How To Install Zammad on Fedora 41

Zammad is a powerful open-source helpdesk and support ticket system designed to streamline customer support operations. As organizations increasingly seek efficient ways to manage customer inquiries and technical issues, Zammad has emerged as a popular solution due to its robust features and user-friendly interface. In this guide, we’ll walk through the complete process of installing Zammad on Fedora 41, from system preparation to post-installation configuration and optimization.

Understanding Zammad and Its Requirements

Zammad functions as a centralized platform for managing customer communications across multiple channels, including email, chat, social media, and phone. It allows support teams to track, prioritize, and resolve customer inquiries efficiently while maintaining a comprehensive history of all interactions. Unlike other ticketing systems, Zammad offers advanced features like automated workflows, knowledge base integration, and reporting capabilities, making it an ideal choice for organizations of all sizes.

Before proceeding with installation, ensure your system meets these requirements:

• Hardware Requirements:
  • Minimum 2GB RAM (4GB recommended for production)
  • 2+ CPU cores
  • At least 20GB disk space
• Software Requirements:
  • Fedora 41 (fully updated)
  • PostgreSQL database
  • Apache or Nginx web server
  • Elasticsearch (optional but recommended for large installations)

Zammad’s compatibility with Fedora 41 ensures you’ll have a stable, modern platform for your helpdesk operations while benefiting from the latest security updates and features available in this Linux distribution.

Preparing Your Fedora 41 System

Proper preparation of your Fedora system is crucial for a successful Zammad installation. These preliminary steps ensure compatibility and minimize potential issues during the installation process.

Update System Packages

First, update your Fedora 41 system to ensure all packages are current:

sudo dnf update -y

This command updates all installed packages to their latest versions, addressing any security vulnerabilities and ensuring compatibility with new software installations.

Set Correct Locale

Zammad requires proper locale settings to function correctly. Verify your current locale configuration:

locale | grep "LANG="

If needed, set your locale to UTF-8:

sudo dnf install -y glibc-langpack-en
sudo localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8

Create Dedicated User Account

For security and management purposes, create a dedicated user for Zammad:

sudo useradd zammad -m -d /opt/zammad -s /bin/bash
sudo groupadd zammad
sudo usermod -a -G zammad zammad

This creates a dedicated user and group for Zammad operations, which helps with file permission management and security isolation.

Configure File Permissions

Set appropriate file permissions for Zammad directories:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/zammad
sudo chown -R zammad:zammad /opt/zammad

Installing Required Dependencies

Zammad requires several dependencies to function properly. Let’s install them one by one.

Database Installation

PostgreSQL is the recommended database for Zammad due to its performance and reliability.

sudo dnf install -y postgresql postgresql-server postgresql-contrib postgresql-devel

Initialize the PostgreSQL database:

sudo postgresql-setup --initdb

Start and enable PostgreSQL service:

sudo systemctl start postgresql
sudo systemctl enable postgresql

Create a database user and database for Zammad:

sudo -u postgres psql -c "CREATE USER zammad WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';"
sudo -u postgres psql -c "CREATE DATABASE zammad_production OWNER zammad;"
sudo -u postgres psql -c "GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE zammad_production TO zammad;"

Web Server Setup

Install Apache web server:

sudo dnf install -y httpd mod_ssl

Start and enable Apache service:

sudo systemctl start httpd
sudo systemctl enable httpd

Additional Dependencies

Install Java for Elasticsearch (optional but recommended):

sudo dnf install -y java-11-openjdk

Install Elasticsearch (optional but recommended for large installations):

sudo dnf install -y elasticsearch
sudo systemctl start elasticsearch
sudo systemctl enable elasticsearch

Install additional required dependencies:

sudo dnf install -y curl unzip wget make gcc libicu-devel patch autoconf automake bison bzip2 gcc-c++ libffi-devel libtool make patch readline-devel zlib-devel glibc-devel openssl-devel git imlib2 imlib2-devel gdbm-devel libyaml-devel

Repository Configuration

To install Zammad on Fedora 41, you need to add the official Zammad repository, as it’s not included in the default Fedora repositories.

Import Zammad GPG Key

First, import the Zammad GPG key to verify package authenticity:

sudo rpm --import https://dl.packager.io/srv/zammad/zammad/key

This ensures that all packages downloaded from the Zammad repository are verified and haven’t been tampered with.

Add Zammad Repository

Create a Zammad repository file for DNF:

sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/zammad.repo https://dl.packager.io/srv/zammad/zammad/stable/installer/el/8.repo

Since Fedora and RHEL/CentOS share similar package management systems, we can adapt the EL8 repository for Fedora 41.

Refresh Package Lists

Update your package lists to include the newly added repository:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf makecache

Installing Zammad Package

Now that all prerequisites are in place, we can proceed with the Zammad installation.

Install Zammad Using DNF

Install Zammad using the DNF package manager:

sudo dnf install -y zammad

This command will download and install the Zammad package along with any missing dependencies. The installation might take several minutes depending on your system’s performance and internet connection speed.

Verify Installation

After the installation completes, verify that Zammad was installed correctly:

sudo ls -la /opt/zammad

You should see the Zammad directory structure with all necessary files and folders.

Database Setup and Configuration

After installing Zammad, you need to set up and configure the database.

Database Migration

Run the Zammad database migration to create the necessary tables and structures:

sudo su - zammad
cd /opt/zammad
rake db:migrate
rake db:seed

These commands create the database schema and populate it with initial data required for Zammad.

Test Database Connection

Verify that Zammad can connect to the database:

sudo su - zammad
cd /opt/zammad
rake db:migrate:status

If successful, you should see a list of migrations and their statuses.

Zammad Configuration

After setting up the database, you need to configure Zammad to match your environment and requirements.

Edit Configuration Files

Create and configure the main Zammad configuration files:

sudo su - zammad
cd /opt/zammad
cp config/database.yml.dist config/database.yml
cp config/secrets.yml.dist config/secrets.yml
cp config/smtp.yml.dist config/smtp.yml

Edit the database configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/zammad/config/database.yml

Update the production section with your PostgreSQL connection details:

production:
  adapter: postgresql
  database: zammad_production
  pool: 50
  timeout: 5000
  encoding: utf8
  username: zammad
  password: your_password
  host: localhost

Email Server Configuration

Configure email settings by editing the SMTP configuration:

sudo nano /opt/zammad/config/smtp.yml

Update with your email server details:

production:
  address: smtp.example.com
  port: 587
  domain: example.com
  user_name: your_username
  password: your_password
  authentication: plain
  enable_starttls_auto: true

Set Environment Variables

Configure environment variables for Zammad:

echo "export RAILS_ENV=production" >> /opt/zammad/.bashrc
echo "export RAILS_SERVE_STATIC_FILES=true" >> /opt/zammad/.bashrc

Starting and Managing Zammad Services

Zammad consists of several services that work together to provide its functionality.

Understanding Zammad Services

Zammad has three main services:

• zammad-web: The web interface for users
• zammad-websocket: Handles real-time updates
• zammad-worker: Processes background jobs

Start and Enable Services

Start all Zammad services:

sudo systemctl start zammad
sudo systemctl start zammad-web
sudo systemctl start zammad-worker

Enable services to start at boot:

sudo systemctl enable zammad
sudo systemctl enable zammad-web
sudo systemctl enable zammad-worker

Verify Service Status

Check the status of all Zammad services:

sudo systemctl status zammad
sudo systemctl status zammad-web
sudo systemctl status zammad-worker

Each service should show as “active (running)”.

Web Server Configuration

Configure your web server to serve Zammad properly.

Configure Apache as Reverse Proxy

Create an Apache configuration file for Zammad:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/zammad.conf

Add the following configuration:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName zammad.example.com
    ServerAdmin admin@example.com

    ProxyRequests Off
    ProxyPreserveHost On

    <Proxy *>
        Require all granted
    </Proxy>

    ProxyPass / http://localhost:3000/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:3000/

    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/zammad_error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/zammad_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Replace zammad.example.com with your actual domain name. This configuration sets up Apache as a reverse proxy to forward requests to Zammad’s internal web server.

Enable Necessary Apache Modules

Enable the required Apache modules:

sudo dnf install -y mod_proxy mod_proxy_http
sudo systemctl restart httpd

Firewall Configuration

Configure the firewall to allow access to Zammad’s web interface.

Open Required Ports

Open the necessary ports in the firewall:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

This allows HTTP and HTTPS traffic through the firewall, making Zammad accessible over the web.

Initial Zammad Setup

After installation, you need to configure Zammad through its web interface.

Access Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to your Zammad instance:

http://your-server-ip

or if you configured a domain:

http://zammad.example.com

Create Administrator Account

Follow the on-screen instructions to create an administrator account. This will be the main account for managing Zammad.

Basic System Configuration

Configure basic settings such as:

• System name and URL
• Default language and timezone
• Email notification settings
• Branding options

Security Hardening

Enhance the security of your Zammad installation with these recommendations.

Implement SSL/TLS

Enable HTTPS to encrypt data transmitted between users and Zammad:

sudo dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot --apache -d zammad.example.com

Follow the on-screen instructions to obtain and configure SSL certificates.

Regular Updates

Set up a schedule for regular Zammad updates:

sudo dnf update zammad -y

User Permission Management

Review and adjust user permissions through the Zammad web interface:

1. Log in as administrator
2. Go to Admin Panel
3. Select “Users & Organizations”
4. Review permissions for each user group

Performance Optimization

Optimize your Zammad installation for better performance.

Database Performance Tuning

Edit PostgreSQL configuration:

sudo nano /var/lib/pgsql/data/postgresql.conf

Adjust these settings based on your server’s capabilities:

shared_buffers = 1GB
work_mem = 16MB
maintenance_work_mem = 256MB
effective_cache_size = 3GB

Restart PostgreSQL:

sudo systemctl restart postgresql

Web Server Optimization

Optimize Apache for better performance:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Add or modify these settings:

KeepAlive On
MaxKeepAliveRequests 100
KeepAliveTimeout 15

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Backup and Recovery

Implement a backup strategy to protect your Zammad data.

Database Backup

Create a script for regular PostgreSQL backups:

sudo nano /opt/zammad/bin/backup.sh

Add the following content:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/zammad"
DATE=$(date +"%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Database backup
sudo -u postgres pg_dump zammad_production > $BACKUP_DIR/zammad_db_$DATE.sql

# Files backup
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/zammad_files_$DATE.tar.gz /opt/zammad

# Keep only the last 7 backups
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "zammad_db_*" -type f -mtime +7 -delete
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "zammad_files_*" -type f -mtime +7 -delete

Make the script executable:

sudo chmod +x /opt/zammad/bin/backup.sh

Create a cron job for automated backups:

sudo crontab -e

Add this line to run backups daily at 2 AM:

0 2 * * * /opt/zammad/bin/backup.sh

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are solutions to common problems you might encounter when installing Zammad on Fedora 41.

Service Won’t Start

If Zammad services fail to start:

sudo journalctl -u zammad

Check the logs for specific error messages. Common issues include:

• Database connection errors: Verify database settings in database.yml
• Permission issues: Ensure proper ownership of Zammad files
• Port conflicts: Check if another service is using the required ports

Database Connection Issues

If Zammad can’t connect to PostgreSQL:

1. Verify PostgreSQL is running:

   sudo systemctl status postgresql

2. Check PostgreSQL authentication settings:

   sudo nano /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf

3. Ensure the zammad user has proper permissions:

   sudo -u postgres psql -c "\du"

Web Interface Not Accessible

If you can’t access the Zammad web interface:

1. Check if Apache is running:

   sudo systemctl status httpd

2. Verify Apache configuration:

   sudo apachectl configtest

3. Check firewall settings:

   sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

4. Check if Zammad web service is running:

   sudo systemctl status zammad-web

System Log Analysis

When troubleshooting, examine various logs:

# Zammad application logs
sudo tail -f /opt/zammad/log/production.log

# Apache error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log

# PostgreSQL logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-13-main.log

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Zammad. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Zammad ticketing system on Fedora 41 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Zammad website.