Tancap Blog

There seem to be a lot of guides on the Internet for getting the necessary components installed to get WordPress working by manually editing environment variables, configuration files, and setting up a MySQL database using phpMyAdmin.  While these guides will certainly get you up and running, using the Web Platform Installer can significantly simplify the process.  This guide was written for using Small Business Server 2008 as the base platform, but it should be pretty much the same process if Windows 2008 is used as well.

Step 1: Install Web Platform Installer

On the server:
Open Internet Explorer and browse to: http://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx.  Download and run the installer.  Depending on your security settings you’ll need to approve the install.

Step 2: Launch the Web Platform Installer

If the web platform installer does not auto start after finishing the install:

In the Internet Information Services Manager, click on your server.  In the management section you should now see “Web Platform Installer”.  Go ahead and open it.  If you don’t see it, try rebooting the server and go back to the IIS Manager again.

Step 3:  Install Update for IIS 7.0 FastCGI

After starting the web platform installer, the first component you will want to install is the “Update for IIS 7.0 FastCGI”.  Check it as shown below and choose install:

Step 4: Install PHP

Go back into the Web Platform Installer.  This time, click on “Web Platform” on the left and click the customize link on Frameworks and Runtimes:

Next, check PHP (current version was 5.2.10 when I took this screenshot) and choose install.  Again follow any prompts that come up to complete the install:

Step 5: Install MySQL

Unfortunately, the Web Platform Installer doesn’t have an option to install MySQL.  Fortunately, doing a default install of MySQL isn’t too bad.  Go to http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/ and download the current community edition install package.  Run the install executable and follow along:

Choose custom and click next:

By default, the database files are stored on the same drive as you choose to install the MySQL program to.  I needed to change this to point to my data drive.  To change this, highlight “MySQL Server Datafiles” under ‘MySQL Server” and click change to be prompted for what path where you want the datafiles to be stored.  When satisfied, click next:

Click next:

Choose detailed configuration and click next:

Choose server machine and click next:

I recommend choosing “Multifunction Database” since there isn’t too much of a penalty for staying flexible and then clicking next:

Make sure you are storing the InnoDB file in the same drive and folder you choose earlier for the datafiles.  After you are done, click next:

Although any setting would work initially here, I recommend choosing manual and setting the cuurent connections to the approximate number of visitors you hope to support at any one time.  After you make your decision, click next:

I choose to enable TCP/IP networking, but not allow connections through the firewall.  If you want to be able to access the database remotely, you may need to change this.  Make your choices and click next:

Choosing “Best Support for Multilingualism” will work fine.  Go ahead and click next:

Make sure the box is checked to install MySQL as a service.  Just in case you end up needing to do something from the command line, I recommend checking the box to allow the bin directory to be added to the path.  When done, click next:

Set a good password that you will remember (you’ll need it in a little bit) and click next:

That was a lot of screens, but it wasn’t that hard.  Click execute to do the install.  When done make sure the MySQL service is started and get ready to start the Web Platform Installer again:

Step 6: Install WordPress

Start the Web Platform Installer again.  This time in the Web Applications section, choose Blogs, check WordPress and choose install.  Go ahead and accept any additional items the installer wants to add if you are prompted to do so:

After the install finishes a wizard should start to guide you through the install.  The settings as shown below or the defaults should work fine.  Complete the requested information and click next:

You’ll need to change some of the defaults on this screen.  Make sure you choose to create a new database and enter the password you set during the MySQL install you did in the last step.  Don’t click continue yet:

As you scroll down, you’ll need to set a user, password, and database name for WordPress to use with MySQL.  Hold off on clicking the continue button for just a bit longer:

After scrolling all the way to the bottom, you’ll see that you need to set some unique keys up for security purposes.  You can either make something up or go to http://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/ and cut and paste (without the quotes).  Even though the keys generated won’t contain just letters and numbers, everything should work OK.  You can finally click the “Continue” button now.

If all is well, you should be able to click the “Launch your web application now” link and start setting up your WordPress blog: