Join Log in
Score:-1
malloc avatar Ubuntu

Manage accounts on ubuntu machine

cn flag
malloc

I've installed Xubuntu 21.04 on a machine that I'm using as a server and I created other roots accounts to let other people use it.

Now some of them needs the same software, but in different version and asked me if there could be some problem if they install it(they are using apt).

So, there are some problem if one user install an older version of a software and then another user install the same software but the last version? Do every one of them have their own enviroment so they don't share anything only the resource on the machine or they also share the same enviroment (at least partially)?

If I want to create a private enviroment for each one of them, so that everything that they install will not be shared (for example all of them must install python3 on their own and on the machine ther will be exactly X copy of python3), how can I do this? (if is possible)

51
0 + 0
David avatar
cn flag
David
One server means in most cases one version of the software. Since you have not said what version of Ubuntu or what software no one could say.
0
Reply
malloc avatar
cn flag
malloc
@David I've added the version of xubuntu, for the software I'm not talking about a specific software. I'm asking if in general can be done and if it can't then how can be done.
0
Reply
raj avatar
cn flag
raj
Non-root user usually cannot install anything with `apt`, as packages installed with `apt` are installed system-wide. They can **try** to manually download the package and install it using `dpkg`, changing the install directory to their own one, but this may or may not work, depending on the package. They also can try to compile the package from source, this is more likely to work than trying to install the binary package in another directory, but may require several "dev" packages to be installed first. Again, everything depends on the software in question.
0
Reply
David avatar
cn flag
David
Based on what you describe I say can not be done.
0
Reply
user535733 avatar
cn flag
user535733
Cannot be done *using debs*. Can be done using Snaps, Flatpaks, AppImages, Pips, Containers, VMs, and many other methods. Remember: Maintenance and security are the admin's responsibility. Mixing software versions and install methods means that YOU (the human admin) need to keep track of what was installed, when, where, why, and how. Start learning how to use your appropriate admin tools to keep your complex system safe and working properly.
1
Reply
Score:2
kanehekili avatar Ubuntu
zw flag
kanehekili

I would not try to install other versions of software on a server - too often you need to change dependencies as well. But you could provide a docker image that has the right "version" of ubuntu and configure the appropriate software your user needs.

Thats one of the main advantages of docker - install any software version without spoiling your server environment

0 + 0
Score:1
user535733 avatar Ubuntu
cn flag
user535733

If I want to create a private enviroment for each one of them, so that everything that they install will not be shared...

This looks like the classic use cases for Containers and Virtual Machines.

Both LXD containers and Virtual Machines look --to the remote user-- like an independent system. They do not have access to software on the host system. They can run different releases of Ubuntu and different software than the host system.

LXD is best for providing a shell-only (non-GUI) Linux environment. More complex environments are possible, but the setup can be non-trivial. LXD containers can use fewer resources than a real Virtual Machine. LXD can run on a Raspberry Pi.

Virtual Machines work best for providing non-Linux environments (like Windows), and for environments that include Desktop GUIs. VMs generally require more resources, and tend to work best with hardware acceleration.

0 + 0
ru flag
Thomas Ward
LXD is the easiest approach for independent Ubuntu systems, while VMs work good for Windows. Just my 2 cents on this. Getting the SSH credentials mapped right to each machine will be some NAT chaos by OP, but is doable.
0
Reply
ธงชาติไทย
Elon Musk
I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

mangohost

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.