How to Install RackTables on Void Linux

RackTables is an open-source datacenter asset management system that allows you to keep track of rack-mounted equipment, network devices, and other hardware assets. This tutorial will guide you through the steps of installing and setting up RackTables on Void Linux.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure that you have the following installed on your system:

• Void Linux
• PHP 7.x
• MariaDB or MySQL
• Apache or Nginx

Step 1: Installing Required Packages

First, we need to install some packages that are required for RackTables to work. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

sudo xbps-install -Syu
sudo xbps-install -y php php-pdo php-mysql php-gd mysql-client

Step 2: Creating a Database

To use RackTables, we need to set up a database. Let's create a new database and user for RackTables to use. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Enter your MySQL root password when prompted. Then, create a new database and user with the following commands:

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

Make sure to replace 'password' with a strong password of your choice.

Step 3: Downloading and Installing RackTables

Now it's time to download the latest version of RackTables from its official website. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

wget http://sourceforge.net/projects/racktables/files/latest/download
tar zxvf download
sudo mv racktables-X.XX /var/www/html/racktables
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/racktables

Make sure to replace 'X.XX' with the version number you downloaded.

Step 4: Configuring RackTables

Next, we need to configure RackTables to use the database we set up earlier. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

cd /var/www/html/racktables/wwwroot/inc
sudo cp config-dist.php config.php
sudo nano config.php

In the nano text editor, find the section that looks like this:

$dbport     = '3306';
$dbname     = 'racktables';
$dbhost     = 'localhost';
$dbuser     = 'rackuser';
$dbpass     = 'password';

Make sure to replace 'password' with the password you set up earlier for the 'rackuser' database user.

Step 5: Configuring Apache or Nginx

Finally, we need to configure our web server to host RackTables. Depending on which web server you prefer to use, follow the appropriate steps:

Apache

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

sudo cp /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf.bak
sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Find the section that looks like this:

DirectoryIndex index.html

Add the following line below it:

DirectoryIndex index.php index.html

Then, find the section that looks like this:

DocumentRoot "/srv/http"
<Directory "/srv/http">

Change it to:

DocumentRoot "/var/www/html"
<Directory "/var/www/html">

Save and exit the nano text editor.

Restart the Apache web server:

sudo service httpd restart

Nginx

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Find the section that looks like this:

location / {
    root   /usr/share/nginx/html;
    index  index.html index.htm;
}

Change it to:

location / {
    root   /var/www/html;
    index  index.php index.html;
}

Save and exit the nano text editor.

Restart the Nginx web server:

sudo service nginx restart

Step 6: Accessing RackTables

RackTables should now be accessible in your web browser by navigating to:

http://localhost/racktables/

You should see the login page for RackTables. Use the default username 'admin' and password 'admin' to log in. Once you're logged in, you can start adding your equipment and assets to RackTables.

Congratulations! You have now successfully installed and set up RackTables on Void Linux.

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!