Installation instructions The OS/2 archive contains the executables, configuration file, sample index file, icons and installation manual in PDF format all packaged in a 350 kb zip file. Unzip the distribution. zip -x -dir ceilidh_os2_yyyyy_zzzz.zip where yyyyy represents the language of choice and zzzz represents the version number. You are free to reproduce any of these pages on the web, on your own site, so long as you leave the copyright notice on the bottom of each page intact. Copyright ¸ Lilikoi Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Although this message forum can be placed in any directory and given any name, it is highly recommended that you start out by using a copy of the provided message index page, ceilidh.html, and placing this in the default directory, /ceilidh, off the web server's document root directory. This message index page, outside of the message index itself, is highly customizable. When you post the first message using Ceilidh, control will be passed automatically to the installation/maintenance program, Fiddler, which will ask you to enter a custom password in order to protect your future access. You will then be given the opportunity to modify the behavior of the forum to suit your preference. The following notes should get you started, running your own forum, especially in conjunction with the diagram that shows how these files are arranged on a typical system. 1.Copy the ceilidh.exe, fiddler.exe and testcgi.exe executables, as well as the ceilidh.conf configuration file, from the /cgi-bin directory in the distribution to the web server's cgi-bin directory. 2.Edit the "path=" line in ceilidh.conf to instruct Ceilidh to write the registration database file somewhere other than the "cgi-bin" directory. The web server process should not be given permission to execute any program applications in this directory. 3.Copy the gif files in /ceilidh-icons to a subdirectory of the web data path, /ceilidh-icons. 4.Make a subdirectory under the web server's document root directory named ceilidh and copy the Ceilidh page, /ceilidh/ceilidh.html to this directory. 5.Setting up directory and file permissions requires careful attention. Failure to set up the permissions correctly will result in "mysterious" non-cooperation of the program and could compromise the security of your server. 6.Try posting a message. Go ahead, click on the POST button. When you post your first message, Fiddler will step in and permit you to adjust the index behavior to your preference. 7.Having trouble? If you are having trouble getting Ceilidh and/or Fiddler to run, extensive help is available on-line in the form of a troubleshooting guide, an installation FAQ and an explanation of the fatal error codes that Ceilidh and Fiddler generate when they cannot operate correctly. You can also search this web site (including the messages on the support forum) for answers to your questions. If you are unable to resolve the problem, we invite you to post a message on the support forum, where your problem will receive prompt attention. 8.Customize your forum Once you've got Ceilidh running succesfully, you should edit the index page to your satisfaction and then delete the registration database, ceilidh.dat, and reinitialize the forum by clicking on POST again. This ensures that the appearance of the forum is successfully transferred to the registration database. You can also accomplish this by using Fiddler to "resynchronize the graphic header". Then you should check and adjust the settings that you can change that govern the behavior of the forum. Some of these settings are stored in ceilidh.conf and some are stored in ceilidh.dat. You can use Fiddler to change the latter but you have to change the settings in ceilidh.conf manually. A more important distinction between these settings is that those in ceilidh.conf are common to all forums and those in ceilidh.dat are forum-specific. 9.Subscribe to the Ceilidh listserver We automatically subscribe all registered users to the Ceilidh News and Reviews forum, but if you haven't licensed Ceilidh and/or you want to stay informed of what's happening in the world of Ceilidh, you can subscribe to a Ceilidh listserv kindly set up by Professor N. Sriram. Send a message to majordomo@lennon.shim.org with the phrase "subscribe ceilidh" in the body of the message. Please ensure that your reply-to address is valid. You can unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe ceilidh" to the same address. To send a message to the list use the address ceilidh@lennon.shim.org One message index per page and directory Ceilidh is limited to one forum per web page and one forum per directory. You can run as many forums as you like, but each one must run on a separate web page in its own directory. We recommend that you first install a single forum. Once you have verified that everything works correctly with the default installation, it should be easy to modify things and to add additional forums. Just follow the steps below and, with a bit of luck, you'll be up and running, posting messages within ten minutes. If you're one of those for whom a picture is worth a thousand words, then you will want to refer to the diagrammatic representation of how these files should be arranged. 1.Copy the Ceilidh, Fiddler and TestCGI executables to the web server's cgi-bin directory. Ceilidh is a stand-alone program that does not require Fiddler. Nevertheless, Fiddler greatly facilitates both the installation and the maintenance of Ceilidh's message indices. We recommend that you use these programs in conjunction. TestCGI is a CGI diagnostic program that facilitates troubleshooting server problems. You should take advantage of the "path=" option in ceilidh.conf, the configuration file, to direct Ceilidh to use a directory other than "cgi-bin" to write the ceilidh.dat, registration database file, especially with BeOS and UNIX. This is an absolute requirement when running Apache on a UNIX server. The web server process must have read/execute permission for the "cgi-bin" directory, but "ceilidh.dat" should be written to a directory for which the server has read/write permission. See the section on security for more precautions you should take. 2.Copy the gif files in /ceilidh-icons to a subdirectory of the web data path, /ceilidh-icons. 3.Make a subdirectory of the web data path, /ceilidh and copy the supplied message index page, /ceilidh/ceilidh.html, to this directory. The web data path must be on a partition that supports long filenames. The BeOS & UNIX versions of ceilidh.html are confusing. The line calls the executable, ceilidh, that is located in the cgi-bin directory. The second ceilidh indicates that the index page is stored in the directory /ceilidh located directly below the server root. This second ceilidh provides the HTTP PATH_INFO variable. 4.Go ahead and post a message. Fiddler automatically intercepts your first use of a new forum and leads you through the process of customizing the behavior of the forum to suit your needs. You should initialize new forums immediately upon installation to ensure that your password is the one that controls Fiddler. Fiddler will be activated when you click on any of the URLs that call Ceilidh or Fiddler. The above assumes the default configuration for everything. You can change the names of the executables, the index (forum) page, the forum directory and the cgi-bin and icons directories. While this complicates installation, it greatly adds to Ceilidh's flexibility. These configuration options will be necessary if any of the server's settings are not regular or the paths have been aliased. You can change any or all of the critical directory and file names but, before you do this, please ensure that everything works correctly using the default filename and directories, if possible. You will potentially save yourself considerable anguish if you have verified that everything works correctly when you install Ceilidh according to the above instructions. Troubleshooting will also be much easier if you subsequently change the default settings and Ceilidh stops working. Changing these settings can become very tricky, especially under BeOS and UNIX. Changing the index page name and/or location You will need to correct the index page URLs manually, or you will most likely trigger fatal error #3000. All is not lost, however. Just make sure that you correct the index page URLs. Fiddler and message index configuration The behavior of Ceilidh is controlled by settings stored in the primary configuration file, ceilidh.conf, and the registration database, ceilidh.dat. The settings stored in the registration database can be adjusted either through Fiddler or manually, using a text editor. The settings that allow changes to the properties of the forum are explained in detail in the description of the registration database. If you want to change the default behavior of a forum manually, i.e., using a text editor instead of Fiddler, then you should familiarize yourself with this documentation. Troubleshooting installation Having problems? Diagnostic error messages usually reveal the source of configuration problems. If you can't get Ceilidh to run correctly, the troubleshooting page offers a step-by-step guide to fixing common installation problems. Creating additional forums Create a new directory If, for example, you want to create a new forum to discuss the properties of round widgets, you would create a new directory in the web data path /widgets/round Copy an index page Copy an index page, e.g., ceilidh.html, to this new directory. You can rename this index page to anything you like. Adjusting the index page There are up to five critical (for Ceilidh) URLs on an index page. In addition to the URL that calls Ceilidh itself for normal message posting, there are up to four optional, additional URLs that allow users to call Ceilidh for the purpose of changing their e-mail notification options, editing their registration information, allow the administrator to activate Fiddler to make changes to the index behavior and allow the administrator (and users) to run the TestCGI diagnostic program. If you move the index page to a different directory you must correct the URLs prior to use of that index page. Failure to correct the index page name will result in messages appearing in the wrong forum, or the appearance of fatal error #3000. The complete description of the sample index page provided with the Ceilidh distribution is illustrated for OS/2 . Post a message Fiddler automatically intercepts your first use of a new forum and guides you through the process of customizing the forum. You should initialize new forums immediately upon installation to ensure that your password is the one that controls Fiddler. Fiddler will be activated when you click on any of the URLs that call Ceilidh or Fiddler. That's it! That's all there is to creating new forums. If you would like to make each forum behave differently you should take a close look at the numerous configuration options. Ceilidh's settings can be altered on either a global or a local (per forum) basis in the primary configuration file, ceilidh.conf, and the registration database, ceilidh.dat, respectively. Making changes to the behavior of specific forums is facilitated by the web-based administrative program Fiddler. Robot exclusion You might want to take a look at information on how to exclude robots, robotic search engines, from indexing the contents of your forums.