Set Up Open Source Social Network on Ubuntu with Apache

This article describes the steps to install Opensource Social Network on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support.

Opensource Social Network (OSSN) is a social networking engine that makes it easy to build and maintain social networking websites for any purpose. It can be configured to create groups, photos, files, messages, and more.

Installing Opensource Social Network with Apache on Ubuntu Linux allows you to create and maintain social networking websites for any purpose. Apache is needed to support the social networking engine, while Ubuntu Linux provides a stable and reliable operating system.

By following the steps outlined in the article, you can easily install and configure OSSN on your Ubuntu server with Apache support, giving you a powerful and flexible platform to build robust social networking websites for your school, company, or any group looking to collaborate around the same ideas or issues.

For more on the OSSN social platform, please visit its home page

Install Apache HTTP Server on Ubuntu

Apache2 HTTP Server is the most popular web server. Install it since OSSN needs it.

To install Apache2 HTTP on the Ubuntu server, run the commands below.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

After installing Apache2, the commands below can 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

To test the Apache2 setup, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address. You should see the Apache2 default test page, as shown below.

http://localhost

Install MariaDB Database Server

MariaDB database server is a great place to start when looking at open-source database servers for Magento. To install MariaDB, 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

Type the commands below to log on to the MariaDB server to test if MariaDB is installed.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, type the password you created above to sign on. If successful, you should see a MariaDB welcome message.

Install PHP 7.1 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 third 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

Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.1 libapache2-mod-php7.1 php7.1-common php7.1-sqlite3 php7.1-curl php7.1-intl php7.1-mbstring php7.1-mcrypt php7.1-xmlrpc php7.1-mysql php7.1-gd php7.1-xml php7.1-cli php7.1-zip

After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open the PHP default config file for Apache2.

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

Then, save the changes on the following lines below in the file. The value below is an ideal setting to apply in your environment.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
short_open_tag = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

After making the change above, please save the file and close it.

After installing PHP and related modules, you must restart Apache2 to reload PHP configurations.

To restart Apache2, run the commands below

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

To test PHP 7.2 settings with Apache2, create a phpinfo.php file in the Apache2 root directory by running the commands below

sudo nano /var/www/html/phpinfo.php

Then, type the content below and save the file.

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Save the file. Then browse to your server hostname followed by /phpinfo.php

http://localhost/phpinfo.php

You should see the PHP default test page.

Create OSSN Database

Once you’ve installed all the packages required for OSSN to function, continue below to start configuring the servers.

First, run the commands below to create a blank OSSN database.

To log on to the MariaDB database server, run the commands below.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, create a database called ossn.

CREATE DATABASE ossn;

Create a database user called ossnuser with a new password

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

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON ossn.* TO 'ossnuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download and Install OSSN

Run the commands below to download OSSN’s latest content. Then, unzip the download file and move the content to the Apache2 default root directory.

cd /tmp && wget https://www.opensource-socialnetwork.org/download_ossn/latest/build.zip
unzip build.zip
sudo mv ossn /var/www/html/ossn

Create an OSSN data directory by running the commands below.

sudo mkdir /var/www/html/ossn_data

Next, run the commands below to change the root folder permissions.

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

Configure Apache2 OSSN Site

Finally, configure the Apache2 configuration file for OSSN. This file will control how users access OSSN content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called on. conf.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/ossn.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 [email protected]
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/ossn
     ServerName example.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/ossn/>
          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.

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

Enable the OSSN Site

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below, then restart the Apache2 server.

sudo a2ensite ossn.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Next, open your browser, go to the URL, and continue with the installation.

http://example.com

You should see the OSSN installation wizard page. Confirm that all requirements are met. Then, continue to the database config page. Add the database info you created above and continue.,.

Next, create an admin account and continue.

After that, OSSN should be installed and ready to use.

Enjoy!