Database Install blank page

[TRex]

This morning, PCs were stuck in a reboot loop because they couldn’t get to the FOG server. After bypassing PXE, I started repairing FOG server with re-install. This has worked in the past, but not today: at http://<ip address>/fog/management there was only a blank page.

Wiped the root partition (left /images) and reinstalled Ubuntu 16.04. Ran apt-get dist-upgrade (lots of updates), configured IP address, rebooted and then tried to install FOG.

I have tried installation multiple times. I get Failed! (Will try later) on the following packages one or more times (apache2 every time):
apache2
libapache2-mod-php7.1
php7.1
php7.1-cli
php7.1-gd
php7.1-mbstring
php-gettext

(One installation attempt failed at ‘Adding needed repository’.)

When it gets to the part of checking packages, I get OK for everything. But when prompted to use a web browser to do the Database Install/Upgrade, the page is blank.

The blank page’s source has html tags, head tags, and body tags. Nothing more.

Not sure of next step. Log files (where?) Suggestions?

[Tom Elliott]

@trex please try the steps as outlined here.

https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/10006/ubuntu-is-fog-s-enemy

[Wayne Workman]

@trex What version of FOG?

[TRex]

@tom-elliott - just read through and am wondering if I’d be better installing a different distro? Opinion?

[TRex]

@wayne-workman - current: 1.4.4 (which is still – for now – working on the Ubuntu 16.04 server for patrons) it was the server for staff that got clobbered (I run IT for a public library and have two networks on separate VLANs.)

[Wayne Workman]

@trex said in Database Install blank page:

wondering if I’d be better installing a different distro? Opinion?

Go for it. I recommend Debian 9, it’s the simplest, most stable, and best choice for a server OS w/o paid support. The Debian community is phenomenal at keeping things updated and working right while still carrying the true spirit of Open Source too.

This would apply to Debian 9 just fine:
https://wiki.fogproject.org/wiki/index.php?title=Debian_8

[TRex]

@wayne-workman
Debian (stable), here we come…

[tigerpride]

Follow the instructions from Tom. I occasionally have to reblank the root password for the db.

sudo -i
mysql -u root
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY '';

Worked to fix my FOG 1.4.4 on Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS

[Sebastian Roth]

@TRex Just for the records, if you ever see a blank FOG web UI, check apache error logs. See my signature…

I’ll mark this solved now. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to stop the discussion here but I’d like to try and keep things a bit sorted. So please open a new thread if you have issues with your new Debian install.

[TRex]

Thought I’d add a follow-up.
@Wayne-Workman - many thanks for the recommendation of Debian and for the https://wiki.fogproject.org/wiki/index.php?title=Debian_8 link.

I’m back to two working FOG servers (one for each domain/subnet) and got a nice bonus: With the Ubuntu servers, Veeam Backup and Replication wouldn’t do a VeeamZIP job on the server, only on its replica (which made backups on the host with the replicas much longer than the host to the FOG servers. But the Debian servers can have a VeeamZIP job done on them, so now my nightly backups are much more balanced.

Thanks, again to @Tom-Elliott and @Wayne-Workman for the help. I really appreciate it. You guys rock.

[Wayne Workman]

@trex said in Database Install blank page:

With the Ubuntu servers, Veeam Backup and Replication wouldn’t do a VeeamZIP job on the server, only on its replica (which made backups on the host with the replicas much longer than the host to the FOG servers. But the Debian servers can have a VeeamZIP job done on them,

That’s a great reason for Veeam users to install FOG on Debian.