osTicket - Prerequisites and Installation Guide

In this guide, we'll install osTicket in a virtual environment using VirtualBox. This method allows easy file transfer and is ideal for educational purposes. Snapshots are recommended for troubleshooting and rerunning the lab.

Required Environments and Technologies

• Oracle VM VirtualBox
• Internet Information Services (IIS)
• MySQL
• Windows 10

Prerequisites

1. Download Installation Files:

   • Google Drive

   • HeidiSQL

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2. Enable Drag and Drop:

   • Enable drag and drop and shared clipboard to bidirectional.

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3. Install Guest Additions:

   • Go to Devices > Insert Guest Additions CD image in VirtualBox.

   • Install appropriate version (VBWindowsAdditions-amd64 for 64-bit or VBWindowsAdditions-x86 for 32-bit).

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4. Prepare osTicket Folder:

   • Create a folder named "osTicket" on the VM desktop and drag installation files into it.
   • Take a snapshot of the VM.

Installation Steps

1. Enable IIS:
   • Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
   • Enable IIS Management Console, CGI, and all Common HTTP Features.

2. Verify IIS Installation:

   • Open a web browser and navigate to 127.0.0.1 to check if the IIS page loads.

3. Install PHP Manager:

   • Install PHPManagerForIIS_V1.5.0.msi.

4. Install Rewrite Module:

   • Install rewrite_amd64_en-US.msi.

5. Setup PHP:

   • Create a folder C:\PHP.
   • Unzip php-7.3.8-nts-Win32-VC15-x86.zip and copy contents to C:\PHP.
   • Install VC_redist.x86.exe.

6. Install MySQL:

   • Install mysql-5.5.62-win32.msi with typical setup.
   • Use MySQL Instance Configuration Wizard with standard configuration and root password Password1.

7. Configure IIS Manager:

   • Open IIS Manager as Administrator.

   • Click on PHP Manager and restart it.

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8. Install osTicket:

   • Extract and copy the upload folder to C:\inetpub\wwwroot and rename it to osTicket.
   • Restart PHP Manager.

9. Configure PHP Extensions:

   • In IIS, go to Sites > Default Web Site > osTicket.

   • Register new PHP version by selecting C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe.

   • Enable the following extensions php_imap.dll, php_intl.dll, and php_opcache.dll.

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10. Complete osTicket Installation:

    • Browse to Sites > Default Web Site > osTicket and click on Browse *:80 (http).

    • Rename C:\inetpub\wwwroot\osTicket\include\ost-sampleconfig.php to ost-config.php.

    • Change permissions on ost-config.php by disabling inheritance and giving full control to everyone.

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    • Now you should be able to access the osTicket installer page. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. Remember to write down the username and email you use to signup and use Password1 as default password.

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    • Install HeidiSQL and create a new database called osTicket. We will be using our credentials from MySQL in HeidiSQL and in the database settings, root and password Password1.

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    • Congratulations! You just installed osTicket.

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    • Finally, perform post-installation cleanup by deleting the setup folder and changing the permissions on ost-config.php to read & execute and read-only.

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    Conclusion

This lab can be challenging, and issues may arise during the setup. Using VirtualBox is preferable over Azure because you can create and load snapshots, allowing you to quickly restore your environment without needing to reinstall the virtual machine. Additionally, VirtualBox's drag-and-drop feature helps overcome slow download speeds by easily transferring installation files to the VM. Finally, there are no fees associated with using VirtualBox compared to cloud services.