Note: This project is designed for Windows users new to development, using VMWare Workstation with Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop.

A zero‑to‑hero guide for absolute beginners. By the end you will have:

1. An Ubuntu 24.04 LTS virtual machine named mythbound running in VMware Workstation on Windows 10/11.
2. Secure SSH access between your Windows control node and the Linux VM.
3. A Mythbound development workstation — with pre-installed libraries, compiled game server, client, website, proxies, and tools (i.e.: map editor)

• Requirements
• VM Setup (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS)
• Control Node Setup (Windows 10)
• Installation Scripts
• Security Notes
• Troubleshooting

1. Create the VM

   VMware Wizard Page	Setting
   Installer disc image (ISO)	Ubuntu 24.04 ISO
   Guest OS	Linux → Ubuntu 64‑bit
   VM name	mythbound
   Processors / Cores	4
   Memory	10240 – 12288 MB
   Network	NAT
   Disk Size	100 GB (single file)

2. Install Ubuntu

   • Choose Minimal installation.
   • Create the primary user mythbound (password of your choice).
   • Keep automatic security updates enabled.

3. Enable SSH in the VM

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y openssh-server
   sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
   sudo systemctl enable --now ssh

4. Find the VM’s IP

   hostname -I

   Note the address (e.g. 192.168.187.128).

Commands are in PowerShell. Run the first session as Administrator.

git --version
ssh -V

Justfile will be used to shortcut all future commands.

winget install --id Casey.Just --exact
exit

Add the public key to GitHub: Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key

Commands built for Git Bash. Run the session as Administrator.

1. Configure inventory & secrets
   Run just setup – adds your VM details to Ansible inventory and prepares any required secret files. Add the public key to GitHub: Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key

2. Set up Python, Ansible & Provision the VM
   Run just bootstrap – launches the Ansible playbook that bootstraps the Mythbound development stack inside the VM.