<<O>> Difference Topic AdminSkillsAssumptions (r1.14 - 16 Dec 2003 - PeterThoeny)

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Administrator Skills Assumptions

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There are many excellent resources for learning how to administer your OS and web server, including books, web sites, web forums, IM and email lists. The TWiki:Support web must not be depended on as a resource for this purpose - in other words, it is not there to answer basic questions about operating system and web server administration. Asking and answering questions is time consuming for all concerned and is best used for specific TWiki related issues, rather than helping you learn the OS and web server.

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< To get started with Linux, visit http://linuxbasics.org/. LinuxBasics.org offers Linux tutorials, a mailing-list and an IRC-channel to answer questions, and links to sites with information to install and use Linux. A nice tool for people migrating from Windows is http://www.MidnightCommander.org/. It is already installed on Linux systems: try mc -ac and ESC 1 to get help.

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> One of the best training courses for Linux is Basic Linux Training at http://basiclinux.net/ - this is a 2 month distance-learning course (via email). The course operators are friendly, and all students are newbies. A nice tool for people migrating from Windows is http://www.MidnightCommander.org/. It is already installed on Linux systems: try mc -ac and ESC 1 to get help.

-- TWiki:Main.RichardDonkin - 27 Apr 2002
-- TWiki:Main.GrantBow - 15 Jan 2003
-- TWiki:Main.PeterMasiar - 28 May 2003

Deleted:

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< -- TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny - 09 May 2005

Comments & Questions about the Documentation in this Section

Here's a first cut at the skills required to install TWiki - comments welcome!

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This looks like a pretty good guideline to me. It probably would have worked in discouraging me from taking on installing TWiki on my hosted domain. Sure am glad it wasn't up when I got started wink Despite the steep learning curve, I've totally enjoyed my experience with TWiki AND learning about all these things I didn't know I needed to know...

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< Seriously, I think it would be useful to include this as a kind of disclaimer/warning at the beginning of the installation guide. It would probably save some people the heart-ache of launching into an installation only to get totally confounded the first time something goes wrong.

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> Seriously, I think it would be useful to include this as a kind of disclaimer/warning at the beginning of the installation guide. It would probably save some people the heart-ache of launching into an installation only to get totally comfounded the first time something goes wrong.

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< It might also be worthwhile to include a statement along the lines of your last paragraph into the TWiki.org Support web. I'm sure I've been guilty of the sins of which you speak .

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> It might also be worthwhile too include a statement along the lines of your last paragraph into the TWiki.org Support web. I'm sure I've been guilty of the sins of which you speak .

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< Having said all this, I would also (somewhat timidly) suggest that TWiki is at a stage in its development where it could use feedback from non-technical users and even administrators. Perhaps there could be a space for folks to offer to mentor non-technical folks who really want to use this unique and incredibly promising tool.

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> Having said all this, I would also (somewhat timidly) suggest that TWiki is at a stage in it's development where it could use feedback from non-technical users and even administrators. Perhaps there could be a space for folks to offer to mentor non-technical folks who really want to use this unique and incredibly promising tool.

-- LynnwoodBrown - 27 Apr 2002

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-- RichardDonkin - 30 Apr 2002

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< Most packages simply have a README or INSTALL with a bunch of steps. Installing lots of full-blown content management/weblog/Web portal systems is no more than loading tables and data into, typically, MySQL^?, untarring/de-zipping the whole package, and setting a few paths in a config file. So the only skills necessary to installing and having GUI admin/config access to some very Big Applications (as far as what they can do), especially when you have your hands on the well-publicized, often preinstalled phpMyAdmin MySQL^? manager that lets you suck up .sql files from the browser (no command line action, no shell access required), is knowing paths on your (often ISP) server. And the couple of other Perl Wikis I've tried have been dead simple to install, just permissions, no db. And the line between skills necessary to install TWiki, and to configure it, are blurry here. The Windows issue skews it as well: for Web scripts - Perl, PHP - the "default" has been Unix/Apache, so it depends where you're coming from, but subtract Win, and installation of scripts - thousands, as in http://hotscripts.com - is simple. All this for the most part and increasingly, on a Linux/Apache ISP-hosted virtual account, no root server access, and even with single shared database compatibility (table prefixes).

>
> Most packages simply have a README or INSTALL with a bunch of steps. Installing lots of full-blown content management/weblog/Web portal systems is no more than loading tables and data into, typically, MySQL^?, untarring/de-zipping the whole package, and setting a few paths in a config file. So the only skills necessary to installing and having GUI admin/config access to some very Big Applications (as far as what they can do), especially when you have your hands on the well-publicized, often preinstalled phpMyAdmin MySQL^? manager that lets you suck up .sql files from the browser (no command line action, no shell access required), is knowing paths on your (often ISP) server. And the couple of other Perl Wikis I've tried have been dead simple to install, just permissions, no db. And the line between skills necessary to install TWiki, and to configure it, are blurry here. The Windows issue skews it as well: for Web scripts - Perl, PHP - the "default" has been Unix/Apache, so it depends where you're coming from, but substract Win, and installation of scripts - thousands, as in http://hotscripts.com - is simple. All this for the most part and increasingly, on a Linux/Apache ISP-hosted virtual account, no root server access, and even with single shared database compatibility (table prefixes).

On the other hand, printing out the brief installation instructions for RCS would probably raise the barrier sufficiently without getting directly involved.

-- MikeMannix - 15 May 2002

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< Haven't been here in a while. No replies here since 2002?

>
> I found excellent tool for newbie admins like me: mc ( http://www.MidnightCommander.org/ ). Midnight Commander is a GNU clone of famous Norton Commander from MS DOS days: character-based app, giving you visual access to files, directories, integrated editor with blocks, and full power of command line if needed. It is (or was) a part of Gnome: try mc -axc . Try ESC 1 for help, or F1 if you are lucky. ESC 0 to quit. ESC 9 >> Options >> Learn Keys to set up your function keys.

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< I recently reinstalled TWiki with mySQL access and ftp only on a unix webserver, so it can be done. I am totally inexperienced when it comes to "root access." It took about three or four days the first time, second time, and third time lol. This most recent, about a month ago went reasonable well. (Edit) I just found TWiki:Codev/TWikiOnWebHostingSites so came back and added it. It may need clarification on getting admin permissions, as that was a major, major hassle for me.

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> If you are windows person and feel lost in Linux command line - try mc. You may want to use mc even on windows - I do. Beats M$ File Manager anytime.

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< -- BruceRProchnau - 17 Nov 2004

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> I created couple of pages, presentantion and command sheet about it: http://twiki.med.yale.edu/twiki/bin/view/Tools/MidnightCommander

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< I replaced http://basiclinux.net/ with http://linuxbasics.org/ since the former one no longer offers the free distance-learning course.

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> -- PeterMasiar - 13 Jan 2003

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< -- PeterThoeny - 09 May 2005

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>

I edited the above, but my changes were so small. I'm still learning the etiquette for documentation. I'll put my name there and hope I'm doing the right thing.

-- GrantBow - 15 Jan 2003

I added more links about Midnight Commander

-- PeterMasiar - 28 May 2003

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Revision r1.19 - 19 Jun 2005 - 18:57 - Main.nobody
Revision r1.14 - 16 Dec 2003 - 07:47 - PeterThoeny