Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing UVdesk, it’s essential to update your Ubuntu system to ensure all software packages are up to date. Run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Keeping your system updated is critical, whether you're setting up UVdesk on a local machine or deploying it on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP

UVdesk requires a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) to function. Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP with the necessary extensions by running the following command:

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-xml php-curl php-intl php-mbstring php-zip -y
            

Once the installation is complete, enable and start the Apache and MySQL services:

sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable mysql
sudo systemctl start mysql
            

This step ensures your system is ready to host UVdesk, whether locally or on a Windows VPS hosting UK.

Step 3: Secure MySQL and Create a Database for UVdesk

After installing MySQL, run the following command to secure your MySQL installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts to set up a root password and secure your MySQL installation. Once completed, log in to MySQL:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a database and user for UVdesk by executing the following commands:

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

This sets up the database for UVdesk, whether you're hosting it locally or on a Windows VPS Italy.

Step 4: Install Composer

UVdesk requires Composer, a dependency manager for PHP. Install Composer by running the following commands:

sudo apt install curl php-cli unzip -y
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer
            

Verify the Composer installation by running:

composer --version

Step 5: Download and Install UVdesk

Now that Composer is installed, you can download and install UVdesk. First, navigate to the Apache web directory:

cd /var/www/html

Use Composer to create a new UVdesk project:

composer create-project uvdesk/community-skeleton helpdesk

Once the download is complete, set the correct ownership for the project files:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/helpdesk

This will ensure that Apache has the necessary permissions to access the UVdesk files.

Step 6: Configure Apache for UVdesk

Create a virtual host configuration file for UVdesk:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/uvdesk.conf

Add the following configuration, replacing your-domain.com with your actual domain:

    ServerAdmin admin@your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/helpdesk/public
    ServerName your-domain.com
    ServerAlias www.your-domain.com

    
        AllowOverride All
        Order Allow,Deny
        Allow from All
    

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

            

Enable the site and necessary Apache modules, then restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite uvdesk.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2
            

Step 7: Complete UVdesk Installation

Open your browser and navigate to http://your-domain.com or http://your-server-ip. You will be greeted by the UVdesk installation wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions and enter the database credentials you created earlier to complete the installation.

UVdesk will now be fully installed and operational, providing you with a robust helpdesk system, whether hosted locally or on a Windows VPS hosting UK platform.

Step 8: Secure UVdesk with Let's Encrypt SSL

For enhanced security, you can secure your UVdesk installation with a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. Install Certbot with the following command:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

Next, obtain and install the SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --apache -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com

Certbot will automatically configure Apache to use SSL, securing your UVdesk installation with HTTPS. This setup is ideal for both local deployments and cloud-based environments like a Windows VPS hosting UK.