From time to time I require a fresh VMWare Ubuntu server installation. Each time I attempt an installation I have to resort to Google to get the basics to work. Here’s a quick note to myself, so next time it’s all in one place.

I’m installing Ubuntu 10.04.1 long term support using an ISO ubuntu-10.04.1-server-amd64.iso

First I update the repositories and install any updated libraries:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

The default installation doesn’t come with an SSH Server. To install SSH:

sudo apt-get install ssh openssh-server

Next install vim:

sudo apt-get install vim-nox

Set the timezone:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

… the rest then normally falls into place.

Helpful References

Confused by the differences between /etc/profile, /etc/environment, /etc/profile.d/*, ~/.bashrc, ~/.profile, ~/.bash_profile. It’s all here: Shell initialization files