Installing Ubuntu on Debian

2008-08-06T16:22:01Z

Rugby471: Updated ubuntu releases, slightly easier to read, added intro

How to install an Ubuntu vserver guest on Debian.
__TOC__
==Prepare debootstrap==

===What is a Debootstrap?===

'''From Ubuntu Packages:'''

''"debootstrap is used to create a Debian base system from scratch, without requiring the availability of dpkg or apt. It does this by downloading .deb files from a mirror site, and carefully unpacking them into a directory which can eventually be chrooted into."''

So a debootstrap is basically something that will let you build your guest system.

===Preparing===

You will need the debootstrap script for your desired Ubuntu release (eg feisty, gusty, hardy).

Check that you have the debootstrap script in <code>/usr/lib/debootstrap/scripts/</code>, eg <code>/usr/lib/debootstrap/scripts/gusty</code>.

If you do not have the debootstrap script for your desired Ubuntu release, the easiest way is to download and install the latest debootstrap deb from [http://packages.debian.org/sid/debootstrap Debian sid].

If the script is not available in Debian sid, download Ubuntu's latest bootstrap release from [http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=debootstrap here]. (eg, as of August 2008, download the debootstrap deb for Hardy Heron). You want the debootstrap from the latest release, even if you want to install a previous release Ubuntu vserver guest.

Extract the Ubuntu scripts from the deb and place them in <code>/usr/lib/debootstrap/scripts/</code>.

For example, do something like:
$ cd /tmp
$ wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/d/debootstrap/debootstrap_0.3.3.2ubuntu3_all.deb
$ dpkg --extract debootstrap_0.3.3.2ubuntu3_all.deb debootstrap-feisty
$ sudo cp -P debootstrap-feisty/usr/lib/debootstrap/scripts/{warty,warty.buildd,hoary,hoary.buildd,breezy,dapper,edgy,edgy.fakechroot,feisty,feisty.fakechroot} /usr/lib/debootstrap/scripts/

==Build==
===Build with guest architecture the same as host (eg. 32-bit guest on 32-bit host, 64-bit guest on 64-bit host etc.)===
# vserver hardy-guest build -m debootstrap --hostname hardy-guest --interface dummy0=eth0:10.0.0.123/8 --rootdir /var/lib/vservers -- -d hardy -m http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/

===Build 32-bit guest on 64-bit host===
# vserver hardy-guest-32 build -m debootstrap --hostname hardy-guest-32 --interface dummy0=eth0:10.0.0.123/8 --rootdir /var/lib/vservers -- -d hardy -m http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ -- --arch i386
Verify 32-bitness of guest:
host:# file /var/lib/vservers/hardy-guest-32/bin/ls
/var/lib/vservers/hardy-guest-32/bin/ls: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.6.0, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), for GNU/Linux 2.6.0, stripped

==See also==
* [[Building Guest Systems]]
* [[Frequently_Asked_Questions#I_run_a_Debian_host_and_want_to_build_an_Ubuntu_guest._Howto.3F]]
* [[Installing 32-bit Fedora on 64-bit Debian]]

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Installing Ubuntu on Debian