After having done several ExpressionEngine deployments at MediaTemple, I decided to post my steps…so I wouldn’t have to remember them.

Get the Files:

Step 1: Visit EE and download the latest version of the core after reading the EULA
Step 2: Post the file to the (gs) via FTP to the root directory of your website.
Step 3: Login to your (gs) via SSH.
Step 4: Change directory to find the zip you just uploaded.

cd ~/domains/uhleeka.com

Step 5: Unzip the EECore archive, then delete the archive

unzip EECore1.6.5.zip
rm EECore1.6.5.zip

Step 6: Move the EECore directory into a subdirectory of html (e.g. html/ee)

mv -fv EECore1.6.5 html/ee
cd html/ee

Step 7: Set the file permissions as required by the EE installation docs.

chmod 666 path.php
chmod 666 system/config.php
chmod 666 system/config_bak.php
chmod 777 images/avatars/uploads/
chmod 777 images/captchas/
chmod 777 images/member_photos/
chmod 777 images/pm_attachments/
chmod 777 images/signature_attachments/
chmod 777 images/uploads/
chmod 777 system/cache/

Step 8 (optional but recommended): Rename the “system” folder as a security precaution

mv -fv system newsystemfoldername

Step 9 (optional): Find and download a theme at http://expressionengine.com/templates (see the EE install docs for more information).  Note: EE does not allow dynamic switching of themes after installation.

cd themes/site_themes
wget http://expressionengine.com/files/templates/zips/alex_blue.zip
unzip alex_blue.zip
rm alex_blue.zip

Step 10: Logout of SSH

logout

The Database:

Creating the database cannot be done via SSH because the (gs) MySQL user does not have CREATE DATABASE permissions. So, you have to use the MediaTemple control panel which is, thankfully, very simple and straightforward.

Once you login to your (gs) contol panel, click the “Manage Databases” link.

Click the “Add A Database” tab.

Specify the database name (e.g. dbXXXX_uhleeka_com) and select MySQL for the type.

Now that you’ve created your database, click the “Global Settings” tab to create a new user for your database (e.g. dbXXXX_uhleeka). Make sure to give your new user “Read/Write” access to your database.

Also, take note of the “Internal Hostname” listed under “Your Server Info”. It should be something like “internal-db.sXXXX.gridserver.com”.

The Configuration:

Step 1: Start the configuration by navigating to the website EECore folder (e.g. http://www.uhleeka.com/ee)
Step 2 (optional but recommended): if you renamed your system folder in the Files process, enter the value you renamed the folder to (e.g. newsystemfoldername)
Step 3: Fill out the configuration form and select your template. Example Database parameters are as follows:

Database Name: dbXXXX_uhleeka_com
User Name: dbXXXX_uhleeka
Password: ThisIsMyVerySecurePassword
Database Host: internal-db.sXXXX.gridserver.com
Table Prefix: exp_