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Installing LSWS with Plesk

This wiki will cover how to install LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) and LiteSpeed's Plesk Extension on a Plesk server. There are multiple ways to go about the installation. The wiki will only cover installing the Plesk Extension first and then installing LSWS from the extension.

This wiki assumes that you have a working Apache-Plesk setup.

  1. OSs: Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, or MacOSX
  2. A working Apache setup
  3. Plesk 11 or up

Download the extension

wget http://www.litespeedtech.com/packages/plesk/litespeed-plesk.zip

Or simply visit our control panel plugin download page and download it to your PC.

Note: Plesk 12 users can also find the Plesk Extension in the Plesk Extension catalog.

Add the extension from Plesk

Server Management > Extensions > Add Extension > litespeed-plesk.zip

Plesk 11: Run the commands requested

Plesk 11 requires root level commands be run from the command line. To finish the installation, run the commands requested as root:

sh /usr/local/psa/admin/plib/modules/litespeed/scripts/install_scripts
rm /usr/local/psa/admin/plib/modules/litespeed/scripts/install_scripts

Note: Plesk 11 users will also see a warning that /sbin/ is not used when installing. This is normal and appears because the extension is compatible with both Plesk 11 and 12.

You can now access the LiteSpeed Plesk Extension under Server Management > Extensions > Module LiteSpeed.

Install LSWS

Click “Install LiteSpeed Web Server”.

Check “I agree” and input your license's serial number or request a trial license.

You must also set a password for LSWS's WebAdmin console. Other settings are optional, though it is recommended you install the first time with a port offset.

Other installation settings

  • Installation directory: Defines where LSWS will be installed.
  • Port offset: Allows running LSWS in parallel with Apache for testing purposes. The number in the port offset will be added to Apache port numbers to determine what port LSWS runs on. (For example, if the port offset is 1000, LSWS will serve sites on ports 1080 and 1443.)
  • Enable PHP suEXEC: Enables or disables suEXEC. This setting must be enabled if you currently use suEXEC.
  • Administrator email(s): Administrator emails.

When you're ready, click the “Install” button at the bottom.

Now, start LSWS by clicking “Restart LiteSpeed”.

Build PHP for LSWS

LSWS requires PHP built with LSAPI. We will be building PHP through the WebAdmin console, but PHP can also be built through the command line. (When building from the command line, simply add the "--with-litespeed" option to have it built with LSAPI.)

Access the WebAdmin console by clicking “WebAdmin Console”.

Use the user name and password you set during installation to log in.

The Build PHP tool can be found under Actions > Compile PHP.

Select your PHP version number.

Configure your PHP with the options you want. Pay special attention to the Configure Parameters field. These parameters must mirror the PHP options you have with Apache for LSWS to serve your PHP sites correctly.

LSWS will prepare to build PHP. When it is done, click “Next”.

You will now be asked to run a script as root to build PHP.

Because LSWS builds PHP from source code you may have to install some missing libraries to build PHP.

Restart LSWS when the build is complete.

Test your sites with a port offset

The beauty of the port offset is that you can run LSWS and Apache in parallel. This means you can try out your sites with LSWS to make sure they work before atually turning off Apache. In our setup, I have set the port offset to 1000. If I want to check any sites, I can do so on ports 1080 and 1443.

Once you're confident that your sites are running correctly with LSWS, it's time to switch to LSWS as your main server.

Switch to LSWS

Click “Switch to LiteSpeed”. This will stop Apache and switch LSWS to your main server ports — 80 and 443.

And now you're running LiteSpeed!

  • Admin
  • Last modified: 2014/08/04 14:24
  • by Michael Armstrong