FIELD NOTES / CUSTOM CODE LABS
Ideas worth
building on.
Lessons from the work.
Practical thinking on software, AI,
and the business of building things.
THE JOURNAL / BY RICHARD GABELA
How to Create a Free Oracle Cloud Ubuntu Server in 2026
A complete, current 2026 walkthrough for creating an Oracle Cloud Always Free Ubuntu 24.04 server — the VCN, public subnet, internet gateway, route table, security list, SSH keys, and first login, with the exact settings that avoid the grayed-out public IP problem.
Read the storyThe Complete Ubuntu Server Hardening Checklist for 2026
A real, exhaustive Ubuntu server hardening guide based on what we actually run in production. Firewall, SSH, fail2ban, kernel sysctl, audit logging, malware scanning, file integrity, automatic updates — every layer, with actual commands.
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