Backtalk Installation Guide

Prev: Part II: Compilation
Next: Part IV: Installation (with Backtalk Accounts or with Unix Accounts)

(1) Create the SQL Database

If you are not using a pre-existing database, then this is the time to create one. The normal name for the database would be 'backtalk' but anything can be used. The database must be accessible from whatever account the CGI's run on.

The commands to create a database will vary for different SQL servers. For PostgreSQL, you might create a database with:

    createdb backtalk

You might also want to create a username and password for Backtalk to log in as and permit the database to be accessible only to that account. Whether this is needed depends on your configuration.

(2) Edit the Runtime Configuration File

Edit misc/backtalk.conf.

If you are upgrading a system that uses SQL, you will probably want to copy the `backtalk.conf' file that is installed in the backtalk etc directory into misc/backtalk.conf.

Currently the only things that can be set in this file are SQL server configuration settings. If your SQL server is running on the same machine as Backtalk, the database is called 'backtalk', and no login or password is needed to connect, you can probably use he default configuration file without changes. Otherwise, you may want to set the following options:

1. SQL Server Hostname.
   This is the name of the machine that the SQL server runs on. The syntax is like
    
      sql_hostname sqlserver.mysite.com
    
   The default is 'localhost', that is the same machine that Backtalk runs on.
    
   If the name 'localhost' is given, Backtalk will usually not form a TCP/IP connection, but will instead use the more efficient Unix sockets. If you give a fully qualified domain name, like 'sqlserver.mysite.com', then a TCP/IP connection will be made, even if that happens to be the same machine Backtalk is running on.
    
   
2. SQL Server Port Number.
   This is the port number that the SQL server listens for connections on. The command to set this looks like:
    
      sql_port 5432
    
   The default depends on the SQL server you are using. Unless your SQL server has been modified to listen on something other than the default port, you shouldn't have to set this.
    
   
3. SQL Database Name.
   This is the name of the database that you created in step (1). The default is 'backtalk'. You can set something else with a command like:
    
      sql_dbname my_conf_db
    
   
4. SQL Login Name.
   If a login is needed to access the database, then the login name should be specified, as follows:
    
      sql_login conflogin
    
   If no login name is configured, none is used.
    
   
5. SQL Login Password.
   If a password is needed to access the database, then the password name should be specified, as follows:
    
      sql_password foobar
    
   If no password is configured, none is used.
    
   Note that the password must be given in clear text, and the configuration file must be readable to the backtalk owner account. There may be security issues with this on some servers.