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Install on Ubuntu

MT Showcase for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is a Debian package (.deb). One package installs the MT Showcase server, the client and the Editor. You can install it from a downloaded package file or from the MultiTaction apt repository.

About the package

The package name includes the MT Showcase version with leading zeros removed. For example, MT Showcase 26.09.10 is the package mt-showcase-26.9.10, and it installs into /opt/mt-showcase-26.9.10/. The path /opt/mt-showcase and the mt-showcase command always point at the installed version.

Only one version of MT Showcase can be installed at a time. Installing a different version removes the one that is installed; see Upgrade.

Install from a package file

  1. On the application computer, open the MT Showcase downloads page and download the Ubuntu package. Its file name includes the MT Showcase version.

    If you cannot reach the downloads page, contact MultiTaction Support.

  2. Open a terminal in the folder that holds the package and run:

    sudo apt install ./<file>

    Where <file> is the package you downloaded. Use apt rather than dpkg so that apt installs the package's dependencies for you.

Install from the MultiTaction apt repository

  1. Open a terminal.

  2. Download the repository signing key:

    sudo curl -fsSL https://apt.multitaction.com/keyring -o /usr/share/keyrings/apt-multitaction.gpg

  3. Add the repository:

    echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/apt-multitaction.gpg] https://apt.multitaction.com noble-stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mt-noble.list
sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mt-noble.list

  4. Update the package lists and see which versions are available:

    sudo apt update
apt-cache search mt-showcase

  5. Install the version you want:

    sudo apt install mt-showcase-<version>

    For example, for MT Showcase 26.09.10:

    sudo apt install mt-showcase-26.9.10

What the installer sets up

The package does the following, so you do not need to:

  • Creates the mt-showcase-server system account and group. The server runs under this account, not as root. Its data folder is /var/lib/mt-showcase-server.
  • Installs the mt-showcase-server systemd service, enables it and starts it. The service restarts automatically if it stops.
  • Lets the service account use port 443 through authbind, so designers reach the Editor at https://<application-computer> with no port number.
  • Generates a self-signed TLS certificate for the Editor and adds it to the system's trusted certificates, so browsers on the application computer trust it.
  • Adds the user who ran sudo apt install to the mt-showcase-server group. The MT Showcase client needs this group membership to read the database. The change takes effect at the next sign-in, so restart the application computer after installing.
  • Puts the mt-showcase client command and the showcase-server administration command on the PATH.
  • Registers MT Showcase with MT Launcher, and adds MT Showcase to the applications menu. See Start and stop MT Showcase.

The package does not change firewall (ufw) rules. If the firewall is enabled, allow TCP port 443 from the computers that need to reach the Editor.

Other user accounts

If the MT Showcase client will run under a different Ubuntu account from the one that installed the package, add that account to the group, then have the user sign out and back in (or restart the computer):

sudo adduser <user> mt-showcase-server

Next step

Complete the first-run setup on the application computer.