Ubuntu Server - VM

Ubuntu Server

First Install - Virtual Machine

• Create a new Virtual Machine in VMWare with preferred specs:

  • Processors: 1 CPU - 2 Cores

    • enable Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI

  • RAM Memory: 2 GB

  • Hard Disk: 15 GB

  • CD: use the Ubuntu Server LTS .iso image file - Download here - and check Connect at power on

  • Network: set it as NAT

  • Display: Deactivate Accelerate 3D graphics

  • Edit virtual machine and Remove: Printer

• Boot the virtual machine and proceed with the Ubuntu Server Installation

Installation Process

1. Boot to Try or Install Ubuntu Server

2. Choose the language

3. Update to the new installer (if offered)

4. Select keyboard layout

5. Select Ubuntu Server as base for the install

6. Wait for Network connection to establish via DHCP (continue without networking if this fails)

   • Do not configure a proxy

7. Leave Ubuntu archive mirror as it is (or change based on necessity)

8. For storage, leave Use an entire disk checked, and choose a disk to install to

   • Edit the ubuntu-lv logical volume by assigning it the max size

9. Select Done on the configuration screen and confirm the install

10. Enter a username, hostname and password

11. Skip for now the Ubuntu Pro upgrade

12. On the SSH Setup, check the Install OpenSSH server, select Done for the next 2-3 slides

13. Select Reboot

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First Boot & Update

• Disable CD Connect at power on

• Boot Ubuntu Server

• Connect through SSH and/or Run the following commands

sudo apt -y update && sudo apt -y dist-upgrade && sudo apt -y autoremove

• Reboot the system

reboot

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Configurations

• SSH into the VM

# TIMEZONE
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Rome

# DISABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES
sudo sed -i 's/1";/0";/' /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades
sudo systemctl disable apt-daily{,-upgrade}.timer
sudo systemctl mask apt-daily{,-upgrade}.service

# If not using Ubuntu PRO:
# Disable Ubuntu Pro ESM Hook and MOTD Spam - thanks to UnspamifyUbuntu
sudo mv /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20apt-esm-hook.conf /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20apt-esm-hook.conf.disabled
sudo sed -Ezi.orig \
  -e 's/(def _output_esm_service_status.outstream, have_esm_service, service_type.:\n)/\1    return\n/' \
  -e 's/(def _output_esm_package_alert.*?\n.*?\n.:\n)/\1    return\n/' \
  /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt_check.py
sudo /usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-updates-available --force
sudo sed -i 's/^ENABLED=.*/ENABLED=0/' /etc/default/motd-news

# Change "root" user password
sudo passwd root

• Follow the guide here to setup ZSH with Oh-My-Zsh - Zsh & Oh-My-Zsh - syselement

• Remove unwanted spam with UnspamifyUbuntu - Github Skyedra

Extend Partition and Filesystem

• Add space to disk on the hypervisor

sudo apt -y install cloud-guest-utils gdisk
df -h

growpart /dev/sda 3
lsblk
sudo resize2fs /dev/sda3

# or this for LVM
sudo lvextend -r -l +100%FREE /dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lv

df -h

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Network

Static IP

• Set a static IP in the netplan .yaml if not configured during OS installation.

# Show listening sockets and running services
sudo ss -atpu

# List available network interfaces and use the interface ens32
ip -br -c a

# Disable cloud-init networking configuration - if necessary
sudo nano /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/subiquity-disable-cloudinit-networking.cfg
# Make sure it is "disabled"
# network: {config: disabled}

# Open the netplan configuration file for editing
sudo nano /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml
# or
sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

    # This is the network config written by 'subiquity'
    network:
      version: 2
      ethernets:
        ens32:
          addresses: [<IP>/24]
          gateway4: <GATEWAY_IP>
          nameservers:
            addresses: [1.1.1.1, 9.9.9.9]
            
# Exit and save

# Apply the netplan configuration changes
sudo netplan apply

# Reboot the system

• If necessary and the VM has 2 NICs, add the seccond one in the netplan .yaml

# List available network interfaces and check the second interface name
ip -br -c a

# Example of DHCP on both network interfaces
sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

    network:
        ethernets:
            enp0s3:
                dhcp4: true
            enp0s8:
                dhcp4: true
        version: 2

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Tuning

Basic Tools

# Tools
sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https aptitude btop ca-certificates coreutils curl duf eza gnupg iftop gdu git-all locate nano neofetch net-tools nload npm pipx software-properties-common speedtest-cli sysstat tree ugrep vim wget zsh

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:zanchey/asciinema
sudo apt update && sudo apt install asciinema

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Docker - Ubuntu

sudo su
apt install curl

# Docker Engine - Convenience Script
sh <(curl -sSL https://get.docker.com)

# Docker Compose
LATEST=$(curl -sL https://api.github.com/repos/docker/compose/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name":' | cut -d'"' -f4)
DOCKER_CONFIG=${DOCKER_CONFIG:-$HOME/.docker}
mkdir -p $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins
curl -sSL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/$LATEST/docker-compose-linux-x86_64 -o ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose
chmod +x $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose
docker compose version

# Add a user to the "docker" group to let it run Docker
sudo groupadd docker
sudo gpasswd -a "${USER}" docker

• Alternative to install Docker Engine (via APT)

# Install Docker Engine via APT repository

for pkg in docker.io docker-doc docker-compose docker-compose-v2 podman-docker containerd runc; do sudo apt-get remove $pkg; done

sudo apt update -y && sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg

sudo sh -c '
    curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker.gpg
    sudo chmod a+r /usr/share/keyrings/docker.gpg

    echo "deb [arch="$(dpkg --print-architecture)" signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu "$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")" stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list

    sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
'

sudo systemctl enable docker --now
sudo gpasswd -a "${USER}" docker

# On Debian and Ubuntu, the Docker service starts on boot by default, if not run
sudo systemctl enable docker.service
sudo systemctl enable containerd.service

# Reboot and Test
reboot
docker run hello-world

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Hardening

SSH-key-based authentication

Ubuntu Server with OpenSSH pre-installed comes with PasswordAuthentication yes parameter already set inside /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-cloud-init.conf (or /etc/ssh/sshd_config). If the parameter is commented, the default is yes (password auth permitted) for the sshd_config.

• Generate an SSH Key Pair on the local HOST from which the connection is established

# Local HOST
cd
mkdir -p ~/.ssh
cd ~/.ssh
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
# Type a secure passphrase when asked

chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/*

# Add the SSH private key to the ssh-agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" && ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

• Add the Public Key to a system/sudo user on the Ubuntu Server VM

If you want to use the same key saved on Github profile, having already the private key in the Ubuntu Local HOST (commands above), ssh into the Ubuntu Server VM and use the following curl command

# Ubuntu Server VM
curl -s https://github.com/<github-username>.keys >> $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys

# e.g.
curl -s https://github.com/syselement.keys >> $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Automatic (if password SSH is allowed)
ssh-copy-id <sudo_user>@<remote_Server_IP>

# Manually

# Local HOST
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# copy the string
# Should start with ssh-ed25519 AAAA... or ssh-rsa AAAA... (if rsa)

# Ubuntu Server VM
echo "pubkey_string" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
# Set permissions
chmod -R go= ~/.ssh

• Log out and log in using the Private Key

ssh <sudo_user>@<remote_Server_IP>

# ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 <sudo_user>@<remote_host_IP>

# Enter the key Passphrase if necessary

• Disable SSH password authentication

# Delete sshd_config.d/50-cloud-init.conf
sudo rm /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-cloud-init.conf

# Inside /etc/ssh/sshd_config set PasswordAuthentication to "no"
sudo sed -i '/^[#]*[[:space:]]*PasswordAuthentication[[:space:]]*yes/c\PasswordAuthentication no' /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# Restart SSH service
 sudo systemctl restart sshd

• Try again to logout and login. Only SSH-key-base authentication is permitted.

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... more to come ...

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