(DRAFT: Use this as a guide, but it has not been fully tested. Please let us know of any issues with it)
First, you need a server. You can't really learn about administering a remote Linux server without having a one of your own - so today we're going get one - completely free!
Through the magic of Linux and virtualisation, it's now possible to get a small Internet server setup almost instantly - and at very low cost. Technically, what you'll be doing is creating and renting a VPS ("Virtual Private Server"). In a datacentre somewhere a single physical server running Linux will be split into a dozen or more Virtual servers using the KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) feature that's been part of Linux since early 2007.
As well as a hosting provider, we also need to choose which "flavour" of Linux to install on our server. If you're new to Linux then the range of "distributions" available can be confusing - but the latest LTS ("Long Term Support") version of Ubuntu Server is a popular choice, and what you'll need for this course.
These instruction will walk you through using Google Cloud "Free Tier" (https://cloud.google.com) as your VPS hosting provider. They are rated highly, with a very simple and slick interface. Although we'll be using the Free Tier, be warned that you will need to provide valid credit card information. (Of course, if you have a strong reason to use another provider, then by all means do so, but be sure to choose Ubuntu Server 20.04)
Sign-up is fairly simple - just provide your email address and a password of your choosing - along with a phone number for a 2FA - a second method of authentication. You will need to also provide your VISA or other credit card information.
- Choose "Compute Engine" and click "VM Instances".
- Create a new instance.
- Select whichever regions you want.
- For Machine Configuration select series and set to "E2" and Machine type to "e2-micro".
- Change boot disk to "Ubuntu 20.04 LTS"
Now after we create our own server, we need to open all ports and protocols to access from anywhere. While this might be unwise for a production server, it is what we want for this course.
Navigate to your GCP home page and goto Networking > VPC Network > Firewall > Create Firewall
Set "Direction of Traffic" to "Ingress" Set "Target" to "All instances in the network" Set "Source Filter" to "IP Ranges" Set "Source IP Ranges" to "0.0.0.0/0" Set "Protocols and Ports" to "Allow All" Create and repeat the steps by creating a new Firewall and setting "Direction of Traffic" to "Egress"
Select your instance and click "ssh" it will open a new window console. To access the root, type "sudo -i passwd" in the command line then set your own password. Log in by typing "su" and "password". Note that the password won't show as you type or paste it.
You can also refer to https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/connecting-advanced#thirdpartytools if you intend to access your server via third-party tools (e.g. Putty).
Confirm that you can do administrative tasks by typing:
sudo apt update
Then:
sudo apt upgrade
Don't worry too much about the output and messages from these commands, but it should be clear whether they succeeded or not. (Reply to any prompts by taking the default option). These commands are how you force the installation of updates on an Ubuntu Linux system, and only an administrator can do them.
To logout, type logout or exit.
Your server is now all set up and ready for the course!
Note that:
- This server is now running, and completely exposed to the whole of the Internet
- You alone are responsible for managing it
- You have just installed the latest updates, so it should be secure for now