osCommerce - Installation

Now let's copy over the files needed for oscommerce. Open up the location where you unzipped the oscommerce files to, and you will see some folders and files, select them all and choose copy.

Now, go back to the ftp connection, right-click in the screen and choose paste. When the file transfer is complete, you will see the folders and files here. Make sure you put the files in the root which will differ per hosting company but it's usually public_html or httpdocs (or just in the beginning of your domain). If you're not sure, ask your hosting server.

The next step will be to create a database, which will be done through your hosting control panel. So again, in this example, the host is websitesource.com and the screen shots will be what their control panel looks like and yours will be different. So in your control panel find where it lists databases and click on the appropriate database tool. In the websitesource control panel, MySQL Server is where the database is created.

The process for creating your database will vary, so create a database user and note what the settings are. My root for the filename is already caliwes and we choose lamp as the second part so we know which site this database is for (lampofthesoul).

Once you click on Next, you should be brought to another page that allows you to create a user and give permissions for this database. Make sure you choose the rights of the new user to dba so that the install is able to commence. Click on Finish when you are done adding the information.

Now we can start the osCommerce install. Type http://yourwebsiteaddresshere/catalog/install into your web browser and click go. You should get a page that looks like the one below. Click on Install.

Leave the checkboxes checked on the next screen and click Continue.

Below is a screenshot of the hosting control panel from websitesource so you can see what the information you need will look like and what you will need to write down for the next screenshot if you haven't already.

On the next screen, you will enter this information as well as:

• Put a check next to Persistent Connections
• Select Database next to Session Storage
• Then click Continue.

You should then receive a message that the connection was tested successfully. If not, go back and fix the information and try again.Once that is done, click Continue.

You should then receive a message "The database import was successful!" Click on Continue.

You should be able to leave the settings on the next page at default. If you are using SSL, check that box.

As well as the next page

You will probably get an error on the next page, and that's okay, it's regarding file permissions. We will go change the permissions right now and that will solve the error.

Go into your ftp connection (either under My Network Places as before or with whatever program you chose to use). This example will be using the Windows connection. With the connection open, expand the Catalog file and then the Includes folder and then right-click the file configure.php and choose Properties.

A box will pop-up that allows you to set the permissions for this folder. Set the permissions as shown below:

Do the same with the config.php file under the admin/includes folder. Then click Retry. You should receive a message that the configuration was successful.

Now, you need to rename the catalog/install folder (do this the same way you set permissions, except right-click and rename. The name of the folder doesn't matter so long as you remember it. This is done because anyone who knows about osCommerce knows that folder's location, so for security purposes, rename the catalog folder. Change the permissions of catalog/includes/configure.php to 644, which is the choices you see below.

Now set the permissions for the catalog/images folder to 777 or as shown below:

Next set the permissions for the catalog/admin/images/graphs folder to 777, as the last folder was.