How to Install YetiForce CRM with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to install and configure the YetiForce CRM platform on Ubuntu 18.04 | 16.04 with Apache2 HTTP servers.

For the uninitiated, YetiForce is an open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software forked from Vtiger CRM that can serve as a strong alternative to the popular CRM systems in use today.

If you currently run the Vtiger CRM platform and feel like it’s lacking in some areas, you might want to try YetiForce.

It comes with intuitive mechanisms that allow you to easily migrate from Vtiger to YetiForce.

Install Apache2 HTTP Server

YetiForce requires a web server and the Apache2 HTTP server is the most popular open-source web server available today.

To install the Apache2 server, run the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

After installing Apache2, the commands below can be used 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

Now that Apache2 is installed, open your browser and browse to the URL below to test whether the web server is working.

http://localhost

If you see the page above, then Apache2 is successfully installed.

Install MariaDB Database Server

YetiForce also requires a database server to store its content. MariaDB is a great place to start if you’re looking for a truly open-source database server.

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 MariaDB service to start up 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 18.10 and 18.04 LTS

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

Next, run the commands below to secure the database server with a root password if you were not prompted to do so during the installation.

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

Once MariaDB is installed, run the commands below to test whether the database server was successfully installed.

sudo mysql -u root -p

type the root password when prompted.

The server was successfully installed if you see a similar screen as shown above.

Install PHP 7.2 and Related Modules

YetiForce is a PHP-based platform and for now, only PHP 7.2. PHP 7.2 may not be available in Ubuntu default repositories. To run PHP 7.2 on Ubuntu 14.04, you may need to run the commands below:

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2

sudo apt update

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

sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-common php7.2-mysql php7.2-gmp php7.2-curl php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-gd php7.2-bcmath php7.2-soap php7.2-ldap php7.2-imap php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip

After installing PHP 7.1, run the commands below to open the PHP default configuration file for Apache2.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.2/apache2/php.ini

The lines below are a good setting for most PHP-based CMS. Update the configuration file with these and save.

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

Every time you make changes to the PHP configuration file, you should also restart the Apache2 web server. To do so, run the commands below:

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Once PHP is installed, create a test file called phpinfo.php in the Apache2 default root directory to test whether it’s functioning. ( /var/www/html/)

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

Then type the content below and save the file.

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Next, open your browser and browse to the server’s hostname or IP address followed by phpinfo.php

http://localhost/phpinfo.php

You should see the PHP default test page.

Create YetiForce Database

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

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

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called yetiforce

CREATE DATABASE yetiforce;

Create a database user called yetiforceuser with a new password

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

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON yetiforce.* TO 'yetiforceuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download YetiForce Latest Release

YetiForce community edition can be downloaded from its download page here.

On the Ubuntu terminal, run the commands below to download, then extract to its root directory.

cd /tmp
wget https://excellmedia.dl.sourceforge.net/project/yetiforce/YetiForce%20CRM%205.x.x/5.1.0/YetiForceCRM-5.1.0-complete.zip
sudo mkdir /var/www/yetiforce
sudo unzip YetiForceCRM-5.1.0-complete.zip -d /var/www/yetiforce

Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for the YetiForce root directory and give Apache2 control.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yetiforce/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/yetiforce/

Configure Apache2

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

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/yetiforce.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/yetiforce
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/yetiforce/>
          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 YetiForce and Rewrite Module

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

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

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. You should see the YetiForce setup wizard complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com/

Then follow the on-screen instruction to complete the setup

Next, type in the database name, username, and password. then create a backend admin account and continue.

The YetiForce system has strictly defined requirements for the server on which it will be installed. The verification of requirements at an early stage of the installation process ensures that the next steps and subsequent use of the system will run without problems.

Enter your company details and continue

After that, your environment should be installed and ready to use.

Conclusion:

You have successfully learned how to install the YetiForce CRM platform on Ubuntu. You may need to configure additional settings, but the steps above give you a basic starting point.

If you find errors with the steps above, please comment below:

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