Installing dotLRN - OpenForce

Installing dotLRN

part of dotLRN

Last updated: $Date: 2024/08/06 09:43:17 $

Contents

Read the dotLRN FAQs

Get and Install OpenACS from development CVS

If you have a working OpenACS installation from the latest development CVS, make sure that you have all the packages required below then skip to the next section.

If you are installing OpenACS, follow the extensive installation documentation. Stop at the point where the OpenACS installation instructions tell you to "download OpenACS". Don't use the "Quick Downloads"! Continue on with this document.

		cvs -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs.openacs.org:/cvsroot login
		(just hit return for the password)
		cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs.openacs.org:/cvsroot checkout -r oacs-5-2 acs-core
      

CVS commandlines are given in terms of anonymous users, if you have an account on openacs.org, use your login where appropriate. Don't forget to set the CVS_RSH variable in your shell environment to "ssh".

Get dotLRN from CVS

dotLRN requires some more modules that are not in acs-core, but not all of the packages in the OpenACS source tree. Next are the commands to get these modules.

		cd openacs-4/packages
		cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs.openacs.org:/cvsroot co -r oacs-5-2 dotlrn-all
		mv dotlrn/install.xml ../
      

Installation timesaver: In the /packages/ref-timezones/sql/common/ directory, cut down the files to a few insert statements apiece. This is fine for test system, and will save you a lot of time in the installation process.

You will now have an /openacs-4 directory with all of OpenACS required by dotLRN. To double check, your /openacs-4/packages directory should look similar to this:

	  $ ls
	  acs-admin                acs-templating      dotlrn-forums        lars-blogger
	  acs-api-browser          acs-translations    dotlrn-fs            new-portal
	  acs-authentication       assessment          dotlrn-homework      news
	  acs-automated-testing    assessment-portlet  dotlrn-news          news-portlet
	  acs-bootstrap-installer  attachments         dotlrn-portlet       notifications
	  acs-content-repository   bm-portlet          dotlrn-random-photo  oacs-dav
	  acs-core-docs            bulk-mail           dotlrn-static        profile-provider
	  acs-datetime             calendar            dotlrn-syllabus      random-photo-portlet
	  acs-developer-support    calendar-portlet    dotlrn-weblogger     ref-timezones
	  acs-events               categories          evaluation           rss-support
	  acs-kernel               CVS                 evaluation-portlet   search
	  acs-lang                 dotlrn              faq                  static-portlet
	  acs-mail                 dotlrn-admin        faq-portlet          theme-selva
	  acs-mail-lite            dotlrn-assessment   feed-parser          trackback
	  acs-messaging            dotlrn-bm           file-storage         user-preferences
	  acs-reference            dotlrn-calendar     forums               user-profile
	  acs-service-contract     dotlrn-dotlrn       forums-portlet       weblogger-portlet
	  acs-subsite              dotlrn-evaluation   fs-portlet           workflow
	  acs-tcl                  dotlrn-faq          general-comments     xml-rpc
    

Next, copy the /openacs-4 directory to where ever you prefer your webserver root to be, traditionally /web. Now you can continue with the OACS installation document at the third point "Prepare the database" of the 2nd section "Installation option 2". Continue with the standard OACS installation process until your reach the "Congratulations!" front page, then return here.

Install dotLRN on your system

Go to the "Site-Wide Administration" on your system at /acs-admin/ and hit the "Install software" link, then the "Install from local" one and finally choose "Service" type. After the installer loads, you will see a list of the packages you just got from CVS. Check the packages you want to install and hit "Install or upgrade checked applications" button at the bottom of the page.

Explore dotLRN

Go to dotLRN Administration at /dotlrn/admin. Make some dotLRN users, terms, departments, classes.

Here are some suggestions for things to check out in dotlrn:

Goto /dotlrn your "workspace". Click the "Control Panel" link at the top and try the "Customize this portal" link there. Goto the admin pages for a class or community and try the "Manage Membership" link. Create a new sugroup for a class or community. Edit or create new "Custom Portlets".

Enjoy!