Introduction

OpenMRS is an open-source platform that provides a framework for managing electronic medical records. It is designed to be flexible and scalable, making it ideal for healthcare facilities. This guide will walk you through the installation of OpenMRS on Debian 11, which can be effectively hosted on a Windows VPS UK for optimal performance.

Prerequisites

• A Debian 11 server with root access
• Basic knowledge of Linux commands
• Java Development Kit (JDK) installed
• MySQL or PostgreSQL installed for the database
• Apache Tomcat installed to run OpenMRS

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your package index and upgrading existing packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Java

OpenMRS requires Java to run. Install OpenJDK with the following command:

sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk -y

Verify the Java installation:

java -version

Step 3: Install MySQL

Install MySQL to manage your database:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

Secure your MySQL installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Step 4: Create OpenMRS Database

Log in to MySQL and create a database for OpenMRS:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Run the following SQL commands to create a database and user:

CREATE DATABASE openmrs;
CREATE USER 'openmrsuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON openmrs.* TO 'openmrsuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 5: Install Apache Tomcat

Install Apache Tomcat to run OpenMRS:

sudo apt install tomcat9 tomcat9-admin -y

Start Tomcat and enable it to run at boot:

sudo systemctl start tomcat9
sudo systemctl enable tomcat9

Step 6: Download OpenMRS

Navigate to the webapps directory and download the latest version of OpenMRS:

cd /var/lib/tomcat9/webapps
sudo wget https://repo.openmrs.org/releases/openmrs-2.10.0.war -O openmrs.war

Step 7: Configure OpenMRS

Create the configuration directory:

sudo mkdir /var/lib/tomcat9/webapps/openmrs

Set the proper permissions:

sudo chown -R tomcat9:tomcat9 /var/lib/tomcat9/webapps/openmrs

Step 8: Start OpenMRS

Access the OpenMRS setup by navigating to http://your_server_ip:8080/openmrs in your web browser. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Step 9: Conclusion

You have successfully installed OpenMRS on Debian 11, providing a powerful platform for managing medical records. This setup can greatly benefit from being hosted on a Windows VPS. For additional options, explore various VPS UK Windows solutions, including Windows Virtual Private Server Hosting and Windows VPS Hosting UK for optimal performance and reliability.