How to Install OSSN on Void Linux

In this tutorial, we will be installing OSSN (Open Source Social Network) which is an open source social networking software on Void Linux. We will be using command-line interface to download and install OSSN.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• A user account on Void Linux with sudo privileges
• Internet connection

Step 1: Update and Upgrade System

We always start by updating our system to the latest version:

sudo xbps-install -Suy

Step 2: Install Required Packages

For OSSN to work properly, we need to install some required packages. Run the following command:

sudo xbps-install -y php php-json php-pdo php-mysqli php-mbstring php-gd mariadb-server mariadb-client git

Step 3: Install Composer

Composer is a dependency manager for PHP. We need to install it to manage the dependencies for OSSN. Run the following command:

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/bin --filename=composer

Step 4: Setup MariaDB

OSSN requires a database to store its data. MariaDB is a popular database server that we will be using. Run the following command to start and enable MariaDB service:

sudo ln -s /etc/sv/mariadb /var/service/
sudo mysql_install_db
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the on-screen prompts to setup the root password and other options.

Step 5: Download and Install OSSN

Now, we are ready to download and install OSSN. Follow the steps given below:

1. Clone the OSSN repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/opensource-socialnetwork/opensource-socialnetwork.git

2. Navigate to the opensource-socialnetwork directory:

cd opensource-socialnetwork

3. Install the OSSN dependencies using Composer:

composer install

4. Setup the database for OSSN. First create a database and user:

sudo mysql -u root -p

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

5. Rename the h5bp directory to assets:

mv h5bp assets

6. Copy the localhost.sample.php file to localhost.php:

cp -p plugins/example_theme/sample_configurations/localhost.sample.php settings/localhost.php

7. Open the settings/localhost.php file and update the database information:

define('OSSN_DB_HOST', 'localhost');
define('OSSN_DB_USERNAME', 'ossn');
define('OSSN_DB_PASSWORD', 'password');
define('OSSN_DB', 'ossn');

8. Change the ownership of the opensource-socialnetwork directory to the www-data user (or the user that your web server runs as):

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /path/to/opensource-socialnetwork

Step 6: Configure Web Server

We need to configure the web server to serve the OSSN files. We will be using Nginx as the web server.

1. Install Nginx web server:

sudo xbps-install -y nginx

2. Create a new Nginx server block for OSSN:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/ossn.conf

Add the following configuration to the file:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name domain.com;
    root /path/to/opensource-socialnetwork;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ .php$ {
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
    }
}

Remember to update the server_name and root directives as per your setup.

3. Enable the newly created server block:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/ossn.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

4. Restart Nginx service:

sudo sv restart nginx

Step 7: Access OSSN Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to the domain you specified in the server block. You should now see the OSSN installation screen.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Once done, you will be able to use OSSN.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to install OSSN on Void Linux. We covered installing the required packages, downloading and installing OSSN, configuring the database and web server, and accessing the web interface. We hope this guide was helpful to you!

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