How to Setup Sentrifugo HRM on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx

This article describes steps one can take to install and use Sentrifugo on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support.

Sentrifugo HRM is a free, opensource, Human Resource Management (HRM) platform for business and individuals. It offers HR resource modules with exceptional features and intuitive interface which is easy to configure and setup.

Many HRM platforms will allow you to host the software in your own environments and on your own servers, and Sentrifugo HRM is one of those platforms.

With the large pool of open source HRM platforms available today, searching for one isn’t simple. However, when looking for one to run your business, Sentrifugo HRM is a good place to start.

To get started with installing Sentrifugo HRM, follow the steps below:

How to install Sentrifugo HRM on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support

As described above, Sentrifugo HRM is a free, opensource, Human Resource Management (HRM) platform for business and individuals.

Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux.

Install Nginx HTTP Server

Sentrifugo HRM requires a webserver and the second most popular webserver in use today is Nginx. So, go and install Nginx on Ubuntu by running the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Next, run the commands below to stop, start and enable Nginx service to always start up with the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop nginx.service
sudo systemctl start nginx.service
sudo systemctl enable nginx.service

Install MariaDB

Sentrifugo HRM also requires a database server. and MariaDB database server is a great place to start. To install it run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable MariaDB service to always start up when the server boots.

Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.service

Run these on Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

After that, run the commands below to secure MariaDB server by creating a root password and disallowing remote root access.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

• Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter
• Set root password? [Y/n]: Y
• New password: Enter password
• Re-enter new password: Repeat password
• Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y
• Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y
• Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]:  Y
• Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]:  Y

Restart MariaDB server

sudo systemctl restart mysql.service

Install PHP7.2-FPM and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 isn’t available on Ubuntu default repositories… in order to install it, you will have to get it from third-party repositories.

Run the commands below to add the below third-party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.2-FPM

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2-FPM

sudo apt update

Run the commands below to install PHP 7.1 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.2-fpm php7.2-common php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-soap php7.2-gd php7.2-xml php7.2-intl php7.2-mysql php7.2-cli php7.2 php7.2-ldap php7.2-zip php7.2-curl

After install PHP, run the commands below to open FPM PHP default file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.2/fpm/php.ini

Then make the change the following lines below in the file and save.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
memory_limit = 256M
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0
upload_max_filesize = 100M
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create Sentrifugo HRM Database

Now that you’ve install all the packages that are required, continue below to start configuring the servers. First run the commands below to create Sentrifugo HRM database.

Run the commands below to logon to the database server. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called sentrifuso

CREATE DATABASE sentrifugo;

Create a database user called sentrigufouser with new password

CREATE USER 'sentrifugouser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON sentrifugo.* TO 'sentrifugouser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download Sentrifugo HRM Latest Release

Next, visit Sentrifugo HRM site and download the latest version.

After downloading, run the commands below to extract the download file into Nginx root directory.

cd /tmp && wget  -O Sentrifugo.zip
unzip Sentrifugo.zip
sudo mv Sentrifugo_3.2 /var/www/html/sentrifugo

Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for Concrete5 to function.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/sentrifugo/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/sentrifugo/

Configure Nginx

Finally, configure Apahce2 site configuration file for Sentrifugo HRM. This file will control how users’ access Sentrifugo HRM content.

Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called sentrifugo

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/sentrifugo

Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your own domain name and directory root location.

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    root /var/www/html/sentrifugo;
    index  index.php index.html index.htm;
    server_name  example.com www.example.com;

    client_max_body_size 100M;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
       }

    location ~ \.php$ {
    include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
    fastcgi_pass             unix:/var/run/php/php7.2-fpm.sock;
    fastcgi_param   SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
     }
}

Save the file and exit.

Enable the Sentrifugo HRM

After configuring the Virtual Host above, enable it by running the commands below

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/sentrifugo /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

To load all the settings above, restart Nginx by running the commands below.

sudo systemctl restart nginx.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name followed by install. You should see Concrete5 setup wizard to complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

Then follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve successfully installed Sentrifugo HRM.

Enter the database info you created above and continue

Finish with the install and enjoy!