Installing Red Hat Linux


To begin most installations, insert the first installation CD or the installation DVD into the CD/DVD drive and turn on or reset the system. For hard disk- and network-based installations, you can use the rescue CD (page 40) instead of the CD or DVD.

The system boots from the CD or DVD and displays a screen of instructions with a boot: prompt at the bottom. Refer to "BIOS setup" on page 26 if the system does not boot from the CD or DVD.

You cannot boot from a floppy diskette


Because most kernels have grown too large to fit on a floppy diskette, you cannot boot from a floppy. Specifically you cannot fit a standard Fedora Core or Red Hat Enterprise Linux kernel on a floppy diskette. Fedora gives you the option of booting from a USB pen drive using the diskboot.img file.

Booting the System: The boot: Prompt

Normal installation


You can supply many different parameters following the boot: prompt. You must press RETURN after entering any of these parameters. If you are installing from CDs or a DVD, you can generally press RETURN without entering anything to start installing Red Hat Linux. Or you can just waitif you do not type anything for a minute, the installation proceeds as though you pressed RETURN.

Tip: CD and DVD installations work the same way

On the installation screens, the term CD means CD or DVD. Aside from changing CDs during an installation, there is no difference between installing from CDs and installing from a DVD.


Display problems


If you encounter problems with the display during installation, supply the following parameters, which turn off video memory, in response to the boot: prompt:

boot: linux nofb


Non-CD/DVD installation


If you are installing from other than CDs or a DVDthat is, if you are installing from files on the local hard disk or from files on another system using FTP, NFS, or HTTPsupply the following parameters in response to the boot: prompt:

boot: linux askmethod


See page 45 for information on using the askmethod parameter.

Booting


As the system boots, text scrolls on the monitor, pausing occasionally. After a while (up to a few minutes, depending on the speed of the system), the installer displays a graphical or pseudographical display, depending on the system you are installing and the commands you gave at the boot: prompt.

The balance of this section covers the parameters you can supply following the boot: prompt. Unless you are having problems with the installation or have special requirements, you can skip to the next section, "The CD Found Screen," on page 46.

Boot Parameters

All of the parameters (except for memtest86) you can supply following the boot: prompt consist of the word linux followed by an argument that is passed to the kernel or to the Anaconda installer. Many of these parameters can be combined. For example, to install Linux in text mode using a terminal running at 115,200 baud, no parity, 8 bits, connected to the first serial device, give the following parameters (the ,115200n8 is optional):

boot: linux text console=ttyS0,115200n8


The next set of parameters installs Red Hat Linux in graphical mode (by default) on a monitor with a resolution of 1024 x 768, without probing for any devices. The installation program asks you to specify the source of the installation data (CD, DVD, FTP site, or other).

boot: linux resolution=1024x768 noprobe askmethod


Following are some of the parameters you can give at the boot: prompt. A set of parameters must be terminated with RETURN keystroke.

RETURN


Without entering a parameter, press RETURN in response to the boot: prompt to perform a graphical installation from CDs or a DVD. This installation probes the computer to determine as much as possible about the hardware.

memtest86


Calls memtest86+ when you boot from a CD or DVD only. The GPL-licensed memtest86+ utility is a stand-alone memory test for x86-based computers. Press C to configure the test; press ESCAPE to exit. See www.memtest.org for more information.

linux askmethod


Presents a choice of installation sources: local CD/DVD or hard disk, or over a network using NFS, FTP, or HTTP.

  • Local CDROM (Use for both CD and DVD installations.) Displays the CD Found screen, which allows you to test the installation media (the same as if you had pressed RETURN without entering a parameter at the boot: prompt).

  • Hard drive Prompts for the partition and directory that contains the ISO images of the installation CDs or DVD. Do not include the name of the mount point when you specify the name of the directory. For example, if the ISO images are in the /home/sam/FC5 directory and /dev/hda6 holds the partition that is normally mounted on /home, you would specify the partition as /dev/hda6 and the directory as sam/FC5 (no leading slash).

  • NFS, FTP, or HTTP Displays the Configure TCP/IP screen from which you can select DHCP or enter the system's IP address and netmask, and the IP addresses of the default gateway and primary nameserver.

When using NFS, the remote (server) system must export (page 685) the directory hierarchy that holds the ISO images of the installation CDs or DVD. The NFS Setup screen requires you to enter the NFS server name and name of the Fedora Core directory. Enter the server's IP address and the name of the exported directory, not its device name.

linux lowres


Runs the installation program at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. See also linux resolution.

linux mem=xxxM


Overrides the detected memory size. Replace xxx with the number of megabytes of RAM in the computer.

linux mediacheck


Tests the integrity of one or more installation CDs or DVDs using an SHA1 sum. This option works with the CD, DVD, hard disk ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. For more information refer to the "Test the CDs or the DVD" tip on page 47. You are always asked if you want to perform this test during a normal CD or DVD installation.

linux nofb


no framebuffer Turns off the framebuffer (video memory). Useful when problems occur when the graphical phase of the installation starts. Particularly useful for systems with LCD displays.

linux noprobe


Disables hardware probing for all devices, including network interface cards (NICs), graphics cards, and the monitor. Forces you to select devices from a list. You must know exactly which cards or chips the system uses when you use these parameters. Use these parameters when probing causes the installation to hang or otherwise fail. These parameters allow you to give arguments for each device driver you specify.

linux rescue


Puts the system in rescue mode; see page 397 for details.

linux resolution=WxH


Specifies the resolution of the monitor you are using for a graphical installation. For example, resolution=1024x768 specifies a monitor with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.

linux skipddc


Allows you to configure the monitor manually; see linux noprobe for more information.

linux text


Installs Linux in textual (pseudographical) mode. Although the images on the screen appear to be graphical, they are composed entirely of text characters.

linux vnc


Installs over a VNC (Virtual Network Computing) remote desktop session. After providing an IP address, you can control the installation remotely using a VNC client from a remote computer. You can download the VNC client, which runs on several platforms, from www.realvnc.com.

The CD Found Screen

The first screen that the installation process displays is the pseudographical CD Found screen. Because it is not a true graphical screen, the mouse does not work. Instead, you must use the TAB or ARROW keys to highlight different choices and press RETURN to select the highlighted choice. This screen allows you to test as many installation CDs or DVDs as you like, in any order. Choose OK to test the media or Skip to bypass the test. See the following caution box.

Caution: Test the CDs or the DVD

FEDORA Because Red Hat does not manufacture Fedora disks, during a CD- or DVD-based Fedora installation, Anaconda displays the CD Found screen before starting the installation. From this screen, you can verify that the installation CDs or DVD do not have any errors. Testing the CDs or DVD takes a few minutes and can save you hours of aggravation if the installation fails due to bad media.

RHEL+FEDORA You can force the display of the CD Found screen by supplying the parameters linux mediacheck in response to the boot: prompt (page 46).


A CD or DVD may fail the media test if the software that was used to burn the disk did not include padding. If a CD or DVD fails the media test, try booting with the following parameter:

linux ide=nodma


If the CD or DVD passes the media test when you boot the system with this parameter, reboot the system without this parameter before installing Red Hat Linux. If you install Linux after having booted with this parameter, the kernel will be set up to always use this parameter and the installation and operation of the system may be very slow.

The Anaconda Installer

Anaconda, which is written in Python and C, identifies the hardware, builds the filesystems, and installs or upgrades the Red Hat Linux operating system. Anaconda can run in textual or graphical (default) interactive mode or in batch mode (see "Using the Kickstart Configurator" on page 63).

Tip: Anaconda does not write to the hard disk until it displays the Begin Installation screen

While you are installing Red Hat Linux, until Anaconda displays the Begin Installation screen (Figure 3-9, page 55), you can press CONTROL-ALT-DEL to abort the installation process and reboot the system without making any changes to the hard disk. However, if Anaconda displays the initialize warning dialog box (page 49), when you click Yes, it writes to the disk immediately.


Exactly which screens Anaconda displays depends on whether you are installing Fedora Core or Red Hat Enterprise Linux and which parameters you specified following the boot: prompt. With some exceptionsmost notably if you are running a textual installationAnaconda probes the video card and monitor and starts a native X server with a log in /tmp/X.log. (This log is not preserved unless you complete the installation.)

While it is running, Anaconda opens the virtual consoles (page 113) shown in Table 3-1. You can display a virtual console by pressing CONTROL-ALT-Fx, where x is the virtual console number and Fx is the function key that corresponds to the virtual console number.

Table 3-1. Virtual console assignments during installation

Virtual console

Information displayed during installation

1

Installation dialog

2

Shell

3

Installation log

4

System messages

5

Miscellaneous messages

7

GUI interactive installation


At any time during the installation, you can switch to virtual console 2 (CONTROL-ALT-F2) and give commands to see what is going on. Do not give any commands that change any part of the installation process. To switch back to the graphical installation screen, press CONTROL-ALT-F7.

Using Anaconda

Anaconda provides a Next button at the lower-right corner of each of the installation screens and a Back button next to it on most screens. When you have completed the entries on an installation screen, click Next or, from a textual installation, press the TAB key until the Next button is highlighted and then press RETURN. Select Back to return to the previous screen. Click Release Notes at the lower-left corner of the screen to display the release notes for the version of Red Hat Linux you are installing.

Anaconda Screens

Anaconda displays different screens depending on which commands you give and which choices you make. During a graphical installation, when you leave the CD Found screen, Anaconda starts, loads drivers, and probes for the devices it will use during installation. After probing, it starts the X server. This section describes the screens that Anaconda displays during a default installation and explains the choices you can make on each of them.

Logo


Anaconda displays the Logo screen (Figure 3-1) after it obtains enough information to start the X Window System. There is nothing for you to do on this screen except display the release notes. Select Next.

Figure 3-1. The Logo screen


Language


Select the language you want to use for the installation. This language is not necessarily the same language that the installed system will display.

Keyboard


Select the type of keyboard attached to the system.

Monitor


Anaconda displays the Monitor screen only if it cannot probe the monitor successfully. Select the brand and model of the monitor attached to the system. Select a generic LCD or CRT display if the monitor is not listed. You can specify the Sync frequencies in place of the monitor brand and model, but be careful: Specifying the wrong values can ruin some older hardware.

Initialize warning


This warning is displayed if the hard disk has not been used before. The dialog box says that the partition table on the device was unreadable and asks if you want to initialize the drive. When you initialize a drive, all data on the drive is lost. Click Yes if it is a new drive or if you do not need the data on the drive. Anaconda initializes the hard disk immediately.

Install or Upgrade


Anaconda displays the Install or Upgrade screen (Figure 3-2) only if it detects a version of Red Hat Linux on the hard disk that it can upgrade. Anaconda gives you the choice of upgrading the existing installation or overwriting the existing installation with a new one. Refer to "Installing a Fresh Copy or Upgrading an Existing Red Hat System?" on page 27 for help in making this selection.

Figure 3-2. The Install or Upgrade screen


Partition the Disk


The Partition the Disk screen (Figure 3-3) allows you to specify partition information and to select which drives you want to install Red Hat Linux on (assuming the system has more than one drive). Specify which drives you want to install Linux on in the frame labeled Select the drive(s) to use for this installation. Anaconda presents the following options in a combo box; click the box and then click the choice you want:

  • Remove all partitions on selected drives and create default layout. Deletes all data on the disk and creates a free space the size of the disk to work with, as though you were working with a new drive.

  • Remove linux partitions on selected drives and create default layout. Removes all Linux partitions, deleting the data on those partitions and creating one or more chunks of free space (page 1033) on the disk. You can create new partitions using the free space. If there is only a Linux system on the disk, this choice is the same as the previous one.

  • Use free space on selected drives and create default layout. Installs Red Hat Linux in the free space on the disk. Does not work if there is not enough free space.

  • Create custom layout. Does not alter disk partitions. This choice causes Anaconda to run Disk Druid (page 58) so that you can preserve the partitions you want to keep and overwrite other partitions. It is good for installing Red Hat Linux over an existing system where you want to keep /home, for example, but want a clean install and not an upgrade.

Figure 3-3. The Partition the Disk screen


The default layout that the first three choices create includes two logical volumes (LVs: swap and root [/]) and one standard partition (/boot). With this setup, most of the space on the disk is assigned to the root partition. For information on the Logical Volume Manager, see page 32.

If you put a check mark in the box labeled Review and modify partitioning layout or if you select Create custom layout in the combo box, Anaconda runs Disk Druid (page 58) so that you can verify and modify the layout before it is written to the disk.

Tip: The disk is not partitioned until later

With one exception, Anaconda does not write to the hard disk when you specify partitions. Instead, it creates a table that specifies how you want the hard disk to be partitioned. The disk is actually partitioned and formatted when you click Next from the Begin installation screen (page 54). However, if Anaconda displays the initialize warning dialog box (page 49), when you click Yes, it writes to the disk immediately.


Disk Druid


Anaconda runs Disk Druid only if you put a check mark in the box labeled Review and modify partitioning layout or if you select Create custom layout from the combo box as described in the previous section. See page 58 for information on the Disk Druid disk-partitioning program.

Warning


Displays a warning if you are removing or formatting partitions. Click Format or Yes to proceed.

Boot Loader Configuration


Anaconda displays the Boot Loader Configuration screen (Figure 3-4) only when you put a check mark in the box labeled Review and modify partitioning layout or select Create custom layout in the combo box in the Partition the Disk screen. By default, Anaconda installs the grub boot loader (page 533). If you do not want to install a boot loader, click the radio button next to No boot loader will be installed. When you install Red Hat Linux on a machine that already runs another operating system, Anaconda frequently recognizes the other operating system and sets up grub so you can boot from either operating system. Refer to "Setting Up a Dual-Boot System" on page 68. To manually add other operating systems to grub's list of bootable systems, click Add and specify a label and device to boot from. For a more secure system, specify a boot loader password.

Figure 3-4. The Boot Loader Configuration screen


Network Configuration


The Network Configuration screen, which allows you to specify network configuration information, has three parts: Network Devices, Hostname, and Miscellaneous Settings (Figure 3-5). If you are using DHCP to set up the network interface, you do not need to change anything on this screen.

Figure 3-5. The Network Configuration screen


The Network Devices frame lists the network devices that the installer finds. Normally you want network devices to become active when the system boots. Remove the check mark from the box at the left of a device if you do not want it to become active when the system boots.

To configure a network device manually (not using DHCP), highlight the device and click Edit to the right of the list of devices. Anaconda displays the Edit Interface window (Figure 3-6). Remove the check mark from the box labeled Configure using DHCP and enter the IP address and netmask of the system in the appropriate boxes before clicking OK.

Figure 3-6. The Network Configuration: Edit Interface window


If you are not using DHCP, click manually under Set the hostname in the Network Configuration screen and enter the name of the system. When you turn off DHCP configuration in Network Devices, Anaconda allows you to specify a gateway address and one or more DNS (nameserver) addresses. You do not have to specify more than one DNS address, although it can be useful to have two in case one nameserver stops working. Click Next to continue.

Time Zone


The Time Zone screen allows you to specify the time zone the system is located in. Click a location on the map to enlarge the selected portion of the map and then click a city in the local system's time zone. Alternatively, you can scroll through the list in the combo box and highlight the appropriate selection. Put a check mark in the box next to System clock uses UTC if the system clock is set to UTC (page 1062).

Root Password


Specify the root password twice to make sure you did not make a mistake typing it.

Tip: Install KDE to follow the examples in Chapter 4

Chapter 4 uses examples from KDE to introduce the graphical desktop. Install KDE if you want to follow these examples. You can remove KDE later if you like. To install KDE, click the radio button next to Customize now on the Software Selection screen and follow the instructions in the text.


Software Selection


As the Software Selection screen explains, by default Anaconda installs a basic Fedora Core system including software that allows you to use the Internet. See Figure 3-7 (next page). The screen has three boxes that you can put check marks in to select additional categories of software to install:

  • Office and Productivity

  • Software Development

  • Web server

Figure 3-7. The Software Selection screen


Toward the bottom of the screen are two radio buttons:

  • Customize later Installs the default packages plus those required to perform the tasks selected from the list at the top of this screen. If the system can connect to the Internet, you can easily install other packages using pirut (page 483) after the system is up and running.

  • Customize now Calls pirut (next section) after you click Next on this screen so that you can select specific categories of software and package groups that you want to install. If you want to set up servers as described in Part V of this book, select Customize now and install them in the next step. See the preceding tip about installing KDE.

In most cases it is a good idea to customize the software selection before installation. The examples in Chapter 4 are based on KDE. If you want to follow these examples, click the radio button next to Customize now and follow the instructions in the next step.

When you select Customize now in the preceding step, Anaconda runs the pirut utility (page 483), which allows you to specify the software you want to install. Regardless of the software you select now, you can use pirut to change which software is installed on a system any time after the system is up and running (as long as the system can connect to the Internet).

The pirut utility displays two adjacent frames toward the top of the screen (Figure 3-8). Select a software category from the frame on the left and package groups from the frame on the right. For example, to install KDE, which is not installed by default, click Desktop Environments on the left. The pirut utility highlights your selection and displays a list of desktop environments you can install on the right. Click the box next to KDE (K Desktop Environment) so there is a check mark in it; pirut highlights KDE, displays information about KDE in the text frame toward the bottom of the window, displays the number of optional packages that are selected, and activates the Optional packages button. To get started, accept the default optional packages. See page 484 for information about installing other optional packages. If you will be running servers on the system, click Servers on the left and select the servers you want to install from the list on the right. Select other package categories in the same manner. When you are done, click Next.

Figure 3-8. The pirut package selection utility with KDE selected


Begin Installation


Clicking Next on the Begin Installation screen (Figure 3-9) begins the process of writing to the hard disk. First Anaconda partitions and formats the disk as necessary; next it installs Red Hat Linux based on what you have specified in the preceding screens, placing a log of the installation in /root/install.log and a Kickstart file (page 63) in /root/anaconda-ks.cfg. Clicking Back allows you to step back through the installation screens and make changes. To completely change the way you set up Fedora Core, you can press CONTROL-ALT-DEL to reboot the system and start over. If you reboot the system, you will lose all the work you did up to this point. Click Next to install Red Hat Linux.

Figure 3-9. The Begin Installation screen


Caution: This is when Anaconda writes to the hard disk

You can abort the installation by pressing CONTROL-ALT-DEL at any point up to and including the Begin Installation screen (Figure 3-9) without making any changes to the system. Once you press Next in this screen, Anaconda writes to the hard disk. However, if Anaconda displayed the initialize warning dialog box (page 49), when you clicked Yes, it wrote to the hard disk at that time.


Installing Red Hat Linux can take a while. The amount of time it takes depends on the hardware you are installing the operating system on and the number of software packages you are installing. If you are installing from CDs, Anaconda will periodically prompt you to switch CDs.

Installation Complete


When Anaconda is finished, it tells you that the installation is complete. Remove the CD or DVD (if that is the medium you were installing from) and click Reboot.

Firstboot: When You Reboot

When the system reboots, it is running Red Hat Linux. The first time it boots, Red Hat Linux runs Firstboot, which asks a few questions before allowing you to log in.

Welcome


There is nothing for you to do on the Welcome screen (Figure 3-10). Click Forward.

Figure 3-10. The Welcome screen


License Agreement


After the Welcome screen, Firstboot displays the License Agreement screen. Select Yes, I agree to the License Agreement if you agree with the terms of the license agreement and click Forward.

Firewall


Next you are given the opportunity to set up a very basic firewall. First select Enabled or Disabled from the Firewall combo box (Figure 3-11). If you enable the firewall, select the services that you want the firewall to allow to pass through to the system. These services are the ones that the system is providing by means of servers you set up. For example, you do not need to enable WWW to browse the Web using Firefox; you need to do so only if you want to set up an Apache (HTTP) server. Selecting WWW (HTTP) does not allow HTTPS (secure HTTP), which is used for secure browser connections to financial institutions and when giving credit card information, through the firewall. Select Secure WWW (HTTPS) to allow secure HTTP to pass. In the Other Ports text box, list other ports and protocols you want the firewall to pass. The Firewall screen is the same as the one displayed by the system-config-securitylevel utility. For more information refer to "JumpStart: Building a Firewall Using system-config-securitylevel" on page 768. Chapter 25 on iptables has information on how to build a more complete and functional firewall. Click Forward.

Figure 3-11. The Firewall screen


SELinux


SELinux, which stands for Security Enhanced Linux, enforces security policies that limit what a user or program can do. On this screen you can choose one of two policies, Enforcing or Permissive, or you can disable SELinux. If you enable SELinux, you can also modify its policy. The policy defaults to Enforcing, which prevents any user or program from doing anything that is not permitted by the policy. If you will never want to use SELinux, disable it. If you do not want to use it now but may want to do so in the future, establish a Permissive policyit issues warnings but does not enforce the policy. It can take a lot of time to turn on SELinux on a system where it has been disabled. For more information refer to "SELinux" on page 400. Click Forward.

Date and Time


The next screen allows you to set the date and time. Running the Network Time Protocol (NTP) causes the system clock to reset itself periodically from a clock on the Internet. If the system is connected to the Internet, you may want to enable NTP by clicking the Network Time Protocol tab and putting a check mark in the box next to Enable Network Time Protocol. Click Forward.

Display


Next Firstboot displays the Display screen, which allows you to specify the type, resolution, and color depth of the monitor. For more information refer to "system-config-display: Configures the Display" on page 70. Click Forward.

System User


The next screen allows you to set up user accounts. You can set up user accounts either now or after the system is fully operational. For more information refer to "Configuring User and Group Accounts" on page 538.

Sound Card


The Sound Card window identifies the sound card(s) and has a button that can play a test sound. You can specify the default audio card and PCM (digital audio) device from the Sound Card screen. Click Finish.

When the Sound Card screen closes, you are done with the installation. You can now use the system and set it up as you desire. You may want to customize the desktop as explained in Chapters 4 and 8 or set up servers as discussed in Part V of this book.

Initializing Databases and Updating the System

After booting the system, log in as or su to root. Update the whatis database so that whatis (page 146) and apropos (page 145) work properly. Next update the locate database so that locate works properly. (The locate utility indexes and allows you to search for files on your system quickly and securely.) Instead of updating these databases when you install the system, you can wait for cron (page 547) to run them overnight, but be aware that whatis, apropos, and locate will not work until the next day. The best way to update these databases is via the cron scripts that run them daily. Working as root, give the following commands:

# /etc/cron.daily/makewhatis.cron # /etc/cron.daily/mlocate.cron


These utilities run for several minutes and may complain about not being able to find a file or two. When the system displays a prompt, the whatis and locate databases are up-to-date.

If the system is permanently connected to the Internet, you can set up yum (page 476) to update the system software and utilities nightly. If it is connected to the Internet periodically, you must run yum manually to update the system. Working as root, give the following commands:

# /sbin/service yum start # /sbin/chkconfig yum on


See page 482 for more information.




A Practical Guide to Red Hat Linux
A Practical Guide to Red HatВ® LinuxВ®: Fedoraв„ў Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0132280272
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 383

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net