To get the most out of this book

This book is for readers who already have some experience with Linux, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be with Ubuntu. Preferably, the reader will understand basic Linux command-line skills, such as changing directories, listing contents, and issuing commands as regular users or with root. It’s also preferred that the reader understands foundational networking concepts, such as the purpose of things like DHCP, DNS, as well as IP addressing. Even if you feel as though you need a refresher, you should read this book anyway—the opening chapters will cover many of these concepts.

In this book, we’ll take a look at real-world situations in which we can deploy Ubuntu Server. This will include the installation process, serving web pages, setting up databases, and much more. Specifically, the goal here is to be productive. Each chapter will teach the reader a new and valuable concept, using practical examples that are relative to real organizations. Basically, we focus on getting things done, rather than focusing primarily on theory. Although the theory that goes into Linux and its many distributions is certainly interesting, the goal here is to get you to the point where if a work colleague or client asks you to perform work on an Ubuntu-based server, you’ll be in a good position to get the task done. Therefore, if your goal is to get up and running with Ubuntu Server and learn the concepts that really matter, this book is definitely for you.

To follow along, you’ll either need a server on which to install Ubuntu Server, a virtual Ubuntu instance from a cloud provider, or a laptop or desktop capable of running at least one virtual machine.

Download the example code files

The code bundle for the book is hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Ubuntu-Server-Fourth-Edition

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots/diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://static.packt-cdn.com/downloads/9781803234243_ColorImages.pdf

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

CodeInText: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “Anyway, back to our /etc/passwd file. The fifth column is designated for user info, most commonly the user’s first and last names.”

A block of code is set as follows:

description: External access profile
devices:
  eth0:
  name: eth0
  nictype: bridged
  parent: br0
  type: nic

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are highlighted:

- name: Start the apache2 services
    ansible.builtin.service:
    name: apache2
    state: started
    enabled: true

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

sudo apt install docker.io

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see on the screen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. For example: “Select System info from the Administration panel.”

Warnings or important notes appear like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

Get in touch

Feedback from our readers is always welcome.

General feedback: Email [e-mail] and mention the book’s title in the subject of your message. If you have questions about any aspect of this book, please email us at [e-mail].

Errata: Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you have found a mistake in this book, we would be grateful if you reported this to us. Please visit http://www.packtpub.com/submit-errata, click Submit Errata, and fill in the form.

Piracy: If you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the internet, we would be grateful if you would provide us with the location address or website name. Please contact us at [e-mail] with a link to the material.

If you are interested in becoming an author: If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, please visit http://authors.packtpub.com.