How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 Over Network Installation (Step by Step)
How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 Over Network Installation. Ubuntu 20.04 also called “Focal Fossa” is the latest Long Term Support version of Ubuntu. It will provide the support till 2025. Ubuntu 20.04 comes with some new features including, hardware based two factor authentication (2FA), secure boot loader, WireGuard VPN, Kernel 5.4, OpenJDK 11, Python 3.8.2, and more. It also provides a new live installer that allows you to update your system automatically every time it boots.
Ubuntu provides a Netboot (Network Installer) image that allows you to install an Ubuntu server or desktop over the internet. A netboot image is a small size (approximately 50MB) compared to a bigger size Ubuntu desktop image. You will need a fast internet connection to install additional packages during the installation.
Netboot image provides an extensive list of pre defined software collections that helps you to select and install only required packages to your machine. For example, Ubuntu 20.04 desktop image only installs the Gnome desktop environment. While Netboot image allows you to install several desktop environments including, KDE, Cinnamon, Plasma, XFCE, Lubuntu and more. The network installer is also useful if you want to install Ubuntu on a large number of computers at once.
If you are looking to install a customized Ubuntu 20.04 Desktop then Network Installation is an ideal option for you.
Install Ubuntu 20.04 Over Network Installation
Download Network Installer Image
First, you will need to download the Ubuntu 20.04 network installer image from the Ubuntu netboot download page.
Once you have downloaded the Ubuntu 20.04 Netboot ISO image, create a bootable media using Rufu tool or create a bootable USB drive using LiveUSB Creator called Unetbootin.
Once you have a bootable installation media, you can proceed to start the installation.
Install Ubuntu 20.04 Over the Network
In this section, we will show you how to Install Ubuntu 20.04 Over Network. In this method, a minimal set of packages is needed to start and the rest of the packages are downloaded over the network. Since only current packages are downloaded, there is no need to upgrade packages immediately after installation.
Follow the below steps to perform the installation.
Step 1 – First, insert the bootable USB, CD-ROM, or other installation media and power on the system. Once the system start, go to the BIOS settings and change the boot device priority from hard disk to your installation media. Once the system booted from the network installer, you should see the following screen:
Step 2 – Select the Install option and press the Enter key to start the installation process. You will be asked to choose the language to be used for the installation process as shown below:
Step 3 – Select your preferred language and press the Enter key. You will be asked to choose your location to set your time zone as shown below:
Step 4 – Select your location and press the Enter key. You will be asked to select your keyboard layout as shown below:
Step 5 – Select No and press the Enter key. You will be asked to select the country for the keyboard as shown below:
Step 6 – Select your Country and press the Enter key. You will be asked to select your matching keyboard layout as shown below:
Step 7 – Select your matching keyboard layout and press the Enter key. You will be asked to provide the hostname for this system as shown below:
Step 8 – Provide your hostname and click on the Continue. You will be asked to choose the mirror of the Ubuntu archive. Ubuntu mirror is a location where all Ubuntu software are hosted. During the installation process, the Ubuntu installer will download all necessary packages from the selected Ubuntu mirros as shown below:
Step 9 – Select your nearest Ubuntu mirror and press the Enter key. You will be asked to provide your proxy information as shown below:
Step 10. If you are not using any proxy then just leave it blank and press the Continue button. This will download and install some base packages need to start the installation. After some time, you will be asked to define the full name of the new user as shown below:
Step 11 – Provide your user’s full name and press the Continue button. You will be asked to set an account name for the system as shown below:
Step 12 – Define the password of the new user and click on the Continue button. You will be asked to confirm your time one as shown below:
Step 13 – If your time zone is correct. Click on the Yes button. You will be asked to choose the partitioning method as shown below:
Step 14 – If your time zone is correct. Click on the Yes button. You will be asked to choose the partitioning method as shown below:
Step 15 – Select the “Guided – use entire disk” and press the Enter key. You will be asked to select the disk to partition as shown below:
Step 16 – Select your disk and press the Enter key. You will be asked to write the changes to the disk as shown below:
Step 17 – Click on the Yes button. After some time, you will be asked to select a method to manage the updates as shown below:
Step 18 – Select “No automatic updates” and press the Enter key. You will be asked to select the software component you want to install as shown below:
Step 19 – Select your preferred option and click on the Continue button. Once all the components have been installed, you will be asked to install the Grub boot loader to the master boot record:
Step 20 – Click on the Yes to install the Grub boot loader. Once the Grub has been installed on the disk, you will be asked to confirm the system clock as shown below:
Step 21 – If your system clock is ok then click on the Yes button. Once the installation has been completed, you should see the following screen:
Step 22 – Click on the Continue button to finish the installation and restart the system. Once the system is restarted, you should see the Ubuntu Desktop login screen:
Step 23 – Provide your system username, password and press the Enter key. Once you are login, you should see the Ubuntu 20.04 desktop screen:
Step 24 – Now, press ALT+CTRL+T to open the terminal interface and run the following command to verify your Ubuntu version:
lsb_release -a
You should see your Ubuntu version in the following output:
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS
Release: 20.04
Codename: Focal Fossa
You can now start exploring your Desktop environment for new features.
How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 Over Network Installation Conclusion
In the above guide, we explained how to install Ubuntu 20.04 over the network installation. I hope this will help you to customize your Ubuntu 20.04 installation.
