Tutorial: Installing OpenOLAT on Arch Linux

OpenOLAT is a popular e-learning platform that allows educators to create and share educational content. In this tutorial, we will be going through the steps of installing OpenOLAT on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you will need to have the following:

  • A computer running Arch Linux
  • An account with administrative privileges
  • A stable internet connection

Step 1: Update the System

Open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo pacman -Syu

This will update the system to the latest version.

Step 2: Install the Required Dependencies

OpenOLAT requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE). To install it, run the following command:

sudo pacman -S jre8-openjdk-headless

Step 3: Download the OpenOLAT Package

Visit the OpenOLAT website and download the latest Stable version. It will download as a .zip file. 

cd Downloads
wget https://www.openolat.com/fileadmin/user_upload/OpenOLAT10.6.3.zip

Step 4: Extract the OpenOLAT Package

Extract the downloaded package in the opt directory. 

sudo mkdir /opt/OpenOLAT
sudo unzip /pathto/OLAT*.zip -d /opt/OpenOLAT

Step 5: Grant Necessary Permissions

Grant the executable permission to the openolat script.

sudo chmod +x /opt/OpenOLAT/OpenOLAT.sh

Step 6: Create a System Service

To start OpenOLAT as a system service create an openolat.service unit file.

sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/openolat.service

Copy the following contents into the file opened by the command above:

[Unit]
Description=OpenOLAT E-Learning System
After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
ExecStart=/opt/OpenOLAT/OpenOLAT.sh start
ExecStop=/opt/OpenOLAT/OpenOLAT.sh stop
ExecReload=/opt/OpenOLAT/OpenOLAT.sh restart
PIDFile=/opt/OpenOLAT/openolat/var/openolat.pid
User=${USER}
Group=${USER}

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 7: Start the OpenOLAT service

Run the following command to start the OpenOLAT service: 

sudo systemctl start openolat

Step 8: Check the Service Status

You can check the status of the OpenOLAT service with the following command:

sudo systemctl status openolat

Step 9: Access the OpenOLAT Web Interface

Open a web browser and type https://localhost:8443/OpenOLAT/. This should redirect you to the OpenOLAT login page.

Use the default admin credentials: 

Username: admin
Password: admin

Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenOLAT on Arch Linux.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have gone through the installation process of OpenOLAT on Arch Linux. If you encounter any problems or have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.