What does the "Basic Ubuntu Server" package contain in software selection during installation?

Question

I'm installing Ubuntu from an Ubuntu Minimal image, and I've gotten to the software selection part. What I'm wondering is, which packages are included in the "Basic Ubuntu Server" option?

I'm assuming it's a bundle of packages, but which exactly are included in it?

Answer 1

In the spirit of teaching a man to fish...

You can find a list of tasks and their proper names with the command:

tasksel --list-tasks

This will tell you that the "Basic Ubuntu Server" task is named "server". With this name, you can generate a list of the related packages:

tasksel --task-packages server

For example, on Ubuntu "Quantal" 12.10:

steven@lat:~$ tasksel --task-packages server | sort
acpid
apport
apport-symptoms
bc
byobu
consolekit
curl
ethtool
fonts-ubuntu-font-family-console
landscape-common
libck-connector0
libcurl3
libevent-2.0-5
libgc1c2
libgpm2
libiw30
libnl-3-200
libnl-genl-3-200
libpam-ck-connector
libpcsclite1
libpolkit-agent-1-0
libpolkit-backend-1-0
libpython2.7
libwhoopsie0
patch
policykit-1
python
python2.7
python2.7-minimal
python3-apport
python3-problem-report
python-apt
python-chardet
python-debian
python-gdbm
python-gnupginterface
python-minimal
python-newt
python-openssl
python-pam
python-pkg-resources
python-serial
python-six
python-twisted-bin
python-twisted-core
python-zope.interface
screen
tmux
update-notifier-common
vim
vim-runtime
w3m
whoopsie
wireless-tools
wpasupplicant
xz-utils
steven@lat:~$ 

Answer 2

Tha Basic Ubuntu Server package bundle includes:

python-zope.interface
python-lazr.restfulclient
python-serial
ubuntu-serverguide
python-pam
vim-runtime
python-wadllib
python-pycurl
libpcsclite1
python-simplejson
vim
libnl1
python-pkg-resources
python-pexpect
wpasupplicant
python-twisted-bin
python-launchpadlib
libpython2.6
python-twisted-core
python-problem-report
patch
python-oauth
python-lazr.uri
python-apport
libjs-jquery
python-openssl
apport
bc
python-httplib2
wireless-tools
apport-symptoms
libiw30
screen
python-newt
landscape-common
byobu
python-smartpm

Source

Answer 3

If you are looking this up, you probably want a minimal install. To achieve this on Ubuntu 18.04 and beyond, you should select only OpenSSH Server, which contains 12 packages, as opposed to 151 packages in Basic Ubuntu Server.

And to add further clarity, the netinstall, mini.iso, Ubuntu Server ISO will all achieve exactly the same result.

Finally, with regard to kernels, 18.04 originally came out with kernel 4.15.0.1, now up to 4.15.0.62, signed as of September 2019. They also have a low latency version. Kernel 4.19 is a perfect kernel if you are on an Intel system with an NVIDIA GPU. It provides faster random disk access, but slower Intel CPU. This leaves kernel 5.2 out, since it is only good for Virtualization and AMD hardware.

Ubuntu 18.04.3 comes with kernel 5, which is mostly a big waste of time, except for AMD. Kernel 5.4 will be the first in the 5 series with a long term support. Because I will use QEMU, I will use 5.2 until 5.4. Otherwise, stick with 4.15 if using Intel and upgrade to 4.19.100 (whenever it gets there) or if on AMD use Kernel 5 included with Ubuntu 18.04.3 until 5.4.

Linux kernels. Complicated, yet simple stuff.

Answer 4

On Ubuntu 18.04, this command:

apt-cache show server^ | grep '^Package:' | sed 's/Package: //' | sort -u

outputs the packages, sorted alphabetically and without any duplicates:

acl
acpid
apport
apport-symptoms
at
bc
bcache-tools
btrfs-progs
btrfs-tools
byobu
cloud-guest-utils
cloud-initramfs-copymods
cloud-initramfs-dyn-netconf
cryptsetup
cryptsetup-bin
curl
dirmngr
dmeventd
dnsmasq-base
dns-root-data
ebtables
ethtool
fonts-ubuntu-console
gawk
git
git-man
gnupg
gnupg-l10n
gnupg-utils
gpg
gpg-agent
gpgconf
gpgsm
gpg-wks-client
gpg-wks-server
grub-legacy-ec2
htop
landscape-common
libasn1-8-heimdal
libassuan0
libcurl3-gnutls
libcurl4
libdevmapper-event1.02.1
libdumbnet1
liberror-perl
libevent-2.1-6
libgdbm-compat4
libgpm2
libgssapi3-heimdal
libhcrypto4-heimdal
libheimbase1-heimdal
libheimntlm0-heimdal
libhx509-5-heimdal
libisns0
libkrb5-26-heimdal
libksba8
libldap-2.4-2
libldap-common
liblvm2app2.2
liblvm2cmd2.02
liblxc1
liblxc-common
liblzo2-2
libmpfr6
libmspack0
libnghttp2-14
libnpth0
libperl5.26
libpolkit-agent-1-0
libpolkit-backend-1-0
libpython3.6
libreadline5
libroken18-heimdal
librtmp1
libsasl2-2
libsasl2-modules
libsasl2-modules-db
libsigsegv2
libutempter0
libwind0-heimdal
libxmlsec1
libxmlsec1-openssl
libxslt1.1
lvm2
lxcfs
lxd
lxd-client
mdadm
net-tools
open-iscsi
open-vm-tools
overlayroot
pastebinit
patch
perl
perl-modules-5.26
pinentry-curses
policykit-1
pollinate
python3-apport
python3-asn1crypto
python3-attr
python3-automat
python3-certifi
python3-cffi-backend
python3-chardet
python3-click
python3-colorama
python3-configobj
python3-constantly
python3-cryptography
python3-debconf
python3-debian
python3-httplib2
python3-hyperlink
python3-idna
python3-incremental
python3-newt
python3-openssl
python3-pam
python3-pkg-resources
python3-problem-report
python3-pyasn1
python3-pyasn1-modules
python3-requests
python3-requests-unixsocket
python3-serial
python3-service-identity
python3-six
python3-software-properties
python3-systemd
python3-twisted
python3-twisted-bin
python3-urllib3
python3-zope.interface
run-one
screen
snapd
software-properties-common
sosreport
squashfs-tools
tmux
ubuntu-server
uidmap
unattended-upgrades
update-notifier-common
vim
vim-runtime
xdelta3
xfsprogs
zerofree

EDIT: And on 20.04:

alsa-topology-conf
alsa-ucm-conf
apport
apport-symptoms
at
bc
bcache-tools
bolt
btrfs-progs
busybox-initramfs
byobu
cloud-guest-utils
cloud-initramfs-copymods
cloud-initramfs-dyn-netconf
cryptsetup
cryptsetup-bin
cryptsetup-initramfs
cryptsetup-run
curl
dbus-user-session
dconf-gsettings-backend
dconf-service
dirmngr
dmeventd
ethtool
finalrd
fonts-ubuntu-console
fwupd
fwupd-signed
gawk
gir1.2-packagekitglib-1.0
git
git-man
glib-networking
glib-networking-common
glib-networking-services
gnupg
gnupg-l10n
gnupg-utils
gpg
gpg-agent
gpgconf
gpgsm
gpg-wks-client
gpg-wks-server
gsettings-desktop-schemas
htop
initramfs-tools
initramfs-tools-bin
initramfs-tools-core
klibc-utils
kpartx
landscape-common
libaio1
libappstream4
libarchive13
libasn1-8-heimdal
libasound2
libasound2-data
libassuan0
libbrotli1
libcanberra0
libcurl3-gnutls
libcurl4
libdconf1
libdevmapper-event1.02.1
libefiboot1
libefivar1
liberror-perl
libevent-2.1-7
libfl2
libfwupd2
libfwupdplugin1
libgcab-1.0-0
libgdbm-compat4
libglib2.0-bin
libgpgme11
libgpm2
libgssapi3-heimdal
libgstreamer1.0-0
libgudev-1.0-0
libgusb2
libhcrypto4-heimdal
libheimbase1-heimdal
libheimntlm0-heimdal
libhx509-5-heimdal
libisns0
libjson-glib-1.0-0
libjson-glib-1.0-common
libklibc
libkrb5-26-heimdal
libksba8
libldap-2.4-2
libldap-common
libltdl7
liblvm2cmd2.03
liblzo2-2
libmpfr6
libmspack0
libnghttp2-14
libnpth0
libogg0
libpackagekit-glib2-18
libperl5.30
libpolkit-agent-1-0
libproxy1v5
libpython3.8
libreadline5
libroken18-heimdal
librtmp1
libsasl2-2
libsasl2-modules
libsasl2-modules-db
libsgutils2-2
libsigsegv2
libsmbios-c2
libsoup2.4-1
libssh-4
libstemmer0d
libtdb1
libtss2-esys0
liburcu6
libutempter0
libvorbis0a
libvorbisfile3
libwind0-heimdal
libxmlb1
libxmlsec1
libxmlsec1-openssl
libxslt1.1
linux-base
lvm2
lxd-agent-loader
lz4
mdadm
multipath-tools
open-iscsi
open-vm-tools
overlayroot
packagekit
packagekit-tools
pastebinit
patch
perl
perl-modules-5.30
pinentry-curses
policykit-1
pollinate
python3-apport
python3-attr
python3-automat
python3-blinker
python3-certifi
python3-cffi-backend
python3-chardet
python3-click
python3-colorama
python3-configobj
python3-constantly
python3-cryptography
python3-debconf
python3-debian
python3-distro
python3-entrypoints
python3-hamcrest
python3-httplib2
python3-hyperlink
python3-idna
python3-incremental
python3-jwt
python3-keyring
python3-launchpadlib
python3-lazr.restfulclient
python3-lazr.uri
python3-newt
python3-oauthlib
python3-openssl
python3-problem-report
python3-pyasn1
python3-pyasn1-modules
python3-requests
python3-requests-unixsocket
python3-secretstorage
python3-service-identity
python3-simplejson
python3-six
python3-software-properties
python3-systemd
python3-twisted
python3-twisted-bin
python3-urllib3
python3-wadllib
python3-zope.interface
run-one
sbsigntool
screen
secureboot-db
sg3-utils
sg3-utils-udev
snapd
software-properties-common
sosreport
sound-theme-freedesktop
squashfs-tools
thin-provisioning-tools
tmux
tpm-udev
ubuntu-server
unattended-upgrades
update-notifier-common
vim
vim-runtime
xfsprogs
zerofree