How to Install Omeka on OpenBSD

Omeka is a popular open source content management system (CMS) used to create and manage digital archives, libraries, and exhibits. OpenBSD is a secure and lightweight operating system with strong emphasis on security by default. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing Omeka on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the installation, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • OpenBSD 6.9 or higher
  • A user account with sudo privileges
  • Apache web server with mod_php enabled
  • MySQL server installed and running

Step 1: Download and Extract Omeka

First, we need to download the latest version of Omeka from their official website at https://omeka.org/download/. Once downloaded, we will extract the file to the document root of Apache web server.

$ sudo su
# cd /var/www/htdocs
# curl -O https://omeka.org/wp-content/files/omeka-2.8.0.zip
# unzip omeka-2.8.0.zip
# mv omeka-2.8.0 omeka
# chown -R www:www omeka
# exit

Step 2: Configure Apache

Next, we need to configure Apache to serve Omeka content. We will create a virtual host to serve the Omeka content.

$ sudo vi /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-omeka.conf

Add the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName omeka.example.com
    ServerAlias www.omeka.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/htdocs/omeka
    <Directory /var/www/htdocs/omeka>
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog "/var/www/logs/omeka-error_log"
    CustomLog "/var/www/logs/omeka-access_log" common
</VirtualHost>

Save the file and exit.

Step 3: Create MySQL Database

Let's start by creating a new MySQL database for Omeka.

$ mysql -u root -p

Enter the MySQL root password when prompted.

CREATE DATABASE omeka;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON omeka.* TO 'omeka'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Replace password with a strong password.

Step 4: Install Omeka

Now, open your web browser and navigate to http://omeka.example.com. You will see the Omeka installation page. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Omeka.

When prompted for Database settings, enter the following:

  • Database Host: localhost
  • Database Username: omeka
  • Database Password: password (the password you set in Step 3)
  • Database Name: omeka

Complete the installation process by filling out the required information such as admin username, password, and email. Once completed, you will be redirected to the Omeka login page.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Omeka on OpenBSD. You can now start creating digital archives, libraries, and exhibits using Omeka.