Chapter 3: Installing Linux Locally

Overview

In this chapter, we ll look at the graphical Red Hat Linux installation process, from the installation CDs, step by step. In most cases, all you need to do is set your PC to boot from the first Red Hat Linux installation CD, restart your computer, and follow the prompts. You can also customize Red Hat Linux to your specifications.

The Red Hat Linux installation program is known as Anaconda. A very flexible program, it can accommodate separate boot disks or, as you ll see in Chapter 04 , network sources. If you re installing from CD, Anaconda includes a mediacheck option that inspects the integrity of your installation CDs. If it recognizes a previous installation of Red Hat Linux, it supports upgrades.

This chapter focuses on the graphical Anaconda installation process from a CD, which per spec requires 128MB of RAM on your computer. If you want to install Red Hat Linux over a network or use the Anaconda text-mode installation process, read Chapter 04 .

Once the installation is complete, we will look at how you can diagnose typical installation problems. We ll then proceed with the first graphical and text login screens.

If you set Red Hat Linux to log in graphically by default, you ll see the firstboot process the first time you restart your computer. It lets you synchronize your date and time with a network time server, search for a sound card, register your computer with the Red Hat Network, and install additional software.

Due to space constraints, certain components available in Red Hat Linux are not available in the Publisher s Edition (two CDs) of Red Hat Linux included with this book. The complete version is available for free download (see the introduction to this book for instructions) or for purchase from Red Hat or a third-party retailer. While the Publisher s Edition should work for most installations, in this chapter we demonstrate the installation of Red Hat Linux using the standard three-CD set.