d2r: ubuntu server 7.04's paltry default packages

ubuntu server 7.04's paltry default packages

There are some basic packages that the basic distro of Ubuntu Server (as of 'Feisty' 7.04) does not include. I was just documenting a bit the sequence of apt-get commands I used right after the install was done:
apt-get update apt-get upgrade apt-get install ssh apt-get install lynx apt-get install links apt-get install vim apt-get install gcc apt-get install make apt-get install sun-java6-bin apt-get install sun-java6-jdk apt-get install subversion apt-get install smbclient apt-get install smbfs
The update and upgrade commands are to update apt-get's lists and then upgrade packages that were just installed from CD, respectively.

Some of these are perhaps a bit less common -- smbfs maybe. But vim? gcc? make? Really? Not to mention ssh. The client of SSH comes in pre-installed, but you have to install the server.

I imagine there's some weird reason that has to do with copyrights or encryption, or the copyrights of encryption, but it's still a pain. Especially if you forget about doing it...

Categories: technology
Posted by diego on May 20 2007 at 5:30 PM | TrackBack (0)

Comments (please see the comments & trackback policy).

I'd say it has more to do with providing as basic a setup as possible, so that people who, say, just wanted a LAMP server wouldn't be burdened with development packages, which could be used by attackers to compile their nasty little tools. If I ever need the dev packages, I install them and remove them after I'm done.

SSH, well... that's one less port for exploitation. Think OpenBSD gets its "Only two remote holes in the default install, in more than 10 years!" claim by turning on lots of services? And again, not everyone needs it :)

Posted by: John Kelly at May 21, 2007 12:25 AM

Thanks for the comment John! I see your point, but on a LAMP server, the last thing I'd worry about in terms of security would be SSH (yes, the P in LAMP would worry me 10 times more. Then the A. Then the M -- but not with iptables. *Then* SSH. :-))). And besides, you have to connect *somehow* to the server and telnet is really not an option (in my mind at least)... similarly, if someone has indeed cracked into the machine, the complexity of them obtaining gcc and running it should be minimal.

Posted by: Diego at May 21, 2007 7:33 PM