Ubuntu 18.04 does not come with 32-bit standard ISO files. However, a minimal install ISO is available.
I have some older machines on which I would like to install a server, so 32-bit is a requirement. There are two problems:
The minimal install ISO (as of today, 6 May 2018) appears to be a pre-release version. The file has a timestamp of 2018-04-25 21:23, which is a day or two before the release date. This is true of the 64-bit version as well.
I want to ensure that I have the exact same installation as I would get if I installed from a full (and post-release) server ISO.
What should I do to obtain a complete and up-to-date 32-bit installation? If I simply install from the pre-release mini.iso and select the server packages during installation, will this achieve my aim?
I have tested this before with 16.04 LTS and seen that there are minor differences between a system installed from Ubuntu Server and a system installed from the corresponding
mini.isofile. I saw no differences in the capability of the services.I could fairly easily do it again with 18.04 LTS, but I am not willing/able to describe all the details, that would be different if there were a 32-bit Ubuntu Server iso file. So I am sorry but this is not the kind of answer that you want to upvote. (Downvote, if you don't like the answer, and I will delete it.)
I agree with @mikewhatever's comment: 'I don't think it matters very much when an ISO was created, as long as it is fairly recent.'
I suggest that you install a server via the 18.04 32-bit
mini.isoand check that it can do what you want it to do,If you are not happy with it, install Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS i386, which will be supported until April 2021.