Introduction
Everyone might have experience with a lot of forum sites. It is a site where people can register as members for asking questions or for commenting. For a developer, it is not an easy task creating the site with the specific features. For saving time on developing the site, everyone should spend time only for the interface design, it is good to use the already built framework. I have just found that forum site is already built and shared for use. I have seen a site that used an open source package of forum site. It is phpBB. At the time of starting this post, version 3 had been released.
Brief Steps for Installing phpBB3
Step 1: Download the package from here.
Step 2: Create a database on your mysql server (your remote server or your local server), I named mine phpbb3db. You can use any database type supported by phpBB3.
Step 3: Extract and upload or copy the package to your site root directory. You may upload the zip file and extract it on the server if your hosting provider provides this feature on the control panel.
Step 4: Browse your site for starting the installation. I tested it on my local server. The introduction to phpBB and other information will display on your browser.
Step 5: Click on the INSTALL tab. It will show you information about the types of database it supports.
Step 6: Click proceed to next step. I will show the result of the requirement test. It checks the PHP configuration.
Step 7: Click Start Install. Then enter the required information for database connection. You may input only database server hostname, database name, Database user, and Database password.
Step 8: Click proceed to next step. If the database connection is correct, it will show that it is successfully tested.
Step 9: Click proceed to next step. The page for entering the administration setting will appear. Enter your preferred username and password and your email address.
Step 10: Click proceed to next step. Then you will see that test is passed if they are correctly entered.
Step 11: Click proceed to next step and then click proceed to next step again.
Step 12: On this page, they ask for your forum setting. You should keep it default. It will be shown on how to change it later with the explanation.
Step 13: Click proceed to next step. Then Click proceed to the next step again.
Step 14: You will see congratulations message. Then follow an important last step.
Step 15: The last step is to remove or rename install folder in your site root directory. Unless you do this step, your forum is nothing.
Note: In order to administrate your forum, you must log into the same page of the forum and click on the link Administration Control Panel at the bottom of the page.
You should get documentation from phpBB website for more detailed understanding.
Convenient way is also a best way.
