Faruque Ahmed : MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MCIT, CCNA, OCA, OCP, GCP
Before beginning the installation process, ensure you have:
A server running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with at least 1GB RAM
Root or sudo access privileges
A registered domain name pointing to your server
Basic knowledge of Linux commands
Properly configured DNS records for your domain
Setting up these requirements first will ensure a smooth installation experience and prevent common issues later in the process.
First, update your system packages to ensure you’re working with the latest versions and security patches:
sudo apt upgrade -y
Configure the correct timezone for accurate email timestamps:
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Your/Timezone
Next, set up the firewall to allow web and email traffic:
sudo ufw enable
These commands open SSH (port 22), HTTP (port 80), and HTTPS (port 443) connections. If you’re running a mail server on the same system, you’ll also need to open ports 25 (SMTP), 143/993 (IMAP), and 587 (SMTP submission).
RainLoop works with both Apache and Nginx. Choose the option that best suits your needs.
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Verify that Apache is running correctly:
sudo systemctl status apache2
sudo systemctl enable nginx
Check Nginx status:
sudo systemctl status nginx
You can confirm your web server is working by navigating to your server’s IP address in a browser.
RainLoop requires PHP and several extensions:
sudo apt install php php-fpm php-curl php-xml php-zip php-imap php-mbstring php-json php-mysql unzip -y
For optimal performance, adjust the PHP configuration:
sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini # For Nginx
Modify the following values:
date.timezone = Your/Timezone
Save and restart PHP:
sudo systemctl restart apache2 # For Apache with mod_php
The PHP version may differ based on your Ubuntu 24.04 installation.
Create a directory for RainLoop:
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/rainloop
Download the latest RainLoop community edition:
wget https://www.rainloop.net/repository/webmail/rainloop-latest.zip
Extract the files to your web directory:
sudo unzip rainloop-latest.zip -d /var/www/rainloop
Set proper permissions:
sudo find /var/www/rainloop -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
These permissions ensure the web server can access the files while maintaining security.
Now, configure your web server to serve RainLoop.
Create a virtual host file:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/rainloop.conf
Add the following content:
</VirtualHost>
Enable the site and restart Apache:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Create a server block:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/rainloop
Add the following:
}
Create a symbolic link and restart Nginx:
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Replace “mail.yourdomain.com” with your actual domain name.
Secure your webmail with SSL/TLS encryption using Let’s Encrypt:
sudo apt install certbot -y
For Apache:
sudo certbot --apache -d mail.yourdomain.com
For Nginx:
sudo certbot --nginx -d mail.yourdomain.com
Follow the prompts to complete the certificate installation. Certbot will automatically configure your web server to use HTTPS.
Access the admin panel by visiting:
https://mail.yourdomain.com/?admin
The default login credentials are:
Username: admin
Password: 12345
For security reasons, immediately change these credentials:
Log in to the admin panel
Navigate to the “Security” tab
Update your password first
Log out and log back in
Update the username to something more secure
To access emails through RainLoop, configure your email domains:
Go to the “Domains” tab in the admin panel
Click “Add Domain”
Enter your domain name
Configure IMAP settings:
Server: mail.yourdomain.com (or your mail server address)
Port: 143 (or 993 for SSL)
Secure: STARTTLS (or SSL if using port 993)
Configure SMTP settings:
Server: mail.yourdomain.com (or your mail server address)
Port: 587 (or 465 for SSL)
Secure: STARTTLS (or SSL if using port 465)
Check “Use Authentication” if required
If RainLoop and your mail server are on the same machine, you can use:
IMAP: Server 127.0.0.1, Port 143, Secure None
SMTP: Server 127.0.0.1, Port 25, Secure None (without authentication)
Remember to enable your domain by checking the box next to it in the domains list.
To enable the contacts feature:
Go to the “Contacts” tab in the admin panel
Select the storage type (PDO Database recommended)
Configure the database connection details
For MySQL storage:
sudo mysql -e "FLUSH PRIVILEGES;"
RainLoop offers theme customization options:
Go to the “Themes” tab
Select from the available themes or upload a custom one
Configure display options to match your preferences
Enhance security with two-factor authentication:
Navigate to the “Security” tab
Enable “Two-factor authentication”
Configure the authentication settings according to your needs
Enable caching for better performance:
Go to the “General” tab in the admin panel
Under “Caching”, select an appropriate mechanism (APC, Memcached)
sudo systemctl enable memcached
Optimize PHP-FPM for RainLoop:
sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/pool.d/www.conf
Adjust these values based on your server resources:
pm.max_spare_servers = 35
For Apache:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
For Nginx, optimize with browser caching and compression:
}
These optimizations will significantly improve loading times and reduce server load.
Update RainLoop through the admin panel:
Go to the “About” tab
Click “Check for updates”
Follow the prompts to install updates
Alternatively, update via command line:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/rainloop
Regularly back up your RainLoop configuration:
sudo cp -r /var/www/rainloop/data /backup/rainloop_data_$(date +%Y%m%d)
If using a database for contacts:
sudo mysqldump -u rainloop -p rainloop_contacts > /backup/rainloop_contacts_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
Monitor log files to identify and resolve issues:
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log # For Apache
Set up log rotation to manage RainLoop logs:
}