[Koha] new in koha

[Mark Tompsett]

Greetings,

These are ideas being thought out loud, these are not directions. So please 
don't blame me for anything, if something goes wrong.

If you are running under windows, you could look into installing VirtualBox 
(www.virtualbox.org). I generally set it to use a Bridged Adapter, use a 
wired connection, and make sure that the interface is setup to allow all. 
You could also consider a virtual appliance: 
http://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Koha_Virtual_Appliances

I use VirtualBox and Ubuntu. Though, this is not recommended for a 
production system. I believe I heard someone suggest on IRC that if we are 
going to recommend a perl for Windows it should be Strawberry Perl. You 
could then attempt to run Koha natively on Windows, but I can't stress 
enough that even if you do succeed (which would make you truly awesome), you 
are also alone. The majority of users are on Debian-based OSes (Debian, 
Ubuntu, etc.) and that is what we can support well.

If you do attempt VirtualBox and Ubuntu, here are some links. Ubuntu can be 
found at http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server. Based on your host operating 
system, you need to decide 32 or 64 bit. Under Windows 7: Left click 
Start -> Right click on Computer -> Left click on Properties -> read the 
'System Type'. VirtualBox which can be downloaded from 
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads.

If you have recovery CDs and/or backup, such that you can return the machine 
to its original state (with all the software installed that is currently 
installed), then perhaps you could attempt a dual boot. Though, I think 
you'll find that a single boot works so much easier. This would be more 
suitable for a production environment.

If you succeed at getting a booted Debian or Ubuntu environment (either in 
VirtualBox or directly on the machine), then you probably want to look at 
the instructions found on Koha's wiki pages. It says Debian, but does 
generally apply to debian-based OSes (including Ubuntu). The instructions 
are at http://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Koha_3.8_on_Debian_Squeeze.

Of course, you may be in a networked, corporate environment. In which case, 
you need to consult with your network and system administrators before doing 
anything. My librarian colleague works in the office and he does not have 
permission to install a machine on the network. This means his virtual 
machines use two network adapters in Virtualbox (a combination of NAT and 
Host-Only) to simulate the equivalent of a bridged connection. Host Only 
will allow you to access the VM web server from your host machine, but you 
need NAT to give the VM internet access.

I hope in this rambling there is something useful.

GPML,
Mark Tompsett