Install & Configure Linux

ReadingRecord is currently supported on CentOS Linux 5.9 (32-bit or 64-bit).

There are many methods & options when installing Linux, all of which are beyond the scope of this documentation but well documented on the Internet. You can choose a minimal install (adding packages as necessary), the full install or select specific package groups. The X-Windows environment is not required, but may be installed if a graphical user interface (GUI) is desired. At minimum you'll need the following, which are included as part of CentOS 5.9:

• Apache webserver 2.2.x & dependencies
• MySQL 5.0.x & dependencies
• PHP 5.1.x & dependencies

• Be sure to update all installed packages via yum.
• Remote file access is required for things like coping config files, creating image directories, loading database templates, etc. One possible solution would be to use a file-sharing service like Samba, but for simplicity I recommend (and use) ExpanDrive. It uses SFTP (provided by SSH) to provide secure, transparent access to remote filesystems. Once connected, the remote filesystem acts like a USB or other removable media, showing up in My Computer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). There are clients for Windows/Mac and the price is very reasonable, so give it a try!

The following are optional, but recommended, steps to help improve the security of your ReadingRecord server. Procedures for doing so are outside the scope of this documentation, but well documented elsewhere.

• Disable/remove unused services & software.
• Add a password to the GRUB config file.
• Use SSH v2 for remote administration. Additionally you may want to disable the use of passwords, allowing only SSH keys for authorization.
• Use a host-based firewall to limit access to SSH & phpMyAdmin. Methods available include the built-in tool, writing your own simple script or using a tool like Firewall Builder.

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