Preliminaries

Preliminaries#

In this section, we list some naming conventions we use in the documentation and present some tasks you need to carry out on each of the Nodes before starting with the actual installation.

Naming conventions#

When deciding the names of the Nodes, we suggest to match the Node name and the Role installed on it (or the main Role in case a Node features multiple Roles), for example:

  • proxy1.example.com is the (first) Proxy Node

  • mta1.example.com is the (first) MTA Node

  • similarly for other Nodes

By naming Nodes in this way, in case you have you have multiple nodes featuring the same Role, or you want to expand your infrastructure, you only need to increase the sequence number:

  • proxy2.example.com becomes the second Proxy Node

  • mta2.example.com becomes the second MTA Node

  • similarly for other Nodes

Additionally, throughout this documentation, we will use Proxy Node(s) to denote the Node(s) on which the Proxy Role is (are) installed; MTA Node the Node featuring the MTA, and so on.

Configure repositories#

In order to add Carbonio’s repository, go to the following page and fill in the form:

https://zextras.com/carbonio#contactSales

A Zextras consultants or representative will contact you to discuss the best solution for your scenario and then send you the necessary information to configure the repository:

  • the URL of the repository

  • the GPG key of the repository

Repository and Channels

The following are important information concerning the packages repository Carbonio and its content. Please read them carefully, as they might save you some time in case of installation or upgrade problems and help you to provide more precise bug reports.

The repository hosts simultaneously packages of two channels:

  • Release Candidate (RC). Packages in this channel are made available as soon as they are built by Zextras development and tested by the QA team. While they are stable, they are not suitable for a use in a production environment, because they might still contain some bugs, new functionalities that have not yet reached a production-level quality, or some broken dependencies might be introduced.

    Usually these problems are fixed within days or even hours, so in case just try again before you report some problem.

    Use this channel and its packages for testing (or demo) installations only.

  • RELEASE. This channel contains only packages that are stable and suitable for a production environment.

Hint

When reporting a problem or opening a ticket, remember to always add the channel you are using, as this helps us to analyse the problem quickly.

FAQ

  1. I want to help testing things, which channel should I use?

    RC channel.

  2. I need to install Carbonio in a production environment which channel should I use?

    RELEASE channel.

  3. How will I be informed about new RC packages?

    There will be no notification, because RC channel is updated continuously.

  4. How will I be informed about a potential new release incoming?

    A red message on the homepage of the documentation site will notify you of the release of a new stable version. You may also be informed through other means of communication such as email and social media.

  5. Could there be bugs in the packages downloaded from the RC channel?

    Yes, RC versions have a risk of containing bugs (which in some cases could lead to data loss). If you find a bug in an RC package we kindly ask you to report it on the appropriate community page. We will try to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Setting Hostname#

Carbonio needs a valid FQDN as hostname and a valid entry in the /etc/hosts file. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of properly configuring the /etc/hosts file, otherwise the services will not be able to bind to the correct address, leading to a disruption in Carbonio's functionality.

To configure the file and the hostname, execute these two commands. First, set the hostname

# hostnamectl set-hostname mta1.example.com

then update /etc/hosts with IP and hostname

# echo -e  "127.0.0.1 localhost\n172.16.0.10 mta1.example.com mta1" >> /etc/hosts

Hint

Replace 172.16.0.10 with the local IP of the Node.

You can also simply get the current IP and hostname and save it in the file /etc/hosts/:

# echo "$(hostname -I) $(hostname -f)"
IPv6 Support

In case you need to enable IPv6 on Carbonio, make sure that the /etc/hosts/ file contains the following line:

::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback

Warning

The above line must not contain references to localhost, as this would result in disruptions.

::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback CORRECT

::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback localhost WRONG
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