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Funambol DS Server Installation and Setup

The Funambol DS Server installation was surprisingly easy. I installed it on a headless Debian server with a 2.6.17 kernel. Although, I had set aside the whole day to get the product working, I was up and running within an hour, since the required packages and relevant documentation were kindly bundled into the download.

First, browse Funambol's Download page for the latest version of the installation bundle to download. In my case, after checking the page, I downloaded the PIM & Email Bundle v3.0 for Linux by issuing the following command from the command line on the server:

wget http://download.forge.objectweb.org/sync4j/funambol-3.0a.bin

Since the instructions Funambol provided with the bundle are excellent, I do not want to repeat too much of the information in this section. Essentially, at this point, run the install script that you have downloaded earlier. For example, I ran the script by issuing the following command:

sh funambol-3.0a.bin 

Then, follow the screen instructions. During the installation, you will be asked to specify the directory in which to place the software. You may want to place the software in a directory such as /opt/ instead of the default location. If you accept the default location, the software will be installed in the current directory.

Now, start the server. For example, my software is installed in the /opt/ directory, so I would start the server by issuing the following command:

 /opt/Funambol/tools/bin/funambol.sh start

By default, the Funambol DS Server doesn't automatically start when you start your server. You must perform several steps to make the Funambol DS Server start every time your server is powered up or rebooted.

First, copy the startup script into the /etc/init.d directory using the following command:

 cp /opt/Funambol/tools/bin/funambol.sh /etc/init.d/funambol

Next, change the file so that it points to the absolute location of your installation. Using your favorite text editor, change line 4 in your new file from

BUNDLE_HOME=`(cd ../.. ; pwd)`

to

BUNDLE_HOME=`(cd /opt/Funambol ; pwd)`

Then, create a symbolic link to your rc3.d directory by issuing the command:

 ln -s /etc/init.d/funambol /etc/rc3.d/S30funambol

Afterwards, you can verify that the Funambol DS Server is running by directing a web browser to http://<servername>:8080/funambol. The page shown in Figure 2 should display with the Funambol DS Server version number when you successfully connect.

NOTE: Make sure you open port 8080 on your router/firewall to the IP address of the funambol server if you want to access the server from the Internet. Also note that by exposing this commonly-used port that your IP address will be constantly probed and the target of continuous exploit attempts. So be sure that your server is tightly locked down with no unnecessary services running.

Figure 2: Funambol DS Server Information screen (click image to enlarge)