How to Install Serendipity on NetBSD

Serendipity is a blog and web content management system that allows users to easily create and manage their own blog or website. NetBSD is a free and open-source operating system that runs on a variety of hardware platforms. In this tutorial, we will walk through the steps to install Serendipity on NetBSD.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you will need the following:

• A NetBSD host or virtual machine
• A user account with administrative privileges
• A working internet connection
• Basic knowledge of the command line interface

Install Apache and PHP

Serendipity requires a web server and PHP to run. We will use Apache, the most popular open-source web server, and PHP-FPM for PHP.

1. Install Apache and PHP-FPM using the following command:

   pkgin install httpd php74-fpm
   

2. Start the Apache web server:

   rcctl enable httpd
   rcctl start httpd
   

3. Start the PHP-FPM service:

   rcctl enable php74_fpm
   rcctl start php74_fpm
   

Install MySQL/MariaDB

Serendipity requires a database to store content, comments and other information. We will use MariaDB, a popular open-source relational database.

1. Install MariaDB using the following command:

   pkgin install mariadb-server
   

2. Initialize the MariaDB data directory and start the service:

   /usr/pkg/bin/mysql_install_db
   rcctl enable mysqld
   rcctl start mysqld
   

3. Secure the MariaDB installation by running the following command:

   /usr/pkg/bin/mysql_secure_installation
   

Install Serendipity

Now that we have installed all the necessary components to run Serendipity on NetBSD, let's proceed with the installation.

1. Download the latest version of Serendipity from the website:

   ftp https://github.com/s9y/Serendipity/releases/download/serendipity-2.3.5/serendipity-2.3.5.tar.gz
   

2. Extract the contents of the downloaded package:

   tar -zxf serendipity-2.3.5.tar.gz
   

3. Copy the extracted files to the web server document root:

   cp -r serendipity-2.3.5 /var/www/htdocs/
   

4. Go to the serendipity-2.3.5 directory:

   cd /var/www/htdocs/serendipity-2.3.5
   

5. Edit the configuration file to set up the database for Serendipity:

   cp serendipity_config.inc.php-dist serendipity_config.inc.php
   vi serendipity_config.inc.php
   

   Modify the following lines to match the MariaDB installation:

   $serendipity['dbHost'] = 'localhost';
   $serendipity['dbName'] = 'serendipity';
   $serendipity['dbUser'] = 'your-username';
   $serendipity['dbPass'] = 'your-password';
   

6. Create a dedicated user for Serendipity:

   CREATE USER 's9y_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your-password';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `serendipity`.* TO 's9y_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your-password';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   

7. Open the web browser and navigate to http://localhost/serendipity-2.3.5 to complete the installation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Serendipity on NetBSD. To start using Serendipity, log in to the admin dashboard and start creating your blog or website.

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!