First steps when setting up a new server
Whenever I bring up a new machine I always run a few commands and set up some configuration. A lot of it is already handled by my dotfiles, but there’s always plenty of custom work left to do.
The first thing is to get SSH access and make sure the root password isn’t the default one.
Next I give my user sudo access, in case it doesn’t have it already.
usermod -aG sudo ${USER}
If it’s a machine on the local network, I set it up to use zero configuration network, a much more convenient way to reach the machine, especially on IPv6 networks. Otherwise, this is a good time to add the machine to a domain.
apt install avahi-daemon
The next step is to copy the SSH key to the new server so I no longer need to log in with a password, which also buys a bit more security.
ssh-copy-id \
-o PreferredAuthentications=password \
-o PubkeyAuthentication=no \
${USER}@example.local
After that, it’s a good idea to configure the locale. This avoids a bunch of problems with commands that need to know you intend to use UTF-8. I prefer en_US.UTF-8, and it may be necessary to set the variable directly in bashrc: LANG=en_US.UTF-8.
dpkg-reconfigure locales
To make terminal access a bit snappier and more responsive, I install mosh-server. If the machine sits behind a firewall, you’ll need to open UDP ports 60001 through 60999.
apt install mosh
Now’s a good time to install tmux. Unlike most people, I don’t use tmux to keep windows organized in the terminal. The main reason I use it is that, paired with mosh, you basically get an indestructible and very convenient session: you can close your laptop at work, travel back home, and when you open it again your terminal will be exactly as you left it, cursor in the same spot and everything.
apt install tmux
My ~/.tmux.conf file is pretty simple, and a quick scp is enough to send a copy to the new machine.
scp ~/.tmux.conf newmachine.local:/home/${USER}/
If I’m going to code on the machine, I’ll install neovim and spend some time making sure all the plugins are installed, and so on, but most of the time plain vim with default settings is enough.
apt install vim
Finally, I set up two aliases to make connecting easier, one using tmux and one without. I always name these aliases mosh_ and let zsh fill in the rest.
alias mosh_newmachine="mosh \
--server='/usr/bin/mosh-server' \
newmachine.local \
-- tmux new-session -A -s default"
alias mosh_newmachine_ntm="mosh \
--server='/usr/bin/mosh-server' \
newmachine.local"
Enabling rc.local
Some people don’t like the idea of enabling rc.local because it exists purely for backward compatibility with very old UNIX versions from the late 70s. But I find it extremely simple and practical. The setup needs to become far more permanent before I bother creating a proper service, and even then rc.local can still come in handy.
Obviously the script needs to be well written and use absolute paths.
touch /etc/rc.local
chmod 700 /etc/rc.local
systemctl enable rc-local.service
Example rc.local script:
#!/bin/bash
echo "rc.local"
# something to run at boot
exit 0
Booting into console mode
I usually don’t even install the X Window System. Most of my systems are operated over SSH, and even when I’m in front of the console, I prefer to operate servers without a graphical interface. But there are some situations where you want to run graphical software, and in those cases it’s better not to load X automatically. Instead, I prefer to boot the system in console mode and use startx when needed.
To make the system boot into console mode by default, use the command below.
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
Adjusting the console font
I find the default console font too small. To make it more readable, I prefer to change the font type and size, using the following command.
dpkg-reconfigure console-setup
Or edit the file /etc/default/console-setup as in the example below.
FONT="Lat7-Terminus32x16.psf.gz"
ACTIVE_CONSOLES="/dev/tty[1-6]"
CHARMAP="UTF-8"
CODESET="Lat15"
FONTFACE="guess"
FONTSIZE="14x28"
For more details on console settings, read the manual with man 5 console-setup.
A cleaner console
Edit the file /etc/sysctl.conf and uncomment the line kernel.printk = 3 4 1 3. This stops the kernel from printing low-level messages directly to the console.
kernel.printk = 3 4 1 3
Docker
If the machine is going to serve Docker containers, it’s worth giving non-root users access to the Docker service.
sudo usermod -aG docker ${USER}
On the client side, download the static Docker binary from https://download.docker.com/. You only need the docker file; put it anywhere in your path.
Set the DOCKER_HOST environment variable as in the example:
export DOCKER_HOST=ssh://user@example.local
GitHub
Basic git configuration.
git config --global user.name "User Name"
git config --global user.email user@example.com
git config --global pull.ff only
Always use SSH when accessing GitHub repositories.
git config --global url."git@github.com:".insteadOf "https://github.com/"
Go with a private repo
For Go to fetch packages from private repositories, you need to set the GOPRIVATE environment variable, as in the example.
export GOPRIVATE=github.com/organization/repository
You can use a comma , to add multiple repositories, or just the organization name, without the repository, if you want to cover multiple repositories from the same organization.
Terminal font
I usually switch the terminal font to IBM 3270. There’s a great reimplementation of that font at https://github.com/rbanffy/3270font. Honestly, I use this font for everything; it looks fantastic, especially when I’m running my PDP-11 on 2.11BSD. I know the “correct” choice would be the DEC VT-102 terminal font.