Install OpenTracker on Debian [Step-by-Step]

In this step by step tutorial we will demonstrate how to install OpenTracker on your Debian system and start tracking your devices in real-time. Whether you are a business owner or an individual user, installing OpenTracker on Debian will help you streamline your tracking operations. So, let's get started with the process to install OpenTracker on Debian.

Are you looking to install OpenTracker, a real-time GPS tracking software, on your Debian system? Look no further! In this guide, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to install OpenTracker on Debian, one of the most popular Linux distributions. OpenTracker is a powerful tool used in industries such as transportation, logistics, and fleet management to improve efficiency and safety.

Before starting the installation process, it is important to note that Opentracker is a BitTorrent tracker, which means that it will only work if you have a BitTorrent client that can connect to it. Therefore, make sure that you have a BitTorrent client installed on your system before proceeding.

Steps to install OpenTracker on Debian Linux

Step-1: Install dependencies

Open your terminal and type the following command:

sudo apt install libowfat-dev make git build-essential zlib1g-dev libowfat-dev gcc

Step-2: Pull the source code

Clone the repository by typing the following command:

$ git clone git://erdgeist.org/opentracker
Cloning into 'opentracker'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 2440, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (2440/2440), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (929/929), done.
remote: Total 2440 (delta 1662), reused 2202 (delta 1503), pack-reused 0
Receiving objects: 100% (2440/2440), 667.20 KiB | 93.00 KiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (1662/1662), done.

Step-3: Compile the code

Go to the opentracker directory:

$ cd opentracker/

Then run the make command:

$ make
cc -c -o opentracker.o -I../libowfat -Wall -pipe -Wextra  -O3 -DWANT_FULLSCRAPE opentracker.c
cc -c -o trackerlogic.o -I../libowfat -Wall -pipe -Wextra  -O3 -DWANT_FULLSCRAPE trackerlogic.c
cc -c -o scan_urlencoded_query.o -I../libowfat -Wall -pipe -Wextra  -O3 -DWANT_FULLSCRAPE scan_urlencoded_query.c
...

Step-4: Start Opentracker

Start Opentracker with the following command:

$ ./opentracker &
[1] 2464

Opentracker uses port 6969 by default. You can access it in any web browser as follows:

For example: http://server_ip:6969/stats

To stop OpenTracker, you must kill the process id it shows at startup:

$ kill -9 2465

Step-5: Limit access to Opentracker

If you want to limit access to Opentracker to a certain IP and port, start it as follows:

$ ./opentracker.debug -i 192.168.122.177 -p 6969
Binding socket type TCP to address [192.168.122.177]:6969... success.
 installing 0 workers on udp socket -1

Step-6: Create OpenTracker Service File

It can be difficult to always run OpenTracker from the relevant directory. Now let's turn it into a service.

First move the app to the opt directory:

$ sudo mv opentracker /opt/

Create a service file:

$ sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/opentracker.service

Then copy the following content into it:

[Unit]
Description=opentracker Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/opt/opentracker/opentracker &
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload the service file:

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Enable:

$ sudo systemctl enable opentracker.service
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/opentracker.service → /etc/systemd/system/opentracker.service.

and start:

$ sudo systemctl start opentracker.service

Look at the service status and you will see it running:

$ sudo systemctl status opentracker.service
● opentracker.service - opentracker Service
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/opentracker.service; enabled; ven
   Active: active (running) since Tue 2023-04-11 22:13:43 +03; 6s ago
 Main PID: 1452 (opentracker)
    Tasks: 4 (limit: 2319)
   Memory: 460.0K
   CGroup: /system.slice/opentracker.service
           └─1452 /opt/opentracker/opentracker &

Apr 11 22:13:43 pardus systemd[1]: Started opentracker Service.

OpenTracker default configurations are in the opentracker.conf file. Copy a sample file:

$ sudo cp /opt/opentracker/opentracker.conf.sample /opt/opentracker/opentracker.conf

You can edit as you wish:

$ sudo nano /opt/opentracker/opentracker.conf

  GNU nano 3.2    /opt/opentracker/opentracker.conf.sample              

# opentracker config file
#

# I)   Address opentracker will listen on, using both, tcp AND udp fami$
#      (note, that port 6969 is implicite if ommitted).
#
#      If no listen option is given (here or on the command
...
# listen.udp.workers 4
#
# listen.tcp_udp 0.0.0.0
# listen.tcp_udp 192.168.0.1:80
# listen.tcp_udp 10.0.0.5:6969
#
# To only listen on tcp or udp family ports, list them this way:
#
# listen.tcp 0.0.0.0
# listen.udp 192.168.0.1:6969

...

A service restart may be required after changes. To stop the service, you can write:

$ sudo systemctl stop opentracker.service

Summary