How to Install Project NOMAD

What You'll Need

Project NOMAD is designed to run on x86 hardware. This can be an old PC from your closet, a beefy gaming rig, or a mini PC. You can absolutely install NOMAD on a 10-year-old PC and it'll work great as an information store. But your AI experience isn't going to be spectacular. More CPU, RAM, and GPU power means better performance for the local AI features.

For detailed hardware recommendations at three price points, check out the Hardware Guide.

Head over to ubuntu.com and download Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 LTS. You'll see a newer version available, but go with 24.04 LTS for stability. The download is about six gigabytes.

You can run NOMAD on Ubuntu Server too, but if you're new to Linux and coming from Windows or macOS, Ubuntu Desktop is going to be friendlier with its graphical interface.

Create a Bootable USB Drive

Once Ubuntu downloads, put it on a flash drive and make it bootable. Rufus (Windows) or Balena Etcher (any platform) both work great.

1. Select your USB device
2. Select the Ubuntu ISO you downloaded
3. Keep the defaults and hit Start
4. Choose ISO mode when prompted
5. Accept the warning that this will erase the flash drive

Make sure you've backed up anything important from that flash drive first.

The PC you're installing on will be wiped completely. Make sure you're okay losing all data on that machine.

Most PCs won't boot from USB by default, so you'll need to get into the BIOS. Typically you do this by pressing Delete or F2 as the computer boots up.

1. Navigate to the Boot section
2. Find your boot order or boot option priorities
3. Move the USB drive to first position
4. Save and exit

The computer will reboot and launch the Ubuntu installer from your flash drive.

When you see "Try or Install Ubuntu," hit Enter. The installation wizard is straightforward:

1. Select your language
2. Choose your keyboard layout
3. Connect to your network (wired or wireless)
4. If prompted, update the installer
5. Choose "Interactive installation"
6. Select "Default apps"
7. Check the box to install third-party software for graphics and WiFi
8. Choose "Erase disk and install Ubuntu" (this wipes the drive)
9. Create your account with a username and password
10. Set your timezone
11. Review and install

Ubuntu will install on your PC. This takes a few minutes. When it finishes, restart and pull out the USB drive as it reboots.

After reboot, log in with the credentials you created. You'll get a welcome screen. Click through it and skip Ubuntu Pro and data sharing.

First thing: update Ubuntu. Open Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Enable SSH (Optional)

SSH lets you remotely connect to your server and run commands. Optional, but handy if your server is sitting on your local network and you want to manage it from your desk.

$ sudo apt install openssh-server -y && sudo systemctl enable --now ssh

First, install curl. It doesn't come with Ubuntu by default:

$ sudo apt install curl -y

Then download and run the install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Crosstalk-Solutions/project-nomad/main/install/install_nomad.sh -o install_nomad.sh
sudo bash install_nomad.sh

The installer handles everything: downloads all necessary components, sets up Docker containers, and configures the service. About a minute later, Project NOMAD is installed.

You'll see the access URL: http://localhost:8080 on the machine itself, or http://your-ip-address:8080 from another device on your network.

Open a browser and navigate to your NOMAD installation. You'll see the Command Center. Start with Easy Setup to configure everything.

Choose Your Applications

• Information Library — Wikipedia, medical references, survival guides, repair guides
• Education Platform — Khan Academy, TED Talks, and more
• AI Assistant — local large language models via Ollama

Select Map Regions

Choose which offline map regions to download. These can be a few gigabytes each. International maps are coming in a future update.

Pick Your Content

Choose AI models, Wikipedia depth (from quick reference up to the full 100GB with pictures), and curated content collections for medicine, survival, education, and more. Each category has Essential, Standard, and Comprehensive tiers. You can always add or remove content later.

Watch the green storage bar at the top as you select content. In my experience, a one-terabyte drive handles all of Wikipedia with pictures, all of Khan Academy, and plenty of additional content.

Review your selections and click Complete Setup. NOMAD will pull down containers and download your selected content. This takes a while depending on what you chose and your internet speed.

What You Get

Storage is reasonable. A test install with quick Wikipedia, essential content collections, one map region, and two AI models used less than 30GB total.

Getting Help

If you run into issues, the GitHub Issues page is where you can report problems. There's also a ton of community help in the Crosstalk Solutions Discord in the #project-nomad channel.