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I have used Xibo for a long time not for commercial purposes, but for personal purposes.
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Before with Xampp or Wampp we had facility to install Xibo. When migrated to Docker, it seems that it has become something of a nerd and extremely complicated installation process. I tried installing it in Docker for Windows 10 but I have encountered difficulties and the setup manual seems both confusing giving links to everywhere and becoming a mess.
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Surgiro by developers create in video tutorial a step by step installation of Xibo using Docker for Windows - 10.
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I hope to use it again as soon as the tutorial comes out, I’m sure this community is waiting for this step by step video, so we would have something more dynamic and in fact suitable for installation.
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Thank you,
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William Rafhael.
Start here: http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_cms.html - says you need to install Docker, takes you to here: http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_docker.html
Once docker installed, back to http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_cms.html for the rest of the installation.
Of course we’d love to make it easier, but I honestly don’t know how we can make the structure any easier to follow.
What did you find hard or nerdy?
What specifically did you find confusing?
I have to agree… the setup instructions for Docker and Xibo are a complete mess and make no sense.
What step exactly make no sense to you?
It possible that the documentation could be improved, but saying that it’s
is simply not true and not helpful at all, we’d appreciate feedback (constructive criticism as well), but your statement is neither.
That’s because I’m frustrated and going round in circles and don’t have the time to do your job for you… if your going to make instructions make them clear.
What I think you need is a guide that is on one page instead of linking off to different locations… it’s very confusing.
Taken from http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_docker.html… “Using the default settings, you must install the Xibo CMS inside the C:\Users directory for correct operation. Using an alternative location will cause your uploaded content and layouts to be lost.”
With what installer?.. I have no .exe or .msi in the extracted files. Do you mean copy the folder structure to C:\Users directory?
It then directs you to http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_cms.html. … “You can then follow the CMS install guide, using the Docker Toolbox Quickstart Terminal command prompt. You cannot use the Windows Command prompt or PowerShell. You’ll find a link to the Quickstart Terminal on your Desktop.”
Which tells you to “Download and extract the Xibo Docker archive
The latest Xibo Docker installation files can be downloaded from our website. Select the release required and download the tar.gz/zip called xibo-docker.”
What’s that now?.. I’ve just downloaded something in the previous step and now I have to download something else? So infact I need to download two Xibo folder structures?
Just below those instructions… “The first time Xibo is installed a configuration file is needed to tell Docker how the environment is configured.”
What installer?.. ah you mean the folder structure I just extracted?
The problem is, I’m flicking between instructions and it’s not really a fluid installation experience.
EDIT:
Ha, looks like I’m limited to three replies temporarily and I can only post two links… what rubbish.
Anyway, seeing as I can only post two links try searching for EduGeek Xibo 1.8 Upgrade.
Hi Peter! I understand that maybe you can videotape it step by step by installing Xibo in docker localhost through Docker / Xampp / Wampp. I think it would be more useful. Maybe it does not make sense to you the settings we are making about the confusion of the Xibo installation instructions! Maybe you have a high degree of knowledge, a pity we do not have as much knowledge as you do. But is Xibo made for Experts (few) or Humans (many)? If you look carefully at the installation instructions of Xibo they are in logical order, they jump from one side to another which ends up confusing us mortal probes.
I leave the suggestion that it is more beneficial a video tutorial than 200 lines of instructions jumping the screen without logical links. I would love to see a video tutorial, so we can replicate more extensively and quickly and take the Xibo out of the box closed. The world is multimedia and why not Xibo’s instructions.
Strong hug and hope to use Xibo again as soon as the instructions become comprehensive. I liked and I like Xibo. I’ve always been enthusiastic about it, but now I can not even install it anymore, I know. A feather!
In http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_docker.html - you’re installing the docker environment (which at this point has nothing to do with Xibo yet) - depending on what system you’re using you will want either docker toolbox / docker for windows / mac / linux.
I assume you’re installing it via docker toolbox, since that’s what you’ve quoted from manual, which means you need to download it and then start the installation - toolbox comes with .exe (side note docker for windows comes with .msi) ie those are the installers.
Once you have that running, you have the docker environment.
So you go to http://xibo.org.uk/manual-tempel/en/install_cms.html
which comes down to downloading docker image, making changes to config.env and running a single command in Docker Toolbox Quickstart Terminal to set it all up. that’s it.
Then if you need to change ports or open it to be available from other devices, add ssl etc you can do that, but it’s not strictly required.
It really comes down to pretty much 3 steps
download and install docker environment
download and install Xibo docker image
(Optional) configuration for ports/ssl etc
It doesn’t really require to constantly jump between the two manual pages, as you install the docker as per instructions on one page and then install Xibo in your docker environment on the other page.
I don’t think there is a problem with installing Xibo docker, as that’s literally one command line, perhaps the issue is with the docker environment itself - in which, please do tell us where exactly is the problem?
If you do not want to use docker, then by all means, please install it on the environment of your choice as per instructions here - http://xibo.org.uk/manual/en/manual_install.html - it will require more steps to get it all working, but it is an option - we do not strictly say that docker is one an only way to install Xibo (we just recommend it), as mentioned a lot of times in various topics on this very community site.
I don’t believe you have be an expert to install Xibo in docker or otherwise, I also haven’t read a single exact issue that you ( or Ben ) are facing, I appreciate that instructions are not clear for you, but if I don’t know where is the problem in your case, then it’s rather hard for me to say what went wrong.
It’s certainly possible that such content will be created, but that would most likely cover docker installations, as I don’t see us covering every possible server environment installations in videos.
Please can the contributors to this discussion keep it constructive and civil.
We are absolutely committed to improving our documentation as much as possible and would greatly welcome any contributions for making it easier, be they text or video.
In our opinion Docker is easier than a custom installation, however you are absolutely 100% able to install Xibo the old way, directly onto a web server of your choosing. If Docker makes no sense to you and you don’t see any value in using it, then please do install Xibo directly on your web server.
If you would like to “make it our job”, then please do contact us to arrange for commercial assistance.
Hi Peter and Dan
I have to agree the installation instructions can be a little confusing.
I think part of that comes from never even hearing about Docker until I started to attempt to install Xibo 1.8.1
I’ve attempted the installation on a Debian 8.2 server and couldn’t get to the localhost login page to change the default Admin account. I’m not a Linux user normally so I just figured it was because of that so I thought I would see what I could do on Windows 10.
I was successful at installing the CMS and getting to the Xibo Login from the local machine but I can’t seem to figure out how I should be accessing it from another PC on the LAN.
Here are some of the things I found confusing in the instructions.
Since I’m completely new to Docker (as I bet many other users are) I clicked the link to open the Docker Installation Guide in a new tab. So now I have 2 sets of instructions open.
I followed the install_docker.html till I got to the Docker for Windows Install link so I opened that link in a new tab. Now I have 3 sets of instructions open.
At this point I was able to get Docker installed so I went back to the install_docker.html tab to make sure I didn’t miss anything and I followed the instructions to apply the shared drives when I discovered another link (that at the time I didn’t notice was the same as the first page I was on). So I’m back to 3 tabs with what I thought were 3 different instructions sets.
But I continued reading install_docker.html because I was only half way through the instructions page
And it started talking about Docker Toolbox. Since I know almost nothing about Docker I didn’t realize (at the time) Docker Toolbox was for non-Windows 10 installs. I realize now I should have stopped reading the install_docker.html and just go back to install_cms.html but I didn’t feel it was very clear.
So now I’m back to install_cms.html and I’m unsure I’m doing this correctly because I’ve got at least 3 tabs open I left one page half read one page I’ve not even started reading and the first page is only about a quarter of the way through and I find another link that opens yet another page to download some zip files. I know the instructions say to download the zip called xibo-docker but I’m installing the Xibo CMS so I’m thinking I bet that’s what they meant and the download in the past has always been called xibo-cms-1.X.X.zip.
Of course I see the errors in my ways now but this is just my thoughts at the time.
To keep this from turning into a book I’ll stop there, and just say after a couple days messing with both Windows 10 and Linux install methods. I have Xibo CMS 1.8.1 (aka xibo-docker.zip download) running but I can only access it from the PC with the CMS installed.
I see instructions for making the CMS available to other systems on the network but that’s talking about using the Docker Toolbox. I’m not using the Docker Tool box so I don’t have a program called VirtualBox
I do have a Hyper-V Manager and a Virtual Machine called MobyLinuxVM but I don’t see that mentioned in the instructions.
I’m not a programmer and so I don’t know if this is too much to ask, but what I would love to see is a complete Linux distro that could be installed like FreePBX, Or the motioneyeosfor the raspberry pi. Short of that an instructional video or a instruction set that’s all on one web page and only covers one platform and one install method would be a huge help.
Thank you for all your hard work on this, I unlike others understand this software is open source and therefore not going to have the OOBE as you would have with a paid hosted service.
Thank you for your feedback.
Do you think it would be clearer then, if we had the “CMS Installation” page, present a set of links to:
- Install with Docker on Linux
- Install with Docker on Windows 10
- Install with Docker on Windows Server
- Install with Docker on Mac
- Install without Docker (Custom Installation)
- Upgrading with Docker
- Upgrading without Docker
- Starting/Stopping Xibo with Docker
And then in each of those “install” pages, describe fully the process - including the identical steps for installing Xibo once Docker is installed?
The thing we are fighting is that we really want to avoid providing instructions for installing Docker itself (although we’ve ended up having to do some of that already) - the reason being that we feel Docker themselves are far better placed to tell users how to install their software. It is the same reason we’ve tried to avoid detailing how to install Apache, MySQL, etc in the past.
The default xibo-docker.zip config file will start the “web server” and map it to port 80 on the “host” machine - that is the machine that you have Docker running on. If you can access it via localhost when on that machine, then I can only imagine that there is something on that machine preventing remote access to it (perhaps a firewall?). I must confess I do not know what MobyLinuxVM is so my advice might be slightly off - @alex would be better placed to comment I think.
If someone is prepared to maintain this, then we would be more than happy to make it available as an option. Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to maintain another method of installation (one of the reasons we tried to “simplify” things with Docker)
Hi Dan
Yes I think that would be help full that way one knows from the start there on the right path.
I think it would also be good if the download link for xibo-docker.zip worked the same as the zip download does here http://xibo.org.uk/get-xibo/
Maybe also include a button to download the xibo-docker.zip on that page.
I totally understand not explaining the Docker install and it wasn’t bad once I knew I was installing what I needed.
As for loading the CMS page I can access the login via the Virtual Machine IP on the PC with CMS installed but not using the http://localhost
what IP address should I be trying to access the CMS with from other computers on the LAN the IP of the actual PC our LAN address or the VM IP address? If it should be the IP of the VM I think that might be the problem because we are already in a 10. IP Subnet and our router is likely sending the traffic to the wrong place.
So with Docker for Windows (which is what I assume you have installed), then the IP address of the host machine should work from other machines on the network (ideally via a DNS entry). The VM’s IP is proxied internally by Docker and isn’t reachable from the LAN.
If that isn’t working, then there may be a firewall blocking access, or another service listening on the port numbers you’ve chosen.
Hi Alex
Well you’re right again I disabled our 3rd party firewall but Windows Defender just jumped in and picked up where the 3rd party firewall left off and was blocking the LAN computers from accessing the CMS.
Thanks guys for all your help and information on this.
I’ve pushed some changes to the manual based on your feedback - if you have the time to let us know what you think it would be much appreciated.
Hello Dan! I looked at the manual and the modifications. It seems more organized and logical now. I tried installing Xibo 1.8.2 using the Docker ToolBox on Windows 7 64bits but they again got confused information in my head. I can not!!! I’ve tried so hard that I’ve had enough. I give up using Docker. I returned to Xibo 1.7.9 with Xampp in Windows 7 and running perfectly and very fast the installation, without problems and without complications. One suggestion: Make a video by installing Xibo with Docker and put it on your YouTube channel. Sorry, but I can not get on with Docker and Xibo. At the moment I’m staying with Xibo 1.7.9 + Xampp. It seems to read the post that Xibo 1.8.2 is having a lot of trouble mainly in installing it. It seems to me a radical change. Thank you! I wish strength and success in improvements and advancements.
If I knew how to install using Docker I had already done a Video Tutorial. I’m sure that things would flow better and faster. Tank you
I’m not sure what a video would show that the documentation doesn’t cover really, but thanks for your feedback in any case.
I was installing Xibo in Docker windows 10 platform. After installation, I opened up the browser and typed in “localhost” but got no login page. Yes, I did try everything including checking the status of port 80 etc.
docker-compose up -d command pulled cms-xmr_1, cms-db_1 and cms-web_1 and installed without any issues.
I noticed web folder ( C:\Xibo\shared\cms\Web) was missing some files and folders compared to one I downloaded directly from the GitHub. (CMS xibo-cmd-1.8.10)
This is what Docker pulled and installed for the web folder:
thems
userscript
this is what I have in web folder in xibo-cmd-1.8.10 GitHub direct download:
api
install
maint
theme
userscript
.htaccess
index
robots
swagger.json
xmds
So no index or default page by Docker windows install.
The application is inside the container, so you wouldn’t expect to see those files in your shared directory. All you have in shared is your data and any customisations you may have made (custom themes, middleware etc).
The CMS can take some time to start on Docker on Windows, so please be patient.