Skip to content

Installation Overview

This section provides comprehensive guidance for installing Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS ("Resolute Raccoon") on the MS-S1 MAX with the canonical architecture: plain ext4 root on the primary 2 TB NVMe, ZFS pool spanning the leftover ~1 TB + the entire 4 TB secondary NVMe.

Installation Philosophy

A secure system begins with a secure installation. The choices made during installation — partition layout, boot configuration, initial hardening — establish the foundation for everything that follows.

Key Principles

  • Minimal attack surface - Install only what's needed; no desktop environment
  • Boring foundations - Plain ext4 root, no LVM, no LUKS on this build
  • Data lives outside the OS - ZFS pool is the source of truth, host is rebuildable
  • Defense in depth at the network layer - UFW + Tailscale for management, not boot-time integrity

Section Contents

Page Description
Preparation Pre-installation planning, hardware verification, download verification
Secure Boot UEFI Secure Boot — disabled on this build, kept here for reference
Disk Partitioning Plain ext4 + ZFS layout (canonical); LUKS+LVM alternative
Installation Walkthrough Step-by-step installer guide
Post-Install Checklist First boot essentials and initial hardening

Quick Path

For experienced administrators:

  1. Download and verify ISO
  2. Confirm BIOS settings (BIOS Setup) — Secure Boot off, IOMMU on
  3. Partition: ext4 root + ZFS pool
  4. Run through installer
  5. Complete post-install checklist

Installation Types

The minimal installation provides:

  • Base system packages only
  • SSH server (optional during install)
  • No graphical environment
  • ~2 GB disk footprint

This is the recommended approach for production servers.

Standard Server

Includes additional packages for common server tasks:

  • Network utilities
  • Basic system monitoring
  • Additional shells and editors

Cloud Image

Pre-built images for cloud deployments:

  • cloud-init enabled
  • Smaller footprint
  • Optimized for virtual environments

This Guide's Focus

This guide focuses on physical server installation with manual partitioning and full disk encryption. For cloud deployments, see Ubuntu Cloud Images.

Hardware

This guide is specifically targeted at the Minisforum MS-S1 MAX:

Component Specification
CPU AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (Strix Halo, 16C / 32T)
GPU Radeon 8060S (RDNA 3.5, integrated, gfx1151)
RAM 128GB LPDDR5X-8000, quad-channel (soldered)
Storage 2 x M.2 NVMe (PCIe 4.0 x4 + x1); 2 TB primary + 4 TB secondary
Networking 2 x 10GbE (Realtek RTL8127)

See Hardware for the full spec and design rationale.

Pre-Installation Decisions

Before starting the installer, confirm:

  1. Disk layout — canonical for this build is ext4 root + ZFS data pool; see Disk Partitioning
  2. Encryption — not used on this build (private network, headless box); LUKS path documented as an alternative
  3. Secure Boot — disabled to keep amdgpu/ROCm/ZFS DKMS simple
  4. Network — DHCP during install, switch to static via Netplan post-install
  5. Hostname — pick now and use it consistently in /etc/hosts, Tailscale, reverse-proxy configs
  6. User account — initial administrator username (same as previous install simplifies the rebuild path)

Next Step

Begin with Preparation to verify hardware compatibility and download the installation media.