By mgt on

I am new to Drupal but have been "playing" around with it now for a week. Created a little site with a hosting service and they offer Drupal 6.x through a third-party commercial script library vendor.

So where should I install Drupal?

The hosting service provides me an index.htm file to use as my homepage, so that if I go to the Internet and type www.xxxxx.com (where "xxxxx" is my site name) I am actually viewing my index.htm file, which is for all intents and purposes, in the "root directory". I installed Drupal in the root directory/cms (in other words a level down in a directory called cms).

Does it matter where I install Drupal?

Is the "root directory/cms" directory a satisfactory location in which to install Drupal?

Would I be better off installing Drupal in my root directory?

If I were to install Drupal in my root directory, how would I access Drupal (I'm currently accessing it by typing www.xxxxx.com/cms/ in the web browser)?

If I were to install Drupal in my root directory, how would that impact my current index.htm file and current directory structure?

I would like to be able to access the Admin section of Drupal in such a way that it is not necessarily easily accessible by someone else accessing my homepage, but I would also like to maximize Drupal's functionality (toward creating my own website), while minimizing headache, frustration, and hassles by creating unnecessary directories and code modifications (needed because I've modified a directory structure)...

I'm new to this and would appreciate your help!

Thanks!

Comments

bwv’s picture

bwv commented

You can install drupal anywhere you like. If you put it in root, your index.html file will need to be removed.

If you install it in a subdirectory, you will access it thusly:

The site:

http://www.xxxxxx.com/cms

User access with clean urls:

http://www.xxxxxx.com/cms/user

User access with regular urls:

http://www.xxxxxx.com/cms/?q=user

No need to fret about accessing the admin backend. Drupal is nothing if not secure. Just don;t share your password and you will be fine.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://music.bwv810.com
http://classicvinyl.biz
http://davidhertzberg.com

I am a writer, researcher and solo drupal freelancer.

mgt’s picture

mgt commented

Thank you for your prompt response!

Is there any advantage or disadvantage to installing Drupal in the root directory as opposed to a subdirectory?

If I want to use Drupal themes and maximize Drupal functionality in my homepage (and throughout my website) do I have to install Drupal in the root directory?

aparker’s picture

aparker commented

While I'm still new to Drupal, I would be it in a subdirectory on you main site. I would then setup virtual hosting to so that http://www.myexistingsite.com pointed to my root directory and then I'd set up http://drupal.myexistingsite.com to point to the subdirectory where drupal sits.

Then once you decide to replace your existing site with Drupal, you can just change the virtual pointer.

This assumes you want to replace and manage your whole site with Drupal.

Andy

bwv’s picture

bwv commented

I have several drupal sites that reside in root, and several that run off the main installation that resides in root. You can certainly put your install in root. There is no advantage or disadvantage to doing so, as far as I know. Themes, modules, functionality, capability will not be affected either way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://music.bwv810.com
http://classicvinyl.biz
http://davidhertzberg.com

I am a writer, researcher and solo drupal freelancer.

lachmac’s picture

lachmac commented

If I install Drupal in the www.mysite.com/cms directory, and leave an index file in the root directory - what needs to be in the index file?

Sorry if this seems a beginners question.

/Lachmac

Together is better*