Before you can install Mahara, you will need to have access to a Linux server. It may be that you run Linux on a laptop or desktop at home or that your company or institution has its own Linux servers, in which case, great! If not, there are many hosting services available on the internet, which will enable you to access a Linux server, and therefore, install and run Mahara.
It is important to choose a host that will allow you to set up the environment ready for Mahara — giving you, for example, the ability to manage your own PHP configuration and to add the required PHP extensions. It is really much better if you have access to your own virtual server or dedicated host — you have more control and are less likely to bump into issues later on.
It is important that you get a server to which you have root access. It is also important that you set your server up with the following features:
Database: Mahara must have a database to work. The databases supported are PostgreSQL Version 8.3 or later and MySQL Version 5 or later. The Mahara developers recommend that you use PostgreSQL if possible but, for most installations, MySQL will work just as well.
PHP: Mahara requires PHP Version 5.3 or later.
Web server: The preferred web server is Apache - 2.0 or greater.
PHP extensions:
Compulsory extensions:
gd, json, curl, libxml, SimpleXML, session, pgsqlormysqli, opensslorxmlrpc(for networking support),mbstring, mime_magicorfileinfo, zip, andunziputilities.Optional extension:
imagickRecommended extensions:
zlib, zip, andbz2
Again, ask your resident IT expert about the features listed above if you don't understand what they mean.
Note
A quick way to install some of the software listed in the preceding section is to use the apt-get install command, if you are using the Ubuntu/Debian Linux Systems. See http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ to find out more.
At the moment, the Mahara developers offer no support for running Mahara on Windows Servers. It is designed to primarily work with Linux, Apache, PHP, and Open Source SQL databases.
This however doesn't mean that Mahara won't work on Windows. So, if you are feeling adventurous, why not give it a go and report back to Mahara on your experience? You can also visit https://wiki.mahara.org/index.php/System_Administrator%27s_Guide/Installing_Mahara/Installing_Mahara_in_Wampserver for some help with WAMP.
The Mahara developers clearly state that they don't test their system with any other operating systems, including Solaris, Mac, and BSD. Again, that isn't to say that Mahara won't work on these systems, it is just best if you play it safe and choose to run your Mahara on the system that it was built for — Linux.