Installing Kalkun from PPA

Good news for Ubuntu or Debian based linux distribution user, i’ve just create debian package for Kalkun, so it’s easier for you to install/upgrade from repository on my PPA at Launchpad, but actually it’s very simple package, it’s just copy the Kalkun source code to the /var/www as the default web root for Ubuntu, you still have to create database and do some manual configuration. But it’s the best i can do right now, later we should create automatic configuration script, so you don’t have to do config it manually.

So, here it is.

First, you have to add my PPA (Personal Packages Archive) to your repository list (/etc/apt/source.list).

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/back2arie/ppa/ubuntu lucid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/back2arie/ppa/ubuntu lucid main

Next, add my key to verify the packages and then, update your repository:

$ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys B3830FF1
$ sudo apt-get update

Last, install Kalkun.

$ sudo apt-get install kalkun

This will install kalkun will all required packages, like apache2, php5, mysql-client, and gammu-smsd. mysql-server is not installed by default, because you might want to use external database, but if you want to use local database, you must install mysql-server package.

$ sudo apt-get install mysql-server

Now, we have kalkun and all required packages installed.

Next is configuration.
=========================================
Database configuration
=========================================
Connect to mysql server and create database named kalkun

$ mysql -u root -p
mysql> CREATE DATABASE kalkun;

It’s highly recommended to create specific database user for kalkun database, so other user will not get interrupted, it’s security issue.

mysql > GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON kalkun.* TO 'username'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Change username and password as you want.
Then, flush privileges to activate your changes

mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

==========================================
Gammu-SMSD
==========================================

Connect your phone, and see where it’s attached to.

$ tail -f /var/log/messages

Create log file

$ sudo touch /etc/smsdlog

Edit /etc/gammu-smsdrc.

[gammu]
 port = /dev/ttyACM0 # change this
 connection = at115200 #chage this

[smsd]
 PIN = 1234
 service = mysql
 DeliveryReport = sms
 logfile = /etc/smsdlog
 debuglevel = 1 # change to 255 if you want to debug

 User = username # change this
 Password = password # change this
 PC = localhost
 Database = kalkun

==========================================
Install Kalkun
==========================================
Edit kalkun database settings on /var/www/kalkun/system/application/config/database.php

$db['default']['hostname'] = "localhost";
$db['default']['username'] = "username"; // change this
$db['default']['password'] = "password"; // change this
$db['default']['database'] = "kalkun";
$db['default']['dbdriver'] = "mysql";

Finally, launch up your browser and go to http://localhost/kalkun, you will see installation wizard there. That should be easy from here.

That’s it

Note: Kalkun version is 0.2.1 and available for Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx.

Introducing: ManageSMS, SMS gateway service provider

We’ve just launched new service called ManageSMS, the SMS gateway service provider. With ManageSMS, you don’t need to build your own SMS gateway, we’ll provide it instantly. The system is centered on our server a.k.a cloud based system, it will save your time, energy and money compared with if you build your own SMS gateway from scratch.

Currently, it’s on beta testing and only support Indonesian SMS operator, but others still can signup and we will let you know if this system available on your country.

We invite you to test, give feedback, share ideas, or anything positive.

For complete reference, you can go to ManageSMS official site http://managesms.net

==
Thanks
The ManageSMS team

Using Kalkun with other application

Let say that you have some application like Point Of Sale, SAP, ERP, or other application that contains information about your client or friends, and somehow you want to reach them via SMS. OK, you have install Kalkun and it’s runs well, but how you send SMS with contact from other application? add/import it to Kalkun phonebook? Hmmm, it’s OK if you have only a few contact, but how about hundred or thousand contact? Your data will become redundant and hard to maintain.

So, maybe a better way is using ‘independent protocol’ that allow applications communicate each other, known as web service, i’ve planning using XML-RPC or SOAP to implement it. But it’s under (slow) development and i need some more time to finish it.

But, right now, i’ve implemented (actually, experimental one) a way for your application to communicate to Kalkun through PHP cURL. Let’s see how to use it.

First, you have to download the script here, and extract it to somewhere on your application directory.

Then, include it on your application script:

<?php

include_once(“Kalkun_API.php”);

// some logic here, eg: database query to get phone number, and looping it
$config['base_url'] = “http://localhost/kalkun/index.php/”; // Kalkun URL
$config['session_file'] = “/tmp/cookies.txt”; // session file, must be writeable
$config['username'] = “username”; // Username on Kalkun
$config['password'] = “password”;
$config['phone_number'] = “123456″; // Your client/friend phone number
$config['message'] = “Test message from API”; // SMS content

$sms = new Kalkun_API($config);
$sms->run();

// Other job

?>

As you can see, all you need is to change the config parameters based on your configuration.

base_url: your Kalkun URL, don’t forget the index.php/
session_file: a file that save your session a.k.a login credential, it must be writeable by web server user
username and password: your login credential for Kalkun, not your application
phone_number: destination phone number, you’ve to get it from your application (through database query)
message: the SMS content

That’s all