Overview
This article describes the required web server configuration such as the PHP and MySQL versions along with the system requirements to install or upgrade the Kayako Classic Download.
Information
Requirements
PHP
PHP version 8.2.1 is required by Kayako Classic versions 4.99+ (It won't work with PHP 7)
PHP version 7.3 is fully supported by Kayako Classic versions 4.93.0 to 4.98.9
Refer to Upgrading or Downgrading Your Kayako Classic Download Helpdesk.
MySQL Server
MySQL version 5.6.31 or MariaDB 10+ is the minimum requirement.
- This bug has been fixed in the latest released MySQL versions 5.6.31 and 5.7.13.
- Please note that MySQL 5.7 is the latest version officially supported by Kayako Classic.
Web Server
You can use any web server daemon – such as Apache, Nginx, IIS – as long as it is fully compatible with the required PHP configuration (detailed in the below sections).
- If you are running Kayako Classic on a Linux server with SELinux, configure it to permit Kayako Classic activities.
- If you are not familiar with SELinux, we recommend you to disable it, as Kayako Classic does not function if it is misconfigured.
Recommended PHP/MySQL Parameters:
PHP
These settings are done in the PHP configuration file php.ini of the server on which you are installing the helpdesk:
Configuration Setting |
Value |
max_execution_time |
600 |
max_input_time |
600 |
memory_limit
NOTE: This varies if you plan on using the Kayako Classic import tool, or if the web server is shared, a higher limit is required.
|
512M |
output_buffering |
4096 |
file_uploads |
On |
upload_max_filesize |
20M |
post_max_size |
20M |
max_file_uploads |
20 |
open_basedir |
Off |
always_populate_raw_post_data |
-1 |
Apache
If you have ModSecurity installed on your Apache web server, you must either disable it or whitelist your Kayako Classic files (so they are exempt from all mod_security rules).
MySQL
-
sql-mode
: Set tonot strict
.- Refer to Disabling MySQL Strict Mode on the Server to know how to disable MySQL Strict Mode.
-
max_allowed_packet
:64M
(minimum) -
connect_timeout
:300
(minimum) -
optimizer_search_depth
:7
(4 minimum,17 max)
PHP Caches and Accelerators
- Kayako Classic accesses many scripts spread across many files for each connection.
- If you do not have a PHP cache unless your web server is very finely tuned, you will find the application to be less responsive.
- We recommend enabling OpCache, which is readily available with your PHP 7 installation.
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Required PHP Modules
Most of these modules are included by default. However, we have compiled a list of those which are definitely required by Kayako Classic for good measure:
OpenSSL (mandatory for PHP 7) |
GD with FreeType support |
Mysqlnd (required for PHP 5.x only) |
Server Hardware Requirements/Configuration Changes:
It is challenging to quantify server hardware requirements for running Kayako Classic. Our customers run their helpdesks on a mix of dedicated hardware, shared hardware, and virtualized environments with restricted resource access.
Whichever environment you choose, assuming your database server will be run from the same hardware, the minimum hardware requirements for a small scale Kayako deployment installation are:
-
2 GB RAM (allowing for operating system processes).
-
20 GB hard disk space available for your helpdesk (realistically, you should allow more than this for future growth).
-
Access to the equivalent of a 2 GHz CPU core.
So, What Is Recommended?
The web application element of Kayako Classic is platform-independent, so the server requirements remain the same for Windows as well as Unix/Linux servers. What works best for you depends on a variety of factors - including resources, expertise, and what fits within your organization.
That said, we do have our favorite configuration:
Component |
What we use |
Why |
Operating System | CentOS |
It is well-supported, secure, fast, and easily configurable.
|
Web Server | Nginx (with PHP-FPM) |
Nginx is lightning fast and much more lightweight than Apache and IIS.
|
PHP Version | PHP 7.x |
We use PHP version 7.x
|
PHP Cache/Accelerator | OpCache | It is readily available with your PHP 7 installation. |