Installation on Windows Azure

STEP 1. Setup an Azure Account

1. If you already have an Azure Account you can skip this step.

Otherwise you need to get an account first, or try the Free Trial

STEP 2. Configuring the Web App in Azure

1. Sign in to http://manage.windowsazure.com/ - when your account finishes loading, click on the + NEW button in the lower left-hand corner.

   

2. Choose Compute > Web App > Custom Create

   

3. The next step involves setting the configuration of the installation. Choose carefully as these values are not easy to change or undo.

   

   • Select the URL for your site. - This will be pre-pended to .azurewebsites.net to form the URL for the installation [free sites cannot have a 'proper' domain, and will only be available on this domain].
   • Select Create a new SQL Database (this will create a new Azure SQL Database for you).
   • Choose the Azure location you wish your site and database to be created in
   • Select which Azure Subscription you wish to use.

4. is to create your Azure SQL Database. Choose a name of your database, and either select an existing server if you have one, or create a new server.

   • Whether you create a new server or choose an existing one, note down the name of the server.
   • You can either accept the default name of the database, or you can create your own. A recommended way is to use the same name as the web app, so it's easy to know which belongs to which. Note down the database name you choose (or copy/paste the default if you decide to use that)
   • The database needs to be in the same region as the web app
   • Create a sufficiently strong login name and password
   • Check the box for Advanced database settings

5. Set up the advanced database settings

   • Choose the database size you need - You can always re-size the database later, so start with 1GB unless you know you're about to load up a sufficiently sized database
   • Web Edition is fine - again, you can change to Business edition later
   • Stick to the standard Collation unless you have a specific reason to change

6. Click the final Check Button to create the web app and database. - You'll see the bottom 'status' bar showing a message as well (click on the messages icon to expand and view the current status)

7. In the next Steps we will upload the YAF files to the server, in our example we will use an FTP Connection to upload the files to the server

STEP 2. UNZIP and Copy Files to Server

1. The first step after downloading the YAF-Install Package is to Unzip the Archive to any folder you want.

2. You need to rename the file recommended-azure.web.config to web.config. Warning: DO NOT edit the web.config unless you know what you're doing.

3. Open the file web.config and visit our Support Site to...

   Generate a Machine Key.

   Copy and paste the generated machine key to your web.config in the <system.web> section

4. Modify the SMTP settings by entering your mail server information. If you SMTP server requires SSL, you must add:

   <add key="YAF.UseSMTPSSL" value="true" />

   to your app.config or appSettings.

5. Open the db.config to modify the connection string for your azure database.

   You will find the Connection String from within the Azure Dashboard under SQL Databases > Select the Existing Database > View SQL Database connection strings the first one for ADO.NET is the one you need

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6. Now open the FTP Application of your choice, and create a new connection to the azure site (The FTP Host Address and Login Name you can find on the Dashboard of the Web App, and the Password is the same as the Azure account).

7. On the FTP Server navigate to the folder /site/wwwroot this is the root folder of the web app

8. Upload all Files to the Server

STEP 6. Run The Install Wizard

1. Open the Install Wizard http://{your_siten_name_here}.azurewebsites.net/install/ on your web site.

2. The wizard will guide you through the Install Process.

3. On the Create Config Password Page you will be asked to enter an Password which protects the Upgrade Wizard.

4. On the Next Page you asked for the YAF.NET Database Connection. Since you already setup the connection string you can move to the next screen, or Click on Test Connection to make sure the Connection String is correctly Setup.

5. Next you can check if you correctly setup the mail.config by using the *Mail (SMTP) Sending Test.

6. After that you are ready to initialize the database and install the board.

   BE AWARE THIS PROCESS AT THE MOMENT TAKES ABOUT 4 MINUTES

7. On the Create New Board you have to fill out the Description of the board and setup the superuser (host)

• Board Name - select the name of the new board
• Guest User Time Zone - the Standard Time Zone used for all Guests
• Guest User Language - The Language used for all Guests
• Forum Email - The Email Address that is used for sending emails (needs to match the one defined in the mail.config)
• Forum Base Url Mask - The Base Url for the Board (This should be automatically filled out correctly)
• Make sure that Create New Admin User is selected, and then fill out the user info for the admin account

After that your board is ready to be used

Click on the Finish Button and you will be redirected to the board main page.