Hosting with Yahoo - how to set up MySQL and install CMSMS

[casidougal]

Since they're is no other info in the forum on this topic, I thought I would share the process I used for successfully installing CMS Made Simple with Yahoo hosting (If you're not aware, Yahoo one of the top three shared hosting companies worldwide).

I found found their MySQL administration to be a bit odd (to put it nicely), so I figured I would try to save someone else the pain of learning by trial and error.  Here are the general steps I used successfully:

1. Wait at least 48 hours after you initially set up your hosting account to do anything...esp as it relates to MySQL! Even though you will be able to set up a MySQL administrator and install phpMyAdmin through their control panel...don't do it!! Just trust me. After 48 hours go to the "Create & Update" tab in Your Web Hosting Control Panel...scroll way down until you see "MySQL Database"

2. Go through the database setup process, you'll set up a master "database account/database administrator" id and password here. Create a subdirectory and install PHPMyAdmin using the Yahoo control panel features on your hosting account.

3. Now open phpMyAdmin using the URL they indicate and create a new database...just name it, create it using the default settings and don't do anything else. BTW..My experience has been I can not view their phpMyAdmin in FireFox 2.0, I have to use IE (strange but true).

4. I installed CMS Made Simple into my hosting account via ftp:  http://wiki.cmsmadesimple.org/index.php ... ck_Install

5.Now here's the part that took me the longest to figure out with Yahoo. When entering the database information during the CMSMS install process here's what you need to enter: 

Database Type: "MySQL"
Database Host Address must be just "mysql"
Database Name must be the name of the new database you created in step 3. Note: don't use "mysql" or the name of any other default database on your account, regardless of what their tech support might tell you.
Username: what you set up in step 2 above
Password: what you set up in step 2 above
Table prefix: "_cms" or whatever you choose
Create Tables (Warning: Deletes existing data): Check this
Install sample content and templates: Check this

That process should do the trick. Oh, one more thing. Bless their hearts but my hunch is most of the first line Yahoo support techs have no clue about MySQL or phpMyAdmin.

I was given this email address by one of them for the php/mySQL escalation team, if you have issues with MySQL I recommend trying the email after speaking with a technician and getting a case number (I never did try this email so I can't say if it works):

wh-php@cc.yahoo-inc.com

Cheers,

CD

PS. In my opinion, there are better options out there for hosting CMS Made Simple!

6-4-2007 Addendum: Yahoo Hosting does not allow .htaccess management ... so no mod_rewrite capability. A deal killer in my opinion.