Authoring/Development - Tools of the Trade: Drupal

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What is Drupal?

Drupal is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to publish, manage, and organize content on a Web site or blog. Because you need a database and PHP to be able to use Drupal, it can only be used with Advanced level accounts or higher or with a pairLite hosting plan.

Installing Drupal

First you must create a database via the Account Control Center (https://my.pair.com/).

Next, follow the steps below to install Drupal.

1. Log into your server using SSH (in a terminal window)
2. Enter the directory where you want to install Drupal using a command such as:
   cd public_html/
3. Extract the Drupal directory and files with this command:
   tar -xvzf /usr/local/pair/drupal/drupal.tgz
4. Load the installer via the Web at the URL where you placed the files such as: http://SERVER.pair.com/USERNAME/drupal
5. Complete the Web-based installation steps
6. Secure your installation by running the following commands using SSH (in a terminal window):
   chmod 705 drupal/sites/default
chmod 705 drupal/sites/default/settings.php

For optimal performance, you must activate caching by following these instructions:

1. Log into the Drupal administrative interface
2. Click "Performance" (under "Site Configuration")
3. Change "Caching mode" to "Normal"
4. Set "Minimum cache lifetime." We recommend setting this to 15 minutes.
5. Click "Save Configuration" at the bottom of the page

For more information on how to use Drupal, visit:

http://drupal.org/handbooks

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