How to Install OCS Inventory NG on Arch Linux

OCS Inventory NG is a free and open-source inventory and asset management software. It allows you to keep track of all the devices and software on your network. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the steps to install OCS Inventory NG on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with this tutorial, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • Arch Linux installed
  • sudo access
  • Internet connection

Step 1: Update your system

The first step is to update your system to make sure that you have the latest packages:

sudo pacman -Syu

Step 2: Install Apache web server

OCS Inventory NG requires a web server to function. In this tutorial, we will be using Apache. Install Apache using the following command:

sudo pacman -S apache

Step 3: Install PHP

OCS Inventory NG is written in PHP. Install PHP and some PHP extensions required by OCS Inventory NG using the following command:

sudo pacman -S php php-apache php-intl php-ldap php-gd php-mcrypt php-sqlite

Step 4: Install MariaDB

OCS Inventory NG requires a database to store its data. In this tutorial, we will be using MariaDB. Install MariaDB using the following command:

sudo pacman -S mariadb

Start MariaDB and set it to start automatically on system boot:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Step 5: Configure MariaDB

Run the following command to secure MariaDB:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the on-screen instructions to set a root password, remove anonymous users, disallow root login remotely, and remove test databases.

Create a new database and user for OCS Inventory NG:

sudo mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE ocsweb;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ocsweb.* TO 'ocsuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'ocspassword';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 6: Install OCS Inventory NG

Download the latest version of OCS Inventory NG from the official website:

cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/OCSInventory-NG/OCSInventory-ocsreports/releases/download/2.9/OCSNG_UNIX_SERVER_2.9.tar.gz

Extract the archive:

tar xzf OCSNG_UNIX_SERVER_2.9.tar.gz
cd OCSNG_UNIX_SERVER_2.9

Run the installer:

sudo sh setup.sh

Follow the on-screen instructions. When prompted for the database configuration, enter the following:

  • Database type: mysql
  • Database name: ocsweb
  • Database user: ocsuser
  • Database password: ocspassword

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Step 7: Access OCS Inventory NG

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/ocsreports. You should see the OCS Inventory NG login page. Enter the default username (admin) and password (admin), then click the "Login" button.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed OCS Inventory NG on Arch Linux. You can now start adding devices and software to your inventory.