Installation & Setup

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• INSTALLATION.txt
• README.md
• wiki/Home.md
• wiki/Security.md
• config/AGENT_NOTES.md
• AGENT_NOTES.md

The IT Management System is a multi-tenant legacy PHP application designed for managing IT infrastructure, assets, and organizational data. The installation process is designed for simplicity, requiring no external dependency managers like Composer or NPM, and is optimized for a PHP 7.4.33 and MySQL 8.0+ environment.

This guide covers the necessary steps to deploy the application, configure database connections, and ensure the environment meets security and functional requirements. For high-level architecture details, refer to the Home page.

System Requirements

The application is built on a "Zero External Dependencies" philosophy to minimize CVE exposure and simplify deployment.

Requirement	Version / Specification
PHP	7.4.33 (Strictly uses MySQLi extension)
MySQL	8.0+
Web Server	Apache 2.4+
PHP Extensions	MySQLi (PDO is not supported)

Sources: README.md:144-149, wiki/Home.md:33-37, AGENT_NOTES.md:4-7

Installation Procedure

The installation follows a standard LAMP/WAMP stack deployment pattern.

1. Database Initialization

Administrators must first set up the MySQL backend. This involves creating a database (typically named itmanagement) and importing the provided schema and seed data.

The diagram shows the sequential flow of a standard installation from database creation to browser access.
Sources: INSTALLATION.txt:4-30, README.md:104-114

2. File and Directory Setup

Files should be extracted to the web root. Several directories must be created manually to handle file uploads and backups:

• images/ or equipment/: For asset photo uploads.
• tickets_photos/: For support ticket attachments.
• backups/: For database export files.
• floor_plans/: For building layouts (subfolders are created automatically per company).

Sources: INSTALLATION.txt:10-14, README.md:107-111

3. Configuration

The core system configuration resides in config/config.php. This file must be updated with valid database credentials.

// Database Configuration in config/config.php
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
define('DB_USER', 'root');
define('DB_PASS', 'your_password');
define('DB_NAME', 'itmanagement');

Sources: INSTALLATION.txt:16-22, README.md:106

Security and Environment Configuration

Secrets Management

While the application supports inline constants in config/config.php, it is recommended to use environment variables to prevent credential leaks. The application includes a utility itm_load_dotenv_file() to load a .env file from the project root.

The sequence shows how environment variables are resolved during the configuration phase to establish a database connection.
Sources: README.md:213-238, wiki/Security.md:37-45

Verification and Health Checks

After deployment, administrators should run diagnostic scripts to ensure the environment is secure and correctly configured.

Script	Purpose
scripts/check_csrf_coverage.php	Audits POST handlers for CSRF protection.
scripts/check_sql_injection_coverage.php	Static scan for unsanitized SQL queries.
scripts/analyze_database_health.php	Runs ANALYZE TABLE on all tables to find engine errors.
scripts/debug.php	Provides a system overview of PHP version, extensions, and permissions.

Sources: README.md:154-162, wiki/Security.md:5-18

Troubleshooting Deployment

If the system returns HTTP 500 errors post-deployment, the following sequence is recommended:

1. Syntax Validation: Run find . -name "*.php" -print0 | xargs -0 -n1 php -l to check for PHP linting errors.
2. Schema Sync: Compare local database.sql with the GitHub main branch to ensure the schema is up to date.
3. Permissions: Ensure the upload directories (e.g., equipment/) are writable by the web server (e.g., chmod 755).
4. Table Repair: If a table reports "doesn't exist in engine", use php scripts/repair_table_from_schema.php --table=<name> to rebuild it.

Sources: INSTALLATION.txt:37-49, wiki/Security.md:21-34

Summary

Successful installation of the IT Management System requires a standard PHP 7.4 environment with MySQLi support. By initializing the database, configuring config/config.php, and ensuring correct directory permissions, the system becomes ready for multi-tenant asset and organizational management. Security auditing via the provided scripts is a critical final step for production readiness.