Linux admin tasks have never been easier with the user-friendly, web-based Webmin admin tool.
If you've been around Linux long enough, chances are you've heard of Webmin. For those who haven't, Webmin is a web-based admin tool that allows you to manage nearly every single aspect of the platform. From changing application/server settings, managing users and groups, controlling services, and so much more. To many, Webmin is a must-use application for Linux administration.
If you've never experienced Webmin, and you're looking to do so, I'm going to walk you through the process of installing this powerhouse tool on the Ubuntu Server 18.04 operating system.
SEE: System update policy template download (Tech Pro Research)
What you need
You only need two things to make this happen. The first is a running instance of Ubuntu Server 18.04. The second is a user with sudo privileges. That's it. Let's work.
Update/upgrade
The first thing you must do is make sure that your server is updated and upgraded. Do note, should your kernel be upgraded, you need to reboot the server. Because of this, make sure to run the update/upgrade at a time when a reboot is possible (unless you have live patching installed, at which point you can run the task any time). To update and upgrade, log into the server to host Webmin and issue the following commands:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade -y
Once that process completes, reboot the server (if necessary). You're now ready to install.
Install LAMP
As Webmin is a web-based tool, it depends upon a web server. For this we'll install a full LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) stack. Log into your server and issue the command:
sudo apt-get install lamp-server^ -y
Once that completes, secure the MySQL installation with the command:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
You will be asked if you want to add the VALIDATE PASSWORD PLUGIN. If you include this, you will also have to configure the minimal security requirements for MySQL passwords. Once beyond that, you can then set a password for the MySQL admin user and then:
- Remove anonymous users.
- Disallow root login remotely.
- Remove test database and access to it.
- Reload privilege table.
Answer yes to all of the above.
Your LAMP server is ready.
Installing Webmin
Now it's time to install Webmin. Create a new repository list file with the command:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/webmin.list
Paste the following into that new file:
deb http://download.webmin.com/download/repository sarge contrib
Save and close that file.
Add the necessary GPG key with the commands:
wget http://www.webmin.com/jcameron-key.asc sudo apt-key add jcameron-key.asc
Update apt with the command:
sudo apt-get update
Finally, install Webmin with the command:
sudo apt-get install webmin -y
Accessing Webmin
When the installation completes, open a web browser on the same network and point it to https://SERVER_IP:10000 (where SERVER_IP is the IP address of the hosting server). You will be prompted for login credentials (Figure A). Remember, these credentials can be for any user on the Ubuntu server that has sudo privileges.
Figure A: The Webmin login page.
Once authenticated, you'll find yourself on the Webmin Dashboard, where you can undertake any number of admin tasks (Figure B).
Figure B: The Webmin Dashboard.
Congratulations, you now have the means to manage your Ubuntu Server 18.04 installation from a user-friendly, web-based GUI. Linux admin tasks have never been easier.
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