Easy Garage Sale Point of Sale.

Intro: Easy Garage Sale Point of Sale.

Sourceforge.net has a tremendous amount of free software. One area they excel at is with web  server based software.  A web server is a perfect use for an old machine. In fact, I still have an old pII based box that runs our private web server. All the screenshots are from that system. Probably will have to update to a pIII soon.

In any case I found this great piece of software that is easier to install than most desktop applications. It should work on any system with a W/M/Lamp based server (The only real difference I could see was dealing with file permissions).    It is a pos or short for point of sale software. This is great for a garage sale or a charity event where you need to sort of act like a small business. Most everything in it is point and click once you have it set up. One thing I like about it is, you can access it with an Ipad, Android, or any tablet that has a built in web browser. That gives you and anyone working with you to have the freedom to move around at your sale and not be stuck behind a register.

Update: corrected a few typos....

STEP 1: What's Needed.

Home local area network.
Debian or Ubuntu lamp web server with Phpmyadmin

See: https://www.instructables.com/id/Quicky-web-server-for-linux/

$ sudo apt-get install phpmyladmin

The software from:
http://opensourcepos.sourceforge.net/

STEP 2: Set Up the Database.

You will need to decide what names you want to use.

User name: pos
Database name: pos
Database password: thepassword (use something of your own choosing.)
Server: localhost

Be sure to write down what you choose as you will need that information later.

Log into you Phpmyadmin on the web server.

Go to Privileges.
Go down to add new user. click on it.
Fill in the information you decided above. (Do not click on generate password.)
Click: (Create database with same name and grant all privileges)
Do not add global privileges. (for security reasons).
Click go. (You should get a new page saying what was done.)
Click on Privileges again at the top.
Go to the bottom of the new page and click on reload privileges.
Log out.

STEP 3: Dns Avoidance.

If you do not want to go to the trouble of setting up a real visible website, then make up a website that does not exist. You can use nslookup to make sure.

$ nslookup myposgarage.com
Server:        192.168.1.1
Address:    192.168.1.1#53

** server can't find myposgarage.com: NXDOMAIN

Then make a virtual site on your server.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Trial-setup-of-virtual-hosts-One-web-server-with/

Note: Be sure to add your new website address to your Local dns server or router.

STEP 4: File Maintenance.

1. unzip and upload Open Source Point of Sale files to web server

$ sudo unzip opensource.zip /var/www/
$ cd /var/www/opensourcepos

2. Copy application/config/database.php.tmp to application/config/database.php

$ sudo cp application/config/database.php.tmp application/config/database.php

3. Modify application/config/database.php to connect to your database (from what you used in Phpmyadmin)

$ sudo nano application/config/database.php

4. Modify application/config/config.php encryption key with your own information (optional if on a private network and not using wifi)

5. Rights to files.

$ cd /var/www/
$ sudo chown -R www-data:www-data opensourcepos
$ sudo chmod -R 755 opensourcepos

STEP 5: You Should Be in Now.

Go to your point of sale install via the browser (in our case www.myposgarage.com)
LOGIN using
username: admin
password:pointofsale

Tada! You are set up. If you are unsure where to go from here, please consult a business professional about setting up your store.

Web engine search: setting up a point of sale.

If you plan to use wireless, set up the server on a completely separate network besides what you normally use. Use the most complex  encryption method you can. Shut down the wireless network when not in use.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Your-personal-intranet-Part-1

STEP 6: Need a Little More Horsepower?

If you would like a web interface with a lot more options, you might consider oscommerce. It is also available from sourceforge.net. We als run it on our local server.

Comments

[thegeekkid]

Nice job... any idea how to use this on Windows Server 2003?

[Computothought]

Did not know win2k3 was still supported. If I can find a I will try it.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Quicky-web-server-for-MSWindows-XP/
http://www.devside.net/guides/windows/phpmyadmin You could always try xaamp for mswindows. Worst case scenario is a virtual machine with linux. Should be able to do it with minimal memory if you use a server version and not a desktop distro.

[thegeekkid]

Thanks! I know that a lot of people are still using win2k3... I use it because I was able to get it for free through a agreement between my school and Microsoft.

[Computothought]

Instructable user benlabs has experience with Wamp. From what I can see the install is about the same except for directory permissions. I could not get wamp to run on my virtual install. I am not going to waste a machine to install that old win2k software. More and more companies are dumping mswindows products for linux especially for web serving. Amazes me your school still wants to push it. Even Azure has it own set of issues from what I am told. Not used it myself.

[thegeekkid]

It's not my school... it's microsoft. :) I just get access to everything Microsoft ever made for free because of an agreement with my school. Thanks for your help though! :)

[Computothought]

Per an alleged MS rep:
Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2

Additionally, on July 13, 2010, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 will transition from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase. Extended Support for Windows Server 2003 and for Windows Server 2003 R2 will be available until July 14, 2015.

We provide the following support during the Extended Support phase for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 at a supported service pack level:

We will continue to provide security updates and paid support.
Customers will continue to have access to all security updates and Self-Help Online Support options.
Non-security hotfixes developed in the Extended Support phase are only available to customers who enroll in Extended Hotfix Support (EHS).

[thegeekkid]

Ya... I would have used 2008, since I also get that for free as well, but for some reason the download server for that one wasn't working right, and by the time they got it working right I already had everything set up on 2003. When I have time I will probably upgrade to 2008... but with 3 jobs and being a full time student, I have my hands full! :) The agreement through my school allows me to use all of the Microsoft operating systems for free... even 8 bit DOS! (Although I don't think that is a popular download!)