.. _explanation:

Ubuntu Server explanation guides
********************************

Our explanatory and conceptual guides are written to provide a better
understanding of how Ubuntu Server works and how it can be used and configured.
They enable you to expand your knowledge, making the operating system easier
to use.

If you're not sure how or where to get started with a topic, each section has
"introduction to" pages to give you a high-level overview and relevant links
to help you navigate to the guides and other materials of most interest to you.

Security
========

:ref:`Our security explanations <explanation-security>` include high-level
overviews of security configuration and good practices, and discussion of key
concepts in the following topics:

* **Authentication**, with introductions to Kerberos and SSSD
* **Cryptography** and cryptographic libraries
* **Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)** with introductions to WireGuard VPN and
  its related concepts

.. toctree::
    :hidden:
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    security.rst

Networking
==========

:ref:`Our networking section <explanation-networking>` will give you an
introduction to networking and details on some of the key topics, such as:

* **Network tooling and configuration**
* **Network shares**

.. toctree::
    :hidden:
    :titlesonly:

    networking.rst

Managing software
=================

:ref:`Managing software <explanation-managing-software>` is an integral part of
system maintenance.

.. toctree::
    :hidden:
    :titlesonly:

    software.rst

Storage
=======

:ref:`In data and storage <explanation-data-and-storage>` we discuss:

* **Managing data**
* **Storage and backups**

.. toctree::
   :hidden:
   :titlesonly:

   data-and-storage.rst

Web services
============

Our :ref:`explanation-web-services` section includes details about web servers
and how they work, as well as related topics like Squid proxy servers.

.. toctree::
   :hidden:
   :titlesonly:

   web-services.rst

Virtualisation and containers
=============================

Our :ref:`Virtualisation and containers <explanation-virtualisation>` section
includes overviews of the available virtualisation and container tooling in
the Ubuntu space, as well as more detail about topics like rock images, Docker
and more!

.. toctree::
   :hidden:
   :titlesonly:

   virtualisation.rst

System tuning
=============

:ref:`Our system tuning <explanation-system-tuning>` section provides details
on system performance and optimization, covering concepts like Profile-Guided
Optimization (PGO) and some common tooling.

.. toctree::
    :hidden:
    :titlesonly:

    performance.rst

High Availability
=================

:ref:`High Availability <explanation-high-availability>` is a method for
clustering resources to ensure minimal downtime if a particular component fails.

In this section we provide an introduction to High Availability and explain
some of the key concepts.

.. toctree::
    :hidden:
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    high-availability.rst

.. toctree::
    :hidden:
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    introduction-to.rst