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Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)#

In this article we explain in just a few steps which packages need to be installed and configured.

System Requirements#

The general system requirements apply.

This article refers to Suse Linux Enterprise Server 15. In order to find out which version is used you can carry out the following command:

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cat /etc/os-release

As system architecture you should use a x86 in 64bit:

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uname -m

x86_64 means 64bit, i386 or i686 only 32bit.

Installation of the Packages#

The default package repositories of Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) already supply the necessary packages to install:

  • he Apache web server 2.4
  • the script language PHP 7.2 (as of SLES 15 SP 2: PHP 7.4)
  • the database management system MariaDB 10.2 (as of SLES 15 SP 2: MariaDB 10.4) and
  • the caching server memcached

First of all, you have to activate additional add-ons in Yast:

  • Web and Scripting Module

You can check with the following command if both add-ons are activated:

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sudo zypper repos -E

Afterwards the required packages are installed with zypper:

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sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update
sudo zypper install \
apache2 apache2-mod_php7 \
mariadb mariadb-client \
memcached \
php7 php7-bcmath php7-bz2 php7-ctype php7-curl php7-gd php7-gettext php7-fileinfo \
php7-json php7-ldap php7-mbstring php7-mcrypt php7-memcached php7-mysql php7-opcache \
php7-openssl php7-pdo php7-pgsql php7-phar php7-posix php7-soap php7-sockets php7-sqlite \
php7-xsl php7-zip php7-zlib

In order to start Apache Webserver and MariaDB during the boot process, the following commands are necessary:

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sudo systemctl enable apache2.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable memcached.service

Then both services are started:

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sudo systemctl start apache2.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl start memcached.service

The HTTP default port 80 is authorized via the firewall. The firewall has to be restarted after the adjustments have been carried out:

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sudo firewall-cmd -zone=public -add-port=80/tcp --permanent

Configuration#

The installed packages for Apache web server, PHP and MariaDB already supply configuration files. It is recommended to save changed settings in separate files instead of adjusting the already existing configuration files. Otherwise, any differences to the existing files would be pointed out or even overwritten during each package upgrade. The settings of the default configuration are supplemented or overwritten by user-defined settings.

PHP#

First of all, a new file is created and filled with the required settings:

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sudo nano /etc/php7/conf.d/i-doit.ini

This file has the following contents:

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allow_url_fopen = Yes
file_uploads = On
magic_quotes_gpc = Off
max_execution_time = 300
max_file_uploads = 42
max_input_time = 60
max_input_vars = 10000
memory_limit = 256M
post_max_size = 128M
register_argc_argv = On
register_globals = Off
short_open_tag = On
upload_max_filesize = 128M
display_errors = Off
display_startup_errors = Off
error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_DEPRECATED & ~E_STRICT
log_errors = On
default_charset = "UTF-8"
default_socket_timeout = 60
date.timezone = Europe/Berlin
session.gc_maxlifetime = 604800
session.cookie_lifetime = 0
mysqli.default_socket = /var/run/mysql/mysql.sock

The value (in seconds) of session.gc_maxlifetime should be the same or greater than the Session Timeout in the system settings of i-doit.

The date.timezone parameter should be adjusted to the local time zone (see List of supported time zones).

Afterwards, the Apache web server is restarted:

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sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Apache Webserver#

A new VHost configuration is created from the existing template vhost.template:

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sudo nano /etc/apache2/vhosts.d/i-doit.conf

In this file the VHost configuration is modified and saved:

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<VirtualHost *:80>
        ServerAdmin i-doit@example.net

        DocumentRoot /srv/www/htdocs/
        <Directory /srv/www/htdocs/>
                AllowOverride All
                Require all granted
        </Directory>

        LogLevel warn
        ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
        CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

i-doit includes differing Apache settings in files with the name .htaccess. The setting AllowOverride All is required so that these settings are taken into account.

With the next step you activate the necessary Apache modules php7, rewrite and mod_access_compat and the Apache web server is restarted:

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sudo a2enmod php7
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2enmod mod_access_compat
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

MariaDB#

Only a few steps are necessary to guarantee that MariaDB provides a good performance and safe operation. However, you should pay meticulous attention to details and carry out these steps precisely. This starts with a secure installation and you should follow the recommendations accordingly. The root user should receive a secure password:

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mysql_secure_installation

Activate the MariaDB shell so that i-doit is enabled to apply the root user during setup:

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sudo mysql -uroot

The following SQL statements are now carried out in the MariaDB shell:

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UPDATE mysql.user SET plugin = 'mysql_native_password' WHERE User = 'root';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Afterwards, MariaDB is stopped. Now it is important to move files which are not required, otherwise the result would be a significant loss of performance:

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mysql -uroot -p -e"SET GLOBAL innodb_fast_shutdown = 0"
sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo mv /var/lib/mysql/ib_logfile[01] /tmp

A new file is created for the deviating configuration settings:

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sudo nano /etc/my.cnf.d/99-i-doit.cnf

This file contains the new configuration settings. For an optimal performance you should adapt these settings to the (virtual) hardware:

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[mysqld]

# This is the number 1 setting to look at for any performance optimization
# It is where the data and indexes are cached: having it as large as possible will
# ensure MySQL uses memory and not disks for most read operations.
#
# Typical values are 1G (1-2GB RAM), 5-6G (8GB RAM), 20-25G (32GB RAM), 100-120G (128GB RAM).
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G

# Use multiple instances if you have innodb_buffer_pool_size > 10G, 1 every 4GB
innodb_buffer_pool_instances = 1

# Redo log file size, the higher the better.
# MySQL/MariaDB writes two of these log files in a default installation.
innodb_log_file_size = 512M
innodb_sort_buffer_size = 64M
sort_buffer_size = 262144 # default
join_buffer_size = 262144 # default
max_allowed_packet = 128M
max_heap_table_size = 32M
query_cache_min_res_unit = 4096
query_cache_type = 1
query_cache_limit = 5M
query_cache_size = 80M
tmp_table_size = 32M
max_connections = 200
innodb_file_per_table = 1

# Disable this (= 0) if you have only one to two CPU cores, change it to 4 for a quad core.
innodb_thread_concurrency = 0

# Disable this (= 0) if you have slow harddisks
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 1
innodb_flush_method = O_DIRECT
innodb_lru_scan_depth = 2048
table_definition_cache = 1024
table_open_cache = 2048
# Only if your have MySQL 5.6 or higher, do not use with MariaDB!
#table_open_cache_instances = 4

innodb_stats_on_metadata = 0
sql-mode = ""

Finally, MariaDB is started with:

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sudo systemctl start mysql.service

Next Step#

Now the operating system is prepared and i-doit can be installed.

Proceed with Setup …