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Coming from windows server/MacOS...

I've been researching for my first linux deployment and I have settled on Ubuntu/GlusterFS for a high performance file server.

I have a question about the resources needed by GUI. I understand this is a server and it should be bare bones for performance, but I have a situation where this server might be administered occasionally by a non-technical person that is not comfortable whatsoever with command-line. I don't want light versions of applications, if they get distracted and watch youtube videos, dropbox uploads, email or whatever they do while at the server that does not bother me whatsoever. What does bother me is getting a call because youtube/dropbox doesn't work on the server and they didn't want to leave the machine room.

In my research I've only seen absolutely negative things about the gui resource use. Some reports are as high as 50-60% resources used by gui alone. Is this applicable to a purpose built machine, something like 36 bay supermicro with top line dual processor/128GB/256GB RAM, or is this only relative to minimum spec boxes?

Also, is this happening when these heavy packages (mediaplayer/browser/etc) aren't open, or only when they need processing? If they don't use resources other than disk space, no big deal. Even if they use a bit, that's fine too, I would willingly give 4-8GB RAM overall, which is waaaay too much, but I really don't want that call. There will be sufficient headroom built into all aspects of resources.

Would it be beneficial at all to install ubuntu server and then the gui over the top, or is the full gui version of ubuntu fully capable as server OS, just bloated and prettier?

I am coming from no linux experience, so to see this sort of server with gui specific comment is very alarming.

Any help appreciated, thanks Y'all

Ubuntu is Ubuntu. The server and desktop editions run on the same base and pull from the same repositories, they're just pre-configured differently out of the box. Since they point at the same repositories, it would be absolutely fine to do a sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop on a server system in order to get a GUI up and running.

GUIs do use system resources, but not much, especially when the DE is idling, and especially on a system with hundreds of GBs of RAM and a dual socket motherboard. If installing a GUI on your server would be beneficial and help your team be productive, then you won't hurt a thing by doing so. I personally don't like running GUIs on servers because they do use some RAM even when idling, but to each their own. In my synaptic I see 4 different options for GUIs that you can install without getting exotic and adding additional software sources:

ubuntu-desktop (Installs the default Ubuntu and Gnome Shell experience, which is what you get if you download regular desktop Ubuntu)

kubuntu-desktop (Installs the default Ubuntu and KDE experience, more Windows-esque)

lubuntu-desktop (Installs the default Ubuntu LXDE experience, LXDE is billed as being lightweight)

xubuntu-desktop (Installs the default Ubuntu XFCE experience, XFCE is billed as being lightweight)

So to install one of these just run sudo apt install packagename

Just be aware that those packages are what are known as "transitional" packages, in that they don't contain anything themselves, they just point to a whole list of other packages that set up a predefined condition, such as a default Kubuntu desktop environment with all of the normal applications that would come with that. What that means is that when you install one of those, you might see it download a LOT of additional packages, and it may actually take a few minutes to set up. You may also see it brand your "server" as Kubuntu, Lubuntu, etc. Don't be alarmed, it's just a logo, :-)

Since you ask for any help at all, I’ll chime in, hoping for no downvoted:) I know someone who installs GUI packages on such servers where a remote UI would be needed for troubleshooting. It’s useful for users that aren’t familiar with cli too much. So it does work. The GUI is just a package and it’s dependencies (so many packages) something like apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

The way I understand it is that the GUI uses X amount of resources. It won’t use more than it needs. So if your box has a lot more resources, it shouldn’t be detrimental.

Here the thing that you might want to use. If you install the GUI, don’t make it load by default. So the target shouldn’t be this interface. Rather you should configure your server to be a server and also have the ability to load the graphical interface with one command. This way the GUI won’t be running and most of these recourses won’t be used unless you need them.

Good luck and hope this helps!

edit: I missed one point. GUI version of Ubuntu is fully capable. The thing is, for example, you won’t have the webserver, because it comes by default with the packages designed for desktop use. But anyway even on the server version you’d need to install a webserver and also configure it, because you might be using various web servers, and Ubuntu team doesn’t know which one you want for sure. But for example the SSH stuff, Ubuntu desktop comes with the client not with ssh-server. However if you install the server version, it will have the ssh-server by default. Again even on a desktop, installing ssh server is trivial and is a one liner