Deployment Overview of BigBlueButton on Server¶

Prerequisites and Basic Requirements¶

To ensure a successful deployment, the server must meet the following requirements:

• Operating System: Ubuntu or Debian.

• Privileges: Root or sudo access is required for all installation steps.

• Domain: A valid FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) configured with DNS records pointing to the server IP.

• Docker: Docker must be installed and running on the host system.

FQDN of the final panel on the hostkey.in domain¶

The application uses a specific domain template for accessing the interface:

Application installation process¶

The application is installed using a dedicated installation script and specific versioning. The process follows these steps:

1. Environment Preparation: The system ensures Docker is installed and the environment is ready for containerized services.

2. Script Acquisition: The bbb-install.sh script is downloaded from the official BigBlueButton repository to the /root/ directory.

3. Automated Installation: The installation script is executed with the following parameters:

4. Version: jammy-300

5. Domain: The configured FQDN (e.g., bbb{Server_ID}.hostkey.in).

6. Email: The administrative contact email provided during setup.

7. Arguments: -w -g (installs BigBlueButton and Greenlight).

8. Greenlight Initialization: Once the core services are running, the system waits for the Greenlight web interface to become responsive via HTTP/HTTPS.

9. Administrator Setup: An administrative user is automatically created within the Greenlight container to allow immediate access to the management panel.

Docker Containers and Their Deployment¶

The deployment utilizes Docker containers to manage the application components and their dependencies:

• Greenlight Container

• Image Name: greenlight-v3 (managed via internal deployment logic).

• Purpose: Provides the web interface for managing BigBlueButton meetings.

• Management: The system interacts with this container using docker exec to perform administrative tasks, such as user creation and assignment.

Custom Scripts and Additional Setup¶

The following actions are performed during or after the primary installation:

• Installation Script Execution: A shell script located at /root/bbb-install.sh is used to automate the complex setup of BigBlueButton components and dependencies.

• Administrative User Provisioning: A custom command is executed within the greenlight-v3 container to create an initial "Administrator" user with specific and verified status. This ensures that the system is ready for use immediately after deployment.

Application Update Instructions¶

To update the main application, follow the procedure corresponding to your installation method:

• If using Docker:

  docker compose pull && docker compose up -d
  

Location of configuration files and data¶

• Installation Script: /root/bbb-install.sh

• Application Data: Managed within Docker volumes associated with the Greenlight and BigBlueButton services.

Available ports for connection¶

The following ports are required for application access:

• HTTPS (443): For accessing the Greenlight management panel and BigBlueButton interface.

• HTTP (80): Used for initial connectivity and SSL certificate challenges.