ePages Installation Guide for Linux 6.12.2
Created: 6.12.2; Updated: 6.12.2

For detailed instructions and information on ePages 6, please visit the ePages helpcenter at http://helpcenter.epages.com .

PLEASE NOTE
The ePages distribution comes with a temporary demo license with a restricted feature number. To obtain a regular license, send an email to our sales department at licensekey@epages.de.
Table of Contents

1 Components of an ePages 6 Installation

An ePages 6 system consists of 4 main components:

All RPM packages require epages-requires*.rpm, epages-common*.rpm, epages-patch*.rpm, epages-perl*.rpm. Packages epages-appsrv'' and epages-mysqld additionally require epages-mysql*.rpm.

You can install all of the components on one machine (single server installation), or certain components on specific machines (distributed installation). The installation instructions below describe both scenarios.

ePages can be installed either from ISO image or from ePages YUM repository.

2 System Requirements

3 Verify RPM Packages

All ePages RPM packages are signed by a GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) key. If you want to verify that a RPM package was really made by ePages, you need the public key. Get it either from ISO image (file pubring.txt) or from web site http://epages.com/security/b1d28320.txt .

To show which key was used to sign an ePages RPM package, run the command:

  rpm --checksig -v <filename>.rpm

To verify the signature of an ePages RPM package, first import the public key (use pubring.txt if your public key comes from ISO image):

  rpm --import b1d28320.txt

Then execute:

  rpm -K <filename>.rpm

The command should return:

  <filename>.rpm: (sha1) dsa sha1 md5 gpg OK

4 Single Server Installation from YUM Repository

1. Add ePages to your YUM repository:

  curl http://epages.com/RPMS/rpmify/rpmify-epages.sh | sh

If some RPM packages are missing that are required for the ePages installation, a message is shown how to install those packages first. Then re-run the command above.

2. File /etc/sysconfig/epages6 contains variable settings.

All variables are optional and have sensible defaults. Read the variable descriptions in /etc/sysconfig/epages6.

If you want to customize variables, edit /etc/sysconfig/epages6.

If the password of the MySQL user root has changed (i.e. it is neither empty nor epages), change EPAGES_INSTALL_MYSQL_PASS in /etc/sysconfig/epages6 accordingly, e.g.:

  export EPAGES_INSTALL_MYSQL_PASS="secret_password"

3. Install and start ePages:

  yum groupinstall epages

4. (optional) After successful installation start the system integrity check:

  . /etc/default/epages6
  $PERL $EPAGES/bin/CheckIntegrity.PL -add scheduler -debug 9

5 Single Server Installation from ISO Image

1. Download and mount the ePages distribution from the ISO image:

  wget ftp://epages-software.de/pub/products/epages6/6.12/Linux/epages-6.12/epages-6.12-linux.iso
  mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
  mount -r -t iso9660 -o ro,loop epages-6.12-linux.iso /mnt/cdrom

2. File /mnt/cdrom/install.cnf contains variable settings.

All variables are optional and have sensible defaults. Read the variable descriptions in /etc/sysconfig/epages6 .

If you want to customize variables copy the file /mnt/cdrom/install.cnf to /etc/sysconfig/epages6 and change /etc/sysconfig/epages6 .

If the password of the MySQL user root has changed (i.e. is neither empty nor epages), change EPAGES_INSTALL_MYSQL_PASS in /etc/sysconfig/epages6 accordingly, e.g.:

  export EPAGES_INSTALL_MYSQL_PASS="secret_password"

3. Install and start ePages:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  ./install.sh

4. (Optional) After successful installation start the system integrity check:

  . /etc/default/epages6
  $PERL $EPAGES/bin/CheckIntegrity.PL -add scheduler -debug 9

6 Distributed Installation

Distributed installation allows you to install certain components of ePages 6 on specific machines:

6.1 Preliminaries

6.1.1 Destination Directory

NOTE
You cannot change the destination directory if you install ePages from the YUM repository. Read this section only if you install ePages from ISO image.
On all machines, the destination directory name must be the same. That is, if you install ePages 6 on the first machine into /srv/epages (your choice may vary), you must install ePages 6 on all other machines into /srv/epages as well.

If you want to install ePages 6 into different directories on each machine, you must create a common symbolic link on each machine before starting the installation.

For example, if you want to install ePages 6 on the database server into /export/home/epages and on the application/web server into /export/home1/epages, run as root on database server:

  ln -s /export/home/epages /srv/epages

Run as root on application/web server:

  ln -s /export/home1/epages /srv/epages

Then choose /srv/epages as destination directory on both machines.

In the following we assume that the ePages destination directory is /srv/epages. Replace this directory with your own choice.

6.1.2 Two or More Network Cards

Application servers with 2 or more network cards (e.g. for external and internal connections) may require a specific IP binding. This IP binding is defined in /etc/default/epages6. For example: The application server has IPs 12.34.56.78 (internal connection) and 23.45.67.89 (external connection). Then, after installation of ePages 6, but before starting ePages 6, set in /etc/default/epages6 following environment variables:

  IP_BINDING=-b
  LOCAL_IPS="-i 12.34.56.78"

6.1.3 Time Server

Make sure that all involved machines have the same system time. If you use a network time protocol daemon (as xntpd), make sure that all machines use the same configuration file (as ntp.conf). For more information about the network time protocol daemon, please see the manual pages (as man xntpd).

6.1.4 Add ePages to YUM repository

If you install ePages from ISO image, execute on any involved server:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  rpm -hiv */epages-release-*.rpm

Otherwise add on any involved server the ePages repository from the web:

  rpm -hiv http://epages.com/RPMS/epages-release.noarch.rpm

6.1.5 Customization

For installation from YUM repository, edit the configuration file /etc/sysconfig/epages6.

For installation from ISO image, copy the file /mnt/cdrom/install.cnf to /etc/sysconfig/epages6 and change /etc/sysconfig/epages6.

On all machines, the destination directory name must be the same.

If you want to install ePages into a different directory than /srv/epages, you must install ePages from ISO image. Then, change EPAGES_INSTALL_PREFIX in /etc/sysconfig/epages6 to your needs.

A distributed ePages 6 installation requires user and group definitions with the same user and group IDs on all machines.

If a choosen user or group already exist on a involved machine, set the corresponding entry in /etc/sysconfig/epages6 to its user ID resp. group ID.

If a choosen user or group already exist on more than one involved machine and the its ID differs from machine to machine, first make the ID uniform:

  groupmod -g <uniform GID> <group name>

  usermod  -u <uniform UID> <user name>

Then change /etc/sysconfig/epages6:

Define server names/IPs and ports in /etc/sysconfig/epages6. All variables ending in _HOST must contain either a host name (short as www or long as www.example.com) or an IP address:

All variables ending in _PORT defining server ports are optional and have sensible defaults. Do not change this variables unless you really need to.

The customized configuration file /etc/sysconfig/epages6 must be used on all machines.

If the password of the MySQL user root has changed (i.e. is neither empty nor epages), change EPAGES_INSTALL_MYSQL_PASS in /etc/sysconfig/epages6 accordingly, e.g.:

  export EPAGES_INSTALL_MYSQL_PASS="secret_password"

6.2 Custom Installation from YUM Repository Using Two Machines

NOTE
Before starting with custom installation you must execute on all involved machines:
  1. add ePages to the YUM repository as described in section Add ePages to YUM repository, and
  2. edit /etc/sysconfig/epages6 as described in section Customization.

6.2.1 Step 1, Machine 1: Application Server and Web Server

Install the application server, web server and request router:

  yum groupinstall epages-appsrv epages-reqsrv epages-webconf

Share the installed file system:

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -share

6.2.2 Step 2, Machine 2: Database Server

Mount the previously shared file system (replace HOSTNAME by the hostname of machine 1):

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -mount HOSTNAME

Add the ePages repository to your YUM repository:

  yum groupinstall epages-mysqld

6.2.3 Step 3: Start ePages 6 services

After successful installation first (order is important!) start ePages 6 first on the database server, then on the application/web server:

  yum install epages-setup

6.3 Custom Installation from ISO Image Using Two Machines

NOTE
Before starting with custom installation you must execute on all involved machines:
  1. add ePages to the YUM repository as described in section Add ePages to YUM repository, and
  2. edit /etc/sysconfig/epages6 as described in section Customization.

6.3.1 Step 1, Machine 1: Application Server and Web Server

1. Download and mount the ePages distribution from the ISO image:

  wget ftp://epages-software.de/pub/products/epages6/6.12/Linux/epages-6.12/epages-6.12-linux.iso
  mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
  mount -r -t iso9660 -o ro,loop epages-6.12-linux.iso /mnt/cdrom

2. Install the application server, web server and request router:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  ./install.sh webconf reqsrv appsrv

3. Share the installed file system:

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -share

6.3.2 Step 2, Machine 2: Database Server

4. Download and mount the ePages distribution from the ISO image:

  wget ftp://epages-software.de/pub/products/epages6/6.12/Linux/epages-6.12/epages-6.12-linux.iso
  mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
  mount -r -t iso9660 -o ro,loop epages-6.12-linux.iso /mnt/cdrom

5. Mount the previously shared file system (replace HOSTNAME by the

    hostname of machine 1):

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -mount HOSTNAME

6. Install the database server:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  ./install.sh mysqld

6.3.3 Step 3: Start ePages 6 services

After successful installation first (order is important!) start ePages 6 on the database server, then on the application/web server:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  rpm -hiv */epages-setup-*.rpm

6.4 Custom Installation from YUM Repository Using Three Machines

NOTE
The demo license restricts the number of application server hosts to 1. You can't use the installation described in this section with the demo license. You must obtain a regular license for more than 1 application server host if you want to use this installation.
NOTE
Before starting with custom installation you must execute on all involved machines:
  1. add ePages to the YUM repository as described in section Add ePages to YUM repository, and
  2. edit /etc/sysconfig/epages6 as described in section Customization.

6.4.1 Step 1, Machine 1: Application Server

Install the application server:

  yum groupinstall epages-appsrv

Share the installed file system:

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -share

6.4.2 Step 2, Machine 2: Database Server

Mount the previously shared file system (replace HOSTNAME by the hostname of machine 1):

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -mount HOSTNAME

Install the database server:

  yum groupinstall epages-mysqld

6.4.3 Step 3, Machine 3: Web Server and Request Router

Mount the previously shared file system (replace HOSTNAME by the hostname of machine 1):

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -mount HOSTNAME

Install web server and request router:

  yum groupinstall epages-webconf epages-reqsrv

6.4.4 Step 4: Start ePages 6 services

After successful installation first (order is important!) start ePages 6 first on the web server, second on the database server, third on the application server:

  yum install epages-setup

6.5 Custom Installation from CD-ROM Using Three Machines

NOTE
The demo license restricts the number of application server hosts to 1. You can't use the installation described in this section with the demo license. You must obtain a regular license for more than 1 application server host if you want to use this installation.
NOTE
Before starting with custom installation you must execute on all involved machines:
  1. add ePages to the YUM repository as described in section Add ePages to YUM repository, and
  2. edit /etc/sysconfig/epages6 as described in section Customization.

6.5.1 Step 1, Machine 1: Application Server

1. Download and mount the ePages distribution from the ISO image:

  wget ftp://epages-software.de/pub/products/epages6/6.12/Linux/epages-6.12/epages-6.12-linux.iso
  mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
  mount -r -t iso9660 -o ro,loop epages-6.12-linux.iso /mnt/cdrom

2. Copy your customized configuration file to /etc/sysconfig/epages6 .

3. Install the application server:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  ./install.sh appsrv

4. Share the installed file system:

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -share

6.5.2 Step 2, Machine 2: Database Server

1. Download and mount the ePages distribution from the ISO image:

  wget ftp://epages-software.de/pub/products/epages6/6.12/Linux/epages-6.12/epages-6.12-linux.iso
  mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
  mount -r -t iso9660 -o ro,loop epages-6.12-linux.iso /mnt/cdrom

2. Mount the previously shared file system (replace HOSTNAME by the

    hostname of machine 1):

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -mount HOSTNAME

3. Install the database server:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  ./install.sh mysqld

6.5.3 Step 3, Machine 3: Web Server and Request Router

1. Download and mount the ePages distribution from the ISO image:

  wget ftp://epages-software.de/pub/products/epages6/6.12/Linux/epages-6.12/epages-6.12-linux.iso
  mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
  mount -r -t iso9660 -o ro,loop epages-6.12-linux.iso /mnt/cdrom

2. Mount the previously shared file system (replace HOSTNAME by the hostname of machine 1):

  /var/tmp/epages-fs.sh -mount HOSTNAME

3. Install the web server and request router:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  ./install.sh webconf reqsrv

6.5.4 Step 4: Start ePages 6 services

After successful installation first (order is important!) start ePages 6 on the web server, second on the database server, third on the application server:

  cd /mnt/cdrom
  rpm -hiv */epages-setup-*.rpm

7 Starting and Stopping Services

Services may be started automatically (initlevel or rc scripts) or manually by the UNIX command:

  /etc/init.d/epages6 <start parameter>

Services may be stopped automatically (initlevel or rc scripts) or manually by the UNIX command:

  /etc/init.d/epages6 <stop parameter>

<parameter> defines the components of the application involved:

start parameter stop parameter controls
start_httpd stop_httpd web server (only if installed and configured with epages)
start_ssl stop_httpd SSL web server (only if installed configured with epages)
start_service stop_service ePages application server
start_rr stop_rr ePages request router
start_db stop_db database server
start stop includes web server, database server and ePages service
show   show all running ePages processes

A manual start of an active service causes that service to stop and restart.

Starting the SSL web server works only if:

  1. The SSL certificate file for the web server is stored in $HTTPD_ROOT/conf/ssl.crt/server.crt (where $HTTPD_ROOT is for example /etc/httpd).
  2. The SSL certificate key file for the web server is stored in $HTTPD_ROOT/conf/ssl.key/server.key (where $HTTPD_ROOT is for example /etc/httpd).

8 ePages Start Pages

After starting ePages you should be able to view following web pages (where www.example.com is the name of your web server incl. domain):

9 Uninstall a Installation from YUM repository

Execute on any involved computer (use instead of epages the groups you did install):

  yum groupremove epages

10 Uninstall a Installation from ISO Image

If you installed ePages 6 distributed over various machines, first unmount the previously mounted directories and remove the appropriate entries in /etc/fstab. The following sections show you which directories you mounted:

Show all installed ePages RPM packages by executing following command:

  rpm -qa | grep '^epages-'

Remove all ePages RPM packages by executing following command:

  . /etc/default/epages6
  $EPAGES/bin/uninstall-epages.sh

Files that differ to those included in the RPM package or files not included in the RPM package are not deleted. If you want to delete these files as well, execute following command (if you installed ePages 6 into /srv/epages):

  rm -rf /srv/epages/eproot

11 Troubleshooting

If the ePages 6 installation with command install.sh failed, reinstall ePages 6 by using option --force with command install.sh.


Copyright ePages Software GmbH 2012