2015-05-14
gettingStarted

All beginnings are difficult, but with some help, they are usually not too difficult. This article is designed to help you getting started with m23 and to master the first steps successfully. The following guideposts will help you to find your way through m23 and the m23 community web site.

Basics

You can find a basic overview about what m23 is and what it can do at the "What is m23? / Features" page, which is also mentioned in the page menu bar. If you would like to see some pics of the m23 administration user interface first, just take a look into our "screenshots" section (also to be found in the menu).



Installing your own m23 server

gettingStartedBoth the m23 server and the m23 clients and all the other components contained in the program are free software, meaning you can distribute, copy and modify it to your liking. In the m23 installation manual, you can find a detailed description of how to install your own m23 server. You can install m23 on your own computer (to begin with, this need not be the latest and fastest model) using a self burnt m23 server installation CD. If your PC should not have a CD/DVD drive, you can also make bootable USB stick. Another possibility is to use a virtual machine of your choice and install m23 on it. For VirtualBox, there are already preinstalled virtual m23 machines for download which you only need to import. If you already have a Debian installed on your computer, you might want to install m23 on it. For this purpose, m23 Debian install packages are available. The different ways to install m23 are described in the m23 installation manual in detail. You can also watch a video of an m23 server installation. Along with the m23 installation manual, there is the m23 user manual to be mentioned - it is available in German, English and French and explains the use of the m23 user interface and the m23 server. Be sure to read the chapter "First steps with your m23 server" in the m23 user manual.



Your first m23 client

gettingStartedAfter having installed your m23 server, you will of course want to try it out - so you need a computer (virtual or physical) to turn it into an m23 client. An m23 client is (independent of its future use) a computer which is installed and administered by the m23 server. The client can play its role as a desktop system with a graphic interface or as a server (for example web server, data base,...). Be sure to read the chapter "Adding a client" in the m23 user manual that describes what you need to enter where in the m23 interface and what to do with your m23 client.



Help? Help!

gettingStartedIf some day you encounter a problem using m23 and can not get on alone, you should take a look into the m23 forum, maybe someone else has already found a solution to your problem - if not, we invite you to write a new post. If you would like to contact the m23 developer directly, you can do so using the contact field "Send message to developer" (top right on the main page) or send an email (in the menu under "Contact"). Be aware that the m23 community support (free of charge) is supplied on a voluntary basis. This means that because of the number of requests not every enquiry can be solved to the complete satisfaction of all parties. The community support only covers m23 installation help in standard configurations and the correction of m23 programming errors. It is understood that you have good Debian knowledge and are willing to give detailed error descriptions and to cooperate with the m23 developer in order to solve the problem. If you should need more service or use m23 commercially, please refer to the commercial support of goos-habermann.de.



Stay up-to-date!

gettingStartedThere are different ways to keep track of current m23 developments. For example, you can order the m23 newsletter and are then automatically informed about new m23 versions, events and other news concerning m23. Of course, you can also follow us on Twitter, where you are still nearer to current developments - as the m23 developer's blog is published there. Even when you're on the move, you need not to do without your latest m23 news, as there is a special version of the m23 community page and the m23-Blog designed for mobile devices. Of course, you should come visit us at our m23 project page every now and then.

Have fun using m23!