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### Before Installing

Before you can begin installing YaBB, there are a few basic things you must know: chmod (file permissions), FTP client usage and uploading files in ASCII and binary mode. While not required, it would also be useful to have a basic understanding of Perl and HTML.

#### Requirements

1. The first thing you need is a website host that supports Perl, has a min. 1mb+ free disk space on your web hosting account, an email server(such as SMTP) or sendmail, . Hosts like Tripod, AngelFire, and Geocities generally do not. For a list of hosts that do, check the YaBB Chat and Support Community. Most hosts' FAQ pages will say if they do or do not.
2. So now that you've got a host, you'll need to get an FTP client. FTP clients allow you to connect to the FTP server that your host provides. Through the FTP server, you will install YaBB. For Windows users, we recommend the free, open source FileZilla or WS_FTP. For a comparison list of FTP clients, please view this Wikipedia article or similar sites to download a client for your system. Now that you have an FTP client, familiarize yourself with AscII and Binary transfer modes.
3. The only thing left to learn about is chmod. Chmod (change mode) is a process that only Unix, Linux, and other *nix web hosts support; if your host doesn't say it's a Windows host, then it's probably one of those. This sets permissions on files. These permissions include reading, writing, and executing. You use your ftp client to chmod, and how you do so in every client is different. In many of them, all you have to do is right-click on a file, select "Chmod" or "Set Permissions," and then input the chmod number or choose the proper check boxes. Simple.
4. Verify that you have the following: FTP client, web hosting account, a text editor, and a web browser.