Focalboard is a free and open-source project management platform that allows teams to collaborate and manage their projects and tasks. In this article, we will discuss how to install Focalboard on Rocky Linux 9, a community-driven Linux distribution that is built using the Linux From Scratch (LFS) guide.

Before we begin, it is important to note that this guide assumes that you have a working Rocky Linux 9 installation and that you have root privileges on your system.

To start, we will first need to install some dependencies that are required by Focalboard. This can be done by running the following command:

rocky-common-dependencies.x86_64

This command will install all of the necessary dependencies, including Node.js, MongoDB, and Redis, which are required to run Focalboard.

Next, we will need to download the latest version of Focalboard from the official website. At the time of writing, the latest version is Focalboard 2.0.0. You can download the file using the following command:

wget <https://github.com/focalboard/focalboard/releases/download/v2.0.0/focalboard-2.0.0.zip>

Once the download is complete, we will need to unzip the downloaded file and move it to the directory where Focalboard will be installed. By default, this directory is /var/www/html/focalboard, but you can choose to install it in a different location if you prefer. To unzip the downloaded file and move it to the installation directory, use the following commands:

unzip focalboard-2.0.0.zip
mv focalboard-2.0.0 /var/www/html/focalboard

Now that the Focalboard files are in the correct location, we will need to install the required dependencies using npm. To do this, navigate to the Focalboard installation directory and run the following command:

cd /var/www/html/focalboard
npm install

This will install all of the required dependencies, including the required Node.js modules and the MongoDB and Redis clients.

Once the dependencies have been installed, we can configure Focalboard to use our MongoDB and Redis instances. This is done by editing the config.json file in the Focalboard installation directory and modifying the following lines:

"db": {
  "url": "mongodb://localhost:27017/focalboard"
},
"redis": {
  "host": "localhost",
  "port": 6379
}

Make sure to replace the values with the hostname, port, and database name of your MongoDB and Redis instances.

Now that Focalboard is configured to use the database and cache, we can start the server by running the following command:

npm start

This will start the Focalboard server, and you should see some output in the terminal indicating that the server has started successfully.

To access the Focalboard web interface, open a web browser and go to the following URL:

<http://localhost:3000>

This will bring up the Focalboard login page, where you can log in with the default username and password, which are admin and admin, respectively.

Once you have installed Focalboard on your Rocky Linux 9 system, you will need to configure it to suit your needs. This can be done by editing the config.json file in the Focalboard installation directory and modifying the various settings and options that are available.

Here are some of the key configuration options that you may want to consider:

• Server settings: This section allows you to specify the hostname and port that Focalboard should use to listen for incoming connections. By default, Focalboard will listen on localhost and port 3000, but you can change these values if needed.
• Database settings: This section allows you to specify the settings for the MongoDB database that Focalboard should use. This includes the hostname, port, and database name of the MongoDB instance, as well as the username and password (if any) that should be used to authenticate with the database.
• Cache settings: This section allows you to specify the settings for the Redis cache that Focalboard should use. This includes the hostname and port of the Redis instance, as well as any authentication settings that are required.
• Security settings: This section allows you to configure the security settings for Focalboard, including the ability to enable HTTPS and to set password requirements for users.

Once you have configured Focalboard to your liking, you can save your changes and start using the application to manage your projects and tasks.

In conclusion, installing Focalboard on Rocky Linux 9 is a straightforward process that only requires a few simple steps. By following the instructions outlined in this guide, you should be able to successfully install and use Focalboard on your Rocky Linux 9 system.