Setup OrangeHRM on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with Apache2, MariaDB and PHP 7.1 Support

There are many open source Human Resource Management platforms available. however, when searching for one for your business, OrangeHRM is a good place to start. this open source HRM software is written in PHP and offers features that help you run your business and collaborate with your employees and vendors.

OrangeHRM system is designed for ease of use to allow enterprises and business owners to manage Personnel Information Management, Employee Self Service, Leave, Time & Attendance, Benefits, and Recruitment.

If you’re looking for a true open  source HRM platform for your business, you’ll find OrangeHRM to be useful. This brief tutorial is going to show students and new users how to install OrangeHRM on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with Apache2, MariaDB and PHP 7.1 support.

To get started with installing OrangeHRM, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Install Apache2 HTTP Server

OrangeHRM requires a webserver and the second most popular webserver 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 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

Step 2: Install MariaDB

OrangeHRM also requires 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, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable MariaDB service to always start up when the server boots.

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

After that, run the commands below to secure MariaDB server.

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

Step 3: Install PHP FPM and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 isn’t available on Ubuntu default repositories… in order 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

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

sudo apt install php7.1 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 install PHP, run the commands below to open FPM PHP default file.

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

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

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

Step 4: Create OrangeHRM Database

Now that you’ve install all the packages that are required, continue below to start configuring the servers. First run the commands below to create OrangeHRM database.

Run the commands below to logon to the database server. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called orangehrm

CREATE DATABASE orangehrm;

Create a database user called orangehrmuser with new password

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

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON orangehrm.* TO 'orangehrmuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 5: Download OrangeHRM Latest Release

Next, visit OrangeHRM site and download the latest version.

After downloading, run the commands below to extract the download file into Apache2 root directory.

cd /tmp && wget https://excellmedia.dl.sourceforge.net/project/orangehrm/stable/4.0/orangehrm-4.0.zip
unzip orangehrm-4.0.zip
sudo mv orangehrm-4.0 /var/www/html/orangehrm

Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for Concrete5 to function.

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

Step 6: Configure Apache2

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

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

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

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin admin@example.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/orangehrm
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

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

Step 7: Enable the OrangeHRM

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

sudo a2ensite orangehrm.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite

Step 8 : Restart Apache2

To load all the settings above, restart Apache2 by running the commands below.

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name followed by install. You should see Concrete5 setup wizard to complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

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

Enter the database info you created above and continue

Finish with the install and enjoy!

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