A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Request Tracker (RT) with MariaDB on CentOS 8
Managing support tickets, internal tasks, and customer inquiries efficiently is crucial for any organization. Request Tracker (RT) is a powerful, enterprise-grade ticketing system that helps streamline these workflows. This open-source platform is incredibly flexible, making it a top choice for IT departments, customer support teams, and project managers.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the complete process of installing Request Tracker version 5 on a CentOS 8 server, using the robust and reliable MariaDB database as its backend.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, ensure you have the following in place:
- A server running a fresh installation of CentOS 8.
- Root or non-root user with
sudoprivileges. - A static IP address configured on your server.
Step 1: Prepare Your System and Repositories
First, it’s essential to update your system to ensure all existing packages are current. This helps prevent potential conflicts and security vulnerabilities.
sudo dnf update -y
Next, we need to install the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository. The EPEL repo provides additional software packages that are not included in the default CentOS repositories, including Request Tracker itself.
sudo dnf install epel-release -y
Step 2: Install Apache and MariaDB
Request Tracker is a web-based application, so it requires a web server to function. We will use Apache, a popular and powerful choice. We will also install MariaDB, the database server that will store all of RT’s data.
sudo dnf install httpd mariadb-server -y
Once the installation is complete, you must start and enable both services. Enabling them ensures they will automatically start up whenever the server reboots.
sudo systemctl start httpd
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb
Step 3: Secure Your MariaDB Installation
A fresh MariaDB installation comes with default settings that are not secure for a production environment. Running the included security script is a critical step. This script will help you set a root password, remove anonymous users, and disable remote root logins.
Execute the following command and follow the on-screen prompts:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
You will be asked to set a root password and answer a series of security questions. It is highly recommended to answer ‘Y’ (yes) to all of them.
Step 4: Create a Database for Request Tracker
Request Tracker needs its own dedicated database and user to operate. Log in to the MariaDB shell as the root user you just configured.
sudo mysql -u root -p
Now, execute the following SQL commands to create the database, a dedicated user, and grant the necessary permissions. Be sure to replace YourStrongPassword with a secure password of your own.
CREATE DATABASE rt_db;
CREATE USER 'rt_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON rt_db.* TO 'rt_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
Step 5: Install Request Tracker 5
With the EPEL repository enabled, installing Request Tracker and its many dependencies is straightforward. The following command will install the rt5 package and all the necessary Perl modules.
sudo dnf install rt5 -y
Step 6: Configure RT to Connect to the Database
Now we need to tell Request Tracker how to connect to the database we created. The configuration is managed in the /opt/rt5/etc/RT_SiteConfig.pm file. Open this file with your preferred text editor, such as nano or vim.
sudo nano /opt/rt5/etc/RT_SiteConfig.pm
Add the following lines to the file, making sure to update the database name, user, and password to match what you created in Step 4.
Set($DatabaseHost, 'localhost');
Set($DatabaseName, 'rt_db');
Set($DatabaseUser, 'rt_user');
Set($DatabasePassword, 'YourStrongPassword');
Save and close the file.
Step 7: Initialize the Request Tracker Database
This is a crucial one-time step where RT will create all the necessary tables, indexes, and default data in the database.
Run the following script and be patient, as it may take a few moments to complete. When prompted, confirm that you want to install the data.
sudo /opt/rt5/sbin/rt-setup-database --action insert
Step 8: Configure Apache and System Security
We need to configure the Apache web server to correctly serve the Request Tracker application. Create a new configuration file for RT:
sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/rt5.conf
Paste the following configuration into the file. This sets up the correct directory permissions and handlers for RT.
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName your-domain.com
DocumentRoot "/opt/rt5/share/html"
AddDefaultCharset UTF-8
<Location />
SetHandler "fcgi:/opt/rt5/sbin/rt-server.fcgi/"
</Location>
<Directory "/opt/rt5/share/html">
Require all granted
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>
Next, we must adjust the system’s security policies. SELinux, by default, will prevent the web server from connecting to the database. To allow this connection, run the following command:
sudo setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect_db 1
Finally, adjust the firewall to allow HTTP traffic so users can access the web interface.
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
Restart the Apache web server to apply all the new configurations.
sudo systemctl restart httpd
Step 9: Accessing Your Request Tracker Instance
Your installation is now complete! Open your web browser and navigate to your server’s IP address or domain name.
http://your-server-ip/
You will be greeted with the Request Tracker login screen. The default credentials are:
- Username:
root - Password:
password
It is extremely important to log in immediately and change the default password for the root user to secure your new ticketing system. You can do this by navigating to Logged in as root > Settings > About Me.
You have now successfully deployed a powerful, open-source ticketing system on your CentOS 8 server. You can begin exploring its features by configuring queues, creating users, and customizing workflows to fit your organization’s needs.
Source: https://kifarunix.com/install-request-tracker-rt-with-mariadb-on-centos-8/
