Neither Production VM nor Easy Install Script work

Hi there,
my employer is looking for a new ERP software, so it’s my task to setup what I can find for a few weeks of trial in the company. ERPNext was one of the first candidates. Until I tried to set it up. There are two entirely separate issues:

#1 The VM image fails to gracefully shutdown no matter what I try. MariaDB hangs on shutdown, it hangs on “systemctl stop” or “… restart”, it even hangs on shutdown after I forcefully killed it and it shouldn’t even be running any longer. Also I never got any output to diagnose from.

#2 Easy Install Script: I took a fresh Debian 10 x64 installation (inside a virtualbox vm, if that matters), and I followed these instructions on github for the corresponding install method. After the basic package installations at “Checking System Compatibility” things start getting really funny:
“Sorry, the installer doesn’t support debian gnu/linux. Aborting installation!”

So that was that. Any help on both issues would be appreciated, thank you.

EDIT: I want to add that I didn’t attempt a manual installation because I don’t want to invest any time in a system before it’s chosen to become The One. Typing this up here is already more of an effort than I am supposed to undertake.

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Hi mwrsa,

Welcome to ERPNext. Hope you have a great experience here and with ERPNext.

I usually use the easy install script on a AWS EC2 server or a Digital Ocean Droplet on Ubuntu 16.04 or 18.04 and things go through nice and easy.

You may want to try that. Or wait for geekier guys to answer your questions.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Jay

@mwrsa try Ubuntu 20.04. If you aim for production install you need a domain with ec2 or hosts mock. Easy install is a good start but you need to solve errors before reaching a good recipe. VirtualBox is handy.

Thank you for your replies, you two.
@JayRam Will try an Ubuntu, even though it irks me that Debian is explicitly mentioned in the guide - and then fails because it is what it is :man_facepalming:
@adamtang79 Would you be so kind and explain a little more about the need of ec2 or mock server? Virtualbox is what I am using anyway, even in productivity stage the ERP of our choice will run virtualized. As do almost all of my companies’ services.

And, to be entirely blunt - having to solve errors on an officially supported system right at install is more than just a mood killer, it’s downright wrong.

I would say the best approach is to use the image on Digital Ocean or try a manual setup. if you don’t have the technical skills, you can find a technical person on upwork or another similar website.
With one click you can have it ready and you can update the versions

Also, you can follow these steps for manual installations.

OK, I am out. This is a shame and doesn’t deserve to be called open source. Like a few other ERP I encountered already.

Let me type up a quick summary:

  • The VM starts but fails to shutdown, no matter what I do.
  • The Easy Install Script refuses to work on Debian even though it’s supposed to work on Ubuntu and Debian based systems.
  • During the install process described on DigitalOcean (link above) bench is unable to find erpnext in the required path.

Tbh, I know it’s all not the worst of errors. But why do I have to

at all? Is it really too much to expect a flawless basic installation for testing purposes, adapting it to individual needs is enough work already. Talking in months here, including adding own modules specific to my company.
No need for further replies here, thank you for your time. TC.

Think of an ERPNext set up more like configuring multiple components on your server to work together and less like a package that you can just install and run. The easy install automates a lot of this configuration for you, but it’s not perfect and mainly works on Ubuntu.

If you don’t like to do the dirty server work yourself, there are plenty of managed hosting offers like erpnext.com, frappecloud.com or alyf.de (for Germany).

1 Like

Hi, my first day on here. :slightly_smiling_face:
I downloaded the production.ova file, Oracle Virtual box.
Ran the install for virtual box on a windows 10 desktop, imported the .ova file.
Then started the virtual instance.
Next opened Edge browser and went to local host and WOW the system was running. :tada:
Not hard at all!

My next steps is setting up data.
Is there a way to import data into MariaDB on the virtual box?

3 Likes

You can import the data using csv files within the ERPNext app. Go to “Data Import”. and follow the instruction.

Mhm, same here, I got just as far. Have you tried shutting down or rebooting the virtual machine already? That’s where the VM started making trouble for me.

Yes, yesterday and this morning. No issues.

Ok, very strange. Mind posting a link which exact VM image you downloaded, please? Still looking for that breakthrough :smiley:
Thank you.

The Frappe Framework (and ERPNext) is the greatest tool I’ve ever encountered in its domain. To work with it is a privilege and for me personally a never ending love story. If you don’t get it working right away, it’s just because the software teases you a bit before you can make out with it. But don’t worry, it’s worth the effort! :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

Currently, either pick Erpnext or Odoo. :smiley:

I do offer Erpnext Production setup service.

Of course, I think subscribe to erpnext.com is the best for long term.

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One more complex way to self host ERPNext with freedom using docker.

I found this video that explains docker installation in detail.

If you don’t mind Service as a Software, connect with castlecraft.in for free frappecloud credits.

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How can I set this thread to [Solved by accident]?

I gave it just another try today, re-downloaded the VM production image, booted - working (almost) perfectly well!

I did every single step exactly the same way I did before. I have no clue (unless the VM image was re-uploaded) how it’s working now. After another timeout during the setup process it’s totally smooth now and honestly - looking good! It may be the hottest candidate after all.

Thank you all for your contributions here, even though my head was smoking every time someone pointed me to another non-free solution. We can go there as soon as we decide for it, but for a trial it’s not an option yet.

The decision is up to my boss and our team now, but if ERPNext proves as good as the first look is, we will be back around February or March '21, starting to setup and adapt a system for daily business in a 40+ employee manufacturing company.

TY again, tc!

Well, maybe the second time you ran the command , you had a better attitude. You ran the command humbly, surrendering yourself to the awesome work that’s presented to you absolutely free of cost. :slight_smile:

Still we are happy you are able to sort out the initial troubles and get to experience ERPNext.

Here’s hoping you have a great experience. As you discover ERPNext remember two things:

  1. ERPNext works well. There is a logic and a way things are built. If you try and understand that logic, it will be easier to discover and make ERPNext work for your organization. Remember you didn’t built ERPNext. So, don’t expect to see your way all the time in the way the people that conceptualized and built each module/feature.
  2. Implementing an ERP is a tad complicated for an organization of your size. Some things work directly. Straight forward. Other features can be hacked (not from a code but from a usability perspective) to make it work for you avoiding budget/time/energy consuming customisations.

Ask here humbly and people will be glad to help you. :slight_smile: Throw your attitude around and people will be a tad tardy in responding to your questions.

No offence meant, so hope you don’t take offence.

Thanks

Jay

1 Like

@JayRam No offence taken, thank you, I see your point. I hope you see mine too (none of the tree installation methods I tried were working at that point). Also I don’t think my attitude of “Hey, this looks nice, let’s give it a try!” was a bad one in the first place. :blush:

Anyway, the initial setup is a little hindered by the fact that we do not (yet) operate our own mail server (we are a half independent branch of a bigger intl. corp.) and I can’t let the test systems access emails so there is no way to set user passwords for our test users. But that’s just a side note. (Also there has been a discussion asking about setting passwords some 5 years ago - long closed ofc.)

I am happy that I did not listen to my boss at that point and never stopped trying, because this seems to be a really nice piece of software with tons of possibilities.

Excellent! We are so glad with your persistence and tenacity and we are glad you’re still with us.

As you go about discovering ERPNext and making it work for your organization, please do share your successes and frustrations with us. We will celebrate your successes and help you overcome your frustrations and challenges.

Thanks

Jay

Heh, will do! Is it ok to keep using this discussion here, even though it’s in the Install / Update section, or should I rather start another one somewhere else (one for my whole “history”), or rather individual ones for individual questions?