Problem

You want to install the Movable Type software and have command-line (shell) access to the server.

Solution

Transfer the latest Movable Type distribution file to your server and unpack it into your CGI directory.

Discussion

• Unpack the software.

  Download the latest Movable Type distribution file and transfer it to your server. Unpack the software into your web server CGI directory. For example, if you had downloaded Movable Type 3.2 US english distribution with the CGI directory as your present working directory, you could use this command to unpack it:

   tar xvfz /path/to/dist/like/MT-3.2-en_US.tar.gz

  The archive will create a like-named subdirectory such as MT-3.2-en_US. It is recommended that you leave the system in its own subdirectory to make future management easier. Simply rename the created directory to something shorter and more memorable such as mt. You can can do this with a command like:

   mv -f MT-3.2-en_US mt

  It is highly recommended that static system files be stored somewhere outside of any scripts directories. On some systems this is not even an option -- it is required. The static system files are contained in the mt-static directory.

  Do not install Movable Type in your web documents root directory. This can lead to complications when publishing and can result in less security in some hosting environments.

• Configure

  At this time you will need to configure the system as discussed in Configuring the System.

• Check Permissions of Scripts.

  All scripts (files ending with the .cgi extension) must have Read and Execute permission for all users in order to run properly. The owner of these files should be granted additional Write permissions. You would use this command to set the proper permissions:

   chmod 755 *.cgi

• Verify the System Requirements.

  At this time you can verify your system requirements by running the mt-check.cgi script in your browser. (If this script runs, the installation has gone well so far.) Consult Verifying System Requirements for more on this step.

• Create Additional System Directories as Needed.

  You should also take the time to create directories on the server for your first weblog's content and the database if you are using a file-based option such as SQLite or Berkeley DB.

  Never place your weblog content in the scripts directory. This is bad practice and a security hazard.

With the software residing on your server and configured, you are now ready for Initializing the System.