This chapter describes how to obtain and install eZ publish. In addition, it also describes how to upgrade or remove an existing eZ publish installation.

There are three ways of installing eZ publish:

1. Normal installation
2. Bundled installation
3. Manual installation

Normal installation

This option requires a system which already has the proper environment installed, most notably a web server and a database. eZ publish needs to be downloaded and unpacked manually, then a web-based setup wizard is initiated from within a browser. The setup wizard asks a couple of questions on setup parameters and automatically configures eZ publish. This is the most common (and recommended) way of installing eZ publish. The method is explained under the Normal installation section.

Bundled installation

A bundled installation contains eZ publish and additional/required software (Apache, MySQL, ImageMagick, etc.). Everything included in the bundle is automatically set up by an installer, which means that manual configuration is minimal. All additional software is pre-compiled for the Intel x86 hardware architecture. This option is for quick and dirty testing/demonstration purposes only. It is explained under the Bundled installation section.

Manual installation

This option is for experienced/expert users. No wizards or fancy dialogs, no bundled software, no installers, no nothing. This method requires a system which already has a web-server and a database set up and ready to go; eZ publish needs to be downloaded and unpacked. The eZ publish system is configured by manually altering various configuration files and making manual changes to the database. This method is explaind under the Manual installation section.

If you don't want to install eZ publish yourself, you can always hire eZ systems to install and setup the software for you. It is also possible to purchase a hosted eZ publish solution from various providers.