Since BASE, the software which stores and provides segmented analysis of the snort traffic, uses a MySQL backend (you can use postgres), it is a good idea to install an interface to the database if you are unfamiliar with the command line. This is even more useful if you are like me and have forgotten almost everything about the open source database systems (although MySQL isn't really open anymore). I prefer the phpmyadmin GUI. Of course there is a specific order to getting things installed here too, if you want it to work programmatically.
Step 1: PHP5
The current PHP core is 5, so make sure that is fully installed first. A full install of PHP will usually cover the database dependencies for MySQL, postgres and Apache2. Here are useful commands:
sudo apt-get install php5
sudo apt-get install php5-mysql
sudo apt-get install libapache2-mod-php5
Once you have this install completed. Run the phpinfo.php script we discussed in the last post. Verify. I know I have said the instructions for this before, but 20 seconds of verification can save you time later.
Step 2: MySQL
The MySQL install is just as simple. Since you have already run the installer for the PHP libraries, this will just consist of the DBMS itself. The current version of MySQL DBMS is 5.1.x.
sudo apt-get install mysql-server
That's it. Seriously that is all it takes. Verify in the command line that the DBMS is working by typing mysql or sudo mysql depending on the user level. If you get "MYSQL>" it is working.
Step 3: phpmyadmin
The next step for easier DBMS manipulation is to install phpmyadmin located here: http://www.phpmyadmin.net. This will allow you to have a web front end to the DBMS and it makes the lives of visual people a lot nicer. Installing this uses (yes you guessed it) apt-get
sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin
I will not go into the configuration of it because this is well documented here on the Ubuntu Server Forums.
Follow that guide for the configuration and you will be ready to configure snort having your DB backend ready, your dependencies ready, and a front end to all of it. The next (and last installment) will cover the actual snort installation as well as the configuration guide and the resources I used to get it all working.
