How to do a minimal install of 20.04?

system-installation 20.04 ubuntu-minimal

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Solution 1

The Netinstall/Minimal image (two names for the same thing) was a byproduct of the Debian installer server build. While popular with some users, the Ubuntu developers never supported it.

Ubuntu Server recently changed to a new installer, so the Netinstall image will longer be created. The final 20.04 Netinstall image is here.

For a VM, consider using a daily cloud image: https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/focal/current/
For Bare Metal, consider simply using an older Netinstall image, then release-upgrading those minimal packages to 20.04, then installing the rest of your system.
Netbooting the server installer is still possible, see https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/netbooting-the-live-server-installer/14510

There are many other options: Vagrant, pre-built VMs, Ubuntu Core, Ubuntu Base, etc. It really depends upon what you want your final system configuration to look like.

Solution 2

You still can get netboot installer (mini.iso, for now it is called Legacy Ubuntu Server Installer) from direct link below

http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal/main/installer-amd64/current/legacy-images/netboot/mini.iso

19,607

Author by

Tyll'a

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Tyll'a almost 2 years

I'm wanting to do a minimal install of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a VM I'm making. My original thought was to use either the network installer or the minimal CD, but both of those seem to be gone right now. How would I be able to get that kind of install on 20.04 LTS?
- MastroGeppetto over 3 years
  
  I have a similar problem, and worked out a solution using cloud images. I posted it here today. Hope this helps...
- Patoshi パトシ almost 3 years
  
  how big is the minimum install of this version of ubuntu?
Tyll'a almost 4 years

So what you're saying is that I would be best off using the server installer? (The VM is intended to be a dev/testing VM for a program I'm writing, so pretty much all I'd need is Xfce, VS Code, NodeJS, and MySQL)
user535733 almost 4 years

All of the options will get you there. What's best is what you are most comfortable using. For a testing environment, I recommend getting as close to a user environment as possible...that means a real desktop install. Sure it might be slow...but so what? You are looking for bugs, not performance.
Andrew Lowther almost 4 years

The netboot image is still generated, but has been renamed legacy. The Ubuntu devs say it will no longer be available in Ubuntu 20.10, which I think would be a shame
user535733 almost 4 years

@AndrewLowther edited to address your comment. Any community volunteer with the requisite skills and interest can step up to continue creating the mini.iso, and indeed to make it a supported method of install. All that lacks is one volunteer....
ZhaoGang over 3 years

how should we use the daily cloud image, it is not .iso formatted and vmare can not use it.
user535733 over 3 years

@ZhaoGang please open a new question for that. Please do not hijack an answer with a tangential new question.