How to Install Chamilo LMS on OpenSUSE Latest

Chamilo LMS is a free, open-source e-learning platform that allows you to create and manage online courses. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the steps of installing Chamilo LMS on OpenSUSE Latest.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you will need:

  • A server running OpenSUSE Latest
  • Root or sudo user access to the server
  • A web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx) with PHP installed
  • MariaDB or MySQL database server

Step 1: Update the System

Before installing any packages, it is always recommended to update the system to the latest version.

sudo zypper update

Step 2: Install Apache and PHP

Chamilo LMS requires a web server with PHP support. We will install Apache and PHP using the following command:

sudo zypper install apache2 php php-mysql php-dom php-xml php-intl php-gd php-zip php-mbstring php-curl

Once installed, start the Apache webserver, and enable it to start automatically at boot time by running:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

To verify that Apache is running, open your web browser and navigate to http://YOUR_SERVER_IP. You should see the default Apache web page.

Step 3: Install MariaDB Database Server

Chamilo LMS requires a database server to store its data. We will install MariaDB using the following command:

sudo zypper install mariadb mariadb-client

Once installed, start the MariaDB service and enable it to start automatically at boot time by running:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

We need to secure the MariaDB installation before we can proceed further. Run the following command and answer the questions asked:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Step 4: Create a Database for Chamilo LMS

Log in to the MariaDB server using the following command:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Enter the root password when prompted. Once logged in, create a new database for Chamilo LMS:

CREATE DATABASE chamilo;

Create a new user and grant all privileges on the Chamilo database:

GRANT ALL ON chamilo.* TO 'chamilo'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '<password>';

Replace <password> with a secure password of your choice. Finally, flush the privileges and exit from the MariaDB prompt:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 5: Download and Install Chamilo LMS

Download the latest version of Chamilo LMS from the official website using the following command:

wget https://github.com/chamilo/chamilo-lms/releases/download/v1.11.14/chamilo-1.11.14.tar.gz

Extract the downloaded archive to the Apache webserver document root directory:

sudo tar -xvf chamilo-1.11.14.tar.gz -C /srv/www/htdocs/

Set the correct permissions to the Chamilo LMS directory:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /srv/www/htdocs/chamilo
sudo chmod -R 755 /srv/www/htdocs/chamilo

Step 6: Configure Chamilo LMS

Chamilo LMS needs to be configured to connect to the database we created earlier. Open the Chamilo configuration file using your preferred text editor:

sudo nano /srv/www/htdocs/chamilo/main/inc/conf/configuration.dist.php

Find the following section, which starts with /* Database configuration */:

/* Database configuration */
$conf['database_type'] = 'mysqli';
$conf['database_user'] = 'root';
$conf['database_password'] = '';
$conf['database_server'] = 'localhost';
$conf['database_name'] = 'chamilodb';
$conf['database_prefix'] = 'claroline_';

Update the values based on the database you created earlier:

/* Database configuration */
$conf['database_type'] = 'mysqli';
$conf['database_user'] = 'chamilo';
$conf['database_password'] = '<password>';
$conf['database_server'] = 'localhost';
$conf['database_name'] = 'chamilo';
$conf['database_prefix'] = '';

Replace <password> with the password you set for the chamilo user earlier.

Save and close the file.

Step 7: Complete the Installation

Open your web browser and navigate to http://YOUR_SERVER_IP/chamilo. You should see the Chamilo installation page. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Once the installation is complete, log in to the Chamilo LMS administrator panel using the username and password you set during the installation.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Chamilo LMS on OpenSUSE Latest. You can now create and manage online courses for your users.