Install XO from sources.

acebmxer

While this project is more for myself it is open to others to use. Please use at your own risk. Double check my script before using in a production environment. I am open to suggestions and please report any issues here - https://github.com/acebmxer/install_xen_orchestra/issues

With that said I wanted to create my own script to install XOA from sources using the information provided by https://docs.xen-orchestra.com/installation#from-the-sources. It took many tries to get it working just to see the log in screen.

I have only tested on Ubuntu 24.04.4 as of yet.

https://github.com/acebmxer/install_xen_orchestra

# Xen Orchestra Installation Script

Automated installation script for [Xen Orchestra](https://xen-orchestra.com/) from source, based on the [official documentation](https://docs.xen-orchestra.com/installation#from-the-sources).

## Features

- Installs all required dependencies and prerequisites automatically
- Uses Node.js 20 LTS (with npm v10)
- Yarn package manager installed globally
- Self-signed SSL certificate generation for HTTPS
- Direct port binding (80 and 443) - no proxy required
- Systemd service for automatic startup
- Update functionality with commit comparison
- Automatic backups before updates (keeps last 5)
- Interactive restore from any available backup
- Rebuild functionality — fresh clone + clean build on the current branch, preserves settings
- Configurable via simple config file
- **Customizable service user** - run as any username or root, defaults to 'xo'
- **Automatic swap space management** - creates 2GB swap if needed for builds
- **NFS mount support** - automatically configures sudo permissions for remote storage
- **Memory-efficient builds** - prevents out-of-memory errors on low-RAM systems

## Quick Start

### 1. Clone this repository

```bash
git clone https://github.com/acebmxer/install_xen_orchestra.git
cd install_xen_orchestra

2. Configure the installation

Copy the sample configuration file and customize it:

cp sample-xo-config.cfg xo-config.cfg

Edit xo-config.cfg with your preferred settings:

nano xo-config.cfg

Note: If xo-config.cfg is not found when running the script, it will automatically be created from sample-xo-config.cfg with default settings.

3. Run the installation

Important: Do NOT run this script with sudo. Run as a normal user with sudo privileges - the script will use sudo internally for commands that require elevated permissions.

./install-xen-orchestra.sh

Configuration Options

The xo-config.cfg file supports the following options:

Option	Default	Description
`HTTP_PORT`	80	HTTP port for web interface
`HTTPS_PORT`	443	HTTPS port for web interface
`INSTALL_DIR`	/opt/xen-orchestra	Installation directory
`SSL_CERT_DIR`	/etc/ssl/xo	SSL certificate directory
`SSL_CERT_FILE`	xo-cert.pem	SSL certificate filename
`SSL_KEY_FILE`	xo-key.pem	SSL private key filename
`GIT_BRANCH`	master	Git branch (master, stable, or tag)
`BACKUP_DIR`	/opt/xo-backups	Backup directory for updates
`BACKUP_KEEP`	5	Number of backups to retain
`NODE_VERSION`	20	Node.js major version
`SERVICE_USER`	xo	Service user (any username, leave empty for root)
`DEBUG_MODE`	false	Enable debug logging

Updating Xen Orchestra

To update an existing installation:

./install-xen-orchestra.sh --update

The update process will:

Compare the installed commit with the latest from GitHub
Skip if already up to date
Create a backup of the current installation
Pull the latest changes
Rebuild Xen Orchestra
Restart the service

Backup Management

Backups are stored in BACKUP_DIR (default: /opt/xo-backups)
Only the last BACKUP_KEEP backups are retained (default: 5)
Older backups are automatically purged before each new backup is created
Backup folder names are timestamped in UTC; dates and times are displayed converted to the local system timezone
When restoring, backups are listed newest first — [1] is the most recent, [5] is the oldest

Restoring from Backup

To restore a previous installation:

./install-xen-orchestra.sh --restore

The restore process will:

List all available backups newest first (1 = newest, 5 = oldest) with their dates and commit hashes
Prompt you to select which backup to restore
Ask for confirmation before making any changes
Stop the running service
Replace the current installation with the selected backup
Rebuild Xen Orchestra (node_modules are excluded from backups to save space)
Restart the service and report the restored commit hash

Example output:

==============================================
  Available Backups
==============================================

  [1] xo-backup-20260221_233000  (2026-02-21 06:30:00 PM EST)  commit: a1b2c3d4e5f6 (newest)
  [2] xo-backup-20260221_141500  (2026-02-21 09:15:00 AM EST)  commit: 9f8e7d6c5b4a
  [3] xo-backup-20260220_162000  (2026-02-20 11:20:00 AM EST)  commit: 1a2b3c4d5e6f
  [4] xo-backup-20260219_225200  (2026-02-19 05:52:00 PM EST)  commit: 3c4d5e6f7a8b
  [5] xo-backup-20260219_133000  (2026-02-19 08:30:00 AM EST)  commit: 7d8e9f0a1b2c (oldest)

Enter the number of the backup to restore [1-5], or 'q' to quit:

After a successful restore the confirmed commit is displayed:

[SUCCESS] Restore completed successfully!
[INFO]    Restored commit: a1b2c3d4e5f6

Rebuilding Xen Orchestra

If your installation becomes corrupted or broken, use --rebuild to do a fresh clone and clean build of your current branch without losing any settings:

./install-xen-orchestra.sh --rebuild

The rebuild process will:

Detect the currently installed branch
Display a summary and ask for confirmation
Stop the running service
Create a backup of the current installation (same as --update — saved to BACKUP_DIR)
Remove the current INSTALL_DIR and do a fresh git clone of the same branch
Perform a clean build (turbo cache cleared)
Restart the service and report the new commit hash

Note: Settings stored in /etc/xo-server (config.toml) and /var/lib/xo-server (databases and state) are not touched during a rebuild, so all your connections, users, and configuration are preserved.

Service Management

After installation, Xen Orchestra runs as a systemd service:

# Start the service
sudo systemctl start xo-server

# Stop the service
sudo systemctl stop xo-server

# Check status
sudo systemctl status xo-server

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u xo-server -f

Accessing Xen Orchestra

After installation, access the web interface:

HTTP: http://your-server-ip
HTTPS: https://your-server-ip

Note: If you changed HTTP_PORT or HTTPS_PORT in xo-config.cfg from the defaults (80/443), append the port to the URL — e.g. http://your-server-ip:8080

Default Credentials

Username: admin@admin.net
Password: admin

Warning: Change the default password immediately after first login!

Switching Branches

To switch to a different branch (e.g., from master to stable

Edit xo-config.cfg and change GIT_BRANCH
Run the update:

./install-xen-orchestra.sh --update

The script will automatically fetch and checkout the new branch during the update process.

System Requirements

Minimum Hardware

RAM: 2GB minimum (4GB+ recommended for building)
Disk: 10GB free space
CPU: 1 core minimum (2+ recommended)

Note: The script automatically creates 2GB swap space if insufficient memory is detected during builds to prevent out-of-memory errors.

Dependencies

The script automatically installs all required dependencies:

Debian/Ubuntu:

apt-transport-https, ca-certificates, libcap2-bin, curl, gnupg
build-essential, git, patch, sudo
Node.js v20 (with npm v10), yarn
redis-server
python3-minimal, libpng-dev
lvm2, cifs-utils, nfs-common, ntfs-3g
libvhdi-utils, dmidecode
libfuse2t64 (or libfuse2 on older systems)
software-properties-common (Ubuntu only)

RHEL/CentOS/Fedora:

redis or valkey (RHEL 10+)
Node.js v20 (with npm v10), yarn
ca-certificates, gnupg2, curl
make, automake, gcc, gcc-c++, patch, sudo
git, libpng-devel
lvm2, cifs-utils, nfs-utils, ntfs-3g
dmidecode, libcap, fuse-libs

Supported Operating Systems

Debian 10/11/12/13 (apt-based)
Ubuntu (apt-based, all supported versions)
RHEL/CentOS/AlmaLinux/Rocky (dnf/yum-based)
Fedora (dnf-based)

Troubleshooting

Service fails to start

Check the service logs:

sudo journalctl -u xo-server -n 50

Port binding issues

If running as non-root, the service uses CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE to bind to privileged ports. Ensure systemd is configured correctly.

Build failures

The easiest fix is to use the built-in rebuild command, which takes a backup first:

./install-xen-orchestra.sh --rebuild

Or manually (if running as non-root SERVICE_USER):

cd /opt/xen-orchestra
rm -rf node_modules
# Replace 'xo' with your SERVICE_USER if different
sudo -u xo yarn
sudo -u xo yarn build

Out of Memory (OOM) during build

If the build process fails with exit code 137 (killed), your system ran out of memory:

The script automatically handles this by:

Detecting available swap space before building
Creating 2GB swap file if insufficient
Setting Node.js memory limits (4GB max)

To manually check/add swap:

# Check current swap
free -h

# Create 2GB swap file if needed
sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

NFS mount errors ("user" NFS mounts not supported)

If you get an error when adding NFS remote storage:

mount.nfs: not installed setuid - "user" NFS mounts not supported

The script automatically handles this by configuring sudo permissions for your service user (default: xo) to run mount/umount commands including NFS-specific helpers.

If you encounter this issue on an existing installation:

# Update sudoers configuration (replace 'xo' with your SERVICE_USER if different)
sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/xo-server-xo > /dev/null << 'EOF'
# Allow xo-server user to mount/unmount without password
Defaults:xo !requiretty
xo ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD:SETENV: /bin/mount, /usr/bin/mount, /bin/umount, /usr/bin/umount, /bin/findmnt, /usr/bin/findmnt, /sbin/mount.nfs, /usr/sbin/mount.nfs, /sbin/mount.nfs4, /usr/sbin/mount.nfs4, /sbin/umount.nfs, /usr/sbin/umount.nfs, /sbin/umount.nfs4, /usr/sbin/umount.nfs4
EOF

sudo chmod 440 /etc/sudoers.d/xo-server-xo
sudo systemctl restart xo-server

NFS permission denied errors

If NFS mounts succeed but you get permission errors when writing:

EACCES: permission denied, open '/run/xo-server/mounts/.keeper_*'

This is a UID/GID mismatch between the xo-server user and your NFS export permissions:

Option 1: Run as root (recommended for simplicity)

# Edit config
nano xo-config.cfg
# Set: SERVICE_USER=
# (leave empty to run as root)

# Update service (replace 'xo' with your SERVICE_USER if different)
sudo sed -i 's/User=xo/User=root/' /etc/systemd/system/xo-server.service
sudo chown -R root:root /opt/xen-orchestra /var/lib/xo-server /etc/xo-server
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart xo-server

Option 2: Configure NFS for your service user's UID
On your NFS server, adjust exports to allow your service user's UID (check with id <username>), or use appropriate squash settings in your NFS export configuration.

Redis connection issues

Ensure Redis is running:

redis-cli ping
# Should respond with: PONG

Security Considerations

No Root: The script refuses to run as root/sudo and uses sudo internally
Service User: Runs as dedicated xo user by default (customizable to any username; leave empty for root)
SSL: Self-signed certificate generated automatically for HTTPS
Sudo Permissions: Service user configured with minimal sudo access for:
- NFS/CIFS mount operations (/bin/mount, /usr/bin/mount, /sbin/mount.nfs, etc.)
- Unmount operations (/bin/umount, /usr/bin/umount, /sbin/umount.nfs, etc.)
- Mount point discovery (/bin/findmnt, /usr/bin/findmnt)
- All configured in /etc/sudoers.d/xo-server-<username> with NOPASSWD for specific commands only
Automatic Swap: Swap file created with secure permissions (600) if needed for builds

License

This installation script is provided as-is. Xen Orchestra itself is licensed under AGPL-3.0.

Credits

Pilow

@acebmxer Great job (I guess, will need to give it a try)
looked the script and seems pretty complete.

Do you plan to add XoProxy install/update too ?

acebmxer

@Pilow

Maybe at some point. Unless someone would like to contribute that part. I want to make sure XOA install is good and stable first.

I just switch over my homelab to this install now.

Greg_E

@acebmxer

I will make one suggestion that might be a problem for some users with really strict password requirements. Make the default password something more complex that doesn't contain the username or the word password.
One capital, one lower case, one number or special, and minimum 8 characters.

Alternate would be a note calling our where in the script the default can be edited, this way you don't have to do much, and those that need the default more complex can change it themselves before they run the script.

I'll try this in the future when I move me lab up to XCP-ng version 9, no timeline on this since I wanted it done two weeks ago.

[edit] full of typos today, please excuse my mistakes

acebmxer

@Greg_E

If you are referring to the login info admin@admin.net. That is per vates is documentation. It does prompt you to change that password.

There is a xo-config.cfg file where you can change most of the defaults but those that apply to install not for do itself.

https://docs.xen-orchestra.com/installation

First Login
Once you have started the VM, you can access the web UI by putting the IP you configured during deployment into your web browser. If you did not configure an IP or are unsure, try one of the following methods to find it:

Run xe vm-list params=name-label,networks | grep -A 1 XOA on your host
Check your router's DHCP leases for an xoa lease
tip
Default Web UI credentials are admin@admin.net / admin
Default console/SSH credentials are not set, you need to set them as described here.

dcskinner

Maybe just semantics, but I have seen here on the boards people ask if they are running XOA or XO from sources. The A means appliance. I think it stops being an appliance if you are managing the OS and installing the app on top of it, so calling this XOA from sources is probably wrong and confusing.

Also, to get full features of XOA, you need to pay for it, so it seems like you are causing confusion with their paid service.

acebmxer

@dcskinner

Yes I get what you say about the confusion with XO vs XOA. I know there is another person who maintains an install script calls it XO-CE but didnt want to call mine that specifically.

As for the feature set. You get full feature set when you install from sources. You just dont get paid support.

I have just not implemented the process of setting up a proxy via the script.

Edit - Updated title

Andrew

@dcskinner @acebmxer I totally agree.... XOA is the Vates provided software appliance XO system.

Compiling XO yourself is XO from source or XO community edition or anything other than XOA. Calling it XOA adds confusion because it's not the same thing that Vates provides.

acebmxer

I appreciate the comments and they are all welcome. Do keep note that I did say this is not Production ready and use at your own risk. If you see anything that is wrong please provide suggest feedback to correct said issue.

I just started running my home lab from this version yesterday. I imported my config from previous XO. Today i saw 4 new commits and the update function updated to the latest commit. Backups have run with no issue.

As I can only test in my home lab I can only speak of my own experiences.