User:Revansx/meza/Installing MEZA 35.x on a local Rock Linux 8 VM from scratch

This procedure is meant to help new users get acquainted with Mediawiki via Meza

Prerequisite Downloads

 * 1) Download Oracle VirtualBox from: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
 * 2) *(Windows users will click the "Windows Hosts" link)
 * 3) Download the DVD ISO image of Rocky Linux 8 86x 64 bit installation DVD from:https://download.rockylinux.org/pub/rocky/8/isos/x86_64/Rocky-x86_64-dvd1.iso

Install Oracle VirtualBox

 * 1) Click the VirtualBox Software Installed you downloaded above
 * 2) Perform a default installation (default are fine)

Define a new VM in VBox (MYSERVER1)

 * 1) Launch VM VirtualBox Manager
 * 2) Click "New"
 * 3) Create Virtual Machine Dialogue Box
 * 4) Set Name as: "MYSERVER1"
 * 5) Note the location of the machine folder on the local file system (this is where the VM lives as a file or files)
 * 6) Select Type: Linux
 * 7) Select Version: Red Hat (64-bit)
 * 8) Click "Next"
 * 9) Configure Memory Size: 4096M
 * 10) Create Virtual Machine virtual disk
 * 11) *Create a virtual hard disk now
 * 12) *Click "CREATE"
 * 13) Configure Hard Disk File Type
 * 14) *Choose: VDI (Virtual Hard Disk)
 * 15) *Click "NEXT"
 * 16) Configure Storage on Physical hard disk
 * 17) *Choose: Dynamically Allocated
 * 18) *Click "NEXT"
 * 19) Create Virtual Hard Disk
 * 20) Note path of vdi file
 * 21) Set size to: 40GB
 * 22) Click "CREATE"

Prep for a fresh install of RockLinux8

 * 1) Launch VM VirtualBox Manager
 * 2) Click "MYSERVER1" machine on the left to select the "MYSERVER1" machine
 * 3) Click "SETTINGS" in the top menu (big yellow gear)
 * 4) VM - Settings
 * 5) Click "General" on the left - Then click the "Advanced" tab
 * 6) Set "Shared Clipboard" to "bidirectional"
 * 7) Set "Dag'n'Drop" to "bidirectional"
 * 8) Click "Network" on the left
 * 9) ensure Adapter 1 is enabled and attached to NAT
 * 10) ensure Adapter 2 is enabled and attached to NAT
 * 11) Click "Storage" on the left
 * 12) Click the Empty Blue Disk Icon to select the optical drive
 * 13) on the right, click the Blue Disk Icon with the little black pulldown arrow on the far right
 * 14) In the dialogue box the appears, browse for and select the Rocky Linux 8 DVD ISO file (that you downloaded above)
 * 15) ensure that the "Live CD/DVD" checkbox is selected
 * 16) Click "General" on the left
 * 17) Select Advanced -> Shared Clipboard: Bidirectional
 * 18) Click "OK" to close settings

Install Rock Linux 8

 * 1) Start the MYSERVER1 VM
 * 2) Click "Start" in the top menu (big green arrow)
 * 3) Short start-up diagnostics
 * 4) Rocky Linux 8 install screens
 * 5) Using your arrows, select "Install Rocky Linux 8" and press "Enter"
 * 6) watch more loading messages
 * 7) ROCKLINUX8 INSTALLATION SCREEN
 * 8) Choose "English", Continue
 * 9) Click "SOFTWARE SELECTION", select "Workstation" (no other options), Click "DONE"
 * 10) Click "Root Password" - set root password to "abcd1234" (click twice to confirm such a simple password - don't worry this is just a VM)
 * 11) Click "INSTALLTION DESTINATION", Click "DONE" (this selects the default option of automatic partitioning of the only available disk)
 * 12) Click "NETWORK & HOST NAME", make sure each network adapter is ENABLED and at least one of them is showing as "CONNECTED", click DONE
 * 13) Click "Begin Installation"
 * 14) wait while it downloads packages
 * 15) when complete
 * 16) (virtually) eject the Rocky Linux 8 DVD.iso disk from the virtual optical drive
 * 17) REBOOT When instructed

Perform updates and other misc post install configurations

 * 1) Login to the MYSERVER1 VM
 * 2) Short start-up diagnostics
 * 3) Rocky Linux 8
 * 4) Using your arrows, select "Rocky8" and press "Enter"
 * 5) more loading messages
 * 6) ROCKY LINUX 8 INITIAL SETUP SCREEN
 * 7) Choose "LICENSE INFO", agree to whatever, click Done
 * 8) Create the "userx" user (create with password "abcd1234")
 * 9) Click FINISH CONFIGURATION
 * 10) Login Screen
 * 11) *Click "not listed" to type the username
 * 12) *Type "root" and provide the root user's password to login (abcd1234)
 * 13) *Choose English
 * 14) Initialize userx account settings
 * 15) *Turn off location services - click next
 * 16) *SKIP - connect your online account
 * 17) *CLICK - Start Using Rocky Linux
 * 18) **NOTE - You are at the GUI desktop - congratulations
 * 19) *Close the "Getting started" window
 * 20) USER DESKTOP
 * 21) Applications --> System Tools --> Setting --> Power --> Power Saving --> "Blank Screen"
 * 22) Applications --> Firefox --> Verify internet connection by opening a browser and visiting www.nasa.gov, close the bowser
 * 23) Applications --> System Tools --> Terminal
 * 24) FROM TERMINAL
 * 25) watch the system update
 * 26) Reboot
 * 1) Reboot
 * 1) Reboot
 * 1) Reboot

Install Guest Additions

 * 1) Login to the VM as userx
 * 2) Short start-up diagnostics
 * 3) Applications --> System Tools --> Terminal
 * 4) Add Epel Repository
 * 5) Install Kernel headers and DKMS
 * 6) Update Rocky Linux Kernel
 * 7) Insert Install Guest Additions CD Image
 * 8) Go to the Virtualbox menu >> Device and then select the “Install Guest Additions CD Image…” option.
 * 9) Install VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
 * 10) Enable Share Clip and Drag & Drop features
 * 11) Click on the Devices given in the Oracle VirtualBox menu and then click Share Clipboard and select “Bidirectional”. In the same way, select Drag & Drop and choose the Bidirectional option.
 * 12) Restart Rocky VM
 * 1) Install VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
 * 2) Enable Share Clip and Drag & Drop features
 * 3) Click on the Devices given in the Oracle VirtualBox menu and then click Share Clipboard and select “Bidirectional”. In the same way, select Drag & Drop and choose the Bidirectional option.
 * 4) Restart Rocky VM
 * 1) Enable Share Clip and Drag & Drop features
 * 2) Click on the Devices given in the Oracle VirtualBox menu and then click Share Clipboard and select “Bidirectional”. In the same way, select Drag & Drop and choose the Bidirectional option.
 * 3) Restart Rocky VM
 * 1) Restart Rocky VM

Install Meza
At this point.. you should have a fully installed and fully updated Rocky Linux 8 Linux Workstation with all the VBox Guest Additions installed.

Now its time to install Meza 😎 ..


 * 1) Login to the MYSERVER1 VM
 * 2) From the MYSERVER1 Desktop --> Applications --> System Tools --> Terminal:
 * 3) *watch the package manager install the Git
 * 4) *watch git download the meza project from Github and install it in the  folder
 * 5) *change to the /opt/meza directory
 * 6) *switch to the 35.x branch of meza
 * 7) *watch the getmeza.sh shell script perform all the first-time only configurations and install the meza playbooks as ansible commands
 * 8) *When prompted: enter:  as the target
 * 9) *When prompted : press enter to have meza generate a database password for you
 * 10) *Watch meza install and configure the entire MediaWiki software stack and all dependencies and extensions
 * 11) *Wait for Meza to finish and report all tasks completed with no errors
 * 12) **Possible glitch - The Check for Python3 fail at the very end of the deployment is a known issue: https://github.com/enterprisemediawiki/meza/issues/1266, but does not impact the deployment.
 * 13) ***Until that task is fixed it would be entirely reasonable to comment it out at the very end of
 * 14) This will setup a demo wiki with the user  with password.
 * 15) From MYSERVER1 Desktop --> Applications --> Internet --> Firefox
 * 16) visit
 * 17) Click on the Demo Wiki
 * 18) Login as  with password
 * 19) Gratz! .. You are done.
 * 1) This will setup a demo wiki with the user  with password.
 * 2) From MYSERVER1 Desktop --> Applications --> Internet --> Firefox
 * 3) visit
 * 4) Click on the Demo Wiki
 * 5) Login as  with password
 * 6) Gratz! .. You are done.

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