Ubuntu Server is an open source distribution of Linux that provides users with a sophisticated server operating system based on the world’s most popular free OS, Ubuntu Linux.
Distributed as installable-only ISO images for numerous hardware platforms
It is available for download as installable-only, CD-size hybrid ISO images that can be written to blank CD discs or USB flash drives. It is understandable that there’s no live session, because a true server distribution comes without a graphical desktop environment.
The system is officially supported on the 64-bit (amd64), 32-bit (i386), PowerPC (PPC), PowerPC64 Little-Endian (PPC64el) and 64-bit Mac (amd64) hardware platforms.
Boot options
The boot prompt of this OS is very important, as it allows users to install the operating system on a single machine, or deploy multiple server installations using Canonical’s MAAS (Metal as a Service) technology.
It is also important to mention that users will be able to rescue a broken system, run a memory test, or start an existing operating system installed on the first disk drive directly from the boot prompt.
Installing Ubuntu Server
When installing the Ubuntu Server operating system, you will be asked to choose the language that will be used during the entire installation process, select your location, and configure the keyboard.
In addition, you can configure the network by entering a hostname, set up users and passwords, encrypt the home directory, configure the clock, and partition the disks using normal or encrypted LVM (Logical Volume Manager).
Lastly, users will be able to configure how do they want to manage upgrades on the respective system (automatic, manual, or via Landscape), and choose which server software packages to install (OpenSSH, DNS, LAMP, Mail, PostgreSQL database, Print, Samba, Tomcat, Virtual Machine host).
Bottom line
Summing up, Ubuntu Server is a great server-oriented operating system that can be used in real life scenarios where the need for extremely reliable and stable server machines is a must. Thanks to MAAS, administrators can deploy multiple servers at the same time without to much hassle.
