If you need a free bulletin board package that is robust and quite simple to install and maintain then check out www.phpbb.com. You will be surprised about this feature packed software. We are using this in a multi-agency environment. Hence we set up each board with its own database and directory for each agency to maintain. Here is a brief overview of the installation steps.
Assumptions -
Linux, Apache, PHP, and MySQL up and running. Apache should load index.php as a default directory index in httpd.conf.
Installation -
Download software from www.phpbb.com
Unzip to the directory of your choice - typically a subdirectory of the Apache /htdocs directory
Using mysql
Create the database you want to use for the board
Issue the necessary 'grant all privileges . . .' to set up a userid and password for the database access
Load your browser and access the URL of the directory which will load the default file index.php. This screen prompts you for the machine, database, user, password, and a few other items. Once this is set up you are off and running.
In our multi-agency environment I also set up a SAMBA share on Linux to allow the agency to access the bulletin board root directory as well as remote access to the MySQL database so they can maintain their own pages and have full access to the board and the database. I also change the owner and group of the directory and all files to allow the agency user to have full access to the files supporting the board. Perhaps this is dangerous as it gives each agency full control of their board and database. (Sink or swim)
This is a wonderful package and you can't beat the free price! If you have specific question or need help installing this, don't hesitate to drop me an email.
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