How to install TeamSpeak 3 on RHEL 8

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Discover how to install TeamSpeak 3 on RHEL 8 effortlessly with our step-by-step guide. Get your communication server up and running smoothly on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 in no time. #centlinux #linux #voip

What is VoIP?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that enables voice communication and multimedia sessions over the Internet or other IP networks. Instead of using traditional telephone networks, VoIP converts voice signals into digital data packets that are transmitted over the internet using IP-based networks. Here are some key aspects of VoIP:

Transmission of Voice: VoIP allows users to make voice calls using the internet rather than traditional telephone lines. Voice data is converted into digital packets and transmitted over IP networks, including the internet.
Cost-Effective Communication: VoIP often offers cost savings compared to traditional telephone services, especially for long-distance and international calls. Many VoIP providers offer flat-rate plans or pay-as-you-go pricing models.
Rich Multimedia Communication: In addition to voice calls, VoIP technology supports multimedia communication, including video calls, conferencing, and messaging, enhancing collaboration and productivity.
Flexibility and Mobility: VoIP services are accessible from any internet-connected device, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers, providing flexibility and mobility for users.
Integration with Existing Infrastructure: VoIP can integrate with existing IP-based networks and communication systems, allowing organizations to leverage their investments in infrastructure and technology.
Advanced Features: VoIP services often include a range of advanced features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email transcription, auto-attendants, virtual phone numbers, and more, enhancing communication efficiency and convenience.
Scalability: VoIP solutions can easily scale to accommodate growing communication needs, whether for small businesses or large enterprises, without requiring significant infrastructure changes.
Quality of Service (QoS): Ensuring high-quality voice calls over VoIP networks requires proper network configuration and management to prioritize voice traffic and minimize latency, jitter, and packet loss.
Security: VoIP systems may be vulnerable to security threats such as eavesdropping, identity spoofing, and denial-of-service attacks. Implementing encryption, access controls, and other security measures is essential to protect sensitive communications.

Overall, VoIP technology has revolutionized the way people communicate by providing cost-effective, flexible, and feature-rich communication solutions for individuals, businesses, and organizations of all sizes.

What is TeamSpeak?

TeamSpeak is a proprietary voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) software application used for audio communication between users on a chat channel, much like a telephone conference call. It is particularly popular among gamers and online communities where real-time communication is essential for coordination and teamwork. Here are some key features and aspects of TeamSpeak:

Voice Communication: TeamSpeak allows users to communicate with each other using voice in real-time, enabling clear and efficient communication during gaming sessions, virtual meetings, or online collaboration.
Low Latency: TeamSpeak is known for its low latency, ensuring minimal delay between the transmission and reception of audio data, which is crucial for fast-paced gaming and real-time communication.
Cross-Platform Support: TeamSpeak is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, allowing users to connect from a variety of devices.
Server-Based Architecture: TeamSpeak operates on a client-server architecture, where users connect to a central server to communicate with each other. This allows for centralized administration and management of chat channels and users.
High-Quality Audio: TeamSpeak supports high-quality audio codecs, providing clear and crisp voice communication even in noisy environments.
Channel Management: TeamSpeak servers can host multiple chat channels, each with its own set of permissions and settings, allowing users to organize discussions based on topics or groups.
Security Features: TeamSpeak offers various security features such as password protection, encryption, and access controls to ensure the privacy and security of communication channels.
Customization and Add-Ons: TeamSpeak allows users to customize their client experience with themes, plugins, and add-ons, enhancing functionality and personalization.
File Transfer: TeamSpeak enables users to share files and documents with each other during voice calls or chat sessions, facilitating collaboration and information sharing.
Community and Support: TeamSpeak has a large and active user community, providing support, tutorials, and resources for users to get the most out of the software.

Overall, TeamSpeak provides a reliable and feature-rich platform for real-time voice communication, making it a popular choice for gamers, online communities, businesses, and organizations where effective collaboration and coordination are essential.

Recommended Book: Packet Guide to Voice over IP: A system administrator’s guide to VoIP technologies 1st Edition (PAID LINK) by Bruce Hartpence
Recommended Online Training: How to Start a Home Voip Business & Quit Your Job in 90 days

Server Specification for TeamSpeak 3

We are using a minimal RHEL 8 virtual machine with following specifications.

CPU – 3.4 Ghz (2 cores)
Memory – 2 GB
Storage – 20 GB
Operating System – Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4
Hostname – teamspeak-01.centlinux.com
IP Address – 192.168.116.243 /24

Update your Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server

Connect with teamspeak-01.centlinux.com as root user by using a ssh client.

If you are facing problem while using dnf command on your RHEL server. This usually happens when you clone a virtual machine from already subscribed Red Hat Enterprise Linux server.

To workaround this problem, you have to refresh your Red Hat subscription by executing following command.

# subscription-manager refresh
1 local certificate has been deleted.
All local data refreshed

Build cache for the enabled yum repositories by executing following command at Linux bash prompt.

# dnf makecache
Updating Subscription Management repositories.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 for x86_64 - BaseOS  223 kB/s |  37 MB     02:50
Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder for RHEL 8 x86_ 178 kB/s | 5.5 MB     00:31
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 for x86_64 - AppStre 151 kB/s |  33 MB     03:41
Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:09 ago on Wed 20 Oct 2021 11:16:15 AM EDT.
Metadata cache created.

Update installed software packages on your Linux server.

# dnf update -y

If the above command updates your old Linux kernel then you have to reboot your machine with updated Linux kernel.

# reboot

Verify the version of Linux Kernel and Operating System.

# uname -r
4.18.0-305.19.1.el8_4.x86_64

# cat /etc/os-release
NAME="Red Hat Enterprise Linux"
VERSION="8.4 (Ootpa)"
ID="rhel"
ID_LIKE="fedora"
VERSION_ID="8.4"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 (Ootpa)"
ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.4:GA"
HOME_URL="https://www.redhat.com/"
DOCUMENTATION_URL="https://access.redhat.com/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugzilla.redhat.com/"

REDHAT_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT="Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8"
REDHAT_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT_VERSION=8.4
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="Red Hat Enterprise Linux"
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION="8.4"

Configure TeamSpeak Server Prerequisites

Create a Linux user to own TeamSpeak VoIP software. Also set the TeamSpeak installation directory as home directory for that user.

# adduser teamspeak -d /opt/teamspeak

You will require wget and bunzip2 commands to download and extract TeamSpeak server setup. Therefore, install them now by using dnf command.

# dnf install -y wget bzip2

Install TeamSpeak 3 on RHEL 8

You can download TeamSpeak from their official website for your respective Linux OS.

We prefer to copy the download link from that webpage and use wget command to download it directly from the Linux CLI.

# cd /tmp
# wget https://files.teamspeak-services.com/releases/server/3.13.6/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.6.tar.bz2
--2021-10-20 11:30:50--  https://files.teamspeak-services.com/releases/server/3.13.6/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.6.tar.bz2
Resolving files.teamspeak-services.com (files.teamspeak-services.com)... 151.139.128.11
Connecting to files.teamspeak-services.com (files.teamspeak-services.com)|151.139.128.11|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 9948972 (9.5M) [application/x-tar]
Saving to: ‘teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.6.tar.bz2’

teamspeak3-server_l 100%[===================>]   9.49M   278KB/s    in 94s

2021-10-20 11:32:29 (103 KB/s) - ‘teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.6.tar.bz2’ saved [9948972/9948972]

Extract downloaded setup of TeamSpeak software to /opt/teamspeak directory by using bunzip2 and tar commands.

# bunzip2 teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.6.tar.bz2
# tar xf teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.6.tar -C /opt/teamspeak/ --strip-components=1

To accept TeamSpeak server license, create an empty file “.ts3server_license_accepted” in /opt/teamspeak directory.

# touch /opt/teamspeak/.ts3server_license_accepted

Grant the ownership of /opt/teamspeak directory to teamspeak Linux user.

# chown -R teamspeak:teamspeak /opt/teamspeak

Create Systemd Service for TeamSpeak Server

To automate start of TeamSpeak VoIP service on Linux startup, you have to create a Systemd service unit.

# vi /lib/systemd/system/teamspeak.service

Add following directives in this file.

[Unit]
Description=Team Speak 3 Server
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/opt/teamspeak/
User=teamspeak
Group=teamspeak
Type=forking
ExecStart=/opt/teamspeak/ts3server_startscript.sh start inifile=ts3server.ini
ExecStop=/opt/teamspeak/ts3server_startscript.sh stop
PIDFile=/opt/teamspeak/ts3server.pid
RestartSec=15
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Inform the Systemd about changes in unit files.

# systemctl daemon-reload

Enable and start TeamSpeak VoIP service.

# systemctl enable --now teamspeak.service
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/teamspeak.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/teamspeak.service.

Check the status of your VoIP server to verify is it started successfully.

# systemctl status teamspeak.service
● teamspeak.service - Team Speak 3 Server
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/teamspeak.service; enabled; vendor p>
   Active: active (running) since Fri 2021-10-22 12:15:29 EDT; 15s ago
  Process: 1456 ExecStart=/opt/teamspeak/ts3server_startscript.sh start inifile>
 Main PID: 1463 (ts3server)
    Tasks: 17 (limit: 5819)
   Memory: 26.2M
   CGroup: /system.slice/teamspeak.service
           └─1463 ./ts3server inifile=ts3server.ini daemon=1 pid_file=ts3server>

Oct 22 12:15:29 teamspeak-01.centlinux.com ts3server_startscript.sh[1456]: Star>
Oct 22 12:15:29 teamspeak-01.centlinux.com ts3server_startscript.sh[1456]: Team>
Oct 22 12:15:29 teamspeak-01.centlinux.com systemd[1]: Started Team Speak 3 Ser>
Oct 22 12:15:30 teamspeak-01.centlinux.com ts3server_startscript.sh[1456]: ---->

If you face difficulty in starting the VoIP service, check the TeamSpeak logs in /opt/teamspeak/logs directory.

Configure Linux Firewall

Allow Teamspeak service ports in Linux firewall. or you can also create a custom service in Linux firewall.

# firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port={10011,10022,30033,10080}/tcp
success
# firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=9987/udp
success
# firewall-cmd --reload
success

Final Thoughts

Installing TeamSpeak 3 on RHEL 8 can greatly enhance your communication capabilities, whether for gaming, virtual meetings, or online collaboration. This guide has equipped you with the knowledge to set up TeamSpeak 3 effortlessly on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.

If you encounter any challenges during the installation process or need further assistance with configuring TeamSpeak to suit your specific needs, I’m here to help.

Visit my Fiverr profile here to explore my services. I offer expert assistance with TeamSpeak installation, configuration, and optimization, ensuring a seamless experience for you and your team. Let’s elevate your communication setup together.