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Ubuntu Server Installation and Configuration Guide

1. Installing Ubuntu Server on VMware

1. Download the latest Ubuntu Server ISO from Ubuntu Official Website.

2. Open VMware Workstation or VMware Player and create a new virtual machine.

3. Select "Typical" configuration and choose the downloaded Ubuntu Server ISO.

4. Allocate RAM (recommended: 2GB or more) and create a virtual hard disk (recommended: 20GB or more).

5. Complete the VM setup and start the installation.

6. Follow the Ubuntu Server installation steps:

1. Choose minimal installation.

2. Configure network settings.

3. Set up a user and password.

7. After installation, reboot the VM and log in.

2. Initial Server Configuration

Update and upgrade the system:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Install OpenSSH Server

To manage your server remotely via SSH, install OpenSSH server:

sudo apt install openssh-server -y

After installation, you can start the SSH service:

sudo systemctl start ssh
sudo systemctl enable ssh

To check if SSH is running:

sudo systemctl status ssh

Enable firewall and allow SSH:

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH

3. Install Apache, PHP, and PHP-FPM

Install Apache Web Server:

sudo apt install apache2 -y
sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2

Install PHP 7.4 and PHP 8.3:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y
sudo apt update
sudo apt install php7.4 php7.4-fpm php7.4-mysql php7.4-cli -y
sudo apt install php8.3 php8.3-fpm php8.3-mysql php8.3-cli -y

Enable and start PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl enable php7.4-fpm php8.3-fpm
sudo systemctl start php7.4-fpm php8.3-fpm

4. Install MySQL Server

sudo apt install mysql-server -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation

5. Install PHPMyAdmin

To manage MySQL through a web interface, you can install PHPMyAdmin:

sudo apt install phpmyadmin -y

During installation, select Apache as the web server.

To enable PHPMyAdmin in Apache, link the PHPMyAdmin configuration file:

sudo ln -s /etc/phpmyadmin/apache.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/phpmyadmin.conf

Enable the site and restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite phpmyadmin
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Now, you can access PHPMyAdmin at http://example.com/phpmyadmin (replace example.com with your server's domain or IP).

IF ANY ISSUE WHEN SETTING PASSWORD OF PHPMYADMIN :

Sudo mysql -u root -p
UNINSTALL COMPONENT “file://component_validate_password”;
Exit;
Sudo apt install phpmyadmin
Sudo mysql -u root -p
INSTALL COMPONENT “file://component_validate_password”;

6. Configure Apache Virtual Hosts for Multiple PHP Versions

Create configuration for site1.com (PHP 7.4):

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/site1.com.conf

Add:

ServerName site1.com

DocumentRoot /var/www/site1

SetHandler "proxy:unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost"

</FilesMatch>

</VirtualHost>

Create configuration for site2.com (PHP 8.3):

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/site2.com.conf
Add:

ServerName site2.com

DocumentRoot /var/www/site2

SetHandler "proxy:unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost"

</FilesMatch>

</VirtualHost>

Enable sites and restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite site1.com.conf
sudo a2ensite site2.com.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

7. Domain Binding in Windows Hosts File

Edit the Windows hosts file:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Add:

192.168.1.100 site1.com

192.168.1.100 site2.com

Now, you can access http://site1.com and http://site2.com in your browser.

Introduction to Git

Git is a distributed version control system that allows developers to track and manage changes in their codebase. It helps in collaboration by enabling multiple developers to work on the same project simultaneously without overwriting each other's work.

Local Repositories: A local copy of your project that resides on your computer.
Remote Repositories: A repository hosted on a server, such as GitHub or GitLab, where you can push and pull code.

Git works by storing commits (snapshots) of your project over time, allowing you to revert to previous versions of your project if needed.

Git Credentials

Git requires your username and email to track the commits you make. You can configure this globally or locally for each repository.

1. Setting up Git credentials

git config --global user.name "Your Name"

git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

The --global flag applies these settings to all repositories on your machine. To configure credentials for a specific repository, you can omit the --global flag.

2. Viewing your Git configuration

git config --list

Basic Git Commands

1. Initializing a Git repository

git init

This initializes a new Git repository in your current directory.

2. Cloning a repository

git clone <repository_url>

Use this command to copy a remote repository to your local machine.

3. Checking the status of your repository

git status

Shows which files are modified, staged, or untracked.

4. Adding changes to the staging area

git add <filename> # For a specific file

git add . # For all files

5. Committing changes

git commit -m "Your commit message"

Records the staged changes along with a message.

6. Viewing commit history

git log

7. Pushing changes to the remote repository

git push origin <branch_name>

Pushes your committed changes to the remote repository.

8. Pulling changes from the remote repository

git pull origin <branch_name>

Pulls the latest changes from the remote repository to your local machine.

9. Creating a new branch

git branch <branch_name>

10. Switching branches

git checkout <branch_name>

11. Merging branches

git merge <branch_name>

Merges changes from the specified branch into your current branch.

Using SSH for Git Authentication

When using SSH (Secure Shell) for Git, you don't need to enter your username and password every time you interact with a remote repository. SSH keys provide a secure way to authenticate without needing to expose your credentials.

1. Generating SSH Keys

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your.email@example.com"

This creates a new SSH key pair: a private key (~/.ssh/id_rsa) and a public key (~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub).

2. Adding the SSH key to the SSH agent

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa

3. Adding your SSH key to GitHub/GitLab

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
Go to your GitHub/GitLab account, navigate to SSH Keys settings, and paste the copied key.

4. Testing SSH Connection

ssh -T git@github.com # For GitHub
ssh -T git@gitlab.com # For GitLab

This will authenticate your SSH key with GitHub/GitLab.

5. Using SSH URL for Git Remote

When cloning or adding a remote URL, use the SSH format instead of HTTPS:

git clone git@github.com:username/repository.git

Conclusion

Git, along with SSH, is a powerful combination for managing codebases and collaborating with other developers. By setting up Git credentials and SSH keys, you streamline the process of pushing, pulling, and managing code changes securely and efficiently.

GITHUB ACTION

GitHub Actions can be used to deploy code to a server automatically. It is a CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) tool that helps automate workflows like testing, building, and deploying applications.

Configure GitHub Actions for Deployment

Modify your .github/workflows/deploy.yml to use the VMware VM's IP:

yaml

name: Deploy to VMware VM

on:

push:

branches:

- main

jobs:

deploy:

runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:

- name: Checkout Code

uses: actions/checkout@v3

- name: Deploy via SSH

uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v0.1.7

with:

host: ${{ secrets.VMWARE_HOST }}

username: ${{ secrets.VMWARE_USER }}

key: ${{ secrets.VMWARE_SSH_KEY }}

script: |

cd /var/www/html/your_project # Change to your project path

git pull origin main

composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

php artisan migrate --force

php artisan cache:clear

php artisan config:clear

systemctl restart apache2

EXECUTE

git add .github/workflows/deploy.yml

git commit -m "Added GitHub Actions deployment workflow"

git push origin main

LINUX SERVICES

1. Introduction to Linux Services

What are Services in Linux?

Services (or daemons) are background processes that run continuously and provide essential functionalities.
They handle networking, security, application hosting, system monitoring, and automation.
Examples: Apache, MySQL, SSH, Nginx, Cron.

Types of Services in Linux

System Services: Essential for OS functionality (e.g., SSH, Cron, Firewall).
Application Services: Related to specific applications (e.g., Apache, MySQL, Docker).
Network Services: Manage networking functions (e.g., DHCP, DNS, FTP).

2. Managing Services with systemctl & service

Checking the Status of a Service

systemctl status apache2
service apache2 status

Starting and Stopping Services

systemctl start apache2
systemctl stop apache2

Enabling and Disabling Services (at startup)

systemctl enable apache2
systemctl disable apache2

Restarting and Reloading Services

systemctl restart apache2
systemctl reload apache2

Checking Logs for Debugging

journalctl -u apache2 --no-pager | tail -n 20

3. Common Linux Services and Their Uses

Service	Description	Demo Commands
SSH (Secure Shell)	Secure remote access	`sudo systemctl start ssh`
Apache/Nginx	Web server hosting	`sudo systemctl start apache2`
MySQL/MariaDB	Database service	`sudo systemctl start mysql`
Cron Jobs	Scheduling tasks	`crontab -e`
Firewall (UFW/Firewalld)	Security filtering	`sudo ufw enable`
DNS (BIND)	Domain Name Resolution	`systemctl start named`
DHCP	Dynamic IP Address Allocation	`systemctl start dhcpd`

Hands-on Demos:

Install Apache/Nginx:

sudo apt install apache2 -y  # Debian-based
sudo yum install httpd -y    # RHEL-based

Create and Access a Test HTML Page:

echo "<h1>Linux Service Demo</h1>" | sudo tee /var/www/html/index.html
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Start and Secure an SSH Connection:

sudo systemctl start ssh
ssh user@localhost

Create a Scheduled Cron Job:

crontab -e
# Add: * * * * * echo "Hello, World" >> /tmp/cron_test.log

4. Advanced Service Management (30 min)

Configuring Custom Service Files (`.service`)

Service configuration files are located in /etc/systemd/system/.
Example of a custom service:

[Unit]
Description=Custom Python Web Service
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 -m http.server 8080
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the custom service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable myservice
sudo systemctl start myservice

Monitoring and Debugging Services

Check logs: journalctl -u service_name
Troubleshoot startup issues: systemctl status service_name
Enable persistent logging: sudo systemctl enable systemd-journald

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