How to install and set up an Ubuntu server

Creating a boot medium is the simplest way to start the Ubuntu server installation. You’ll need a CD/DVD or USB stick with at least 4 gigabytes of available storage for this. You’ll also need the image file from the Ubuntu server application which you can download from the official Ubuntu website.

You can set up or install your Ubuntu server once you have created a boot medium. All you have to do is connect your server to the boot stick and boot the device. If you are using a CD or DVD, insert the disk and reboot the server. Once the image file has been read, the server will show a display window of the bootloader GNU GRUB. Confirm by clicking “Try or Install Ubuntu Server” to start installing the Ubuntu server.

The Ubuntu server installation wizard software will start after a short pre-configuration. This actually has a graphical interface, unlike the operating system itself. The operation is very simple. Use the arrow keys to scroll between the various options and confirm your selection with Enter. You’ll select the system language in the first step of the installation, which will subsequently be used as the installation language.

Once the system language has been selected, you can continue with the configuration of the keyboard layout. You can find the keyboard language manually in the available list or use the option “Identify keyboard” to let the wizard determine the layout.

You can select the type of installation in the next step. Selecting the default installation “Ubuntu Server” will give you a basic set of software packages, which will allow you to work comfortably and at regular intervals. The “Ubuntu Server (minimized)” option will exclude a number of tools during the installation. However, you should only choose this resource-saving option if you plan to use the server infrequently.

Place an “x” beside the installation type of your choice by clicking Enter to select one of the two options.

We will explain the settings for network connection and proxy server.

If your Ubuntu server is already connected to a network with an active DHCP service, the appropriate network adapter should already be preconfigured. You can continue the installation by clicking “Continue without network” if you cannot or do not want to establish a connection at this point.

If you want your Ubuntu server to use a proxy server to connect to the internet, you should enter the individual address of the HTTP proxy in the following space.

Every software package which belongs to the Ubuntu distribution is updated regularly and stored in the public archive “archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu”. There are copies of the archive so you don’t have to use this one exclusively if you don’t want to. Ubuntu Archive Mirrors or Ubuntu Mirror Servers are used for security and load balancing. Simply enter the mirror details you want to use instead of the default archive.

You can decide in the next section, “Storage configuration”, whether you want one large hard disk or several partitions. The preselected option of a whole hard disk is usually the best choice for an Ubuntu server.

The wizard will give a summary of the file system in the following window. Do not worry if you see several partitions here even if you have decided against partitioning. This is because Ubuntu automatically reserves small partitions of the hard disk for important system files and the boot loader.

Enter your name, username and password to create the user account for your Ubuntu server. You can also specify your server’s name which will be displayed when communicating with other computers.

SSH is an important tool required for secure remote access to your server. You can install the OpenSSH program package during the Ubuntu server installation by placing an “x” in the box. You can also import valid SSH keys from GitHub or Launchpad if you already have them.

The wizard will automatically start the installation after the SSH setup. You will see the message “Install complete” if this is successful.