How to Install Elgg on OpenBSD

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation process of Elgg on OpenBSD.

Step 1: Install the Required Packages

Before we can install Elgg, we need to make sure that our OpenBSD has the necessary packages installed.

To install the required packages, run the following command:

$ sudo pkg_add php php-mysql php-curl mysql-server apache

Step 2: Download Elgg

Next, we need to download Elgg from their official website at https://elgg.org/download.

You can use wget to download the file.

$ wget https://elgg.org/getelgg.php?forward=elgg-3.3.10.zip

Step 3: Extract Elgg

Once the download is complete, extract the Elgg file by running the following command:

$ unzip elgg-3.3.10.zip -d /var/www/htdocs/elgg

Step 4: Configure MySQL

Before we can use Elgg, we need to create a new database in MySQL. To do this, run the following command:

$ mysql -u root -p

This command will prompt you for the MySQL root password. Once you provide it, you should be inside the MySQL shell.

Type the following to create a new database:

CREATE DATABASE elgg;

Next, create a new user with the username and password of your choice:

CREATE USER 'elgguser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Give this user permissions to operate on the elgg database:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON elgg.* TO 'elgguser'@'localhost';

Finally, exit the MySQL shell by typing:

exit;

Step 5: Configure Elgg

To configure Elgg, we need to edit the .htaccess file located in the root directory of the Elgg installation.

$ nano /var/www/htdocs/elgg/.htaccess

Inside the file, set the RewriteBase to the directory where Elgg is installed:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /elgg/
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /elgg/index.php [L]
</IfModule>

Then, rename the htaccess_dist file:

$ mv htaccess_dist .htaccess

Next, we need to set the database configuration. To do this, copy the htaccess_dist file to .htaccess:

$ cp /var/www/htdocs/elgg/engine/settings.example.php /var/www/htdocs/elgg/engine/settings.php

Inside the settings.php file, update the database configuration by replacing the following lines:

$CONFIG->dbuser = 'root';
$CONFIG->dbpass = '';
$CONFIG->dbname = 'elgg';

with:

$CONFIG->dbuser = 'elgguser';
$CONFIG->dbpass = 'password';
$CONFIG->dbname = 'elgg';

Save and exit the file.

Step 6: Set Permission

We need to set the proper permissions to the directories that needs write access:

$ sudo chown -R www:www /var/www/htdocs/elgg/
$ sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/htdocs/elgg/

Step 7: Restart Apache

We are almost ready to start using Elgg. Restart the Apache web server to apply the changes.

$ sudo rcctl restart httpd

Step 8: Access Elgg

Open your web browser and go to http://your-server-address/elgg/. You should see the Elgg installation screen.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Elgg on OpenBSD!

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