Installation

When getting started, we recommend creating Sitefinity Projects on your local computer.  It’s possible to create these projects on a remote server, however this often complicates the initial project creation.  Most customers have more success creating projects locally and then deploying the project to a development or production server.

Sitefinity can be installed quickly & easily using the following 5 steps:

1. Check the System Requirements
2. Download the Installation Package
3. Install the Project Manager
4. Create a Sitefinity project
5. Configure the new Sitefinity project

• Videos showing how to install Sitefinity.

  • Installation on Windows Server 2003
  • Installation on Windows Server 2008
  • Installation on Windows 7

Check the System Requirements

Sitefinity is an ASP.NET-based web application and has minimum system requirements that must be met for Sitefinity to functionality properly.

Important requirements to watch carefully:

• .NET 4.0 is required

  .NET 4.0 is a free download from Microsoft, but some hosting providers do not yet support Microsoft’s latest .NET framework. Check our Hosting Partners’ page for hosting recommendations..

• 500MB of memory is recommended

  Many shared hosting providers do not supply enough memory to host Sitefinity. Confirm that your hosting provider supplies enough memory to host Sitefinity or check our Hosting Partners’ page for hosting recommendations.

• Database is required

  Sitefinity relies on a database to store web site content. Visit the system requirements page to see a list of supported databases.
  If you need a database server for your local machine, then download Microsoft SQL Server Express. This database server is free and it's relatively easy to convert to SQL Server during deployment.

• Creating a Sitefinity project without running the Installation Package

  The Installation Package includes an installer and product documentation. If preferred, the stand-alone Project Manager can be downloaded instead.

  

  Unzip the downloaded file into a folder of your choosing. The Project Manager will be found in the expanded folder; the Installation step, shown below, can be skipped.

• Installing Sitefinity on a server instead of your local machine

  Many customers are not allowed to execute software directly on remote servers. Consequently, it's not possible to follow the instructions shown above. To avoid this challenge we recommend that Sitefinity be installed on your local machine. Once the project has been created it can be deployed to a remote server.

• Where is this project being created?

  The file path where this new Sitefinity project is created will be shown on the screen above. After the project is created this Web Application project can be opened in Visual Studio or deployed to another server.

• More information about Sitefinity licenses.

  Manually supplying a license file.

  The license file can also be downloaded manually by visiting the License Management page. For more information, see the License Management documentation.

  Modifying a license after project creation.

  It’s easy to modify the license after the project is created. Consequently, it’s fine to create a trial project, perform weeks of custom development, then purchase a license for a different edition of Sitefinity. The existing project can be easily modified to use the new license & edition.

  The project's license can be modified by dropping the new license file into the ~/App_Data/Sitefinity folder. This simple file replacement will modify the license & edition being used by the project.

  However, be aware that some editions of Sitefinity contain features not available in other editions of Sitefinity. [See comparison table] To avoid possible downgrade-related challenges, customers can start with smaller editions of Sitefinity and grow organically with their requirements.

  Documentation

  • License management
  • Creating a project and installing a license

  Blogs

  • Utilizing your Sitefinity CMS license on various work environments
  • Making the most out of your Sitefinity license file

• Errors during license activation.

  After clicking Next, the Sitefinity Project Manager will use the login credentials provided to contact our licensing servers. In most cases, the licence will be automatically retrieved and installed. However, it's possible to receive license related errors during this step. Feel free to contact sales@sitefinity.com if you have any difficulties with your license.

  Alternately, visit the Sitefinity License Management page to manually download a Sitefinity license. Once this license has been downloaded, re-start the project creation and click the Use a license file I have downloaded option.

• Performance issues with remote databases.

  The database server does not need to be located on the same machine as the Sitefinity web site. However, be aware that lots of data will be exchanged between Sitefinity and the database server. Consequently, the database server needs to be on the same local network as the Sitefinity web site. If the database server exists on a remote network then it will result in severe performance problems on the Sitefinity web site. This results from numerous database interactions being passed across the Internet. As long as the Sitefinity web site and the database server exist on the same network then Sitefinity should perform nicely.

• Important considerations for SQL Server Express.

  Type the details for the administrator account and click I'm done.

  

• Accessing Sitefinity's administrative interface.

  The administrative interface for Sitefinity can be accessed by selecting the project in the Project Manager and clicking the Go to Administration button.

  

  Alternately, if the web site is already running, add /Sitefinity to the end of the web site's URL.

  

Next Steps

1. Create a page

Experiment with creating pages & content in Sitefinity. For guidance, check out the Sitefinity User Guide.

2. Create a custom design

After becoming familiar with Sitefinity's interface try to create a custom design for your Sitefinity website.