Installation#

Installation methods#

You can install NethServer 8 on a supported distribution or use one of pre-built images. Both methods require a working Internet connection.

Install on a supported distribution#

Pick your preferred Linux distribution between supported ones and ensure that the system firewall is not blocking any connection.

First, make sure the system is up to date and curl is installed:

  • for CentOS/AlmaLinux/RockyLinux: dnf update -y && dnf install -y curl

  • for Debian: apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && apt-get install -y curl

Start the installation procedure as root:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NethServer/ns8-core/ns8-stable/core/install.sh | bash

Pre-built images#

NethServer 8 provides an officially supported image built upon the stable foundation of Rocky Linux, making it suitable for a wide range of server applications.

NS8 on Rocky Linux 9:

Download the image from the above links and start it inside your virtualization platform. Choose a qcow2 image if you are using a KVM-based platform like Proxmox or a vmdk image if your using something like VMware.

You can also upload the image to a cloud provider and create a public virtual machine.

Default OS administrative credentials are

  • Username: root

  • Password: Nethesis,1234

You will be forced to change the default password after the first login with root user.

Virtualization platform specific notes:

  • On VMWare, you must configure the virtual machine to use IDE driver for the disk

  • When using the image on Proxmox, change the default CPU model to anything other than kvm64

Post-installation steps#

When the installation script ends or the pre-built image has started, access the Web user interface at

https://<server_ip_or_fqdn>/cluster-admin/

Hint

If the node is unreachable see Node network setup

Use the default credentials to login:

  • Username: admin

  • Password: Nethesis,1234

Choose Create cluster and follow the procedure to create a new single-node cluster.

For security reasons, the admin password must be changed immediately if it is still at the default value.

Ensure the node Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is correct, and respects the DNS requirements.

Even if running on a single node, the system will setup a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for the cluster. With the VPN in place, you will be able to add more nodes in the future. The proposed default values should be good for most environments, anyway make sure VPN network (CIDR) does not conflict with your existing network environment, because it cannot be changed once it has been set.

Finally, click on Create cluster button. Your NS8 is now ready.

A new cluster has assigned the default name NethServer 8. If you wish to change it:

  • go to the Settings page and click on the Cluster card

  • enter a name inside the Cluster label field

  • click the Save settings button

Now sure where to go from here? You can install a LDAP or Active Directory user domain, read an introduction about modules, take a look at system logs, add new nodes, or setup a metric dashboard.

Uninstall#

You can uninstall NS8 from your Linux distribution.

The uninstall command attempts to stop and erase core components and additional modules. Handle it with care because it erases everything under /home and /var/lib/nethserver directories.

To uninstall NS8, execute:

bash /var/lib/nethserver/node/uninstall.sh