Canvas LMS is a learning management system that helps to simplify teaching and learning processes. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to install Canvas LMS on FreeBSD Latest version.
Before installing Canvas LMS, you need to have the following prerequisites:
To install Canvas LMS on FreeBSD, we need to install some required software packages first. These packages include Apache, PostgreSQL, Redis, and some additional PHP extensions.
To install these packages, run the following command in the terminal:
pkg install redis postgresql13-server apache24 mod_php74 php74-curl php74-gd php74-openssl php74-pgsql php74-zlib
Canvas LMS requires Node.js version 8.x or higher and Yarn to compile JavaScript assets. To install these packages, run the following commands:
pkg install node yarn
After installing PostgreSQL, we need to configure it. To begin, we need to initialise the database and create a new user for Canvas LMS.
First, initialize the PostgreSQL database with the following command:
service postgresql initdb
Next, start the PostgreSQL service and enable it to automatically start at boot time using the command:
service postgresql start
sysrc postgresql_enable=YES
Then, create a new user and a new database in PostgreSQL using the following commands:
su - pgsql
createuser canvasuser
createdb canvasdb --owner=canvasuser
exit
The next step is to download and install Canvas LMS. To download the latest version of Canvas LMS, run the following command:
cd /usr/local
git clone https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms.git canvas
After cloning the repository, navigate to the newly created canvas directory:
cd canvas
Next, execute the following command to initialise the installation:
/var/db/pgsql13/postgres:latest/bin/psql -d canvasdb -c 'CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS "plpgsql";'
bundle install --path vendor/bundle
After executing the above commands, we need to configure the database connection settings by copying the sample database configuration file to the appropriate folder using the following commands:
cp config/database.yml.example config/database.yml
vi config/database.yml
Then, edit the database configuration file and set the username, password, database name and host information as shown below:
...
production:
adapter: postgresql
host: localhost
database: canvasdb
user: canvasuser
password: password_here
...
Next, compile the JavaScript assets by running the following command:
yarn install --pure-lockfile
yarn run webpack:production
Finally, run the initial database migration and create an admin user with the following command:
bundle exec rails db:initial_setup
To configure Apache, we need to create a new virtual host configuration file.
Create a new virtual host configuration file by running:
vi /usr/local/etc/apache24/Includes/canvas.conf
Paste the following content into the file:
Listen 80
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName your.domain.name
DocumentRoot /usr/local/canvas/public
CustomLog /var/log/httpd-access.log combined
ErrorLog /var/log/httpd-error.log
<Directory /usr/local/canvas/public>
Options FollowSymLinks
Require all granted
</Directory>
ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyPass / http://localhost:3000/
ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:3000/
</VirtualHost>
Replace your.domain.name with the domain name you want to use to access Canvas LMS.
Finally, start the Apache service and enable it to automatically start at boot time using the following command:
service apache24 start
sysrc apache24_enable=YES
That's it! You have successfully installed and configured Canvas LMS on FreeBSD Latest version using Apache as the web server. You can now access your Canvas LMS installation by visiting your server's domain name in a web browser.
Note: This tutorial is just for testing or development purposes only. It is recommended to use a dedicated server for production environments.
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