How to Install Akeneo PIM with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

This article describes the steps to install Akeneo PIM on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support.

Akeneo PIM platform allows enterprises and business owners to collaborate and automate engaging experiences with customers and partners across multiple devices, including mobile.

Installing Akeneo PIM with Apache on Ubuntu Linux provides a stable and reliable platform for enterprises and business owners to host and manage their product information. Apache is the most popular web server used today, and Ubuntu Linux is a stable and secure operating system.

Following the steps outlined in the article, you can set up your own Akeneo PIM platform and collaborate with customers and partners across multiple devices.

How to install Akeneo PIM on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support

As described above, the Akeneo PIM platform allows enterprises and business owners to collaborate and automate engaging experiences with customers and partners across multiple devices, including mobile.

Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux with Apache.

Install Apache2 HTTP Server

Akeneo needs a web server. And the most popular web server in use today is Apache2. So, go and install Apache2 on Ubuntu by running the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Next, run the commands below to stop, start, and enable the Apache2 service to always start up with the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop apache2.service
sudo systemctl start apache2.service
sudo systemctl enable apache2.service

Install MariaDB Database Server

Akeneo also needs a database server. And MariaDB database server is a great place to start. To install it, run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

After installing MariaDB, the commands below can stop, start, and enable the service to start when the server boots.

Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.service

Run these on Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

After that, run the commands below to secure the MariaDB server by creating a root password and disallowing remote root access.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

• Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter
• Set root password? [Y/n]: Y
• New password: Enter password
• Re-enter new password: Repeat password
• Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y
• Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y
• Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]:  Y
• Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]:  Y

Restart MariaDB server

sudo systemctl restart mysql.service

Install PHP and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 may not be available in Ubuntu default repositories… to install it, you will have to get it from third-party repositories.

Run the commands below to add the below-party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt update

Run the commands below to install PHP 7.1 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.1 libapache2-mod-php7.1 php7.1-apcu php7.1-bcmath php7.1-common php7.1-mbstring php7.1-xmlrpc php7.1-soap php7.1-gd php7.1-xml php7.1-intl php7.1-mysql php7.1-cli php7.1-mcrypt php7.1-ldap php7.1-zip php7.1-curl

After installing PHP, run the commands below to open the Apache2 PHP default file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/apache2/php.ini

Then change to the following lines below in the file and save.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 30
max_input_vars = 1500
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create Akeneo Database

Now that you’ve installed all the required packages continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create a blank Akeneo database.

To log into the MariaDB database server, run the commands below

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, create a database called akeneo

CREATE DATABASE akeneo;

Create a database user called akeneouser with a new password

CREATE USER 'akeneouser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON akeneo.* TO 'akeneouser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download akeneo’s Latest Release

Next, visit the Akeneo site and download the latest version.

• For Community Edition, replace pim-community-standard-v2.2-latest-icecat.tar.gz with the location and the name of the archive you have downloaded from https://www.akeneo.com/download.
• For Enterprise Edition, replace pim-community-standard-v2.2-latest-icecat.tar.gz with the location and the name of the archive you have downloaded from the Partner portal.

You can also run the commands below to download and extract the file into the Akeneo root directory.

cd /tmp && wget wget http://download.akeneo.com/pim-community-standard-v2.2-latest-icecat.tar.gz
sudo tar -xvzf pim-community-standard-v2.2-latest-icecat.tar.gz -C /var/www/html/akeneo

Initialize Akeneo

After extracting the file, change it into the Akeneo directory and run the commands below.

cd /var/www/html/akeneo/pim-community-standard
sudo php -d memory_limit=3G ./composer.phar install --optimize-autoloader --prefer-dist
sudo php bin/console cache:clear --no-warmup --env=prod
sudo php bin/console pim:installer:assets --symlink --clean --env=prod

Then, run the commands below to set the correct permissions for Akeneo to function.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/akeneo/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/akeneo/

Configure Apache2

Finally, configure the Apahce2 site configuration file for Akeneo. This file will control how users access Akeneo content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called akeneo. conf

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/akeneo.conf

Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your domain name and directory root location.

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin admin@example.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/akeneo/pim-community-standard/web
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/akeneo/pim-community-standard/web/>
        Options +FollowSymlinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
     </Directory>

     ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
     CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

</VirtualHost>

Save the file and exit.

Enable the Akeneo and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.

sudo a2ensite akeneo.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite

Restart Apache2 by running the commands below to load all the settings above.

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name, followed by install. Finally, you should see the Akeneo setup wizard complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com

Then, follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve successfully installed Akeneo.