Webmin setup issue on Debian 12

SYSTEM INFORMATION
OS type and version Debian Bookworm 12.9
Webmin version 2.202

Hi, I’ve got a new server running headless Debian (SSH server and system tools only), and when I install Webmin the instructions for the .deb package from Downloading and Installing | Webmin it results in Webmin installing with a notice "N: Download is performed unsandboxed as root with file ‘/root/webmin-current.deb’ couldn’t be acessed by user ‘_apt’. -pkgAcquire:Run (13: Permission denied)

Webmin is set up enough that I can log into it, but the dashboard never loads, and the images on the side panel are goofed. I’ve also tried using the curl script, and the same result happens, an error during install, Webmin is seemingly installed, but upon login the dashboard never loads and the images are goofed. Also tried this as a different user using sudo, same result.
Thoughts on why this is happening?

That can’t be the result of following the instructions on that page.

You never do an apt download webmin as part of those instructions, which is how you’d see that error (at least, assuming a normal Debian system).

If you follow the instructions and use apt install webmin --install-recommends it should download packages to the usual location (in /var) and you never deal with the deb packages directly.

Ah, crap. I see you’re following the manual installation instructions at the bottom of the page, which you should not do. I don’t even know why manual installation instructions are on the same page as the right way to install it. Just use apt install webmin --install-recommends don’t make your life complicated.

Installation is literally three steps: Download the setup-repos.sh script, run the setup-repos.sh script, run apt install webmin --install-recommends. You’re done. Stop there. Don’t try to follow a whole other method of installing it.

@Ilia can the manual instructions get their own page or something? Nobody ever needs to do that nonsense.

I believe @Jamie have had it this way since the dawn of time. We prioritize and recommend installation through the repository, intentionally listing manual installation at the bottom of the page for whoever wants it to be installed manually.

Additionally, I don’t think manual installation can cause any issues.

I don’t think we should change the download page to remove manual installation steps.

Installed using your method, works fine. Strange since that’s the way I tried it first, and it didn’t work, which is why I also tried the method with downloading the deb package itself.

Agreed that the instructions should somehow be split apart, perhaps have an “Easy Way” “Hard Way” delineation on the page? Regardless, issue resolved.

We could certainly hide them under a collapsible section or a different page, since these days the repo will work for pretty much everyone.

Alright, I’ve put it into a collapse!

Excellent! thank…

This topic was automatically closed 8 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.