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In order to run an SMF forum, the server must meet the following requirements, and will run best on servers that also meet the recommendations below. This software has been tested and verified to work with the clients listed below, which are all internet browsers.

Basic Server Requirements

The following are required on any server intending to run SMF 2.0.

  • A webserver with approximately 20MB of available disk space. Much more is recommended so that other content can be uploaded over time.
  • A webserver that supports PHP, such as Apache or Internet Information Server (IIS).
  • PHP 5.4.0 or higher
    • Versions of SMF below 2.0.7 will not work on PHP 5.5. If you use PHP 5.5 it is required to use SMF 2.0.7 or greater.
    • Versions of SMF 2.0.14 and higher will not work on PHP 5.3 or below. If you use PHP 5.3 it is required to upgrade to a newer version of PHP.
  • The following must be changed in the php.ini file:
    • The engine directive must be set to On.
    • The magic_quotes_sybase directive must be set to Off.
    • The session.save_path directive must be set to a valid directory or empty.
    • The file_uploads directive must be set to On.
    • The upload_tmp_dir directive must be set to a valid directory or empty.
  • One of the following databases must be installed:
    • MySQL 4.0.18 or higher (at least 4.1.0 would be better) and PHP MySQL client API 4.0.18 or higher.
    • PostgreSQL 8.0 or higher (standard_conforming_strings must be set to off, starting from PostgreSQL 9.1 default is on)
    • SQLite SQLite 2.x (SMF is not compatible with SQLite 3.x)
  • The following are requirements for the database:
    • For a clean SMF installation, at least 2 MB of storage space in the database. Please note that this is only enough for the installation.
    • The database user must have at least the following privileges: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, ALTER, and INDEX.>
    • The database user must have the CREATE and DROP privileges during installation, conversion and some package installs.

Server Recommendations

These are not required, but may be beneficial to your SMF install and enable you to use more functions.

  • GNU Aspell 0.50 or higher (with appropriate dictionaries) for spell checking functionality.
  • Apache 2.0.x or above with AcceptPathInfo set to On for queryless URL support.
  • PHP with the following set in your php.ini file:
    • max_input_time set to a value of at least 30.
    • post_max_size and upload_max_filesize set to the size of the largest attachments you wish to be able to upload.
    • memory_limit set to at least 32M.
    • max_execution_time set to at least 15.
    • register_globals set to Off.
    • session.use_trans_sid set to Off.
    • safe mode disabled, or PHP suExec enabled.
    • BCMath library enabled for using the OpenID registration method.
    • mod_security disabled (please see Mod security for more information).
  • GD Graphics Library 2.0 or higher.

Basic Client Requirements

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher (7.0 or higher recommended).
  • Opera 7.0 or higher (9.5 or higher recommended).
  • Netscape 6.0 or higher.
  • Mozilla Suite 1.0.2 or higher.
  • Konqueror or Galeon.
  • Apple Safari 1.0 or higher (3.0 or higher recommended).
  • Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or higher (3.5 or higher recommended).