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How To Install SugarCRM – Instructions and Guide

January 30th, 2012 by

SugarCRM Installation prerequisites

This articles lists the various factors in installing SugarCRM – including prerequisites and installation instructions. We begin with the prerequisites - memory, database, and software requirements for installation. Note: Install the MB String module on your web server to support multi-byte characters.

Memory requirements

Increase the value of the memory_limit parameter in the php.ini file as follows:

  • • MySQL Server: 256M or higher
  • • MS SQL Server: 256M or higher

Database requirements

  • • If you are using MySQL, install version 5.0 or 5.1 to use with Sugar 6.3.0.
  • • If you are using Microsoft SQL Server, you need to download the SQL Server Driver for PHP version 2.0 from Microsoft and extract the contents to the /ext directory of the PHP installation.

Securing your Sugar installation

To ensure that your Sugar installation is secure from unauthorized access, for Apache, it is recommended that you configure the system as described below.

Before you install Sugar, set Allow  Override to All for the Sugar installation directory in the httpd.conf file. After you install Sugar, a .htaccess file is created in your Sugar installation directory. This file contains the following content:

# BEGIN SUGARCRM RESTRICTIONS

  • RedirectMatch 403 (?i)^.*\.log$
  • RedirectMatch 403 (?i)/+not_imported_.*\.txt
  • RedirectMatch 403 (?i)/+(soap|cache|xtemplate|data|examples|include|log4php|metadata|modules)/+.*\.(php|tpl)
  • RedirectMatch 403 (?i)/+emailmandelivery\.php
  • RedirectMatch 403 (?i)/+cache/+upload

# END SUGARCRM RESTRICTIONS

To test the validity of these restrictions, access the sugarcrm.log through the browser to ensure that error #403 is displayed. If not, check your Apache configuration to ensure that htaccess is enabled. For more information, check the Apache documentation.

Download and Install SugarCRM

If you are installing Sugar on your machine for the first time, follow the instructions in this section. If you have an earlier version of Sugar installed on your machine, refer to Upgrading Sugar for instructions on how to upgrade your Sugar instance.
Follow the steps listed below to install Sugar:
1.
Install the platform-appropriate (Linux or Windows) version of PHP, web server, and database on your machine.
2.
Download Sugar files.
3.
Copy the Sugar files to your web server. Check for dependencies and requirements, and set them.
4.
Navigate to the php.ini file located in your Sugar root directory and set the global_variables parameter to EGPCS.
5.
Restart the web server.
6.
Install Sugar Professional with the Sugar Setup Wizard.
Note:
Restart the web server before proceeding with the installation if you have modified the php.ini file.
To download the latest Sugar files
2.
Navigate to Support & Training/Support Portal or visit
3.
Login using your Sugar username and password.
4.
Click Download Purchased Software.
5.
Populate the Download Key field in the Download Manager page and click Submit.
6.
Click the link for the appropriate zip file to download it.
For example, SugarPro-6.3.0.zip.
To copy Sugar files to the web server
After you download Sugar, you need to unzip the files and set permissions.
1.
Locate the webroot directory on your web server. This directory stores publicly accessible files. Common locations for webroot are:
/var/www/html/ (Linux/Apache)
C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\ (Windows/IIS)
C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs\ (Windows/Apache)
/Library/Web server/Documents/ (MacOS X/Apache)
2.
Unzip the Sugar zip file into your webroot.
This automatically creates a directory within webroot.
3.
Rename this directory.
4.
Set permissions on the Sugar files. The following directories, all subdirectories, and files must be writable by your web server user:
¢
cache
¢
custom
¢
modules
¢
config.php
¢
config_override.php
¢
sugarcrm.log
Note:
Typically, there are multiple versions of the log file, such as sugarcrm.log, sugarcrm.log.1, sugarcrm.log.2, and so on.
For example:
chgrp ApacheUser.ApacheGroup <SugarInstallRoot> -R recursively sets ownership for root directory to Apache user and group.
chmod 755 <SugarInstallRoot> -R recursively sets permissions to Read/Write, Execute for the owner, and Read/Execute for everyone else.
The system user that your web server uses to access files in your webroot varies depending on your operating system configuration. Common web server users include:
¢
apache (Linux/Apache)
¢
nobody (Linux/Apache)
¢
IUSR_computerName (Windows/IIS)
Consult your system administrator if you are unsure of your web server user.
5.
Ensure that file permissions are set for Read/Execute to includes directory and sugar root directory (in addition to the already existing list of directories/files) before you view Sugar on your browser.

How to use the Setup Wizard for Installing SugarCRM

Use the Sugar Setup Wizard after copying the Sugar files into your web root. The Sugar Setup Wizard is located at
http://<yourServer>/<yourSugarDirectory>/install.php.
For example: http://localhost/Sugar-Full_6.3.0/install.php
You can perform a typical installation or a custom installation. Typical installation is recommended, but you can choose custom installation for the following reasons:
•
The same Database Admin User should not be used as the Sugar database administrator
•
Locale settings should be specified during installation instead of after logging into Sugar

To perform a typical installation of Sugar

1.
Launch your browser and enter the URL mentioned above.
This displays the Welcome page.
2.
Click Next.
The Installer displays installation instructions and requirements to help determine successful Sugar installation.
3.
Review the information and click Next.
This displays the Sugar License Agreement.
4.
Review the license, check I Accept, and click Next.
The installer checks the system for compatibility and then displays the Installation Options page.
Note:
You can modify any of your settings at any time prior to clicking Install in the Confirm Setting menu. To modify any settings, click the Back button on your browser to return to the appropriate page.
5.
Select Typical Install. Input the license key information in the Download Key field.You can also enter it after you have installed the application.
6.
Click Next.
This displays the Database Type page.
7.
Select the database that is installed on your system and click Next.
This displays the Database Configuration page.
a.
Enter the database name. The Installer uses sugarcrm as the default name for the database. You can specify a new name.
b.
Enter the Host Name or the Host Instance for My SQL and SQL Server.
The host name is, by default, set to localhost if your database server is running on the same machine as your web server.
c.
Enter the username and password for the Database Administrator and specify the Sugar Database Username.
d.
Ensure that the Database Administrator you specify has the permissions to create and write to the Sugar database.
For My SQL and SQL Server, by default, the Installer selects the Admin User as the Sugar Database User. The Sugar application uses Sugar Database User to communicate with the Sugar database. You can create a different Sugar Database user at this time.
To select an existing user, choose Provide existing user from the Sugar Database Username drop-down list. To create a new Sugar Database user, choose Define user. Enter the database username and password in the relevant fields. Re-enter the password to confirm it. The new user information is displayed in System Credentials on the Confirm Settings page at the end of the installation process.
e.
Accept No as the default value if you do not want the Sugar Demo data. Select Yes to populate the database with the Sugar Demo data.
8.
Click Next.
The Installer validates the credentials of the specified administrator. If a database with that name already exists, it displays a dialog box asking you to either accept the database name or choose a new database. If you use an existing database name, the database tables will be dropped.
9.
Click Accept to accept the database name or click Cancel and enter a new name in the Database Name field.
This displays the Site Configuration page.
10.
Enter a name for the Sugar administrator.
The Sugar administrator (default name admin) has administrative privileges in Sugar. You can change the default username.
11.
Enter a password for the Sugar admin, re-enter it to confirm the password, and click Next.
This displays the Confirm Settings page. The Confirm Settings page displays a summary of the specified settings. Click Back on your browser to navigate to previous pages if you want to change the settings.
12.
Click Print Summary for a printout of the settings for your records.
Click Show Passwords and then click Print Summary to include the database user password and the Sugar admin password in the printout. When you click Show Passwords, the system displays the passwords and changes the button name to Hide Passwords. You can click this button to hide the passwords again.
13.
Click Install.
This displays the Perform Setup page with the installation progress.
14.
Click Next when the setup is complete.
This displays the Registration page. Registration is optional.
15.
Enter the necessary information and click Send Registration to register your Sugar instance with SugarCRM; or click No Thanks to skip registration.
This displays the Sugar login page. You can now log into Sugar with the Sugar admin name and password that you specified during installation.

To perform a custom installation of SugarCRM

1.
Launch the browser and enter the URL described above.
This displays the Welcome page.
2.
Click Next.
The Installer displays installation instructions and requirements to determine a successful Sugar installation.
3.
Review the information and click Next.
This displays the Sugar License Agreement page.
4.
Review the license, check I Accept, and click Next.
This displays the Installation Options page.
5.
Select Custom Install and click Next.
This displays the Database Type page.
6.
Select the database of your choice and click Next.
7.
Enter the database name.
The Installer displays sugarcrm as default name for the database. You can specify a new name for the database as well.
a.
Enter the Host Name or the Host Instance for My SQL and SQL Server.
The host name is set to localhost by default if your database server is running on the same machine as your web server.
b.
Enter the username and password for the Database Administrator and specify the Sugar Database Username.
Ensure that the Database Administrator you specify has the permissions to create and write to the Sugar database.
For My SQL and SQL Server, by default, the Installer selects the Admin User as the Sugar Database User. The Sugar application uses the Sugar Database User to communicate with the Sugar database. You can also create a different Sugar Database user.
Select Provide existing user from the Sugar Database Username drop-down list to select an existing user. Select Define user to create a new Sugar Database user. Enter the database username and password in the relevant fields. Re-enter the password to confirm it. This new user information displays in System Credentials on the Confirm Settings page at the end of the installation process.
c.
Accept No as the default value if you do not want the Sugar Demo data. Select Yes to populate the database with the Sugar Demo data.
8.
Click Next.
The Installer validates the credentials of the specified administrator. If a database with the specified name already exists, it displays a dialog box prompting you to either accept the database name or choose a new database. If you use an existing database name, the database tables will be dropped.
9.
Click Accept to drop current tables or click Cancel and specify a new database name.
10.
Click Next.
This displays the Site Configuration page.
11.
Enter the URL of your Sugar instance.
12.
Enter a name for your system to display on the Sugar application’s browser title bar.
13.
Enter a name for the Sugar administrator. The Sugar administrator (default name admin) has administrative privileges in Sugar. You can change the default name.
14.
Enter a password for the Sugar administrator, re-enter it to confirm the password, and click Next.
This displays the security options on the Site Security page.
15.
Select the desired security options and input information in the relevant fields.
16.
Click Next.
The Installer displays the Confirm Settings with a summary of the specified settings.
17.
Click Show Passwords and Print Summary to include the database user and the Sugar admin passwords in the printout.
18.
Click Install.
This displays the Perform Setup page with the installation progress.
19.
Click Next when the setup is complete.
This displays the Registration page. Registration is optional.
20.
Enter the necessary information and click Send Registration to register your Sugar instance with SugarCRM or click No Thanks to skip registration.
This displays the Sugar login page. You can now log into Sugar with the Admin user name and password specified during installation. You can set up Sugar during the login process, or you can set it up after you have logged in. For more information, see Accessing Sugar and setting your User Preferences.

For full instructions, click here.

Free SugarCRM 6 Assessment PDF

Sugar CRM 6 - Free CRM Assessment PDFClick here to download our Free Sugar CRM 6 Evaluation PDF.

With this, you will be able to identify the key enhancements within Sugar CRM.

Topics include:

  1. Calculated Fields
  2. Favorites and Favorites Dashlet
  3. Twitter and Social Media integration
  4. Reporting (filtering, scheduling)
  5. User interface improvements (there are many!)
  6. Sugar Mobile 1.0 details
  7. and much more.

Free Tool for Comparison of various CRM Vendors

Free Excel CRM Comparison Tool - Comparing 10 of the Top CRM SolutionsClick here to access our Free Comparison Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key similarilites and differences between 9 of the top CRM systems, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix, GoldMine, Sage ACT!, Pivotal and more.

Comparison includes:

  1. Key CRM Features
  2. Pricing (Licensing, etc..)
  3. Available Modules (e.g. SFA, Marketing, Service, etc)
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  5. Hardware and Network support (Microsoft, Linux, etc…)
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Comment on this Post

Posted in SugarCRM, Training |

SugarCRM 6.4 Features and Review

January 16th, 2012 by

Why Upgrading to Sugar 6.4 makes sense

I will try to list off a few reasons for upgrading to SugarCRM 6.4.

Click here to check out a detailed Feature List.

#1: Calendar Improvements

• Users have the Ability to drag-and-drop items — Drag and drop items in Calendar for better ease of use

• Improvement to Quick create and edit forms — Click on any time slot within Calendar to create Meetings and Calls; also click on any Calendar item to modify information in Quick Edit forms

• Long meetings are now displayed in a solid continuous piece — Calendar items that are longer than 30 minutes in duration are displayed as a solid continuous item ie, they do not have lines demarcating the 30 minute time boundaries

• Users now have access to a Calendar dashlet — Calendar has been added as one of the Sugar Dashlet items in 6.4.0

• Individual color-codes for Meetings, Tasks and Calls — Meetings are displayed in blue, Calls in red, and Tasks in green. This will help  to distinguish and identify them easily in Calendar

• Now have the ability to change the first day of the week in month-views — Select any day as your preferred first day of the week from your User pages and display the modifications in month-view of Calendar

• Users can now navigate within Calendar by using the calendar view — Navigate to any date with lesser clicks of the mouse using the calendar view, instead of using the Next button

#2: Platform Improvements

• Database layer refactoring — In this update SugarCRM is planning a 3 phase, multi-release Database Layer refactoring to improve database independence and increase performance and stability.

Release 6.4.0 includes the first of these phases which mainly focuses on moving database specific code and queries into a clean class hierarchy, eliminating the DB helper classes. These changes may affect customizations and custom modules which were built against older Sugar versions. It is imperative to test the upgrade process in a staging environment before proceeding with the production upgrade, especially if the system includes customizations or custom modules.

• Cache upload enhancements — Upload directory moved out of cache directory and is now a separate directory; generated files (like javascript grouping files) moved to cache directory; encrypted data files and other persistent configuration files moved from cache to custom directory; unified APIs for upload and cache directory added. Note that you need to place the cache directory in any location within the file system after editing the config settings.

• CSS Sprites for better performance — Images of multiple icons combined into single images resulting in fewer images for the browser to download and fewer requests to the server. This results in reduced download time, less bandwidth consumption, and better performance of the application, and is beneficial especially for users with slower internet connections.

SugarCRM – Free Evaluation Document

Sugar CRM 6 - Free CRM Assessment PDFClick here to receive our Free Sugar 6 Document.

With this free document, you will be empowered to identify the key enhancements within Sugar.

Topics include:

  1. Twitter and Social Media integration
  2. Calculated Fields
  3. Favorites and Favorites Dashlet
  4. Reporting (filtering, scheduling)
  5. User interface improvements (there are many!)
  6. Sugar Mobile 1.0 details
  7. and much more.

TCO Spreadsheet for Budgeting CRM Costs

Free CRM TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) Calculator ToolClick here for our Free CRM TCO Spreadsheet.

With this free spreadsheet, users will be able to see the chief TCO line items that are key for any CRM implementation. We have also included data for comparing CRM software systems such as Microsoft CRM, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and more. You will be able to view the 3 Year and 5 Year Total Cost of Ownership for both SaaS (Online/On-Demand) and Licensed (On-premise) pricing models.

TCO line items include:

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  2. Support
  3. Hardware (incl. Server and Users)
  4. Implementation
  5. Staff
  6. Network
  7. Mobile
  8. and much more.

Spreadsheet Tool for Comparison of CRM Software

Free Excel CRM Comparison Tool - Comparing 10 of the Top CRM SolutionsClick here to receive our Excel CRM Comparison Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to view the key similarilites and differences between a number of the top CRM systems, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix, GoldMine, Sage ACT!, Pivotal and more.

Topics include:

  1. Key CRM Features
  2. Pricing (Licensing, etc..)
  3. Available Modules (e.g. SFA, Marketing, Service, etc)
  4. Feature Details (Sync, Call Center, Quoting, E-commerce, Lead Management, Security, Workflow, and much more.
  5. Hardware and Network support (Microsoft, Linux, etc…)
  6. Industry/NAICS

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Posted in Cloud CRM, SugarCRM |



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