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as of version 2.15.6
Setting up a new root server is easy process. You should have some basic web administrator knowledge and know your way around a server. Below is a guide to help you through this process.
Before setting a server please check and see if there are any current servers in adjoining service bodies. Click this link to see if there is a BMLT Server near you.
You can download the zip file from our downloads page. Once you have downloaded the file there are two ways of getting the files onto your server, Cpanel or FTP. We use Cpanel in all of our tutorials. It requires that we have a new, empty MySQL database, with a user for that database.
This is done via your hosting provider’s Control Panel.
This video demonstrates the process using the CPanel Control Panel (the most common one).
You will first need to move the BMLT Server zip file up to your web hosting provider’s server. Cpanel is the easiest way and this video will show you how to do that.
After uploading the files to your server all that’s left is to run the installer and it will take care of the configuration for you. This video will explain the process.
Open the installer page by entering the url of your server. example: https://yourdomain.com/thedirectorywhereyouuploadedthefiles/ After opening the page enter the database information you saved from “Setting Up an Empty MYSQL Database”
After entering the database information you can test the connection by clicking on the “Test” button.
If you get an error when testing the database go to our FAQ page for common solutions.
After adding the API key click on the “Test” button to confirm API key is valid.
It is also possible to set a regional bias. This is something that helps the meeting search to find addresses and locations. For example, we have Paris, France, and Paris, Texas. In order to help us to locate Paris, France, over Paris TX, when we enter “Paris,” we may want to set the Region bias to “France”.
In this step you will select the geographic center for the map display. This is where you will need a Google Maps a API key to enter in to the installer. Here is a link to a page to walk you through getting an API key.
Insert your Google Maps API key in the box. Click the Use Key button and the map should appear.
If you need to update your current key you will need to modify the auto-config.inc.php file that is in the root of your BMLT Server install.
The next tab is where we set up the various basic server parameters. We create a Server Administrator account, and some basic settings for the server (these can be changed after the fact).
Note that the Server Administrator password must pass the criteria set forth in the “Password Length” field (a simple “minimum length” criteria). It’s a very, very good idea to make this an extremely secure password.
You also have a series of choices that you can make about the Server setup. All of these choices can be changed after the fact by editing the configuration file.
Once you reach the final tab, your server is almost set up. You will see something like the screen shot.
As long as the database information, and the Server Administrator information is correct, you should have an “Initialize Database” button for this screen. If you do not have this button, then you should go back, and review your information.
Press this button. It will set up a “starter” database for you. You will now be left with a screen like that shown.
At this point, the database has been created, but the root server still has no idea how to connect to it.
Notice the large gray area. This is the complete contents of a text file that you will create. For security reasons, we don’t directly create it. Instead, we ask you to copy the text within this gray box (ignore the smaller gray area below), paste it into a text editor, then create a text file, called “auto-config.inc.php”.
It is important to make sure that this file has the correct file permissions. There are a number of ways that this can be done. The smaller gray box on the page has a command line to do this (if you connect via SSH). The basic permission needs to be 0644, which means that the owner can read and write the file, and others can read it, but only if they are running on the server (this prevents the file from being read directly from the server, thus compromising your database password).
After this, if you refresh the page, you should see the standard login page.
Log in with the Server Administrator account that you set up during the wizard. Currently, this is the only user on the system.
At this point, you can’t create any meetings or Service bodies. That’s because your first step is to set up your first Service Body Administrator user.
Only the Server Administrator can create users and Service bodies. This is a basic security policy. Additionally, even though the Server Administrator has “god” powers, it cannot be assigned to a Service body as its Primary Administrator.
The first thing that you need to do is to create a Service Body Administrator user, so you can have a Service body (if there are no available Service Body Administrators, then you will not be able to create a Service body).
Remember that a single Service Body Administrator can be assigned as the Primary Administrator for more than one Service body, so you only need to create one initial administrator.
Enter the information for the user. Make sure that they are a “Service Body Administrator” user (the default is “Disabled”). Once the information is entered, press the “Create This New User” button, and you should see something like in the screen shot.
At this point, you should log out, then log back in (as the Server Administrator). This will refresh the choices that you have. When you log back in, you should now see these admin choices.
Open the new “Service Body Administration” disclosure line.
Enter the information for your first Service body. Note that you only have one choice for Primary Admin. This would be the initial user that you just created.
Once you have created this Service body, you should see some orange text, advising you to reload the screen. The best way to do this, is to sign out, then log back in (this time, you can log in as the new Service Body Administrator, if you choose).
You will now see a new “Meeting Editor” disclosure line. You can now add meetings.
