[Koha-win32] koha windows install

[robweir at alum.drexel.edu]

Greetings!
Not much activity on the win32 list! I'll try a post to see if I am the only
one subscribed to the list.

I've been investigating Koha for use in a small church library in
Pennsylvania, USA. I have no Linux experience, so tackled installing it on
Windows. It took awhile, but I've been successful installing and running
V1.2.2 and V1.2.3RC14 on windows with data for a 6000 voulme library
converted from an old DOS program. I hope to test V1.3.1 this weekend.

I've seen various mentions on Koha mailing lists and documentation of
wanting to make Koha available to windows users. Based on my experience with
Koha, I don't think the average windows user is going to have the patience
to work through all the details of manually configuring Koha on a windows
box, especially given the current available documentaion. Improved
documentation for windows would help, but I think a better approach would be
to provide an installer similar to what you are using on your linux boxes.
The user would first do a standard install of Apache, MySQL, and Perl using
default settings for almost everything. The user would then run a W32 Koha
install package that would install all Koha files and handle all
configuration over and above the default Apache, MySQL and Perl installs.

It so happens that I work as an IT manager for a small medical software
company (all windows based) and one of my job responsibilties it to write
install packages for our software. Based on what I've learned about Koha on
windows, I've cobbled together a beta W32 install that does what I've
described above. It installs all the Koha files to correct locations,
installs the Perl and C4 modules, handles necessary changes to koha.conf and
httpd.conf so you can access both Opac and Intranet, installs sample data,
etc. I have tested it on Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows 98 and it
seems to work on all three. (It is not as clean on Windows 98 because Apache
and MySQL can not run as services.) The install does not yet do anything
about upgrading the data, but that could probably be added. And of course it
is a first attempt and needs testing and no doubt improvement.

I'm posting this to see if there is any interested parties out there who
would be willing to work with me in testing and improving  a W32 Koha
install to the point where it could be offered as an alternative. The beta
install I've written is less than 4 MB in size, and I can probably compile
it with any of the existing Koha releases and have it available for testing
in a couple days time. I don't have a lot of free time, but if others could
test and work with me, we might make it work.

Is there any interest?

Rob