Installing OpenMRS on OpenShift
OpenShift is a PAAS by RedHat one may use for easy OpenMRS deployment with low initial cost and easy scaling. Unlike IAAS (VDS such as EC2) it does not require manual server administration - one may just deploy an app, while care of hosting management is taken by RedHat.
This guide assumes you already have an OpenShift account with domain selected and SSH keys added.
Commands specified are valid for *nix environment, adaptation to others is trivial though.
Video Guide: Deploying OpenMRS on OpenShift on Mac or Linux
Installing OpenMRS on OpenShift - Abbreviated for Mac and Linux
Video Guide: Deploying OpenMRS on OpenShift on Windows
Installing OpenMRS on OpenShift - Abbreviated for Windows
You should replace variables (such as $OPENSHIFT_APP_UUID) with their real values except while working on the server/having them declared in some other way.
Step-by-step guide
Add a DIY cartridge.
Add MySQL cartridge to the previously created one (OpenShift console -> cartridge -> Databases -> Add MySQL).
Prepare to change the cartridge:
Clone its repository:
git clone ssh://$OPENSHIFT_APP_UUID@$OPENSHIFT_APP_DNS/~/git/openmrs.git/
Move to the resulting directory:
cd openmrs/
Deploy custom Tomcat (Custom here means not the default one for OpenShift. In fact, this variant is upstream.)
git remote add tomcat-upstream -m master git://github.com/openshift-quickstart/openshift-tomcat-quickstart.git
git pull -s recursive -X theirs tomcat-upstream master
git push
Check if Tomcat has started successfully by visiting your server via browser (URL is written on cartridge's page in console).
Deploy OpenMRS to server:
Download the app archive (version specified here is the most recent one by the time of writing) into tomcat webapps directory:
curl -L http://sourceforge.net/projects/openmrs/files/releases/OpenMRS_Platform_1.10.1/openmrs.war/download -o diy/tomcat/webapps/openmrs.war
git add diy/tomcat/webapps/openmrs.war
git commit -m 'Deployed OpenMRS Platform 1.10.1'
git push
Check if it has started succesfully by visiting http://$OPENSHIFT_APP_DNS/openmrs (default path).
Configure OpenMRS on low level:
Set proper OpenMRS configuration file path (via env var (see Overriding OpenMRS Default Runtime Properties)):
ssh to the server
echo "/var/lib/openshift/$OPENSHIFT_APP_UUID/app-deployments/current/repo/diy/openmrs/openmrs-runtime.properties" > .env/user_vars/OPENMRS_RUNTIME_PROPERTIES_FILE
Exit the server
Set proper app data directory (default is ~/.OpenMRS; these commands are to be run in the git repository associated with your cartridge):
mkdir diy/openmrs
echo "application_data_directory=/var/lib/openshift/$OPENSHIFT_APP_UUID/app-deployments/current/repo/diy/openmrs" > diy/openmrs/openmrs-runtime.properties
Add MySQL configuration to OpenMRS config:
echo "### Database connection properties
connection.username=$OPENSHIFT_MYSQL_DB_USERNAME
connection.password=$OPENSHIFT_MYSQL_DB_PASSWORD
connection.url=jdbc:mysql://$OPENSHIFT_MYSQL_DB_HOST:$OPENSHIFT_MYSQL_DB_PORT/$OPENSHIFT_APP_NAME?autoReconnect=true" >> diy/openmrs/openmrs-runtime.properties
Commit and push the changes:
git add diy/openmrs/openmrs-runtime.properties
git commit -m 'Configured OpenMRS'
git push
Proceed to high-level OpenMRS configuration via browser. You should not select 'Simple' as type of installation as it assumes having MySQL root, etc.
Don't forget to change your Tomcat manager password! (The default account is tomcat:openshift, can be altered by editing diy/tomcat/conf/tomcat-users.xml and pushing).