How to Install RackTables on OpenBSD

RackTables is a web-based tool that helps track inventories of data centers, racks and servers. In this tutorial, we will explain the installation process of RackTables on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before starting with the installation process, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

OpenBSD operating system installed
Apache web server and PHP installed

Step 1: Downloading RackTables

To download RackTables, go to the website http://racktables.org/ and click on the "Download" option from the top menu. Download the latest version of RackTables.

$ ftp http://downloads.sourceforge.net/racktables/RackTables-0.21.3.tar.gz

Step 2: Extracting the RackTables Archive

After the download is complete, extract the RackTables archive to the web server's root directory:

$ tar -xzvf RackTables-0.21.3.tar.gz -C /var/www/htdocs/

Step 3: Configuring Apache

To configure Apache, create a new configuration file for RackTables in the "/etc/apache2/racktables.conf" directory:

$ vi /etc/apache2/racktables.conf

Add the following content to the file:

# RackTables web interface
Alias /racktables "/var/www/htdocs/RackTables-0.21.3/wwwroot/"

<Directory "/var/www/htdocs/RackTables-0.21.3/wwwroot/">
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
</Directory>

Save and exit the file.

Next, include the "racktables.conf" file in the main Apache configuration file "/etc/apache2/httpd.conf" by editing it:

$ vi /etc/apache2/httpd.conf

Add this line to the file:

Include /etc/apache2/racktables.conf

Save and exit the file.

Step 4: Configuring RackTables

To configure RackTables, copy the "config.php.example" to "config.php" in the installation directory:

$ cd /var/www/htdocs/RackTables-0.21.3/wwwroot/
$ cp config.php.example config.php

Edit the "config.php" file with your preferred editor:

$ vi config.php

Set the following values:

$pdo_dsn = 'pgsql:host=localhost;dbname=racktables_db';
$db_username = 'racktables_user';
$db_password = 'password';

Save and exit the file.

Step 5: Creating the RackTables Database

Now, you need to create the RackTables database and user on the PostgresSQL server:

$ su - _postgresql
$ createdb racktables_db
$ psql -d racktables_db -c "CREATE USER racktables_user WITH PASSWORD 'password';"
$ psql -d racktables_db -c "GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE racktables_db TO racktables_user;"

Replace "password" with your preferred database password.

Step 6: Testing the Installation

Restart the Apache web server:

$ rcctl restart apache2

Now, you can test the installation by accessing the web interface through your web browser at http://localhost/racktables.

You should now be able to log in with the default administrator account:

Username: admin Password: admin

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have explained the step-by-step process to install RackTables on OpenBSD. Now, you can use RackTables to track data centers, racks and servers easily.