Installing Dolphin 7.0.x What you get when you pay someone.

We've had a rash of complaints in the forums lately in regards to individuals who have paid others to install Dolphin and then complaints because it's not working out of the box.  While I'm not the one who did those installs I can tell you what I do when I install Dolphin and what I don't do.  I think most of the installers will agree that this is the standard that is operated by.  Anything beyond this requires extra payment because it's additional work.

Now, please keep in mind that I run $55 an hour or any partial hour for my work.  This is because I have overhead costs to cover as a small company, internet services, computers, electric, mortgage payment, coffee and so on.  Yeah, your buyin' my coffee when I work on your site.  So, let's get started.

1.  Agree that we are doing a Base D7 or D6 Install.  Please note, this is a Base install and not a contract for any additional work.

2.  Obtain server login credentials and ensure I can access the server via FTP & cPanel, does it have SSH access and so on.  While I don't use SSH for my installs, I do like to know if I have it or not for troubleshooting issues if they arise.

3.  Upload the files to the server via FTP on an SFTP or FTP connection set to Binary mode.  I prefer to use SFTP as it is more secure for you and I, however some servers do not support it.

4.  Run the install script.

5.  Set your file permissions as necessary.  If an suPHP site I will only be setting your ffmpeg.exe, non suPHP we will set all the necessary file permissions as needed.  Just a difference in servers and it's easy for us to recognize this difference.  We see it as soon as we get to the file permissions page if we don't look at the php.ini info.

6.  Create a DB for your site in your cPanel utilizing the MySQL Databases system.

7.  Input your DB information and Admin Panel login credentials into the script  for it to run it's install and create the necessary header & language files unique to your site.

8.  If we are replacing a prior installation, we will delete the cron jobs from that prior installation then input the new cron jobs, if no prior install we just input the cron jobs.  Many people get frustrated at this point as the old cron jobs are there and send thousands of e-mails out prior to them figuring out what is going on.  **If you leave old cron jobs you will get error e-mails from the server as those files no longer exist.***  (And bolding in this dang thing doesn't work correctly in IE right now.)

9.  Reverse your permissions to the files they need to be reversed on.

10.  Rename the Install directory and set perms on it to 0000 so you have it if you need it but it is unaccessible to all without cPanel access.  We find this is an important part, as deleting the install denies all the great SQL info that is in it for future reference. 

11.  Reload your home page and ensure the site is loading.

12.  Load your sites Admin Panel and install all modules, setting permissions and such as needed.

13.  Go to the sites home page and navigate to the Member.php & profile page and try a few links. 

What we don't do:

1.  We do not continue on with the install if your site gives us an error during the install process.  Instead we advise you of the error and it is your job to either fix it or contract to have it fixed.  I am not a server guru and I do not work on servers. 

2.  We do not verify that your chat, video upload, music upload, music players, Video Messengers and so on are all working and functioning.  This takes time and will require additional hours if you wish to have us check this. 

3.  We do not test out your Groups, Events, Sites, Store and so on.  Again, more hours if you want us to test this stuff and fix it if necessary.

4.  We do not set in new php.ini files to make your site work.  That is not our job as that is beyond the scope of a standard installation.

5.  We do not verify that your host is  capable of hosting dolphin nor do we verify that your server is configured 100% for Dolphin beyond running the install script.  That is your job, to ensure you hire a host that can run the script and that they configure the server to run it.

6.  We do not communicate with your host for you.  This takes time and time is part of the commodity that we sell.  While we are wasting our time talking to your host we can be doing other things that are profitable.

7.  We do not restructure your server set up.  We have no idea what all your running on your server as far as scripts go and a change of one setting by us can cause issues in other areas, thus we do not touch that stuff.

8.  We do not set up your RMS.  You need to either purchase an RMS install or contract to lease RMS from someone who leases it out.  We can't set up what you don't have yet.  If you don't have the proper type of server to run your own RMS then you need to lease.  Only when there is RMS can many things be tested on your site.

In  the end, it is your responsibility to ensure that you secure proper hosting and that your host is aware that your going to run Dolphin on the server and what the server requirements are for Dolphin.  When I first started using Dolphin I was smart enough to find them (it was back on 6.1.4) and send the page of requirements to Host For Web (who knew them by heart) just to make sure they understood what I was going to do.  Because of that little step, I have personally never had to go into any of my servers (we're up to 14 different machines now over at HFW and a few VPS's for small stuff)  and I have never touched any of the settings on any of them myself, I literally do own physically 8 of these machines.  Why?  Because I let them know what I'm doing and they set up the machines to do what they need to do.  That is called proper server management. 

Guys like Dosdawg (hate to pitch his business here) know what it takes to run Dolphin and the sites that are hosted by hosts like DD have very few to no problems in the realm of server issues.  Over 80% of the issues that came into the forums for D6 were server related issues based upon servers not being properly configured.  I personally have never used more than the Server Requirements page and my sites have always run great, perhaps that is luck or just the good fortune of proper hosting. 

In the end, I have made the decision on that when doing installs they'll be done as above, which I believe is how the majority of others are doing them and if additional work is required due to improper server settings then we will be charging extra for that.  Yes, we know that you'd love to have someone you can pay $20 or $50 or $100 to and get your site running right out of the box.  But that is not what an install is. 

An install is a base functional install of Dolphin.  Means it can create a profile, make a forum post or create an event once the install is completed provided the server is properly configured.  It does not mean you can video chat and so on without a few additional things like RMS being done. 

Many have tried in the past to point out how important hosting is, for a short period it seemed to be an item that was finally being acknowledged by everyone.  But as of recently, it's showing that it's still not fully understood.  If your not sure or you don't want to shop for the correct host, that is fine.  I will be happy to help you obtain a host of my choosing to get you set up on.  Keep in mind, I never pick the cheap hosts. 

And for those who would argue that installing a transmission means it's all done & ready to go as an example, your right.  But a mechanic is paid to install the transmission, not build the car.  If you took him a rolling chasis with no engine, would you expect the car to run still?  Would you expect him to paint it if it was a primered car?  D7 is a rolling chasis with a great engine, needing a transmission, paint, interior and many other things.  This script is designed as a source of revenue for those who choose to run it and as such it needs to be built to your specifications.  this does not mean installing the transmission then wiring the car, installing the motor, fusebox, steering wheel, brakes, axles, gears, shocks, struts, headlights, grille and cup holders.  It doesn't even mean checking all those other items, only installing the transmission.