User:Revansx/meza/Installing MEZA 34.x on a local Centos 7 VM from scratch

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

Prerequisite Downloads

 * 1) Oracle VirtualBox 7.0 from: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
 * 2) *(Windows users will click the "Windows Hosts" link)
 * 3) ISO image of the Centos7 x86 64 bit installation DVD from: http://isoredirect.centos.org/centos/7/isos/x86_64/
 * 4) *pick from any of the mirrors listed - they are all the same

Install Oracle VirtualBox

 * 1) Click the VirtualBox Software Installed you downloaded above
 * 2) Perform a default installation (agree to everything as is)

Define a new VM in VBox (CENTOS7NEW)

 * 1) Launch VM VirtualBox Manager
 * 2) Click the blue "New" Top Menu Icon
 * 3) "Create Virtual Machine" Dialogue Box
 * 4) Set Name as: "CENTOS7NEW"
 * 5) Select Type: "Linux"
 * 6) Select Version: "Red Hat (64-bit)"
 * 7) Click "Next"
 * 8) Configure Memory Size: "4096M"
 * 9) Click "Next"
 * 10) Click "Create Virtual Machine virtual disk now"
 * 11) Change disk size from 20GB to 40GB
 * 12) Click "Next"
 * 13) Click "Finish"

Prep for a fresh install of Centos7

 * 1) Launch VM VirtualBox Manager
 * 2) Click "CENTOS7NEW" machine on the left to select the "CENTOS7NEW" machine
 * 3) Click "SETTINGS" in the top menu (big yellow gear)
 * 4) Viewing the CENTOS7NEW - Settings dialog box
 * 5) Click "Storage" on the left
 * 6) Click the Empty Blue CD/DVD Disk Icon to select the optical drive
 * 7) On the far right, click the Blue Disk Icon with the little black pulldown arrow on the far right
 * 8) In the dialogue box the appears, browse for and select the CENTOS7 DVD ISO file (you downloaded it earlier)
 * 9) ensure that the "Live CD/DVD" checkbox is selected
 * 10) Click "OK"

Install Centos7

 * 1) Start the CENTOS7NEW VM by clicking the "Start" in the top menu (big green arrow)
 * 2) Short start-up diagnostics
 * 3) Centos 7 install screens
 * 4) Using your arrows, select "Install CentOS7" and press "Enter"
 * 5) watch various Linux loading messages
 * 6) CENTOS7 INSTALLATION SCREEN
 * 7) Choose "English", Click "Continue"
 * 8) Click "SOFTWARE SELECTION", select "GNOME Desktop" (no other options), Click "DONE"
 * 9) Click "INSTALLTION DESTINATION", Click "DONE" (this selects the default option of automatic partitioning of the only available disk)
 * 10) Click "NETWORK & HOST NAME",
 * 11) make sure the network adapter is ENABLED and is showing as "CONNECTED", click DONE
 * 12) NOTE - Host name is "localhost.localdomain" - just note this for future ref
 * 13) Click "Begin Installation"
 * 14) Once you click "Begin Installation" VBox will being installing Centos7
 * 15) While it is installing components, take a minute to set-up the accounts as follows:
 * 16) Set the root password to "wiki" (remember, this is just a demo vm, not a production system),
 * 17) Click "Done" twice to accept the simple password
 * 18) Create a user as:
 * 19) *Full Name: userx
 * 20) *username: userx
 * 21) *password: wiki
 * 22) *Click the "Make this user administrator" box
 * 23) Click Done twice to accept the simple password
 * 24) ...Wait for ~1407 packages to be installed..
 * 25) REBOOT When instructed

Perform updates and other misc post install configurations

 * 1) Login to the CENTOS7NEW VM
 * 2) Short start-up diagnostics
 * 3) Centos Boot Options
 * 4) Using your arrows, select "CentOS7" and press "Enter"
 * 5) more loading messages
 * 6) CENTOS7 INITIAL SETUP SCREEN
 * 7) Choose "LICENSE INFO", agree to whatever, click Done
 * 8) Ensure that Network & Host Name is listed as CONNECTED
 * 9) Click FINISH CONFIGURATION
 * 10) Login Screen
 * 11) *Click "Userx" to login
 * 12) *Choose English
 * 13) Skip when you can
 * 14) *Close-out the "Getting Started" window
 * 15) *NOTE you are at the GUI desktop - congratulations
 * 16) USER DESKTOP
 * 17) Applications --> System Tools --> Setting --> Power --> Power Saving --> "Blank Screen" --> NEVER
 * 18) Applications --> Firefox --> Verify internet connection by opening a browser and visiting www.nasa.gov, close the bowser
 * 19) Applications --> System Tools --> Terminal
 * 20) FROM TERMINAL
 * 21) Reboot
 * 1) Reboot

Install Guest Additions and other worthwhile stuff

 * 1) Login to the CENTOS7NEW VM
 * 2) Short start-up diagnostics
 * 3) Applications --> System Tools --> Terminal
 * 4) FROM TERMINAL - https://www.dev2qa.com/how-to-resolve-virtualbox-guest-additions-kernel-headers-not-found-for-target-kernel-error/
 * 5) virtually Insert the "GuestAdditions" disk to the VM virtual optical drive by hovering over "Devices" and selecting "Insert Guest Additions CD image..." then launch it by double-clicking on the desktop
 * 6) Click "Run Software"
 * 7) wait while it builds the guest additions from scratch.
 * 8) Powerdown
 * 1) virtually Insert the "GuestAdditions" disk to the VM virtual optical drive by hovering over "Devices" and selecting "Insert Guest Additions CD image..." then launch it by double-clicking on the desktop
 * 2) Click "Run Software"
 * 3) wait while it builds the guest additions from scratch.
 * 4) Powerdown
 * 1) wait while it builds the guest additions from scratch.
 * 2) Powerdown

CLONE YOUR NEW CENTOS7 VM
Why? .. so that you don't have to do all the steps above ever again


 * 1) Make a clone of "CENTOS7NEW" called "CENTOS7MEZA34X"

Install Meza
At this point.. you should have a fully installed and fully updated Centos7 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 package
 * 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 34.x branch of meza
 * 7) Verify that you are on the "34.x" branch
 * 8)  Only proceed once you have confirmed that you are on the 34.x branch 
 * 9) go back down to the /opt directory
 * 10)  to return to the /opt directory
 * 11) *watch the getmeza.sh shell script perform all the first-time only configurations and install the meza playbooks as ansible commands
 * 12) Edit Meza to use PHP 7.2
 * 13) *enter:  as the target
 * 14) *enter:  as the database password
 * 15) *watch meza install and configure the entire MediaWiki software stack and all dependencies and extensions
 * 16) *wait for Meza to finish and report all tasks completed with no errors
 * 17) This will setup a demo wiki with the user  with password.
 * 18) From MYSERVER1 Desktop --> Applications --> Internet --> Firefox
 * 19) visit
 * 20) Click on the Demo Wiki
 * 21) Login as  with password
 * 22) Gratz! .. You are done.
 * 1) From MYSERVER1 Desktop --> Applications --> Internet --> Firefox
 * 2) visit
 * 3) Click on the Demo Wiki
 * 4) Login as  with password
 * 5) Gratz! .. You are done.

/*end*/