openSUSE Edu Li-f-e comes loaded with softwares useful for educational institutions, including servers that do everything from course management, student information system to library management.  Although the setup is fairly easy for sysadmins who know what exactly to do, it is quite a difficult task for new Linux user or a teacher without any prior sysadmin knowledge wanting to try out. Get in touch with us if you would like to contribute to openSUSE Education project by creating a script or better still a GUI to automate these tasks.

Basic configuration

Configure and start Apache web server

Edit /etc/sysconfig/apache2 APACHE_SERVER_FLAGS=”ATUTOR FREESMS”. Use your favourite text editor (vi,gedit…) as root. Note that “linux-n8li:~ #” and “mysql>” are prompts are not to be typed as command.

linux-n8li:~ # insserv apache2
linux-n8li:~ # rcapache2 start

Configure and start MySQL server

linux-n8li:~ # insserv mysql
linux-n8li:~ # rcmysql start

If mysql is started for the first time:

linux-n8li:~ # /usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root password ‘somepassword‘
linux-n8li:~ # /usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root -h yourhostname password ‘somepassword‘

Create databases for OpenBiblio and FreeSMS.

linux-n8li:~ # mysql -u root -p
mysql> create database OpenBiblio;
mysql> grant all privileges on OpenBiblio.* to obiblio_user@localhost
-> identified by ‘obiblio_password‘;

mysql> create database crcdb;
mysql> grant all privileges on crcdb.* to freesms_user@localhost identified by ‘freesms_password‘;

Required for OpenSIS
mysql> SET GLOBAL log_bin_trust_function_creators = 1;

OpenBiblio

OpenBiblio is a program to manage library. This tool allows you to follow the loan of the books and other statistics.

Open the browser and point it to: http://localhost/openbiblio/install_instructions.html

Edit /srv/www/openbiblio/database_constants.php, fill out the database details as given previously:

define(“OBIB_DATABASE”, “OpenBiblio”);
define(“OBIB_USERNAME”, “obiblio_user“);
define(“OBIB_PWD”,      “obiblio_password“);

Point the browser to http:/localhost/openbiblio/install and follow the on screen wizard, once done you can access new OpenBiblio server from: http://localhost/openbiblio

To secure the installation:

linux-n8li:~ # mv /srv/www/openbiblio/install /srv/www/openbiblio/install-backup
linux-n8li:~ # chmod 700 /srv/www/openbiblio/install-backup

OpenSIS

OpenSIS is a commercial grade, secure, scalable & intuitive Open Source Student Information System from OS4ED.

Create /etc/apache2/conf.d/opensis.conf with the following content:

Alias /opensis “/srv/www/opensis/”
<Directory /srv/www/opensis/>
AllowOverride AuthConfig Limit
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>

Restart apache (run “rcapache2 restart” in terminal as root)

linux-n8li:~ # chown wwwrun /srv/www/opensis/data.php

Edit /srv/www/opensis/install/sql.php Lines 1045 – 1047, change year 2009 to 2010. Change the passwords after md5(here whatever you want).

(2010, 1, 1, NULL, ‘Admin’, ‘Administrator’, ‘A’, ‘admin’, md5(‘admin‘), NULL, NULL, ‘admin’, NULL, NULL, ‘2009-09-22 02:02:55’, NULL, ‘1’, NULL),
(2010, 2, NULL, NULL, ‘Mary’, ‘Teacher’, ‘M’, ‘teacher’, md5(‘teacher‘), NULL, NULL, ‘teacher’, NULL, ‘,1,’, ‘2009-09-22 02:11:42’, NULL, ‘2’, NULL),
(2010, 3, NULL, NULL, ‘Joe’, ‘Parent’, ‘J’, ‘parent’, md5(‘parent‘), NULL, NULL, ‘parent’, NULL, NULL, ‘2009-09-22 02:11:57’, NULL, ‘3’, NULL);

Point the browser to http://localhost/opensis/install/index.php and follow on screen wizard, provide mysql username: root and the password set earlier.

ATutor

ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS/LMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind.

linux-n8li:~ # mkdir /srv/atutorcontent
linux-n8li:~ # chown wwwrun /srv/atutorcontent
linux-n8li:~ # chown wwwrun /srv/ATutor/include/config.inc.php

Point the browser to http://localhost/ATutor follow onscreen wizard, use mysql username root and its password given earlier.

To secure installation after the setup is done:

linux-n8li:~ # mv /srv/ATutor/install /srv/ATutor/install-old
linux-n8li:~ # chmod 700 /srv/ATutor/install-old

FreeSMS

FreeSMS is a teacher and student management system providing marketing, registration, course management, attendance and a student evaluation system.

Edit /etc/apache2/conf.d/FreeSMS.conf change Alias from /FreeSMS to /freesms and restart apache (rcapache2 restart).

Edit /srv/FreeSMS/mysql/crc_database_setup.sql Line 779:

) TYPE=MyISAM AUTO_INCREMENT=24 DEFAULT CHARACTER SET latin1

Import the database by running this in terminal

linux-n8li:~ # mysql -u root -p crcdb < crc_database_setup.sql

Edit /srv/FreeSMS/classes/crc_constants.mod.php Lines: 23 and 24 with database username and password.

define(‘MYSQL_USER’, ‘freesms_user‘);
define(‘MYSQL_PASS’, ‘freesms_password‘);

Comment line 49 in /srv/FreeSMS/classes/crc_profile.cls.php

//var $m_roleid;

Point the browser at http://localhost/freesms/pages/crc_login.php

Log in using this account:

Username: shaffin_bhanji@yahoo.ca
Password: shaffin

Moodle

Moodle is a Course Management System.

This is the easiest of them all to set up.

Set the permission of the data directory so the web user can write to it.

linux-n8li:~ # chown wwwrun /srv/www/moodledata

Point the browser at http://localhost/moodle/install.php and follow the on screen wizard.

Consider this howto as a starting point, more details and advanced configuration information can be found in the documentations provided by the applications on their websites or openSUSE wiki.

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• Category: Derivative · Documentation · Education