Using Nextcloud to Set Up an Enterprise Web Disk System

Application Scenario

Nextcloud is a suite of open-source cloud based storage software for self-built private cloud disks for enterprises. Nextcloud supports PC, Android, and iOS, and you can easily synchronize with vital data stored on servers, including files, schedules, contacts, and bookmarks. Supported By FlexusL, the Nextcloud image uses Ubuntu 22.04 and is deployed using Docker. The Nginx, MySQL, phpMyAdmin, and Docker have been preconfigured in the image. This section describes how to use Nextcloud to build an enterprise web disk system.

Resource Planning and Costs

This practice uses the following resource planning as an example. You can adjust it as required.

Process

Step 1: Purchase a FlexusL Instance

1. Log in to the FlexusLconsole and click Buy FlexusL.
2. Specify required parameters for the FlexusL instance.
   

   Parameter	Example	Description
   Region	CN-Hong Kong	For low network latency and quick resource access, select the region nearest to your target users. After a FlexusL instance is created, the region cannot be changed. Exercise caution when selecting a region.
   Application Image	Nextcloud	Select the Nextcloud application image.
   Instance Specifications	2 vCPUs | 4 GiB memory and 80 GiB system disk	Select instance specifications as needed.
   Instance Name	Nextcloud-Example	Customize an instance name that is easy to identify, for example, Nextcloud-Example.
   (Optional) Associated Services	Data Disk: 10 GiB Host Security Cloud backup vault: 90 GiB	You can bundle any of EVS, HSS (basic edition), and CBR to your FlexusL instances as needed and set specifications as needed.
   Required Duration	1 month	The minimum duration of a purchase is one month and the maximum duration is three years. Auto-renew is enabled by default, which means the purchased FlexusL instances will be automatically renewed before they expire. If you do not enable auto-renew during the purchase process, you can still enable it later after the instances are created. For more information about auto-renewal rules, see Auto-Renewal Rules.
   Quantity	1	Set the number of FlexusL instances to be purchased.

3. Click Buy Now and complete the payment as prompted.
4. Go back to the FlexusL console and view the purchased FlexusL instance.

Step 2: Configure Security Groups

Add inbound security group rules to ensure that the application preinstalled in the image can be accessed.

1. Log in to the FlexusL console and click a resource card to go to the instance details page.
2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Cloud Servers. Locate the server and click its name.

   

3. On the Security Groups tab, click Add Rule. In the displayed dialog box, add rules displayed in the following figure and click OK.

   The following figure only displays common rules. You can add more rules as needed.

   Table 1 Security group rules

   Priority	Action	Type	Protocol & Port	Source	Description
   1	Allow	IPv4	TCP: 80	0.0.0.0/0	Specifies the internal forwarding port of application images
   1	Allow	IPv4	TCP: 9000	0.0.0.0/0	Allows external access to the application O&M page.
   1	Allow	IPv4	TCP: 9001	0.0.0.0/0	Allows external access to the application dashboard.

Step 3: Reset a Password

A FlexusL instance does not have an initial password. After creating a FlexusL instance, set a password for the FlexusL instance. The password of the FlexusL instance is also used for logging in to the O&M page of the application.

1. In the Image area on the Overview page of the FlexusL console, click Access to go to the application dashboard and check whether the application has been up and running. If yes, go to the next step.
   NOTICE:

   Wait for several minutes until the image with the pre-installed application is up and running. Then, you can perform operations such as restarting or stopping the instance, or resetting the password. Otherwise, the initial password may become invalid and you cannot log in to the application dashboard.

   Figure 1 Entry to the application dashboard
   
   NOTE:

   If the dashboard is not properly displayed, check the following causes:

   • The port for accessing the dashboard is not allowed. Check whether the port is allowed based on Step 2: Configure Security Groups.
   • The dashboard is being started. Try again later.
2. Locate the resource card and choose > Reset Password to reset the password.

   For details, see Resetting the Password for a FlexusL Instance.

   Figure 2 Resetting a password
   
   NOTE:

   The password for logging in to the FlexusL instance is also the password for logging in to the O&M page of the application.

Step 4: Initialize Nextcloud

Application images use code-based Ubuntu. They provide graphical user interfaces to make your operations easier. You need to initialize the application dashboard upon the first login. Then you can directly log in to the dashboard from the FlexusL console afterwards.

1. In the address bar of a local browser, enter http://<Server-EIP>:9000 to log in to the application O&M page.

   The initial username and password for logging in to the application dashboard are stored on the O&M page of the application. You need to log in to the O&M page first to obtain the username and password. The username for logging in to the O&M page is root, and the login password is the password reset in Step 3: Reset a Password.

   NOTE:

   For details about the FlexusL instances, O&M page, and dashboard, see What Is the Relationship Among FlexusL Instances, the Dashboard, and the O&M Page?

2. On the My Apps page, click the application icon, choose Access, and click Initial Account to view the username and password for logging in to the application management page.

   The initial password is a randomly generated strong password. After the application is initialized, change the password on the dashboard for easy management. If the password is changed, the initial password will be invalid. Remember the new password.

   

3. In the Image area on the Overview page of the FlexusL console, click Access to go to the application dashboard.

   

   NOTE:

   If the dashboard is not properly displayed, check the following causes:

   • The port for accessing the dashboard is not allowed. Check whether the port is allowed based on Step 2: Configure Security Groups.
   • The dashboard is being started. Try again later.
4. Enter the username and password obtained in 2. Click Log in.
   NOTE:

   If a message is displayed indicating that the username or password you entered is invalid when you attempt to log in to the application dashboard, refer to Why Can't I Access the Dashboard of the Application Pre-installed in the Application Image After Entering the Initial Username and Password?

5. After the installation is complete, you can continue to install recommended applications as prompted or click Cancel.

   You can still install these applications on the management page subsequently.

6. You can go through the pop-ups to learn about the Nextcloud functions, and then configure Nextcloud on the management page.

After the Nextcloud application is initialized, you can deploy your applications on the dashboard.

Step 5: Deploy Nextcloud

This section describes some basic operations of Nextcloud. For details, see Nextcloud Documentation.