Getting Started:
Installing the Shopping System

Purpose:

This section provides the steps required to install the shopping system in your domain. The section on Privileges and Directory Permissions should be reviewed first

 

Who should read:

Those responsible for installing the system. This is also an excellent overview of the system for database support personal and ISP's.

Outline:

1. Summary of Installation
2. File Location and Directory Worksheet
3. Your Confirmation Letter
4. Downloading the System
5. Where to Install the Software Files?
6. Installing Files
7. The Install Wizard
8. Setting Up Email Processing
9. Common Installation Errors

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Go to Privileges and Directory Permissions

Summary of Installation

1) Complete your installation worksheet
2) Obtain your confirmation letter with system key.
2) Download the appropriate binary.
3) Unarchive the tar or zip file into the tameroot directory.
4) Copy tame to your cgi-bin and make sure it's executable.
5) Browser access !install.tam and follow wizards instructions.

File Location and Directory Worksheet

By answering the questions below, you will have all the path, file locations and names necessary for the installation of your system.

What operating system does your domain server user?

Do you have 2MB of space for the software?

Do you have enough space for your product database?

Has your provider approved, preferably in writing, the installtion of your shop on their server?

Note: Do not use the ATT SMPT server unless you are authorized to do so through a service provider. While our script ships with ATT SMPT server as the default, we do not authorized you to use the server.

What is the path and name of your domain? (use in place of yourdomain in examples)

Where are your cgi scripts loaded? Normally, it is the cgi-bin, but other names are occasionally used. (use in place of yourcgi in examples)

What is the name of your shop?

Your Confirmation Letter

Once you have purchased the shopping software you will receive a confirmation letter. This letter contains pointers to the software for download, manuals and examples. In addition this email contains your system key. Below is a sample letter for reference, yours may vary.

Dear New User,

To install your Shopping System, please download the appropriate file for your platform from:
http://location/
and find our user manual at:
http://documentation/
and additional examples at:
http://examples/

If you are installing on a Windows95 or a NT system, there is an excellent unzip product at: http://www.winzip.com/winzip/ If you use WinZip make sure that you have checked the "Use Folder names" option.

Here is the key for your domain:

You will need to paste this key into the install wizard.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO MANUALLY TYPE THIS KEY INTO THE INSTALL WIZARD; INSTEAD COPY IT TO THE CLIPBOARD AND PASTE IT INTO THE BROWSER.

Downloading the System

Downloading the system is simple. You will need access to a browser, the type of server where the software is to be loaded, and at least 2MB of space on the domain server where your software will reside.

Go to the download site provided by your sales person and select the proper software download for your server type. The system will automatically download the software to your system in the directory of your choice.

Your software is now ready for system installation.

Where to Install Software Files?

The tameroot directory is the root of the directory tree where tame keeps all it's data files and source code files.

The tameroot directory is generally named "tame" and the tameroot should never be under the web document area. This is because sensitive customer data and configuration information is stored under this directory. The "tame" directory can be inside a user's account, or in the server admin directory, or virtually any other relatively secure place other than in the web document tree.

The placement of this directory in a secure location will protect your system and ensure that it functions effectively.

The tameroot directory has two primary sub-directories: global and a web mirror. The global files contains all the program files. The web mirror directory will maintain all of the data and configurations for the shops you create using the program.

Installing Files

Note: Read the directory permissions chapter before attempting to install the shopping system. If the directory permissions are incorrect, the installation will not be complete.

1. After you have created or designated the tameroot directory as outlined in the directory permissions section, put the archived file you downloaded into the tameroot directory.
   
   
2. Unarchive the file with the directory recursion option active. This means you must use an archive software which allows the file being opened to create both files and sub-directories. When this is complete a global directory tree is created and filled with the shopping system files.
   
   UNIX User Note: To open the download file, first use gunzip or zcat to open the *.gz file. Second, use tar to expand the resulting *.tar file.
   
   Windows User Note: To open the download file, an unzip package such as winzip with recursion active will expand the *.zip download file.
   
   
3. Verify that all the files and directories in the global directory tree have the same permissions that you gave the tameroot.
   
   
4. Copy the tame binary or tame.exe to the cgi-bin directory or other cgi directory you have selected on your installation worksheet.
   
   UNIX System Note: Depending on which directory permission scheme you are implementing, you may need to change the group name or sticky bit on the tame binary. Make sure the tame binary is executable for all permissions.
   
   
5. Start your browser and access the install wizard using the appropriate URL:
   
   Note: A browser with table support is required, Netscape is recommended
   
   UNIX/BSD: http://yourdomain/yourcgi/tame/!install.tam
   
   WinNT: http://yourdomain/yourcgi/tame.exe/!install.tam
   
   WinNT IIS: http://yourdomain/scripts/tame.exe/!install.tam?
   
   If your server requires extra path elements to access your cgi-bin then include them in the above URL. Use your worksheet as a reference.
   
   
6. Follow the install wizard's instructions.
   
   NT User Note: If the TAMICONS and example shop files fail to be copied to the web directories, tame probably can not access the cmd.exe file and the copy command. Check the permissions on your system directory.
   
   
7. To begin setting up your mall and shops see the Administration Screens section and go to the examples using your browser.
   
   http://yourdomain/yourcgi/tame/examples/index.tam
   
   
8. For problems/help your shopping system support personnel.

The Install Wizard

The install wizard is a browser based process which will lead you through all the required steps to install the shopping software on your system. Once the wizard is loaded you will need to provide path and directory name from your installation worksheet.

The install wizard will provide you with a list of directory path and file locations. Verify each of these is appropriate for your installation and continue the installation.

Next the system will request your system key. CUT the system key from your confirmation letter and PASTE it into the text box. DO NOT try to type in the key! Select continue to complete the installation.

Using the information you provided, the install wizard will place all files in the appropriate locations and verify that the system is functioning correctly.

If you receive an error during the installation, read the information provided and make the correction indicated. For additional help, see the common error section or contact your support personnel.

Setting Up Email Processing

Processing email is an important part of the shopping system. To process email through a UNIX machine, simply install the system and complete the information requested in the Administration Screens. UNIX will use the standard "sendmail" command. Email will be processed and forwarded to the appropriate location. The default path is /usr/lib/sendmail which is correct for the majority of UNIX systems.

To process mail through a NT server requires a perl scriptn. The perl script is located at TAMEROOT/global/bin/tamemail.pl. This script sends the mail to any available SMPT server.

To configure the NT mail from tame you must:

1. NT perl must be installed installed and running on you machine. Perl 5 preferred.
2. Use the full path of the perl interpreter in Mall Administration under "full path to perl command".
3. In Mall Adminstration, enter the "full path to sendmail command or script" as:
   perl.exe {~!bin/tamemail.pl}
   which is the default setting on an NT.
4. Edit the tamemail.pl script to indicate the SMPT mail server that you are using.

There is a diagnostic page that is shipped with every system. The URL to this page is:

http://yourdomain/yourcgi/tame.exe/!bin/testmail.tam

This page will test the mail channel and report anything that is incorrectly configured.

Common Installation Errors

The software does not operate once installed.

Verify the directory permission are correct. Also, the wrong tame binary may have been selected from the download list. Verify that you are using the correct download system.

 

The shopping system can not find all the folders and files it needs to install.

Your unarchive software was not recursive; therefore, no sub-directories were created. Check your tame directory and verify that the global directory has the appropriate sub-directories. See the directory tree in Privileges and Directory Permissions.

 

The software can not find the cgi directory.

Verify the path to the cgi directory. Often a sub-directory in the path between the root web and the cgi directory has been inadvertently eliminated.

 

Compile error when installing on an NT system.

NT will give an "unknown" user when tame cannot determine the user on the system. Because of the NT system this can happen quite often. Tame is trying to locate under which user the web server is running. Website server runs as the "system" user and IIS runs as IUSR_machinename where machinename is your machine name. If you receive a compile error, that user does not have read/write/execute permission to the tame directory tree. If you correct the permissions, the install should continue fine. Because of improved security this issue may not have existed in prior versions of the system you installed.

Update to your system fails

Our binary may be a higher version than the operating system you currently use. The locations at which we compile periodically update their operating systems. It is possible that an operating system upgrade will produce a compile that no longer works on older versions of the operating system. This is why we list the operating system version on which each binary was compiled in the table at the download site. Often older binaries will run on newer operating systems, but usually newer binaries will not run on older operating systems. If you are upgrading always verify the operating system version.

created: 3/13/97 Katherine C. Davis
updated: 10/14/97 Katherine C. Davis