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How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 Server [ Easy Installation Guide ]
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How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 Server [ Easy Installation Guide ] 

Canonical has released Ubuntu 20.04 Server, codenamed Focal Fossa. It is now available on both the desktop and the server. In addition, canonical offers Long-term support for your machine with this ubuntu release. In this guide, you will learn how to install Ubuntu 20.04.

Long-time support implies that security updates will be available for Ubuntu 20.04 servers till 2023. So let us look at the new features included in this edition before we start the installation process.

The following are the new features in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Server that we noticed:
  • Due to it being an LTS release, Canonical promises 5-year updates and support until 2025. And under UA-I subscription, it offers ten years of security. 
  • Two-Factor Authentication for SSH
  • This version also includes a Flexible Bootloader. In previous versions, Ubuntu would only write the bootloader to a single disk. But in this release, the Ubuntu installer can now write the bootloader to more than one disk. This feature prevents a single point of failure.
  • WireGuard VPN Introduction
  • Automatic updates with Ubuntu Server Live Installer.
  • The release also includes new Kernel 5.4
  • It includes updated features like NGINX 1.17, Python 3.8, GCC 9.3, Ruby 2.7, PHP 7.4, libvirt 6.0, and QEMU 4.2.

System Requirement For Install Ubuntu 20.04 Server

The following are the recommended system requirements:
ubuntu system specification yehiweb
Select Preferred Language
Assume I have an 80 GB hard drive server on which I will install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS server.

Install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Server [Step-by-Step Guide]

1

Download the ISO file for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Server

Download the Ubuntu 20.04 live server install ISO image from the following URL:

Use Rufus (Windows) or Startup Disk Creator & Unetbootin to create a bootable USB drive or DVD.

2

Use bootable media (USB / DVD) to boot the target machine

Place the bootable CD/DVD in a drive or a USB port on your system to begin the installation process. Then, by pressing your computer’s boot key, boot from it (F9, F10, F11, or F12 depending on settings).

After booting up, you will arrive at the welcome window of the installer. From there, select your preferred language and hit enter to continue.

select language ubuntu Yehiweb
Select Preferred Language
3

Select Keyboard Layout

Choose your preferred keyboard layout for your server, and then select “Done” and hit enter.

select ubuntu keyboard layout yehiweb
Keyboard Configuration
4

Now Configure both Network and Ubuntu Archive Mirror

Ensure that your system has a stable and fast internet connection. You will see that interface (Ethernet Card) has selected an IP address via DHCP on the next screen.

You can set up a bond interface if you have more than one Ethernet card.
ubuntu ethernet connection yehiweb
Network Connection

Select done and hit enter to continue.

Suppose your machine has a network connection and works under the proxy server, then put in the proxy IP. Leave it as it is if the link is not running under a proxy server.

ubuntu proxy setting yehiweb
Configure Proxy

Based on the country located on the following screen. The Ubuntu installer will install the archive mirror.

ubuntu mirror setting yehiweb
Configure Ubuntu archive mirror

Select Done and hit enter to continue.

5

Configure Your Storage

After configuring your network, on the next screen, you will see two options. You can use either one to configure your storage layout on Ubuntu 20.04 server.

Use an entire disk – Select this option if you want the installer to create partitions for you.

Custom Storage layout – Choose this option if you want to create your customized partition scheme or table.

By selecting the second option, we will create our customized partition scheme.
guided storage configuration yehiweb
guided storage configuration

As stated earlier, we are using 80 GB of Hard Disk space for this installation guide. We will create the following partitions mentioned below:

  • /boot – 1 GB (ext4 file system)
  • / – 40 GB (xfs file system)
  • /var – 25 GB (xfs file system)
  • /usr – 10 GB (xfs file system)
  • Swap – 4 GB

So, let us get started with partitions. Select the device or local disk, press Enter, select “Set as Boot Device,” and press Enter.

boot device ubuntu yehiweb
boot device ubuntu

The installer will create a 1 MB partition used to hold Grub 2’s core required for GPT drives.

Let us now create a 1 GB /boot partition. Choose Add GPT Partition –> Press Enter –> Select the disk or device –> Press Enter.

gpt partition yehiweb
gpt partition

On the next screen, set the size to 1 GB, the format (file system type) to ext4, and the mount point to /boot.

create bootable partition ubuntu yehiweb
create bootable partition ubuntu

Select Create, then press Enter.

Create the following three partitions: /, /var, and /usr, each with a capacity of 40 GB, 25 GB, and 10 GB.

slash root partition yehiweb
slash root partition
var partition yehiweb
var partition
usr partition yehiweb
usr partition
Finally, create a swap partition with a capacity of 4 GB.
swap partition yehiweb
swap partition

Once you have finished setting up your partitions, you will see the following screen. First, verify the partitions, then choose “Done” and press Enter.

overall partition yehiweb
overall partition
Continue to write changes to the drive and choose Continue to complete the installation.
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overall partition
6

Specify the Hostname as well as the local user credentials

Specify the local user details and the hostname you want to set for your server. So, input your details suited for your installation.
ubuntu profile setup yehiweb
ubuntu profile setup

Select Done and press Enter to continue.

7

Install OpenSSH Server Package

Choose the option: Install open SSH server if you want to use ssh to connect to your server over the network.

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SSH setup

After choosing the “Install Open SSH server” option, hit enter to continue.

You have the option to choose the snaps for your server environment on the following page. If you don’t want to install snaps, select done and hit enter to start the installation.

featured server snaps yehiweb
featured server snaps
8

Ubuntu 20.04 Server Installation Process

The installation of the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS server has begun and is now in progress, as shown below.

ubuntu install complete yehiweb
install complete
When the installation is completed, the installer will ask you to reboot your system.
reboot after installation complete yehiweb
reboot after installation complete

Select ‘Reboot‘ and press Enter.

9

After a successful installation, log in and verify the OS version

Use the local user credentials that we created in the installer to log in once the system is up and running.

login post ubuntu installation yehiweb
login post ubuntu installation

This verifies that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS server is installed on our machine.

Run the following command to install a GUI / Desktop environment on your Ubuntu 20.04 server:

Restart your server when the Gnome desktop packages is installed. You should see the login screen below.

ubuntu login yehiweb
ubuntu login

This concludes the guide; I hope that these steps assisted you in installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on your machine. Please don’t hesitate to reach us with your ideas and suggestions.

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