| Ubuntu's "server" install makes a great and standard platform for building many very nice open source solutions. This page outline the process for getting a base Ubuntu server running quickly. |
| First, you will need the Ubuntu "server" install CD. Get it [here]. Burn it to a CD. Boot the CD on any Intel based PC and select "Install to the Hard Disk" at the initial splash screen. The Ubuntu installer will partition and format your disk and install itself. You should accept the default prompts and type in a non-privileged user ID and password when prompted. Once the installer finishes, the CD will automatically eject assuming all of your hardware was properly detected and you should have a basic Ubuntu server install upon reboot. |
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Log in using the non-privileged user ID and password that you
set up during the install process. Then set a root password so you can login
to this privileged account for further setup by typing at the command
prompt: $ sudo passwd Password: non-privileged password Enter new UNIX password: new_root_password Retype new UNIX password: new_root_password At this point you can log out of the non-privileged account and login as "root" using the password just created. |
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Next, the package manager must be configured. Edit the file
/etc/apt/sources.list to uncomment the "universe" repository URLs. You
should comment out the CDROM entries at the top of the list assuming you
will have Internet access. A server without Internet access isn't all that
great is it? I use the vi editor which is present on every unix but you
can also use the "nano" editor which is more basic. Save the file and exit
the editor. Now, use the package manager to update it's file list: # apt-get update and then: # apt-get upgrade This should result in a response showing the package manager downloading and installing an updated list of available packages followed by a log of all the available upgrades installed. If not, you need to troubleshoot your network connection and setup. Once these steps complete you have a base Ubuntu server installed and are ready to prepare it for further layered software. |
Assign a static address |
By default, Ubuntu is configured to get a DHCP address from the
network. To use Ubuntu as a server, we will most likely want it on a fixed
address. To assign a fixed address, edit the file /etc/network/interfaces.
Comment out (using #) the line #iface eth0 inet dhcp
and add:
auto eth0 iface eth0 inet static address (desired address) maybe 192.168.1.50 netmask (required netmask) maybe 255.255.255.0 network (subnet) maybe 192.168.1.0 broadcast (required broadcast address) maybe 192.168.1.255 gateway (default gateway) maybe 192.168.1.1 Your finished interface configuration might look like this: auto eth0 iface eth0 inet static address 192.168.1.50 netmask 255.255.255.0 network 192.168.1.0 broadcast 192.168.1.255 gateway 192.168.1.1 |
Installing a fundamental package |
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Now we'll use apt-get to install the Secure Shell daemon. We
need that to talk to the server via the network in addition to the normal
console. If you are not logged in as root, do so now. Then issue the
following command: $ apt-get install openssh-server This command will result in OpenSSH daemon being installed on the new server and allowing you to use any SSH client to open a terminal window to it. |
| At this point, the basic environment is completely set up. Reboot and you will be on the air at the static address assigned. Use SSH to connect to the new server from any other computer. A reasonable SSH client is called putty. It can be obtained [here]. |