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Prerequisites

Important Decisions to Make​

  1. Ensure you have full control of your domain to add records such as "A" and "AAAA". Verify that you can add records and that they are reflected on the internet.
  2. Select a domain name. For the collaboration and office suite server, it is recommended to use a subdomain like collab.yourdomain.com. Ensure the domain is available and you have full control through your provider.
  3. Root access to the VM is required, as containers run on Docker. The VM must also be set up with other tools and configurations.

Hosting Requirements​

  1. Set the hostname of the machine to the correct domain name using the following command. (Note: You may need to review and update your /etc/hosts file as well.)

    hostnamectl set-hostname <collab.example.com>

  2. Configure the 'A' record with the IPv4 address and the 'AAAA' record with the IPv6 address in your domain hosting platform. (Note: The process varies by provider.)

    Ping should work from any external host to the collab server host.

    ping <collab.example.com>

    Output:

    Pinging collab.example.com [2202:1000:9000:700::15ef] with 32 bytes of data:
    Reply from 2202:1000:9000:700::15ef: time=41ms
    Reply from 2202:1000:9000:700::15ef: time=41ms

  3. Set reverse DNS for your VM at the provider hosting your VM. (Note: The process varies by provider.)

For more DNS-related requirements, visit the Nextcloud Documentation.

For optimal performance, including antivirus:

ParameterMinimum ConfigurationComment
RAM8 GB16 GB recommended for 10+ users
CPU2 vCPU4 vCPU recommended for smoother operations with a larger user base
Space50 GB + configured user space based on number of usersIf 10 GB per user and 10 users are planned, the minimum space should be around 150 GB

Required Settings and Packages on the VM​

Install Basic System Packages​

sudo apt install net-tools

Set the Correct Time Zone​

dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

After this, ensure NTP is enabled and synchronized. Run the following command to check:

timedatectl status

Output:

               Local time: Wed 2026-01-28 10:47:23 IST
           Universal time: Wed 2026-01-28 05:17:23 UTC
                 RTC time: Wed 2026-01-28 05:17:23
                Time zone: Asia/Kolkata (IST, +0530)
System clock synchronized: yes
              NTP service: active
          RTC in local TZ: no

Network Settings for Optimal Performance​

sysctl -w net.core.rmem_max=7500000
sysctl -w net.core.wmem_max=7500000

(Note: You may need to set this in /etc/sysctl.d to make it permanent on the host.)

Ensure Required Ports Are Not Used or Blocked​

If the following command returns anything, review and remove the processes before setting up the new email server.

ss -tlpn | grep -E -w '80|443|8080|8443'

The above list covers the minimal settings required. For a more detailed and extensive list of prerequisites, visit the Nextcloud Documentation.