For those of you who don't want to download a nearly 1Gb file, and perhaps want to customize a bit, you can do so very easily.

First, download and install VirtualBox.  Create a new box however you want, but do enable NX/PAE on the system page.

Install a bare-bones Debian (if you install another distro, you'll need to work out a few of the details for yourself).

Once you've rebooted into Debian, copy the file lsmb-selections.txt found on this web site as "Installed distribution software packages".  Then run:
apt-get update
dpkg --clear-selections
dpkg --set-selections < lsmb-selections.txt
apt-get dist-upgrade
(note:  if you have a problem with postgresql starting, cd to /etc/sysctl.d/ and increase the value for shmmax in 30-postgresql-shm.sh -- I usually just double the number and all works as it should)

cd to /opt and run the following command:
svn co https://ledger-smb.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ledger-smb/branch/1.3 ledgersmb
chown -R www-data:www-data ledgersmb

cd ledgersmb

You'll need to copy ledgersmb.conf.template to ledgersmb.conf.

Run: sed 's|WORKING_DIR|/opt/ledgersmb|g' ledgersmb-httpd.conf.template > ledgersmb-httpd.conf.  Modify ledgersmb-httpd.conf by changing the two "Allow" lines in the /opt/ledgersmb Directory directive from 127.0.0.1 and localhost to just one Allow line with All.  Delete (or comment out) the Deny line below it.

Run the following:
perl Makefile.PL
(you should see only 2 files that need to be added via CPAN)
make
(you should get no errors)

Now cd /etc/apache/sites-enabled and run:
a2enmod ssl
a2enmod rewrite
a2enmod include
a2ensite default-ssl

At the bottom of the default-ssl file, just above the </VirtualHost> line, put:
Include /opt/ledgersmb/ledgersmb-httpd.conf

create your ssl certs (if you have real certs, you should know how to install them, these instructions are for the snakeoil cert only):
make-ssl-cert generate-default-snakeoil --force-overwrite

Restart apache2.

cd to /etc/postgresql/9.1/main and change pg_ident.conf adding:
map   root            postgres
map   www-data  postgres
(after creating your initial database, the last line may be commented out)

change pg_hba.conf as follows:
comment out the host lines near the bottom of the file and make ones that read:
host     all     admin    all   md5
host     all     all            all   ident map=map
(after creating your initial database, change the line above to:
host     all     all             all   md5)

restart postgresql (each time pg_hba.conf or pg_ident.conf changes, you need to restart postgresql.

follow the previous instructions to create an initial database and user(s).

Maintenance:

change your /etc/apt/sources.list to reflect respositories close (topologically) to you

apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade
apt-get autoremove --purge
apt-get clean
lilo
(note:  I use lilo for its small size -- GRUB is so huge it rivals several operating systems)

if, during the above update, Perl is upgraded, cd to /opt/ledgersmb and run make

while you're in /opt/ledgersmb, you might want to 'svn up'
this will update your ledgersmb installation


Enjoy,

David A. Bandel