How to Set Up an OTOBO Staging System

Set up an OTOBO staging system as a safe production copy: migrate the database and files, turn off real outbound mail, anonymize customer data, then validate packages and config before anything reaches live.

🔄 Overview: Staging System Migration Workflow

Prepare development system
Set up staging system
Copy production data
Test staging
Deploy staging to production (optional)

✅ Benefits of a Staging System

Safe testing of configuration, custom code & packages
Automated end-to-end tests using tools like Playwright
GDPR-compliant testing after anonymization
Recovery tests & backup verification

🛠 Prerequisites

Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 10+
Docker (recommended) or manual Linux installation
Sufficient system resources (8 GB RAM, 4 CPUs)
Access to current production data (DB & file system)
Ability to disable email sending (e.g., via dummy SMTP)

flowchart TD
    A[Feature ready for test] --> B[Clean up dev system, delete tickets]
    B --> C[Copy dev -> staging]
    C --> D[Wait for maintenance window]
    D --> E[Back up production data DB & files]
    E --> F[Transfer production data to staging]
    F --> G[Adjust configuration in staging]
    G --> H[Disable email sending]
    H --> I[Perform test run]
    
    I -->|Tests successful| J[Optional: Copy staging -> production]
    I -->|Tests failed| K[Fix errors and re-test]

    J --> L[Activate production]
    L --> M[Done, deployment complete]

    style D fill:#a9a,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style I fill:#aae,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style J fill:#9a9,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style K fill:#a99,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px

🧱 Step-by-Step Guide

1. Set up Staging System

A Docker installation is recommended:

sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose
cd /opt
git clone https://github.com/RotherOSS/otobo-docker.git --branch rel-11_0
cd otobo-docker
cp .docker_compose_env_https .env
nano .env   # Set OTOBO_DB_ROOT_PASSWORD

2. Clean up Dev System

If you are using a dev system as a base:

bin/otobo.Console.pl Admin::Delete::Tickets --older 1d --state closed --really
rm -rf /opt/otobo/var/article/*

3. Copy Production Data

# Back up database (production system)
mysqldump -u root -p otobo > /tmp/otobo_prod.sql

# Back up articles & Kernel
rsync -avz /opt/otobo/Kernel /tmp/Kernel
rsync -avz /opt/otobo/var/article /tmp/article

Import into staging:

# Import DB
mysql -u root -p otobo_staging < /tmp/otobo_prod.sql

# Copy file system
rsync -avz /tmp/Kernel /opt/otobo/Kernel
rsync -avz /tmp/article /opt/otobo/var/article

🔐 Data Privacy: Anonymize all production customer data, e.g., in the customer_user table, or remove email addresses using an SQL script.

4. Adjust Configuration

$Self->{'Database'}{'Name'} = 'otobo_staging';
$Self->{'Database'}{'User'} = 'otobo';
$Self->{'Database'}{'Password'} = 'STAGING_PASSWORD';

5. Disable Email Sending

In SysConfig:

Set SendmailModule to Kernel::System::Email::DoNotSendEmail
Alternatively: Change SMTP server to 127.0.0.1 and port to 1

🔬 Tests in Staging

Use Playwright or Cypress scripts for UI tests
Use bin/otobo.Console.pl Maint::Test::System
Check data integrity & UI behavior
Disable integrations like LDAP or web services, or redirect them to a test server

🔐 Secure Staging

Restrict access via VPN or IP whitelist
Set robots.txt to prevent indexing
If necessary, implement Basic Auth via Nginx
Secure SSL via SAN or wildcard certificate (*.staging.example.com)

🔄 Optional: Deploy Staging to Production

Once testing is complete in staging:

Stop production server
Copy staging database and directories to production
Adjust Config.pm
Restart production

🧪 Example Tools for Automation

Playwright (for E2E tests)
rsync for fast data transfer
docker-compose for orchestrated environment
cron or systemd for regular backups
Python scripts for anonymization or structural migration

Conclusion

An OTOBO staging system lets you test upgrades, packages, and SysConfig changes on real-shaped data without risking production downtime or accidental customer emails.

🔁 Tip: Integrate staging processes into your CI/CD pipeline for automated quality assurance with every change.

Frequently asked questions

What is an OTOBO staging system?

A near-copy of production used to safely test features, configurations, and migrations without affecting the live system.

Should staging use production data?

Often yes for realistic tests, but anonymize or restrict sensitive data and never point staging mail at real customers.

What should you back up before migration?

Back up the production database and relevant file data (articles and Kernel) before copying them into staging.