Moodle on Mac

Moodle on Mac

by Merle Mason -
Number of replies: 44

I downloaded the Moodle 1.5.3+ Moodle Mac OS X package. I'm trying to install it on a G-3 IMAC, with Mac OS 10.3.4. I have followed the simple instructions; dragging the xampp folder into applications. When I double-click the Moodle4OSX icon, the Moodle instructions state: "Enter your admin username and password." The prompt that appears asks for the password (not the username). I enter the password, click OK, then the prompt reappears.

I have deleted all but the admin accounts, reset password for keychain, the admin account, even root...the works. Still the password prompt recycles.

Since I don't have other data on this Mac, today I did a complete erase and install of Mac OS X on this Mac. Shouldn't be any stray passwords now, if in fact that was the issue, which I don't think was the case. Especially since, after the clean install and downloading of Moodle for Mac OS X, same deal: password prompt reappears.

I have Linux on a different computer, but couldn't get Moodle going there, with the setting up of apache and other issues. I had tried to set it up in Windows fall, but I struck out there as well.

If anyone has any advice on doing this on a Mac, or whether the Windows install might be easier since last fall (I don't remember there being a Windows package at that time), I would appreciate any advice. Sorry for the long message. Thanks.

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In reply to Merle Mason

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Dan Stowell -
Installing on Windows using "EasyPHP" is genuinely nice and easy.

Having said that, I've never had problems installing Moodle on Mac. I don't use the packaged version though, I'm afraid I do it the 'good old way' by activating the webserver and PHP, and then installing MySQL, and then installing Moodle.

I'm surprised by your Linux problem - on many linuxes Moodle can be installed using apt-get (or similar) and it therefore handles all the dependencies etc.
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In reply to Dan Stowell

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Merle Mason -

Hi Dan,

I installed OS 10.4.5, and it worked fine. Thanks very much for your reply.

Merle

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In reply to Merle Mason

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Daryl Hawes -
Moodle4MacOSX requires 10.4.3+
On older versions you will have to either install xampp yourself (apachefriends.org) or some other php/mysql combo as you had to prior to this package.
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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Merle Mason -

Daryl,

Thanks; I installed 10.4.5, and viola! Much obliged!

Merle

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In reply to Merle Mason

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Peter Mellow -
Hi there,

I am having an issue getting the disk image downloaded for Moddle for OS X!!! I have tried to download it twice now using two different browsers (Camino and Safari) but both downloads while appearing to have finished, then would not open and the file size is only 9.8Mb not the full 57Mb package. Any ideas?

Also I plan to mount it on an OS X 10.3.9 Server edition. Does anyone know of any conflicts with the server version of OS X opposed to the standard OS X when hosting Moddle? Thanks. smile
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In reply to Peter Mellow

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Daryl Hawes -
Stop attempting to download the Mac package now smile Instead install the standard package. 10.3.9 is not supported by the Moodle4OSX package, it requires 10.4.2+.

There are install directions for OS X Server posted around these forums, if you cannot find them contact me via a moodle message or something and I can email them to you.
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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Robert Brenstein -
Daryl, would it be too much to add the system requirements to the description of the package, addressing also normal OSX and OSX Server? The description, as it is now, implies same compatibility as the standard installation.
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In reply to Robert Brenstein

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Daryl Hawes -
It would not be too much to ask, but what description specifically are you referring to? I edited the README file that comes with the package to reflect the new erquirements.
Daryl
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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Robert Brenstein -
I mean the description of the Mac OS X package in Complete Install Packages on the Downloads page on moodle.org. Why make users download the package if it is not for them?
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In reply to Robert Brenstein

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Daryl Hawes -
I've requested that Martin update the wording on that page with the wording Don Hinkelman suggested.
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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Re: Moodle4MacOSX 10.4.3+ Installs Fast

by Don Hinkelman -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers
Hi Daryl,

Today I rebuilt my server and installed the Moodle4MacOSX in less than a minute. tongueout I am amazed because normally it takes me about 4 hours to do a complete install of MySQL, PHP, and Moodle on Mac OSX using the standard Liyanege packages or Server Logistics packages. Thanks so much for this wonderful addition to the Moodle downloads. big grin

I noticed along the way, several warnings about "this is not for production" and "not secure". As I want to use this server for production, actually teacher training, could you tell me and all of us how to adjust the settings to make it more secure? I assume I will need to edit the config files of Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Moodle. So maybe you could give us a list of those files and what should be edited for good security. I will then test it, and from these forum notes, update the Moodle Documentation for others to reference. How does that sound?
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In reply to Don Hinkelman

Re: Moodle4MacOSX 10.4.3+ Installs Fast

by Daryl Hawes -
Don,
The security issues have to do with XAMPP and the way it is installed on the system.
The wording from their website (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-macosx.html):
____
A matter of security (A MUST READ!)

As mentioned before, XAMPP is not meant for production use but only for developers in a development environment. The way XAMPP is configured is to be as open as possible and allowing the developer anything he/she wants. For development environments this is great but in a production environment it could be fatal.

Here a list of missing security in XAMPP:

1. The MySQL administrator (root) has no password.
2. The MySQL daemon is accessible via network.
3. ProFTPD uses the password "xampp" for user "nobody".
4. PhpMyAdmin is accessible via network.
5. MySQL and Apache running under the same user (nobody).
To fix most of the security weaknesses simply call the following command:
/opt/lampp/lampp security
It starts a small security check and makes your XAMPP installation more secure.
____

I poked around in the Moodle4OSX package and did not find the 'lampp' item that they refer to. I then downloaded a nice fresh copy of xampp for osx version 0.5 (the current Moodle4OSX version) and could not find it there either.

If you would like to investigate things further perhaps you could download the Windows XAMPP and look for the /opt/lampp/lampp script to create a version that would make a companion for this package.
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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Re: Moodle4MacOSX 10.4.3+ Installs Fast

by Don Hinkelman -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers
Thanks, Daryl. I see the situation now. To make Moodle4OSX more secure, it would require running the /lampp security file. Setting that up is probably more than I can handle, so I will go back to more conventional OS X installations. I think on the main moodle.org download page, we need to make two points, so people downloading are aware before they spend time installing this package.
  • installation will be "fatally" not secure--for development servers only--use conventional packages for secure production
  • for OS X version 10.4.3+ only
I notice in the conventional install packages that MySQL version 4.1.16 is not supported.
  • Server Logistics: MySQL 4.0.21
  • MAMP: MySQL 4.1.12
  • WebServerXKit: MySQL 4.1.12
This means that for now, moodle version 1.6 (which requires MySQL 4.1.16) can best be installed on the Mac with the Entropy MySQL instructions, which require an extensive knowledge of command line skills. smile If anyone knows another easy GUI package that can do recent MySQL, let us know.


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In reply to Don Hinkelman

Re: Moodle4MacOSX 10.4.3+ Installs Fast

by Daryl Hawes -
Don,
I've requested that Martin update the download page with these comments. FYI - I the "XAMPP" package becuase it's the same package used for Moodle4Windows. The intent is not a fast deployable install, but a fast personal test install.
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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Re: Moodle4MacOSX 10.4.3+ Installs Fast

by William Lu -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers
Just want to express my billions thanks to moodle4MacOSX.

I just downloaded to my MacG5 (Version 10.4.4).  It only took 2 minutes to finish the install. No any pause, doubt, hesitate, just click ‘Start’, I got Moodle on my local drive!!!

It solves the problem that irritated me for a long time. I’d like to backup old courses, but the data backup (.zip, ,sql) is very hard to access again. So far, all old course are still on the long course list and our server is nearly full.

From today, I’ll backup all old courses to my Mac and I can easily check and copy something back whenever I need.

Thank you again.
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In reply to Don Hinkelman

Re: Moodle4MacOSX -problem with backup and restore

by Lee LikMeng -
Yes, Moodle4MacOSX installs like a breeze.  I am very impressed.

However, when I try to Backup a course, it gives me this error :

Fatal error: gallery_init(): Failed opening required '' (include_path='.:/Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/lib/php') in /Applications/xampp/moodle/mod/gallery/locallib.php on line 53


I get the same error message when I try to restore a course from another server.  I had thought that it was incompatibility between Macs and Windows.

I have searched the forum it doesn't seem like anyone else have the same problem.  Any solution is much appreciated.
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In reply to Lee LikMeng

Re: Moodle4MacOSX -problem with backup and restore

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
I tested this with my local installation without any problem. Please look at the attached pdf ... sorry, the course contence is in german ... but you can see the result ... no error message ... and at the end I got the message that everything was successful.

An answer to your question if there could be an incompatibility between Windows or Mac OS X. I do not think so because the source of Moodle is written in PHP. This works very fine on all Apache web servers ... on Mac OS X, on Windows and on Linux. My restored course is written on a Windows server, saved and restored on a Mac.

I'm still using Moodle4OSX with Moodle 1.5.3+. It could be that your problem has its reason in this fact.

Ralf

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In reply to Lee LikMeng

Re: Moodle4MacOSX -problem with backup and restore

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
I also tried the restore on a new and fresh installation of Moodle4OSX with Moodle 1.5.4 (I just downloaded and installed it) ... no problem with the restore of my course
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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle4MacOSX -problem with backup and restore

by Lee LikMeng -
Thank you, Ralf.

I am running Mac OS x 10.4.6 and Moodle 1.5.3+ - tried many times with backup and restore but all get terminated.

I have also setup XAMP Moodle on a Windows XP computer and there is no problem.  The same backup file (from a Windows server) can be restored on the XP machine without problems.

I will try to reinstall Moodle with a new download and let you know.

Thanks again.
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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle4MacOSX -backup and restore NOW OK

by Lee LikMeng -
Dear Ralf,

I threw out the previous install (dragged it to the thrash) and did a reinstall using the same download.

This time, the restore of a course file was successful.

Thinking back, I am not sure if I messed up the files because I amended the php.ini file to increase upload and post maximum file sizes in my first install. 

The second time around I tested the restore right after successful install.

Then I stopped  the Moodle services and amended the php.ini file.  And then tested to backup a course and everything is OK.

Oh, BTW, there seems to be no need to amend the httpd.conf file to set a higher limit for uploads.

Looks like it works on other Macs too, Ralf!!  Have a nice weekend.


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In reply to Daryl Hawes

Moodle4OSX also works with 10.3

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators

If you want to try this fact please download the package from http://download.moodle.org and move it into your application folder. Remember that XAMPP still doesn't work on the new Intel Macs!

On Mac OS X 10.3 the only problem is that you can't use the start program Moodle4OSX that comes with the package. XAMPP 0.5 for Mac OS X really works with 10.3 (and higher).

If your Mac still uses 10.3 then your first chance to start the web server and Moodle is the start from the Terminal. It's really easy to do this ... open the Terminal and type the red line ... after this you will be asked for you password ... that's all 

iMac-1000:/ krause$ sudo /Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/mampp start
Password:
Starting XAMPP for MacOS X 0.5...
XAMPP: Starting Apache with SSL (and PHP4)...
XAMPP: Starting MySQL...
XAMPP for MacOS X started.

You can stop Moodle again if you type the following into the Terminal 

iMac-1000:/ krause$ sudo /Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/mampp stop
Password:
For more information about the use of the Terminal with XAMPP you should look to the original distribution side http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-macosx.html

Your second chance for a running Moodle on 10.3 is to get my newer version of Moodle4OSX ... this newer version also works with 10.3 ... you should delete the old one and move the new one to the same place. For more information about Moodle4OSX please look at http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=44371

If you only want to download the newer version please look at http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=44371#206256 It's still beta but it works. Please give a response so I can know if it works with more than only my Mac computers.

I hope you will use this!
Ralf

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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle4OSX also works with 10.3

by Eric S Tyrer II -
You should add a disclaimer to the "works with OS X 10.3 and later" to mention that Intel Macs are out of luck till a patch or fix is instituted. I am now trying to figure out how to evaluate this software...
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In reply to Eric S Tyrer II

Re: Moodle4OSX also works with 10.3

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
Yes, that's correct.

But I wrote so ... look at http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=40453&parent=213412

If you want to try this fact please download the package from http://download.moodle.org and move it into your application folder. Remember that XAMPP still doesn't work on the new Intel Macs!

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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle4OSX also works with 10.3

by Daryl Hawes -
By the way - I'm tempted to shift over to use MAMP since the XAMPP project is stalled without a machine to build with at this time. MAMP includes a nice GUI that would replace the need for the Moodle4OSX.app applescript app.
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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle4OSX also works with 10.3

by D. H. -
But why the heck do they put it on their site for download if it always fails.
I am new to my Mac (just migration from XP).
How do I de-install XAMPP w/o rest?
Best regards, D.
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In reply to D. H.

Re: Moodle4OSX also works with 10.3

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
Hello D.

it's not very fair for the community to have no name!!

I am sure that the software from the moodle download does not always fail as you write it. Most of the users will have success with the package Moodle4OSX. There are only two cases which do not work.

The first case it fails are the older Macs with 10.3 ... you only need to install my hacked version of Moodle4OSX and it works on 10.3 without any fail .... I hope so wink ... see http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=44371#206256

And in second case it fails on the rather new Intel-Macs because XAMPP is not configured to run on these machines. This is a problem that must be fixed from http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-macosx.html .... I this case you should install Moodle with MAMP .... see http://homepage.mac.com/ralf.krause/moodle/mamp/

To de-install XAMPP or MAMP from the Mac you only have to go into the folder "Programs". Delete the folder XAMPP or the folder MAMP if you do not want to have it anymore. There are no files outside these folders and no registry entries.

I hope this would help

Ralf
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In reply to Merle Mason

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Alex Jacoby -
I'm trying to install a quick-n-dirty moodle on my iBook G4 (10.4.7).  Every time I download the OSX package (http://download.moodle.org/download.php/macosx/Moodle4OSX-Installer-latest-15.dmg) I get an error trying to mount the disk image ("invalid file system").  dmg files don't usually present any problems.  I tried running DiskUtility on it, but it couldn't fix the problem.

I've tried downloading with Firefox and Safari.

Any thoughts?  Thanks,
Alex
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In reply to Alex Jacoby

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Howard Miller -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

If all else fails, it's actually dead easy to install the "old fashioned" way.

  • You have apache - just turn it on in the System Preferences => Sharing menu
  • You can get a one-click PHP installer at http://www.entropy.ch/software/macosx/php/
  • You can get a one-click MySQL installer at www.mysql.com
  • drop the moodle files into your Share folder
  • follow the install instructions

...that's more or less it.

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In reply to Alex Jacoby

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
Hi Alex,

you're right ... the current disk image is damaged. I hope that the maintainers will read this forum to upload a new version in the next days. The current version of Moodle4OSX has only 55 MB, the version from June 2006 on my hard disk has 59.8 MB.

Ralf
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In reply to Alex Jacoby

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Dan Trockman -
I am getting the same error as Alex. How do we get this news to the maintainers?
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In reply to Dan Trockman

Re: Moodle on Mac

by rick hayduk -

We just got Apple x-serve installed on a agp graphics G4 mac, which will become our file server, and hopefully, web- and other-server. The Mac install package - has it been fixed?

If so, perhaps someone might link to a thread about installing Moodle on x-serve.

 

Right now we have the WINXP install on a 1Ghz Dell and there's a 7-8 second delay between clicking on the online link and anything appearing on screen - hence the move to another server.

 

Oh by the way, we also have a Now up to Date server running on that same Dell - port conflict maybe? NUTD runs sleek and fast, but the Moodle server really lags.

 

Thanks for any Mac help, since that's where we're going to migrate to.

 

Best

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In reply to rick hayduk

Re: Moodle on Mac

by rick hayduk -
Looks like there is now a newer complete install package for Mac.
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In reply to rick hayduk

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
Hi Rick,

you 're right! It's a new package based on MAMP 1.3.1 and Moodle 1.6.1+.
I hope you will like it. The steps to get a working Moodle are very easy.
- download the package
- mount the disk image
- move MAMP to your Application folder
- find the MAMP folder inside the Application folder
- open it
- start MAMP
- go to Moodle (it has a link in the MAMP folder)

Ralf
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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle on Mac

by rick hayduk -
Hey thanks Ralf!

I'm trying something a little different though: I'm wondering if the install would be the same.

I've recently setup Mac OS X Serve on one of the spare Macs to act as webserver, moodle host and regular fileserver. Do I still drag the package to the Apps folder? I have a webspace setup for the moodle site I want.

Or do I drag the package into the website folder (ie., Library/WebServer/Documents/)?

Thanks.
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In reply to rick hayduk

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
MAMP ... and also Moodle4MacOSX ... must run in the Application folder.
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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle on Mac

by rick hayduk -
To simplify things, I clean installed a copy of Mac OS 10.4.7, completely wiping out the Xserve software I earlier installed.

Okay, the download of the new Mac package went well. I'm wondering if the install instructions elsewhere on this site still apply to the new Mac package?

I put the entire MAMP folder into the Application folder, opened it and launched MAMP. That started the servers. But...when I access the machine via the web browser, there's nothing.

Or if I move the htdocs folder to the WebServer/Documents folder, I get a list page showing htdocs. If I enter that folder through the web browser I find the moodle folder, but when I open the moodle folder and click on install.php, I see the page's code rather than the actual install page.

I also tried various hit-or-miss combinations of Personal Web on/off, different port settings in combination with that, restarts of MAMP, etc.

Any ideas what might be going on? This is starting into perhaps the 12th or 14th day of trying to get this site launched. After this, I still have to bring the older site's files over, so any direct solutions (ones that don't assume I've worked with unix or php or mysql before) would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards
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In reply to rick hayduk

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
Hi Rick,

sorry, but I do not really understand what you tried to do.

The really only thing you have to do is that you must move the MAMP folder into the Applications folder. After this you go into the folder Applications > MAMP and doubleclick MAMP. The server should start and the browser should show the start message of MAMP.

To see the Moodle installation you have to type in http://localhost:8888/moodle or you go back into the folder Applications > MAMP and doubleclick the Moodle icon that links to the Moodle installation. Another way to start the Moodle page is to open the MAMP settings and put in /moodle/ for the start page ... not any more!

Now you should see the copyright message of Moodle 1.6.1+ ... clicking forward you will get the totally installed Moodle system. Type in some side and admin preferences and you will have your own local Moodle system in a few minutes.

You have not to move any part of the MAMP folder to another place!!! The cool concept of MAMP makes everything running in this one folder. If you want do delete Moodle4MacOSX you only have to delete the folder MAMP. That's all .... but I hope you would not like to do this.

I hope this helps ....
Ralf
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In reply to rick hayduk

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Dan Stowell -
The scenario you described (putting things in WebServer/Documents and being able to view the folders and the PHP code) can only happen if Personal Web Sharing is on. Turn it off, start the MAMP package from scratch (without moving the htdocs anywhere), and let us know what happens then...

(And if it still doesn't work, also try turning your firewall off (briefly!) to see if that makes a difference)
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In reply to Dan Stowell

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
Hi Rick,
hi Dan,

as I described in my last comment you need only to move only the MAMP folder into the Applications folder and start MAMP from Applications/MAMP. You will find your Moodle on http://localhost:8888/moodle

You do not have to switch of Web Sharing. You can use both ... Web Sharing works on port 80 so you get this server pages on http://localhost:80/ and also on http://localhost/ (without the :80 because 80 is the standard port for http)

If you want to get your moodle from outside the local computer you have to do one change in the moodle/config.php ... you have to put in the ip address instead of 127.0.0.1

I wrote about this in my XAMPP tutorial http://homepage.mac.com/ralf.krause/moodle/xampp-mac/ ... there was still no time to do this for MAMP. Please have a look to the pictures in the document. Sorry, it's in german language but the pictures tell everything. One off the differences between XAMPP and MAMP is the different port ... XAMPP uses 8081 and MAMP uses 8888 for http. You have to open the firewall to get both port from outside your Mac.

Ralf


PS: Dan is right ... if you need no web server for Personal Web Sharing then you should switch this option off. There should not run any service that is not needed. You should save all resources in you computer and you should open less ports as possible in your firewall.
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In reply to Ralf Krause

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Vincent Rowlands -
I am running Mac OS X 10.4.7 Server with 6 web sites I would also like to install moodle, what happens with php + mysql + Apache installations when you install Moodle and what of the Server Admin controls for the basic server installations that is mac OS X server installations not Moodle.
Any help greatly appreciated..
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In reply to Vincent Rowlands

Re: Moodle on Mac

by Ralf Krause -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Translators
If you have a server you should install PHP and MySQL as shown at this place http://docs.moodle.org/en/Installing_AMP

MAMP should be used only for a local installation so every Moodle beginner can work as an admin or as a trainer without the fear to kill a production installation. Please remember that MAMP has a lot of holes in its security system. There are prededined passwords in the package.

For MAMP security please look on
http://machinaproject.dyndns.org/2006/02/19/how-to-secure-mamp/

Please do not use MAMP as a server installation!

Ralf
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