There are many reasons to install TAO.
TAO is a computer-based test platform that allows you to create tests. It is used by many important entities in the world.
TAO stands for “Testing Assistée par Ordinateur” (in French) and “Open Assessments Testing” (in English).
But, how can I install TAO without problems? I’m here to help you!
NOTE: The original guide isn’t updated!
WARNING: I am not responsible for any damage caused to your computer.
TIP: Use a VM if you aren’t installing the program for production purposes.
How-to guide
Server preparation
You must install PHP 8.2, but your system will install PHP 8.1 automatically. These commands will install PHP 8.2.
Make sure the server is up-to-date:
sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade
Now, install software-properties-common:
sudo apt install software-properties-common
Add PHP 8.2 and Apache2 ppa:
LC_ALL=C.UTF8 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y
LC_ALL=C.UTF8 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/apache2 -y
You will need to install the required packages:
sudo apt install apache2 \
php8.2 \
php8.2-cli \
php8.2-common \
mariadb-server \
php8.2-xml \
php8.2-zip \
php8.2-curl \
php8.2-mbstring \
libapache2-mod-php8.2 \
php8.2-mysql \
curl \
wget \
zip \
tidy \
unzip \
npm
Now, install the components needed for build:
sudo apt install php-dev libmcrypt-dev php-pear
sudo pecl channel-update pecl.php.net
sudo pecl install mcrypt-1.0.7
Add mcrypt to the extensions section of php.ini:
sudo nano /etc/php/8.2/cli/php.ini
extension=mcrypt.so
Install composer, that is the most important package. Execute this commands:
php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"
php -r "if (hash_file('sha384', 'composer-setup.php') === 'dac665fdc30fdd8ec78b38b9800061b4150413ff2e3b6f88543c636f7cd84f6db9189d43a81e5503cda447da73c7e5b6') { echo 'Installer verified'; } else { echo 'Installer corrupt'; unlink('composer-setup.php'); } echo PHP_EOL;"
php composer-setup.php
php -r "unlink('composer-setup.php');"
Create a new database and user for TAO (in this example, the database and username will be “tao”):
sudo su
mariadb
CREATE DATABASE tao_db;
CREATE USER 'tao'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'tao';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON tao_db.* TO 'tao'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
quit
exit
WARNING: You must pay close attention to the semicolon at the end of every command. In MySQL/MariaDB, they are required.
Apache2 configuration
Using the editor of your choice, you will need to configure the ServerName as well as the directory you are installing TAO in. If you are using virtual hosts, you will need to follow the Apache instructions:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
Now, go to the latest line of code and configure ServerName:
ServerName <hostname or IP>
Search in the code the Directory section and configure Directory:
<Directory /var/www/html/tests>
Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
AllowOverride all
Allow from all
Require all granted
Order allow,deny
</Directory>
Now, after these steps, turn on the mod-rewrite module:
sudo a2enmod rewrite
Verify your Apache configuration and then restart Apache for your changes to take effect:
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Install TAO
I’ve forked the GitHub project and updated the principal package (package-tao) because it isn’t correctly updated.
Download TAO via Git:
cd
git clone https://github.com/FrankVan1982/package-tao.git
mv package-tao/ tests/
sudo cp -r tests/ /var/www/html/tests
Change ownership:
cd /var/www/html/tests
sudo chmod -R 755 ./
Install TAO components on the server utilizing composer:
cd /var/www/html/tests
sudo composer install
Install MathJax on the server if necessary:
cd /var/www/html/tests
mkdir MathJax
cd MathJax
npm install mathjax
Create needed directories:
cd /var/www/html/tests/
sudo mkdir config
sudo chmod -R 755 config
You can now complete your installation either on the command line using the following command:
sudo -u www-data php tao/scripts/taoInstall.php \
--db_driver pdo_mysql \
--db_host localhost \
--db_name <db_name> \
--db_user <user> \
--db_pass <password>\
--module_namespace http://<hostname or IP>/first.rdf \
--module_url http://<hostname or IP> \
--user_login <user> \
--user_pass <password> \
-e taoCe
Alternatively you can install TAO in your browser by going to “http://(hostname or IP)/tao” if you have followed the instructions above. If you have not followed the above instructions for your Apache configuration you will need to adjust the URL as appropriate.