Managing Computing Infrastructures with GLPI and a Managed Database for MySQL

• GLPI
• Asset
• Management
• sysadmin

Gestionnaire Libre de Parc Informatique (GLPI), or Open Source IT Equipment Manager in English, is a web-based asset and IT management opensource software, written in PHP and released under the GNU General Public License. A graphic interface, accessible via web-browser, allows users to easily operate IT operations, that can include hardware from peripherals to entire server racks.

The application disposes of several features that seek to assist companies in managing their information systems. Among them:

• Asset management and automatic inventory
• Item lifecycle management
• Data Center Infrastructure Management
• Issue tracking system
• Helpdesk
• Administrative and financial management of IT assets
• Statistics and reports
• Knowledge base

Installing the Stack

In this tutorial we will install and configure a LEMP-Stack using Ngnix, a managed database for MySQL and PHP.

1. Update the systems apt repository information and upgrade it to make sure that the system is up to date and has the latest bug-fixes and updates installed.

   apt update && apt -y upgrade
   Copy code

2. Use Ubuntu’s apt packet manager to install Nginx. Then, restart and enable it.

   apt install nginx
   systemctl restart nginx.service
   systemctl enable nginx.service
   Copy code

3. Install PHP:

   apt install php7.4-fpm php7.4-common php7.4-mysql php7.4-gmp php7.4-curl php7.4-intl php7.4-mbstring php7.4-soap php7.4-xmlrpc php7.4-gd php7.4-xml php7.4-cli php7.4-zip
   Copy code

Creating a Managed Database for MySQL

In this tutorial we use a Scaleway Managed Database for MySQL. To create the database, follow this how-to.

Downloading GLPI

1. Change the directory from root to the file where the GLPI repository will be downloaded into.

   In this tutorial, we check into /tmp.

   cd /tmp
   Copy code

   Check the most recent version of GLPI here and replace it in the commands accordingly. In this tutorial we are using version 9.5.1

   wget https://github.com/glpi-project/glpi/releases/download/9.5.1/glpi-9.5.1.tgz
   tar -xvf glpi-9.5.1.tgz
   Copy code

2. Move glpi to the /var/www/glpi directory.

   mv glpi /var/www/glpi
   Copy code

3. Give Nginx ownership of the directory.

   chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/glpi/
   Copy code

Configuring Nginx

1. Use a text editor to create a new server block VirtualHost file named glpi under the /etc/nginx/sites-available directory to include the client request settings of your web server.

   nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/glpi
   Copy code

2. Copy and paste the configuration below into the file. Replace example.com with your domain name and save.

   server {
       listen 80;
       listen [::]:80;
   
       server_name  example.com www.example.com;
       root   /var/www/glpi;
       index  index.php index.html index.htm;
       access_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.access.log;
       error_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.error.log;
       client_max_body_size 100M;
   
       autoindex off;
   
       location / {
           try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
       }
   
       location /dataroot/ {
         internal;
         alias /var/www/glpi/;
       }
   
   location ~ [^/].php(/|$) {
           include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
           fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
           fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
           include fastcgi_params;
   
       }
   }
   Copy code

3. Create a symbolic link to enable the server block and restart Nginx.

   ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/glpi /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   systemctl restart nginx.service
   Copy code

You can check if GLPI is accessible via a web interface by accessing http://example.com using the server’s IP or your domain.

Installing a SSL/TLS Certificate

In order to protect user credentials and other confidential information that will be stored in GLPI, you can generate an SSL/TLS certificate issued by Let’s Encrypt for free.

For this purpose we will be using a certbot.

1. Prepare the system:

   apt-get update
   apt-get install software-properties-common
   add-apt-repository ppa:certbot/certbot
   apt-get update
   Copy code

2. Install certbot using snap.

   apt-get install python3-certbot-nginx
   Copy code

3. Run certbot:

   certbot --nginx
   Copy code

4. Answer the questions when prompted by the certbot Wizard.

   A) Enter your e-mail address.

   Enter email address (used for urgent renewal and security notices) (Enter 'c' to
   cancel):
   Copy code

   Please read the Terms of Service at
   https://letsencrypt.org/documents/LE-SA-v1.2-November-15-2017.pdf. You must
   agree in order to register with the ACME server at
   https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   (A)gree/(C)ancel: A
   Copy code

   B) Type A to agree.

   Would you be willing to share your email address with the Electronic Frontier
   Foundation, a founding partner of the Let's Encrypt project and the non-profit
   organization that develops Certbot? We'd like to send you email about our work
   encrypting the web, EFF news, campaigns, and ways to support digital freedom.
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   (Y)es/(N)o:
   Copy code

   C) Choose Yes or No and input accordingly.

   The Wizard then asks which names you would like to activate HTTPS for.

   D) Input the corresponding number(s) and enter.

   Which names would you like to activate HTTPS for?
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   1: example.com
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   Select the appropriate numbers separated by commas and/or spaces, or leave input
   blank to select all options shown (Enter 'c' to cancel): 1
   Copy code

   E) Answer the following prompt with 2 and press enter If you want to redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

   Please choose whether or not to redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS, removing HTTP access.
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   1: No redirect - Make no further changes to the webserver configuration.
   2: Redirect - Make all requests redirect to secure HTTPS access. Choose this for
   new sites, or if you're confident your site works on HTTPS. You can undo this
   change by editing your web server's configuration.
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   Select the appropriate number [1-2] then [enter] (press 'c' to cancel): 2
   Copy code

   Your certificate is generated.

   Obtaining a new certificate
   Performing the following challenges:
   http-01 challenge for openproject-scw.ga
   Using the webroot path /opt/openproject/public for all unmatched domains.
   Waiting for verification...
   Cleaning up challenges
   
   IMPORTANT NOTES:
   - Congratulations! Your certificate and chain have been saved at:
     /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.name/fullchain.pem
     Your key file has been saved at:
     /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.name/privkey.pem
     Your cert will expire on 2020-10-20. To obtain a new or tweaked
     version of this certificate in the future, simply run certbot
     again. To non-interactively renew *all* of your certificates, run
     "certbot renew"
   - Your account credentials have been saved in your Certbot
     configuration directory at /etc/letsencrypt. You should make a
     secure backup of this folder now. This configuration directory will
     also contain certificates and private keys obtained by Certbot so
     making regular backups of this folder is ideal.
   Copy code

5. Take note of the paths provided as they will be required in a later step.

6. Run the command below to program an automatic renewal of your certificate.

certbot renew --dry-run
Copy code

Configuring GLPI

1. Access your GLPI interface via web browser using your domain name or IP address. The GLPI setup wizard displays.

2. Select the language and click OK. The GLPI License Terms display.

3. Read them through and check I have READ and ACCEPT the terms of the license written above to proceed.

   

4. Click Install to begin the installation,

   

   A compatibility check is run and a list of tests done on the environment displays.

5. Click Continue to proceed.

6. Fill out the boxes to set up your database connection. Enter the following information:

   • SQL Server (MariaDB or MySQL): XXX.XXX.XX.XX:PORT (The IP address of your Database Instance followed by the MySQL port)
   • SQL User: db-username (The username previously created for your managed database)
   • SQL Password: db-password (The password previously created for your managed database)
   

7. Click Continue to proceed.

8. Select a database and click Continue:

   

   The initialization of the database might take a few minutes.

9. Click Continue again.

   Once the installation is finished, your default logins and passwords display.

10. Use the following identification to connect as Administrator:

    • Login: glpi
    • Password: glpi

    The GLPI dashboard displays.

For security reasons GLPI recommends you to change the password for your default users and to remove the install/install.php file.

Your setup is complete. You can begin managing assets and resources. GLPI provides a documentation website that helps you get started.