Setting up Ubuntu server - Questions

[AvengerX9]

Hi there,

Okay so I need to set up a new server and I need help with securing it cause last time it got hacked and messed up. Im going with Ubuntu server, but which one should I install. The 12.04.2 LTS or 12.10 ?

This thread will be my step by step installation of a Ubuntu webserver for a newbie and I appreciate all the help I can get.

Thanks for reading and thanks for helping!

System:

  *-cpu
       description: CPU
       product: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2400 CPU @ 3.10GHz
       vendor: Intel Corp.
       physical id: e
       bus info: cpu@0
       version: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2400 CPU @ 3.10GHz
       slot: CPUSocket
       size: 1600MHz
       capacity: 3800MHz
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 100MHz
       capabilities: x86-64 fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx lahf_lm ida arat epb xsaveopt pln pts dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid cpufreq
       configuration: cores=4 enabledcores=4 threads=4



             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:          7950       1721       6228          0        110       1215
-/+ buffers/cache:        395       7554
Swap:         8151          0       8151

[p-dh]

I would encourage you to install the LTS. You will get 5 years of on-going support - security, applications, etc. As a server, you usually do not need the extras found in the interim releases. Plus, with support for non-LTS going to 9 months (starting with 13.04), you will need to update much more frequently, mainly for features that you won't need.
I just updated 10.04 to 12.04 on my server. So, I'm good until April, 2017 - at which point I'll need to upgrade my hardware and install everything again.

Peace,
Paul

[AvengerX9]

Okay thanks! I'll go with the 12.04 then. I will post back in this thread more information on the progress of a webserver installation

[AvengerX9]

Okay, well I made a USB stick and have now choosen languages etc, but I get an error. Failed to load the preconfiguration file

The file needed for preconfiguration could not be retrieved from file:///cdrom/pressed/ubuntu-server-seed. The installation will proceed in non-automated mode.

I click continue and Installation step failed

An installation faile. You can try to run the failing item again from the menu, or skip it and choose something else. The failing step is: Load debconf preconfiguration file

I click continue and it takes me back to the Ubuntu installer mail menu.

So what now? I have hardly started before I get the first error. Please help!

Thanks

[wickedpuppy]

May I know how you prepared the usb?

[AvengerX9]

Thanks! I burned it to a dvd instead and it seems to work better now, but I get a problem with the kernel modules. It says it cannot find the kernel modules and says if I continue without it will probably fail. So how should I solve this one ?

EDIT: Its not better, just different. I cannot install because of the kernels. Even if I continue with or without them the installer just takes me back to the installer main menu.

For a webserver is this version of Ubuntu the best or can I choose the desktop edition ? Whats the difference ?

Thanks

[AvengerX9]

May I know how you prepared the usb?

I prepared the USB by using the LiLi USB creator (instructions) and it failed like 4 times so I found another USB creator (instructions) which also failed so I burned it to a DVD which fails too

[mastablasta]

Thanks! I burned it to a dvd instead and it seems to work better now, but I get a problem with the kernel modules. It says it cannot find the kernel modules and says if I continue without it will probably fail. So how should I solve this one ?

EDIT: Its not better, just different. I cannot install because of the kernels. Even if I continue with or without them the installer just takes me back to the installer main menu.

You image could be bad. Have you checked the md5sum?

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM

For a webserver is this version of Ubuntu the best or can I choose the desktop edition ? Whats the difference ?

Desktop has desktop grpahical interface as well as graphical applications. server has more server applicaitons by default. and no graphical environemnt.

I prepared the USB by using the LiLi USB creator (instructions) and it failed like 4 times so I found another USB creator (instructions) which also failed so I burned it to a DVD which fails too

your downloaded image is probably bad.


also see this: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/help/...-ubuntu-server

[AvengerX9]

Your right. The file was corrupt and downloaded again. Burned to a dvd and installing now. So far so good 32% installing core packages

[AvengerX9]

Is it supposed to take hours ?