How do I install Landscape for personal use?

For Ubuntu 16.04 or 14.04 LTS

You can install Landscape directly on a machine running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, this is called "Landscape On Premises." It is free for up to 10 physical (or virtual) machines and 50 containers:

Deploying a single server

WARNING: landscape-quickstart modifies apache configuration files, DO NOT DO THIS ON AN EXISTING SERVER INSTALLATION without understanding what you are getting into.

Just install the Landscape Quickstart package: Check here for changes to the below instructions:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:landscape/17.03
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install landscape-server-quickstart

After it finishes, access it with a browser like https://hostname.example.com/

Where hostname.example.com is the output of hostname -f on that machine, or just hostname if that fails to resolve.

Using Landscape

You should then see the web UI after filling in your name and contact details:

Account dashboard with 20 remaining registrations

Click on the link highlighted to add client machines:

Registration instructions

Follow those instructions on the client you want to join to Landscape. Note the following line: 

sudo landscape-config --computer-title "My Web Server" --account-name standalone  --url https://<servername>/message-system --ping-url http://<servername>/ping

You can customize the title and so forth for each machine. See the landscape-config man page for more information.

After you type in the landscape-config command the client will ask you some questions, those are optional, you can just hit Enter until the client restarts, then you can accept the client in the web UI.

Registering clients with a self signed certificate:

The quickstart package installs a self-signed certificate that is generated on-the-fly.

  • Grab this file from the server: /etc/ssl/certs/landscape_server_ca.crt
  • Copy it somewhere on the client, for example, /etc/landscape/landscape_server_ca.crt
  • Change /etc/landscape/client.conf to include this line, pointing at the file you just copied: ssl_public_key = /etc/landscape/landscape_server_ca.crt

Then try to register again. (Thanks to panlinux for figuring this out)

Further Reading:

  • Landscape website
  • On-prem Landscape 17.03 Release Notes

For Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

On one machine install Ubuntu Server 16.04.01 LTS -> Download Ubuntu Server 16.04.01 LTS.
It is recommended to install openssh-server as well, this can be chosen during the process.
Once installed the Ubuntu Server operating system, install landscape-server-quickstart.
You also have to adjust the firewall to make everything working flawlessly without any issue.

Open a terminal - execute the following commands to accomplish these tasks :

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow http
sudo ufw allow https

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:landscape/16.06
sudo apt update
sudo apt install landscape-server-quickstart

After the installation is complete, you have to register the landscape account.
Because the Server has no GUI, you need to install a text based web browser :

sudo apt install links  
links https://<server-hostname>

Now register the Ubuntu Server - to do this you need the landscape-client. 

sudo apt install landscape-client  
sudo landscape-config --account-name standalone --url https://<server-hostname>/message-system --ping-url http://<server-hostname>/ping

Backup the Landscape certificate, because it has to exist on every machine you want to register : 

sudo cp /etc/ssl/certs/landscape_server.pem /<external-media>/landscape_server.pem

To register additional Ubuntu systems, install the landscape-client package on each machine : 

sudo apt install landscape-client

Copy over the Landscape certificate (which you saved before) and edit the client.config file : 

sudo cp /<external-media>/landscape_server.pem /etc/landscape/landscape_server.pem  
sudo nano /etc/landscape/client.conf

Add this line : ssl_public_key = /etc/landscape/landscape_server.pem and save the change.

Now register the Ubuntu system the same way you did, when you registered the Ubuntu Server : 

sudo landscape-config --account-name standalone --url https://<server-hostname>/message-system --ping-url http://<server-hostname>/ping

Open https://<server-hostname> in your web browser and accept all the pending computers.

Additional information : The free license covers 10 bare metal machines and 50 LXC containers !

References

  • landscape.canonical.com
  • help.landscape.canonical.com

Along with the other answers, https://landscape.canonical.com is always available. This is a hosted service that you can sign up for a 30 day demo to see if it meets your needs, and does not require you to go through the steps needed to set up your own server.

Tags:

Landscape

Recent Posts