18.2. Install the AlgaPSA Appliance Operating System

You boot the appliance image, answer a few installer questions, and finish at a console banner. The banner hands you the address and one-time token for the next stage. For the big picture and prerequisites, start with Self-Hosting AlgaPSA.

The installer is the standard Ubuntu Server installer with three questions for you: networking, storage, and the host account. Everything else is preconfigured.

Prerequisites

• The appliance ISO image, attached to the machine as a boot device (a virtual CD-ROM for a VM, or a USB drive for bare metal).
• A target disk of at least 60 GB that you are willing to erase.
• Network access as described in Before you start.

Boot the image

Attach the ISO and power on the machine. It boots into the Ubuntu Server installer and stops at the first question: networking.

Configure networking

The installer lists the network interfaces it found. In most environments the interface picks up an address over DHCP. The installer shows that address next to the interface name.

Figure 1: The installer assigns an address over DHCP. Note the address shown here; it becomes part of your setup URL.

1. Confirm the interface shows an IPv4 address. If you need a static address, select the interface and set it manually.
2. Write down the address. You will open the setup console at this address in the next stage.
3. Select Done to continue.

If you use DHCP, reserve the lease for this machine so the address stays stable across reboots.

Set up storage

The installer offers a guided layout that uses an entire disk. This is the right choice for a dedicated appliance.

Figure 2: Guided storage on the full disk, set up as an LVM group.

1. Leave Use an entire disk selected.
2. Confirm the target disk is the one you intend to erase.
3. Select Done, then Done again on the summary screen that follows.

The installer then asks you to confirm that it will erase the disk.

Figure 3: The installer confirms before it formats the disk. This is the point of no return for the install.

Select Continue to proceed.

Create the host administrator account

Next, create the operating-system account for the host. You use it to sign in for maintenance. This account is separate from the AlgaPSA administrator you create later in the setup wizard.

Figure 4: The host account. Choose a name, a server hostname, a username, and a strong password.

1. Enter your name.
2. Set a server hostname, for example alga-appliance.
3. Choose a username and a strong password. You will need these for sudo and for SSH access to the host.
4. Select Done.

The installer copies the system to disk and finishes on its own. When it reports the installation is complete, reboot the machine and remove the install media.

Read the setup handoff banner

After the reboot, the appliance prints a setup banner on the console. The banner carries what you need for the next stage. If the screen has scrolled, press Enter to redisplay it.

Figure 5: The setup handoff banner with the setup URL and one-time token.

The banner gives you two things you need next:

Note both, then move to Configure the appliance with the setup wizard.

What to check

• The banner shows a Node IP and a reachable Setup URL.
• The bootstrap layers in the banner report that the control plane is starting. This is normal. The setup console comes up within a minute or two of first boot.
• If the console never shows the banner, the temporary host password it printed has likely expired. Sign in with the account you created during installation, then run the recovery command shown on the banner.