You're going to start the installation process by downloading your own copy of the Mahara code:
- Go to the Mahara page on launchpad — https://launchpad.net/mahara. You will see a web page that lists the most recent series of Mahara. On the right of the screen is a box that shows the very latest stable version. Choose to download the code in a format you prefer. We recommend that you use the
.tar.gztype as it is faster to download than.zip:
- You may be asked if you would like to open or save the file. Select Save File and click on OK.
- That's all there is to it. Go to the folder where you downloaded the package. In there, you should see your newly downloaded Mahara package.
You have just taken your first step on the road to installing Mahara. You have seen the website you have to go to for downloading the most recent version and learned how to download the package in a format you prefer.
Tip
Mahara code versioning
Mahara versioning works on a major/minor version system. Major versions represent a number of big changes to the code with the introduction of new features and sometimes reworking of existing ones. These are numbered 1.3.0, 1.4.0, 1.5.0, and so on. Minor versions are usually important bug fixes or security updates, and are numbered 1.5.1, 1.5.2, 1.5.3, and so on, in relation to the current major version. When a new version is ready for testing, there is usually an alpha, beta, and release candidate release — these aren't stable and shouldn't be used on a production site. You can find out more about Mahara releases here at https://wiki.mahara.org/index.php/Developer_Area/Release_Policy.
We always recommend that for a production site, you choose the latest stable release of any Mahara series as it will contain bug and security fixes.
Release candidates aren't production-ready, but they are useful for testing out a new version of Mahara on a test server. You could even try upgrading to a release candidate on a development server (make sure you have a backup of the database and Mahara data files first). Release candidates are specifically released to get feedback from users, so that as many bugs as possible can be found and fixed before the next stable version. If you find any problems with the release candidate or the upgrade, you should let the Mahara developers know about them.
Tip
Version support
Mahara only supports the two latest major software releases. So, for example, if the current version is 1.5, only 1.4 and 1.5 will be supported. If you are running a major version before this, you really should update to the next major version otherwise you won't be keeping up with the latest (crucial) security updates. Plus the fact — you're missing out on lots of exciting new features!