steps used to install a rails environment for development on my Ubuntu 10.10 server box

ubuntu_server_config.sh

# based on:
# http://www.hackido.com/2010/12/install-ruby-on-rails-on-ubuntu.html
# http://thekindofme.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/rails-3-on-ubuntu-10-10-with-rvm-passenger-and-nginx/
# http://ascarter.net/2011/01/02/rails-development-on-ubuntu-10.10.html

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install git-core
sudo apt-get install curl

#bash < <( curl -L http://bit.ly/rvm-install-system-wide )
bash < <( curl https://rvm.beginrescueend.com/install/rvm )


#echo "source '/usr/local/lib/rvm'" >> /home/daniel/.bashrc
#echo "source '/usr/local/lib/rvm'" >> /root/.bashrc
#source '/usr/local/lib/rvm'

echo "source \"$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm\"" >> /home/daniel/.bashrc
source "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm"

# on debian:
# sudo apt-get install zlib-bin zlib1g zlib1g-dev

rvm package install zlib
rvm install 1.9.2
#rvm ruby-1.9.2-p136
rvm use 1.9.2

sudo apt-get install mysql-server libmysql-ruby libdbd-mysql-perl libdbi-perl libhtml-template-perl libmysql-ruby libmysql-ruby1.8 libmysqlclient16 libnet-daemon-perl libplrpc-perl libreadline5 libruby1.8 mysql-client-5.1 mysql-client-core-5.1 mysql-common mysql-server mysql-server-5.1 mysql-server-core-5.1 psmisc libc6 libpcre3 libpcre3-dev libpcrecpp0 libssl0.9.8 libssl-dev zlib1g zlib1g-dev lsb-base

sudo rvm gem install rails

## install VBox Guest Additions, then: ###########

# if VBox Guest Additions installation not entirely successful, fix it with:
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
# then use this to complete the VBox Additions installation:
sudo /etc/init.d/vboxadd/setup

# and now drive E can be mounted (requires to declare first the shared folder in Virtualbox menu):
mkdir ~/e_drive
sudo mount.vboxsf E_DRIVE ~/e_drive

sudo apt-get install bison libreadline5-dev  libssl-dev libsqlite3-dev sqlite3 libxml2-dev libmysqlclient-dev

rvm use 1.9.2 --default

sudo apt-get install mysql-client mysql-server


## Making guest reachable by ssh on host machine ################
# type "ifconfig" on ubuntu and note it's IP address (here: 10.0.2.15)
# on host:
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "guestssh,tcp,,2222,10.0.2.15,22"
# now, all ssh connection to the HOST on port 2222 will be forwarded to the guest on port 22
# And, same thing to redirect port 3010 on host to 3000 on guest:
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "guestrailsapp,tcp,,3010,10.0.2.15,3000"
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "guestrailsapp_1,tcp,,3011,10.0.2.15,3001"
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "guestrailsapp_2,tcp,,3012,10.0.2.15,3002"
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "guestrailsapp_3,tcp,,3013,10.0.2.15,3003"
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "mysql,tcp,,3316,10.0.2.15,3306"
# $ VBoxManage modifyvm "ubuntu server" --natpf1 "livereload,tcp,,35729,10.0.2.15,35729"

# mounting a virtualbox shared folder at startup:
# sudo echo "apps /home/daniel/apps vboxsf" >> /etc/fstab


# "$ rvm notes" recommends some more installations, just run this command:
sudo aptitude install build-essential bison openssl libreadline6 libreadline6-dev curl git-core zlib1g zlib1g-dev libssl-dev libyaml-dev libsqlite3-0 libsqlite3-dev sqlite3 libxml2-dev libxslt-dev autoconf libc6-dev

# Box ready -- reminder: good time to use Virtualbox's snapshot feature, to save the current state.

Thanks alexgandy, gist updated ! :)