During installation, Ubuntu will ask whether you want to include optional services. Make sure to install:

• LAMP Server
• OpenSSH Server
• Any additional packages you require

This provides a basic working environment that you can fine tune for Drupal.

Step 1: Increase PHP and MySQL Memory Settings

Drupal benefits from higher memory settings. Update your configuration files as follows:

Edit MySQL settings

sudo nano /etc/mysql/my.cnf

Search for max_allowed_packet. It appears twice. Increase both values to something higher, such as 128M.

Edit PHP settings

sudo nano /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini

Find memory_limit and increase it to 128M or more, depending on your needs.

Step 2: Enable Clean URLs (Apache Rewrite Module)

Drupal relies on the Apache rewrite module to support clean URLs. Enable it with:

sudo a2enmod rewrite

Confirm it is enabled:

apache2ctl -M

You should see rewrite_module in the list.

Step 3: Update Apache Virtual Host Settings

Assuming you are using the default site, modify the Apache configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/default

Locate this section:

<Directory /var/www/>

Inside that block, update:

AllowOverride None

to:

AllowOverride All

This allows Drupal’s .htaccess file to function properly.

Save the file and reload Apache:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 reload

Step 4: Deploy Your Drupal Site

At this point you can:

• Copy your web files into /var/www/
• Import your MySQL database
• Update your settings.php file as needed

Once everything is in place, load your site in a browser and it should behave exactly like your live environment.

The post Preparing an Ubuntu (or Other Linux Distro) Web Server for Drupal appeared first on Joshua Bellendir.