How to Install RackTables on OpenSUSE

RackTables is an open-source data center asset management system that can help you keep track of the equipment, network addresses, and other related data. It provides a web-based interface that allows you to organize your servers, switches, routers, and other devices in different locations. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install RackTables on OpenSUSE.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure that you have the following:

• An OpenSUSE system with root access.
• A webserver like Apache or Nginx installed and properly configured.

Step 1: Installing Required Dependencies

Before you can install RackTables, you need to install some required dependencies. Open the terminal and enter the following command to update the package lists:

sudo zypper update

Once the package lists are updated, install the necessary dependencies by using the following command:

sudo zypper install apache2 apache2-mod_php7 php7 php7-mysql php7-gd php7-zlib php7-ctype php7-json php7-mbstring php7-xmlrpc php7-ldap php7-pear php7-pecl-apcu mysql-server

Step 2: Download RackTables

With the required dependencies installed, download the latest version of RackTables from its official website using the following command:

wget https://github.com/RackTables/racktables/archive/refs/tags/release-0.21.4.tar.gz

Step 3: Extract RackTables

Once the download is complete, extract the RackTables archive by running the following command:

tar -xvzf release-0.21.4.tar.gz

It will extract the files into a new directory named racktables-release-0.21.4.

Step 4: Move Files to the Web Root Directory

To make RackTables accessible via the webserver, you need to move the extracted files to your webserver's document root directory. By default, the Apache2 webserver stores its document root at /srv/www/htdocs/. In our case, move the extracted files to this folder using the following command:

sudo mv racktables-release-0.21.4 /srv/www/htdocs/racktables

Step 5: Configure MySQL

Next, we need to create a new database and user for RackTables. First, open the MySQL shell by running the following command:

sudo mysql

Once you're in the shell, create a new database and user using the following commands:

CREATE DATABASE racktables;
CREATE USER 'rackuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON racktables.* TO 'rackuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Make sure to replace 'password' with a secure password for the user.

Step 6: Configure RackTables

Now that you've created a database and user, it's time to configure RackTables. To do that, navigate to the /srv/www/htdocs/racktables/inc/ directory and create a new file named "config.php" using the following command:

sudo nano /srv/www/htdocs/racktables/inc/config.php

Then, add the following lines to the newly created file:

<?php
$dbUser = 'rackuser';
$dbPass = 'password';
$dbName = 'racktables';
$dbServer = 'localhost';
?>

Where:

• rackuser is the username you created in Step 5.
• password is the password you assigned to the user.
• racktables is the name of the database you created in Step 5.
• localhost is the server you're running RackTables on.

Step 7: Configure Apache2 for RackTables

Finally, it's time to configure the Apache2 webserver to serve RackTables. Create a new virtual host file using the following command:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/vhosts.d/racktables.conf

Then, add the following lines to the new file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com  # Your domain name or IP address
    DocumentRoot /srv/www/htdocs/racktables/wwwroot

    <Directory /srv/www/htdocs/racktables/wwwroot>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/racktables-error_log
    CustomLog /var/log/apache2/racktables-access_log combined
</VirtualHost>

Be sure to replace example.com with your domain name or IP address.

Step 8: Restart Apache and Access RackTables

After completing all the above steps, restart the Apache webserver using the command below to commit our changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Now you can access the RackTables installation by visiting http://example.com/ with your browser, where example.com is the domain name or IP address you defined in Step 7.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we showed you how to install RackTables on OpenSUSE. You now have a solid foundation for managing your data center. Enjoy!

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!