WordPress 3.0 Setup

WordPress 3.0 Setup

1. Install WordPress with Web Platform Installer


2. Useful WordPress Setting Changes
   
   
   
   1. Settings > Writings > Remote Publishing > XML-RPC Checkbox and Save Changes
   
   
   2. Settings > Discussion > Other comment settings > Automatically close comments older than 14 days Checkbox and Save Changes
   
   
   3. Settings > Privacy > Site Visibility > I would like to block search engines, but allow normal visitors Select and Save Changes
   
   
   4. Settings > Permalinks > Custom Settings > Custom Structure > Enter /%postname% in the text box for SEO
   
   
   
   


3. Useful WordPress Plugins
   
   
   
   1. Plugins > Add New > Enter Configure SMTP and Click Search Plugins > find Configure SMTP and Install Now > Actions: Activate Plugin
      
      
      
      1. Settings > SMTP > Check Send e-mail via GMail? and enter a real gmail address > Save Changes
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. Plugins > Add New > Enter Static Toolbar and Click Search Plugins > find Static Toolbar > Actions: Activate Plugin
   
   
   3. Plugins > Front-end Editor > Actions: Activate Plugin
   
   
   4. Plugins > Exclude Pages from Navigation > Actions: Activate Plugin
   
   
   5. Plugins > Featured Content Gallery > Actions:  Activate Plugin (maybe?)
   
   
   6. Plugins > Add New > Enter WordPress File Monitor and Click Search Plugins > find WordPress File Monitor > Actions: Activate Plugin
   
   
   7. Plugins > Add New > Enter Sharedaddy and Click Search Plugins > find Sharedaddy > Actions:  Activate Plugin
   
   
   8. Plugins > Add New > Enter Postie - install and activate
      
      
      
      1. configure with email address, ssl imap, imap.gmail.com, only admins will be able to post until further configs are completed
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   


4. Useful WordPress Widgets to configure
   
   
   
   1. SiteMeter
      
      
      
      1. Appearance > Widgets > Drag a Text Box Widget to a Widget Area > Paste appropriate HTML from sitemeter.com
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. Tag Cloud
      
      
      
      1. Appearance > Widgets > Drag a Tag Cloud Widget to a Widget Area > Taxonomy:  Categories
      
      
      
      
   
   
   3. Twitter
      
      
      
      1. Appearance > Widgets > Drag a RSS Widget to a Widget Area
         
         
         
         1. RSS Feed URL:  http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/11893692.rss
         
         
         2. Uncheck Display Item Content
         
         
         3. Uncheck Display Item Author If Available
         
         
         4. Check Display Item Date and Save
         
         
         
         
      
      
      
      
   
   
   4. Links
      
      
      
      1. Appearance > Widgets > Drag a Links Widget to a Widget Area
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

WordPress Installed on IIS 7.5 with SQL 2005 or 2008

Here is a quick layout of instructions in installing WordPress on Windows 2008 R2 IIS 7.5 with SQL 2005 or 2008

Download wp-sqlsrv-2.9.2-beta-0.8.8.zip This is a special version of Wordpress that allows you to connect to a SQL server... or cluster... :) why not?!

Unzip files to C:\inetpub\WPOnSQL

Open IIS Mgr -

Open your Web Platform Installer > Web Platform > Database > Customize > Microsoft Drivers for PHP for SQL Server 2.0. Install this thing before you create your site.

Create new site

Enter Site Information
Website:  New Web Site
WordPress application name:  /
Web Site Name: blog.boneyard.org
Physical Path:  c:\inetpub\blog.boneyard.org
IP Address:  All Unassigned
Host Name:  wponsql.boneyard.org
Click OK

****folder permissions of Modify, Read & Execute, List Folders, Read and Write on the c:\inetpub\SiteName folder to ServerName\IUSR

Go to your SQL box, open SQL Mgmnt studio and create a new database. Then create a SQL user that has dbo privs on that database. Then from your IIS, you can test your connection using ODBC manager.

Open site in a browser

The wp-config file will be missing, so let the site walk you through providing it with the database servername, database, and sql credentials

Create Configuration File > Lets Go >

Database Name: TEST

Username: sqlgod

Database Host: databaseservername\instancename

Database Type: SQL Server Using PHP Driver

Table Prefix: wp_

Click OK - the click Run the Install
Blog Title:  Wordpress on SQL Blog
Your E-mail:  admin@boneyard.org
Click Install WordPress

Login to Wordpress

Logout and do the following

http://blog.obxbill.com/?p=582

Click Dashboard and then Updates

An updated version of WordPress is available.
Click Update Automatically
After you see "WordPress updated successfully", click Go to Dashboard

WordPress 3.0 Installed on IIS 7.5 with mySQL

Here is a quick layout of instructions in installing WordPress on Windows 2008 R2 IIS 7.5

From IIS

Web Platform Installer
New Web Application box
Select WordPress
Click Install
Click I Accept at the EULA
Enter Site Information
Website:  New Web Site
WordPress application name:  /
Web Site Name: blog.boneyard.org
Physical Path:  c:\inetpub\blog.boneyard.org
IP Address:  All Unassigned
Host Name:  blog.boneyard.org
Click Continue

Enter Application information
Choose Your database:  MySQL
Create New database
Database Administrator:  root
Database Name:  blogboneyardorg
Finished
Exit

****folder permissions of Modify, Read & Execute, List Folders, Read and Write on the c:\inetpub\SiteName folder to ServerName\IUSR

Open site in a browser
Site Title:  Boneyard Blog
Username:  admin
Your E-mail:  admin@boneyard.org
Click Install WordPress

Login to Wordpress

Logout and do the following

http://blog.obxbill.com/?p=582

Click Dashboard and then Updates

An updated version of WordPress is available.
Click Update Automatically
After you see "WordPress updated successfully", click Go to Dashboard

WordPress on Windows 2008 R2 IIS7.5 - FTP update?

Screw that.

I added the folder permissions of Modify, Read & Execute, List Folders, Read and Write on the c:\inetpub\SiteName folder to ServerName\IUSR

tada... :)

RDP - on a different port than 3389

If you want your server(s) to listen on another port than 3389 for RDP access, then you will need to modify the following registry key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp] Port Number

SQL Server 2008 R2 - 2 node cluster build

SQL 2008 R2 on Windows Server 2008 R2 Clustered install

On both nodes

- need .NET 3.5 SP1 use the Role Management Tool

- Add Role - Application Server

Run the setup.exe - SQL Server Installation Center

- Click Installation on left > New SQL Server Failover installation

- Setup suport Rules - click OK

- Prod Key - click next

- EULA - accept - next

- Click Install

- Setup support Rules - will tell you more about what else you might want to install for this to work.

-  - MSDTC - not always needed for cluster. install if you want.

-  - MSCS - cluster validation report failure - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953748 - if you havent validated your cluster, you get an error when trying to install - go to Failover Cluster manager and click Validate this cluster.

- prod key - click next

- EULA - accept - next

- Feature Selection - Database Services, Analysis Services, Reporting Services - next

-

Instance Config

- SQLServer Network Name - obxSQL0801

- Named Instance - SQL1

- next

Disk Space Reqs - you will need at least 4 or 5 gbs of local disk space if you're going to install the services I listed above.  I had to go back and shut down my vms and cut a D drive (thin-vhd) of 20GB on each of my nodes. then you can install all your SQL bits on the new D drive instead of on the OS drive.

- instance root directory - d:\

- next

Cluster Resource Group

- SQL Server cluster resource group name - SQL Server (SQL1)

- next

Cluster Disk Selection

- select both of your cluster disks for data and logs

- next

Cluster Network Configuration

- uncheck DHCP and put in an available non-DHCP address

- next

Cluster Security Policy

- select Use service SIDs (recommended)

- next

Server Config

- create a service account in AD obxClusterService

- use obxbill\obxClusterService

- next

Database Eng Config

- select mixed mode

- specify your sa password

- click add current user

- click Data Directories tab, make sure you're using the correct drive for the type of db file - i.e. R:\Data and L:\Logs and R:\Backup, etc, etc

- next

Analysys Services Config

- click Add current user

- click Data Directories tab, i.e. R:\OLAP\Data, L:\OLAP\Log, R:\OLAP\Temp and R:\OLAP\Backup

- next

Reporting Services Config

- install but do not configure

- next

Error Reporting

- next

Cluster Installation Rules

- all passed - hit next

Ready to Install

- click install, go have a drink and a smoke now.

- maybe call your mom to let them know you passed the CISSP Exam...

- think about what to have for dinner

- go water some houseplants

- decide that a potbelly samich sounds easy enough

Complete

- close

now go to the obxNode04 and start the SQL install just like you did here

- setup.exe - Installation > Add node

Setup Support Rules

- all passed - ok

Prod Key - next

EULA - accept - next

Setup support files - install

Setup Support Rules

- all passed - next

Cluster node config

- select your SQL1 instance

- next

Service Accounts

- enter the password for the service acct you created earlier

- next

Error Reporting

- next

Add Node Rules

- passed

- next

Ready to Add node

- click install

Add Node Progress

- if you havent gone to go get dinner by now.  It's probably a good time. :)

- next

Complete

- success! - close

okie dokie - test your failover cluster by moving the SQL1 application, etc, etc and now go eat sandwich and watch Jeopardy or somethin.

FreeNAS - This thing rocks.

FreeNAS is a free network-attached storage server OS. Personally, I like to use it as a VM with 256 MB RAM (higher if your going to do RAID5, then you want 512, and if you're thinking ZFS then, better give a gig) and an 8GB thin provisioned VHD on one of my ESXi servers. You could probably get away with an even smaller VHD drive for the OS. Supposedly only 128MB. I figure, I'll give it a thin-provisioned disk and if it ever needs it, it'll grab it then. Minimum Hardware Requirements

1. Download the ISO file of the version you want from here


2. Create and start a new VM with 8gb thin vhd, 256 mb ram and give it a name like obxFreeNAS01 with your iso file attached.


3. Once it's started, choose to install FreeNAS on the local 8gb thin vhd.


4. Then configure your IP address as DHCP first... then let it initialize.  Now, I know you don't want a stupid DHCP address on that thing. because you don't want your iSCSI initiators out there losing a potentially very important connection to it's drive. But trust me on this...


5. Test a regular ol web browser and point it to the DCHP address that it was assigned.  Just to make sure you get a login at all.


6. Shutdown your FreeNAS vm. Now configure a few new thin-provisioned VHDs for this VM.  Make a 5gb, 10gb and a 20GB one.  Later we'll use them for things like a quorum, data drive and a log drive for a SQL 2008 R2 Failover Cluster :)


7. Start up your FreeNAS vm.


8. Configure a static IP address for the FreeNAS... let it initialize.


9. Now, go open a browser and make sure that the login screen for FreeNAS comes up ok.


10. login with username admin and password freenas Once you're in, you should go update the default password to something else and also create yourself a new user account with admin privs.


11. Next to come... the steps to create iSCSI Targets for your Windows 2008 R2 nodes to use for a Failover Cluster.


12. Disks > Management > click the + link, select a disk you want to carve for your cluster (it'll be something like da1)


13. Give it a description, like Logs. Leave it Unformatted and click Add


14. Do the same for all of the vhds that you created for your cluster. I've got 3. Quorum of 5gb, Data of 20GB and Logs of 10GB.


15. Disks > Format > Format UFS for each of your disks, give them a Volume label that matches your descriptions from the previous steps.  There's many ways to skin this cat.  This is simply my little method.


16. Disks > Mount Points > click the + link. Give it a mount point name and description. I'm boring, I just used the same names I used for the respective volume names and disk descriptions. click Add.
    
    
    
    1. Oh yeah... you might notice that things get stuck in Modifying status... uh... don't forget to click APPLY CHANGES.... it's a sneaky little button at the top of the page in a few places.
    
    
    
    


17. Services > iSCSI Target > Settings > Set your Base Name...
    
    
    
    1. I'm using iqn.2007-09.jp.ne.peach.obxFreeNAS01
    
    
    
    


18. Services > iSCSI Target > Initiators> create an initiator for your own subnet.
    
    
    
    1. (i.e. 192.168.1.0/24)
    
    
    
    


19. Services > iSCSI Target > Portals > use  the static IP address of your FreeNAS VM.
    
    
    
    1. something like this 192.168.1.58:3260
    
    
    
    


20. Services > iSCSI Target > Targets > create an extent file for each of your disks
    
    
    
    1. mine looks like this: Extent name - Data0, Type - File, Path - /mnt/Data/data.file, File Size - 20Gib, Comment - Data
    
    
    2. now! Create a Target for that extent file we called Data0 and give it a Target Name of Data0
    
    
    3. Click Add at the bottom, now click Apply Changes at the top.
    
    
    
    


21. ok - now you're ready to build a Windows 2008 R2 cluster.  Just fire your nodes up and use the local iSCSI initiator to connect to your disks. Bring em online, initialize them, format them, give them drive letters and give them a volume name.