[cvs] [Wiki] changed: FAQ/Admin/General

Tue Aug 10 17:08:18 UTC 2010

guest [196.20.126.161]  Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:08:18 -0400

Modified page: http://wiki.horde.org/FAQ/Admin/General
New Revision:  2.6
Change log:  Revert

@@ -1,45 +1,85 @@
  + Horde Administrator's FAQ
+
+

  ++ General Information
+
+

  [[toc]]
+
+

  +++ I just want web mail. Why do I need Horde?
+
  If you only need the functionality of one component, you can just  
install that component; however, all of the components rely on common  
code in the Horde package itself. Whether you install one component or  
all of them, you need to install Horde. So, if you just want to offer  
web-based email (the most common use of Horde applications thus far)  
you'd need to install Horde and IMP.

-In response to the number of people that have asked this question the  
Horde Project has released pre-packaged versions of Horde with all the  
basics.  Known as [http://www.horde.org/groupware/ Horde Groupware]  
and [http://www.horde.org/webmail/ Horde Groupware - Webmail Edition]  
these packages can greatly speed the deployment process.  See  
http://www.horde.org for more information.
+

  +++ How much does Horde cost?
+
  The Horde applications are **free**, having been released under the  
[http://www.horde.org/licenses/ different open source licenses]. Those  
of you familiar with open-source software can stop reading now. For  
those of you who are used to paying for software, no, we're not  
kidding, it's really free. And not only is it no-cost, but it's yours  
to modify and redistribute, too; the only restriction is that you  
can't turn around and make it //not// free. So, you can download Horde  
and components and install them on as many computers as you want, and  
let as many users as you want use it, without having to pay a penny to  
anyone, and you can make changes to the way it looks or operates,  
either for local use or for redistribution.
+
+

  The Horde framework itself is even free-er, being released under the  
[http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lgpl.html GNU Library General Public  
License]. This basically means that you can use the Horde framework in  
proprietary programs; if you are considering doing this, please  
[http://www.horde.org/licenses/lgpl.php read the license], and,  
ideally, [mailto:dev at lists.horde.org let us know].
+
+

  +++ On what platforms does Horde run?
+
  Horde is developed on Unix, with the Apache web server, so it  
//should// certainly work on any Unix that you can build Apache and  
PHP on. Being written in PHP means that it should work anywhere that  
PHP works, though, so if you're not on Unix, please give it a try and  
[mailto:dev at lists.horde.org let us know] how things turn out!
+
+

  ++++ Does Horde run on Windows 95 or NT/2K/XP?
+
  Horde and all the Horde Components are known to work under Windows  
NT/2K/XP with Apache and PHP4 with acceptable performance. IMP and  
Turba, at least, are also believed to work on Windows NT/2K with IIS  
and PHP4.
+
+

  +++ How can I get help with setting up Horde?
+
  The best place to turn after reading the documentation is to the  
appropriate [http://www.horde.org/mail/ mailing list] for the  
component you're trying to install. Make sure you describe the problem  
clearly, including all error messages you might have received. Include  
the version of all the software you're using, including PHP, your web  
server, your database, any mail or LDAP servers you might be using,  
and, if the errors are occurring in use, what browser and OS are being  
used to access it.
+
+

  Please //do not// contact the developers directly. They usually  
don't have time to deal with individual installations of Horde and its  
components, being too busy developing and FAQ-maintaining. (Besides,  
they're probably on the mailing list anyhow.)
+
+

  Finally, there is also [http://www.horde.org/consulting/ commercial  
support] available, with the opportunity to hire Horde developers to  
install and customize Horde and the Horde applications, or develop  
custom extensions and modules.
+
+

  +++ Why is Horde so hard to install? Why isn't there step-by-step  
documentation to help me install it?
+
  We don't make Horde installation a hard task intentionally, we  
always try to make it easier. One of the strength of Horde and its  
applications, is the independency from the underlying platform and  
used backends. The address book Turba, for example, currently supports  
at least 5 different kinds of address book storages, and you can  
choose from no less than 24 backends for Horde authentication. This  
makes it possible to integrate Horde in a lot of environments and  
existing infrastructures, but it also requires more complex  
configuration. It's a trade off between flexibility and complexity.
+
+

  In other words, there are millions (if not billions) of different  
ways to configure Horde based on your local configuration.  Writing  
documentation that would cover every possible configuration option  
would be quite a chore for a large software company (i.e. Microsoft,  
IBM), let alone a volunteer effort with only a small group of core  
developers.  So while always mindful that our documentation //could//  
be better (of course it could), we can't do it all by ourselves.  It  
may be that your setup uses a driver/configuration that is somewhat  
rare and, therefore, there is a lack of concise documentation on how  
to configure the exact way you envision.  But on the other hand, the  
simple fact that a driver/configuration exists for your bizarre setup  
is a testament to the ability of Horde to adapt to your local  
environment.  And sharing your experiences with everyone else (through  
the wiki, mailing lists, etc.) after taking the time to figure out  
these configuration secrets is a fantastic way to give back to the  
community for using this free software.
+
+

  +++ Is there a mailing list for Horde and its components?
+
  Not just //a// mailing list, but //many//. The  
[http://www.horde.org/mail/ Horde mailing lists], one for each  
component and then some, and the most active ones are also  
[http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/ archived and searchable].
+
+

  Horde users are encouraged to join the //announce// list and the  
list specific to their module; those interested in getting their hands  
a little dirty might also wish to join the //horde// and //dev//  
lists. Those interested in knowing everything that's going on with  
Horde development might wish to join the machine-generated //cvs// and  
//bugs// list, which report changes in the CVS repository and in the  
bugs database.
+
+

  +++ I found a bug in Horde. Who should I tell?
+
  Before you do anything, take a moment to read this  
[http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html article on bug  
reporting], and keep its comments in mind when reporting Horde bugs.
+
+

  Having read that, report the bug in the [http://bugs.horde.org/  
Horde bug database].  Be aware that the Bugs database is **not** a  
support forum - please make sure you are reporting a bug (i.e. the  
software doesn't work as expected) rather than a support question  
(i.e. unclear on how to setup a config file).
+
+

  Be sure to describe exactly how to reproduce the bug (if you know),  
and include all error messages that appeared. Also, specify the  
versions of Horde, the Horde component exhibiting the bug, and all  
supporting applications (web server, PHP, database, mail server,  
etc.). Of course, developers love when bugs come with patches  
attached; but if you can't write PHP, or can't track down the bug,  
make sure you let us know about it!

