Other Linux Distributions
Managing Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Alpine, and Devuan systems
0. Specs
0.1. The What
Although my tutorials (and my learning journey) focus on Debian and Ubuntu Linux distributions, administrators may occasionally need to work with other Linux distributions as well.
This tutorial aims to help Debian/Ubuntu administrators adapt to other Linux distributions, specifically Red Hat, Alpine, and Devuan.
Main topics covered: - Package Management - Network Configuration - Installing LAMP Stack - Service Management
Distributions covered: - Debian 13 and 12 - Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04 LTS - RHEL (CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux) 10.x, 9.x - Alpine 3.23 - Devuan 6 and 5
0.2. Resources:
1. Debian 13 & 12
1.1. Package Management
Commands require root or sudo privileges.
1.1.1. Update Cache
sudo apt update
1.1.2. Upgrade Packages
sudo apt upgrade
1.1.3. Install a Package
sudo apt install apache2
1.1.4. Remove a Package
sudo apt remove apache2
1.1.5. Search for a Package
sudo apt search apache2
1.1.6. Clean Unused Packages
sudo apt autoremove
1.1.7. Show Package Information
sudo apt show apache2
1.2. Network Configuration
1.2.1. Identify Network Adapter Name
Network adapter names typically follow patterns like enp0s3. To find the exact name:
ls /sys/class/net
The interface with an en* format is usually your network adapter. If unsure, use:
ip a
1.2.2. IP configuration.
Edit the network interfaces file (replace enp0s3 with your actual interface name):
sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
Static IP configuration:
auto enp0s3
iface enp0s3 inet static
address 192.168.1.135/24
broadcast 192.168.1.255
network 192.168.1.0
gateway 192.168.1.1
DHCP configuration:
auto enp0s3
iface enp0s3 inet dhcp
1.2.3. DNS Addresses
sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
Add DNS servers:
nameserver 46.196.235.35
nameserver 178.233.140.110
nameserver 46.197.15.60
1.2.4. Restart Network Adapter
Replace enp0s3 with your interface name:
sudo ifdown enp0s3 && sudo ifup enp0s3
Alternatively:
sudo systemctl restart networking.service
Note: If connected via SSH, your connection will drop. Reconnect using the new IP address.
1.3. Installing LAMP Stack
1.3.1. Install Packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --yes apache2 mariadb-server php \
libapache2-mod-php php-mysql
1.3.2. Test LAMP Stack
We'll create a test database, table, and PHP file to verify all components work together.
Create test database and user:
sudo mariadb
Run in MariaDB shell:
CREATE DATABASE mysampledb;
USE mysampledb;
CREATE TABLE Employees (Name char(15), Age int(3), Occupation char(15));
INSERT INTO Employees VALUES ('Joe Smith', '26', 'Ninja');
INSERT INTO Employees VALUES ('John Doe', '33', 'Sleeper');
INSERT INTO Employees VALUES ('Mariadb Server', '14', 'RDBM');
GRANT ALL ON mysampledb.* TO 'appuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
exit
Create test PHP file:
sudo nano /var/www/html/test.php
Add the following content:
<?php
$mycon = new mysqli("localhost", "appuser", "password", "mysampledb");
if ($mycon->connect_errno)
{
echo "Connection Error";
exit();
}
$mysql = "SELECT * FROM Employees";
$result = ($mycon->query($mysql));
$rows = [];
if ($result->num_rows > 0)
{
$rows = $result->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC);
}
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Name</th>
<th>Age</th>
<th>Occupation</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<?php
if(!empty($rows))
foreach($rows as $row)
{
?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $row['Name']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $row['Age']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $row['Occupation']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php } ?>
</tbody>
</table>
</body>
</html>
<?php
mysqli_close($conn);
?>
Test: Access http://[your-server-ip]/test.php from a browser to verify the LAMP stack is working.
1.4. Service Management
In Debian, services are typically enabled and started automatically upon installation.
1.4.1. Check Service Status
systemctl status apache2
1.4.2. Start/Stop a Service
sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
Force stop:
sudo systemctl kill apache2
1.4.3. Reload a Service
Reloads configuration without stopping:
sudo systemctl reload apache2
1.4.4. Restart a Service
sudo systemctl restart apache2
1.4.5. Enable/Disable a Service
sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl disable apache2
2. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS & 24.04 LTS
2.1. Package Management
Commands require root or sudo privileges.
2.1.1. Update Cache
sudo apt update
2.1.2. Upgrade Packages
sudo apt upgrade
2.1.3. Install a Package
sudo apt install apache2
2.1.4. Remove a Package
sudo apt remove apache2
2.1.5. Search for a Package
sudo apt search apache2
2.1.6. Clean Unused Packages
sudo apt autoremove
2.1.7. Show Package Information
sudo apt show apache2
2.2. Network Configuration
2.2.1. Get the name of the network adapter
Network adapter names typically follow patterns like enp0s3. To find the exact name:
ls /sys/class/net
The interface with an en* format is usually your network adapter. If unsure, use:
ip a
2.2.2. Network configuration.
Ubuntu uses Netplan for network configuration. Edit the configuration file (filename may vary):
sudo nano /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml
Replace enp0s3 with your interface name and adjust IP settings:
network:
ethernets:
enp0s3:
addresses:
- 192.168.1.182/24
routes:
- to: default
via: 192.168.1.1
nameservers:
addresses:
- 8.8.8.8
- 192.168.1.1
search:
- x11.xyz
version: 2
2.2.3. Apply Netplan Configuration
sudo netplan apply
Note: SSH connections may drop; reconnect using the new IP.
2.3. Installing LAMP Stack
2.3.1. Install Packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --yes apache2 mariadb-server php \
libapache2-mod-php php-mysql
2.3.2. Test LAMP
Use the test scenario from section 1.3.2.
2.4. Service Management
As a Debian derivative, Ubuntu behaves similarly for service management.
2.4.1. Check Service Status
systemctl status apache2
2.4.2. Start/Stop a Service
sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
Force stop:
sudo systemctl kill apache2
2.4.3. Reload a Service
Reads configuration file again
sudo systemctl reload apache2
2.4.4. Restart a Service
sudo systemctl restart apache2
2.4.5. Enable/Disable a Service
sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl disable apache2
3. RHEL (AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux) 10.x, 9.x
AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux are RHEL-compatible distributions, meaning commands and configurations for RHEL work on these distributions as well.
3.1. Package Management
Commands require root or sudo privileges.
3.1.1. Check for Updates
sudo dnf check-update
It is always called when installing or updating packages. So it is not necessary before installing or upgrading packages.
3.1.2. Upgrade Packages
sudo dnf upgrade
3.1.3. Install a Package
sudo dnf install httpd
3.1.4. Remove a Package
sudo dnf remove httpd
3.1.5. Search for a Package
sudo dnf search httpd
3.1.6. Clean Unused Packages
sudo dnf autoremove
3.1.7. Show Package Information
sudo dnf info httpd
3.2. Network Configuration
3.2.1. Identify Network Adapter Name
Network adapter names typically follow patterns like enp0s3. To find the exact name:
ls /sys/class/net
The interface with an en* format is usually your network adapter. If unsure, use:
ip a
3.2.2. IP and DNS Configuration
Replace enp0s3 with your interface name:
sudo nmcli con modify 'enp0s3' ifname enp0s3 ipv4.method manual \
ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.156/24 gw4 192.168.1.1
sudo nmcli con modify 'enp0s3' ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8
3.2.3. Restart Network Connection
sudo nmcli con down 'enp0s3' && sudo nmcli con up 'enp0s3'
3.3. Installing LAMP Stack
Note: Package names differ from Debian/Ubuntu (e.g., httpd instead of apache2).
3.3.1. Install Packages
sudo dnf -y install httpd mariadb-server php php-mysqlnd
3.3.2. Enable and Start Services
sudo systemctl enable --now httpd
sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb
3.3.3. Configure Firewall
RHEL enables the firewall by default. Open HTTP and HTTPS ports:
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --add-service=https --permanent
3.3.4. Test
Use the test scenario from section 1.3.2. Note: For RHEL 9, use sudo mysql instead of sudo mariadb.
3.4. Service Management
Unlike Debian-based systems, RHEL does not automatically enable or start services after installation.
3.4.1. Check Service Status
systemctl status httpd
3.4.2. Start/Stop a Service
sudo systemctl stop httpd
sudo systemctl start httpd
Force stop:
sudo systemctl kill httpd
3.4.3. Reload a Service
sudo systemctl reload httpd
3.4.4. Restart a Service
Stops and Starts
sudo systemctl restart httpd
3.4.5. Enable/Disable a Service
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl disable httpd
4. Alpine Linux 3.23
4.1. Package Management
Commands require root or sudo privileges.
4.1.1. Update Cache
sudo apk update
4.1.2. Upgrade Packages
sudo apk upgrade
4.1.3. Install a Package
sudo apk add apache2
4.1.4. Remove a Package
sudo apk del apache2
4.1.5. Search for a Package
sudo apk search apache2
4.1.6. Clean Unused Packages
Not available in Alpine's package manager.
4.1.7. Show Package Information
sudo apk info apache2
4.2. Network Configuration
4.2.1. Identify Network Adapter Name
Alpine typically uses eth0 style names:
ls /sys/class/net
or
ip a
4.2.2. IP and DNS Configuration
Edit network interfaces (replace eth0 with your interface name):
sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
File contents will be like below
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
#auto eth0
#iface eth0 inet dhcp
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.172/24
gateway 192.168.1.1
hostname alpine
Configure DNS:
sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 192.168.0.1
nameserver 8.8.8.8
4.2.3. Restart Network Adapter
sudo ifdown eth0 && sudo ifup eth0
4.3. Installing LAMP Stack
4.3.1. Install Packages
sudo apk add apache2 php php-mysqli php-apache2 mariadb mariadb-client
4.3.2. Enable and Start Apache
sudo rc-update add apache2 default
sudo rc-service apache2 start
4.3.3. Initialize and Enable Mariadb
sudo mysql_install_db --user=mysql --datadir=/var/lib/mysql
sudo rc-update add mariadb default
sudo rc-service mariadb start
4.3.4. Test
Use the test scenario from section 1.3.2. Note: Alpine's default web directory is /var/www/localhost/htdocs.
4.4. Service Management
Alpine uses OpenRC as its init system.
4.4.1. Check Service Status
rc-service apache2 status
4.4.2. Start/Stop a Service
sudo rc-service apache2 stop
sudo rc-service apache2 start
4.4.3. Reload a Service
sudo rc-service apache2 reload
4.4.4. Restart a Service
sudo rc-service apache2 restart
4.4.5. Enable/Disable a Service
sudo rc-update add apache2 default
sudo rc-update del apache2 default
5. Devuan 6 & 5
Devuan is a Debian derivative without systemd. Devuan 6 & 5 are based on Debian 13 & 12.
5.1. Package Management
Commands require root or sudo privileges.
5.1.1. Update Cache
sudo apt update
5.1.2. Upgrade Packages
sudo apt upgrade
5.1.3. Install a Package
sudo apt install apache2
5.1.4. Remove a Package
sudo apt remove apache2
5.1.5. Search for a Package
sudo apt search apache2
5.1.6. Clean Unused Packages
sudo apt autoremove
5.1.7. Show Package Information
sudo apt show apache2
5.2. Network Configuration
5.2.1. Identify Network Adapter Name
Devuan typically uses eth0 style names:
ls /sys/class/net
or
ip a
5.2.2. IP configuration.
Edit network interfaces (replace eth0 with your interface name):
sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
Static IP:
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.176/24
broadcast 192.168.1.255
network 192.168.1.0
gateway 192.168.1.1
DHCP:
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
5.2.3. DNS Configuration
sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 46.196.235.35
nameserver 178.233.140.110
nameserver 46.197.15.60
5.2.4. Restart Network Adapter
sudo ifdown eth0 && sudo ifup eth0
Note: SSH connections may drop; reconnect using the new IP.
5.3. Installing LAMP Stack
5.3.1. Install Packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --yes apache2 mariadb-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql
5.3.2. Test LAMP
Use the test scenario from section 1.3.2.
5.4. Service Management
Devuan services are typically enabled and started automatically. During installation, you can choose from three init systems: - sysvinit (default) - runit - OpenRC
This tutorial assumes sysvinit.
5.4.1. Check Service Status
sudo service apache2 status
5.4.2. Start/Stop a Service
sudo service apache2 stop
sudo service apache2 start
5.4.3. Reload a Service
sudo service apache2 reload
5.4.4. Restart a Service
sudo service apache2 restart
5.4.5. Enable/Disable a Service
sudo update-rc.d apache2 defaults
sudo update-rc.d apache2 remove