Skip to main content

Server Setup

This page covers the complete installation and configuration of the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack on your Ubuntu server.

Connecting to Your Server​

SSH Connection​

Connect to your server using SSH:

# Using SSH key (recommended)
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your-key ubuntu@your-server-ip

# Using password (if keys not configured)
ssh ubuntu@your-server-ip

First Time Connection​

On first connection, you may see a security warning. Type yes to continue:

The authenticity of host 'your-server-ip' can't be established.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes

System Updates​

Always start with updating your system:

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Upgrade installed packages
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Reboot if kernel updates were installed
sudo reboot

After reboot, reconnect to your server.

Install Required Packages​

Core LAMP Stack Components​

Install Apache web server:

sudo apt install apache2 -y

Install MySQL database server:

sudo apt install mysql-server mysql-client -y

Install PHP and required extensions:

sudo apt install php php-mysql php-curl php-gd  php-intl php-zip php-mbstring php-xml libapache2-mod-php -y

Additional Useful Packages​

Install supporting tools:

sudo apt install software-properties-common unzip htop python3-pip -y

Install Certbot for SSL certificates:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

Verify Installations​

Check Service Status​

Verify that services are running:

# Check Apache status
sudo systemctl status apache2

# Check MySQL status
sudo systemctl status mysql

# Check PHP version
php --version

Test Web Server​

Visit your server's IP address in a web browser to see the Apache default page:

http://your-server-ip

You should see the "Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page".

Configure Services​

Enable Services at Boot​

Ensure services start automatically on server restart:

sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl enable mysql

Configure Apache Modules​

Enable required Apache modules:

# Enable URL rewriting (required for BMLT)
sudo a2enmod rewrite

# Enable expires headers (improves performance)
sudo a2enmod expires

# Restart Apache to apply changes
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Test Apache Configuration​

Verify Apache configuration is valid:

sudo apache2ctl configtest

You should see: Syntax OK

Configure Firewall​

Most cloud providers use security groups instead of local firewalls. Configure these in your cloud provider's dashboard:

  • SSH (Port 22): Allow from your IP address
  • HTTP (Port 80): Allow from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)
  • HTTPS (Port 443): Allow from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)

Option 2: Local UFW Firewall​

If your cloud provider doesn't use security groups:

# Enable UFW firewall
sudo ufw enable

# Allow SSH (replace with your IP for better security)
sudo ufw allow ssh

# Allow HTTP and HTTPS
sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'

# Check firewall status
sudo ufw status

Option 3: Disable Local Firewall (Cloud Security Groups Only)​

If using cloud provider security groups exclusively:

# Disable UFW
sudo ufw disable

# Configure iptables rules for HTTP/HTTPS (if needed)
sudo iptables -I INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -I INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT

Secure MySQL Installation​

Run the MySQL security script to improve database security:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow these recommendations:

  1. Password validation component: Y (choose MEDIUM or STRONG policy)
  2. Root password: Modern MySQL uses auth_socket authentication by default, so no password is set. Root access requires sudo mysql instead (more secure)
  3. Remove anonymous users: Y
  4. Disallow root login remotely: Y
  5. Remove test database: Y (or N if needed for testing)
  6. Reload privilege tables: Y

Accessing MySQL as Root​

With auth_socket authentication (default), connect using:

sudo mysql

No password is required. This is more secure as it ties MySQL root access to system-level authentication.

Create MySQL Databases and Users​

Connect to MySQL​

sudo mysql

Create Databases and Users​

-- Create BMLT database and user
CREATE DATABASE bmlt;
CREATE USER 'bmlt'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_bmlt_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON bmlt.* TO 'bmlt'@'localhost';

-- Create YAP database and user (if planning to use YAP)
CREATE DATABASE yap;
CREATE USER 'yap'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_yap_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON yap.* TO 'yap'@'localhost';

-- Apply changes
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

-- Exit MySQL
EXIT;
Password Security

Replace your_secure_bmlt_password and your_secure_yap_password with strong, unique passwords. Save these passwords securely as you'll need them during application installation.

Test Database Connection​

Verify database users can connect:

# Test BMLT user connection
mysql -u bmlt -p

# If successful, you'll see MySQL prompt. Type EXIT; to quit

Configure PHP (Optional Optimizations)​

Check Current PHP Configuration​

# View PHP configuration file location
php --ini

# Check important PHP settings
php -m | grep -E "(mysql|curl|gd|zip|mbstring|xml)"

Optimize PHP Settings (Optional)​

Edit PHP configuration for better performance:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/apache2/php.ini

Key settings to consider:

# Increase memory limit
memory_limit = 256M

# Increase maximum execution time
max_execution_time = 300

# Set timezone (replace with your timezone)
date.timezone = America/New_York

Restart Apache after changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Set Up Web Directory Structure​

If you have a domain name:

# Create directory for your domain
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/your-domain.com

# Set proper ownership
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/your-domain.com

# Set proper permissions
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/your-domain.com

Verification Checklist​

Before proceeding to application installation:

  • All packages installed successfully
  • Apache serving default page
  • MySQL secured and databases created
  • PHP working with required extensions
  • Firewall configured properly
  • Services enabled for auto-start

System Information​

Document your setup for future reference:

# Check system information
uname -a
lsb_release -a

# Check service versions
apache2 -v
mysql --version
php --version

# Check disk space
df -h

# Check memory
free -h

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Apache won't start:

# Check Apache error log
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

# Check configuration
sudo apache2ctl configtest

MySQL connection issues:

# Check MySQL status
sudo systemctl status mysql

# Check MySQL error log
sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log

PHP not working:

# Verify PHP module is loaded
apache2ctl -M | grep php

# Check PHP error log
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

Performance Monitoring​

# Monitor system resources
htop

# Check disk usage
df -h

# Check memory usage
free -h

# Monitor Apache processes
sudo systemctl status apache2

Next Steps​

With your LAMP stack configured, you can now proceed to:

  1. BMLT Installation - Install the BMLT Server
  2. YAP Installation - Install YAP (if needed)
  3. SSL Setup - Configure HTTPS certificates
Performance Tip

Consider creating a server snapshot/backup at this point. This gives you a clean LAMP stack baseline to restore if needed.

info

Your server is now ready for application installation. The next steps will install and configure BMLT and YAP applications on this foundation.