How to Install Your First WordPress Website on an IBM i System

If you are an IBM i developer looking to dip your toes into modern web content management, installing WordPress on your Power System is a fantastic starting point. WordPress powers a huge chunk of the web, and running it on IBM i brings that flexibility right into your AS/400 environment.

What’s WordPress? WordPress is a free, open-source content management system built on PHP and MySQL that powers millions of websites worldwide, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce sites, allowing users to easily create, manage, and customize content without deep coding knowledge. On an IBM i system, it integrates seamlessly with the PASE environment, leveraging MariaDB for the database and open-source PHP for the backend, making it a powerful tool for IBM i developers to build modern web interfaces that can connect to legacy RPG applications or DB2 data for hybrid solutions.

In this blog, I will walk you through the basics, cover the key components, highlight the benefits, and give you step-by-step instructions to get your first site up and running. For a deeper dive, check out my course “WordPress on my IBM-i Power System!“.

Overview of Required Components

To run WordPress on IBM i, you need three main pieces: a PHP server, a Mysql (MariaDB) database backend, and WordPress itself.

Here is a quick rundown.

PHP Server

WordPress is built on PHP, so you need a PHP runtime on your IBM i. The go-to option is the open-source PHP package available through IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) Open Source Package Management. It runs in the Portable Application Solutions Environment (PASE). If you prefer a more managed setup, Zend Server for IBM i is another solid choice, but for simplicity, we will stick with the open-source route. Make sure your system is on IBM i 7.3 or later for full support.

MySQL (MariaDB)

WordPress stores its data in a MySQL-compatible database. On IBM i, MariaDB is the preferred flavor since it is open-source and integrates seamlessly with PASE. Install it via yum in ACS. MariaDB handles tables for posts, users, and settings, and it is rock-solid on IBM i.

WordPress

Grab the current stable release, which is WordPress 6.9.4. Download it from the official site as a zip file. This version includes the latest security patches and features, ensuring your site starts on the right foot.

Benefits of Running WordPress on an IBM i System

Why bother with WordPress on IBM i? Here are some technical perks that make it worthwhile for us IBM i folks.

First, IBM i’s legendary reliability shines through. Your WordPress site inherits the uptime and stability of the Power System, meaning fewer crashes and better performance under load compared to commodity servers.

Security is another big win. IBM i has built-in auditing and access controls that you can layer on top of WordPress. Tie in your IBM i user profiles for authentication, and use DB2 integration if you want to pull data from legacy apps into your site.

Integration is key for developers. WordPress on IBM i lets you blend web frontends with RPG or COBOL backends. Use PHP to call IBM i commands or query DB2 directly, creating hybrid apps that leverage your existing investments.

Scalability comes easy too. IBM i handles multiple LPARs and workload balancing, so as your site grows, you can scale without migrating platforms.

Finally, cost savings. No need for separate web servers; run everything on your existing IBM i box, reducing hardware and licensing headaches.

Installation Guide Overview

Alright, let’s get technical. This assumes you have ACS installed on your PC and PASE enabled on your IBM i. Let’s fly over the basics and give you a feel for the technology you will work with. Then, if you want to do it – join my WordPress Course if you want to go through every step in detail.

Step 1: Set Up the Open Source Environment

Launch ACS and go to Open Source Package Management. Connect to your IBM i system.

Step 2: Install PHP

Grab the free Seidon Community+ PHP Server:

Configure Apache if needed. IBM i comes with an HTTP server instance. Use the Admin GUI at http://your-ibmi:2001/HTTPAdmin to create a new instance for WordPress.

• Start the server with STRTCPSVR SERVER(*HTTP) HTTPSVR(YOURINSTANCE)

Step 3: Install MariaDB

Back in ACS package manager, install ‘mariadb’ and ‘mariadb-server’.

• Initialize the database: start STRQSH, and run /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/mysql_install_db --user=mysql --basedir=/QOpenSys/pkgs --datadir=/QOpenSys/var/lib/mysql.
• Start the server: /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/mysqld_safe &
• Set the root password: /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/mysqladmin -u root password 'yourpassword'
• Create a WordPress database and user.

Step 4: Download and Install WordPress

Download the WordPress and upload it to IBM i via ACS IFS Transfer to an IFS directory like /www/phpserver/htdocs/*.*

• Unzip and upload
• Rename the folder if needed, and set permissions
• Update wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php and fill in your DB details.

Step 5: Run the Installer

Point your browser to http://your-ibmi/blog/wp-admin/install.php and follow the prompts and you are live!

That is it! Your first WordPress site on IBM i is ready. Play around with themes and plugins, and start building.

For more hands-on guidance, including videos and troubleshooting, enroll in my course “WordPress on my IBM-i Power System!”. It covers advanced topics like integrating with DB2, security lockdowns and optimizing performance.