2.1. Installing WAPT Server on Debian and derivatives¶

2.1.1. Setting up the server¶

In order to install a supported version of Debian and its derivatives, or Red Hat and its derivatives.

Warning

Install 64bit version.
Install the Server without the graphical user interface.
Systemd must be enabled

Attention

The upgrade procedure is different from an initial installation. For an upgrade, please refer to the documentation on upgrading the WAPT Server.

2.1.1.1. Configuring the network parameters¶

The different parameters presented below are not specific to WAPT; you may adapt them as required for your environment.

Modify the following files in order to get a proper naming (FQDN) and network addressing strategy.

In the following example:

the FQDN name is srvwapt.mydomain.lan;
the short-name of the WAPT Server is srvwapt;
the DNS suffix is mydomain.lan;
the IP address is 10.0.0.10/24;

2.1.1.2. Configuring the name of the WAPT Server¶

Hint

The short name of the WAPT Server MUST not be longer than 15 characters (the limit is due to sAMAccountName restriction in Active Directory).

The name of the WAPT Server MUST be a FQDN, that is to say it has both the server name and the DNS suffix.

Modify the /etc/hostname file and write the FQDN of the WAPT Server.

# /etc/hostname of the WAPT Server
srvwapt.mydomain.lan

Configure the /etc/hosts file, be sure to put both the FQDN and the short name of the WAPT Server.

# /etc/hosts of the WAPT Server
127.0.0.1   localhost localhost.localdomain localhost4 localhost4.localdomain4
::1         localhost localhost.localdomain localhost6 localhost6.localdomain6
10.0.0.10   srvwapt.mydomain.lan srvwapt

Hint

On the line defining the DNS server IP address, be sure to have the IP of the WAPT Server (not 127.0.0.1), then the FQDN, then the short name.
Do not change the line with localhost.

2.1.1.3. Configuring the IP address of the WAPT Server¶

Configure the IP address of the WAPT Server in the /etc/network/interfaces.

# /etc/network/interfaces of the WAPT Server
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
  address 10.0.0.10
  netmask 255.255.255.0
  gateway 10.0.0.254

Apply the network configuration by rebooting the host with a reboot.

reboot

If it has not already been done, create the DNS entry for the WAPT Server in the Organization’s Active Directory or DNS server.
After having rebooted, configure the system locale in English in order to have non-localized logs for easier searching of common errors.

apt install locales-all -y
update-locale set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8
localectl status

Check whether the machine is properly synchronized with NTP server. If it is not synchronized please refer to the OS documentation to configure timedatectl.

timedatectl status

Update and upgrade the Operating System and make sure that the Debian default certificate authorities bundle is installed.

apt update && apt upgrade
apt install ca-certificates -y

Reboot the WAPT Server.

reboot

The server is now ready.

Installing the WAPT Server requires a few steps:

Configuring the repositories.
Installing additional Linux packages.
Installing and provisioning the PostgreSQL database.
Post-configuring the WAPT Server.

Note

The WAPT Server packages and repository are signed by Tranquil IT and it is necessary to get the gpg public key below in order to avoid warning messages during installation.

2.1.2. Installing the WAPT Server packages¶

Update the APT source, retrieve the .gpg key from Tranquil IT, then add Tranquil IT’s repository.

apt install apt-transport-https lsb-release gnupg wget -y
bash -c 'wget -qO- https://wapt.tranquil.it/$(lsb_release -is)/tiswapt-pub-2026.gpg > /usr/share/keyrings/tiswapt-pub.gpg'
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/tiswapt-pub.gpg] https://wapt.tranquil.it/$(lsb_release -is)/wapt-2.6/ $(lsb_release -c -s) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/wapt.list

Warning

breaking change: For WAPT versions earlier than 2.6.1.17654, please use this gpg key.
wget -qO- https://wapt.tranquil.it/$(lsb_release -is)/tiswapt-pub.gpg > /usr/share/keyrings/tiswapt-pub.gpg

Then install the WAPT Server packages.

export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
apt update
apt install tis-waptserver tis-waptsetup -y
unset DEBIAN_FRONTEND

2.1.3. Standard mode post-configuration¶

Note

For the CSPN security certification mode, please visit this documentation.

Attention

For post-configuration to work properly:

The hostname of the WAPT Server MUST be properly configured. To check, use the command echo $(hostname) which MUST return the DNS address that will be used by WAPT Agents on client computers.

The DNS resolver MUST be correctly configured.

The WAPT Server MUST be able to contact a Domain Controller in write mode for Kerberos authentication mode.

The post-configuration script rewrites the nginx configuration. A backup file is created when running the postconf in the same directory.

This post-configuration script MUST be run as root.

Hint

If the post-configuration script has already been executed, the previously defined values will be retained.

To save time, you can simply validate each prompt by pressing the Enter key to keep the existing settings.

Run the script.

/opt/wapt/waptserver/scripts/postconf.sh

Choose a password (if not defined) for the SuperAdmin account of the WAPT Server (minimum length is 10 characters).

First launch of the post-configuration script

Please enter the wapt server password (min. 10):

Please enter the wapt server password again:

Keep the existing administrator password

Do you want to reset main admin (user: admin) password ? [y/N]:

Hint

You can skip this step by using Enter keyboard key.

Reset the administrator password

Do you want to reset main admin (user: admin) password ? [y/N]: y

Please enter the wapt server password (min. 10):

Please enter the wapt server password again:

Choose the authentication mode for the initial registering of the WAPT Agents:

WaptAgent Authentication type ?
  1) Allow unauthenticated registration
  2) Enable kerberos authentication required for machines registration
  3) Disable Kerberos but registration require strong authentication
Select (1-3) [your previous choice was * ]:

Choice 1: Open Registration

Note

The WAPT Server registers all computers that ask to be registered.

Without a certificate, it is not possible to download WAPT Packages and query some WAPT Server endpoints.

This method is recommended if you are installing WAPT for the first time.

Choice 2: Kerberos-Based Registration

Note

Activates the initial registration based on Kerberos (you can activate it later).

If you experience some problems while upgrading or if you use a reverse proxy, this method is recommended while upgrading.

If your Kerberos keytab does not exist, the postconf.sh script will create it, after you valid option 2.

Creating your Keytab, after select enable kerberos option for the first time.

Enter a new Kerberos REALM (e.g., MYDOMAIN.LAN) or press Enter to keep [ * ]:

Enter a new Domain Controller name (e.g., DC01.MYDOMAIN.LAN) or press Enter to keep [ * ]:

Enter a username authorized to join machines (e.g., ADMINISTRATEUR) or press Enter to keep [ * ]:

Enter password for administrator:

Enter a new computer name for the WAPT server (e.g., SRV-WAPT) or press Enter to keep [ * ]:

Choice 3: Credential-Based Registration

Note

Does not activate the Kerberos authentication mechanism for the initial registering of hosts equipped with WAPT.

The WAPT Server will require a login and a password for each host registering with it.

Warning

If you are upgrading from WAPT 2.X to 2.5, verify the current configuration of the WAPT Agents and more specifically the verify_cert option.

If in your current configuration verify_cert is set to True or a set to a file path (certificate pinning), then choose option #1 below.

If in your current configuration verify_cert is set to False, then choose option #2 below.

Choose if you want to use WAPT for OS Deployment.

Do you want to activate OS deployment (WADS)? [currently is * ] [Y/n]:

Activate WADS

Note

If you have chosen Yes to activate os deployment, the post-configuration will ask whether to use a secure authentication to deploy OS images.

It will ask a user / password when you will deploy OS images using WADS.

Do you want to activate WADS secure authentication? [currently is * ] [y/N]:

Disable WADS

Note

If you have chosen No to confirm to disable the OS deployment (WADS) , Nginx will not enable WADS API endpoints for WAPT Agents.

If you activate WADS, you can activate the WADS secure authentification.
Enable WADS secure authentication
Note

Choose Yes, and mention subnets.

You can mention subnet ip exempt from wads authentication, for the other secure authentification will be required.
Mention here the subnets ex: 192.168.1.0/24 [ * ]:
Disable WADS secure authentication

Note

Choose No.

WADS secure authentification will stay disable.
Choose if you want to use WAPT WUA for Windows Update.

Do you want to activate Windows Update by WAPT (WUA)? [currently is * ] [Y/n]:

Note

If you choose Yes, Nginx will enable WUA API endpoints for the WAPT Agents.

Indicate the FQDN for the WAPT server.

FQDN for the WAPT server (eg. wapt.acme.com) [Currently your FQDN is * ]:

Wait few seconds and the post-configuration is now finished.

[*] Postconfiguration completed.
Please connect to https://yourservername/ to access the server.

Added in version 2.5: The access to the WAPT web interface is now password protected.

Finally, the postconf show somes informations about the WAPT Server SSL certificate and the URL to download WaptSetup and install on the WAPT Administrator’s computer.

List of post-configuration script options¶
Options	Description
`-c` or `--config`	Specifies a configuration file path (default: `/opt/wapt/conf/waptserver.ini`).
`-s` or `--force-https`	Configures Nginx so that port 80 is permanently redirected to 443
`-q` or `--quiet`	Runs the post-configuration in quiet mode.
`-n` or `--nginx`	Runs nginx configuration if the post-configuration is set in quiet mode.
`--dhparam-key-size=NUMBER`	Defines the size for dhparam key (default: 2048).
`-p` or `--admin-password`	Defines the admininistrator password for the WAPT Server if the post-configuration is set in quiet mode.
`--server-names=SERVER_NAMES`	Defines the WAPT Server name and ip for certificate CN and SubjectAltNames. The separator is a comma (default: fqdn and IP address).
`--cspn-toe`	Defines settings for CSPN TOE mode (default: False). This enable more strict security default values, and disable all the features that are not included in the TOE of the CSPN certification

2.1.4. Secure mode post-configuration¶

Warning

CSPN (First Level Security Certification by ANSSI) mode does not include WAPTWUA, WADS, Secondary Repos or Peercache. These features are not part of the Target Of Evaluation (TOE).

Attention

For post-configuration to work properly:

The hostname of the WAPT Server MUST be properly configured. To check, use the command echo $(hostname) which MUST return the DNS address that will be used by WAPT Agents on client computers.

The DNS resolver MUST be correctly configured.

The WAPT Server MUST be able to contact a Domain Controller in write mode.

The post-configuration script rewrites the nginx configuration. A backup file is created when running the postconf in the same directory.

This post-configuration script MUST be run as root.

In CSPN mode, the WAPT Server installation activates more security features and is less tolerant with misconfigurations.

In this mode:

Administrator password length is 20 characters and password complexity is enforced.

Administrator and user certificate password length is 20 characters and password complexity is enforced.

Kerberos registration and authentication are mandatory.

Client-Side Certificate Authentication is mandatory.

The SSL certificate verification is mandatory.

Various backward compatibility settings are disabled.

Functionalities excluded from the CSPN TOE (namely secondary repositories, peercache, WADS and WAPT WUA) are disabled.

Waptconsole login on server is restricted to kerb and *admin methods (admin mode can be disabled after initial setup).

Session cookies maximum lifetime is 12 hours.

Default lifetime for certificates signed by WAPT is 3 years.

Hint

If you want to stick to one specific wapt version on the server, like a specific CSPN version, it is recommanded to disable wapt repo configuration by removing /etc/yum.repos.d/wapt.repo or specifying the full version number in that same file, like baseurl=https://wapt.tranquil.it/redhat10/wapt-2.6.1.17567/

The Kerberos service account created for authentication on the Wapt server must be configured with msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes: 24 (AES 128, AES 256), either AD wide or at least on the service computer object. The msktutil script run during postconf should set this value correctly.

Run the script with option --cspn-toe.

/opt/wapt/waptserver/scripts/postconf.sh --cspn-toe

Click on Yes to run the postconf script.

Do you want to launch post configuration tool?

            < yes >          < no >

Click on ok if SELinux is detected.

SELinux detected, tweaking httpd permissions.

                      < OK >

Click on ok if SELinux is correctly configured for Nginx reverse proxy.

SELinux correctly configured for Nginx reverse proxy

                      < OK >

Choose a password (if not defined) for the SuperAdmin account of the WAPT Server. The minimum length is 20 characters with at least 1 upper case characters, 1 lower case characters and 1 punctuation mark.

Please enter the wapt server password (min. 20 characters, punctuation, upper and lower case):

*****************

                < OK >          < Cancel >

Confirm the password.

Please enter the server password again:

*****************

                < OK >          < Cancel >

Select Yes to configure Nginx.

Do you want to configure nginx?

        < Yes >        < No >

Fill in the FQDN of the WAPT Server.

FQDN for the WAPT Server (eg. wapt.example.com)

---------------------------------------------
wapt.mydomain.lan
---------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

Enter the Kerberos Realm name.

Enter Kerberos REALM

-------------------------------------------
MYDOMAIN.LAN
-------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

Enter a valid Domain Controller name.

Enter a Domain Controller name in write mode

-------------------------------------------
dc1
-------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

Enter a username having write privilege on the Active Directory.

Enter a username with administrator privileges

-------------------------------------------
administrator
-------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

Enter the username’s password.

Enter administrator password

-------------------------------------------
*****************************
-------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

Enter the URL that will be used by the waptagent.

Enter the URL that will be used by the waptagent

---------------------------------------------
srvwaptname.mydomain.lan
---------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

Choose the name of the computer used by the waptagent.

Choose the name of the computer used by the waptserver

---------------------------------------------
srvwaptname
---------------------------------------------

            < OK >          < Cancel >

If the credentials are correct, the keytab is generated in /etc/nginx/http-krb5.keytab. The correct ACL are set. Else, you must read the documentation.
Restart Nginx.

The Nginx config is done.
We need to restart Nginx?

              < OK >

The last step, start waptserver and wapttasks.

Press OK to start
waptserver and wapttasks
daemons

              < OK >

The post-configuration is now finished.

Postconfiguration completed.

                                  < OK >

But in CSPN TOE mode, TOTP is required on admin account.

Use your second device (smartphone,YubiKey, etc.) and get the code who will appear in the picture. Put the code in the dedicated field.

Note

If you are having problems with your kerberos system. Check the owner and the right on, the keytab file ( http-krb5.keytab ).

chown root:nginx /etc/nginx/http-krb5.keytab
chmod 640 /etc/nginx/http-krb5.keytab

Listing of post-configuration script options¶
Options	Description
`--force-https` or `-s`	Configures Nginx so that port 80 is permanently redirected to 443.
`--cspn-toe`	Defines the settings for CSPN TOE mode (default: False).
`--server-names=SERVER_NAMES`	Defines the server name and ip for certificate CN and altdnsnames. Separator is a comma (default: None).

Warning

In CSPN mode, WADS and WUA will not appear in the WAPT console. However, the Peer Cache, reporting and Secondary Repositories features can be enabled, though they should not be activated because it is not assessed in the CSPN target.

Enabling Peer Cache in the WAPT console :

By edit a new agent configuration :

Go to Tools ‣ Edit agent dynamic configurations. Check the option Use Peer Cache.

By use a WAPT configuration package :

Create a package in WAPT Packages → Make package template from setup file → Host agent dynamic configuration. Check the option Use Peer Cache.

Enabling Secondary Repositories in the WAPT console :

For the agent :

By edit a new agent configuration :

Go to Tools ‣ Edit agent dynamic configurations. Check Use repository rules.

By use a WAPT configuration package :

Create a package in WAPT Packages → Make package template from setup file → Host agent dynamic configuration. Check the option Use repository rules.

For Configuring an agent as a secondary repository :

By edit a new agent configuration :

Go to Tools ‣ Edit agent dynamic configurations. Go to the Repo-sync tab and check Synchronize packages and system updates on the agent.

By use a WAPT configuration package :

Create a package in WAPT Packages → Make package template from setup file → Host agent dynamic configuration. Go to the Repo-sync tab and check Synchronize packages and system updates on the agent

The WAPT Server is now ready. You may go to the documentation on installing the WAPT Console.