matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/docs/prerequisites.md
Slavi Pantaleev e1690722f7 Replace cronjobs with systemd timers
Fixes https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/issues/756

Related to https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/issues/737

I feel like timers are somewhat more complicated and dirty (compared to
cronjobs), but they come with these benefits:

- log output goes to journald
- on newer systemd distros, you can see when the timer fired, when it
will fire, etc.
- we don't need to rely on cron (reducing our dependencies to just
systemd + Docker)

Cronjobs work well, but it's one more dependency that needs to be
installed. We were even asking people to install it manually
(in `docs/prerequisites.md`), which could have gone unnoticed.

Once in a while someone says "my SSL certificates didn't renew"
and it's likely because they forgot to install a cron daemon.

Switching to systemd timers means that installation is simpler
and more unified.
2021-01-14 23:35:50 +02:00

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Markdown

# Prerequisites
- An **x86** server running one of these operating systems:
- **CentOS** (7 only for now; [8 is not yet supported](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/issues/300))
- **Debian** (9/Stretch+)
- **Ubuntu** (16.04+, although [20.04 may be problematic](ansible.md#supported-ansible-versions))
- **Archlinux**
We only strive to support released stable versions of distributions, not betas or pre-releases. This playbook can take over your whole server or co-exist with other services that you have there.
This playbook somewhat supports running on non-`amd64` architectures like ARM. See [Alternative Architectures](alternative-architectures.md).
If your distro runs within an [LXC container](https://linuxcontainers.org/), you may hit [this issue](https://github.com/spantaleev/matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/issues/703). It can be worked around, if absolutely necessary, but we suggest that you avoid running from within an LXC container.
- `root` access to your server (or a user capable of elevating to `root` via `sudo`).
- [Python](https://www.python.org/) being installed on the server. Most distributions install Python by default, but some don't (e.g. Ubuntu 18.04) and require manual installation (something like `apt-get install python3`). On some distros, Ansible may incorrectly [detect the Python version](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/reference_appendices/interpreter_discovery.html) (2 vs 3) and you may need to explicitly specify the interpreter path in `inventory/hosts` during installation (e.g. `ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3`)
- The [Ansible](http://ansible.com/) program being installed on your own computer. It's used to run this playbook and configures your server for you. Take a look at [our guide about Ansible](ansible.md) for more information, as well as [version requirements](ansible.md#supported-ansible-versions) and alternative ways to run Ansible.
- Either the `dig` tool or `python-dns` installed on your own computer. Used later on, by the playbook's [services check](maintenance-checking-services.md) feature.
- An HTTPS-capable web server at the base domain name (`<your-domain>`) which is capable of serving static files. Unless you decide to [Serve the base domain from the Matrix server](configuring-playbook-base-domain-serving.md) or alternatively, to use DNS SRV records for [Server Delegation](howto-server-delegation.md).
- Properly configured DNS records for `<your-domain>` (details in [Configuring DNS](configuring-dns.md)).
- Some TCP/UDP ports open. This playbook configures the server's internal firewall for you. In most cases, you don't need to do anything special. But **if your server is running behind another firewall**, you'd need to open these ports:
- `80/tcp`: HTTP webserver
- `443/tcp`: HTTPS webserver
- `3478/tcp`: TURN over TCP (used by Coturn)
- `3478/udp`: TURN over UDP (used by Coturn)
- `5349/tcp`: TURN over TCP (used by Coturn)
- `5349/udp`: TURN over UDP (used by Coturn)
- `8448/tcp`: Matrix Federation API HTTPS webserver. In some cases, this **may necessary even with federation disabled**. Integration Servers (like Dimension) and Identity Servers (like ma1sd) may need to access `openid` APIs on the federation port.
- the range `49152-49172/udp`: TURN over UDP
- `4443/tcp`: Jitsi Harvester fallback
- `10000/udp`: Jitsi video RTP. Depending on your firewall/NAT setup, incoming RTP packets on port `10000` may have the external IP of your firewall as destination address, due to the usage of STUN in JVB (see [`matrix_jitsi_jvb_stun_servers`](../roles/matrix-jitsi/defaults/main.yml)).
When ready to proceed, continue with [Configuring DNS](configuring-dns.md).