# Complete KasmCE Installation

# Guide on Ubuntu Server VM (Hyper-V)

Part 1: Setting up Ubuntu Server VM in Hyper-V

Prerequisites: Windows 10/11 Pro/Enterprise with Hyper-V enabled At least 8GB RAM available for the VM 60GB+ free disk space (100GB recommended) Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS ISO downloaded

Step 1: Enable Hyper-V (if not already enabled) Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:


Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

Restart your computer when prompted. Step 2: Create Virtual Switch Open Hyper-V Manager Click Virtual Switch Manager in the right panel Select External and click Create Virtual Switch Name it "External Switch" and select your network adapter Click Apply and OK

Step 3: Create Ubuntu Server VM In Hyper-V Manager, click New → Virtual Machine Follow the wizard:

Name: Ubuntu-KasmCE Generation: Generation 2 Memory: 8192 MB (8GB) minimum Connection: External Switch (created above) Virtual Hard Disk: 60GB minimum Installation Options: Select Ubuntu Server ISO

Important: Before starting, configure VM settings: Right-click VM → Settings Security → Uncheck "Enable Secure Boot" Processor → Set to 4 virtual processors minimum Memory → Enable Dynamic Memory (optional)

Step 4: Install Ubuntu Server Start the VM and connect to it

Follow Ubuntu installation: Select language and keyboard layout Choose "Ubuntu Server" installation Configure network (use DHCP for simplicity) Create user account (remember credentials) Important: Select "Install OpenSSH server" when prompted Select additional software if needed

Complete installation and reboot After reboot, log in and update:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Part 2: Network Configuration

Step 1: Configure Static IP (Recommended) Find your current IP and network info:

ip addr show
ip route show

Edit netplan configuration:


sudo nano /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml

Configure static IP (adjust values for your network):

network:
  ethernets:
    eth0:
      dhcp4: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.100/24
      gateway4: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses: [8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4]
  version: 2

Apply configuration:

sudo netplan apply

Step 2: Configure Firewall

# Enable UFW
sudo ufw enable

# Allow SSH
sudo ufw allow 22

# Allow KasmCE ports
sudo ufw allow 443
sudo ufw allow 80

# Check status
sudo ufw status

Part 3: Installing KasmCE

Step 1: Install Prerequisites

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install required packages
sudo apt install -y \
    curl \
    wget \
    gnupg \
    lsb-release \
    apt-transport-https \
    ca-certificates \
    software-properties-common
    ```
    Step 2: Install Docker
    ```
    
    # Remove old Docker versions
sudo apt remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

# Add Docker GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Enable Docker service
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

# Logout and login again for group changes to take effect
exit

Log back in via SSH and verify Docker:

docker --version
docker compose version

Step 3: Download and Install KasmCE

# Create installation directory
mkdir ~/kasm-install
cd ~/kasm-install

# Download latest KasmCE
wget https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_1.14.0.3a7abb.tar.gz

# Extract the archive
tar -xf kasm_release_*.tar.gz

# Navigate to installation directory
cd kasm_release/

# Make installation script executable
chmod +x install.sh

# Run the installation (this will take several minutes)
sudo bash install.sh

Step 4: Installation Configuration During installation, you'll be prompted for:

Swap file: Accept default (2GB) or adjust based on your VM's RAM Database passwords: Set strong passwords (save these!) API user password: Set a strong password Registration token: Leave blank unless you have one Public hostname: Use your VM's IP address or domain name The installer will:

Download and configure all Docker containers Set up the database Configure nginx Create SSL certificates Start all services

Part 4: Post-Installation Configuration

Step 1: Verify Installation

# Check if all containers are running
sudo docker ps

# Check Kasm status
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/stop
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/start

# View logs if needed
sudo docker logs kasm_db
sudo docker logs kasm_api
sudo docker logs kasm_manager

Step 2: Initial Access Open a web browser and navigate to: https://YOUR_VM_IP_ADDRESS (e.g., https://192.168.1.100 ) You'll see a security warning due to self-signed certificate - proceed anyway Login with default admin credentials: Username: admin@kasm.local Password: The password you set during installation Step 3: Basic Configuration Change Admin Password: Go to Admin → Users Click on admin user and change password Configure Workspaces: Go to Admin → Workspaces Enable desired workspaces (Ubuntu, Chrome, etc.) User Management: Create additional users in Admin → Users Assign workspaces to users Part 5: SSL Certificate Configuration (Optional but Recommended)

Option 1: Let's Encrypt (if you have a domain)

# Install certbot
sudo apt install -y certbot

# Stop nginx temporarily
sudo docker stop kasm_proxy

# Get certificate (replace with your domain)
sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d yourdomain.com

# Copy certificates to Kasm directory
sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem /opt/kasm/current/certs/kasm_nginx.crt
sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem /opt/kasm/current/certs/kasm_nginx.key

# Set proper permissions
sudo chown kasm:kasm /opt/kasm/current/certs/kasm_nginx.*

# Restart Kasm
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/stop
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/start

Option 2: Self-Signed Certificate (Default) The installation creates self-signed certificates automatically. To regenerate:

sudo /opt/kasm/bin/stop
sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 \
    -keyout /opt/kasm/current/certs/kasm_nginx.key \
    -out /opt/kasm/current/certs/kasm_nginx.crt \
    -subj "/C=US/ST=VA/L=Any/O=Kasm/OU=Kasm/CN=kasm.local"
sudo chown kasm:kasm /opt/kasm/current/certs/kasm_nginx.*
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/start

Part 6: System Management Useful Commands

# Start Kasm services
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/start

# Stop Kasm services
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/stop

# View service status
sudo docker ps -a

# View logs
sudo docker logs kasm_api
sudo docker logs kasm_db
sudo docker logs kasm_manager

# Backup database
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/backup --backup-dir /tmp/

# Update Kasm (when new version available)
cd ~/kasm-install
# Download new version and run upgrade script

System Monitoring

# Check system resources
htop
df -h
free -h

# Monitor Docker containers
sudo docker stats

# Check Kasm specific logs
sudo tail -f /opt/kasm/current/log/api.log
sudo tail -f /opt/kasm/current/log/manager.log

Part 7: Accessing from Host Machine Method 1: Direct IP Access Open browser on Windows host Navigate to https://VM_IP_ADDRESS Accept security warning for self-signed certificate Method 2: Port Forwarding (if using NAT) If your VM uses NAT instead of External Switch:

In Hyper-V Manager, go to VM Settings Add Network Adapter with NAT switch Configure port forwarding in Hyper-V NAT settings Method 3: DNS Configuration Add entry to Windows hosts file:

Edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts as Administrator Add line: VM_IP_ADDRESS kasm.local Access via https://kasm.local Troubleshooting Common Issues Services won't start:

sudo docker system prune -f
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/stop
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/start

Low disk space:

sudo docker system prune -a
sudo apt autoremove -y

Performance issues: Increase VM RAM to 16GB+ Add more CPU cores Enable nested virtualization if needed Network connectivity:

# Test connectivity
ping google.com
nslookup google.com

# Check firewall
sudo ufw status verbose

Database issues:

# Reset database (WARNING: This removes all data)
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/stop
sudo docker volume rm kasm_db_1.14.0
sudo /opt/kasm/bin/start

Log Locations Application logs: /opt/kasm/current/log/ Docker logs: sudo docker logs <container_name> System logs: /var/log/syslog Security Considerations Change default passwords Enable firewall with only necessary ports Regular updates: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade Monitor logs for suspicious activity Use strong SSL certificates in production Limit user access appropriately Regular backups of configuration and data Your KasmCE installation is now complete and ready to use! You can access it from your Windows host machine and start creating containerized desktop sessions.