[horde] I hate to ask but I can't get to first base with HEAD

[Craig White]

cvs download of head versions of horde/framework/imp and more.

set up mysql server, user/password and can log in from command line -
just as it's set up in ..horde/config/conf.php
ran ..horde/scripts/db/mysql_create.sql and auth_create.sql
- data is definitely there and first user admin user is there
ran ran the ..horde/framework/install-packages.php
- seemed to install just fine
created all the ..horde/config/*.php from ../horde/config/*php.dist
They are all there...edited conf.php to set user prefs to sql, driver
sql, and various settings for auth_config "application"/"imp" - ""/"",
application/horde etc.
created all the ..horde/imp/config.php from ../horde/imp/config/php.dist
(there is also a file called conf.xml)

I have read all of the INSTALL and README's in /horde/docs and
/horde/imp/docs and I've set up RELENG_2/IMP_RELENG_3 at least 3 times
and I get it.

I have read, re-read and re-read once more, the online administrator
guide at horde.org

/horde/test.php looks great - pear is happy - everything is happy except
the memory in php.ini (Red Hat AS 3) and I upped the memory to 24M so
I'm happy.

but when I try to run the first page...

http://localhost/horde - Message on screen says that I must have a
Backend Category Container and that a message has been saved for the
Administrator (I'm paraphrasing because I am at home). But I will swear
that I have it defined, mysql is up and running and I can reach it all
from the command line with the user/password combo embedded in conf.php.
My efforts to locate errors within /var/log/apache access.log turn up
nothing and there is no log created in /tmp i.e., horde.log

I'm stumped and I know that the trick is to use login as administrator
and use the xml configurator to generate configurations but I can't get
it started. Clearly this is operator error...what is the obvious thing
that I am overlooking?

Thanks,

Craig