Prerequisites

Before installing PATH DRC EMR, ensure your system meets the following requirements.

Hardware Requirements

We recommend selecting your hardware based on real-world needs, such as the number of concurrent users or expected patient records.

These specifications assume a bare metal installation of the OS. Running OpenMRS as a VM on a Windows computer for any production use is NOT recommended.

Minimum Requirements (1-10 Users)

Resource Requirement
CPU Quad-core or higher desktop-class processor
RAM 8 GB
Disk Space 100+ GB HDD
Network Internet connectivity (for online installation)
Resource Requirement
CPU 8 cores or higher
RAM 16 GB
Disk Space 100+ GB in RAID configuration
Backup Dedicated backup facilities

Cloud Requirements (AWS)

Usage Instance Type Notes
Minimum (1-10 users) EC2 t3.medium Basic deployment
Recommended (10+ users) EC2 t3.large or higher 8GB RAM, more processors

Scale up based on number of concurrent users. For high-traffic facilities, consider t3.xlarge or dedicated instances.

Software Requirements

Required Software

Docker

Docker Compose

Operating System

Supported:

  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or newer
  • Debian 11 or newer
  • RHEL/CentOS 8 or newer
  • Other modern Linux distributions with Docker support

Windows is not recommended for production deployments. Use Linux for all production installations.

Network Requirements

For Online Installation

  • Stable internet connectivity required
  • Outbound HTTPS (443) access to:
    • ghcr.io (GitHub Container Registry)
    • github.com (for downloading files)

For Offline Installation

  • No internet required on target system
  • Download on internet-connected machine, transfer via USB or local network
  • See Offline Installation for details

Access Requirements

GitHub Personal Access Token

For online installation, you need a GitHub Personal Access Token (classic) with read:packages scope:

  1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
  2. Click Generate new token (classic)
  3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “PATH DRC EMR deployment”)
  4. Select scope: read:packages
  5. Click Generate token
  6. Copy the token immediately (you won’t see it again)

The token is used for both Docker image pulls and Maven builds. Keep it secure.

System Access

  • Root or sudo access on the target system
  • Ability to run Docker commands

Verification Commands

Before proceeding with installation, verify your system is ready:

Check Docker 

# Verify Docker is installed
docker --version
# Expected: Docker version 20.10.x or newer

# Verify Docker is running
sudo systemctl status docker

# Verify you can run Docker commands
docker run hello-world

Check Docker Compose 

# Verify Docker Compose
docker compose version
# Expected: Docker Compose version v2.x.x or newer

Check System Resources 

# Check available disk space (need 100+ GB)
df -h

# Check available memory (need 8+ GB)
free -h

# Check CPU cores
nproc

Check Network (Online Installation) 

# Test connectivity to GitHub Container Registry
curl -I https://ghcr.io

# Test connectivity to GitHub
curl -I https://github.com

Verification Checklist

Before proceeding with installation, verify:

  • Server/VM meets minimum hardware requirements (quad-core, 8GB RAM, 100GB disk)
  • Operating system is Linux-based (Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, etc.)
  • Docker is installed and running: docker --version
  • Docker Compose is installed: docker compose version
  • Sufficient disk space available: df -h
  • Network connectivity as required for installation type
  • GitHub Personal Access Token created (online installation only)
  • Root or sudo access available

Installation Options

Once prerequisites are met, choose your installation method:

Method Use Case Requirements
Quick Start Testing and evaluation Internet access
Online Installation Production with internet Stable internet
Offline Installation Air-gapped environments Pre-downloaded bundle

Next Steps