Install Rock

Now that our foundation is set, we can begin the best part - installing Rock!

The first thing we need to do is to download the Rock installer, which you can find at rockrms.com/Rock/GetStarted. Place the Start.aspx and web.config files from the installer package in the root of the web folder. By default, the web root folder will be located here: C:\inetpub\wwwroot.

Open up a web browser and go to http://localhost/Start.aspx to begin the installation process.

Now we will enter in the SQL server information. If the SQL server is installed on this server, you can type in "localhost" in the Database Server box. If you are using another server for SQL, you can enter the server name instead.Next, enter in a name for the Rock Database (e.g. "Rock") and enter in the username and password we created earlier in the SQL Chapter. Click Next.

Now the Rock installer will run some checks to make sure the environment is ready for use. If everything checks out, you will see the Pass! screen. Click Next.

The next screen will allow us to create an admin username and password for Rock. This will be the default admin account for Rock. Be sure to use a good password, and limit who has access to it. Click Next.

Now you'll need to enter in your organization URLs.

• Internal URL: The web address you'll use to connect to Rock internally. (Example: http://admin.rocksolidchurchdemo.com)
• Public URL: The public facing website for your organization. (Example: http://www.rocksolidchurchdemo.com)

Now let's enter in your Organization Information.

• Organization Name: The name of your organization
• Organization Default Email Address: The default email sending address for Rock
• Organization Phone Number: The main phone number of your organization
• Organization Website: The website of your organization

Now that you have all of your organization's information entered into Rock, click Next to begin the Rock installation.

Rock will begin downloading the needed files onto the webserver and configuring the database. You can observe this process by clicking on the Show Console button.

When complete, click on the Flip the Switch button. Keep in mind, this loading screen will take the longest to load since Rock is starting up for the first time.

Now that Rock is installed, you can begin by logging in. Log in with the Rock admin account you created during the installation.

Once logged in, you'll be taken to the Rock homepage. You will see the Administrator Checklist, which is a list of the recommended first steps to maximize the potential of Rock at your organization. Don't worry about completing the list today. You can get to it as you become more familiar with Rock. The list will disappear once you mark off all the items. It may reappear after updates, if special configurations are needed. Think of it as a friend that only shows up in your time of need.

Snapshot Isolation Settings

We recommend enabling snapshot isolation for your Rock database. This keeps database reads from being locked by database writes. Below are the settings we recommend (found by right-clicking on the database name in SQL Server Management Studio and selecting Properties.)