Kubuntu as home server

[Rich Oliver]

So I've just got a new ASUS PN50 to use as a home server and installed Ubuntu Server20.04. Its replacing a NUC, I've had for several years. I back up my personal data on it, rather than entrusting it to the cloud. I've got some ideas about creating a house web page / web site, allowing Film and Music storage and I might open up an Https port to the outside world so I can access it at some point.

So normally they'll be no monitor, keyboard, or mouse attached, but I suddenly had the thought, would it be better to install Kubuntu just so I've got a GUI interface available when I want one. I can use Dolphin over sftp, but it doesn't give you all the options that a local Kubuntu KDE interface gives you. What are the disadvantages of Kubuntu? Will it increase power consumption significantly if there's no monitor attached and no one has directly logged in?

[oshunluvr]

Well, I run my headless home server with all those features on Ubuntu Server 18.04 with no complaints. I access it primarily with ssh (using secure keys - no login pwd needed). If I want more info with a prettier look, I use Webmin.

On it I host; Plex media server, Nextcloud (for file access by my family - backup storage, etc.), A Family webpage (not really developed, still in "playground" mode, but I can access it), NFS and SAMBA file sharing (local network only), and a Photo scanner. I use NFS/SAMBA to share files with and backup the other PCs in the house. All my TVs among with many others (friends and family) use my Plex server to watch movies, see family photos, listen to music, etc.

So my questions to you are;
What exactly are you missing that you need a desktop for when it's headless? Or even if it wasn't headless?
What "options" are missing from Dolphin? Setting up NFS is so easy it will take you like 10 minutes and then Dolphin will access all the files your share just like any other mount.

@Here, I have the files stored on the server in separate folders just like a home folder, then I mount the NFS share (using version 4 as it automounts all subfolders from a single primary mount) to the Public folder already in your home folder. So the file structure looks something like this:

home > user > Desktop
            > Documents
            > Downloads
            > Music
            > Pictures
            > Public
                   > Documents
                   > Downloads
                   > Music
                   > Pictures
                   > Videos
            > Templates
            > Videos

Then it's just drag-n-drop or copy using Dolphin or any other Dolphin related file functions.

To answer your question, you didn't state what the CPU or RAM of the PC is, but I suspect the additional CPU/RAM usage won't be enough to make any difference during normal use. Especially since you'll not be logged in most of the time.

I can think of only two downsides: Way more updating required to maintain a desktop over just the core operation system, and Ubuntu Server has a five-year support cycle whereas Kubuntu is only three - so you'd be forced to upgrade 2 years sooner.

I have been running my home server for about a decade. My main desire is stability guided by the motto "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Using Ubuntu Server LTS with no DE makes it way more stable. Think of all the things that "break" a system - video drivers, audio drivers, various application updates, etc. Most of those are eliminated by simply not having a desktop installed.

The benefit to the five-year LTS support means I can coast past every other LTS upgrade cycle. Then I wait 6 months or so past the second LTS release so most bugs are squashed before I install, I did go from 16.04 LTS to 18.04 LTS because there was some major changes in the 18.04 release that I needed like a large improvement to BTRFS tools. I have not installed 20.04 LTS and will upgrade to Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS sometime next fall.

[Rich Oliver]

So my questions to you are;
What exactly are you missing that you need a desktop for when it's headless? Or even if it wasn't headless?

I've been struggling to set up my first encrypted partition. Probably not necessary but I thought a graphical interface for partitions might help.

To answer your question, you didn't state what the CPU or RAM of the PC is

Ryzen 5 4500U, would have gone for the 4300U if it had been available, with 16 Gigs of RAM.

I think you're probably right and its better to stick with Ubuntu Server, particularly as the experience gained helps with running my subscription VMs.

[oshunluvr]

Plenty of power to run a DE on that.

I don't think a GUI is better for partition setup, maybe simpler, maybe not:

sudo apt install cryptsetup
sudo cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb1
cryptsetup open /dev/sdb1 encrypted
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/encrypted
echo "encrypted /dev/sdb1 none" /etc/crypttab
echo  "/dev/mapper/encrypted /mnt/encrypted ext4 defaults 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
sudo mount /mnt/encrypted

Seems easy enough. Maybe I left something out?

Try it in a VM first.

[Rich Oliver]

Guest Thanks, help much appreciated. I'd actually finally just got it working under my user name and got my personal data git repository initialised and pushed on to the encrypted partition, before reading your last post.

It seems you have to do two commands each time you boot up, but I guess they can be put in a bash script. I presume I need to use 2 commands to make the data inaccessible. Unmount it and get rid of the mapping somehow, because as long the mapping remains, the partition can be mounted without the encryption password phrase.

[GreyGeek]

The idea of a headless server was forced upon early server creators because of the limited storage of most drives back in the day.
HDD's capacity gradually increased, going from 10MB, 20MB, 40MB 80MB, 120MB, and 240MB. With so little space one needed every bit they could keep so they stuck with the console and its CLI.

I remember getting my first 1G Baracuda HD and thought it was a BARN! It wasn't very reliable, but compared to other HDD's at the time it was a BARN! About the same time, spring of 2002, KDE 3.0 was released. I don't remember how big in MB the KDE 3 DE was, but it wasn't small compared to the HDD's of the day. Now, a 250GB SSD is relatively cheap, comparatively writing, and 350MB of Plasma DE is nothing. With 1, 2, 4 or 8TB HDD's the space Plasma takes is inconsequential.

My big problem is remembering the switch settings of many CLI comands. So, I have to open a console, use the man page for the utility I want to run, to refresh my memory. Using a DE my mouse navigates to where I need to go and and with left mouse clicks Dolphin offers me what I need to do. If I were setting up a server today it would be running Plasma.

[oshunluvr]

To get rid of the mapping, I believe it's just:

sudo cryptsetup close

[oshunluvr]

Also, fyi: Ubuntu Server 2022 is available in a daily build format: https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-server/daily-live/

I couldn't get the newer version to install to a VM. But 20211104 did install. Then I had to update 189 packages. Testing it now.