The book

Ubuntu System Administration Guide

Ubuntu Desktop, Server, security, and DevOps automation

A hands-on guide to Ubuntu, from the first install on a laptop to a Kubernetes cluster on your own servers. It's the book I wish I'd had when I started running Linux for real: every chapter is something you set up and use, not theory.

It starts on the desktop with installing, a tiling window manager, networks, VPN and a firewall. Then it moves to servers: virtualization, containers, monitoring, firewalls and VPN servers, web apps and Kubernetes. It ends with automation, Bash, Ansible and a CI/CD pipeline that builds, pushes and deploys your services.

What's inside

Many of the chapters live on as posts on this blog: 91 of them so far. Open a chapter to read them for free, then get the book for the whole story in one place.

1
Getting familiar with the Ubuntu ecosystem
What Ubuntu is, how packages and the file system work, and the command-line tools you will use every day.
2
Install, upgrade and configure Ubuntu Desktop
From a USB stick to a running desktop, including dual-boot with Windows, installing software, and upgrading between LTS releases.
5 posts on the blog
3
Environments and window managers
Set up the i3 tiling window manager and a desktop that is built for work and development.
6 posts on the blog
4
Setting up firewall, VPN and WiFi networks
DHCP and static addresses, VLANs and WiFi, MAC address changes, VPN, DNS protection, a firewall and virus scanning.
7 posts on the blog
5
Preparing a virtualization environment
KVM on the desktop: bridges and NAT networks, your first VM, snapshots, hardware passthrough, Vagrant boxes and image conversion.
6 posts on the blog
6
Up and running with Kubernetes and Docker
Docker and Docker Compose for local development, connecting stacks together, and a first look at Kubernetes.
6 posts on the blog
7
Install Ubuntu Server on metal, cloud and network
Cattle, not pets: SSH keys, installing from USB, in a VM, on Google Cloud and Hetzner, and many servers at once.
6 posts on the blog
8
Keeping a check on your Ubuntu Server
Monitoring commands, Cockpit, monitoring at scale, collecting logs in one place, and spotting an intrusion.
7 posts on the blog
9
Setting up advanced network, firewall and VPN servers
Ubuntu as your main firewall, with DHCP and DNS for your clients, secure communication, and VPN troubleshooting.
9 posts on the blog
10
Running a virtualization server environment
KVM on a server, managed from the desktop, the web and virsh. Then Podman containers, monitored with Prometheus, Grafana and Loki.
13 posts on the blog
11
Set up web servers and deploy web apps
Web servers, databases, deploying web applications, and making them fast.
9 posts on the blog
12
Kubernetes: run and set up
Install Kubernetes on your own Ubuntu servers, deploy the base services, and run WordPress on it.
11 posts on the blog
13
Task automation, CI/CD pipelines and service deployment
Bash, Ansible, and a pipeline that builds and pushes Docker images, then deploys them to Kubernetes with Terraform.
6 posts on the blog

What's inside

Getting familiar with the Ubuntu ecosystem

Install, upgrade and configure Ubuntu Desktop

Environments and window managers

Setting up firewall, VPN and WiFi networks

Preparing a virtualization environment

Up and running with Kubernetes and Docker

Install Ubuntu Server on metal, cloud and network

Keeping a check on your Ubuntu Server

Setting up advanced network, firewall and VPN servers

Running a virtualization server environment

Set up web servers and deploy web apps

Kubernetes: run and set up

Task automation, CI/CD pipelines and service deployment