How to Configure Local Ubuntu Server

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I’m going to build a ubuntu (24.04) server in a qemu VM to act solely as a media server. I have read/seen quite a few instructions on doing this (going to install a Jellyfin server) but not sure about the ubuntu server itself. My original thought was to install/create the ubuntu server (as a VM) and then install the Jellyfin server. But a few sites have also installed a Docker container in the server and install the Jellyfin server in the container. I’m still getting my head around the pros and cons re Docker. In my main system I have separate / and /home that has served me well over the years in that I have done a clean upgrade of / (e.g. 22.04 to 24.04) and not touched /home. Is having the Jellyfin server inside a Docker container, within the ubuntu server something similar? I can see if I upgrade my ubuntu 24.04 server to the next LTR then I would lose the Jellyfin server if I did a clean upgrade. …but then Docker is inside the 24.04 server so if I do a clean upgrade everything is lost(?). Any advise on the best way to configure a Jellyfin server, within a ubuntu server, would be most appreciated.

note: My media files/library will be on another HD as it quite large. I was thinking of making the VM for the ubuntu server 60GB - is this too large for a ubuntu server that just has a Jellyfin server inside? (There will be no media files in the VM itself).

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Do you want this server to do anything other than Jellyfin?

If I were doing this I would try to get it working without Docker first, since VM is already a type of “containerizing” your server setup, and it’s less layers of complexity.

When I was running Ubuntu servers I would just install everything in one partition. When it came time for upgrade to next LTS, I would create a new server VM alongside the existing one, then set it up manually. That way you can upgrade on your own schedule without committing to unavailability of your server, as well as keep a maximally clean setup. Keeping notes on what you do to set up your server or scripting the setup process could make it easier to reconfigure a new, clean, upgraded version of your server later.

I would say not. You can create the disk image to expand dynamically so that it only grows to accommodate “non-zero” space, so that it doesn’t necessarily have to eat 60GB of your physical disk space.

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Thank you. At the moment I cannot see any other function of this ‘server’ other than being a local media server. Your suggestion about re-building a new VM in the event of an upgrade is perhaps also valid in that I’m reading about saving and transferring Jellyfin config files so doing a manual rebuild is not such a huge task.

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