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Deploy Moddle on K8s with KubeBlocks MySQL Operator

· 5 min read

Moodle is a free online learning management system that allows educators to create their private websites, populate them with dynamic course content, and thereby enable people to learn anytime, anywhere.

Introduction​

This document will guide you to quickly get started with installing and using Moodle on Windows, leveraging the MySQL database provided by KubeBlocks.

Necessary Preparations​

  • Docker：v20.10.5 (runC ≥ v1.0.0-rc93) or higher version;
  • kubectl: For interacting with the Kubernetes cluster;
  • kbcli: For interaction between Playground and KubeBlocks.

Prepare a Database​

Steps​

1. Ensure the ApeCloud MySQL addon is enabled​

kbcli addon list
>
NAME                           TYPE   STATUS     EXTRAS         AUTO-INSTALL   INSTALLABLE-SELECTOR
...
apecloud-mysql                 Helm   Enabled                   true
...

2. Create a MySQL cluster​

This is a Standalone demonstration. For a RaftGroup Cluster deployment, please refer to: Create and connect to a MySQL Cluster | KubeBlocks.

kbcli cluster create mysql <clustername>

3. Obtain cluster basic information​

Execute the following commands to retrieve the network information of the target database, particularly note the password that will be needed later.

kbcli cluster connect --show-example --show-password ${cluster-name}

Figure 1

4. Service forwarding​

Perform a port-forward to provide the MySQL service to the host.

note

Note that since you will need to start the MySQL service on the local machine later, you need to modify the local port number to avoid conflicts. Here we have changed it to 3307.

kubectl port-forward service/mycluster-mysql 3307:3306
>
Forwarding from 127.0.0.1:3307 -> 3306
Forwarding from [::1]:3307 -> 3306

For detailed guidance on connecting to the database, please refer to: Connect database from anywhere | KubeBlocks.

Install Moodle​

For Windows, it is recommended to use XAMPP to install Moodle.

Steps​

1. Download and install XAMPP​

Go to the official website to download and install XAMPP. Here is the website address: XAMPP Installers and Downloads for Apache Friends

2. Open XAMPP and start the Apache and MySQL services​

Figure 2

3. Download Moodle​

Go to the Moodle official website and download the appropriate file. Here is the website address: Latest release | Moodle downloads

Figure 3

After the download is complete, extract the compressed package to the download directory under the htdocs folder of your XAMPP installation. If the configuration is all default, it will be in C:/xampp/htdocs

4. Install Moodle​

Open a browser and enter the address localhost/moodle, then follow the steps below to install Moodle.

1. Choose a language​

Figure 4

2. Confirm paths​

The default configuration is fine, just click Next.

Figure 5

3. Choose a database driver​

Select mysqli here.

FIgure 6

4. Database settings​

Use the previous KubeBlocks settings.

Figure 7

5. Server Check​

When downloading PHP extensions, some server component check errors may occur in this step.

The steps to fix this are as follows:

  1. Use a text editor to open the php.ini file, which is located in the xampp/ directory, and search for and uncomment the following extension lines:

    extension=zip

    extension=gd

    extension=intl

    extension=sodium

    max_input_vars

  2. After uncovering max_input_vars, modify it to max_input_vars=5000

  3. Copy the xampp/php/libsodium.dll library to the xampp/apache/bin/ directory.

Figure 8

6. Wait for Download​

After that, there will be some downloads, just wait.

Figure 9

7. Basic Settings of Moodle​

Set the name and email, and the installation will soon be complete.

Figure 10

8. Mission Accomplished​

In this step, the entire installation is complete, and you can now freely use Moodle!!

Figure 11

For more detailed installation steps, please visit Install Moodle - MoodleDocs.

Prepare the Redis Database​

Steps​

1. Ensure the Redis addon is enabled​

kbcli addon list
NAME                      TYPE   STATUS     EXTRAS         AUTO-INSTALL   INSTALLABLE-SELECTOR
...
redis                     Helm   Enabled                   true
...

2. Create a Redis Cluster​

This example only demonstrates the Standalone version of Redis. For more information, please refer to the documentation Create and connect to a Redis Cluster | KubeBlocks.

kbcli cluster create redis --mode standalone <clustername>

3. Obtain the basic connection information​

Execute the following commands to obtain the basic information of the target database.

kbcli cluster connect --show-example --show-password --client=cli <clustername>

Figure 12

4. Service forwarding​

Execute port-forward to provide the Redis service to the host. Note that I have named my Redis instance as 'myredis', you will need to change it to the name you have chosen.

kubectl port-forward service/myredis-redis-redis 6379:6379
>
Forwarding from 127.0.0.1:3306 -> 3306
Forwarding from [::1]:3306 -> 3306

Install the Redis PHP Driver​

Steps​

1. Check the driver adapter version​

Check your PHP version, CPU (64-bit or x86), and thread safety value (refer to Site Admin > Server > PHP Info) to get the correct version.

Figure 13

2. Download the compatible PHP extension file and enable it​

  • Download the corresponding version of the PHP-redis extension file from PECL :: Package :: redis (php.net)
  • Add the DLL file php_redis.dll to the xampp/php/ext directory
  • Add extension=php_redis.dll to the php.ini and restart the web server.

Connect to the Redis Server​

Steps​

1. Service Check​

Check Site admin > Plugins > Caching > Configuration. If the service is successful, you should see a green checkmark next to "Redis" under "Installed cache stores", as well as a link to add an instance.

Figure 15

2. Add Instance​

After clicking Add instance, fill in the basic settings. In this example, the name is 'redis' and the server is 127.0.0.1:6379.

Figure 16

After clicking Save changes, you will see Handling connection when you return to KubeBlocks. At this point, you can use Moodle more smoothly!

Figure 17