GUI for Ubuntu Server?
 

Hi guys, I'm very new to Ubuntu. Here at work we are planning to install Ubuntu Server. We wanted to know if Ubuntu Server comes with a GUI or is it only text mode?

Thanks for the help, I have been looking for this answer for hours.

I don't know, but it is easy to add one if you need to. After install, you'd just have to sudo aptitude install x-window-system-core gnome-core (or gnome if you want all the bells and whistles of a full desktop environment). If you also want a gui login, then also install gdm.

In general, servers will be text only out of the box because running X is considered an unnecessary security risk. Servers usually want as few services running as possible to keep them secure and running quickly.

Ubuntu server is a command line distro. It is a subset of Ubuntu. It performs no function that Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu don't also perform. Server requires less memory to run. Its fine for a server only box. If however you are trying to get more performance out of an older desktop system, I'd look at Xubuntu since it has a minimalist GUI.

So should I use Xubuntu for server purposes? We are going to use LAMP. Is it useful to have a graphical interface for this??

Thanks...

If it's just a home server that you're not too worried about security, you can certainly use Xubuntu (or just aptitude install xubuntu-desktop since ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu are all the same under the hood, just different package collections.

If it's a production server that's going to be open to the internet, I'd say to try to do it all at the command line since X is an unnecessary security risk.

Okay, I ran the command line to intall the Gnome GUI, but now how do I run/load it? I'm back at the command prompt.

Thanks!
Dale

you should just type
and that will start the GUI login screen, also GDM should start automatically after startup.

It might be useful to have a graphical interface to create mySQL databases, tables, users, etc. There are graphical tools to do so, but they can also be used remotely. So, your server would not need a graphical interface.

- At the (X)Ubuntu setup, choose "server installation" at the very first part.

I use Webmin and do everything remotely. I'm putting together a How-To for a secure web server built on Kubuntu alternate cd. Its the same as the ubuntu server build. I have an older How-to up on my site that is Mandriva based. It will let you see the power of using WebMin as an admin tool. Here is the link.

http://www.linuxloader.com/modules.p...pid=22&page=11

(This build is actually pretty good for security but 2005 is outdated now.)

PDR60

:tisk: i can't seem to get anything to install on ubuntu server or get anything to work..

tried to get aptget to install webmin, xserver, gnome, and xfce. nothing ..

now for some reason i did manage to get aptget to install mozilla .. probably cause i really didn't want it.. but at the time i just wanted to get something to install.. lol.. but i can't get figure out how to get it to work..

What do you mean "nothing .."?
What errors were there?
Did they install and you just dont know how to run them?

:tisk: Need more info

i do the sudo apt-get install webmin

then it returns E: package not found. (something to that effect)

and that goes for everything i try to install except firefox.. which it shows up.. but i have no idea how to get it to work.. lol..


so the "just don't know how to run them" is correct for firefox.. and will probably be right for the rest.. but i am trying to learn.. i follow the directions i see in here and with the "manuals".. i don't even know how to edit a .conf file or save changes.. lol.

edit:

reinstalling to see if maybe it didn't install correctly. or if i missed something..

What's in your /etc/apt/sources.list ?
Make sure you have all the repositories setup (main, restricted, universe and multiverse).
Use apt-cache to search for packages, rather then guessing at the names,
showsso that's the package you need. also look at "apt-cache --help" and "man apt-cache"

As for the webmin package, it's not in the ubuntu repositories so you'll have to download it from the website. You can either do that after you have gnome/xfce installed or install the package "lynx", it's a web browser for the console.

If you want a desktop environment (with Firefox etc) then you should install the desktop version, not the server version. As you can install server software on the desktop version and vice-versa. If you just want to run a server then you just need webmin. (You can install the X server as well but if you use it often then you may want to switch to the desktop version)

as soon as i get the server reinstalled i will try to see what list has.. atm i forgot how to set the root password.. i did it earlier and now i can't seem to find my notebook or the thread i found the howto in.. lol..

the gui is just because.. i am tinkering with this.. this is the first day i have downloaded and installed the ubuntu server. i may try the desktop version after i get this server version up an running so i have a place for my files.

all i really want to install is webmin. i read its easy to set up and use but so far it didn't wanna work of fd4 (which did nothing but crash.) i have used sme and it came with a browser to make changes and such but i haven't found one in ubuntu. which is why i want to try webmin.

the reason for the gui is mainly a just cause deal.. i wouldn't use it much if at all really.. once the box is up and running i don't mess with them. unless i check on it and has crashed or had hardware problems.

edit:

before i get too much further over my head here.. lol.. how do i read a file and edit a .conf then save it..

and before i forget.. a big thank you for your help.. am really greatful..

To set root password:
Enter YOUR password then the new root password twice.

To install webmin:
To edit a .conf file you can use vi nano or some other console editer, nano is the easiest as the controls are displayed on the bottom.
edit the file an press "Ctrl-O" to save and "Ctrl-X" to exit

To install a X server:
That will install basic X capability but no display manager or window manager.

first off.. a very big thank you for all your help..

second off.. after the 7th reinstall.. things are looking up.. lol.. figured out it wasnt the server but my win box screwing things up..

now the questions.. lol...

1: where and how do u fing repositorys (and browse them online)

2: how would i take a file like : (package).tar.gz and creat a .deb?

and thanx again for all your help..

first off .. i want to thank you for all your help..

second.. how would i browse repositorys and where might i find a list.. other than google which has been a pain to me lately.. (been finding everything but what i am looking for.. searchers error.. lol..)


strange question .. how would i take a .tar.gz file and make a .deb file. this kind of stuff gets me cerious..

anyway.. got lynx installed.. been a really good tool..
got webmin installed and somewhat configed.. lots of missing
programs the modules r set up for though.. but
figuring it out.. asks u if u want to install them but repos.. doesn't
have a lot of the ones i tried.. or have to search for them..

and just for the cerious.. the order that seems to work..

sudo passwd root
su
(root password)
sudo apt-get install lynx (great tool)
sudo apt-get install perl-core (gotta have for webmin)
wget http://belnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sou...bmin_1.290.deb
sudo dpkg -i webmin_1.290.deb
reboot

u can use lynx to config the server or on another pc..
http://(host):10000 0r for some reason http://(lan address):10000 cause the host name never works for me .. (i think thats a windows box problem)

and i have to say webmin is pretty slick.. there was more to it than i though there was.. lol..

onto rebuild number 8 later today.. lol.. on the bright side .. i know what not to do..

edit:

i think i see how u found the addy for wget.. will try it tommorow to see what happens..

If you want to browse the packages available go to the Ubuntu Package Search
You can search for packages by name and/or description and also by what files are in the packages.

Building a deb from source is more complicated, sometimes there will be a directory in the source called "debian" with a script called "rules" that you should use to create the deb. But if not then you have to google for a way as I don't know it (or start a new thread on that).

doesn't work for me
 

I tried entering the command shown to add the xubuntu gui but it didn't work it tried to read something and gave me: "couldn't find any packages whose name matched x-window-system-core gnome-core." I also tried for the xubuntu gui but it gave me the same error and 0 packages installed. Nada. Nothing. Since I am just doing this for fun I really don't care which guil I get, I just want to make something work and learn something here but so far nothing works right.

I also have another question that maybe someone can answer for me; When I installed Ubuntu 6.1.0 server I had problems. It could not detect my network. It also did not ask me for any ssid, wep key or anything related then it would get 85% through and freeze. So I installed without configuring the network. I read in here that Ubuntu server has everything that Edgy has so I know it can use my wireless adapter out of the box and can also scan for available networks. I tried manually entering the information but that still didn't do it. Ideas?

Apparently some WiFi chip sets are supported out of the box but all aren't. Broadcom is one example. In this case I had to install ndiswrapper and a Windows DLL driver. To get control over SSIS and WEP, I installed wifi-radar. This was with an Ubuntu Gnome environment. I would think that a non-GUI install would still require some additional pieces.

Mine is supported out of the box - at least with Dapper and Edgy it is and according to this forum anyway, Ubuntu server 6.1.0 is built on the exact same thing so I don't see any reason it wouldn't be supported out of the box as well. Is this true? Is Ubuntu server 6.1.0 trying to logon to the internet to download something for the gui? Is that why it's not working as expected?

ubuntu server gnome GUI
 

Hi, I'm an uber-newbie and in need of a little help. I have ubuntu 6.10 server installed (+Lamp) and have installed gnome as per the writings of this page, but when I startx I just get the CLI in the top left corner and a grey screen with a mouse pointer. How do I get something with some icons, directory structure and access to LAMP components??

Thanks

There's more than one set of instructions and none of them would give you the Ubuntu desktop. Exactly what did you do?

Hi thanks, I did this...

sudo aptitude install x-window-system-core gnome

and then used startx to start it. I then installed gdm for the graphical login, got irritated and reinstalled ubuntu lamp server from scratch to start afresh.
What I would like is some form of desktop environment to so that I may make a gradual transition into the workings of linux server, rather than just smashing the CLI straight off. Thanks!

If you have another workstation you can use Webmin. Its a graphical front end that loads on the server. Then you connect from a workstation remotely and admin the server. Its easy to install and very a very easy way to admin any unix server. i use it on most of mine. It also wil work on anything from fedora to slackware. Ubuntu has a package for it but I always just install it from the home site and use their .deb package. If you want to know how to install it for ubuntu just follow my How-to. Its pretty simple. This page starts the Webmin install.

http://www.linuxloader.com/modules.p...pid=29&page=12

PDR60

CLI is a tough place to begin a Linux experience. I recommend you don't start with the server install. If you have an older machine install Xubuntu and a newer one install Ubuntu. Then install the server pieces you want with the GUI. There's very little you can't do directly with the GUI. Help offered on forums just makes it look like CLI is the only path. My approach to learning GUI is to use it for researching configuration details and leaving changes primarily to the GUI realm. Over time I've learned to make many changes on the CLI but still favor the GUI as first choice. There is no shame in using a GUI and no red badge of courage bestowed for doing things the hard way. I've been a software engineer since 1964 and although my intellectual curiosity pushes me to understand computers at the lowest levels I still use the GUI most of the time.

The "correct" way to install Gnome on the server edition is
That will install everything you need.
Same to get Xfce/KDE, just replace "ubuntu-desktop" with "xubuntu-desktop" or "kubuntu-desktop" respectively.

And if you didn't want a commandline install why did you install the server edition?

Gui on server
 

I installed the server edition so that I had a preconfig'd LAMP server. I have gone the opposite track and now installed LAMP on a Kubuntu instead!

Good hint
 

Thanks!! Thats gonna help my transition to Ubuntu from Win.
Baby steps, :study: Baby steps, :study: etc...

Very Helpful
 

Hey everyone, I just figured I'd take a second to give praise where praise is due: you guys are great. There are far too many elitist Linux people who are too good to help others and I'm happy to say that this site breaks the stereotype.

Great thread!

I hastily installed Ubuntu Server as well expecting to be greeted with a friendly GUI and have my LAMP + Ruby on Rails + ActiveScaffold box up and running in a short time using the GUI... I'm at an impasse right now trying to decide whether to reinstall with the desktop edition or install webmin on the server edition.

If I install one of the GUI packages on the server edition and then don't choose to use it, will I open myself to security risks? Can I uninstall using aptitude? If so, how?

Thanks again!

The only difference between the server install and the desktop install is the lack of a GUI. (There are a couple other differences, but that's the main one). You can easily install install a GUI (without security risks). Just install "ubuntu-desktop", (for Gnome) "kubuntu-desktop", (for KDE) or "xubuntu-desktop" (for xfce), you can do this with aptitude.

I executed aptitude from the command line by typing the following command:

Confirmed it, and regretted it immediately: really wanted KDE instead of Gnome. Its downloading packages right now... I should have executed:

Can I use aptitude to uninstall packages as well or would it be best to reinstall desktop edition from scratch?

Run "aptitude -h" and you'll see all the options, including remove and purge. "man aptitude" will display the manual page.

GUI for UBUNTU SERVER EDITION
 

Hi All,


Its very easy to add GUI for Ubuntu server edition,

U have to follow the following steps for the same,
After installing the Ubuntu server Edition,Login as root by the following command u will get the root previlage,

sudo passwd root

It will ask u the existing password and followed by twice the nex Unix password for the confirmation,

then you have to logout using the command

logout

now u will get the root previlage with
#
prompt,

from there u have to type,

vi /etc/apt/source.list

then uncomment all the lines which ends with "universe",

write it and quit the file

the you have to type the following command,

apt-get install gnome

it will start install the gnome enviornment for you,

followed by

apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
apt-get install KDE

If u needed,

after finishing the download,it will start install the file,

once the same is finished u will get the prompt,

#

from there u type

startx

Now u can see the wonder,Its a GUI OS now,


Thanks,
Shajith...

I don't get why you need to enable root to do that, sudo -i gets you a root console. And lets not even start the vi conversation :P

All you need to do you don't need to uncomment the universe lines to install a GUI (tho you can if you want), just install the *ubuntu-desktop packages. If you don't want a display manager (login screen) to load at boot you can just do
(replace gdm with the actual display manager ,eg: kdm, xdm or gdm)
then if you need a GUI you can just start the display manager with(again replacing "gdm" with the display manager)

It's also not a great idea to have a root GUI session, opens security risks.

My opinion is that the differences between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server are:

Ubuntu Desktop has GUI and dosen't have all the programs/services you need for a server.

Ubuntu Server dosen't have GUI but in the other hand he has already LAMP and other programs needed for a linux server; Program(s) already precompiled and stuff like that like Slackware


Anyway, i prefer to install Ubunu Server and then to install manually the GUI.

hi all,
i'm a newbie in linux and encounter some problem during the GUI installation. when i try to install the GUI for ubuntu server it say that it can't find the package. So what should i do?

I recommend you install the Ubuntu desktop ISO. This installs Gnome by default. You can then use GUI tools like Synaptic to install the server applications you need. You didn't mention what server applications you wanted.

can't coz my manager ask for the server edition. He don't want the desktop edition.

when i install the ubuntu LAMP server, it prompt me to setup a partition for swap space. can i know what is that swap space for? is it a must to create a swap space?

The purpose of swap space is to allow you to exceed physical memory gracefully. When swap space is used performance can be impacted but the system still runs. It's also used for hibernation which isn't likely on a running server. Swap space is normally at least equal to actual RAM size. Swap uses a separate partition. When you create a partition, you will select a partition format type. Ubuntu defaults to "ext3." The swap partition is of a special type "swap" which is a special disk format for that purpose.

after i have install the GUI with the command (sudo aptitude install x-window-system-core gnome-core)when i start with the command (startx) there is only mouse cursor and nothing else...is there any step i miss it? i can't see any GUI at all...except the mouse cursor

Best way to get in to gnome is via GDM. If you don't want GDM then I'd recommend making a script like:
Then saving that as /bin/start-gnome or something like that

thanks will try to give it a try...

ok another newbie question..

So I installed LAMP from a ubuntu server download. making the transition I was looking to use a GUI and came across this thread via Google (just gotta love google sometimes ^_^) and anyway I followed some of the instruction listed in this thread here and I keep getting the message 'Couldn't find package etc' - no matter how I try.

I've tried all the commands listed above and nothing seems to work. I can't access across a network or via a work station as I only have my laptop and one spare computer. Laptop I use online and the other computer I was hoping to set up as just a local off line server for testing stuff on so am not really that bothered about security as it won't be online.

Still how do I get to a GUI as I'm not that well read on command line stuff?

Setup is a ubuntu server download (Last night) - install as a lamp server...

thanks :)

It probably does ask during the setup if you'd like to have a graphical desktop or not, if it isn't the default. Still, having grahpical desktop on a server is a waste of resources and I recommend sticking to console. Of course if the server is actively used in a fashion that needs X running, and a desktop also, then it's already decided but most servers just offer something that doesn't need to be visible on the server itself (like webpages or databases or something that off-the-server programs use), and in those cases it's just sensible to let all possible resources be used for the serving job, and not to a graphical nice desktop running on top of hogging X server.

Well like I say - I don't really care about resources or the GUI using them, I have a gig of ram so a GUI is not going to eat up that much and as it is not going to be a production server and only a local server that is not going online, then security won't be an issue either.

All I need so I don't have to connect via a work station (Or the net - I seriously do not want to configure it's networking) is a interface I can work with locally without the need for using command line (I Sux at it anyway - yes I should learn but just don't have the time :( )

I just need something I can test a few scripts on and I'm sick of the pain that windows/apache is having to keep setting stupid permissions here there and every where and then 9/10 it won't work.

Some stuff I can test on windows/apache and thats fine but other stuff I need Linux for and just want a simple easy to use test server with php/mysql/apache.

Like I say - Security? Who Cares - it won't be online - so not an issue.
Learn command line? in an ideal world, yes that would be an option but I just don't have the time at the moment.

So, anyway I had to put it online (And reinstall to get internet - temporarily) and types

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-desktop [? think that was it] and it ran a whole load of stuff i.e. downloaded and installed - then I ran the start command and I'm at the same stage as that chap on page two (Of this thread) I had a login screen user/password and that takes me to a blank screen with just the mouse cursor so obviously I've done something wrong..

Will try a reboot and see if I can login again but any ideas would be great fully appreciated..

Thanks :)

I would recommend you install package ubuntu-desktop. That will give you the Gnome GUI.

Nope ubuntu desktop is not needed..

Actually it's quite simple when you sort out the nuts and bolts of what is posted in the thread (Mainly the beginning is the answer)

I had to re-install but the method to get a GUI on Linux server is as follows;

Install LAMP

Then as pljvaldez said - at the CLI

sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop

Which will download the necessary files and install them

Then as binary_y2k2said
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start

And you are taken to a GUI Login/Login with your username/password and you have a GUI to at least start to figure what to do...

Now though I suppose the real fun will begin ^_^

Thanks for the help - appreciated :)

I am also desiring a graphical interface.. Not really necessary but I just would like a graphical view so while Im working directly on the server I can launch firefox and search for solutions to problems I am having..

However the graphical interfaces are a couple of hundred megs, I ran a sudo aptitude install x-window-system-core gnome-core gnome and It is installing items such as sound, etc..
(Should I have just installed gnome-core, and not gnome?)

Is there a more bare minimalistic gui? I looked into xubuntu-desktop but after unzipping it was around 700mb.. I would like a very slim extremely basic interface..

Basically just a desktop with thunar and firefox.. thats about it..
any packages that will do just this? Or if I could launch thunar or firefox from the command line without any gui (I'm pretty sure thats impossible) that would be ideal..

Also, after installed, if I do not install (or choose to uninstall gdm) how do I launch gnome from the command line.. will it be like a service? /etc/init.d/gnome start
?

Thanks in advance for any help...