XOOPS 2.5.8

The XOOPS Development Team is pleased to announce the release of XOOPS 2.5.8. This version includes
fixes and enhancements, security updates, PHP 7 compatibility and introduces XMF, the XOOPS Module
Framework library.

See the Changelog for more details.

System requirements
-----------------------------------

PHP:
Any PHP version >= 5.3.7 (PHP 5.5+ is strongly recommended)

MySQL:
MySQL server 5.1+ (MySQL Server 5.5+ is strongly recommended)

Web server:
Any server supporting the required PHP version (Apache highly recommended)


Downloading XOOPS
-----------------------------------

You can get the release package from GitHub: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore25/releases


Installing XOOPS (new installation)
-----------------------------------

    1. Copy the content of the htdocs/ folder where it can be accessed by your server
    2. Ensure that directories:
        - uploads/,
        - uploads/avatars/
        - uploads/images/
        - uploads/ranks/
        - uploads/smilies/
        - xoops_lib/modules/protector/configs/
       and files:
        - mainfile.php and
        - include/license.php
       are writable by the web server
    3. For security considerations, you are encouraged to move directories "/xoops_lib" (for XOOPS libraries) and "/xoops_data" (for XOOPS data) out of Document Root, and change the folder names.
    4. Make the directory xoops_data/ writable; Create (if not already present) and make the directories xoops_data/caches/, xoops_data/caches/xoops_cache/, xoops_data/caches/smarty_cache/ and  xoops_data/caches/smarty_compile/ writable.
    5. Access the folder where you installed the htdocs/ files using your web browser to launch the installation wizard


Installing Protector in XOOPS
-----------------------------------
We highly recommend installing the PROTECTOR module in your XOOPS system. It adds additional security protection
and logging capabilities to your site.


Upgrading from previous versions
--------------------------------

Upgrading from 2.5.x:
---------------------
 - Make a full backup of site files and database. (We've done lots of testing, but it is always best to be safe.)
 - It may be helpful to enable debugging in System Options - Preferences - General Settings.
 - It is wise to turn your site off in System Options - Preferences - General Settings.
 - Copy the contents of the distribution htdocs directory into your web root directory.
 - Copy the contents of htdocs/xoops_lib to your relocated/renamed xoops_lib as applicable.
 - Copy the distribution upgrade directory into your web root directory.
 - Point your browser to http://your-site-url/upgrade/ and follow the prompts.
 - Log in and step through any needed updates.
 - At the end, follow the link to upgrade the system module.
 - Also update pm, profile and protector modules if installed.
 - Don't forget to turn your site back on, if needed.

Now the system should be upgraded and running. You may want to consider updating any modules you have
installed to their latest versions.

Upgrading from versions older than 2.5.0:
------------------------------------------
The same basic process as described above applies. The upgrade process for 2.5.8 has been testing against
fresh installs of XOOPS 2.3 and 2.4. By 2.3, it becomes difficult to install the distribution on a modern
system due to the number of changes in both PHP and MySQL. This means there may be issues we may not have
encountered in testing.

If you are upgrading a older system and need help, please visit our support forums at
http://xoops.org/modules/newbb/

How you can contribute to XOOPS
-------------------------------
Bug reports and feature requests: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore25/issues
Patches and enhancements: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore25/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md
Documentation: https://www.gitbook.com/book/xoops/xoops-documentation-process/details
Support Forums: http://xoops.org/modules/newbb/

XOOPS Development Team
2016
