Before proceeding to upload the files, you should first create the required database. Refer to Chapter 2 for more information regarding creation of databases.
Normally, all hosting packages include a web-based Control Panel for managing your website. Helm (http://www.webhostautomation.com) is one of the fastest Control Panels for Windows Servers followed by Plesk (http://www.swsoft.com). Both of these hosting Control Panels provide a facility to install Community Server from within the web‑based system without any need for you to either run the built-in installer or upload the files to the server using File Transfer Protocol (FTP). All the required files will be automatically placed into the appropriate folder on the server upon successful completion of the setup process.
Note
Many popular web hosting providers such as ASPnix (http://www.aspnix.com) and HostingFest (http://www.hostingfest.com) provide technical support for configuration and installation of Community Server for your website.
You can, however, install only the version of Community Server provided by your web hosting provider using the above mentioned method. If you wish to upgrade or install a newer version then you should manually upload the files by using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) software such as SmartFTP (http://www.smartftp.com), CuteFTP (http://www.cuteftp.com), or CoreFTP (http://www.coreftp.com/).
Note
You can also install Community Server on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) offered by popular companies such as ASPnix (http://www.aspnix.com). The advantage of hosting the site on a VPS is that you get access to the remote server so that you can directly download and unzip the files from within the remote desktop without any need to contact your web hosting provider.
The main disadvantage of uploading the files using FTP is that it will take a substantial amount of time to upload the files inside certain folders. We would suggest you to upload the required ZIP file inside the root directory of your website and contact your provider to unzip them in order to avoid the difficulty. You should then run the built-in installer to set up Community Server on your site as described in Chapter 2.
You have successfully deployed Community Server on a live web server. You can now sit back and relax while the visitors browse your site. You have already seen the powerful management capabilities of Community Server in the earlier chapters of this book. You need to use all the available techniques effectively to maximize the efficiency of your website. You should also make use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to effectively market and thereby boost the traffic of your website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization).