Install Archives - Untame

Jul 11 2012
1

How to Set Up Cloudflare with WordPress

Posted by | Tutorial, WordPress | 4 Comments

Cloudflare is a dynamic content delivery network that you can easily get up and running on your domain for free! If you have not already read through part 1 of our series, please take the time to do so before you start on part 2.

Today, we will examine how to easily get started using Cloudflare with WordPress. Initially, it was considered best practice to pair the WP Super Cache plugin with Cloudflare, and if the situation is correct, this could still be the case. However, for small business sites and blogs we really just need to ensure that Cloudflare works properly without much interest for in-depth server or code configurations. Luckily, Cloudflare has created a native WordPress plugin that will fit perfectly within our needs. If you need help understanding how to install a WordPress plugin, go check out our post on installing a WordPress slider plugin for a general overview.

First, navigate into your WordPress dashboard to the plugins overview page. Next select “Add New” found at the top of your view. Search for “Cloudflare” and select install on the correct plugin. (Likely the first plugin on the list but to make sure, the image above leads directly to the plugin on the WordPress repository.)

Configure Cloudflare

Now that you have installed the plugin, find the settings page for the plugin. Likely, the link to the plugin setting page will be located in your WordPress left hand sidebar, within the “Plugins” sub-menu.

While, we are on the subject, I would like to be clear as to how the Cloudflare WordPress plugin will directly benefit your WordPress site.

CloudFlare has developed the plugin for WordPress. By using the CloudFlare WordPress Plugin, you receive:

  1. Correct IP Address information for comments posted to your site
  2. Better protection as spammers from your WordPress blog get reported to CloudFlare
  3. Optimization of your server database (optional)

This plugin helps your published content play nicely with the Cloudflare service and helps you take the steps necessary to optimize your site. To do this you will have access to the Cloudflare Database optimizer and development mode toggle directly within your WordPress Dashboard.

Connect With Cloudflare

Access your Cloudflare account dashboard by going to the “My Account” tab while signed in to the service. You will need to have two pieces of information to connect the WordPress plugin.

  1. Cloudflare API Key
  2. Cloudflare API Email

Once you have retrieved each piece of info, enter them all into the appropriate fields within the Cloudflare plugin page on WordPress. Once complete, click “update options” and ensure that the connection is successful.

Congratulations! You have successfully integrated the Cloudflare service with your WordPress powered site. Pretty easy right? Next we will take a look at further integration with plugins like WP Super Cache to fully unleash the speed beast.

Jun 19 2012
0

How to Install Drupal In 10 Minutes or Less!

Posted by | Drupal, Tutorial | No Comments

Drupal is a fully featured Content Management System (CMS) that is able to power just about any type of website that you can think of. Drupal has been in active development by a passionate community of developers since 1999 when Dries Buytaert started the project on a message board. Since then, Drupal is the CMS of choice of many companies to power their web applications, delivering fast and secure pages to users around the world.

Getting Started

Most hosting plans include a one click software installation tool wherein you may pick from a wide range of Content Management Systems to install on your domain of choice. However, sometimes it is a good idea to learn how to install this type of software manually so that you are familiar with each and every element that goes into powering your web application. So let’s get started.

Step 1: Create a Database

(Disclaimer: For the remainder of this tutorial we will assume that our readers are using a hosting account with a cPanel powered administration area.)


To begin creating a database on your hosting account log into the control panel, scroll down to the “Databases” section on the main dashboard and click to enter. Next we need to create our new database. Do this by writing in a name for your database (naming does not really matter, it may help to make sure the name you choose is memorable though as we may need to reference back to it) and click “create database.”

Your host may already create a user for your database automatically, but if they don’t, you’ll need to create one. Assign it to the correct database and grant the user all privileges. Need some help? Let us know

Congratulations! We have completed the hard part! Now on to the fun stuff.

Step 2: Upload Your Files

We need to upload our Drupal files up to our domain, but first we need to get the correct files from Drupal.org. Head over to Drupal.org and then select the Download & Extend option in the navigation. Next, click the button that says “Download Drupal” and you will be forwarded to a page where you can select the correct version of Drupal. At this page, find a section called “Recommended Releases” and choose the latest stable version in .zip format. Today, we will be installing version 7.14.

Once you have the files downloaded, extract the files to your desktop. Then, we will select all of the containing files and create a zip file with them at the root of our file structure. Play the video below to see a demonstration of exactly what I am talking about.

Next, we will upload our files to the server using FTP. I will assume that you are familiar with uploading files to a server, however, if you need a easy FTP client, I like to use FileZilla. Once you connect to your site via FTP, simply drag the zip file we have prepared into the root of your domain.

Once you have uploaded your files, head back to your control panel and enter the file manager (usually found under Files -> File Manager) Next, find the file youd uploaded, select it and extract.

Step 3: Installing Drupal

Now we need to install Drupal and connect our files to our database that we set up earlier. To accomplish this, simply navigate to your domain and add “/install.php” at the end of the address. For example, your domain might be “www.myawesomesite.com” so to install Drupal head over to “www.myawesomesite.com/install.php.” Next, select the type of installation that you would like for Drupal to perform. In most cases “Standard” is fine.  Continue to fill out the prompts until you reach the “Set up database” section.

To set up your database, make sure that you have your database name, username and password. Now, enter the applicable information and click the submit button to continue. Now you will have an opportunity to change the username, password and email address associated with your Drupal site. Once you have completed this step, simply click to continue and you are done!

Finished: What’s Next

Congratulations, you have installed Drupal on your domain. Next you will want to get started adding content and information to your site, and maybe playing with a module or two. But for now, just relax, you have climbed the mountain of installing Drupal by hand, all the while not clicking a single “Install 1 Click” button. Way to go! Now bask in the glow of your new website. In a future tutorial, we will talk about how to manage pages and add content to your new shiny site.

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