--- title: "Install Ubuntu Server 20.04: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough" description: "Follow this step-by-step guide to learn the pre and post-installation process for Ubuntu Server 20.04 and get started today." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/install-ubuntu/" --- # Install Ubuntu Server 20.04: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough > Follow this step-by-step guide to learn the pre and post-installation process for Ubuntu Server 20.04 and get started today. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/install-ubuntu/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![Install Ubuntu Server 20.04: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/How-to-Install-Ubuntu-20.04-Step-by-Step.png) # Install Ubuntu Server 20.04: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4147968aa2332aa682bcebf295e4e9d0eb2672dee3d9ae0523a00ac51e7d6017?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Bill Kindle](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/bill/)5 August 20206 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[Ubuntu Linux](/tag/ubuntu-linux/) Table of Contents * [What You Will Learn](#h-what-you-will-learn) * [Prerequisites](#h-prerequisites) * [Installing Ubuntu Server](#h-installing-ubuntu-server) * [Opening up Common Ports](#h-opening-up-common-ports) * [Enabling the Firewall](#h-enabling-the-firewall) * [Updating Ubuntu Server 20.04](#h-updating-ubuntu-server-20-04) * [Learn More](#h-learn-more) Linux installers have come a long way. You can install a lot of major distributions easier today than you could have five or 10 years ago. One such installer now used by Canonical’s [Ubuntu](https://ubuntu.com/) server and workstation 20.04 called [Subiquity](https://github.com/canonical/subiquity), replaces the legacy Debian installer previously used by Ubuntu. In this article, you’re going to learn, step-by-step how to install Ubuntu Server 20.04! ## What You Will Learn This article is going to walk you through an actual scenario where you will install Ubuntu Server 20.04. You will learn the step-by-step installation process, configure standard settings such as updating the installer, configure an IP address, configure disks, add a root user account and configure a hostname, configure remote access using SSH, and finally, perform post-installation updates. ## Prerequisites To follow along with this guide, you will need to have the following resources: * [Ubuntu Server 20.04 ISO](https://ubuntu.com/download/server) * A Hypervisor or standalone physical server * Hyper-V * [VMware ESXi](https://www.vmware.com/products/esxi-and-esx.html), [Player, or Workstation](https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html) * [KVM](https://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page) / [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/) * A desire to learn Ready to learn? Great! ![Learning to Install Ubuntu 20.04](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Untitled-21-3.png) Learning to Install Ubuntu 20.04 ## Installing Ubuntu Server Without further ado let’s get started! 1. Begin the installation by booting your VM guest using the Ubuntu Server 20.04 ISO. This guide will mention VMware a lot; however, you can use any hypervisor. The examples here are from VMware ESXi 7.0, but you can also use Microsoft Hyper-V, VirtualBox, or [VMware](https://adamtheautomator.com/tag/vmware/) Player, to name a few. When you start your VM guest, you should see system boot messages as the VM guest boot. After finishing the boot process, you will see the following welcome screen: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Choose Language](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Untitled-22-1-1024x337.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Choose Language The default language choice is English. If this is the language you wish to use, press **Enter**. 2\. On the next screen, choose whether you wish to update the installer or not. If you are connected to the internet, using the arrow keys to select **‘Update to the new installer’** and press **Enter**. Otherwise, you can skip this step. ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Update Installer](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Untitled-24-2-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Update Installer The installer will begin to download, and the update will begin: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Update Installer Downloading](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Untitled-25-2-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Update Installer Downloading 3\. Once the installer has completed the update, you will now need to choose a keyboard layout. The default is **English (US)**. If you are OK with these defaults, choose **Done** press **Enter**: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Select Keyboard Layout](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Untitled-26-2-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Select Keyboard Layout 4\. Now it’s time to configure networking. By default, the installer will look for a DHCP address and automatically configure networking. However, you should set the IP address now to a valid configuration for your network. You could write down the address assigned and use it as a static configuration. If you choose that route, be sure to make that address a static reservation in your DHCP server configuration. 5\. To configure a static address, select **eth0**, as shown below, and press **Enter**. You will then need to select **IPv4** or **IPv6** and assign the correct subnet, address, gateway, and name server addresses. IPv6 is primarily for internet facing traffic because the world is running out of IPv4 address space. It’s not something you will need to use for local traffic anytime soon. For most cases, you will choose IPv4 as shown below: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Assigning a static IP address](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/3v6FUECLTZ.gif) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Assigning a static IP address 6\. When you finish, the settings will apply, and you can continue. Select Done, and press Enter to continue. 7\. The next screen will ask you to configure a proxy address. If you use one to access the internet, enter that address here, otherwise leave it blank and select **Done**, and press **Enter**: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Configure Proxy](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_QRZ38WwX4b-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Configure Proxy 8\. Next, it’s time to choose a disk configuration. For this guide’s purposes, we are going to stick with the defaults as much as possible. Ensure **Use an entire disk** is selected, and that **Set up this disk as an LVM group** is selected. With both selected, choose Done and press Enter: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Guided Storage Configuration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_cyJXJlEkmN-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Guided Storage Configuration 9\. Review the storage configuration. Now would be a good time to document the disk configuration too. If you are satisfied with your configuration, choose **Done** and press **Enter**: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Storage Configuration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_3IuXhOvZmn-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Storage Configuration 10\. Since formatting and partitioning a disk is considered destructive, you will see a confirmation dialog. Choose **Continu**e and press **Enter**: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Finalize Storage Configuration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_1YfawNseF9-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Finalize Storage Configuration 11\. The next screen will be the Profile Setup screen. This account will be the root user account for your server. Enter your name, a server name, a username, and a password you wish to use. The username can be your name or a Marvel Comics character. The choice is yours. Whatever the decision may be, be sure to document this information before proceeding! 12\. When satisfied with the information, select **Done** and press **Enter**: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Profile Setup](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_0OJJVhTPLK-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Profile Setup 13\. Now you are asked whether or not you want to install OpenSSH Server. If you are only going to use the VM console to access the server, skip installation. You can install OpenSSH later. However, if you plan to utilize SSH connectivity to manage your host, make sure Install OpenSSH Server is selected. It’s easier to do it now than to install and configure later. If you are familiar with SSH keys, you can also import your keys now to enable a passwordless secure login. 14\. When you are satisfied with the selections, choose **Done** and press **Enter**: ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - SSH Setup](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_vsQce2bsJy-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – SSH Setup 15\. You’re now about to finish! Next, is to install some of the most popular snaps that are available for Ubuntu Server. If you want to, select **PowerShell** and choose **Done**, and press **Enter**. Otherwise, just select **Done**, and press **Enter**. ![Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen - Featured Server Snaps](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_I96QwBTr6S-1024x768.png) Ubuntu Server 20.04 Installation Screen – Featured Server Snaps Ubuntu Server will now begin installing. Typically installation will only take a few minutes on a virtual machine. ![Installing Ubuntu 20.04](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_fKPF30pB43-1024x768.png) Installing Ubuntu 20.04 ![Completion of the Installation Ubuntu 20.04](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/vmconnect_qUI8tsMT8f-1024x768.png) Completion of the Installation Ubuntu 20.04 16\. After a few minutes and, you need to **Reboot**. Press **Enter** and the server will restart. ### Opening up Common Ports You need to add some underlying security to your installation by installing a firewall. By default, the Un-Complicated Firewall (ufw) in Ubuntu Server 20.04 is not configured and enabled. > _The steps in this section are not technically required for a vanilla install. However, if you are going to use this server as a web server or perhaps a database server, read on._ Now connect to your new server using the SSH protocol. For this guide, [Windows Terminal](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-windows-terminal/ "Windows Terminal") and PowerShell 7 using SSH to execute commands. #### Enabling the Firewall 1. Open your SSH client, and enter the following command using the username and IP address you used during the Ubuntu Server installation: ```bash ssh [Root_UserName]@[IP_Address] ``` 2\. Press **Enter**. Wait for the prompt to accept the encryption key if you have not already connected via SSH before. The process you will see in the following animated gif: ![PowerShell 7 SSH connection to Ubuntu Server.](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/XPOpdxs5fl.gif) **PowerShell 7 SSH connection to Ubuntu Server.** Verify the _Uncomplicated Firewall_ or **UFW** status by typing the following command in the terminal: ```bash sudo ufw status verbose ``` The firewall status will be **inactive**. Enable and start the firewall daemon now by typing the command below and pressing **Enter**: ```bash sudo ufw enable ``` You should first set up access for SSH. This is required once the firewall is enabled. ```bash sudo ufw allow ssh ``` If you’re setting up this Ubuntu server to act as a web server or perhaps a MySQL server, you will see the required ports to open below. ```bash sudo ufw allow http sudo ufw allow https sudo ufw allow mysql ``` Now reload the firewall configuration to apply the changes by entering the following command: ```bash sudo ufw reload ``` > _You may want to be more precise with where you allow the traffic to come. This guide uses anywhere because there are other security measures in place that prevent access to machines on the network used. If you would like to do some additional reading about how to configure UFW, read more by [starting here](https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/focal/man8/ufw.8.html)._ ## Updating Ubuntu Server 20.04 For the last task, you will want to perform before moving on is to update the OS and upgrade any packages that may need upgrading. You may want to do this to ensure your newly minted server has all of the latest security and bug fixes available. To do so, start by using the apt command, as shown below. The apt package manager will then scan the Ubuntu repositories for updates/upgrades. The -y parameter suppresses confirmation dialogs, and any packages that have updates will display on the screen. ```bash sudo apt update -y ``` Now run the next command. Now the apt package manager will begin to apply all upgrades previously found needing updates. The `-y` parameter will suppress any confirmation dialogs. This step may take a minute or two, depending on your internet connection and system performance. ```bash sudo apt upgrade -y ``` Congratulations! You’ve just installed, configured, and updated Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS successfully. ## Learn More * [Subiquity on GitHub](https://github.com/canonical/subiquity) * [Automated Ubuntu Server Installs with Subiquity](https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/automated-server-installs/16612) Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Finstall-ubuntu%2F&text=Install%20Ubuntu%20Server%2020.04%3A%20A%20Step-by-Step%20Walkthrough)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Finstall-ubuntu%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Finstall-ubuntu%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/openldap-4.jpg) ### [How to Install and Configure an OpenLDAP Ubuntu Server](/openldap/) Unlock the power of OpenLDAP on Ubuntu for centralized user authentication, seamless access control management, and enhanced directory services! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ubuntu-ntp.jpg) ### [How to Setup Ubuntu NTP Server](/ubuntu-ntp/) Learn to configure an Ubuntu NTP server for precise time synchronization across your network. 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