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This is a FAQ document for the Ubuntu Server, version 6.06 Dapper

I created this FAQ document because I was interested in the Ubuntu Server version and had some questions about it. See the section sources on bottom of the page where I have found the answers. Please update the document if you have new informations or even new questions :-)

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How do I partition thee, server?

I would like to have some tips on partitioning my hard drive. I have an extra computer that I'm going to turn into a special type of webserver. Any tips or suggestions, or sites that give any help would be nice. It will be a webserver that also sends out my music for me. I want a special webpage served up for people that log into the box, like google personlized home page. It will only be serving me and maybe a few friends or family members so I'm not concerned about space. However I want to maximize space and preformance on my hard drive. Like will I need a 5 GB root partition if I have /usr, /home, /var, and /boot all mounted diffrently?

-nugget.

For what you describe, a 5G partition would likely be enough all by itself (except for the music files, of course - no one ever has enough space of all his media files for any length of time!). Just sayin'

For a server, I routinely setup separate partitions for /tmp, /var, /usr, and /home. In my view /boot is for special needs only, and I've rarely used it since getting away from ancient hardware that could only boot from filesystems that are entirely within the first 512MB of the disk. I guess the remaining use is if you want to use a filesystem for the root that's not compatible with the boot manager you want to use, but despite putting most things into LVM these days I just don't see the point (given separate /tmp et. al.) of messing with it. I just make the root filesystem ext3 in a plain ol' partition and have no need for /boot. And that root has no reason, unless you're doing something odd, to be any larger than 1G. Given the sizes of the cheapest disks these days I haven't probed the limits in a while, but you could probably get by with 1/2G still - so much goes into the other partitions anyway. I know 1G is still plenty: I did a scratch install in a single 1G partition just the other day and had no trouble fitting in everything I needed for a Xen domain0.

Oh, and about performance - ext3, for example, spreads directories out across the disk in order to avoid fragmentation. Which is a Good Thing, but it means that if you have a few hundred MB of files in a 10G root, there's going to be a lot of empty space between things, and empty space just means more time spent moving the heads...

-MartinManey

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What's the difference between desktop and server?

• The first difference is in the CD contents. I hope that the desktop version doesn't need an explanation, while the "Server" CD instead of having packages like X, Gnome or KDE has all those packages that can be useful on a server: Apache2, Bind9 and so on. This is only for the users' comfort, nothing more. In theory, using a Desktop CD with a minimal installation and installing, for example, apache2 from the network, one can obtain the exact same result that can be obtained by inserting the Server CD and installing apache2 from the cd-rom. This is going to change slightly in the future, for dapper.
• Ubuntu server install by default a server optimized kernel. See above for details on available kernels.
• Ubuntu Desktop will receive a 3 years support, Ubuntu Kernel will be supported for 5 years.

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New User Question

- Can I add a "Graphic User Interface", [GUI] To a Server?

• Newbie Question ;) Stanz

Yes you can, depending on what window manager you wish to use you can install the xserver and the window manager via apt-get. This will install fluxbox for you. Plus you may want some other programs to add to it as you see fit.

sudo apt-get install fluxbox x-window-system-core xdm

This would install the default GNOME desktop that comes with Ubuntu Desktop version.

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

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What exactly will change for Dapper (from Breezy)?

The technical goals for dapper are: - an optimized kernel that will be installed automatically from the CD and will also be available for a network installation.

- better selection of packages available from the CD.

- 5 years support (against 3 years for the desktop version).

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Where can I find the Ubuntu server CD images?

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-server/

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Where can I get help?

For ubuntu server related questions you can use: -The mailing list, https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-server

-The IRC Channel, server: irc.freenode.net - channel: #ubuntu-server

-The forum, http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=45

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How do I tell if my question is ubuntu server related?

A common pitfall is considering a problem server related because the server version, and not the desktop one, is installed. But if you have read the previous paragrahps you know that they share a lot, so where the problem belongs is not given. Here a list of things you want to take into account when deciding:

- If your problem is hardware related, is your machine a real server or a common pc acting as such?

- If it's a software problem, is it about one of the officially supported applications (see the paragraph about supported packages later on this page)?

- If it's a kernel related problem, is it about something specific to the server's one?

- As a rule of thumb any generic question like "how do I install application xyz?" does not belong to ubuntu server

Anyway do not be scared of asking, if the place is not appropriate for your question you will be simply redirected to the right one.

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When will new versions of Ubuntu server be released?

Ubuntu server follows the same release plan as Ubuntu desktop: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

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Are there different repositories for desktop and server?

No, there are no desktop and server-specific repositories

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How does the package system (apt) know what to install/update (server or desktop packages)?

It doesn't. The sysadmin should know what he/she is installing. While upgrading/updating packages (apt-get update && apt-get upgrade) apt will update only the packages already installed on the system.

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Where can I find a list of packages included with Dapper server?

• Please Note: "The requested URL /ubuntu-server/daily/current/dapper-install-i386.list was not found on this server."
• Found via internet archive -- Pyrotica

- http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-server/daily/current/dapper-install-i386.list -

And for Dapper desktop: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily/current/dapper-install-i386.list

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What (packages/repositories) will be supported?

Not all packages in the main repository are supported, there is a list of supported Dapper packages here: http://people.ubuntu.com/~cjwatson/seeds/ubuntu-server-dapper/server These packages are supported 5 years. All other packages in main are supported 3 years, all other packages (universe, multiverse) are not supported. Be aware that apt does not check if a package is supported or not, you have to do that on your own.

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What happens if I install packages that are not supported? Are there security patches for five years for those packages also?

If you install packages that are not supported, you are on your own. No security is provided for unsupported packages or bug fixes.

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Is my RAID Controler supported?

If it is a SATA controler, take a look at the page http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/sata.html if it is a fakeraid they say that you are better off using Linux Software RAID.

For more info about Ubuntu and RAID you can take a look to: [[UbuntuWiki:Raid]|UbuntuWiki:Installation/LVMOnRaid] UbuntuWiki:FakeRaidHowto

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Is a dedicated SMP kernel available from Dapper server install CD?

No, there is no dedicated SMP kernel. The kernel has been patched to support both uni-processors and smp at the same time without performance hit.

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Which kernels versions/types are available on the Dapper server CD?

Dapper server:

- linux-image-386 -> this is the same for Dapper i386 desktop required for the installation.

- linux-image-server -> this will be installed as default on Dapper i386 server, needs i686 or higher architecture

- linux-image-server-bigiron -> for use on BigIron servers

- linux-image-amd64-generic-> this is the same for Dapper amd64 desktop required for the installation.

- linux-image-amd64-server -> this will be installed as default on Dapper amd64 server

- linux-image-amd64-xeon -> for Xeon processors

- other kernels (powerpc) are also available, these kernels have also some improvements for server systems

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What's the difference between kernel linux-image-server and linux-image-686? What architecture is linux-image-server? Which one should I use?

The main difference is tuning done at low level in the kernel. Some "desktop" features like PREEMPT are clearly disabled on the server kernel. Few drivers, like cluster filesystems, have been disabled on the desktop. The list is long..

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Are there also server kernel images for other hardware architectures?

Yes, amd64 and powerpc.

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Do I have to choose the kernel for my system on my own?

The installer is capable of recognizing your cpu and install the "best" kernel for it.

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Sources

http://www.ossblog.it/post/338/interview-with-the-team-leader-of-the-ubuntu-server-project

https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-server

1. ubuntu-server @ freenode

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