Install and Configure Ispmanager on AlmaLinux 8 | Best Control Panel

This tutorial aims to guide you through the process of Install and Configure Ispmanager on AlmaLinux 8. Ispmanager is a powerful web hosting control panel designed to simplify the management of web servers, email accounts, domains, files, and automated scripts for businesses. While it doesn’t offer a completely free version, it does provide a free trial period, allowing you to explore its capabilities before committing to a purchase.

In this guide, brought to you by Orcacore, you will learn how to install Ispmanager Lite with a trial license on AlmaLinux 8. We’ll walk through each step, ensuring you have a fully functional control panel ready for testing.

Before you begin the Install and Configure Ispmanager on AlmaLinux 8 process, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

Access to your AlmaLinux 8 server as a non-root user with sudo privileges.
A basic firewall configured for security. You can find a comprehensive guide on setting this up in our article: Initial Server Setup with AlmaLinux 8.

Once you have these prerequisites in place, you can proceed with the following steps to Install and Configure Ispmanager on AlmaLinux 8:

Step 1 – Download Ispmanager Installer Script on AlmaLinux 8

The first step is to download the Ispmanager installation script to your AlmaLinux 8 server.

Begin by updating your system packages to ensure you have the latest versions:

sudo dnf update -y

Next, use the wget command to download the Ispmanager installer script. If you’re unfamiliar with wget, you can learn more about it in our article: Use wget Command in Linux.

sudo wget https://download.ispmanager.com/install.eu.sh -O install.eu.sh

This command downloads the installer script from the Ispmanager website and saves it as install.eu.sh in your current directory. Once the download is complete, move on to the next step.

Step 2 – Install Ispmanager Lite on AlmaLinux 8

Now that you have the installer script, you can execute it to install Ispmanager on your server.

Run the following command:

sudo sh install.eu.sh

This command executes the installer script, which will guide you through the installation process.

During the installation, you will be prompted to configure several options:

Hostname: Ensure you set up a valid hostname for your server.
Version: Choose between the Stable or Beta version. It’s generally recommended to select the stable version for production environments.
ISPmanager Version: Select the ISPmanager version you want to install. For this guide, we recommend choosing ISPmanager Lite (Pro, Host) with recommended software applications.
Web Server: Choose your preferred web server. We recommend OpenLiteSpeed for its performance and ease of use.
Database Engine: Select your preferred database engine. We recommend MySQL.

The installation process may take some time to complete, depending on your server’s resources and network speed.

After the installation is finished, the script will provide a link to access the ISPmanager dashboard, along with the login credentials:

**Output**
Complete!
=================================================
ispmanager-lite-common is installed
Go to the "https://...:1500/ispmgr" to login
Login: root
Password: <root password>
=================================================

Make sure to save the login credentials, as you’ll need them to access the ISPmanager dashboard.

Step 3 – Configure Firewall For ISPmanager on AlmaLinux 8

To ensure proper access to your ISPmanager installation, you need to configure your firewall to allow traffic on the necessary ports.

First, allow access to port 1500, which is the default port for the ISPmanager web interface:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=1500/tcp

To allow FTP data transfer, enable port 20:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=20/tcp

To enable SSH access for remote server management, allow port 22:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=22/tcp

To handle user requests to websites hosted on the server, allow ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS):

# sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=80/tcp
# sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=443/tcp

For domain name server (DNS) functionality, allow ports 53 (TCP and UDP):

# sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=53/tcp
# sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=53/udp

To allow access to the database server, enable port 3306:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3306/tcp

Finally, reload the firewall to apply the new rules:

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

With the firewall configured, you can now access the ISPManager dashboard through the web interface.

Step 5 – Access Ispmanager Dashboard and Enable Trial License

You can now access your ISPmanager installation on AlmaLinux 8 through the web interface using the URL provided during the installation:

https://<your-server-ip>:1500/ispmgr

Replace <your-server-ip> with the actual IP address of your server.

You will be presented with the ISPmanager login screen. Enter the root user and root password credentials you saved earlier, and click Log in.

After logging in, you will see the END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. Read it carefully and click the I Agree button.

Now you’ll be taken to the ISPmanager dashboard. To activate the trial license, click choose tariff at the top of the dashboard.

A window will appear. Select the trial license and click Select. This will activate your 14-day trial period.

If you decide to purchase a paid version, you can select it from the same window and enjoy the full features of ISPmanager.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured Ispmanager on AlmaLinux 8. For more detailed information and advanced configuration options, refer to the official Ispmanager Docs.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to Install and Configure Ispmanager on AlmaLinux 8 with a trial license. Ispmanager is a powerful control panel that simplifies web server management. Remember that Ispmanager is not free, and the trial version lasts for 14 days. To access all the features, you will need to purchase a license.

We hope you found this guide helpful. You might also be interested in these related articles:

Alternative Solutions for Web Server Management on AlmaLinux 8

While Ispmanager is a viable option, other control panels and approaches can achieve similar results on AlmaLinux 8. Here are two alternative solutions, along with explanations and code examples where applicable:

1. Using Cockpit for Basic Server Management

Cockpit is a free, web-based interface for managing Linux servers. It’s included by default in many distributions, including AlmaLinux. While it doesn’t offer the comprehensive features of a dedicated control panel like ISPmanager, it provides essential server management capabilities.

Explanation: Cockpit focuses on core server administration tasks like monitoring system resources, managing user accounts, configuring networking, and deploying containers. It’s lightweight and easy to use, making it a good choice for users who need basic server management without the complexity of a full-fledged control panel. It’s important to note that installing and configuring applications through Cockpit can be more involved than in Ispmanager, often requiring command-line interaction.
Installation and Configuration:
- Cockpit should be pre-installed on AlmaLinux 8. If it’s not, install it using:
```
sudo dnf install cockpit
```
- Enable and start the Cockpit service:
```
sudo systemctl enable --now cockpit.socket
```
- By default, Cockpit listens on port 9090. Configure your firewall to allow access:
```
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=9090/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
```
- Access Cockpit by navigating to https://<your-server-ip>:9090 in your web browser. Log in using your server’s username and password.
Advantages:
- Free and open-source.
- Lightweight and easy to use.
- Provides essential server management features.
- Integrates well with systemd.
Disadvantages:
- Lacks advanced features like domain and email management.
- Requires more command-line interaction for certain tasks.
- Not as feature-rich as dedicated control panels like Ispmanager.

2. Manual Configuration with Command-Line Tools (LAMP/LEMP Stack)

For experienced users comfortable with the command line, manually configuring a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or LEMP (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP) stack offers maximum control and customization.

Explanation: This approach involves installing and configuring each component of the web server stack individually. While it requires more technical expertise, it allows you to fine-tune the server to your specific needs and avoid the overhead of a control panel. You can customize your webserver environment and keep it minimal, only using necessary tools.

Installation and Configuration (LEMP Stack Example):

Install Nginx:

sudo dnf install nginx
sudo systemctl enable --now nginx
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Install MariaDB (MySQL alternative):

sudo dnf install mariadb-server
sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Install PHP and required modules:

sudo dnf install php php-fpm php-mysqlnd
sudo systemctl enable --now php-fpm

Configure Nginx to work with PHP-FPM (example):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/example.com;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }

    location ~ .php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
    }
}

Create the file /etc/nginx/conf.d/example.com.conf with the above content (adjust server_name and root accordingly).

Restart Nginx:
```
sudo systemctl restart nginx
```

Advantages:
- Maximum control and customization.
- No overhead from a control panel.
- Suitable for experienced users.
- Completely free.
Disadvantages:
- Requires significant technical expertise.
- More time-consuming to set up and maintain.
- No graphical interface for management.
- All server management tasks are performed through the command line.

These are just two alternative approaches to managing your web server on AlmaLinux 8. The best solution depends on your technical skills, requirements, and preferences. Each offers a unique blend of features, ease of use, and cost.