DotNetNuke® 5 User's Guide: Get Your Website Up and Running

Chapter 2. Installing DotNetNuke

To get started with DotNetNuke (DNN), you must first install it on a web server. Installing DNN can be challenging for those who have never completed the process before. However, after using DNN for a number of websites, you likely will become comfortable with the tools and be able to get a new website up and running in a matter of minutes. A number of other books about DNN go into more detail about the installation process; however, the aim of this book is to cover the basics to get your website up and running.

There are several different ways to install DNN. This chapter walks you through a few of the simple ways: using free tools provided by Microsoft, using tools you may already have installed on your personal computer, and, finally, using a hosting provider's tools to install your website on an external web server.

This chapter discusses the following topics:

• Web server basics

• Pre-installation considerations

• Installation options and resources

• Installing DNN

• Common hosting installation options

Web Server Basics

In order for a website to exist, it must be hosted on a computer known as a web server, which is accessible to the outside world via the Internet or accessible to a local network of computers (for example, in an office environment) for an intranet site. Literally thousands of companies provide services revolving around website hosting; picking the right one to host your website is an important decision. We will cover some of the deciding factors ...