Virtualization can help expand the computing power of your system. Ubuntu Server supports KVM (Type 1), an integrated lightweight hypervisor within Linux kernel that can help extend system resources.
Prior to setting up an Ubuntu Server virtual machine host, your computer must support virtualization; to check, use the lscpu command.
1. Installation
Ubuntu Server can be installed directly onto physical machines or virtualized within virtualization software, as well as run via third-party cloud hosting providers. Ubuntu Server can be used for various applications including web servers, database servers and email servers – making it a versatile choice that fits in well in various environments.
Ubuntu server virtual machine host installation is relatively straightforward. Once you’ve downloaded and run the installer, follow its prompts to install all necessary software. Depending on which language and keyboard layout are desired during setup, updating may occur during this phase, and designingating username and password combinations may also be required for successful completion.
Once your essential software is installed, ensure libvirt is set up to start automatically at startup using this command:
2. Configuration
The Virtual Machine Manager allows you to set the most fundamental aspects of your virtual machine. To do so, click the “Settings” icon.
The General tab allows you to name and size the VM by specifying RAM and CPUs, as well as whether to encrypt its disks and set its graphics controller.
Under the Networking tab, you can assign each virtual machine (VM) with an IP address, allowing for easier access on local networks as though it were its own physical computer. Note that enabling this feature could open your server up to attacks from hackers as anyone on local networks could connect directly to it via its IP address.
Alternately, SSH access could also be granted to the root user of a virtual machine’s (VM). However, this method should be avoided on production servers due to security risks it introduces that could allow hackers to gain unauthorized entry.
3. Security
Contrary to popular belief, running Windows in a virtual machine (VM) in Ubuntu does not increase online security; rather it leaves your system just as exposed to cyberthreats than it would if not running within one.
To protect against attacks on virtual machines (VM), it is critical to use strong passwords and keep the system updated with latest patches. It can be beneficial to prevent booting from external devices like USB thumb drives as these could allow malicious actors access into the VM.
Installing intrusion prevention software like Fail2ban can also provide added protection from brute force attacks by automatically blocking IP addresses that attempt to log in too often, thus limiting their damage potential. In addition, maintaining offsite backups of vital data allows for swift recovery in case of breaches or attacks.
4. Management
Sharing files between host and guest makes testing simpler, such as copy-pasting data between them without using RDP.
Network bridges allow your virtual machines to appear as separate physical machines on your local network, which enables external systems to directly access them instead of going through your host computer’s network interface.
virt-manager is a visual domain management tool for libvirt domains that specializes in KVM VMs but can also manage LXC (linux containers). It displays a summary view of running VMs with live performance & resource utilization statistics as well as wizards for new domain creation & management as well as full console guest domain support. Furthermore, ask-ssh and ssh-askpass authentication can allow for secure login even without keyboard connectivity allowing access to virtual machines securely!