MariaDB Setup for IceWarp on Red Hat 9

Overview

IceWarp strongly recommends using MariaDB instead of the default SQLite database for production environments. MariaDB provides better performance, scalability, and supports foreign keys, which SQLite lacks.

Important Note:

For larger deployments with a high user base, IceWarp recommends using Percona Server for MySQL instead of MariaDB. Percona offers enhanced performance, better scalability, and additional enterprise features that are beneficial for large-scale installations. This guide focuses on MariaDB, which is suitable for small to medium deployments. If you're planning a large deployment, consider consulting IceWarp documentation for Percona-specific configuration.

Prerequisites

Root or sudo access to your Red Hat 9 server
IceWarp EPOS installed (or ready to configure during installation)
Basic understanding of database operations

System Requirements

MariaDB resource requirements depend on your expected user base and usage patterns:

Up to 1000 Users

Bare Minimum:

CPU: 2 cores minimum
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 60 GB HDD minimum (SSD recommended)

Recommended for Production:

CPU: 4-6 cores
RAM: 16-24 GB (allows proper buffer pool sizing at 70-80% of RAM = 11-19GB for innodb_buffer_pool_size)
Storage: 120+ GB SSD (NVMe preferred)

1000-5000 Users

Bare Minimum:

CPU: 4+ cores
RAM: 16-32 GB
Storage: 100+ GB SSD recommended

Recommended for Production:

CPU: 8-12 cores
RAM: 32-48 GB (allows 22-38GB buffer pool)
Storage: 250+ GB NVMe SSD with high IOPS

Above 5000 Users

Bare Minimum:

CPU: 8+ cores
RAM: 32+ GB
Storage: 200+ GB SSD

Recommended for Production:

CPU: 16+ cores
RAM: 64-128 GB (allows 45-102GB buffer pool)
Storage: 500+ GB NVMe SSD in RAID 10
Strongly Recommended: Clustered SQL solution for high availability
Consider: Percona Server for MySQL for enhanced performance and better scalability

Important Notes:

These recommendations assume a dedicated database server separate from the IceWarp application server
If MariaDB runs on the same server as IceWarp, combine these requirements with IceWarp's resource needs (4 CPU, 8 GB RAM minimum for the application)
Usage patterns vary significantly: Heavy WebClient users require fewer resources than organisations with multiple desktop clients syncing frequently
NVMe SSD storage is highly recommended for optimal database IOPS performance
Consider RAID 10 for larger deployments to balance performance and redundancy
Monitor your actual usage and adjust - these are starting points, not fixed requirements
For personalised recommendations based on your specific scenario, contact IceWarp Support

Step 1: Install MariaDB

Install MariaDB server using the DNF package manager:

sudo dnf install mariadb-server

Press y then Enter to confirm the installation.

Step 2: Start and Enable MariaDB Service

Start the MariaDB service:

sudo systemctl start mariadb

Verify that the service is running:

sudo systemctl status mariadb

You should see active (running) in the output.

Enable MariaDB to start automatically on boot:

sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Step 3: Secure MariaDB Installation

Run the security script to improve MariaDB security:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts:

Press Enter when asked for the current root password (there is none by default)
Type Y to set a root password, then enter and confirm your new password
Type Y to remove anonymous users
Type Y to disallow remote root login
Type Y to remove the test database
Type Y to reload privilege tables

Important: Remember this root password - you'll need it for database administration.

Step 4: Configure MariaDB for IceWarp

4.1 Edit MariaDB Configuration

Edit the MariaDB configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/my.cnf

Or if using my.cnf.d directory:

sudo nano /etc/my.cnf.d/mariadb-server.cnf

Add the following configuration under the [mysqld] section. This example is optimized for a server with adequate resources (adjust based on your server specifications):

[mysqld]
# Basic Settings
datadir=/var/lib/mysql
socket=/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock
log-error=/var/log/mariadb/mariadb.log
pid-file=/run/mariadb/mariadb.pid

# Disable SSL (IceWarp doesn't support SSL connections yet)
ssl=0

# Character Set and Collation
character-set-server=utf8mb4
collation-server=utf8mb4_unicode_ci

# InnoDB Settings (adjust based on your server's RAM)
innodb_buffer_pool_size=4G          

# Set to ~70-80% of available RAM
innodb_log_file_size=512M
innodb_log_buffer_size=128M
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit=2
innodb_file_per_table=1
innodb_flush_method=O_DIRECT

# Performance Settings (adjust based on CPU cores)
innodb_read_io_threads=4            # Set to number of CPU cores
innodb_write_io_threads=4           # Set to number of CPU cores
innodb_buffer_pool_instances=4      # Recommended: same as buffer pool size in GB

# Connection Settings
max_connections=200
max_allowed_packet=256M

# Query Cache (optional, can improve performance)
query_cache_type=1
query_cache_size=64M

Important Notes:

innodb_buffer_pool_size: Set this to 70-80% of your total RAM for dedicated database servers
innodb_read/write_io_threads: Set to match your CPU core count
SSL disabled: IceWarp does not yet support SSL connections to MariaDB

Save and exit (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter in nano).

4.2 Remove Old InnoDB Files (If Reconfiguring)

If you're modifying an existing MariaDB installation, you may need to remove old InnoDB files:

sudo systemctl stop mariadb
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/ib_buffer_pool
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/ibdata1
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/ib_logfile0
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/ib_logfile1

Warning: Only do this on a fresh MariaDB installation or after backing up your data!

4.3 Restart MariaDB

Restart MariaDB to apply the configuration changes:

sudo systemctl restart mariadb

Verify it started successfully:

sudo systemctl status mariadb

Step 5: Create IceWarp Databases

Log into MariaDB as root:

mysql -u root -p

Enter the root password you set earlier.

Create the required databases with proper character set and collation:

CREATE DATABASE accounts DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE DATABASE groupware DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE DATABASE webclient DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE DATABASE dircache DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE DATABASE eas DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE DATABASE antispam DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE DATABASE asreports DEFAULT CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Note: You can choose different collations based on your location. See MariaDB collations documentation for options.

Step 6: Create IceWarp Database User

Create a dedicated user for IceWarp (replace icewarp_server_ip with your IceWarp server's IP address, or use localhost if MariaDB is on the same server):

CREATE USER 'icewarp'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_password';

Or for remote access:

CREATE USER 'icewarp'@'icewarp_server_ip' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_password';

Grant all privileges on IceWarp databases to this user:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON accounts.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON groupware.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON webclient.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON dircache.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON eas.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON antispam.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON asreports.* TO 'icewarp'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

For remote access, replace 'localhost' with your IceWarp server IP in all GRANT statements.

Exit MariaDB:
EXIT;

Step 7: Configure Firewall (If MariaDB is on a Separate Server)

If MariaDB runs on a different server than IceWarp, open the MariaDB port:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3306/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Security Note: Consider restricting access to only the IceWarp server IP:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-rich-rule='rule family="ipv4" source address="icewarp_server_ip" port protocol="tcp" port="3306" accept'
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 8: Verify MariaDB Installation

Test the connection with the IceWarp user:

mysql -u icewarp -p

Enter the password you created. If you can log in successfully, MariaDB is ready.

Check the databases:

SHOW DATABASES;
EXIT;

Step 9: Migrate IceWarp to MariaDB

9.1 Using IceWarp Administration Console

Log into the IceWarp Remote Administration Console
Navigate to System → Storage → Databases
For each database type (GroupWare, WebClient, Directory Cache, etc.):

Click DB Settings

Enter connection details:
- DB Type: MySQL/MariaDB
- Host: localhost (or IP address if remote)
- Port: 3306
- Database name: (e.g., groupware, webclient, etc.)
- Username: icewarp
- Password: your_secure_password

Click Test Connection

Click Create Tables

Click Migrate to transfer data from SQLite

9.2 Migrating Accounts Database

The accounts database requires special handling:

Navigate to System → Storage → Accounts
If accounts are stored on File System, click DB Settings
Configure the database connection:
- Host: localhost (or IP if remote)
- Port: 3306
- Database: accounts
- Username: icewarp
- Password: your_secure_password
Click Test Connection
Click Create Tables
When prompted, select Yes to migrate accounts to the database
After migration completes, switch from File System to Database storage mode

Step 10: Verify Migration

After migrating all databases:

Restart IceWarp services:

sudo systemctl restart icewarp

Check IceWarp logs for any database connection errors:

tail -f /opt/icewarp/logs/server.log

Test logging into IceWarp WebClient
Verify all functionality works correctly

Performance Tuning

Monitor and Adjust

After running IceWarp with MariaDB for some time, monitor performance and adjust settings:

# Check MariaDB status
mysql -u root -p -e "SHOW STATUS;"

# Check InnoDB buffer pool usage
mysql -u root -p -e "SHOW ENGINE INNODB STATUS\G"

Consider using MySQLTuner for optimization recommendations:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/major/MySQLTuner-perl/master/mysqltuner.pl
chmod +x mysqltuner.pl
sudo ./mysqltuner.pl

Backup Recommendations

Regular Database Backups

Create automated backups of your IceWarp databases:

#!/bin/bash
# Simple backup script
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/mariadb"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

mysqldump -u icewarp -p'your_password' accounts > $BACKUP_DIR/accounts_$DATE.sql
mysqldump -u icewarp -p'your_password' groupware > $BACKUP_DIR/groupware_$DATE.sql
mysqldump -u icewarp -p'your_password' webclient > $BACKUP_DIR/webclient_$DATE.sql
mysqldump -u icewarp -p'your_password' antispam > $BACKUP_DIR/antispam_$DATE.sql

# Keep only last 7 days of backups
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.sql" -mtime +7 -delete

Add this to crontab for daily execution:

crontab -e
# Add: 0 2 * * * /path/to/backup_script.sh

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Connection Failed:

Verify MariaDB is running: sudo systemctl status mariadb
Check credentials are correct
Ensure firewall allows connections
Verify user has proper permissions

SSL Connection Error:

Ensure ssl=0 is set in my.cnf under [mysqld]
Restart MariaDB after configuration changes

Performance Issues:

Adjust innodb_buffer_pool_size based on available RAM
Increase innodb_io_threads if you have more CPU cores
Use MySQLTuner for specific recommendations

Migration Errors:

Ensure all databases are created before migration
Stop IceWarp watchdog services if migration fails
Check IceWarp logs for specific error messages

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