Before you begin, please see this Knowledge Base article to see if your account meets the minimum requirements to run Moodle.  If you are unsure, you can open up a support ticket to have us check, and we'll let you know if you need to upgrade.

The first step is to order and setup a database if you haven't already.  Moodle supports both MS SQL and MySQL.  Then follow these instructions to install Moodle.

  1. Log into the DiscountASP.NET Control Panel.
  2. On the menu to your left, click on Web App Gallery.
  3. Scroll down to the Moodle section and then click Continue with Installation >>.


  4. This will take you to the installation tool.  Leave the Application Path field blank if you want to install Moodle to the root of your site, otherwise enter the name of the subdirectory you want it installed to.  Then click on the Install Application button.


  5. This deploys the setup files to your account.  If the deployment is successful, you should see the screen below with a link to launch your site in a browser to continue the set up.  (If you have not yet pointed your domain name to our servers, you can manually enter the Alternative URL found in the Account Info/Edit section of our Control Panel in a browser to continue with set up.)


  6. Select a language and click the Next >> button.


  7. The Moodle Installation Wizard will ask you to enter a path for the Data Directory (default \moodledata).  The default Data Directory path that Moodle supplies will not work in our hosting environment.  You'll have to manually enter the path in the format E:\web\AccountUsername\htdocs\App_Data.  If you're installing it to a subdirectory, then the format is E:\web\AccountUsername\htdocs\SubDirectoryName\App_Data.  (Red indicates that values need to be changed to match your account setup.)  Click on the Next >> button when you're done.


  8. Choose either Improve MySQL (native/mysqli) or SQL*Server Microsoft (native/sqlsrv) depending upon which database you ordered.  You can choose the other types if you want to connect to a database outside of our hosting environment.


  9. The database settings you enter will depend on the type of database you chose in the last step.  If you plan on using a MySQL database, the database collation must be set to uf8 – itf8_general_ci.  To change the collation, you need to connect to your MySQL database using a client like MySQL Workbench or phpMyAdmin.  The following instructions are for changing the collation using MySQL Workbench:

    * Right click on the MySQL database.
    * Click "Alter Schema..."
    * Next to "Collation", click the dropdown menu and select "uf8 – itf8_general_ci".
    * Click "Apply".
    * Click "Apply" again on the next screen.
    * Click "Finish".

    No changes are necessary if you use a MS SQL database.  You may then proceed on entering the database settings.  For MySQL:

    Database host: mysql###discountasp.net (replace ### with the server number)
    Databse name: MYSQL5_######_dbname (replace ###### with your account number and dbname with the name you chose when you created the database)
    Database user: Enter the database login you created.
    Database password: Enter the password to the login.
    Tables prefix: Enter a table prefix to differentiate it from the tables of other applications (default mdl_) or leave it blank.
    Database port: 3306


    You can find these settings in the MySQL Manager section of the Control Panel.  For MS SQL:

    Database host: sql#####.discountasp.net (check Control Panel for specific values)
    Databse name: SQL####_######_dbname (check Control Panel for specific values)
    Database user: SQL####_######_dbname_user (check Control Panel for specific values)
    Database password: Enter the password to the login.
    Tables prefix: Enter a table prefix to differentiate it from the tables of other applications (default mdl_) or leave it blank.
    Database port:1433 or 14330


    You can find these settings in the MS SQL Manager section of the Control Panel.  Click on the Next >> button to continue.

  10. Click on the Continue button to accept the EULA.


  11. Moodle will then go through a pre-flight checklist.  For most users, you can click on the Continue >>> button to proceed with the installation.  Some of the unchecked items can be resolved by installing a SSL certificate or adding/modifying a user.ini file.  Others can't be resolved (e.g. we don't support 64-bit PHP).  As long as it says "Your server meets all the minimum requirements," you can proceed.


  12. You should see the screenshot below if the installation was successful.  Click on the Continue button to continue setup.


  13. Expand the General section and fill out the fields to create an admin user.  Click on the Update profile button to continue.



  14. Fill out the information regarding your site and then click Save Changes.



  15. You now have the option to register your site with Moodle.  Fill out the information and then click on Register your site to register.  You can also just Skip to finish the installation.



  16. Voila!  You have now completed the installation and can start using Moodle.  It will also auto log you into the admin account.