Book Image

Mastering Ubuntu Server - Second Edition

By : Jay LaCroix
Book Image

Mastering Ubuntu Server - Second Edition

By: Jay LaCroix

Overview of this book

Ubuntu Server has taken the data centers by storm. Whether you're deploying Ubuntu for a large-scale project or for a small office, it is a stable, customizable, and powerful Linux distribution that leads the way with innovative and cutting-edge features. For both simple and complex server deployments, Ubuntu's flexible nature can be easily adapted to meet to the needs of your organization. With this book as your guide, you will learn all about Ubuntu Server, from initial deployment to creating production-ready resources for your network. The book begins with the concept of user management, group management, and filesystem permissions. Continuing into managing storage volumes, you will learn how to format storage devices, utilize logical volume management, and monitor disk usage. Later, you will learn how to virtualize hosts and applications, which will cover setting up KVM/QEMU, as well as containerization with both Docker and LXD. As the book continues, you will learn how to automate configuration with Ansible, as well as take a look at writing scripts. Lastly, you will explore best practices and troubleshooting techniques when working with Ubuntu Server that are applicable to real-world scenarios. By the end of the book, you will be an expert Ubuntu Server administrator who is well-versed in its advanced concepts.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)

Understanding the differences between Debian and Snap packages

Now, before we actually get into the ins and outs of managing packages, there's actually two completely different types of packages available to you, and you should understand the differences between them. As of the time this book has gone to press, we're at a kind of crossroads regarding the way in which software is managed in Linux.

Traditionally, each distribution has their own package format, and their own utilities to manage them. Nowadays, there's a push to adopt a single package format that each distribution can install. Contenders for this single package format include Flatpak, AppImage, and Snap packages. Specific to Ubuntu, it utilizes Debian packages (with package names ending in .deb) as the main package format, which Ubuntu inherits from the Debian distribution (Ubuntu is forked from Debian...