WordPress Tutorial and Installation How To

This tutorial describes how to use the WordPress blog software with your NEXCESS.NET web hosting account. NEXCESS.NET specializes in hosting WordPress blogs and this tutorial is meant to help you quickly setup your forum with our web hosting service.

WordPress is currently licensed under the General Public License. This means that you can use and distribute the software as you would like as long as you don't change it.

1. Make sure your host supports WordPress
   This step only applies if you don't have a NEXCESS.NET hosting plan - all of our shared and reseller plans support WordPress. If you're not a NEXCESS.NET client, then you can check the minimum requirements for WordPress on their website.
2. Get the most current version of WordPress
   Go to the WordPress Download Page and download either the ".zip" or ".tar.gz" version of the software. If you're not sure which version you want, you probably should download the zip version. For this tutorial, we'll assume that's what you've downloaded.
3. Extract the files on your computer
   After the zip file is done downloading, extract the files and make sure everything looks ok. You may need to install some software to unzip the zipped file. There's tons of programs out there to do this - one good one is Power Archive, which is free shareware.
4. Not sure how to FTP? Check out our FTP tutorials
   Upload the files to your server
   Now you need to upload the files to your web server. You can do this the same way you do upload any other files. You'll want to upload the files ot the folder you want the blog to appear in. So if your site is at "www.yoursite.com" and you want the blog to be at "www.yoursite.com/blog", then you'll need to create a "blog" folder in your root web directory (the same directory that your website's homepage is in.) If you want the blog itself to be your homepage, then just upload the files there.
5. Want more MySQL help? We have several MySQL tutorials covering how to administer mySQL in SiteWorx
   Now create a database for your WordPress blog to use
   WordPress needs a blog to keep track of all your posts and other data with. To create one for it to use, log in to your SiteWorx control panel using the information you were given when you created your account. Choose "Site Services," then "MySQL," then "Databases" - and type a name for your database into the form. Make it something you can remember, or write it down, because you'll have to well WordPress what database to use later.
6. Create a database user to your new database
   WordPress also needs to connect to the database using a user account that you'll need to set up. Under "MySQL" in your SiteWorx control panel, click on "Users" and add a new user - remember the username and password you choose, as you'll need to enter them into your WordPress settings later.
   
   Here we've added a user called "tutorial_tut_wp" in MySQL
7. Set up database permissions for the user
   You now need to tell MySQL that the user you just created has full permission to do everything for the database you just created. Click "Databases" under "MySQL" in the SiteWorx control panel, and then click the "Manage Users" button for the database you created. Choose the user you created from the drop-down menu, then click the "Check All" link to turn on all the permissions for that user. Leave the text box for "When Connecting From" to "localhost", then click the "Add" button to add these permissions for this user to the database.

Giving the new user the appropriate permissions
8. Configure the WordPress settings
   Now you need to tell WordPress what database and database user to use when connecting the to the database. You should see a file called wp-config-sample.php - download this file to your computer and open it in Notepad or your favorite text editor. It should look something like the picture below. Just add the database name, username, and password where indicated. Be sure to keep the double quotes around each setting, and the semicolon afterwards. Then rename this file to wp-config.php and upload it back to your server into the folder with all the other WordPress files.
   
   Editing the default "wp-config.php" file
9. Install the WordPress software
   Don't worry most of the heavy lifting is done! Now you just need to use WordPress's installation script to install and configure the software. Just go to the the url that you installed the blog at - so if it's set up at the root of your web directory, go to www.yoursite.com. You'll be asked to specify a name for your blog, and enter your email address, and then on the next screen you'll be given a randomly generated password to use to log in to your new blog. It's time to start blogging!
   
   Get blogging!

Need more help? Try the official WordPress install guide, or feel free to log in to my.nexcess.net and submit a ticket, and we'll help you out! Or, check out our wordpress hosting and support page.