Installing WS.WebTV | WS.WebTV Documentation | WebTV Solutions

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This document has been written assuming that your server meets the requirements of WS.WebTV

Preparation

Important: Installing WS.WebTV in a folder of a WordPress blog, or any other CMS?
Keep in mind that if you install WS.WebTV in a folder of a Website which already has a CMS installed in its root, you must make sure that any "mod_rewrite" (URL redirection) will not affect the WebTV folder, otherwise WS.WebTV will not work correctly.

Regarding HTTPS...
If your server supports HTTPS (and has a valid certificate) then we strongly recommend that you use HTTPS. In case you install the WebTV over HTTP and you are not able to login after finishing the installation (and you are sure that there are no problems with your PHP sessions...) then contact us for instructions.

1. Download and unzip into temporary folder
First, create a temporary folder in your local drive, with the name (for example) "webtv-files".

Base package...
- Download the base package file.
- Unzip it with the corresponding password, inside the "webtv-files" folder. After unzipping, you'll find the following folders:
    support_files/ (this folder contains sample video files)
    www/ (this is the folder that contains the WebTV files)
NOTE: The license agreemen can be found in webtv-files/www/_acuerdo_de_licencia (in Spanish) and webtv-files/www/_license_agreement (in English).

Extensions...
If you have purchased extensions, some of them may require downloading a ZIP file.
- Download the file corresponding to each extension.
- Open each ZIP with the corresponding password.
- Just like the base package, inside each ZIP file you'll find a "www" folder which contains the extension files. Copy the folder "www" inside the "webtv-files" folder you previously created (confirm file overwrite when the operating system asks). The result is that the files of the extension will add to (or overwrite) those of the base package.

Postfixes...
If there is any postfixes package available, download it and unzip it inside the "www" folder of "webtv-files", in other words, inside "webtv-files/www" (confirm file overwrite when the operating system asks.

Windows Users:
If you have problems unzipping the distribution package try one of the following programs:
• 7-Zip (Freeware)
• WinRAR
• WinZip

Mac OS X Users:
The default ZIP utility included in Mac OS X does not support password protected files; therefore, you will need a third party utility to unzip the supplied file. Try one of the following freewares:
• Keka (Freeware)
• Unarchiver (Freeware)
• Zipeg
• Rar for Mac

2. Copy files...
Use a FTP program (like FileZilla ) to copy all the files and folders located inside "webtv-files/www", into your Web server's destination folder (do not copy the "www" folder!).
Note: If you are on Mac, beware of Cyberduck as some users have reported file permission issues with the files copied to the server. We recommend using FileZilla instead.


3. Create a new MySQL database
Create a new MySQL database in your server:
Engine: InnoDB
Collation: utf8_general_ci.
Then create/assign the corresponding database's user enabling all available privileges.

The WS.WebTV installer

Now that you have copied all the files into the server and created a new database, you are ready to install the WebTV:

1. Run the WS.WebTV Installer
...From a Web browser, by visiting: http://your_webtv_url/install. You should see the following screen:


2. Read carefully all the information and instructions.

3. Don't forget to run the Diagnostic tool.

The Diagnostic tool is useful to determine if your server meets the minimun requirements and to get information about other PHP settings.

» PHP Settings
In particular, it is very important that you configure the PHP settings detailed below, according to your needs.
NOTES:
- Setting adjustments are normally done in your server's .user.ini, php.ini or .htaccess file (some times you will need to create the appropriate file). In case of doubt consult with your hosting company or server administrator.
- Some hosting companies (depending on the hosting plan) may limit the maximum values or even not allow to change them at all. Again, in case of doubt consult with your hosting company or server administrator.
- These settings not only affect WS.WebTV, they also afftect ANY other PHP application that deals with file uploads or with process which require long execution times.

"upload_max_filesize" and "post_max_size"
Determine the maximum size of the uploaded (non-video) files* as well as the maximum size that the "chunks" of the uploaded video files can have.
* In case you are using the older/legacy video uploader (versions 1 to 56) then these values will also limit the size of the uploaded video files.
Example setting for v57:
(Allow uploading non-video files and/or chunks of video files up to 32MB.)
upload_max_filesize = 32M
post_max_size = 32M
Example setting for v56 and prior versions:
(Allow uploading all kind of files up to 4000MB.)
upload_max_filesize = 4000M
post_max_size = 4000M

"max_input_time"
Determine the maximum time you can take to upload a file (or "chunk") to the server. If an upload takes longer than this time, then the connection will be interrupted and the file/"chunk" won't be stored.
Example setting for v57:
(Allow uploading non-video files and/or chunks of video files which take up to 900 seconds - 15 minutes - to upload.)
max_input_time = 900
Example setting for v56 and prior versions:
(Allow uploading files which take up to 7200 seconds - 2 hours - to upload.)
max_input_time = 7200

"max_execution_time"
Determines the maximum time that the system can take/last to perform a task/process. If a task/process (like video encoding) takes longer than the specified value then the process will interrupt. Example setting:
(Allow execution during up to 3600 seconds - 1 hour).
max_execution_time = 3600

"memory_limit":
Limits the amount of memory that a PHP application/script can use during its execution. This setting is important for image processing; if it is set very low (for example, 32M) then the WebTV will not be able to resize some of the uploaded images which have a reasonable size. Example setting:
(The following setting should be enough in most cases)
memory_limit = 64M

"display_errors"
To prevent that any execution error be visible to the WebTV visitors, set it to "Off" (recommended).
display_errors = Off

NOTE: There are also several other configuration option in your Web server configuration which could cause issues with the upload of large files. Please read the "TROUBLESHOOTING" section at the bottom of the page for more information.


4. Click "I accept, Start" when ready.

The Database setup screen will appear...

Enter the appropriate database info. Then click Continue.

5. Once the database is installed, the next step is to supply the license key and the basic configuration information.

Fill in the required fields and click Continue.
Regarding Base URL:
Base URL must match exactly the URL you provided when you filled in the purchase form.

Regarding notification E-Mail messages:
In case your server is not able to send mails using the PHP mail sending functionality (WebTV default), you can configure the WebTV to use a SMTP account instead. For more info read the "TROUBLESHOOTING" section of this document.

Regarding the master password:
This option has been removed from the installer since WS.WebTV 2.4. Since this version, the master password must be set from the Configuration > General section of the Content Administrator.



6. Installation is complete...

IMPORTANT NOTES:
• If you need to modify the database connection information, Base URL, etc. you can edit the WebTV configuration file located in config/Config.inc.php
• (Since WS.WebTV 2.4) In the config/ folder, it must have been generated a file with random name and .pek extension. "pek" means "partial encryption key"; it is "partial" because its content is used, along other information, as key to encrypt data before being stored into the database and to decrypt data which have been stored encrypted in the database. This file is unique for each WebTV and if it get lost or damaged it won't be possible to decrypt data which is stored encrypted in the database.
• We strongly recommend you to make periodic backups. Read the tutorial here.

7. Logging in for the first time.
Without leaving the previous screen, click on "Log In" to access the Content Administration Interface.
NOTE: You can also log into your WebTV by visiting: http://your_webtv_url/admin.

Entering a new license key...

When you purchase extensions, besides copying the corresponding files to the server, it will be necessary to enter a new license key. In order to do this, go to Go to Configuration > General Tab.
Enter the license key into the appropriate field. Then Save the Configuration.

robots.txt

WS.WebTV includes a pre-made robots.txt file, disallowing search engine indexing of several files and folders. Additionally, in this file should be specified the sitemaps for your Website. Since version 2.3.0.1, the installer script takes care of generating the file with the necessary information, but it is worth verifying its content and location:

The last two directives of the file contain the references to your WebTV' sitemaps:
Sitemap: /sitemap.php # use an absolute URL here. Example http://www.url_of_your_webtv.../sitemap.php
Sitemap: /videositemap.php # use an absolute URL here. Example http://www.url_of_your_webtv.../videositemap.php

NOTE: The robots.txt will only work when it is in the root of a domain. If your WebTV is installed inside of a folder, it will be ignored by the search engines.

Optional: Enabling Video Encoding (FFmpeg)

If your server includes FFmpeg support, you can configure WS.WebTV to compress videos. Check the following video encoding configuration tutorial for more information. If your WebTV is installed inside a folder of the domain, the file will be ignored by search engines; in this case, you must include the directives corresponding to your WebTV inside the robots.txt file which is in the domain root.

Third party FFmpeg installation/compilation service
If you have a Cloud/VPS/Dedicated server with root access then you can purchase -specifically- the FFmpeg installation service offered by https://installffmpeg.com/

Optional: Friendly URLs

WS.WebTV supports Friendly URLs. By default it uses the "standard" generation style. Example:
http://mywebtvdomain.com/index.php/video/1/trailer (note the index.php in between)
The "standard" style should work on any server.

Although the previous, there are other options available:
1. Folder style. Example:
http://mywebtvdomain.com/video/1/trailer/
2. File stytle. Example:
http://mywebtvdomain.com/video-1_trailer.html
3. Disabled. You can also disable Friendly URLs. Example:
http://mywebtvdomain.com/index.php?go=portal&do=watchclip&iq=1&tp=trailer

Changing the Friendly URLs options:
Edit the WebTV configuration file (config/Config.inc.php) file and look for the corresponding section:
// ---------- FRIENDLY URLS ----------
$FRIENDLY_URLS_ENABLED = true; // Ops: true / false. Enable/disable Friendly URLS.
$FRIENDLY_URLS_STYLE = "default"; // Ops: "default" / "folder" / "file"

"URL Rewrite" required...
Please, note that "folder" and "file" styles require the mod_rewrite Apache module, and .htaccess file modification.
» Download .htaccess rewrite rules for "folder" style
» Download .htaccess rewrite ruler for "file" style

Troubleshooting

• If video file uploads fail:
  1) If uploads interrupt (fail before the progress bar reaches 100%):
      1.1) Check your PHP settings and adjust accordingly.
      1.2) If your server is based on Apache, check if mod_security is installed; if so, try disabling it (we have found this mod to be responsible for many file upload issues).
      1.3) If your server is running PHP as FastCGI, see below.
      1.4) Make sure the server's temporary folder does not have size restriction.
  2) If uploads fail at the end (after progress bar reached 100%):
      2.1) Check the uploads/movies folder write permissions.
      2.2) Make sure the PUT method/verb is enabled in your server.
      2.3) Make sure the server's temporary folder is writable.
      2.4) Make sure the server's temporary folder does not have size restriction.

• If you have problems uploading images:
  1) If uploads interrupt: Check your PHP settings and adjust accordingly.
  2) If uploads do not interrupt but the images are not stored:
      2.1) Check the uploads/images folder write permissions.
      2.2) Make sure the PHP GD extension is installed.

********** [ Issues related with PUT verb/method ] **********
• Apache: Most Apache-based servers have the "PUT" method enabled; however, if your server has this method disabled you should be able to enable it from the .htaccess file.

• IIS (Internet Information Services): If your server does not have the PUT verb/method disabled you will need to modify the applicationHost.config file (look for the appropriate <location path ...> block): 1. Remove WebDAV module 2. Add PUT verb to the <handlers> section.

********** [ Issues related with upload limits ] **********
• Apache CGI/FastCGI, PHP-FPM: If your server is running PHP as FastCGI (including PHP-FPM) and if after adjusting the PHP settings (upload and time limits detailed above) you still have problems, then it is very likely that you have to adjust the Apache configuration too. In particular, try adjusting/adding the following settings:

Settings for Apache FCGI (version 2.0 and higher)
- FcgidMaxRequestLen 4294967296
- LimitRequestBody 4294967296
- FcgidIOTimeout 7200
- FcgidBusyTimeout 7200

Settings for Apache FCGI (versions prior to 2.0)
- MaxRequestLen 4294967296
- IPCCommTimeout 7200
- BusyTimeout 7200

NOTE: All Apache FCGI settings can be found here: https://httpd.apache.org/mod_fcgid/mod/mod_fcgid.html

• nginx or Apache + nginx (running PHP as FPM application served by nginx): If your server is configured to run PHP through nginx and if after adjusting the PHP settings (upload and time limits detailed above) you still have problems, then it is very likely that you have to adjust the nginx configuration too (nginx.conf file). In particular, try adjusting/adding the following settings:
- send_timeout 7200s;
- client_body_timeout 7200s;
- client_max_body_size 4000m;
- proxy_send_timeout 7200s;

NOTE: All nginx settings can be found here: https://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_core_module.html

• Plesk (12+, Onyx ...) + Linux: If your server has Plesk panel (12+, Onyx...) + Linux then, besides adjusting the PHP settings, you will need to add Apache and -maybe- nginx directives too in to the "Apache & nginx Settings" section:
- If you are running PHP as Apache module, then add the aforementioned Apache 2.0 directives into the "Additional directives for HTTP" and "Additional directives for HTTPS" text fields.
- If you are running PHP as FPM application served by nginx, then add the aforementioned Apache 2.0 directives into the "Additional directives for HTTP" and "Additional directives for HTTPS" text fields. Also, add the aforementioned nginx directives into the "Additional nginx directives" text field. IMPORTANT: Note that Plesk has a bug that does not allow specifying the client_max_body_size directive, to solve this problem it is necessary to apply the Plesk fix #PPPM-1914.

• Plesk Web Application Firewall: If you have problems uploading big files and in the "Web Application Firewall" error log you find entries like "ModSecurity: Request body (Content-Length) is larger than the configured limit (...)" then you'll need to disable the specific directive or fully disable the "Web Application Firewall".

• WHM/cPanel + Linux, with PHP-FPM: If your server has WHM/cPanel + Linux, PHP is being executed using PHP-FPM and you have problems uploading big files or with video encoding (FFMpeg execution problem because the PHP shell_exec function is disabled) then contact us for instructions on how to modify the PHP-FPM configuration.

• IIS (Internet Information Services): If youser server is ignoring the PHP upload limits, you will need to modify the requestLimits maxAllowedContentLength setting (applicationHost.config file) to match the PHP setting upload_max_filesize/post_max_size.

********** [ Other issues ] **********
• E-Mail: If the E-Mails sent by the WebTV are being "trapped" by anti SPAM filters:
Today, almost everyone uses SPAM filters; some of these filters are very agressive and it is very easy for an E-Mail to be considered as SPAM thus not reaching the end user (or falling into the SPAM folder). Although it is not possible to bypass those filters, at least, you can try lowering (just a bit) the probability of the E-Mails to be considered as SPAM by making sure that your domain has a SPF record as well as a PTR record (reverse DNS) correctly configured. Contact your hosting company or server administrator so they can set the SPF and PTR records for you.
You can verify your domain's SPF and PTR records using the following online tools:
- SPF Check: https://mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx
- SPF Check: https://www.kitterman.com/spf/validate.html
- PTR Check: https://mxtoolbox.com/ReverseLookup.aspx (you need to enter here your server's IP address and the result must contain your domain name).

• E-Mails: If your WebTV is not sending E-Mails:
By default, the WebTV uses the PHP mail() function; however if the function is disabled or incorreclty configured in the server then the WebTV won't be able to send mails.
Solution: WS.WebTV includes an alternate method for sending E-Mails which relies on SMTP (which is configured like an E-Mail program). In order to set the E-Mail sending options edit the WebTV configuration file (config/Config.inc.php) and look for the corresponding section:
Example:
// ---------- E-MAIL & NOTIFICATIONS -----------
$NOTIFICATION_EMAIL = "notification_email"; // The E-Mail address where the website will send notifications (if any).
$SEND_MAIL_USING_SMTP = true; // Ops: true/false. If set to false, the Website will use the native PHP mail() function. If you are having problems with this method, or it is not available/enabled in for server, set it to true and configure the SMTP values.
$SMTP_HOST = "mail.smtpserver.com";
$SMTP_PORT = 25; // SMTP port
$SMTP_USERNAME = "example@mydomain.com";
$SMTP_PASSWORD = "my_email_password";
$SMTP_AUTH = true;