Your data center contains many of the tools your business requires to function. If one of those tools isn’t an HRM solution, you’re missing out. Fortunately, there are plenty of open source applications you can install to help make your Human Resources department hum like a well-oiled machine.
One such tool is Sentrifugo HRM. This particular solution includes modules for employee performance; vacation dates; appraisals; time, leave, and employee management; analytics; hiring and recruiting; background checks. Sentrifugo HRM even includes a Service Desk to make your HR processes even easier.
I’m going to walk you through the process of installing the Sentrifugo HRM solution on Ubuntu Server 18.04.
What you’ll need
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A running, updated instance of Ubuntu Server 18.04
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A user account with sudo privileges
How to install necessary dependencies
The first thing to do is to install the necessary dependencies. To do this, log in to your Ubuntu Server and first install the MariaDB database with the command:
sudo apt-get install mariadb-server -y
Once that installation completes, secure the database server with the command:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
Create a password for the admin user and answer the questions to complete the process.
Now we’re going to install the remaining dependencies. Do this with the command:
sudo apt-get install apache2 php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 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 unzip wget -y
Finally, start and enable both the database and web servers with the command:
sudo systemctl start mariadb sudo systemctl enable mariadb sudo systemctl start apache2 sudo systemctl enable apache2
How to configure the database
Now we’re going to do the necessary database work. Log in to the database server with the command:
sudo mysql -u root -p
Create the database with the command:
CREATE DATABASE sentrifugodb;
Now create a new user and give it full permissions to the new database with the commands:
CREATE USER 'sentrifugo'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'PASSWORD'; GRANT ALL ON sentrifugodb.* TO 'sentrifugo'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'PASSWORD' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Where PASSWORD is a strong, unique password.
Finalize the database with the commands:
FLUSH PRIVILEGES; exit
How to download and install Sentrifugo
Next we’ll download and install Sentrifugo. Download the necessary file with the command:
wget http://www.sentrifugo.com/home/downloadfile?file_name=Sentrifugo.zip -O Sentrifugo.zip
Once the file downloads, unzip it with the command:
unzip Sentrifugo.zip
Move the file and give it the necessary permissions with the commands:
sudo cp -r Sentrifugo_X /var/www/html/sentrifugo sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/sentrifugo/ sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/sentrifugo/
Where X is the Sentrifugo release number.
Open the Sentrifugo configuration file for editing with the command:
sudo nano /var/www/html/sentrifugo/application/configs/application.ini
Locate the line:
phpSettings.error_reporting = E_All
Change that line to:
phpSettings.error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_DEPRECATED & ~E_STRICT
Create the Apache virtual host file with the command:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/sentrifugo.conf
In that file, paste the following:
<VirtualHost *:80> ServerAdmin admin@example.com DocumentRoot /var/www/html/sentrifugo ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com <Directory /var/www/html/sentrifugo/> Options +FollowSymlinks AllowOverride All Require all granted </Directory> ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined </VirtualHost>
Edit the config file as needed, and then save/close the file.
Enable the newly created site and the rewrite module with the commands:
sudo a2ensite sentrifugo sudo a2enmod rewrite
Reload Apache with the command:
sudo systemctl reload apache2
Before you launch the web-based installer, there’s a PHP function that has been deprecated. To fix this, open the config file with the command:
sudo nano /var/www/html/sentrifugo/install/PHPMailer/PHPMailerAutoload.php
In that file, replace the line:
function __autoload($classname)
With:
function spl_autoload_register()
Save and close the file.
Finally, point a web browser to http://SERVER_IP/sentrifugo (where SERVER_IP is the IP address of the hosting server). You will be greeted by the web-based installer (Figure A), where you can easily complete the installation.
Figure A
The Sentrifugo web-based installer.
Once you complete the web-based installer, you’ll see a page that includes the credentials for an initial user (Figure B).
Figure B
The user credentials and login link.
Click link to open the Sentrifugo login, and use the credentials displayed on the success page.
Congratulations, you’re ready to start using your new Sentrifugo HRM solution.