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Install Kimai on a Synology NAS

How to install Kimai on a Synology NAS with DSM 7+

Kimai 2.13.0 Kimai 1.30.0 2.37.0 (latest version)

Self-hosting knowledge prerequisites

Self-hosting Kimai requires technical knowledge, including:

  • Setting up and configuring servers and containers
  • Managing application resources and scaling
  • Securing servers and applications
  • Configuring Kimai

Kimai recommends self-hosting for expert users. Mistakes can lead to data loss, security issues, and downtime. If you aren’t experienced at managing servers, Kimai recommends the hosted cloud.

Everything is handled via the Conatiner Manager on the Synology DSM 7+ Web UI.

This HowTo explains the installation of Kimai on a Synology NAS with DSM 7+ - but right now there are some steps missing.

Installation

  • Open “Container Manager”
  • Go to “Registration”
    • Select “kimai/kimai2”
    • Select “Download”
    • Select “apache” Tag and wait until download is finished
  • Go to “Projects”
    • Create a new Project
      • Next steps are not documented, if you try it, please share what you did, so we can adapt the docs!
      • Use Dockerfile from below …

Docker-Composer YAML

version: '3.5'
services:

  sqldb:
    image: mysql:5.7
    volumes:
      - mysql:/var/lib/mysql
    environment:
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=kimai
      - MYSQL_USER=kimaiuser
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=kimaipassword
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=changemeplease
    command: --default-storage-engine innodb
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: mysqladmin -p$$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD ping -h localhost
      interval: 20s
      start_period: 10s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3

  kimai:
    image: kimai/kimai2:apache
    volumes:
      - data:/opt/kimai/var/data
      - plugins:/opt/kimai/var/plugins
    ports:
      - 8001:8001
    environment:
      - ADMINMAIL=admin@kimai.local
      - ADMINPASS=changemeplease
      - "DATABASE_URL=mysql://kimaiuser:kimaipassword@sqldb/kimai?charset=utf8mb4&serverVersion=5.7.40"
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  data:
  mysql:
  plugins:

Updating the image

  • Open “Container Manager”
  • Go to “Registration”
    • Select “kimai/kimai2”
    • Select “Download”
    • Select “apache” Tag and wait until download is finished
  • Now go to “Projects”
    • Select “Kimai” and stop it
    • Select “Kimai” and the “create it”
    • Start “Kimai”

Installing plugins

You have to create a docker volume mount for the plugins, let’s call it kimai_plugins.

This will be stored at /volume1/@docker/volumes/kimai_plugins/_data/.

  • Copy the ZIP files into a directory via File Station, e.g. /volume1/home/kimai/
  • Extract the ZIP files, e.g. /volume1/home/kimai/KioskBundle-1.12.0
  • Rename the directory, e.g. /volume1/home/kimai/KioskBundle
  • Now SSH into the DSM
    • ssh user@synology-ip
    • sudo su
    • cd /volume1/@docker/volumes/kimai_plugins/_data/
    • mv /volume1/home/kimai/KioskBundle .
  • Now install the plugin in Kimai
    • docker exec -it kimai /bin/bash
    • cd /opt/kimai/var/cache/
    • rm -rf pro*
    • cd /opt/kimai/
    • bin/console kimai:bundle:kiosk:install
  • Quit both the Docker and SSH sessions with exit
  • Reload the Kimai website

Backups

You can export your Kimai database with a daily cronjob:

  • Create a backup directory, e.g. /volume1/backups/
  • Start the “Task Scheduler” and configure a Custom script, which you run as root, e.g. daily at 01:00.

The script looks like this:

/usr/local/bin/docker exec kimai-sqldb-1 mysqldump -uroot -pchangemeplease kimai > /volume1/backups/kimai-`date +%Y-%m-%d`.sql

You might habe to adjust the database container name kimai-sqldb-1 and the password changemeplease to your configured values.

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