Book Image

Mastering Ubuntu Server - Third Edition

By : Jay LaCroix
Book Image

Mastering Ubuntu Server - Third Edition

By: Jay LaCroix

Overview of this book

Ubuntu Server has taken data centers around the world 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 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. This third edition is updated to cover the advancements of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and further train you to understand how to use Ubuntu Server, from initial deployment to creating production-ready resources for your network. The book begins with the concepts of user management, group management, and file system 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 include setting up QEMU & KVM, 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 this Ubuntu Server book, you will be well-versed in Ubuntu server’s advanced concepts and attain the required proficiency needed for Ubuntu Server administration.
Table of Contents (26 chapters)
24
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25
Index

Automatically installing patches with the Canonical Livepatch service

In the previous section, I mentioned that if your updates include an update to the kernel, you'll need to reboot your server for the new kernel to take effect. While this is generally true, Canonical offers a Livepatch service for Ubuntu, which allows it to receive updates and have them applied without rebooting. This is a game changer, as it takes care of keeping your running kernel patched without you having to do anything, not even reboot. This is a massive benefit to security as it gives you the benefits of the latest security patches without the inconvenience of scheduling a restart of your servers right away.

However, the service is not free or included with Ubuntu by default. Even so, you can install the Livepatch service on three of your servers without paying, so it's still something you may want to consider. You're even able to utilize this service on the desktop version of Ubuntu if...