Some Hosting Companies will NOT work with Drupal Install

I managed to get Drupal beta 5.02 installed... finally... and found out some disturbing things:

The database connection errors reported by the install script -- even though I knew bloody well I had all my ducks in a row -- happened when trying to install at my hosting account with IPowerweb.com. So I thouight I'd try to use one of my Godaddy.com hosting accounts to install in. The results were even worse, with the Beta 5.02 install script totally freaking when initially called, unable to even find a MySQL server which I knew was there. In desperation, I go to one of my old hosting accounts at Lypha.com and try the EXACT SAME installtion procedures that were failing at the other two hosting providers. Sure enough, this time it went through immediately, without a hitch, and installed like a dream.

Turns out that IPowerweb's control panel does NOT allow the database administrator to be assigned a couple of critical privileges like CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES and LOCK TABLES which are necessary for the Install script to run. I know... I couldn't believe it either when I finally realized... I *will* be having a talk with their tech folk. Idiots.

As for Godaddy, on their shared hosting accounts they have implemented strict security restrictions on what they will and won't allow to excute from a base URL. They simply won't allow the install.php script to connect to the database when it is called from the base URL as required. They admit this on the phone and say they won't change it. Some much for them, then. Control Freaks.

Lypha.com may have some minor speed and reliability issues, but at least they provide a full access Linux/Apache enviornment with register_globals turned OFF like they're supposed to be and full functionalty in their MySQL control panel so you can actually install what you like on the server you're paying for.

BOTTOM LINE: Before you start, create a new database for Drupal to use (the install procedure in the Beta 5.02 populates the database, but it does NOT intially create it for you, contrary to some rumors floating around). Make sure you can and do GRANT ALL of the privileges to the database user as outlined in the INSTALL.mysql.txt file -- and I mean ALL of them:

SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP, INDEX, ALTER, CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, LOCK TABLES. If you're missing even one of these privliges being assinged to the database user you specify to the install script, the install will bomb.

If you've got that right, and a new database which you can access ready to go, then the Beta 5.02 script should be able to connect and test your database and do the install -- unless you're trying to install at some place like Godaddy where they simply ain't gonna let that happen, not matter what you do or say. So, talk with your hosting provider first and make sure of the above. Once I tried installing at a host account that worked the way it should, the install executed flawlessly.

-- JR