This is my first project and it is in work. Go easy on me.
First Attempt
(My) Linux Ubuntu Process
Initially the plan was to run linux on bare metal (my actual machine hardware) but I could not figure it out. About 45 minutes of fiddling on my MacBook, I opted for the VM route. Certainly I will figure it out at a later date but for now, I wanted to get on Linux. Here are the steps I took thus far for *attempting* to run Linux on my MacBook (not VM).
- Make sure your computer has a minimum of 25 gb of storage and your flash drive has a minimum of 8-12 gb. These numbers are what Ubuntu.com recommends.
- Download the distro image you plan on using
- I downloaded Ubuntu 21.10 (not 20.04.3 LTS). The LTS seemed more towards enterprise.
- Used balenaEtcher tool to copy the downloaded ISO file to the thumb drive. It was very simple and almost self-explanatory once opened.
- Download balenaEtcher
- Plug in flash to your computer
- Open balendaEtcher
- Select ISO file downloaded
- Select flash drive
- Bam. Its loaded on your flash drive
- Select flash drive
- Select ISO file downloaded
- And this is where I hit the Mac wall of running linux. I could not successfully format and partition my hard drive. I factory restored my MacBook and tried to format to create three partitions (1 for apple OS, 1 for Linux OS, and 1 for my apple back ups). BUT because linux should be formatted in ext3/4, apple (APFS) does not support ext3/4 and therefore would not create the partition I needed to run Linux. Although I circumnavigated my roadblock, I will be visiting this to figure out a solution. For the intent and purpose of my mission—running linux, I decided to proceed using Virtualbox.
Second Attempt
Download Linux Ubuntu 22.10. file
Download VirtualBox for your OS
*remember default credentials from download b/c you will need to logon for the first time and will reenter PW on command line to make changes*
Launch CLI for the 3 things to immediately do per ubuntu’s start up tutorial
- Sudo apt update
- Sudo apt upgrade -y
- sudo snap refresh
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/how-to-run-ubuntu-desktop-on-a-virtual-machine-using-virtualbox#1-overview
What’s Next?
Now, we’re going to play with settings, configurations, hardening,…what else?
I reached out to my network on LinkedIn to see what the majority of Linux tools users are using. I received some good feedback! Many, MANY users on LinkedIn frequently share their favorite Linux and other open source tools. One of my mentors is helping me with my Linux journey and has given me a list to start with. So far, here is what I will be tackling first (AFTER hardening my security settings).