Neil - Learning Ubuntu: A Beginners Guide to Using Linux

The tools that you will need, vary on the route that you would like to go. There are four methods, that you could use to experiment with the lessons in this book. One of them, I prefer over the other two options, especially if you are still new to the process. Lets skim over the first three and focus on the forth, which is my preferred method for those of you reading this book.

The first three methods, would require you to manually setup the installation of Ubuntu and configure it. There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube that you can reference if you want to install it your self, but I will caution you that it might not always go the way you anticipated, especially if you are new to the field.

Before we talk about these methods to get started, lets first go over the version of Ubuntu that we will be using for this book. This book, while it can apply to other versions of Ubuntu, is best suited for Ubuntu Server 14.04 LTS. LTS stands for Long Term Support. That means that it has support from Canonical for updates and patches for five years. Many people do not realize that an operating systems support expires.

Once the support expires, there may not be security patches and other upgrades for it available.

In my book , Securing Business Data: Establishing a Core Value for Data Security , we talk about operating system support more in depth. If you work with technology or manage a business, I highly recommend that you read it.

Ubuntu 15.10 is also out now, but it is not an LTS version. I prefer to work with versions that have long term support.

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is certified for AWS, Microsoft Azure, Joyent, IBM, and the HP Cloud. It is also supported by nearly all VPS providers. VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. A Virtual Private Server is a machine sold as a hosting service and is often more affordable than purchasing a server and the bandwidth that it requires. With the popularity of cloud based services, many businesses now run more virtual private servers in order to conserve costs and scale more quickly. With a VPS you pay for what you need to use and can add more resources overtime, if you find you need more processing power or memory.

The one thing that I like about Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is that it has updates to popular packages, many of which we will go over in this book. Ubuntu 14.04 LTS can also be installed on most devices, supporting: x86, x86-64, ARM v7, ARM64, and Power. If you are not sure what those things mean that is fine, but you can be confident in knowing that Ubuntu supports most devices, which is a huge advantage.

For the first three methods to setup Ubuntu on your own, you will need to download the iso file. An iso is the file extension used for files that can be burned to a CD or DVD, depending on the size. Essentially it is an image of the disc that you will need to install Ubuntu.

You can download Ubuntu server by going to:

http://www.ubuntu.com/server

Once you download the iso file, you will need to burn it to a disc. There are a variety of iso burning tools. In the past, I have used Ashampoo Burning Studio Free , with success.

Method 1: Install Ubuntu on a Spare Machine

If you have a spare computer that you can use to run Ubuntu, that could be the best way to learn how to install and set it up. Since its a spare machine, there is low risk if you make an error in the installation. What you will need is the spare computer, along with the disc that we burned the Ubuntu image to.

Make sure that the computer is setup to boot from the disc drive and from there you can boot to the installation disc and install Ubuntu. The install is pretty easy, but there is always the possibility of running into a snag. I have found that the Ubuntu forums and YouTube has great resources for troubleshooting common problems.

Once the installation is complete, remove the disc, and the system will boot into Ubuntu.

Method 2: Install Ubuntu using Virtualization Software

If you do not have a spare machine, but have a fair amount of memory on your computer, you can install it using virtualization software. A few examples of this software include the free VirtualBox by Oracle, and the paid version of VMWare.

This method is good for a beginner as it lowers the risk of making an error that may accidentally wipe your machine.

I have used VirtualBox, which is from Oracle and free, but it can be glitchy from time to time. This is an option, but not my preferred choice for beginners reading this book.

To move forward with this and use the free tools, you will need to download and install VirtualBox, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

You also can configure the virtual machine to boot from the iso file for Ubuntu, rather than burning it to a disc.

Method 3: Dual Boot your Computer

To be honest, I did not want to list this as an option. It is a popular one amoung those who are skilled and know how to properly set up a machine to run multiple operating systems, but if you are not familiar with this, I would not explore this option.

This one is the most risky, as you could accidentally break the boot cycle of the machine or overwrite your existing operating system if you are not careful.

*Preferred Choice for this Book*

Method 4: Use a Low Cost VPS

For this book and the nature of it, targeting to educate beginners, I recommend using a VPS. It is more affordable than buying a spare computer if you do not have one, more stable than using virtualization software, and no risk to breaking your primary computer as there is with a dual boot. The main thing that I love about using a VPS is that you can access it from anywhere, since it is hosted in the cloud.