Manual Installation

In certain circumstances there might be a problem with using the standard Browser Installation method described, but all is not lost. It is possible to install Joomla! in a more complex, but never-the-less straight-forward process provided it is completed in sequence.

Step 1 – Create and edit the configuration file

Open the local directory where you uncompressed the Joomla! Core distribution directories and files and copy the file configuration.php-dist.

Rename the copied file to configuration.php, and open it in your code editor.

Edit the following fields in particular, prior to saving the file in the joomla_root directory of the installation. The remaining fields can be edited through the Global Configuration screen of the Control Panel->Site Menus.

Default configuration.php created from configuration.php-dist

The following are the important variables to be amended before the software will operate properly:

var $sitename = 'your Web site name';

var $dbtype = 'mysql';
var $host = 'localhost';
var $user = 'your database username';
var $password = 'your database password';
var $db = 'database name';
var $dbprefix = 'jos_'; // This is the default database table prefix. Change this to whatever you intend entering into the MySQL table prefix to in Step 2 .

var $secret = 'FBVtggIk5lAzEU9H'; //Change this to a random mixture of upper and lower alphanumeric characters. This is an important security feature and should not be neglected.

It is not essential to enter the FTP data at this point as the information can be added within the Global Configuration screen once installation is completed. 

var $ftp_host = '127.0.0.1'; //This is the default localhost address reference. Your Web host may have set this differently.
var $ftp_port = '21'; // Port 21 is the default FTP port on most operating systems, but may have been configured differently by your host provider.
var $ftp_user = 'your ftp username';
var $ftp_pass = 'your ftp password';
var $ftp_root = 'the absolute path of the directory that the ftp client should open within';
$ftp_enable = '1'; Set to '1' to enable the FTP layer facility.

var $tmp_path = '/tmp'; //The absolute path to the tmp directory within the root directory of your Joomla! installation. This should not be confused with the same named directory of your Web server.

var $log_path = '/var/logs'; //The absolute path to your Web server log directory.

var $mailfrom = 'your e-mail address';
var $fromname = 'your Web site name for example';

  Other variable settings in the configuration.php can be altered via the Global Configuration screen in the Control Panel->Site Menu once installation has been completed.