Author: Answertopia

The previous chapter explored the use of the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) to install and update software packages on an Ubuntu system. In recent years a new package management system called Snap has been under development by the Ubuntu team at Canonical, Ltd. Although there are no official plans to replace APT entirely with Snap,…

It is highly unlikely that a newly installed Ubuntu system will contain all of the software packages necessary to perform the tasks for which it is intended. Even once all the required software has been installed, it is almost certain that newer versions of many of those packages will be released during the lifespan of…

To gain proficiency in Ubuntu system administration, it is essential to understand the concepts of systemd units with a particular emphasis on two specific types known as targets and services. This chapter provides a basic overview of the different systemd units supported by Ubuntu and how to configure the many services that run in the…

During the installation of Ubuntu, the installer created a root or superuser account and required that a password be configured. The installer also provided the opportunity to create a user account for the system. We should remember that Ubuntu is an enterprise-class, multi-user, and multitasking operating system. To use the full power of Ubuntu, therefore,…

An important part of learning to work with Ubuntu, and Linux distributions in general, involves gaining proficiency in working in the shell environment. While the graphical desktop environments such as GNOME included with Linux provide a user friendly interface to the operating system, in practice the shell environment provides far greater capabilities, flexibility and automation…

Although equipped with the latest Linux desktop environment, Ubuntu is very much a server operating system. As such, most Ubuntu deployments will be to remote physical servers or as cloud-based virtual machine instances. Invariably, these systems run without a keyboard, mouse, or monitor, with direct access only available via the command prompt over a network…

Ubuntu 22.04 includes the GNOME 42 desktop environment. Although lacking the complexity of Windows and macOS desktops, GNOME provides an uncluttered and intuitive desktop environment that provides all of the essential features of a windowing environment with the added advantage that it can be learned quickly. In this chapter, the main features of the GNOME…

In the previous chapter, we looked at installing Ubuntu on the same disk as Windows. This so-called “dual boot” configuration allows the user to have both operating systems installed on a single disk drive with the option to boot one or the other when the system is powered on. This chapter is intended for users…

Ubuntu, just like most Linux distributions, will happily co-exist on a hard disk drive with just about any version of Windows. This is a concept known as dual-booting. Essentially, when you power up your PC, you will be presented with a menu providing the option to boot either Ubuntu or Windows. Obviously, you can only…