New Computer Configuration

Sets up a Solids Group workstation on Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04 LTS (amd64/x86-64) with KDE, research and development tools, Zoom Workplace, Slack with math rendering, and ISU VPN support. Requires internet access, curl, and sudo privileges.

Install

Regular install — keep the terminal open; enter your sudo password if prompted. Press L to toggle the live log or Ctrl+C to cancel.

curl -fsSL -H 'Accept: application/vnd.github.raw+json' 'https://api.github.com/repos/solidsgroup/NewComputer/contents/install.sh?ref=master' | sudo bash

Unattended install — starts a background service and continues after closing the terminal or logging out. Only the initial sudo authentication may require input.

sudo systemd-run --unit=new-computer-configure --collect /bin/bash -o pipefail -c "curl -fsSL -H 'Accept: application/vnd.github.raw+json' 'https://api.github.com/repos/solidsgroup/NewComputer/contents/install.sh?ref=master' | bash"

Neither command requires a Git clone. Both run without installation prompts. Failed tasks are marked ✗ in the final summary; subsequent tasks still run. Any task failure gives a nonzero exit status. Reboot after successful completion; the installer does not reboot automatically.

Progress and troubleshooting

• Background progress: sudo journalctl -fu new-computer-configure.service
• Full installer log: sudo tail -f /var/log/new-computer-configure.log
• Background status: systemctl status new-computer-configure.service (the service is removed after completion).
• Local checkout: sudo ./new-computer-configure.sh
• Failure or cancellation: check the log, resolve the problem, and rerun. Completed changes are not rolled back; repeat runs reapply setup and skip existing large downloads.

What gets installed

• Desktop: KDE Plasma, LightDM/Slick Greeter, fonts, and group wallpapers. Defaults include a dark theme, a 30-minute screen lock, and no automatic display sleep, suspend, or lid-close action.
• Applications: Chrome, Zoom Workplace, Slack with math-with-slack, Emacs, Evince, Inkscape with TexText, Meld, and FFmpeg.
• Research and development: Git/Git LFS, GitHub CLI (gh), Python/pip/Flask, Node.js/npm, Clang/clangd, the NVIDIA CUDA toolkit (nvcc), MPICH, development libraries, TeX Live (including texlive-bibtex-extra), latexmk, and VisIt 3.5/3.4.
• AI command-line tools: Codex, Claude Code, and Gemini CLI, with an isolated Node.js 24 runtime.
• Networking: OpenSSH, UFW with SSH allowed, and OpenConnect/NetworkManager configured for ISU.

After installation

• CLI sign-in: run codex, claude, or gemini as your normal user; use gh auth login for GitHub. Credentials are not configured by the installer. AI CLI versions are pinned in cli/install-ai-clis; rerunning setup installs the versions specified there.

• ISU VPN: click Connect beside ISU in KDE, or run isu-vpn. Complete browser sign-in and MFA. Uses vpn.iastate.edu, the Primary group, and split routing based on official ISU instructions, adapted for OpenConnect. VPN login is not part of the unattended installation.

• Chrome: excluded from KDE’s GTK global-menu integration to prevent its startup crash. Applied to existing users and at login for future accounts.

• Zoom: installed from Zoom's official Ubuntu package using APT so all required dependencies are installed automatically. Existing installations are retained without another 300 MB download.

• TexText: restart Inkscape, then open Extensions → Text → TexText. If an account already has a manually installed TexText copy, the installer disables that duplicate so it cannot conflict with Ubuntu's package. The old copy is retained under ~/.config/inkscape/disabled-extensions, and its default_packages.tex remains active at the original configured path.

• Slack math: restart Slack; use $ ... $ or $$ ... $$. Rendering requires the patch on each viewer's desktop. After a Slack update, close Slack and run sudo /usr/local/sbin/install-slack-math to reapply it.

• VisIt: use visit or visit3.5 for 3.5.0, and visit3.4 for 3.4.2.

• CUDA: run nvcc --version to verify the compiler. Ubuntu 24.04 installs its nvidia-cuda-toolkit package; Ubuntu 26.04 installs the newer cuda-toolkit package. Compiling does not require an NVIDIA GPU, but running GPU code requires supported NVIDIA hardware and a compatible driver. The installer deliberately does not install or replace the hardware-specific GPU driver.

CI

CI checks both Ubuntu versions on every push and monthly: installer flow, package dependency resolution, external download URLs, terminal controls, helper tests, and real AI CLI installation/version checks. Desktop rendering and authenticated VPN access require manual verification.

Potentially fragile installations

Package or integration	Dependency that can break
Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI	Pinned npm packages and native dependencies; separate Node.js archive from nodejs.org with a pinned checksum.
Google Chrome	Direct .deb download from Google's website.
Zoom Workplace	Latest .deb redirect on Zoom's website; a new upstream release is installed on fresh systems.
Slack desktop	Version-specific .deb URL on Slack's download server.
math-with-slack	Pinned GitHub patcher and MathJax archive from npm; Slack updates can overwrite or invalidate the patch.
VisIt 3.5/3.4	Large, version-specific GitHub release archives with pinned checksums; Ubuntu 24 binaries are also used on Ubuntu 26.04.
TexText compatibility fix	Ubuntu 26.04 patch depends on TexText's Python source layout; package updates can replace it.
CUDA GPU execution	Requires compatible NVIDIA hardware and a matching kernel driver; this installer installs the toolkit but does not select a driver.

The bootstrap also depends on GitHub's API, commit feed, and raw-file downloads. Most other software comes from Ubuntu's APT repositories.