Request Tracker is an open-source ticket tracking system that can help you manage customer requests and support tickets efficiently. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Request Tracker on Linux Mint.
Before you start, make sure you have the following:
First, we need to update the system packages by running the following command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Next, install the Apache web server by running the following command:
sudo apt install apache2 -y
After installation, start the Apache service and enable it to start at boot time by running the following commands:
sudo systemctl start apache2.service
sudo systemctl enable apache2.service
Request Tracker requires a database server to store its data. We will use MariaDB for this tutorial. Install it by running the following command:
sudo apt install mariadb-server -y
After installation, start the MariaDB service and enable it to start at boot time by running the following commands:
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service
To secure the MariaDB installation, run the following command:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
You will be prompted to set a root password and answer some security questions. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Download the latest version of Request Tracker from the official website:
wget https://download.bestpractical.com/pub/rt/release/rt-5.0.0.tar.gz
Extract the downloaded archive and change to the extracted directory:
tar -xzf rt-5.0.0.tar.gz
cd rt-5.0.0/
Run the following command to install Request Tracker:
sudo ./configure --with-web-user=www-data --with-web-group=www-data
sudo make install
This will compile and install Request Tracker on your system. After installation, you need to create a database and user for Request Tracker.
Log in to the MariaDB prompt using the following command:
sudo mysql -u root -p
Create a new database and user for Request Tracker:
CREATE DATABASE rtdb CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON rtdb.* TO 'rtuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
Replace password with a strong password for the user.
Exit the MariaDB prompt by running the following command:
exit
Copy the sample configuration file to the Apache configuration directory:
sudo cp /opt/rt5/etc/RT_Config.pm /etc/request-tracker4/RT_SiteConfig.pm
Edit the RT_SiteConfig.pm file and add the following lines:
Set($DatabaseType, 'mysql');
Set($DatabaseHost, 'localhost');
Set($DatabaseName, 'rtdb');
Set($DatabaseUser, 'rtuser');
Set($DatabasePassword, 'password');
Replace password with the password you set for the database user in step 6.
Save and close the file.
Set the file permissions for Request Tracker by running the following commands:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /opt/rt5/var/mason_data/ /opt/rt5/var/session_data/ /opt/rt5/var/cache/ /opt/rt5/var/sessions/
sudo chmod -R 775 /opt/rt5/var/mason_data/ /opt/rt5/var/session_data/ /opt/rt5/var/cache/ /opt/rt5/var/sessions/
sudo chmod 755 /opt/rt5/sbin/rt-server.fcgi
Restart the Apache server to apply the changes by running the following command:
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service
You have successfully installed and configured Request Tracker on your Linux Mint machine. You can now access it from a web browser by navigating to http://localhost/rt.
If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!
Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!
