How to set up Simple Machines
Simple Machines is a popular forum solution used on some forum websites like TIGSource. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to set it up and run your own forum.
Prerequisites
| Type/Name | Recommended | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Database | MySQL/MariaDB | PostgreSQL, SQLite |
| Web server | Anything that supports PHP | ... |
| PHP | PHP 7.0 or higher | ... |
Create the database
Your forum needs a database to store all of its contents, users and stuff like that. We assume you have MySQL/MariaDB installed, so here's the quick and easy way to set up:
CREATE DATABASE myforum;
CREATE USER 'forumuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON myforum.* TO 'forumuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Change, unless you want to get hacked.
Upload the files to your webserver
You can download the latest version by simply going to this website and clicking "ZIP" (or GZ/BZ2) under "Full Install". Upload the files to your webserver, Usually, this is under /var/www/html, but it might be different.
Run the installer
SMF includes a simple, easy-to-use installer out of the box. To install, go to myforum.com/install.php (Change the domain, of course) and follow the instructions.
When setup completes, you are asked if you want to delete install.php. You should do this. It may not work on all systems, but you can delete it yourself.
You're done!
You've successfully set up your own forum.