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Overview

Standalone deployment gives you full control over the MCRIT installation and is suitable for:
  • Development and testing environments
  • Custom deployment scenarios
  • Systems where Docker is not available
  • Performance-critical production deployments with fine-tuned configurations
This guide assumes Ubuntu as the host operating system. Adjustments may be needed for other Linux distributions or operating systems.

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Prerequisites

  • Python 3.7 or later
  • pip (Python package manager)
  • MongoDB 5.0 or later
  • Git (for cloning the repository)
  • Sufficient system resources (4GB+ RAM recommended)

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Installation Steps

1

Install Python dependencies

Install Python and pip:
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip
2

Clone MCRIT repository

git clone https://github.com/danielplohmann/mcrit.git
cd mcrit
3

Install MCRIT dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt
For development installation (editable mode):
pip install -e .
4

Install and configure MongoDB

Follow the MongoDB installation steps in the next section.
5

Start MCRIT services

Start the server and worker processes as described in the Operation section.

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MongoDB Installation

MongoDB 5.0 is the default and recommended backend for persistent data storage.

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Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy)

1

Install MongoDB signing key

sudo apt-get install gnupg
wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-5.0.asc | sudo apt-key add -
2

Add MongoDB repository

echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/5.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-5.0.list
3

Install MongoDB

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org
4

Start MongoDB service

sudo systemctl start mongod
Enable MongoDB to start on system boot:
sudo systemctl enable mongod

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Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal)

sudo apt-get install gnupg
wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-5.0.asc | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu focal/mongodb-org/5.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-5.0.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org
sudo systemctl start mongod
sudo systemctl enable mongod

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Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic)

sudo apt-get install gnupg
wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-5.0.asc | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu bionic/mongodb-org/5.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-5.0.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org
sudo systemctl start mongod
sudo systemctl enable mongod

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Verify MongoDB Installation

sudo systemctl status mongod
mongo --eval 'db.runCommand({ connectionStatus: 1 })'

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Operation

MCRIT consists of two main components that work together:

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MCRIT Server

The server provides the REST API interface for client interactions. Start the server: 
mcrit server
By default, the server listens on http://127.0.0.1:8000/. Using Gunicorn (Linux only, recommended for production): 
mcrit server --gunicorn
Gunicorn provides better performance for production deployments on Linux systems.
The server uses waitress as the default WSGI server on Windows and when Gunicorn is not available.

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MCRIT Worker

Workers process queued jobs such as sample analysis, matching, and hash generation. Start a worker: 
mcrit worker
Start a spawning worker (for better memory management): 
mcrit spawningworker
Spawning workers execute jobs in separate child processes, which helps reduce memory allocation issues. Child processes are terminated after the timeout configured in QUEUE_SPAWNINGWORKER_CHILDREN_TIMEOUT (default: 3600 seconds).

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Running Multiple Workers

For improved performance, run multiple workers in separate terminals or as separate services: 
# Terminal 1
mcrit worker

# Terminal 2
mcrit worker

# Terminal 3
mcrit worker

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Systemd Service Configuration

For production deployments, configure MCRIT to run as systemd services.

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MCRIT Server Service

Create /etc/systemd/system/mcrit-server.service: 
[Unit]
Description=MCRIT Server
After=network.target mongodb.service
Requires=mongodb.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=mcrit
Group=mcrit
WorkingDirectory=/opt/mcrit
Environment="PATH=/opt/mcrit/venv/bin"
ExecStart=/opt/mcrit/venv/bin/mcrit server --gunicorn
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=mcrit-server

# Security settings
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/opt/mcrit/data

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

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MCRIT Worker Service

Create /etc/systemd/system/[email protected]: 
[Unit]
Description=MCRIT Worker %i
After=network.target mongodb.service mcrit-server.service
Requires=mongodb.service
Wants=mcrit-server.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=mcrit
Group=mcrit
WorkingDirectory=/opt/mcrit
Environment="PATH=/opt/mcrit/venv/bin"
ExecStart=/opt/mcrit/venv/bin/mcrit worker
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=mcrit-worker-%i

# Security settings
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/opt/mcrit/data

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

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Enable and Start Services

# Reload systemd configuration
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Enable services to start on boot
sudo systemctl enable mcrit-server
sudo systemctl enable mcrit-worker@1
sudo systemctl enable mcrit-worker@2

# Start services
sudo systemctl start mcrit-server
sudo systemctl start mcrit-worker@1
sudo systemctl start mcrit-worker@2

# Check status
sudo systemctl status mcrit-server
sudo systemctl status mcrit-worker@1

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View Service Logs

# Server logs
sudo journalctl -u mcrit-server -f

# Worker logs
sudo journalctl -u mcrit-worker@1 -f

# All MCRIT services
sudo journalctl -u 'mcrit-*' -f

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Firewall Configuration

Configure firewall rules to secure your MCRIT deployment.

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UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall)

# Allow SSH (if needed)
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

# Allow MCRIT API (from specific IPs or networks)
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 8000

# Or allow from any IP (not recommended for production)
sudo ufw allow 8000/tcp

# Block MongoDB from external access
sudo ufw deny 27017/tcp

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable

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iptables

# Allow MCRIT API from specific network
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 192.168.1.0/24 --dport 8000 -j ACCEPT

# Block MongoDB from external access
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 27017 -j DROP

# Save rules
sudo netfilter-persistent save
Never expose MongoDB port 27017 to the internet without proper authentication and encryption.

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Network Considerations

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Binding to Specific Interfaces

By default, the MCRIT server listens on all interfaces (0.0.0.0:8000). To restrict to localhost only, modify the server configuration or use a reverse proxy.

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Using a Reverse Proxy

For production deployments, use nginx or Apache as a reverse proxy: nginx configuration example: 
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name mcrit.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        
        # Timeout for long-running requests
        proxy_read_timeout 300s;
        proxy_connect_timeout 75s;
    }
}

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SSL/TLS Configuration

For secure communications, configure SSL/TLS on your reverse proxy: 
server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name mcrit.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/mcrit.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/mcrit.key;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        # ... proxy settings ...
    }
}

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User and Permissions Setup

Create a dedicated user for running MCRIT: 
# Create mcrit user
sudo useradd -r -s /bin/bash -d /opt/mcrit mcrit

# Create directories
sudo mkdir -p /opt/mcrit/{data,logs}

# Set ownership
sudo chown -R mcrit:mcrit /opt/mcrit

# Install MCRIT as the mcrit user
sudo -u mcrit bash
cd /opt/mcrit
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install mcrit

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Offline Operation

After initial installation, MCRIT can operate without an internet connection: 
# Install all dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install MCRIT
pip install -e .

# Verify offline capability
# Disconnect from internet and test
mcrit server

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Troubleshooting

Check if port 8000 is already in use:
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 8000
Verify MongoDB is running:
sudo systemctl status mongod
Check server logs for errors.
Verify MongoDB connectivity:
mongo --host 127.0.0.1 --port 27017
Check MongoDB authentication settings if enabled.Ensure the worker has the correct configuration in the environment or config files.
Ensure the MCRIT user has proper permissions:
sudo chown -R mcrit:mcrit /opt/mcrit
Check SELinux status if applicable:
sestatus

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Next Steps

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