ylluminate's questions

I'm using Ubuntu 22.04 in a relatively light fashion. My use case is in a virtual machine that runs all of the time, but very occasionally I need to use the graphical user interface. I did this on macOS+Parallels by installing Ubuntu 22.04 Server and then the Desktop packages.

I then modified the system to not start the GUI up automatically so that it's only available on demmand:

$ sudo systemctl set-default multi-user
$ sudo reboot
...
# login and then:
$ startx

At this point I have found that there are still several services starting that I don't want/need.

How can I disable services such as these with Ubuntu 22.04 (the methodology seems to have changed since previous instructions):

• evolution-* (eg, evolution-calendar-factory, evolution-addressbook-factory, evolution-source-registry)
• goa-daemon
• packagekitd (I'd like to run updates manually.)
• And any others that may be unnecessary for such a usecase scenario...

I did already manage to disable a couple daemons:

• avahi-daemon (Stayed at 100% CPU usage / very problematic; sudo systemctl disable avahi-daemon; sudo apt remove avahi-daemon)
• CUPS (sudo systemctl stop cups; systemctl stop cups-browsed; sudo systemctl stop cups-browsed; sudo systemctl disable cups; sudo systemctl disable cups-browsed)

If it's not clear, my intentions are to make Ubuntu as light as possible on CPU and memory usage, while still retaining core functionality to be able to use it for testing and developing some graphical applications from time to time that require Linux + X*.

There's no direct download of Ubuntu Desktop 22.04 for ARM64 yet, how do you install it?

I'd like to start up Ubuntu 20.04 to a textual user login and shell like Server and then when using the system be able to start X for the user by just executing startx such that when you start it, the feature parity is essentially one-for-one with normal system usage (such as having the "dock" or app favorites that lives on the side).

I'm able to accomplish most of this with the following:

sudo systemctl set-default multi-user
sudo reboot

At this point I can login with multi-user mode and execute startx to get a fairly vanilla session, but there's no dock (or whatever Gnome calls the side / favorites bar).

How can one control which services start that are necessary to have mostly a normal system starting with startx?

Anyone have 20.04+ working with FUSE + libimobiledevice/iFuse working with iOS 15.x to transfer files from an iPhone/iPad to Ubuntu?

If so, any particular instructions you followed to make it work?

While in the middle of an upgrade from a 16.04 server to 18.04, I inadvertently control-c'd the do-release-upgrade. This then seemed to cascade into oblivion as I attempted to apt-get dist-upgrade to fix the situation.

What is the proper way to reinstall 18.04 overtop of a broken installation such as this in order to maintain existing files (and data directories) of existing services?

I'm thinking it should be roughly as simple as running the 18.04 installer and NOT formatting the volume, bur rather simply mapping it appropriately... but I'd like to get some experienced input before I go down this road.

On a minimal Ubuntu 20.04 server that's just been set up (and with some services disabled), I'm finding that htop is conveying that there's more processor activity going on than what I figure should be happening and I'm not sure if (in this unprivileged LXC container) it's picking up activity from other peer virtual machines and containers or if Ubuntu is just behaving very badly.

Here's a short screencast to illustrate:

I have 16 cores (out of 24 on the server) assigned to this LXC ct.

htop is at version 2.2.0.

config file contents:

lxc.cgroup.relative = 0
lxc.cgroup.dir.monitor = lxc.monitor/101
lxc.cgroup.dir.container = lxc/101
lxc.cgroup.dir.container.inner = ns
lxc.arch = amd64
lxc.include = /usr/share/lxc/config/ubuntu.common.conf
lxc.include = /usr/share/lxc/config/ubuntu.userns.conf
lxc.seccomp.profile = /var/lib/lxc/101/rules.seccomp
lxc.apparmor.profile = generated
lxc.apparmor.allow_nesting = 1
lxc.mount.auto = sys:mixed
lxc.monitor.unshare = 1
lxc.idmap = u 0 100000 65536
lxc.idmap = g 0 100000 65536
lxc.tty.max = 2
lxc.environment = TERM=linux
lxc.uts.name = HOSTNAME
lxc.cgroup2.memory.max = 25769803776
lxc.cgroup2.memory.swap.max = 17179869184
lxc.rootfs.path = /var/lib/lxc/101/rootfs
lxc.net.0.type = veth
lxc.net.0.veth.pair = veth101i0
lxc.net.0.hwaddr = 14:5A:59:1A:BA:25
lxc.net.0.name = eth0
lxc.net.0.script.up = /usr/share/lxc/lxcnetaddbr
lxc.cgroup2.cpuset.cpus = 0-1,3,5,7,9-11,13,15-19,21-22

I've tried a few suggestions, but have hit walls each time with various odd issues and would like a clear and working strategy to make Kubuntu 20.04 start to a higher resolution text mode console with autologin and then be able to execute startx to start a KDE session. I would also like to be able to use control-alt-backspace to kill xorg and return to the shell aside from logging out.

How can this be set this up properly?

I have two ISP options where both provide DHCP leases. I want the secondary (and possibly a 3rd when they allow & if needed) as a failover if the first (or second) fails, eg:

After reviewing Netplan examples, it is a little confusing to see how to bridge these (or even if a bridge is necessary) while having the main interface receive IP config values via DHCP from the ISP and then to hand that off to a static output to the LAN at 192.168.10.1, for example. It appears that you might do something like this:

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    # LAN interface
    eth0:
      optional: true
      dhcp4: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.10.1/24
      # Is a gateway necessary since it provides a bridge?
      gateway4: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
          addresses: [1.1.1.1, 192.168.1.1]
    # ISP 1 interface
    eth1:
      optional: true
      dhcp4: true
    # ISP 2 interface
    eth2:
      optional: true
      dhcp4: true
    # ISP 3interface
    eth3:
      optional: true
      dhcp4: true
  bridges:
    br0:
      addresses: [ 192.168.10.1/24 ]
      interfaces: [ eth0 eth1 eth2 eth3 ]

It also appears that metric values might need to be assigned to the ISP interfaces... But then again, I see other examples that make me think I may be going about this wrong.

What would or should be used in this situation as far as a Netplan conf goes?

UPDATE: heynnema's answer seems close below and localhost (on Ubuntu Server) get's to the Internet fine, however while a test system can ping to 192.168.10.1 just fine, it can't ping on out to 1.1.1.1 and thus it appears that there's still a routing issue between eth0 and eth(1|2|3).

As per request, ip addr and ip route ouptput: https://gist.github.com/ylluminate/6435840c37edc01e82c047c61f4c071b

I need to create an /etc/init.d startup script for msmtpd and thought it would be a good idea to convert an existing one from Debian to Ubuntu 18.04. What should be done to properly convert this .deb's (download) init.d script to work properly with Ubuntu?

For quicker reference, here are the two content files that seem to have relevance:

• /etc/init.d/msmtpd
• /lib/systemd/system/msmtpd.service.app

A really helpful bonus would be to also implement stop and restart...

I've found that the msmtp package for Ubuntu 18.04 is old and missing a component. The current included package is version 1.6.6 from 2016-11-14 and is missing msmtpd. I would like to install version 1.8.6 from 2019-09-27 that is significantly updated and does include msmtpd.

What are the proper configuration arguments that would get this to compile with appropriate make install locations for Ubuntu 18.04?

Additionally, what would be the process for creating a quick /etc/init.d/ startup script for this so as to make sure that this service starts at boot-up and can be restarted easily?

A simle ./configure gives the following output, which appears to be missing TLS and I don't think /usr/local is the preferred folder from the other package's defaults:

Install prefix ......... : /usr/local
NLS support ............ : yes
TLS support ............ : no (Library: none)
IDN support ............ : yes (no library required)
GNU SASL support ....... : no (most likely unnecessary)
Libsecret support (GNOME): no
MacOS X Keychain support : no
Build msmtpd ............: yes

I'm able to install msmtp just find on Ubuntu 18.04 with: apt install msmtp msmtp-mta ca-certificates, however I'm not finding Minimal SMTP server (msmtpd) anywhere on the filesystem. It also does not appear to be available within apt search

How can I install this service on Ubuntu 180.04 servers?

It appears that sudo systemctl disable gdm3 && sudo systemctl disable gdm do not work in 18.04 to disable the windowing system at bootup. What's the method for doing this now?

I've been interested in running the Liquorix kernel for gaming and realtime performance enhancements. It's a pretty straight foward installation, but I found that it was incompatible with NVIDIA drivers.

Original reference: here (archive)

I was hitting the following errors:

ERROR (dkms apport): kernel package linux-headers-4.14.0-10.1-liquorix-amd64 is not supported 
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 4.14.0-10.1-liquorix-amd64 (x86_64) 
Consult /var/lib/dkms/ndiswrapper/1.60/build/make.log for more information. 
ERROR (dkms apport): kernel package linux-headers-4.14.0-10.1-liquorix-amd64 is not supported 
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 4.14.0-10.1-liquorix-amd64 (x86_64) 
Consult /var/lib/dkms/nvidia-384/384.90/build/make.log for more information. 

I found a real nice answer here that would be great if it worked: https://askubuntu.com/a/820098/134500

I'd like to use libinput to get scrolling to work properly as well as other trackpad and pointing functionality. When I attempt to enable it, unfortunately the keyboard + trackpad (Logitech K400+) entirely stops working.

Under /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d I have:

20-touchpad.conf:

Section "InputClass"
    Identifier "libinput touchpad catchall"
        MatchIsTouchpad "on"
        MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
        Driver "libinput"

        Option "NaturalScrolling" "on"
        Option "MiddleEmulation" "on"
        Option "Tapping" "off"
        Option "DisableWhileTyping" "on"
EndSection

30-pointer.conf

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "libinput pointer catchall"
        MatchIsPointer "on"
        MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
        Driver "libinput"

        Option "NaturalScrolling" "on"
EndSection

I thought that libinput was already active on 16.04, however, as noted, input for the keyboard stops altogether. I'm not seeing an issue in the logs. Any thoughts on how to ensure that libinput is working and on how to get it to work with this Logitech K400+?

Perhaps libinput is Wayland only and since this is running xorg this is the dilema in this instance? If so, what's the right approach here?

I need to share port 18090 on my local are network, however something is blocking it. netstat -ltn shows that 127.0.0.1:18090 is listening. I have issued both sudo ufw disable and sudo /etc/init.d/ufw stop, yet for some reason no devices can connect to this port on this server's IP.

What could be blocking this port from listening?

Upon installation of 16.04, a Dell 2408WFP was not detected by the default Nouveau driver. I then installed the actual Nvidia driver hoping for a different result, but that yielded the same result.

I've now changed monitors again, and it is still not showing up. These monitors only show up as CRT-0 in the NVIDIA X Server Settings control panel.

Any ideas as to what I can do to force X and the Nvidia drivers to detect the proper monitor that's attached?

Here's a copy of my Xorg.0.log for review.

When I modify xorg.conf with the following:

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection     "Display"
        Viewport   0 0
        Depth     24
        Modes "1366x768"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

I unfortunately get the following error:

Could not apply the stored configuration for monitors

none of the selected modes were compatible with the possible modes:
Trying modes for CRTC 634
CRTC 634: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 634: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 634: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
CRTC 634: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
Trying modes for CRTC 635
CRTC 635: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 635: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 635: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
CRTC 635: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
Trying modes for CRTC 636
CRTC 636: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 636: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 636: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
CRTC 636: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
Trying modes for CRTC 637
CRTC 637: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 637: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 0)
CRTC 637: trying mode 640x480@60Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)
CRTC 637: trying mode 320x240@120Hz with output at 1152x864@60Hz (pass 1)

I use a webcam to monitor inbound traffic, etc. for my office and would like to be able to set my desktop background to be a live feed from my webcam on my secondary or both monitors. How would one go about setting that up on Ubuntu?

One option would also be to set Cheese as a background app as it works relatively well at the moment, but the background live wallpaper approach would be better.