Install RockMongo on CentOS 7 for MongoDB Management

RockMongo is a browser-accessible administration tool for MongoDB, functioning similarly to phpMyAdmin for MySQL. This guide walks you through how to install and operate RockMongo on a CentOS 7 x64 system.

Requirements Before You Begin

To follow along with this guide, ensure that you have the following in place:

• An up-to-date CentOS 7 x64 instance
• A user account with sudo privileges

Step 1: Install Apache Web Server

Because RockMongo operates via the web, a functioning web server is essential. In this tutorial, we will install and configure Apache:

sudo yum install httpd
sudo systemctl start httpd.service
sudo systemctl enable httpd.service

Step 2: Configure the Firewall

To allow browser access to RockMongo, HTTP traffic must be permitted through the firewall. Use the commands below to adjust your firewall settings accordingly:

sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Once complete, open your browser and visit http://[YourServerIP] to confirm that Apache is running properly.

Step 3: Install PHP 5 and Required Extensions

Since RockMongo relies on PHP 5, you need to install it along with a few essential extensions to ensure proper functionality:

sudo yum install php php-devel php-pear php-pecl-mongo
sudo yum install gcc openssl.x86_64 openssl-devel.x86_64
sudo pecl install mongodb
echo 'extension=mongodb.so' | sudo tee -a /etc/php.ini

Step 4: Install MongoDB

To proceed, follow the official guide to set up MongoDB on your CentOS system.

Step 5: MongoDB Configuration Steps

Some fine-tuning is necessary before MongoDB is ready for use:

a) Deactivate Transparent Huge Pages

To do this, create a startup script:

sudo vi /etc/init.d/disable-transparent-hugepages

Paste the following script content into the file:

#!/bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          disable-transparent-hugepages
# Required-Start:    $local_fs
# Required-Stop:
# X-Start-Before:    mongod mongodb-mms-automation-agent
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: Disable Linux transparent huge pages
# Description:       Disable Linux transparent huge pages, to improve
#                    database performance.
### END INIT INFO

case $1 in
  start)
	if [ -d /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage ]; then
	  thp_path=/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage
	elif [ -d /sys/kernel/mm/redhat_transparent_hugepage ]; then
	  thp_path=/sys/kernel/mm/redhat_transparent_hugepage
	else
	  return 0
	fi

	echo 'never' > $/enabled
	echo 'never' > $/defrag

	unset thp_path
	;;
esac

Save and exit the editor:

:wq!

Make the script executable and configure it to launch at startup:

sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/disable-transparent-hugepages
sudo chkconfig --add disable-transparent-hugepages

Now modify the tuned configuration:

sudo mkdir /etc/tuned/no-thp
sudo vi /etc/tuned/no-thp/tuned.conf

Insert the following content into the configuration file:

[main]
include=virtual-guest

[vm]
transparent_hugepages=never

Save and exit:

:wq!

Activate the new tuned profile:

sudo tuned-adm profile no-thp

b) Set ulimit Parameters

Edit the system limits configuration:

sudo vi /etc/security/limits.conf

Add the following four lines at the bottom of the file:

mongod soft nofile 64000
mongod hard nofile 64000
mongod soft nproc 32000
mongod hard nproc 32000

Save and close the file:

:wq!

Finally, reboot the server to apply all changes:

sudo shutdown -r now

Step 6: Install RockMongo

To begin installing RockMongo, download the most recent stable version directly from GitHub using the following commands:

cd ~
wget https://github.com/iwind/rockmongo/archive/1.1.7.tar.gz
tar zxvf 1.1.7.tar.gz

Next, for security reasons, it is important to change the default RockMongo admin credentials. Open the configuration file using a text editor:

vi rockmongo-1.1.7/config.php

Locate the following configuration line:

$MONGO["servers"][$i]["control_users"]["admin"] = "admin";//one of control users ["USERNAME"]=PASSWORD, works only if mongo_auth=false

Change the first "admin" value to your desired username and the second "admin" to your preferred password. Save and exit the editor:

:wq!

Move the extracted RockMongo directory to your web server’s document root:

sudo mv ~/rockmongo-1.1.7 /var/www/html/

After completing the steps above, you can access RockMongo in your browser at:

http://[YourServerIP]/rockmongo-1.1.7

Log in using the customized credentials you defined in the configuration file.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined above, you’ve successfully set up RockMongo on a CentOS 7 x64 server. This included configuring Apache, PHP, and MongoDB, adjusting system settings for optimal performance, and finally installing and securing the RockMongo interface. You can now manage your MongoDB databases conveniently through a browser-based interface at http://[YourServerIP]/rockmongo-1.1.7.