Automated installation of eZ Publish

5.X

Installing eZ Platform?

This page covers install of eZ Publish 5.x (including community versions like v2014.11), for eZ Platform see INSTALL.md bundled with the installation.

Depending on the target system, please refer to either "Installing eZ Publish on a Linux/UNIX based system" or "Installing eZ Publish on Windows" for information other steps needed to do an installation, the step below is to be done before executing the setup wizard.

Configuring the kickstart system

The behavior of the automated installation is controlled by the "kickstart.ini" configuration file. This file makes it possible to specify parameters for each installation step of the web based setup wizard. For example, by providing the database connection parameters, the corresponding setup wizard step will have the input forms pre-filled. It is also possible to instruct the wizard to skip certain steps.

Initialization

Create a copy of the "ezpublish_legacy/kickstart.ini-dist" file (located in the root of your eZ Publish installation) and make sure that the copy is named "ezpublish_legacy/kickstart.ini" (located in the root of eZ Publish).

The following example shows how this can be done on a Linux/UNIX based system:

Navigate into the eZ Publish directory:
```
$ cd /path/to/ezpublish_legacy/
```
Copy and rename the configuration file:
```
$ cp kickstart.ini-dist kickstart.ini
```

Security issues

The web server must have read access to the "kickstart.ini" file during the installation process. This might become a security problem at a later stage if the file contains usernames, passwords, etc. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to do one of the following:

Remove the file when the installation has completed.
Use rewrite rules to make sure that it is not readable from outside.

Configuration blocks

The "kickstart.ini" file contains a configuration block for every step of the setup wizard. The block names are encapsulated by square brackets. The following list shows an overview of the available blocks.

[email_settings]
[database_choice]
[database_init]
[language_options]
[site_types]
[site_access]
[site_details]
[site_admin]
[security]
[registration]

In the default kickstart file, everything is commented out. The blocks and the corresponding settings have to be uncommented in order to take effect. This can be done by removing the hash ("#") characters from the start of the lines that you should be activated. Make sure that there are no leading whitespace characters at the start of the lines.

Package selection

If you want configure the package to install, in [site_types].Site_package, please ensure you set a valid package identifier.
Valid values are

ezdemo_site
ezdemo_site_clean

If setting an invalid package identifier, unexpected issues can occur.

Configuration parameters

Each parameter takes a text string as an input value. Some parameters are able to handle an array of strings. The following examples demonstrate the two parameter types.

Single parameter:
```
Server=www.example.com
```

Array parameter:

Title[]
Title[news]=The news site
Title[forums]=The forum site

Documentation and examples

The "kickstart.ini" file contains documentation in the file itself. Please refer to the embedded instructions and examples for a detailed explanation of the steps. The following table shows how the examples / inline instructions deal with required and optional parameters.

Syntax

Description

<value>

Angle brackets indicate that the parameter value is required, example:

#Server=<hostname>

[value]

Squared brackets indicate that the parameter value is optional, example:

#FirstName=[string]

A parameter will only take effect if it has been uncommented. Remove the leading hash ("#") and make sure that there ar no whitespace characters at the start of the lines that include the uncommented parameters.

Skipping steps

A step can be skipped by uncommenting and setting the "Continue" parameter to "true". This parameter can be used for each step / block. The following table shows the outcome for the different configurations of the "Continue" parameter.

Assignment	Result
`Continue=false`	The step will be shown and the input values will be pre-filled with the values (if any) defined in the "kickstart.ini" configuration file. This is the same as when the "`Continue`" parameter is missing or if it has been commented out.
`Continue=true`	The system will automatically use the values defined in the kickstart file and thus the step will not be shown. However, if something goes wrong (missing or wrong values, etc.), the step will be shown.