Tutorials and Howtos

Todo: This material has been re-organized..., but grouping should be checked: Howtos are smaller articles and tutorials are more detailed document

Welcome to Tutorials and Howtos, a place of basic and advanced configuration tasks for your Alpine Linux.

The tutorials are hands-on and the reader is expected to try and achieve the goals described in each step, possibly with the help of a good example. The output in one step is the starting point for the following step.

Howtos are smaller articles explaining how to perform a particular task with Alpine Linux, that expects a minimal knowledge from reader to perform actions.

IMPORTANT: contributions on those pages must be complete articles as well as requesting topics to be covered, don't override already made contributions. If you want to request a topic, please add your request in this page's Discussion.

Howtos

Applications

Miscellaneous

• Ansible (Configuration management)

Monitoring

• Awstats (Free log file analyzer)
• Cacti: traffic analysis and monitoring network (Front-end for rrdtool networking monitor)
• Cvechecker (Compare installed packages for Common Vulnerabilities Exposure)
• Linfo
• Obtaining user information via SNMP (Using squark-auth-snmp as a Squid authentication helper)
• PhpSysInfo (A simple application that displays information about the host it's running on)
• Matomo (A real time web analytics software program)
• Setting up A Network Monitoring and Inventory System (Nagios + OpenAudit and related components)
  • Setting up NRPE daemon (Performs remote Nagios checks)
• Ntop (NetFlow collection and analysis using a remote fprobe instance; for alpine 3.10-3.12 only)
• Setting up lm_sensors
• SqStat (Script to look at active squid users connections)
• Traffic monitoring
  • Setting up monitoring using rrdtool (and rrdcollect)
  • Setting up traffic monitoring using rrdtool (and snmp)
• Zabbix - the professional complete manager (Monitor and track the status of network services and hardware)
• ZoneMinder video camera security and surveillance

Networking

• Alpine Wall (a new firewall management framework)
  • Alpine Wall
  • Alpine Wall User's Guide
  • How-To Alpine Wall
• Freeradius Active Directory Integration
• GNUnet
• OpenVPN server (Allowing single users or devices to remotely connect to your network)
• OpenVSwitch
• Using Alpine on Windows domain with IPSEC isolation
• Wireguard

Telephony

• FreePBX on Alpine Linux
• Setting up Zaptel/Asterisk on Alpine
• Kamailio (SIP Server, formerly OpenSER)

Backup and data migration

• Alpine local backup (lbu) (Permanently store your modifications in case your box needs reboot)
  • Back Up a Flash Memory Installation
  • Manually editing a existing apkovl
• Migrating data
• Rsnapshot - setting up periodic backups

Desktop

• Alpine and UEFI
• Default applications
• Desktop cloud
  • Nextcloud (Self hostable cloud suite - Dropbox Alternative)
• Desktop environments and Window managers (overall information only)
• Printer Setup
• Remote Desktop Server
• Sound Systems
  • ALSA
  • PipeWire
  • PulseAudio
• Suspend on LID close
• Xorg Setup

Networking

• Bluetooth - Instructions for installing and configuring Bluetooth
• Bonding - Bond (or aggregate) multiple ethernet interfaces
• Bridge - Configuring a network bridge
  • Bridge wlan0 to eth0
• Configure Networking
• How to configure static routes
• Modem
  • Using HSDPA modem
  • Using serial modem
• mDNS - Howto implement multicast DNS resolution in Alpine.
• Multi ISP (Dual-ISP setup with load-balancing and automatic failover)
• PXE boot
• Wi-Fi
  • Connecting to a wireless access point
  • How to setup a wireless access point (Setting up Secure Wireless AP w/ WPA encryption with bridge to wired network)
• VLAN

Other Architectures

ARM

• Alpine on ARM

Raspberry Pi

• Raspberry Pi - Bluetooth Speaker
• Raspberry Pi - Installation
• Raspberry Pi - Router with VPN
• Raspberry Pi - Router with VPN (IPv6)
• Raspberry Pi - Sys mode install
• Raspberry Pi - Video Receiver (network video decoder using Rasperry Pi and omxplayer)
• Raspberry Pi 3 - Browser Client - kiosk or digital sign
• Raspberry Pi 3 - Configuring it as wireless access point -AP Mode
• Raspberry Pi 3 - Setting Up Bluetooth
• Raspberry Pi 4 - Persistent system acting as a NAS and Time Machine
• Raspberry Pi Zero W - Wireless router (Setting up a firewalled, Wireless AP with wired network on a Pi Zero W)

IBM Z (IBM z Systems)

• s390x - Installation

PowerPC

• Powerpc64le - Installation

Post-Install

• CPU frequency scaling
• Enable Community repository (Providing additional packages)
• Enable Serial Console on Boot
• Init System (OpenRC) (Configure a service to automatically boot at next reboot)
  • Init System - Multiple Instances of Services
  • Init System - Writing Init Scripts
• Oracle Java (installation)
• IGMPproxy
• Package Management (apk) (How to add/remove packages on your Alpine)
  • Package Management - Comparison with other distros
• Running glibc programs
• Setting up a new user
• Upgrading Alpine

Remote Administration

• ACF
  • ACF - changing passwords
  • Generating SSL certs with ACF
  • ACF - setup (Configures ACF (webconfiguration/webmin) so you can manage your box through https)
• Setting up a SSH server (Using ssh is a good way to administer your box remotely)
  • OpenSSH 2FA (A simple two factor setup for OpenSSH)
• OpenVCP (VServer Control Panel)
• PhpMyAdmin (Web-based administration tool for MYSQL)
• PhpPgAdmin (Web-based administration tool for PostgreSQL)
• Webmin (A web-based interface for Linux system)

Server

• Hosting services on Alpine (Hosting mail, webservices and other services)
• Hosting Web/Email services on Alpine

DNS

• DNSCrypt-Proxy Encrypt and authenticate DNS calls from your system
• Setting up nsd DNS server
• Setting up unbound DNS server
• TinyDNS Format

HTTP

• Apache
  • Apache with php-fpm
  • Setting Up Apache with PHP
  • Apache authentication: NTLM Single Signon
• Darkhttpd
• Lighttpd
  • Lighttpd Advanced security
  • Setting Up Lighttpd With FastCGI
• Nginx
  • Nginx as reverse proxy with acme (letsencrypt)
  • Nginx with PHP
• Squid Proxy
  • Obtaining user information via SNMP (Using squark-auth-snmp as a Squid authentication helper)
  • Setting up Explicit Squid Proxy
  • Setting up Transparent Squid Proxy (Covers Squid proxy and URL Filtering system)
  • SqStat (Script to look at active squid users connections)
• Tomcat

Hostable Content

• DokuWiki
• Drupal (Content Management System (CMS) written in PHP)
• Kopano (Microsoft Outlook compatible Groupware)
• Mahara (E-portfolio and social networking system)
• MediaWiki (Free web-based wiki software application)
• Pastebin (Pastebin software application)
• WordPress (Web software to create website or blog)

IRC

• NgIRCd (Server for Internet Relay Chat/IRC)

Mail

• Exim/Dovecot
  • Small-Time Email with Exim and Dovecot (A simple configuration for your home network.)
  • Setting up dovecot with imap and ssl
• relay email to gmail (msmtp, mailx, sendmail
• Roundcube (Webmail system)
• Setting up postfix with virtual domains
• Server protection
  • Protecting your email server with Alpine
  • Setting up clamsmtp

Other Servers

• Chrony, gpsd, and a garmin LVC 18 as a Stratum 1 NTP source
• Glpi (Manage inventory of technical resources)
• How to setup a Alpine Linux mirror
• nfs-server
• Odoo
• OpenLDAP (Installing and configuring the Alpine package for OpenLDAP)
• samba-ad-dc (Active Directory compatible domain controller)
• samba-server (standard file sharing)
• Setting up Transmission (bittorrent) with Clutch WebUI

Software development

• Cgit
• OsTicket (Ticket system)
• Patchwork (Patch review management system)
• Redmine (Project management system)
• Request Tracker (Ticket system)
• Trac (Enhanced wiki and issue tracking system for software development projects)

Storage

• Disk setup (manual)
• Filesystems
  • Burning ISOs
• iSCSI Setup
  • iSCSI Raid and Clustered File Systems
  • iSCSI Target (TCM)/LinuxIO (LIO)
  • User space iSCSI Target (tgt)
• LVM Setup
  • LVM on GPT-labeled disks
  • LVM on GPT-labeled disks (updated)
  • LVM on LUKS
• RAID
  • Raid Administration
  • Setting up a software RAID array
• ZFS
  • Root on ZFS with native encryption
  • Setting up ZFS on LUKS
  • Setting up ZFS with native encryption
  • ZFS scrub and trim

Virtualization

• Docker
• Installing Alpine in a virtual machine
  • Install Alpine on VMware ESXi
• KVM (Setting up Alpine as a KVM hypervisor)
• LXC (Setting up a Linux container in Alpine Linux)
• QEMU
• Xen
  • Xen Dom0 (Setting up Alpine as a dom0 for Xen hypervisor)
  • Xen Dom0 on USB or SD
  • Xen DomU (paravirtualized)
  • Xen LiveCD
  • Xen PCI Passthrough

Tutorials

Miscellaneous

• TTY Autologin
• Faster rebooting with kexec
• Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN) combined with Small Office Services
• DIY Fully working Alpine Linux for Allwinner and Other ARM SOCs
• Experiences with OpenVPN-client on ALIX.2D3
• Fault Tolerant Routing with Alpine Linux
• High Availability High Performance Web Cache (uCarp + HAProxy for High Availability Services such as Squid web proxy)
• Linux iSCSI Target (TCM)
• ISP Mail Server 3.x HowTo] (Postfix+PostfixAdmin+DoveCot+Roundcube+ClamAV+Spamd - A full-service ISP mail server)
• Replacing non-Alpine Linux with Alpine remotely
• Setting up A Network Monitoring and Inventory System (Nagios + OpenAudit and related components)
• Streaming Security Camera Video with VLC

Newbie corner

• How to get regular stuff working some notes on need-to-know topics

Servers

• Alpine production deploy
  • Production web server: Lighttpd‎‎
  • Production database: MySQL
  • Production LAMP system: Lighttpd + PHP + MySQL‎‎
• Alpine production monitoring
  • Cacti: traffic analysis and monitoring network
  • Zabbix - the professional complete manager
• Kubernetes
  • K8s Building a K8s Cluster on Alpine Linux