Ubuntu Installation Guide | Wiki

1. Preparation & Download 2. Create Boot Media 3. Installation Process 4. Desktop Installation

5. Server Installation 6. Post-Installation 7. Security & Hardening 8. Troubleshooting

Preparation & Download

Ubuntu Versions

Ubuntu Desktop

For jobs and development

- Graphical user interface (GNOME)
- Office applications
- Multimedia support
- Simple installation

Ubuntu Server

For server and cloud deployment

- Minimal installation
- No GUI (optional)
- Optimized for server workloads
- Containerd, Docker support

Download

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Recommended)

Long Term Support until 2034

wget https://releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso

Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS

For server installations

wget https://releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/ubuntu-24.04-live-server-amd64.iso

System Requirements

Desktop Minimum:

- 4 GB RAM
- 25 GB storage
- 2 GHz Dual-Core processor
- DVD drive or USB port

Server Minimum:

- 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
- 2.5 GB storage
- 1 GHz processor
- Network connection

Create Boot Media

Windows (Rufus)

1
Download Rufus:https://rufus.ie/
2
Insert USB stick (at least 4 GB)
3
Start Rufus and select Ubuntu ISO
4
Partition scheme: GPT, Target system: UEFI

Linux (dd)

Identify USB device:

sudo fdisk -l
# USB stick usually /dev/sdb or /dev/sdc

Write ISO to USB:

sudo dd if=ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sudo sync

Attention: Replace /dev/sdX with the correct USB device!

Desktop Installation

Step-by-step installation

Boot from USB

Press F12/F2/Del at startup → Boot menu → Select USB

Select language

Select German or English

Keyboard layout

German (Germany) for German keyboards

Network configuration

Set up WLAN or Ethernet for updates

Installation type

- Normal installation: Complete system
- Minimal installation: Base system
- Download updates during installation
- Install third-party software

Disk Partitioning

Easy (recommended for beginners)

Erase hard disk and install Ubuntu – automatic partitioning

Advanced (Manual Partitioning)

PartitionSizeFile System

/boot/efi512 MBFAT32

/20-50 GBext4

/homeRestext4

swap= RAMswap

Server Installation

Server-specific Steps

Network Configuration

Static IP recommended for servers:

IP: 192.168.1.100
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
DNS: 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1

SSH Server

Install OpenSSH server for remote access

Snap Packages

Select Docker, LXD and other services

Post-Installation (Server)

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Configure firewall
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

# SSH hardening
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# PermitRootLogin no
# PasswordAuthentication no (after SSH keys)

# Install Docker (optional)
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Post-Installation Setup

Desktop optimization

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Additional software
sudo apt install -y \
  curl wget git vim \
  htop neofetch tree \
  software-properties-common

# Multimedia Codecs
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras

# Flatpak (alternative App source)
sudo apt install flatpak
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists \
  flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

# GNOME Tweaks
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

Server Essentials

# Install server tools
sudo apt install -y \
  htop iotop iftop \
  fail2ban ufw \
  nginx certbot \
  nodejs npm \
  python3-pip

# Install monitoring tools
sudo apt install -y \
  netdata prometheus \
  grafana

# Database (optional)
sudo apt install -y \
  postgresql postgresql-contrib \
  # or
  mariadb-server

# Install backup tools
sudo apt install -y \
  rsync borgbackup

Security & Hardening

Essential Security Setup

Firewall (UFW)

sudo ufw --force reset
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw enable

Fail2Ban (SSH Protection)

sudo apt install fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
sudo systemctl start fail2ban

SSH Key Authentication

# On the client system:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
ssh-copy-id username@server-ip

# On the server (after key test):
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# PasswordAuthentication no
sudo systemctl restart ssh

Automatic Updates

sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

Troubleshooting

Frequent problems

Boot problems

- Check UEFI/Legacy Boot Mode
• Disable Secure Boot
• Adjust the boot order in the BIOS

WLAN-Probleme

# Show WLAN adapters
lspci | grep -i wireless
# or
lsusb | grep -i wireless

Grafik-Probleme

# NVIDIA drivers
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
# or AMD
sudo apt install amdgpu-pro

Rescue Modi

GRUB Rescue

ls
set root=(hd0,gpt2)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda2
initrd /initrd.img
boot

Recovery Mode

# Boot menu: Advanced Options
# → Recovery Mode
# → Root Shell
mount -o remount,rw /
# Perform repairs

best practices

Checklist

System backups before installationUse LTS version for production systemsEnable firewall after installationUse SSH keys instead of passwordsConfigure automatic updatesSet up monitoring

Further resources

Ubuntu Server Guide Ubuntu Community Help Ask Ubuntu (Q&A)Thalvos Cloud Security Guide

Ubuntu InstallationComplete Guide

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