Getting started

Get the installer

Where to download the installer, which file your machine needs, and how to install, start and remove it.

TL;DR

On the Ubuntu 24.04 desktop you will install from, download the .deb for your architecture from the latest release, install it with sudo apt install ./thinkube-installer_*.deb, and start Thinkube Installer from the applications menu.

The installer is a desktop application. It runs on a machine with Ubuntu 24.04 and a desktop, which can be one of your servers or a separate computer (Install Thinkube), and it reaches your servers over SSH.

Which file

Each release carries one package per architecture:

File For

thinkube-installer_<version>_amd64.deb

Intel and AMD computers (x86-64)

thinkube-installer_<version>_arm64.deb

ARM computers, such as a DGX Spark

SHA256SUMS

The checksums of both packages

To see which one your machine needs:

dpkg --print-architecture

It prints amd64 or arm64.

Download and check

Download the package and SHA256SUMS from the latest release into the same folder, then check the package:

sha256sum --check --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS

The line for your package ends in OK.

Install

sudo apt install ./thinkube-installer_<version>_<architecture>.deb

apt installs what the package needs, python3, python3-pip and python3-venv, and the package then sets up the installer’s own Python environment. That step downloads Python packages, so the machine needs internet access while it installs.

Start it

Open Thinkube Installer from the applications menu, or run thinkube-installer in a terminal. The first screen is the welcome screen that Install Thinkube describes from there on.

Remove it

sudo apt remove thinkube-installer

Removing the installer leaves your cluster as it is: once the install is complete, the control plane runs on its own, and the machine you installed from is no longer needed.

Next

Prepare your machines: what each server needs before the installer can reach it.