How to Install FreeScout on OpenBSD

In this tutorial, we will discuss how to install FreeScout on OpenBSD. FreeScout is an open-source helpdesk and ticketing system that can help organizations manage customer support requests. It is a versatile platform that can be integrated with various applications and tools.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed with the installation process, make sure to have the following prerequisites in place:

• A server running OpenBSD
• A user account with sudo privileges
• A web server with PHP support, such as Nginx or Apache
• A MySQL database
• PHP version 7.2 or higher installed on the server

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

The first step is to install the required packages and dependencies for FreeScout to run. To do this, run the following command:

sudo pkg_add nginx mysql-server php php-fpm php-mysqli php-json php-filter php-opcache php-curl php-ctype php-dom php-xml php-zip php-gd

This command will install the Nginx web server, MySQL database server, and various PHP modules that FreeScout requires.

Step 2: Configure MySQL Database

Next, create a new MySQL database for FreeScout by running the following command:

sudo mysql -u root -p

This command will log you into the MySQL database console. Now, create a new database and user for FreeScout by running the following commands:

CREATE DATABASE freescoutdb;
CREATE USER 'freescoutuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON freescoutdb.* TO 'freescoutuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Make sure to replace 'password' with a strong, secure password.

Step 3: Download and Install FreeScout

Next, download the latest version of FreeScout from GitHub:

cd /var/www
sudo git clone https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout.git
sudo chown -R _www:_www /var/www/freescout

The above commands will download FreeScout to the /var/www directory and change the ownership of the freescout directory to the _www user.

Step 4: Configure Nginx

Now we need to configure Nginx to serve the FreeScout application. Create a new Nginx server block by running:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/freescout.conf

And add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain.com;

    root /var/www/freescout/public;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm.sock;
    }
}

Make sure to replace your_domain.com with your own domain name.

Now, enable the server block by creating a link in the sites-enabled directory:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/freescout.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Restart Nginx for the changes to take effect by running:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Configure FreeScout

The last step is to configure FreeScout by editing the .env file:

cd /var/www/freescout
sudo cp .env.example .env
sudo nano .env

Update the file with your MySQL database details and other desired settings. Once finished, save and close the file.

Step 6: Accessing FreeScout

After configuring FreeScout, access it by visiting your domain in a web browser. FreeScout will guide you through a basic installation process where you can set up an administrator account and start using the application.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed FreeScout on OpenBSD.