You can install Landscape directly on a machine running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, this is called "Landscape On Premises." It is free for up to 10 physical (or virtual) machines and 50 containers:
Deploying a single server
WARNING: landscape-quickstart modifies apache configuration files, DO NOT DO THIS ON AN EXISTING SERVER INSTALLATION without understanding what you are getting into.
Just install the Landscape Quickstart package:
Check here for changes to the below instructions:
Where hostname.example.com is the output of hostname -f on that machine, or just hostname if that fails to resolve.
Using Landscape
You should then see the web UI after filling in your name and contact details:
Click on the link highlighted to add client machines:
Follow those instructions on the client you want to join to Landscape. Note the following line:
sudo landscape-config --computer-title "My Web Server" --account-name standalone --url https://<servername>/message-system --ping-url http://<servername>/ping
You can customize the title and so forth for each machine. See the landscape-config man page for more information.
After you type in the landscape-config command the client will ask you some questions, those are optional, you can just hit Enter until the client restarts, then you can accept the client in the web UI.
Registering clients with a self signed certificate:
The quickstart package installs a self-signed certificate that is generated on-the-fly.
Grab this file from the server: /etc/ssl/certs/landscape_server_ca.crt
Copy it somewhere on the client, for example, /etc/landscape/landscape_server_ca.crt
Change /etc/landscape/client.conf to include this line, pointing at the file you just copied: ssl_public_key = /etc/landscape/landscape_server_ca.crt
Then try to register again. (Thanks to panlinux for figuring this out)
On one machine install Ubuntu Server 16.04.01 LTS -> Download Ubuntu Server 16.04.01 LTS.
It is recommended to install openssh-server as well, this can be chosen during the process.
Once installed the Ubuntu Server operating system, install landscape-server-quickstart.
You also have to adjust the firewall to make everything working flawlessly without any issue.
Open a terminal - execute the following commands to accomplish these tasks :
After the installation is complete, you have to register the landscape account.
Because the Server has no GUI, you need to install a text based web browser :
Along with the other answers, https://landscape.canonical.com is always available. This is a hosted service that you can sign up for a 30 day demo to see if it meets your needs, and does not require you to go through the steps needed to set up your own server.
For those on ARM processor installations of Ubuntu 14.04, it seems that while the 15.11 PPA has an ARMHF package, using landscape-server-quickstart is not available (ie an apt-get update doesn't find that command). Thus, using @andreas Deploying for Scale Out method is the only one which works (per landscape docs):
Using landscape-dense-mass avoids setting up MAAS or planning for autoscaling. This was a good fit approach where I wanted to simply use Landscape to monitor an existing fixed number of Ubuntu 14.04 servers.
For Ubuntu 16.04 or 14.04 LTS
You can install Landscape directly on a machine running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, this is called "Landscape On Premises." It is free for up to 10 physical (or virtual) machines and 50 containers:
Deploying a single server
WARNING: landscape-quickstart modifies apache configuration files, DO NOT DO THIS ON AN EXISTING SERVER INSTALLATION without understanding what you are getting into.
Just install the Landscape Quickstart package: Check here for changes to the below instructions:
After it finishes, access it with a browser like
https://hostname.example.com/
Where
hostname.example.com
is the output ofhostname -f
on that machine, or justhostname
if that fails to resolve.Using Landscape
You should then see the web UI after filling in your name and contact details:
Click on the link highlighted to add client machines:
Follow those instructions on the client you want to join to Landscape. Note the following line:
You can customize the title and so forth for each machine. See the landscape-config man page for more information.
After you type in the
landscape-config
command the client will ask you some questions, those are optional, you can just hit Enter until the client restarts, then you can accept the client in the web UI.Registering clients with a self signed certificate:
The quickstart package installs a self-signed certificate that is generated on-the-fly.
/etc/ssl/certs/landscape_server_ca.crt
/etc/landscape/landscape_server_ca.crt
/etc/landscape/client.conf
to include this line, pointing at the file you just copied:ssl_public_key = /etc/landscape/landscape_server_ca.crt
Then try to register again. (Thanks to panlinux for figuring this out)
Further Reading:
For Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
On one machine install Ubuntu Server 16.04.01 LTS -> Download Ubuntu Server 16.04.01 LTS.
It is recommended to install
openssh-server
as well, this can be chosen during the process.Once installed the Ubuntu Server operating system, install
landscape-server-quickstart
.You also have to adjust the firewall to make everything working flawlessly without any issue.
Open a terminal - execute the following commands to accomplish these tasks :
After the installation is complete, you have to register the landscape account.
Because the Server has no GUI, you need to install a text based web browser :
Now register the Ubuntu Server - to do this you need the
landscape-client
.Backup the Landscape certificate, because it has to exist on every machine you want to register :
To register additional Ubuntu systems, install the
landscape-client
package on each machine :Copy over the Landscape certificate (which you saved before) and edit the
client.config
file :Add this line :
ssl_public_key = /etc/landscape/landscape_server.pem
and save the change.Now register the Ubuntu system the same way you did, when you registered the Ubuntu Server :
Open
https://<server-hostname>
in your web browser and accept all the pending computers.Additional information : The free license covers 10 bare metal machines and 50 LXC containers !
References
Along with the other answers, https://landscape.canonical.com is always available. This is a hosted service that you can sign up for a 30 day demo to see if it meets your needs, and does not require you to go through the steps needed to set up your own server.
For those on ARM processor installations of Ubuntu 14.04, it seems that while the 15.11 PPA has an ARMHF package, using
landscape-server-quickstart
is not available (ie anapt-get update
doesn't find that command). Thus, using @andreas Deploying for Scale Out method is the only one which works (per landscape docs):Using
landscape-dense-mass
avoids setting up MAAS or planning for autoscaling. This was a good fit approach where I wanted to simply use Landscape to monitor an existing fixed number of Ubuntu 14.04 servers.