Well, its not that hard to do.
I would just log in as root on the console at the server then:
apt install task-gnome-desktop
Then about 2GB of install later. you can just start the gnome desktop with the startx command. Then log out to return to the console.
Webmin would be something to put on if you didn’t need the desktop so you can look at and manipulate files, restart the computer, update and restart services. Plus a web based SSH terminal.
I understand its easy. Its just showing to an average user it can be done. Plus for Umbrel Home user who have found the HDMI port, you can use it like a Desktop. I use lightdm and xfce4 because its lightweight.
What I haven’t understand yet here is this is just a debain with moby running a customized docker sets. Granted I know some things but what does puzzle me is I posted a way of securing this system because its generalized like a raspberry pi. With everyone having the same SSH keys and passwords. Which they held that from posting. I installed UFW so that computer only forwards what I wanted like port 80 to the console. But I don’t know if ts any better than just running a lightweight desktop with Apache Guacamole which you can turn any OS into a web based desktop instead of running a docker desktop that is missing basic features like changing the password or adding new accounts that are not part of the Debain OS running.
Their appliance looks like some sort of raspberry pi derivative you can get off of alibaba for $50
I run Umbrel on a PC. I wanted to still use my PC and run a server in the background. I know you can install Umbrel over an exkisting debian install but i like the ease of installing umbrel using the iso. Also i have multiple drives in the system and thanks to the desktop environment i can access them. The only dumb thing is they only partision the boot system to rufly 10GB but thats ok. I get that this Project was designed to be a server and i had seen people complaining on why they didnt disclose the HDMI port on the Umbrel Home and they wer wondering what they can use it for. Im not an expert or anything but i was surprised no one did a video on a desktop environment over it. So i thought i would do a video on it. Would i would like to know is if they are going to add multiuser support on the web interface? I made multiple users on the base system but not available for ther server side. I want to give limitted access to the dashboard as a regular user.
I don’t know some one should pitch it. But I was curious of how docker ran and what they set up as bit coin and what little things they did with the iptables and nftables. But if I was going to run smething like this as a web gui solution I would just use a regular lightweight desktop like LUbuntu 24.04 LTS and run Apache Guacamole. Since its not anything special. But I am observing their main sell which is their crypto and if they are committing an international crime with it too.
Other things I noticed is bitcoind panel reporting tor connections even though I have all that blocked and disabled. So I’m looking at the other tor computer shennaigins.
BTW I loaded it on a macpro 3,1.
Thats pretty dumb. I dont use the crypto side but that is the main selling point of umbrel. I like there other services they have but if there main apps dont work then they are folse advertising. My main consern is using non secure local connections to the server. Using TLS SSL would of ben better aspecialy if you have a comprimiced device on the network that can easily listen to the coms between the server and client. Other OSes like KASM and PVE do this by defult. Since you mentioned crypto this can be a securoty concern
its one of the reasons why I’m analyzing it. Since docker can be ran in a SSL fashion.
I know ngnx proxy manager can do it but just wondering why its not done by defult. Im lucky im the only techy in my house but if this is designed for tthe average non tech user, what are the implications and security risks of hacker comprimicing it? I do love the simplicity of 1 click server installs but the non encrypted http access with username and password? hmm. Hope they can fix in a future update
Well it is a docker host server instead of an os. This runs on Debian so all you would have to do is load what is normally executed which is tasksel the offical package loader to add more user modules in like Debain desktop subsystem.
And I do find it pointless for a username/password on a http only server. But its not so much of a security impact if your home network is secured.
But i wouldn’t port forward this device because of the way it is set up.
As far as setting a up a node on it I would pass. The CKpool however I would run because they have that nicely packaged and connecting a bitcoin node on your local network wouldn’t be difficult and I would use the bitcion RPC usr generator from its source to generate the RPC user and password since that was mentioned by the author of ckpool inside the source code when you download it from him.
This is my first docker server that I ever used. However I’m not a novice when it comes to running the OS they are using. But just like distributions/software servers that have an SSH server pre installed in their image (like raspberry pi os) I regenerate the keys so they are not the same as everyone. I know there should be a way to implement https. But I don’t know how yet.
Havent realy seen much vieos on it. Im no expert but just thought i would do a video on it. I use TailScale to access it outside my network. Full aggree with the http thing. I do have a PVE machine in the DMZ so can also access it via virtual machine. Plus for the people who has a umbrel home can use it as a desktop with the hidden hdmi port. If it was https i would add it to theDMZ but not http. No security
Well there are other concerns like the report of someone said that its reaching out to a known ip and port of a botnet operator in Germany. Since I run my ‘production’ copy in an isolated network it doesn’t have internet access. But since I have other things I have to do in real life I haven’t had the time to see what program and module is reaching out to those connections.
Use PiHole. That should let you see were its sending the packets to. Can u add multivUsers in umbrel?
Oh I’m running IPFire as my router that has active intrusion protection.
I moved my bitcoin pool over to an Ubuntu server, but I’m going to do a fresh install again. If you want to call it that. I have to use the dd command to write the usb since it doesn’t want to set up the usb in any of the linux or windows usb making programs.
But Ill allow it access to the internet and log its traffic.
Hope it works out for you. Another 1 im gonna look at is Kasm since its https and can spin up desktop environments in a web browser
Docker containers are obsolete and they have their drawbacks.
These things are actually obsolete since Apache Guacamole came around. Which you can install it on any OS and it becomes https web based. Which made remote desktop obsolete on top of this.
i just install it so I can learn it before its gone in case there is something there I can use in the future elsewhere.
Why do they still use it? Is it easier to implament?
I don’t know why they are doing it this way and quite frankly its disorganized.
But there are two ways you can do guacamole, either natively with a desktop os using tomcat as the https server and its own docker container system which Kasm is one of the people that does it that way with their headless system.
I hear assembling docker apps is a little bit easier because you don’t have to compile everything like an ordinary OS. However, the stability of the end product becomes a factor.
Also i guess dependancies will be baked into the docker container. Does Kasm work spaces have the same apps is umbrel? If so, i might move to Kasm
if not, they are no that big of a deal to install them.
For me I don’t mine having to compile. I just get a little upset when they don’t have their code correct and its simple programming mistakes. Like missing a bracket. Small things that indicate they didn’t test their work before releasing it.