f4af965a2eUsing `nginx -s reload` is better than restarting the server on live systems, because if there is any problem with new config files, nginx will warn you, refuse to reload and continue to work with old configuration. Moreover, this command will minimize downtime.
171 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
171 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
# NimForum setup
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This document describes the steps needed to setup a working NimForum instance.
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## Requirements
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* Ubuntu 16.04+
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* Some Linux knowledge
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## Installation
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Begin by downloading the latest NimForum release from
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[here](https://github.com/nim-lang/nimforum/releases). The macOS releases are
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mainly provided for testing.
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Extract the downloaded tarball on your server. These steps can be done using
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the following commands:
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```
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wget https://github.com/nim-lang/nimforum/releases/download/v2.0.0/nimforum_2.0.0_linux.tar.xz
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tar -xf nimforum_2.0.0_linux.tar.xz
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```
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Then ``cd`` into the forum's directory:
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```
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cd nimforum_2.0.0_linux
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```
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### Dependencies
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The following may need to be installed on your server:
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```
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sudo apt install libsass-dev sqlite3
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```
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## Configuration and DB creation
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The NimForum release comes with a handy ``setup_nimforum`` program. Run
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it to begin the setup process:
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```
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./setup_nimforum --setup
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```
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The program will ask you multiple questions which will require some
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additional setup, including mail server info and recaptcha keys. You can
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just specify dummy values if you want to play around with the forum as
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quickly as possible and set these up later.
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This program will create a ``nimforum.db`` file, this contains your forum's
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database. It will also create a ``forum.json`` file, you can modify this
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file after running the ``setup_nimforum`` script if you've made any mistakes
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or just want to change things.
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## Running the forum
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Executing the forum is simple, just run the ``forum`` binary:
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```
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./forum
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```
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The forum will start listening to HTTP requests on port 5000 (by default, this
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can be changed in ``forum.json``).
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On your server you should set up a separate HTTP server. The recommended choice
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is nginx. You can then use it as a reverse proxy for NimForum.
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### HTTP server
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#### nginx
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Once you have nginx installed on your server, you will need to configure it.
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Create a ``forum.hostname.com`` file (replace the hostname with your forum's
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hostname) inside ``/etc/nginx/sites-available/``.
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Place the following inside it:
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```
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server {
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server_name forum.hostname.com;
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autoindex off;
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location / {
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proxy_pass http://localhost:5000;
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proxy_set_header Host $host;
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proxy_set_header X-Real_IP $remote_addr;
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}
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}
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```
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Again, be sure to replace ``forum.hostname.com`` with your forum's
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hostname.
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You should then create a symlink to this file inside ``/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/``:
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```
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ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/<forum.hostname.com> /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/<forum.hostname.com>
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```
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Then reload nginx configuration by running ``sudo nginx -s reload``.
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### Supervisor
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#### systemd
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In order to ensure the forum is always running, even after a crash or a server
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reboot, you should create a systemd service file.
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Create a new file called ``nimforum.service`` inside ``/lib/systemd/system/nimforum.service``.
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Place the following inside it:
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```
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[Unit]
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Description=nimforum
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After=network.target httpd.service
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Wants=network-online.target
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[Service]
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Type=simple
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WorkingDirectory=/home/<user>/nimforum-2.0.0/ # MODIFY THIS
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ExecStart=/usr/bin/stdbuf -oL /home/<user>/nimforum-2.0.0/forum # MODIFY THIS
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# Restart when crashes.
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Restart=always
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RestartSec=1
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User=dom
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StandardOutput=syslog+console
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StandardError=syslog+console
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[Install]
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WantedBy=multi-user.target
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```
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**Be sure to specify the correct ``WorkingDirectory`` and ``ExecStart``!**
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You can then enable and start the service by running the following:
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```
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sudo systemctl enable nimforum
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sudo systemctl start nimforum
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```
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To check that everything is in order, run this:
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```
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systemctl status nimforum
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```
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You should see something like this:
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```
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● nimforum.service - nimforum
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Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nimforum.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
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Active: active (running) since Fri 2018-05-25 22:09:59 UTC; 1 day 22h ago
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Main PID: 21474 (forum)
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Tasks: 1
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Memory: 55.2M
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CPU: 1h 15min 31.905s
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CGroup: /system.slice/nimforum.service
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└─21474 /home/dom/nimforum/src/forum
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```
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## Conclusion
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That should be all you need to get started. Your forum should now be accessible
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via your hostname, assuming that it points to your VPS' IP address.
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