Very quick start...
-------------------

Please refer to the online manual.
Available at http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php/Links_and_Downloads_Manager

BACKUP YOUR DATABASE BEFORE INSTALLING OR UPGRADING. There are no guarantees!! 
If you mess up your database, please don't expect us to fix it for you. 

LDM is distributed as a VBulletin 'product installer' with supporting code, image and language files. 
Installation requires no changes to a standard VBulletin board, so the good folks 
at VBulletin.com will continue to help you. The installer handles upgrades from all previous versions. 

Compatibility...
----------------

Normally, no code changes are required during installation, unless you are using an IIS web server running in CGI mode, 
in which case you will need to make one patch.

See http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php/Site_Configuration

Check that LDM is compatible with your web server and web site. 
There are usually no problems if VBulletin is running ok, although some ISPs do not enable the permissions 
that LDM requires to access files held on remote sites. 

See http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php/Installing_LDM

By default, LDM's database tables and php files are prefixed 'local_'. You can change these names 
if you wish. (Remember you did this if you upgrade later.) 

Installing...
-------------

Upload all the contents of /release/forum and its subdirectories into the corresponding forum directories
(i.e. clientscript/ into clientscript/, includes/ into includes/, etc. 

Upload /release/icon into an appropriate *forum* images directory, fr example, *forum*/images/ldm_icons.

Run the Product Management System (VB admincp: Plugin System/Manage Products) and 
upload /release/product_eirma_ldm.xml (or one of the translations - Dutch, 
French, Spanish, German, Chinese).

Upgrading...
------------

Exactly the same as installing, except - if you had installed any LDM 'extras', you need to 
re-install them, because the VB product installer deletes a product's plugins during the 
product installation

Patching your board...
----------------------

Patch your board to provide an entry point to LDM.

http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php/Links_and_Downloads_Manager#Administering_LDM

Post-installation checks...
---------------------------

Log on to your board as administrator and point your browser at http://yoursite/local_links_admin.php. 
LDM's main admin page appears. 

Review the settings and permissions.
Consider these settings in particular: 

file_icons_dir - Directory of icons and images used to support LDM. Required if you want to use the Jukebox.
If you uploaded the icons into *forum*/images/ldm_icons, set file_icons_dir to images/ldm_icons, etc.

link_imagesize - Size of thumbnail images. Required if you want to display thumbnails 
thumbs_dir - Directory in which to store thumbnails 
upload_* - Settings that enable and control user uploads 

Consider the balance you want to strike between keeping files secure and having a responsive installation. (The defaults 
are normally ok unless you are planning to stream large videos, etc., especially from another server.)

See http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php/Speed,_Security_and_Server_Load
