Linux host set-up instructions for Dockge, a self-hosted Docker Compose stacks management tool with a feature-rich interface for self-hosting and home lab setups. It provides access to an all-in-one view of logs, a YAML editor, a web terminal, container controls, and monitoring.
Hosting on a VPS is a great option to run a blogging service, but installing services that might expose ports needs to be done with some precaution (or not at all if the service is only to be used by the server itself).
This is a more opinionated post than usual: I live on the command line on Linux. As such, I perform a few extra steps after a fresh installation to get to a “usable” system.
This guide details how to install quickemu on a Linux Ubuntu 24.04 server to run desktop VMs (here, we will install Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop) on the same subnet IP range as the host's primary subnet using a network bridge. Those VMs are remotely accessible on the subnet using a SPICE client. This setup will provide VMs directly accessible on the subnet where the Linux server is running. Because we will specify the MAC addresses of those VMs, we can apply reserved DHCP IPs from our router and allow adding and configuring extra services within hardware firewalls, such as the Firewalla (for example, DNS-over-HTTPS).
Docker has become a cornerstone of the modern development stack: how applications are built, shipped, and run. It is an excellent solution to the portability problem: containers run consistently on any machine, eliminating the "it works on my machine" problem. It leverages containers: self-contained units of software that package the components needed for an application to run. This primer introduces its core concepts.
Instructions for a Linux host running Ubuntu 24.04 to install the Nvidia runtime for docker and podman.
This guide details how to install quickemu on a Linux Ubuntu 22.04 server to run desktop VMs (here, we will install both Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop and PopOS 22.04 Desktop) on the same subnet IP range as the host's primary subnet using a network bridge. Those VMs are remotely accessible on the subnet using a SPICE client. This setup will provide VMs directly accessible on the subnet where the Linux server is running. Because we will specify the MAC addresses of those VMs, we can apply reserved DHCP IPs from our router and allow adding and configuring extra services within hardware firewalls, such as the Firewalla (for example, DNS-over-HTTPS).
Postfix is a free, open-source mail transfer agent (MTA) used to route and deliver email over the Internet. FastMail is a paid service that provides a secure, privacy-focused email provider supporting custom domains. This post details the setup instructions for using Postfix as a Send-Only SMTP server, using Fastmail, on a Ubuntu Linux 22.04 server.
"Unattended Upgrades" is a package available on Ubuntu systems that automatically installs updates for security and, optionally, other software packages. This tool is crucial for maintaining system security and stability. It ensures that vulnerabilities and bugs are promptly addressed without requiring manual intervention. This post details the setup instructions for using it for security updates on an Ubuntu Linux 22.04 or 24.04 server and sending emails when the updates are completed.
The NVIDIA GPU Container Runtime is a plugin that enables container platforms to securely access and manage NVIDIA GPUs as part of a containerized application environment. Docker is an open-source platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of applications within lightweight, portable containers. Podman is an open-source, daemonless container engine designed for developing, managing, and running OCI Containers, functioning as a drop-in replacement for Docker. This post contains the setup instructions for NVIDIA GPU container toolkits on Linux hosts running Ubuntu 22.04 for use with docker and podman.
Kolla Ansible provides production-ready containers (here Docker) and deployment tools for operating OpenStack clouds. This guide explains how to install a single host (all-in-one) OpenStack Cloud on a Ubuntu 22.04 server Linux Operating System on a private network. We specify values and variables early that can easily be adapted to others’ networks. We do not address encryption for the different OpenStack services and will use an HTTPS reverse proxy for access to the dashboard. Please note that this setup requires two physical NICs in the computer you will use.
A Geekier Blog… A place to reference different tech writeups and other technical content I wrote or contributed to over the years. As much as some of those posts are not intended as opinion pieces, their content is opinionated as I propose solutions based on the technologies I use.
