CiviCRM is installed using Joomla!'s extension tool, Install/Uninstall, available from the Extensions menu in your Joomla! website's administrative interface. However, unlike most Joomla! extensions, you will not be able to install the software using the Upload Package File option. Why is that? This is simply because CiviCRM is a very large piece of software—over twice the size of Joomla! itself, and most hosting environments are not configured to accommodate the resources required to upload the package and run the installation script in a single process (as with the Browse and Install option). Consequently, we must use alternative tools available through Joomla!.

Proceed with the following steps to install CiviCRM in Joomla!:

If you experience problems installing CiviCRM, review the Installation troubleshooting section for a general review of possible server and environment-related issues. With Joomla! installation, the most common problem arises from unfamiliarity with the Install from Directory method we just described. Most Joomla! users are used to the more common Browse and Install method of installing extensions.

The two critical things to remember are as follows:

If you continue to experience problems during installation, visit the CiviCRM forum dedicated to Joomla! installation: http://forum.civicrm.org/index.php/board,7.0.html.

CiviCRM uses an automated installer to configure the software for use in Drupal. The following directions address the process of setting up an implementation of CiviCRM within your existing Drupal installation.

Drupal supports using a single codebase to operate multiple websites (see http://drupal.org/getting-started/6/install/multi-site). Site-specific data is stored in site-specific directories under /path_to_docroot/sites/, with each site's domain name typically used as the name of its subdirectory. This site-specific information includes the database name, unique to each site, and other connection information stored in the /path_to_docroot/sites/yoursite.org/settings.php file. CiviCRM supports this multi-site shared codebase and separate databases approach transparently during the installation process. Make sure to create a separate CiviCRM database for each site before starting the installation process.

Although this multi-site approach is still very popular, there are some countervailing trends in favor of single site installs. There are dependency, complexity, and timing issues when attempting to upgrade multiple sites sharing a codebase in a single directory simultaneously. More importantly, Drush (http://drupal.org/project/drush) and Aegir (http://groups.drupal.org/hostmaster2) have made it increasingly easier to manage a single codebase for multiple single site installs using multiple copies of the same code files.

The CiviCRM installation procedures in the following sections work if your Drupal site is either a single site or a multiple site configuration, as we just described. Different procedures are required if you want to use advanced techniques for sharing database tables between different Drupal sites in order to provide a single sign-on capability (visit http://thedrupalblog.com/setting-multi-site-drupal-6-installation-shared-databases-and-single-sign) or for sharing a database across several CiviCRM sites in order to share contacts and/or administrators between sites (visit http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/Multi+Site+Installation).

Depending on your skill and comfort level, you can choose to install CiviCRM in one of the following two ways. The first one uses a browser and a client application for FTP. The second one uses SSH, a secure command line shell, and may be faster and more convenient for those with basic Linux skills.

$db_url = 'mysqli://dbuser:dbpassword@localhost/drupal_dbname';

$db_url = 'mysql://dbuser:dbpassword@localhost/drupal';

A majority of installation problems are the result of a failure to meet the hosting server requirements, insufficient resources in your hosting environment, or misunderstanding of the installation steps detailed above. Let's review each of these.

As noted earlier, CiviCRM does have specific requirements for the hosting environment, which includes the versions of Apache/MySQL/PHP used, InnoDB support for MySQL, and certain PHP extensions required for various functions. In some cases, CiviCRM will render an error along with guidance when you attempt to install the software without meeting the base requirements. However, at times you may be able to install CiviCRM without the presence of descriptive errors and may not notice issues until later. Be sure to review and confirm compliance with the server requirements prior to installation.

If you are unsure what versions of Apache/MySQL/PHP your hosting environment is running, create a file named phpinfo.php in your document root directory containing only<?php phpinfo(); ?>. Ensure that it is readable by your web server, and then navigate to http://yoursite.org/phpinfo.php. In Joomla!, this information can be reviewed through the Help | System Info | PHP Information page without the need for a separate phpinfo file. After creating a phpinfo.php file and reviewing your system details, delete the file from your web server as it presents a certain security risk by exposing system details.

The second common cause for installation problems is inadequate hosting resources. CiviCRM is a fairly resource-intensive application and your ability to install and work within the system will be directly related to the resources available on your web host. For this reason, we strongly recommend running your CiviCRM installation on a virtual private server or dedicated hosting. While it may be possible to run CiviCRM on a shared hosting environment, it will be more susceptible to resource-related problems.

Insufficient resources often result in the dreaded white screen of death. If you have carefully followed the installation steps outlined above, and after completing the installation have received a white screen, it's likely you lacked sufficient resources to complete the installation script.

The solution? Really the best solution is to look at moving your site to a new hosting environment better suited to CiviCRM. While it may be possible to install CiviCRM through a manual process, resource issues during installation are a good indication that you will experience other resource-related problems when actually working within CiviCRM.

Sometimes the insufficient resources are due to PHP settings and not the actual resources available on the hosting space. We recommend the following minimum settings which can be altered through your .htaccess or php.ini file, depending on your server configuration. Please refer to your hosting documentation for details on the preferred method for altering these settings, and to confirm that they will permit such modifications. Also note that these recommendations represent a standard minimum level—the size of your database, number of concurrent users, and other load factors may require higher values. Resource-intensive activities such as large data imports may also require higher values for temporary periods of time.

.htaccess:
php_value memory_limit 96M
php_value register_globals off
php_value max_execution_time 600
php.ini:
memory_limit = 96M
register_globals = off
max_execution_time = 600

The third common problem is simply a misunderstanding of the installation process. Take time to review the installation steps outlined above for your respective CMS environment and ensure you have completed each step accurately. Search the online forums if your installation problems persist.