osTicket - Prerequisites and Installation

This tutorial outlines the prerequisites and installation of the open-source help desk ticketing system osTicket.

Video Demonstration

• YouTube: How To Install osTicket with Prerequisites

Environments and Technologies Used

• Microsoft Azure (Virtual Machines/Compute)
• Remote Desktop
• Internet Information Services (IIS)

Operating Systems Used

• Windows 10 (21H2)

Installation Steps

• Create an Azure Virtual Machine
• Download the osTicket-Installation-Files.zip
• Install / Enable IIS in Windows WITH CGI
• Install PHP Manager for IIS
• Install the Rewrite Module
• Install VC_redist.x86.exe.
• Install MySQL 5.5.62
• Install osTicket v1.15.8
• Install HeidiSQL.
• Set up osTicket in browser

Project Walk-through:

Create Virtual Machine

Log into the VM with Remote Desktop

Within the VM (osticket-vm), download the osTicket-Installation-Files.zip and unzip it onto your desktop. The folder should be called “osTicket-Installation-Files”

Install / Enable IIS in Windows WITH CGI

World Wide Web Services -> Application Development Features -> [X] CGI

From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder, install PHP Manager for IIS (PHPManagerForIIS_V1.5.0.msi)

From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder install the Rewrite Module (rewrite_amd64_en-US.msi)

Create the directory C:\PHP

From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder, unzip PHP 7.3.8 (php-7.3.8-nts-Win32-VC15-x86.zip) into the “C:\PHP” folder

From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder, install VC_redist.x86.exe.)

From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder, install MySQL 5.5.62 (mysql-5.5.62-win32.msi)

• Typical Setup ->
• Launch Configuration Wizard (after install) ->
• Standard Configuration ->
• Username: root
• Password: root

Open IIS as an Admin

Register PHP from within IIS (PHP Manager -> C:\PHP\php-cgi.exe)

Reload IIS (Open IIS, Stop and Start the server)

Install osTicket v1.15.8

• From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder, unzip “osTicket-v1.15.8.zip” and copy the “upload” folder into “c:\inetpub\wwwroot”
• Within “c:\inetpub\wwwroot”, Rename “upload” to “osTicket”

Reload IIS (Open IIS, Stop and Start the server)

Go to sites -> Default -> osTicket

• On the right, click “Browse *:80”

Enable the disabled Extensions

• Go back to IIS, sites -> Default -> osTicket
• Double-click PHP Manager
• Click “Enable or disable an extension”
  • Enable: php_imap.dll
  • Enable: php_intl.dll
  • Enable: php_opcache.dll
• Refresh the osTicket site in your browser, observe the changes

Rename: ost-config.php

• From: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\osTicket\include\ost-sampleconfig.php
• To: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\osTicket\include\ost-config.php

Assign Permissions: ost-config.php

• Disable inheritance -> Remove All
• New Permissions -> Everyone -> All

Continue Setting up osTicket in the browser (click Continue)

• Name Helpdesk
• Default email (receives email from customers)

From the “osTicket-Installation-Files” folder, install HeidiSQL.

• Open Heidi SQL
• Create a new session, root/root
• Connect to the session
• Create a database called “osTicket”

Continue Setting up osTicket in the browser

• MySQL Database: osTicket
• MySQL Username: root
• MySQL Password: root
• Click “Install Now!”

Congratulations, hopefully it is installed with no errors!

• Browse to your help desk login page: http://localhost/osTicket/scp/login.php

End Users osTicket URL:

• http://localhost/osTicket/

Clean up

• Delete: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\osTicket\setup
• Set Permissions to “Read” only: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\osTicket\include\ost-config.php

Now Continue Here