How to Install Magento to Rackspace Server
For anyone trying to install Magento on a RackSpace server, I highly recommend this Magento Installation Tutorial by Ed Baxter at NetTuts.com. Ed does a fantastic job explaining the important details that will help you get set up quickly – in less than ten minutes!
I followed Ed’s tips and successfully installed Magento onto our Hostgator server. In fact, there were no problems at all, even when I checked the box for “Use Web Server (Apache) Rewrites.” I mention that because I noticed on the Magento forums that many people reported having problems with their store links as a result of checking this option. But no problems with Hostgator – it worked ‘right out of the box.’ However, when I tried installing Magento on one of our other sites, on the Rackspace/Mosso server, I wasn’t so lucky.
That’s because installing Magento on Rackspace isn’t as straightforward when you’re using the URL rewrite option. Although the application installs properly, you’ll notice that all of your links are broken, causing your browser to throw up the dreaded 403 error (Access Forbidden.) But luckily it’s not too tough to get everything working properly.
Rackspace provides a workaround for anyone who thinks to look in their knowledge base section:
*If you selected “Use Web Server (Apache) Rewrites,” you will need to edit the .htaccess file in the root of your Magento install. You will need to edit line 94 from “#RewriteBase /magento/” to “RewriteBase /.” If you installed Magento into a subdirectory, you may need to include it after “RewriteBase /” such as “RewriteBase /shop.”
Follow that tip and everything should work properly. It worked for me!