Moodle is run from a web server if you prefer to use Moodle on-premise rather than cloud-based. You upload or place Moodle in your directory on the server. Usually, the server is someone's computer. If you're a teacher, or work in the corporate world, your institution might have its own web server. If you're an individual or have a small business, you will probably buy web-hosting services from another company. In either case, we are assuming that you have an account on a web server that offers Apache, PHP, and MySQL.

If you must install your own Apache web server and MySQL software, the easiest way to do so is to use another open source tool—XAMPP from http://www.apachefriends.org. Apache Friends is a non-profit project to promote the Apache web server. XAMPP is an easy, all-in-one installer that installs Apache...

A subdomain is a web address that exists under your web address and acts like an independent site. For example, my website is www.williamrice.com. This is a standard website, not a Moodle site. I could have a subdomain, http://www.moodle.williamrice.com, to hold a Moodle site. This subdomain would be like an independent site. However, it exists on the same server, under the same account, and they both count toward the disk space and the bandwidth that I use.

In this example, Moodle is installed in the http://www.moodle.williamrice.com subdomain.

Using a subdomain offers you several advantages. Having a site to test updates and add-ons may be helpful if uninterrupted service is important to you. Later, you'll see how easy it is to copy a Moodle installation to a different location, change a few settings, and have it work...

Get Moodle from the official website, http://www.moodle.org/. Go to the Moodle downloads page and select the version and format that you need.

For a new installation, the latest stable branch is usually your best choice. The last build information tells you when it was last updated with a bug fix or a patch. This is usually irrelevant to you; the version number determines which features you get, not the build time.

For a production server, do not use the standalone packages mentioned earlier. They are insecure, because they are meant for use by a Moodle developer for experimentation and development. To make the development of a site easier...

Create a new, empty database for your installation. Refer to moodle.org for updated information, and as you do so, you will need to find and make a note of your database server hostname, username, and password for use during the final installation stage:

• dbhost: This is the database server hostname. It is usually localhost if the database and web server are the same machine, or it can be the name of the database server.
• dbname: This is the database name. It is usually moodle.
• dbuser: This is the username for the database. Use what you assigned, which is usually moodleuser. Be sure not to use the root/superuser account. Create an account with the minimum permissions needed.
• dbpass: This is the password for the moodleuser.

If your site is hosted, you should find a web-based administration page for databases...

While the Moodle data directory stores files uploaded by students and some larger files, the Moodle database stores most of the information in your Moodle site. By default, the installer uses the moodle database name and the moodleuser username. Using these default settings gives any hacker a head start on breaking into your site. When creating your database, change these to something less common. At least make the hackers guess the name of your database and the database username.

You should also choose a strong password for the Moodle database user. The following are some recommendations for strong passwords:

• Include at least one number, one symbol, one uppercase letter, and one lowercase letter
• Make the password at least 12 characters long
• Avoid repetition, dictionary words, letter or number...

Configuration settings and variables tell Moodle where the database is located, what the database is called, the database user and password, the web address of the Moodle system, and other necessary information. All of these configuration settings must be correct for Moodle to run. They are stored in a file called config.php in Moodle's home directory.

The next step is to run the installer to create the database tables and configure your new site.

Moodle recommends using the command-line installer. If this does not work and you need another way (for example, on a Windows server), you can use the web-based installer.

To run the command-line installer, start by running the command line. It should be as your system's web user. Ensure that you know what it is—refer to your system's documentation (for example...

Take a look at the settings within Moodle and review the options within the Moodle Site administration screens (accessible from the Site administration tab in the Administration block).

You will be able to include plugins and set up email and authentication:

• Administration | Site administration | Plugins | Message outputs | Email: Set your SMTP server and authentication if required (so that your Moodle site can send emails). The support contact for your site is also set on this page.
• Administration | Site administration | Server | System paths: Set the paths to du, dot, and aspell binaries.
• Administration | Site administration | Server | HTTP: If you are behind a firewall, you may need to set your proxy credentials in the Web proxy section.
• Administration | Site administration | Location | Update timezones: Run this to ensure that...