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Website User: Tutorials Portal


Create & Import
Applications

Install new applications (ie. create new websites) or import existing websites into Installatron:

Manage Your
Websites

Installatron's tools for managing existing websites:

Create & Manage
Backups

Create, restore, and delete backups:

Glossary

  • Backup

    1. verb: the action of creating a single-file compressed archive of everything associated with a website (files and database).

    2. noun: a backed up application. eg. "this backup is one file and is using 55MB of disk space"

    (see: Backup)

  • Clone

    1. verb: the action of copying an install to a different URL and making the necessary edits to the clone.

    (see: Clone)

  • Delete

    1. verb: the action of removing a backup file from where it is restored. This action cannot be undone.

    (see: Delete)

  • Edit

    1. verb: the action of editing an application from the My Applications tab. This gives you access to Installatron's information and settings for that application.

  • Import

    1. verb: the action of bringing an existing, already installed, application into Installatron so that Installatron can manage the application from now on.

    (see: Import)

  • Install

    1. verb: the action of using Installatron to install an application, to create a new website.

    2. noun: an installed application. eg. "this install is an instance of WordPress"

    (see: Install)

  • Live website

    1. noun: a website that is intended to be seen by the public. Whether a website is identified as "live" or "stage" is entirely an Installatron designation, selected by you, to make it easier to identify which of your websites are the important live sites and which are the experimental stages.

    (see also: sync)

  • Migrate

    1. verb: the action of copying a website from a remote server to this webhosting account, making any necessary changes to the moved website, and then importing the application into Installatron.

    (see: Migrate)

  • Restore

    1. verb: the action of extracting a backup archive to either the URL where it originally came from or to a new URL -- both the files and its database are restored and are edited if necessarily due to the chosen location.

    (see: Restore)

  • sync

    1. :

  • Stage website

    1. noun: a website that is not intended to be seen by the public. Whether a website is identified as "stage" or "live" is entirely an Installatron designation, selected by you, to make it easier to identify which of your websites are the important live sites and which are the experimental stages.

    (see also: clone)

  • Uninstall

    1. verb: the action of deleting an application's files and database tables, and removing it from Installatron.

    (see: Uninstall)

  • Update

    1. verb: the action of upgrading a website's application to a newer version by replacing its current files with the newer versions files, and updating the application's database tables when necessary.

    (see: Update)

How to Install an application

To install an application;

1. Open the "Applications Browser" tab.


2. Click the application you wish to install.

Community Building includes forum systems (also known as bulletin boards), guestbooks, and mailing list applications.

3. Click the "install this application" button.

WordPress


WordPress is an open source blog application. WordPress forked from b2/cafelog in 2003, and WordPress Mu multiple website functionality has been integrated since 2010. Today WordPress is the most used blog application powering millions of blogs and being used by tens of millions of people every day.

4. Configure the application.

The install wizard will collect information, such as the domain and version, and then perform the install.

Each section of the install wizard is detailed below:

Location

The "Location" section prompts you to select domain and an optional folder. The combination of these two values is the URL where the website will be viewed in your web browser.

For example, if you select a domain of:

https://myexampledomain.com

And a folder value of:

myfamilyblog

Then you will be viewing the resulting website in your browser at:

https://myexampledomain.com/myfamilyblog

Whoops!

What should you do if you install the application in the wrong place, giving you a URL that you don't want to use? The temptation might be to move the application's files to a different folder but that is not an ideal solution.

Firstly, it will break Installatron's link to the application. Installatron will still be looking for the application's files in its original location. So Installatron will now show an error message.

Secondly, it can also break the application. Some applications are hard-coded to the URL and file-path where they are originally installed, so moving their files to a new location will subtly break them.

Both of those problems can have solutions but the solutions are fiddly unless you know how to perform the finicky operations involved.

Moving an application

Better ways to move an application are to:

  • You can use Installatron to create a backup of the original application, then restore that backup to a new location and select the desired URL as the destination for the clone. There you can check that it's working, then uninstall the original install.
  • You can use Installatron to clone the application to the new location. There you can check that it is working, then uninstall the original install.

Content

Allows you to choose a version of the application to install, the language to install it in, and sometimes the type of additional content to add to the application.

Which version should you install?

If you don't need to install a specific version then you should install the newest version that you are able to install on your webhosting account.

Settings

Most web applications have a block of settings that allow you to customize the application. For example, an application might ask you to enter an administrator password, password, and an email address that will be added to the application.

In the case of WordPress it also asks if you want to include some useful WordPress plugins in the install process.

Whoops!

What happens if you made a typo in any of the values here? No problem! The values entered here can usually be modified later within Installatron or within the installed application.

Advanced

The final section are the advanced settings. You don't need to touch these unless you specifically need to modify any of these: Database Management, Automatic Update, Default Backup Location, Automatic Backup, and Email Notification.

All of those except Database Management can be easily edited after the application is installed.


5. Press Install.

Press the "Install" button at the bottom of the page to begin installing the files, folders, and database tables. This involves sourcing and extracting archives, running the application's own install scripts, and applying CHMOD permission to files and folders.

Most installs take less than a minute or two.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the install executes in the background, and because the install is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can begin using your newly installed application from the "My Applications" tab.

How to Edit an application

To edit the information that Installatron has for an application;

1. Open the "My Applications" tab.


2. Find the application you want to edit and press its edit button.


3. Browse and edit the values.

The application's information is spread across the following tabs:

These tabs are briefly described below:

Status

The status page shows you information about this install, the application, and any problems Installatron has identified with the website.

See Edit: Status for documentation about this tab.

Plugins (WordPress only)

If this application is WordPress then there will be a "Plugins" tab here that allows you to manage the plugins used by the WordPress application.

See Edit: Plugins for documentation about this tab.

Themes (WordPress only)

If this application is WordPress then there will be a "Themes" tab here that allows you to manage the themes used by the WordPress application.

See Edit: Themes for documentation about this tab.

Backups

Here you'll find the backups associated with this website.

See Edit: Backups for documentation about this tab.

Logs

These are the Installatron log entries associated with this website.

See Edit: Logs for documentation about this tab.

Settings

From the settings tab you can configure the following from each of the sidebar tabs:

General

Here you can change the title (as appears in Installatron), the URL that Installatron should use to address this website, change its staging status, and edit this website's email notifications.

See Edit: Settings: General for documentation about this sub-tab.

Application

From here you can edit the application's internal fields. Fields are settings that are associated with each specific version of each specific application and they typically include values like the administrative user's username, password, email address, and language selection, and sometimes also values like the website's title and subtitle.

For WordPress websites this can also include the configuration of some built-in plugins.

See Edit: Settings: Application for documentation about this sub-tab.

Auto-Update

Automatic-update ("auto-update") is one of Installatron's primary uses. When this is enabled Installatron will automatically update/upgrade your website's application as new versions become available.

This is important because updates often fix security exploits and once your website becomes public there will always be people and bots trying to gain access to your site. If your application is not kept up to date it will be at maximum risk of being hacked.

The settings on this page allow you to configure auto-update.

See Edit: Settings: Auto-Update for documentation about this sub-tab.

Auto-Backup

Automatic-update ("auto-update") is another of Installatron's primary uses. When this is enabled Installatron will regularly (however you have configured) backup your website.

These backups are then found in the Backups edit tab, described a few paragraphs above, or the main My Backups tab, and from there the backups can be restored back to where they came from or to a new location entirely, should you ever need to do so.

Backups are vital for your website because webhosting is not a stable or 100% safe platform. What I mean by that is that even though webhosting platforms are as stable and as safe as they can be with the current Internet technology they are still an ever-changing environment, which means that websites can suddenly break that were working for years, and public websites are constantly under attack by bots (an automated script that is trying to hack websites) and hackers who are trying to gain access to websites.

The settings on this page allow you to configure auto-backup.

See Edit: Settings: Auto-Backup for documentation about this sub-tab.

PHP

The PHP requirements of this version of this application. You can't change anything here but you will be able to see if there are any known requirements of the application that are not currently met by the version and configuration of PHP that is used by your domain at this time.

See Edit: Settings: PHP for documentation about this sub-tab.

Files

The location of the application's files (in your webhosting account), the path to the application's main configuration files (if it has any), and a list of top-level files and folders that are associated with this application.

The list of files/folders is important here: only the files and folders that are ☑checked are considered, by Installatron, to be part of this website. So only the checked top-level files and folders will be included in backups, clones, and uninstalls.

See Edit: Settings: Files for documentation about this sub-tab.

Database (only if the application uses a database)

The application's database values, plus a list of database tables associated with this application.

The list of tables is important here: only the tables that are ☑checked are considered, by Installatron, to be part of this website. So only the checked tables will be included in backups, clones, and uninstalls.

See Edit: Settings: Database for documentation about this sub-tab.



4. Press "Save All".

Press the "Save All" button, found at the bottom of each tab, to save any changes you've made.

How to Update an application

To update an application;

1. Open the "My Applications" tab.


2. Press the app's "Update" button.

Find the application you want to update and press its update button (tip: the update button will only be visible if updates are available).


3. Configure the update.

The update wizard will allow you to choose a destination version for the update process (the newest version that you can update to is the one to choose) and you can also select whether to have Installatron automatically create a backup prior to running the update (highly recommended!).

If your website uses the WordPress application, and if there are also plugin/theme updates available, you will be asked if you want to update the plugins and themes.

See Update Wizard for documentation about this action.


4. Press Update.

Press the "Update" button to begin updating the application's files and database. This may involve sourcing and extracting archives, editing files, calling the app's update scripts over HTTP, and applying CHMOD values to files and directories. Most update processes take less than a minute or two.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the update executes in the background, and because the update is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can use your newly updated application again from the "My Applications" tab.

How to Backup an application

To backup an application;

1. Open the "My Applications" tab.


2. Press the app's "Backup" button.

Find the application you want to backup and press its backup button.


3. Configure the backup.

The backup wizard will ask you where you would like the backup to be stored and it allows you to add an optional label to the backup.

Tip: Even when the backup is to be stored off-server it must still be created in your webhosting account first so make sure that your webhosting account has plenty of disk space available.


4. Press Backup.

Press the "Backup" button to begin creating the backup archive. This usually involves extracting a copy of the application's database and then creating a tarball from the extracted database and the application's files. The resulting .tar.gz file will then be moved to its backup-location and any temp files deleted.

The backup process usually takes less than a minute or two however very large applications can take a lot longer.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the backup executes in the background, and because the backup is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can access your new backup from the "My Backups" tab.

How to Clone an application

To clone an application;

1. Open the "My Applications" tab.


2. Press the app's "Clone" button.

Find the application you want to create a copy from and press its clone button.


3. Configure the clone.

The clone wizard will show you information about the source website, ask you where you would like to create the clone, and there are optional configuration questions for the clone.


4. Press Clone.

Press the "Clone" button to begin creating the clone. This usually involves extracting a copy of the application's database and then creating a tarball from the extracted database and the application's files. The resulting .tar.gz file will then be moved to the location of the clone and restored like a regular Installatron backup.

The cloning process usually takes less than a minute or two however very large applications can take a lot longer.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the cloning executes in the background, and because the cloning is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can access your new clone from the "My Applications" tab.

How to Sync an application

To sync an application;

1. Open the "My Applications" tab.


2. Press the live app's "Sync" button.

Find the live application that you want to sync -- this the live website that you want to update with content from a stage application -- and press its sync button.


3. Configure the sync.

The sync wizard will first ask you for the source application, the stage to pull files and/or database tables from.

The Location field lists all other applications in your account, of the same type as the live site being synced and they are ordered by: a) firstly by websites that are identified as stages of the website being synced, b) then stages that are just the same type as the site being synced, and c) finally by websites of the same type but that are tagged as live sites.

Note that if you change the the Location field then the rest of the page will reload.

Next, select the files and tables that you want to pull from the stage to update the live site. Files and tables in red will be overwritten if that item is checked (which is the whole point of syncing).


4. Press Sync.

Press the "Sync" button to begin creating updating the live application. This involves copying the checked files and database tables to the destination application.

The sync process usually takes less than a minute or two however very large applications can take a lot longer.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the syncing executes in the background, and because the syncing is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can access your updated website from the "My Applications" tab.

How to Template an application

To template an application;

1. Install an application.

Install an application that you can use for this example. WordPress is a good choice.


2. Customise the website/install.

Log into the application's administrative backend, by clicking the login link, and then customize the application as you like. You can add content, plugins, and themes. Change colors, disable or enable features.


3. Open the "My Applications" tab in Installatron.


4. Press the app's "Template" button.

Find the application you want to create a template from and press its template button.


4. Configure the template.

The template wizard will first ask you to give the new template a title and description, and then the type of template (and accompanying information depending on the type selected).

See My Applications: Template for more information about the fields on this page.


5. Press Template.

Press the "Template" button to begin creating template. This involves creating a backup of the website and configuring it as an Installatron template.

The template process usually takes less than a minute or two however very large applications can take a lot longer.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the syncing executes in the background, and because the templating is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can manage your newly created template from Applications: Templates.

How to Uninstall an application

To uninstall an application;

1. Open the "My Applications" tab.


2. Press the app's "Uninstall" button.

Find the application you want to uninstall and press its uninstall button.




3. Press Uninstall.

Press the "Uninstall" button to begin uninstalling the application. This will delete all files and database tables that Installatron knows to be associated with the application. If the database was created by Installatron during the original install and is now empty now that the app's tables are deleted, then the table will also be deleted.

The uninstall process usually takes less than 20 seconds.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the uninstall executes in the background, and because the uninstall is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Warning: The only way to undo an uninstall would be to restore a reliable backup.

How to Import an application from this account

To import an application;

1. Open the "Applications Browser" tab.


2. Click the application of the type you wish to import.

Community Building includes forum systems (also known as bulletin boards), guestbooks, and mailing list applications.

3. Click to open more options.

WordPress


WordPress is an open source blog application. WordPress forked from b2/cafelog in 2003, and WordPress Mu multiple website functionality has been integrated since 2010. Today WordPress is the most used blog application powering millions of blogs and being used by tens of millions of people every day.

4. Click the "import existing install" button.

WordPress


WordPress is an open source blog application. WordPress forked from b2/cafelog in 2003, and WordPress Mu multiple website functionality has been integrated since 2010. Today WordPress is the most used blog application powering millions of blogs and being used by tens of millions of people every day.

5. Click the "from this account" button (on the left).

This page lets you select between a local Import or a remote Migration, so click the left button to continue with the import.


6. Configure the import.

The import wizard will ask you for a domain and an optional folder. The combination of these two values is the URL where the website that you are importing is viewed in your web browser.

For example, if you select an application type of WordPress, and a domain of:

https://myexampledomain.com

And a folder value of:

myfamilyblog

Then you should be able to see a WordPress website in your web browser at this address:

https://myexampledomain.com/myfamilyblog

If you don't see the type of application that you a trying to install at the URL that you entered then it's unlikely that Installatron will be able to import the website.


7. Press Import.

Press the "Import" button to import the application into Installatron.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab where the imported application is now ready to use.

How to Migrate an application from a different account/server

To migrate an application from a different account or a remote server and then import it into Installatron;

1. Open the "Applications Browser" tab.


2. Click the application of the type you wish to migrate.

Community Building includes forum systems (also known as bulletin boards), guestbooks, and mailing list applications.

3. Click to open more options.

WordPress


WordPress is an open source blog application. WordPress forked from b2/cafelog in 2003, and WordPress Mu multiple website functionality has been integrated since 2010. Today WordPress is the most used blog application powering millions of blogs and being used by tens of millions of people every day.

4. Click the "import existing install" button.

WordPress


WordPress is an open source blog application. WordPress forked from b2/cafelog in 2003, and WordPress Mu multiple website functionality has been integrated since 2010. Today WordPress is the most used blog application powering millions of blogs and being used by tens of millions of people every day.

5. Click the "from a remote account" button (on the right).

This page lets you select between a local Import or a remote Migration, so click the right button to continue with the migration.


6. Configure the migration.

The migration wizard will ask for some information about the source and destination websites.

The source website requires two things: its URL (the address that you view the website in your web browser) and a way to connect to the remote server that the source website is currently installed on.

The destination website is the combination of a domain and an optional path -- the combination of these two values is the destination URL where the website will be viewed in your web browser after it is moved to the account that you are using Installatron from.

For example, if you select a domain of:

https://myexampledomain.com

And a folder value of:

myfamilyblog

Then you will be viewing the resulting website in your browser at:

https://myexampledomain.com/myfamilyblog

The remaining destination values can be handled automatically by Installatron or you can override them if you wish to use a specific, pre-existing database for the migrated website.


7. Press Migrate.

Press the "Migrate" button to migrate the application to your webhosting account and then import it into Installatron.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the migration executes in the background, and because the migration is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can begin using your newly migrated application from the "My Applications" tab.

How to Delete a backup

To delete a backup;

1. Open the "My Backups" tab.


2. Find the backup you want to delete and press its delete button.


The wizard will show you the backup to be deleted and ask you to confirm the action.


3. Press Delete.

Press the "Delete" button to delete the backup.

You will be redirected to the "My Backups" with the backup removed.

How to Restore a backup

The restore backup tool returns a backup's files and database tables to either their original location (and so, restoring the website to the state as it existed when the backup was created) or to a new location (and so, recreating the website at a completely new URL).

This process will overwrite any files, folders, and database tables that exist at the location chosen as the destination for the restore.

To restore a backup;

1. Open the "My Backups" tab.


2. Find the backup you want to restore and press its restore button.




3. Select the restore type.

The restore backup wizard will ask if you want to restore the backup to its original location (that is, the URL where the website existed at the time the backup was created) or to a new location (a new URL that exists within your webhosting account).


4. Select the destination.

If you chose to restore the backup to a new location then the restore backup wizard will ask for a domain and an optional folder. The combination of these two values is the URL where the restored website will be viewed in your web browser.

For example, if you select a domain of:

https://myexampledomain.com

And a folder value of:

myfamilyblog

Then the restored website will be viewed at this address:

https://myexampledomain.com/myfamilyblog

The remaining settings on this page are automatically handled by Installatron but you can take control of them if you have a need.


5. Check.

Before you go ahead with the restoration you are given the opportunity to see what exists in the folder and database that will be used by the restored website -- files and tables in red will be overwritten by the restored website.

If you are restoring an older version of the same website then you expect it to be overwriting all of the existing website's files and database tables, but if you're restoring to a new location then be wary of red entries in this list.

/home/myusername/public_html/myblog/
  • config.php
  • settings.php
  • index.php
  • license.txt
myusername_dbname
  • config
  • comments
  • options
  • users

6. Press Restore.

Press the "Restore" button to begin restoring the backup.

You will be redirected to the "My Applications" tab while the restoration executes in the background, and because the restore is executing in the background you are free to navigate away from Installatron if you wish.

Upon completion, you can begin using your newly restored application from the "My Applications" tab.

Administrator: Tutorials Portal


Administration

Tutorials for installing, transferring, and uninstalling both Installatron Plugin and Installatron Server.

Licenses

Tutorials involving Installatron Plugin licenses.

Customization

Tutorials for the customization of Installatron.

Advanced

Tutorials involving advanced topics for Installatron Plugin and Installatron Server.

Glossary

  • Installatron Plugin

    1. noun: the action of using Installatron to install an application, to create a new website.

    (see: Installatron Plugin)

  • Installatron Server

    1. noun: the standalone version of Installatron that administrators can hook into their own webhosting systems. (note: previously known as Installatron Servers)

    (see: Installatron Server)

How do I install Installatron Plugin?

You require access to a CLI shell on the server as the root user in order to install Install Plugin.

The steps are described here: How to Install Installatron Plugin.

TODO... the install instructions could be moved to here, instead of linking to them.

How do I install Installatron Server?

You require access to a CLI shell on the server as the root user in order to install Install Server.

The steps are described here: How to Install Installatron Server.

TODO... if we keep the linked page then we can probably change the URL to it.

TODO... the install instructions could be moved to here, instead of linking to them.

How do I upgrade/update Installatron Plugin or Installatron Server?

Installatron automatically adds a Crontab or Windows Task Scheduler process to upgrade/update once per day. This automatic process can be disabled and re-enabled through Installatron's administration page.

To force an upgrade/update you can either:

1. Select the appropriate tab from these options and follow the instructions therein:

Run these commands as root (DON'T RUN THESE COMMANDS IF YOU ARE USING INSTALLATRON SERVER!):
		
		curl -O https://data.installatron.com/installatron-plugin.sh
		chmod +x installatron-plugin.sh
		./installatron-plugin.sh -f --quick

Tip: To run update in interactive mode, remove -f from the last command.

To perform an update on Installatron Plugin Windows, follow
		the same setups used to install Installatron Plugin.
		See: https://installatron.com/plugin/download/pleskwindows
Run these commands as root (DON'T RUN THESE COMMANDS IF YOU ARE USING INSTALLATRON PLUGIN!):
		
		curl -O https://data.installatron.com/installatron-server.sh
		chmod +x installatron-server.sh
		./installatron-server.sh -f --quick

Tip: To run update in interactive mode, remove -f from the last command.

To perform an update on Installatron Server Windows, re-run the installatron-server.exe wizard.

Or, alternatively:

1. Open the "Administration" tab.


2. Click "Installatron" in the Administration section of the sidebar.


3. Click .

How do I transfer Installatron Plugin to another server?

To transfer Installatron Plugin to another server and retain all existing installed applications, backups, and administrative settings:

  1. Ensure that you have the latest version of Installatron Plugin installed on the new server.
  2. Disable Installatron Plugin on the old server (in Administration > General).
  3. Transfer the control panel user accounts to the new server. Make sure the ".appdata" and "application_backups" directories are included in the account transfer.
  4. Use your account page to change the assignment on the license to the new server.
  5. Install Installatron on the new server.
  6. To reinstate administrative settings: After Installatron Plugin is installed on the new server, copy these files and directories from the old server to the new server. Note that depending on the control panel software used some of these files may not exist.

    /usr/local/installatron/etc/settings.ini
    /root/.appdata/
    /home/admin/.appdata/
    /var/installatron/data/admin/
  7. Finally, execute these commands as root to rebuild caches on the new server:
    /usr/local/installatron/installatron --repair --recache
    /usr/local/installatron/installatron --send-update-report

How do I transfer Installatron Server to another server?

Installatron Server was previously named Installatron Server -- they are the same product

To transfer Installatron Server to another server and retain all existing installed applications, backups, and administrative settings:

  1. Create a fresh install of Installatron Server on the new server by following the install steps here TODO.
  2. Next, edit this file (on the new server) and take note of the mysql_user= and mysql_pass= values; you're going to need them in a moment.
  3. /usr/local/installatron/etc/settings.ini
  4. Now copy these directories from the old server to the same locations on the new server:
  5. /var/installatron/data
    /usr/local/installatron/etc
  6. Now edit /usr/local/installatron/etc/settings.ini again and replace the values of mysql_user= and mysql_pass= with the values that you saved from the file before it was overwritten. This will point Installatron back to the new database.
  7. If the old instance of Installatron Server uses a local MySQL database then transfer it to the the new server, overwriting the initial database created for the new install (ie. drop all the tables from the database and then import the .sql file into the now-empty database). Typically, the Installatron database is named "itron".
  8. ..or, if the old instance of Installatron Server uses a remote MySQL database, and you wish to continue using that remote database for the new Installatron Server instance, then when you install the new IS instance you can add the optional --db-host=, --db-user=, --db-pass=, and --db-name= parameters as described in the install steps TODO.

How do I renew a monthly or annual Installatron Plugin license before it expires?

To renew an Installatron Plugin license;

1. Log into Installatron.com

Make sure you're logged into the Installatron.com website and then click "My Account".



2. Click "Manage Licenses" in the Installatron Plugin section.


3. Click the expiration date of the license that you want to renew.

Viewing of 1
ID ACTIVATED RENEWAL TYPE ASSIGNMENT HOSTNAME  
1010101 2001-01-01
2025-09-13
VPS INTERNAL my.server.net  

4. Create an invoice.

This page is used to create a license renewal invoice which, once paid, will extend the expiration date of your license.


Tip: Licenses renewed before expiration have the renewal added to the existing expiration. There is no waste when renewing early.

Tip: To renew multiple licenses together: ☑️ select the licenses at step 3 and then change the "WITH SELECTED..." field to "Renew" -- an invoice will be created for renewing all selected licenses.

Tip: To have licenses automatically renew: ☑️ select the licenses at step 3 and then change the "WITH SELECTED..." field to "Turn Auto-Renew ON".

How do I change the IP on my Installatron Plugin license?

To edit your license(s);

1. Log into Installatron.com

Make sure you're logged into the Installatron.com website and then click "My Account".



2. Click "Manage Licenses' in the Installatron Plugin section.


3. Enter a new IP address the license's "ASSIGNMENT" field.

Viewing of 1
ID ACTIVATED RENEWAL TYPE ASSIGNMENT HOSTNAME  
1010101 2001-01-01 2025-09-13 VPS INTERNAL
my.server.net  

4. Click the "Save Assignment Changes" button.

Viewing of 1
ID ACTIVATED RENEWAL TYPE ASSIGNMENT HOSTNAME  
1010101 2001-01-01 2025-09-13 VPS INTERNAL my.server.net  

How do I license a server that is routed behind a WAN or LAN intranet?

Installatron requires a public IP address for licensing. You can view the IP address that Installatron thinks should be the licensed IP address by installing Installatron, if it's not already installed, or by running this command:

/usr/local/installatron/installatron --refresh-license

In either case, read the output to see the IP address that Installatron thinks should be licensed.

However, you can also see what is likely to be the correct IP address by running one of these commands:

ifconfig
(or)
curl ifconfig.co

And then try this:

echo "BROARDCAST_IP_IN_IFCONFIG" > /usr/local/installatron/mainip
rm -f /usr/local/installatron/etc/license.key
/usr/local/installatron/repair -f --quick

Where FIRST_IP_IN_IFCONFIG is the 'broadcast' IP address that you'll find in the first part of ifconfig's output.

Additionally, make sure that this works:

curl -v https://data.installatron.com/manifest.md5

If that fails then you might simply have a problem with your firewall configuration.

Finally, if you are using Installatron Plugin with the DirectAdmin then read this DirectAdmin FAQ entry: https://www.directadmin.com/lan.shtml

Specifically, if you know the server's correct public outbound IP address then you might be able to solve any problems by adding this:

lan_ip={the_outbound_ip}

To this DirectAdmin configuration file:

/usr/local/directadmin/conf/directadmin.conf

How do I re-apply installed application branding after changing it?

Executing the following command from CLI will reapply installed application branding.

Depending on the number of installed applications this command may take some time to complete.

/usr/local/installatron/installatron --rebrand-installs

How do I forcibly enable Automatic Update for all installed applications?

Automatic Update will automatically create a backup and update installed applications immediately as new versions become available. In the event the update fails, Installatron will automatically restore the created backup.

Automatic Update can be forcibly enabled for every installed application on a server by executing this command from the SSH root command prompt:

/usr/local/installatron/installatron --edit --id :all --autoup=2

Alternatively, to limit Automatic Update to minor versions and security releases, use this command instead:

/usr/local/installatron/installatron --edit --id :all --autoup=1

Or, to forcibly update only particular applications (WordPress applications in this example):

/usr/local/installatron/installatron --edit --id :wordpress --autoup=2

(where wordpress is a value taken from the APP ID column of this page: https://installatron.com/appstable)

How do I integrate Installatron with my own control panel?

Installatron Server can be integrated into any web hosting control panel or user interface with the use of APIs. See Installatron Server: Getting Started TODO(/ie/ now?) for a description of the process.

How do I create an Installatron Fast Update server?

Installatron Fast Update deploys a local Installatron data mirror on a hosting provider's server, allowing Installatron to be installed and updated through the local network instead of through the traditional Internet. In the event the Fast Update server being offline, out of sync, or missing a file, servers will automatically fallback to updating through the Internet. Fast Update saves bandwidth, increases update speed, and is fully redundant.

To deploy an Installatron Fast Update server please follow the below instructions.

Two configuration modes are available for Installatron Fast Update:

  • 'mini' which includes the latest files and other files updated within the past year.
  • 'full' which includes all files.

A 'mini' Fast Update server currently requires around 20GB disk space and a 'full' Fast Update server currently requires around 80GB disk space, with both growing at approximately 200MB per month.

To setup Installatron Fast Update

Provision a small server or VPS with CentOS 6+ (or similar) and 512MB dedicated memory (or more depending on the number of servers using the data mirror). The recommended disk quota is 60GB for 'mini' mode and 160GB for 'full' mode to allow for growth without continually needing to increase the quota. This server can be configured to only accept incoming connections from within your network. Note that, in general, Fast Update servers are extremely lightweight; if only a couple hundred servers will be using the Fast Update server then it's feasible to use an account on an existing shared hosting server instead of a dedicated server/VPS.

Once the bare server is provisioned: no control panel software is necessary to be installed, however using control panel software may save some management time in the long run.

To set up a Fast Update server on a CentOS server without control panel software, execute the below command from the server's SSH root command prompt. Skip this section if a control panel will be used instead.

yum install httpd

Finally, add the below cronjob to sync Installatron data every hour. If a control panel or shared hosting account was chosen, the cronjob's reference to the /var/www/html directory should be modified to point to the home directory of the control panel account created for Fast Update.

For 'mini' mode:

43 * * * * rsync -rlptDvzW --port 2222 --delete data1.installatron.com::mini/ /var/www/html

For 'full' mode:

43 * * * * rsync -rlptDvzW --port 2222 --delete data1.installatron.com::full/ /var/www/html

Now that the Fast Update server is activated, to configure existing servers to use the server as their primary data source execute this command from the SSH root command prompt on each server:

echo "mirror=installatron.company.com" >> /usr/local/installatron/etc/settings.ini

To provision new servers, execute this command from the SSH root command prompt (replacing controlpanel with the type of control panel -- eg. cpanel, directadmin, or plesk):

FASTUPDATE=installatron.company.com rpm -Uvh http://installatron.company.com/installatron-plugin-controlpanel.latest.noarch.rpm

Want a fully-managed Fast Update server?

We provide full management services for Installatron Fast Update servers under certain circumstances. Please contact us for further information.

How do I share an Installatron Plugin or Installatron Server configuration between multiple servers?

There are two ways to manage instances of Installatron across multiple servers:

  • You can use Installatron's in-built Multi-Server tool.
  • Or you can personally mirror Installatron's configuration files using rsync or a product like Puppet.

Both methods are described here.


To use Installatron's Multi-Server tool to automate the sharing of Installatron's configuration across multiple servers:

1. Open the "Administration" tab.


2. Click "Multi-Server" in the Tools section of the sidebar.


3. Follow the instructions on that page.


Or, alternatively;

To manage the mirroring of Installatron Plugin yourself (WARNING: do not manage the mirroring of Installatron Server yourself!):

1. Mirror the following files between servers using rsync or a product like Puppet:

/usr/local/installatron/etc/settings.ini
/usr/local/installatron/etc/installercustomcode.php
/root/.appdata/
/home/admin/.appdata/
/var/installatron/data/admin/
/var/installatron/data/root/

Note that depending on the control panel software used some of these files may not exist. You need only mirror files that exist.

How do I add a https://installatron.com/apps/-style page to my website?

How do I use the Installatron List Builder?

1. Open the "Administration" tab.


2. Click "List Builder" in the Tools section of the sidebar.


3. Fill the values on this page.

Build Location
 
Template

Build Location is a server path where you want the List Builder files to be created. There will be one file for each Group that you're using (or just a single file if you're only using only the default Group).

Template is the schema used to build each line in those files, where each line represents one application.


There are two approaches to using List Builder:

The first approach is to use a HTML <li> list-style template:

Template

<li><a href='{url}'>{script}</a> v{version}</li>

That can then be incorporated into a website with simple PHP:

echo "<ul>";
include "FILENAME";
echo "</ul>";

(where FILENAME is the name of file built by List Builder)

This can be CSS styled to fit the design of your website.


Or, alternatively;

A second approach is to use List Builder to build a "flat" database:

Template

{application}|{id}|{build}|{branch}|{version}|{type}|{group}|{popular}|{created}|{modified}|{license}|{url_terms}|{url_site}|{url_demo}|{url_docs}|{url_faq}|{url_support}|{description}|{authordescription}|{diskspace}|{database}|{languages}|{image_icon}|{image_icon64}|{screenshots}

That example builds all of the tags into each line, with each value separated by a '|', though it's only necessary to include the tags that you are using in the next part of the code.

And your website can then use that flat database to build a dynamic page:

<?php

/**
 * Installatron.com-style List Builder Example
 *
 * The code herein is copyright Installatron, all rights reserved.
 * You are granted the right to modifify and use this code within your
 * company only. You are prohibited from distributing any modifications
 * without written permission from Installatron. 
 *
 * @contact Installatron Support
 * @contact support@installatron.com
 */
 
header("Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8");
ini_set('display_errors',1);

define("LB_PATH", ".");
define("LB_URL", "?");
define("LB_MEDIA", "http://installatron.com/images/remote");

?>
<style>
#i_installatron .container
{
	padding-top:25px;
}
#i_installatron h1, #i_installatron h1:hover, #i_installatron h2, #i_installatron h2:hover, #i_installatron h3, #i_installatron h3:hover,
#i_installatron h4, #i_installatron h4:hover, #i_installatron h5, #i_installatron h5:hover, #i_installatron h6, #i_installatron h6:hover
{
	color:#226;
	border-bottom:1px solid #dee4ea;
	margin:0 auto 0.5em auto;
	background:none; border:0; text-align:left;
}
#i_installatron h1
{
	font-size:1.5em;
}
#i_installatron h2
{
	font-size:1.1em;
}

#i_installatron .i_small
{
	font-size:0.8em;
}
#i_installatron .i_explain
{
	color:#667;
}



#i_sidebar
{
	margin-right:15px;
	margin-bottom:30px;
	min-width:150px;
}
#i_sidebar .i_simpletable td,
#i_sidebar .i_simpletable td strong,
#i_sidebar .i_simpletable td h2,
#i_sidebar .i_simpletable td a {
	font-size: 0.9em;
}
#i_installatron .i_versionhistory strong
{
	width:140px;
	float:left;
}




#i_installatron .i_icon_app_label
{
	line-height:normal;
	white-space:nowrap;
}

#i_installatron div>.i_icon_app_container
{
	float:left;
	width:66px;
	height:110px;
	padding-right:24px;
	padding-bottom:15px;
	text-align:center;
}
#i_installatron .i_icon_app_medium
{
	padding:1px;
	background:#dee4ea;
	width:64px;
	border-radius:10px;
	-moz-border-radius:10px;
}
#i_installatron .i_icon_app_medium>span
{
	display:block;
	width:64px;
	height:62px;
	border-top:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.6);
	border-bottom:1px solid transparent;
	box-shadow:0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);
	background-position:0 -1px;
	border-radius:9px;
	-moz-border-radius:9px;
}
#i_installatron .i_icon_app_large
{
	padding:1px;
	background:#dee4ea;
	float:left;
	border-radius:24px;
	-moz-border-radius:24px;
}
#i_installatron .i_icon_app_large>span
{
	display:block;
	width:175px;
	height:173px;
	border-top:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.6);
	border-bottom:1px solid transparent;
	box-shadow:0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);
	background-position:0 -1px;
	border-radius:23px;
	-moz-border-radius:23px;
}

</style>
<?php

$data = file(LB_PATH."/default");

//{application}|{id}|{build}|{branch}|{version}|{type}|{group}|{popular}|{created}|{modified}|{license}|{url_terms}|{url_site}|{url_demo}|{url_docs}|{url_faq}|{url_support}|{description}|{authordescription}|{diskspace}|{database}|{languages}|{image_logo}|{image_icon}|{image_icon64}|{screenshots}


//{application}|{id}|{build}|{branch}|{version}|{type}|{group}|{popular}|{created}|{modified}|{license}
//      0        1      2       3        4         5      6       7         8          9         10    
//{url_terms}|{url_site}|{url_demo}|{url_docs}|{url_faq}|{url_support}|{description}|{authordescription}|{diskspace}|{database}
//     11          12        13         14        15         16             17           18                   19         20
//{languages}|{image_logo}|{image_icon}|{image_icon64}|{screenshots}
//     21        22             23         24             25



function getAppButtonHtml(&$row)
{
	return "<div class='i_icon_app_container'><a href='".LB_URL."$row[1]'><div style='padding-bottom:4px'><div class='i_icon_app_medium'><span style='background-image:url(".LB_MEDIA."/$row[24])'></span></div><div class='i_icon_app_label' style='margin-top:4px'>".substr($row[0],0,10).( isset($row[0][11]) ? "..." : "" )."</div><div class='i_small i_explain'>$row[5]</div></div></a></div>";
}

//------------------------------------------------------------------------
// app view
//------------------------------------------------------------------------

if (isset($_SERVER["QUERY_STRING"][1]))
{
	foreach ( $data as $row )
	{
		$row = explode("|",rtrim($row));

		if ( strpos($_SERVER["QUERY_STRING"],$row[1]) !== 0 )
		{
			continue;
		}

		echo "
<div id='i_installatron'>

<table width='100%' border='0' cellspacing='0'>
<tbody><tr>
<td valign='top'><div id='i_sidebar'>

<div class='i_icon_app_large' style='margin-bottom:15px'><span style='background-image:url(".LB_MEDIA."/$row[23])'></span></div>
<div style='clear:both'></div>

<table class='i_simpletable' width='100%' cellspacing='4' cellpadding='0'>
<tr><td>Application</td><td><strong>$row[0]</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td>Current Version</td><td><strong>$row[4]</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td>Category</td><td><strong>$row[5]</strong></td></tr>

<tr><td colspan='2'><br><h2 style='margin:0'>Requirements</h2></td></tr>
<tr><td>Cost</td><td><strong>free</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td>Install Size</td><td><strong>".$row[19]."MB</strong></td></tr>"
.( $row[17] !== "" ? "<tr><td colspan='2'>Requires ".strtoupper($row[20])." Database</td></tr>" : "" )
."<tr><td>License</td><td>$row[10]</td></tr>

<tr><td colspan='2'><br><h2 style='margin:0'>Demonstration</h2></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan='2'><a class='i_link' href='".$row[13]."' target='_blank'>$row[0] Demonstration</a></td></tr>

<tr><td colspan='2'><br><h2 style='margin:0'>Support</h2></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan='2'><a class='i_link' href='".$row[12]."' target='_blank'>$row[0] Website</a></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan='2'><a class='i_link' href='".$row[14]."' target='_blank'>Documentation</a></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan='2'><a class='i_link' href='".$row[15]."' target='_blank'>Frequently Asked Questions</a></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan='2'><a class='i_link' href='".$row[16]."' target='_blank'>Support Page</a></td></tr>

<tr><td colspan='2'><br><h2 style='margin:0'>Languages</h2></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan='2'>".$row[21]."</td></tr>

</table>

</div></td>
<td valign='top' width='100%'>
<div id='i_content'>


<div class='i_description_aligned'><div style='float:right'><a href='".LB_URL."' style='line-height:2em'>← Applications Browser</a></div><h1>$row[0]</h1>	
$row[17]<br><br>
<center><img src='".LB_MEDIA."/logo_$row[1].gif'></center><br>
$row[18]
<div class='i_small'><strong>-$row[0] developer</strong>
</div><br>

</div>";


		
		//
		// Screenshots
		//

		if ($row[25])
		{
			echo "
<div class='container'>
<h2>Screenshots</h2>
<div style='padding-bottom:2px;overflow-y:hidden;overflow-x:scroll'><nobr>";

			foreach ( explode(",",$row[25]) as $i => $value )
			{
				echo "<span".( $i === 0 ? '' : " style='padding-left:8px'" )."><a href='".LB_MEDIA."/$value' target='_blank'><img src='".LB_MEDIA."/$value' style='width:89%;max-width:601px;max-height:376px;border:1px solid'/></a></span>";
			}

			echo "</nobr></div></div>";
		}


		
		//
		// Version history
		//

		echo "
<div class='container'>
<h2>Available Versions</h2>

<div class='i_versionhistory' style='padding-bottom:0 !important'>";

		$currentBranch = "";
		$count = 0;
		$limit = 7;
		foreach ( $data as $row2 )
		{
			$row2 = explode("|",rtrim($row2));

			if ( $row[1] === $row2[1] )
			{
				$latestVersionInBranch = false;

				if ( $currentBranch !== $row2[3] )
				{
					$currentBranch = $row2[3];
					$latestVersionInBranch = true;
				}

				if ( $count === $limit )
				{
					echo "<div id='i_old_versions' style='display:none'>";
				}

				echo "<strong>".$row2[4]."</strong>";
				echo $row2[9];
				
				if ($latestVersionInBranch)
				{
					if ( $currentBranch === "current" )
					{
						echo " <span>(latest version)</span>";
					}
					else
					{
						echo " <span>(".str_replace("{branch}", $currentBranch, "latest version in '{branch}'").")</span>";
					}
				}

				echo "<br/>";
				++$count;

			}
		}

		if ( $count >= $limit )
		{
			echo "</div><div id='i_old_versions_control'><br>1-".$limit." of ".$count." &nbsp;<a href='javascript:;' onclick=\"document.getElementById('i_old_versions_control').style.display='none';document.getElementById('i_old_versions').style.display='';\">view all</a></div>";
		}
		
		echo "
</div>";


		//
		// Related apps
		//

		echo "

<div class='container'>
<h2>Related Apps</h2>

<div>";

		$alreadyDisplayed = array();
		foreach ( $data as $row2 )
		{
			$row2 = explode("|",rtrim($row2));

			if ( $row2[5] !== $row[5]
			  || $row2[1] === $row[1]
			  || isset($alreadyDisplayed[$row2[1]]) )
			{
				continue;
			}

			echo getAppButtonHtml($row2);

			$alreadyDisplayed[$row2[1]] = true;

		}

		echo "
	</div>

</div>";
		

		echo "</div></td></tr></table></div>";

	}
}

//------------------------------------------------------------------------
// app browser view
//------------------------------------------------------------------------

else
{
	$orderedKeys = array();
	foreach ( $data as $i => $row  )
	{
		$row = explode("|",rtrim($row));

		$key = "$row[6]|".( $row[7] === "1" ? "0" : "1" )."|$row[5]|$row[0]";

		// apps are ordered by category, popularity, type, then name
		if (!isset($orderedKeys[$key]))
		{
			$orderedKeys[$key] = $i;
		}

	}

	echo "<div id='i_installatron'>";

	echo "<h1>The Apps</h1>";
	uksort($orderedKeys, 'strnatcasecmp');

	$prevAppFor = "";
	$c = 0;
	foreach ( $orderedKeys as $i )
	{
		$row = explode("|",rtrim($data[$i]));

		if ( $prevAppFor !== $row[6] )
		{
			if ( $c !== 0 )
			{
				echo "<div style='clear:left'></div></div>";
			}
		
			echo "<div class='container'><h2>Apps for $row[6]</h2>";
			$prevAppFor = $row[6];
		}

		echo getAppButtonHtml($row);
	
		++$c;
	}

	echo "</div></div>";

}

?>

NOTE: Make sure to, at minimum, modify the LB_PATH constant to point to the list builder "Build Location" directory and LB_URL to point at the base URL of your website.



4. Click .


This will build the files, based on the current settings.

The list builder files are also automatically rebuilt as part of each day's Installatron automated Update/Repair process.

Tip: List Builder does not delete old list-builder files.

How do I change the Installatron Server access path used by Nginx?

Installatron Server only

You can turn off auto-management of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf by editing this line:

/usr/local/installatron/etc/settings.ini

And then change or add this line:

services=minimal

Alternatively, you can keep the default value of services=typical and instead add or edit this value in the same file:

accesspath=

Leave it blank to have no URL prefix.

Finally, after making a change to those values you need to run this to rebuild the Nginx config:

/usr/local/installatron/installatron --repair 

How do I change the affiliate ID displayed on the WHMCS install screen?

To change the affiliate ID from the default value, navigate to Installatron Admin 🠺 Interface: Locale and enter the below line into the Locale Customizations textbox, replacing "2222" with the desired affiliate ID:

1. Open the "Administration" tab.


2. Click "List Builder" in the Tools section of the sidebar.



3. Add "_installer_whmcs_licensekeytext_aid=2222" to "Locale Customizations".

(replace "2222" with the WHMCS licensekey you wish to use.)

Locale Customizations
enter locale customizations, one locale key per line
use the Translator tool to generate customized locale
eg. _tabs_myapplications=Override Value For All Languages
eg. _tabs_myapplications[en]=Override Value Only For English

4. Press "Save All".

Press the "Save All" button, found at the bottom of each tab, to save any changes you've made.

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