Error while post-install populating moodle database with moodle web admin interface

[jbatista]

Binary package hint: moodle

After post-install of package moodle, I pointed the web browser to http://localhost/moodle/admin as instructed during the Ubuntu package installation. During installation I selected the use of the localhost MySQL server.

I confirm that Apache2 is running and that MySQL server is running at the time of the installation. I also confirm that a "moodle" database is created in the database server at localhost, and that it is empty (no tables). I also confirm that PHP5 appears to be configured correctly (the file /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini has the key memory_limit = 16 M ). Other web interfaces such as PHPMyAdmin are functioning at localhost as well.

The error occurred during the database population phase, running from the web interface. This is the output on the web browser:
---8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<----
Setting up database
You are here
    * Setting up database

No warnings - Scroll to the continue button
(mysql): SHOW TABLES (mysql): SHOW LOCAL VARIABLES LIKE 'character_set_database' (mysql): SET NAMES 'utf8' (mysql): SHOW LOCAL VARIABLES LIKE 'character_set_database'
Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 16777216 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 39 bytes) in /usr/share/moodle/lib/xmldb/classes/XMLDBField.class.php on line 545
---8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<---------8<----

No "continue" button is in sight, therefore I have no means to continue.
Needless to say, moodle remains unfunctional. Pointing the web browser towards http://localhost/moodle also returns to the "admin" address for installation.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Apr 18 09:22:43 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Netbook-Remix 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release i386 (20091028.4)
Package: moodle 1.9.4.dfsg-0ubuntu4
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=pt_PT.UTF-8
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=pt_PT.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-20.58-generic
SourcePackage: moodle
Tags: ubuntu-unr
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-20-generic i686

[jbatista (jmnbatista)]

Additional note. This solves the problem.

I changed the memory_limit key in /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini from 16 M to 32 M and installation went on without trouble.
I suggest that the user is notified through the package installation process to change this value, the same way the user is instructed to continue configuration after package installation by pointing the browser to the correct address.