SMF Softaculous Installation Tutorial
In this tutorial we will show you how to use Softaculous to install a Simple Machines Forum application to your site. The installation process is pretty straightforward and it will take only a few minutes. You don't need any advanced skills to perform it and at the end you will have a fully functional SMF application on your hosting account.
First , you need to access your cPanel account and find the Softaculous icon under the "Software Services" section. It should be located in the lower part of your cPanel page, right under the "Domains" section.
You have to click on the Softaculous icon and then you will be redirected to the auto installer's home page. On the left side of the screen is the categories menu. The next step is to find the "Forums" category and click on it to expand it. You will see a lit of forum apps that you can install. Click on the SMF link, so that Softaculous will open the SMF installation page.
On the next page, you will find out more information about the SMF forum application and the different features that it offers. To proceed to the installation screen click on the blue "Install" button.
This is the most important step at which you should configure the new SMF application. Most of the fields are automatically filled in by the installer and you don't need to change them. However, we advise you to change the text in the following fields:
- Site Name: This is the name of your website. By default it is set to "My Board".
- Board Email: This is the main email message for the forums. Users will be able to send messages to it, so that they can request assistance from the administrators. This email address should exist and it will not be automatically created by Softaculous.
- Admin Username: By default this field is set to "admin". You can change it and we strongly advise you to do it, so that an attacker will not be able to guess your administrative username.
- Admin Password: The administrative password for your website is a randomly generated one. If you want to change it simply type the new password in the field.
- Admin Email: In this field you should type your email address. It is needed, so that the application can send you a new password in case you can't login.
- Real Name: Here you can type your real name if you want to.
Please note that by default Softaculous will install the SMF app in a "smf" sub-folder. That being said, if you would like to be able to access the website only via your domain name you should delete the smf string from the "Directory" field. If you want to install the CMS in another sub-folder simply type it in the field.
Finally, scroll down to the end of the page and click on the "Install" button:
That's it! Your Simple Machines application is installed and ready to use. The installer will redirect you to a new page where you will see the details for the completed installation. You can now login and create your new SMF forum.
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