Ubuntu Server deployment

Deploy HelpChat Server 13 on Ubuntu Server. Ubuntu Server 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04 LTS is recommended.

1. Extract the package

bash

tar -xzf HelpChat_Server_Linux_<arch>_<version>.tar.gz
cd HelpChat_Server_Linux_<arch>_<version>

2. Deploy to the permanent directory

bash

sudo mkdir -p /opt/helpchat_server
sudo cp -r * /opt/helpchat_server/
cd /opt/helpchat_server

A fixed directory makes long-term maintenance and automatic upgrades easier.

3. Set execute permissions

bash

sudo chmod +x helpchatsvr
sudo chmod +x bin/ffmpeg bin/ffprobe bin/hcupdater

4. Install and start the service

bash

sudo ./helpchatsvr install
sudo ./helpchatsvr start

5. Check the service status

bash

sudo ./helpchatsvr status

6. Run mode configuration

Edit the configuration file config/helpchatsvr.ini and find the [runtime] section:

config/helpchatsvr.ini

[runtime]
run_mode = 0    ; office mode, uses the db_office database
run_mode = 1    ; operations mode, uses the db_market database

7. Database configuration (optional)

SQLite is used by default and works out of the box with no extra configuration.

To use another database, edit the [database] section of config/helpchatsvr.ini:

config/helpchatsvr.ini

[database]
type      = sqlite / mysql / postgres / sqlserver
host      = database host
port      = database port
user      = database username
password  = database password
db_office = office database name (used when run_mode=0)
db_market = operations database name (used when run_mode=1)

Warning

For any database other than SQLite, make sure an empty database with the same name has been created first:

sql

-- Office mode
CREATE DATABASE helpchat_office CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

-- Operations mode
CREATE DATABASE helpchat_market CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Restart the service after changing the configuration: sudo ./helpchatsvr restart

8. Other commands

Command	Description
sudo ./helpchatsvr start	Start the service
sudo ./helpchatsvr stop	Stop the service
sudo ./helpchatsvr restart	Restart the service
sudo ./helpchatsvr status	Show status
sudo ./helpchatsvr run	Run in the foreground in the console
sudo ./helpchatsvr uninstall	Uninstall the service
./helpchatsvr version	Show version

9. Default ports

Port	Name	Purpose	Setting	Notes
6800	Login	User registration and sign-in	login_port
6866	Kernel	Core messaging and persistent connections	kernel_port
6888	Storage	File upload and download, image transfer	storage_port
6816	HelpPost	Forum / knowledge base	helppost_port	Set to 0 to disable
6898	Repeater	VNC remote desktop relay	repeater_port	Set to 0 to disable
6980	Manager	Web admin console	manager_port

Make sure the firewall allows the ports above:

bash

sudo ufw allow 6800,6866,6888,6816,6898,6980/tcp

10. Admin console

text

URL: http://server-IP:6980
Default account: admin
Default password: helpchat