What is a CMS?
CMS stands for content management system. It is a program that lets you build and change a website without writing code. You type into forms and click buttons. The program makes the web pages.
ocPortal is a CMS written in PHP. PHP is a programming language that many websites run on. ocPortal has been known for including many tools in one package, such as a forum, galleries, a chat room, a calendar and downloads. The project was later renamed Composr CMS. Newer versions use that name. The ideas below work in a similar way.
What can it do?
- Pages and news posts
- A forum for your members
- Photo and video galleries
- A calendar of events
- A download area
- Member accounts with different rights
What you need
- A hosting account with PHP and a MySQL database. A database is where the site keeps its text and settings.
- The ocPortal or Composr download from its official website.
- Your cPanel login from your welcome email.
Ask Hostvento support if your plan has an installer for it. Not every plan does.
Steps to install by hand
- Download the ZIP file from the official website.
- Log in to cPanel and open MySQL Databases.
- Create a database and a user. Add the user to the database with All Privileges.
- Open File Manager and go to
public_html. - Click Upload and add the ZIP file.
- Right-click the ZIP file and choose Extract.
- Open your domain in a browser. The setup wizard should start.
- Follow the wizard. Enter the database name, user and password.
- Choose an admin name and a strong password.
- When it finishes, log in and start adding content.
Warning: The setup may need some folders to be writable. If the wizard complains, change the folder permission as it tells you. Do not use 777 on a live site if you can avoid it.
Quick recap
- ocPortal is a CMS with many built-in features.
- It later became Composr CMS.
- You need PHP and a MySQL database.
- Upload, extract, then run the setup wizard.
- Back up before updating.