, whereas the app was REALLY running at http://:8080/twiki/bin/view. Since the install is an EXE which has no cmd line arguments, there is no way to configure this and must be done post-install. Otherwise - GIANT KUDOS!!! This is a HUGE leap forward in enabling TWiki adoption for Windows-trapped organisations!

-- AlexxandraStehman? - 26 Jan 2008

I've eaten my cake, thanks, but now I'd like some more! I'd like to request the option of selecting where the TWiki directory will be installed. Currently it defaults to Program Files but I'd like to put it in a larger, dedicated Data directory. I've tried manually copying the files over but I'm having what seem to be Windows file permission problems.

-- DavidPatterson - 30 Jan 2008

to both of you. Alex, When I did the installer, one prerequisite was that there was no already installed web server, and that the apache that was being installed would be on port 80. can you tell me how you got into the situation that you are on 8080?

David ;p that'll be after the initial 4.2.0 installer release - I've got alot of things on my plate at the moment, but...

-- SvenDowideit - 31 Jan 2008

I hate to be greedy, but would it be possible to package the Centos and fedora versions in their native RPM format with yum handling the dependencies?

-- LesMikesell - 15 Feb 2008

Les, the centos and fedora installs are native rpm's, contained inside a wrapper. So they do deal with the native rpm dependancies. If you already have apache installed via rpm, it will not install it again.

-- SvenDowideit - 15 Feb 2008

Sven, thank you for contributing these installers, which makes it much easier to install TWiki. I would like to ask you to review TWikiLogos#Right_to_use_Trademarked_Artwork and to remove the TWiki logo from the other logo. I consider it important that TWiki has a consistent branding.

-- PeterThoeny - 17 Feb 2008

oooer, Thanks to the emailer that pointed this out to me - I'd missed it due to being focussed on the svn change I did that day. I thought it would be nice to represent TWiki using the TWiki logo - but ok, I'll make a new piccy and upload it asap.

-- SvenDowideit - 20 Feb 2008

Sven. Until you get time to package the full sources can you least make the spec file for the TWiki rpm available? I am very interested in this specific part of the installer.

-- KennethLavrsen - 20 Feb 2008

Sven used EPM, which doesn't have .spec files, but if you can read the files it does use, I can probably find them for you.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 20 Feb 2008

I've attached TWiki.spec, which is similar to one of the generated spec files. (Basically, I built it on my debian system, because the Build machine I used to create all the installers has been converted into a Solaris system for some other work I'm doing. Thus far I've found that Debian tends not to produce real rpms :(.

I've changed the image attached to this topic - I'll get to rebuilding all the installers soon - That computer has been repurposed atm, so I can't get to it instantly :/.

-- SvenDowideit - 21 Feb 2008

Thanks Sven for posting the spec file, first step for any TWikiCommunity member to build the installers.

-- PeterThoeny - 25 Feb 2008

Neat. Do these installers handle upgrades as well? Is there any scope for installer-based upgrade tools?

-- JohnDeStefano - 11 Mar 2008

No, the installers don't handle upgrades because TWiki doesn't handle upgrades - (The work MartinG? and I did having been abandoned because it wasn't perfect).

Upgrading TWiki programatically is difficult because users are able to modify any of the distributed topics, move them around etc - its not a small task to deal with that, especially without asking the user lots of questions, and forcing them to accept or reject diffs.

That said, if anyone wants to fund my working on making TWiki capable of doing magical upgrades - you know where to find me

-- SvenDowideit - 11 Mar 2008

Do you forsee a time when the Windows Installer will be able to install to D: rather than C: as an option?

-- BrianTibbels - 03 Apr 2008

yes, the reason it doesn't at the moment has more to do with reducing the variables that need to be tested - maybe for the 4.2.1 updates

-- SvenDowideit - 04 Apr 2008

I would like to add my voice to the chorus of thanks for the Windows installer.

Also it seems I was making my comments in the wrong place, so I'll repeat them here:

1. Anyone interested in extensions (plug-ins or contribs) that use CPAN modules not provided by the installer may be interested in my notes: TWiki:TWiki.HowToInstallCpanModules#ActiveState_Perl
2. I have documented a procedure for manually moving the installation to another drive and directory at my user page.

-- SeanCMorgan - 16 Apr 2008

Sven, these installers are great! Over 6 month passed since you promised to open source the installers. I find it important that the TWikiCommunity is able to maintain the installers. Once maintained by the community, we should use the TWiki logo instead of the WikiRing logo. This brings consistent branding to the open source TWiki project.

-- PeterThoeny - 07 Jul 2008