There are a number of Debian based Linux distributions out there. My personal favorite is Ubuntu. I will typically use the desktop or server version for most of my Linux needs.
Each time I build a new system, there are a number of steps that I typically follow which I seem to forget and need to research again. So, both to document my actions and for your benefit, here are the first few things that I do for any new installation.
The Starting Point
This guide assumes that you have just completed the base installation and have access to a command/terminal prompt. You will also need to have the root password but are logged in as a typical user.
Edit Sources
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
Except for the very first line, remove all of the # in front of each line the begins with # deb and save the file.
Update Distribution
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade
Assign a Static IP
sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
In this file, find the line that says iface eth0 inet dhcp. Comment out this line (put a # in front of it) and then add after it on the next lines:
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.0.100
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.0.0
broadcast 192.168.0.255
gateway 192.168.0.1
Make sure that the network information you enter here is accurate for your network. Once you have saved this file, then restart the network:
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
Next, update your host file to reflect your new static IP address:
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Find the line starting with 127.0.1.1 (usually the second line) and change 127.0.1.1 to the IP address you desire. From the example above, it would be 192.168.0.100. Save the file when you are done.
Install the SSH Server
sudo apt-get install ssh openssh-server
Other Useful Tasks
These are some other things that I have found to be useful from time to time. They are not necessarily a part of my default setup but they do come in handy
Determine Your Static IP Address
ifconfig | grep Bcast
Enable root
sudo passwd rootIf you found this post useful, why don't you buy me a cup of coffee to show your gratitude?
As many of you have noted, I have been absent from the blog for some time now. The reason for this is that I find myself recently looking for work. I really do not want to get into all of the details why I am looking for work but all of the reasons are positive!