Chapter 8: Installing Linux The Complete Guide To Linux System Administration Modified by M. L. Malone, 11/05 At the end of this chapter the successful student will be able to Describe the main hardware components of a personal computer system Configure hard disk space to hold a new Linux installation Install Linux Reviewing Your Computer s Hardware Before Installation Plan your installation to-- Make effective use of hardware Prevent problems from occurring during installation Before installing Gather information about your system Determine best way to organize Linux on computer Understanding Computer Hardware Linux treats computer hardware as collection of devices Must be configured to use all devices on computer system Common Computer Hardware Terms You Should Know Bit/Byte Megabyte (MB)/Gigabyte (GB) Random Access Memory (RAM) Read-Only Memory (ROM) Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) CMOS RAM Understanding Computer Hardware (continued) Common Computer Hardware Terms You Should Know Interrupt request (IRQ) Direct memory access (DMA) channel Port-mapped input/output (port-mapped I/O) I/O port Hexadecimal numbering IDE IDE controller SCSI USB Understanding Computer Hardware (continued) Supported Linux Hardware
Linux works with thousands of different hardware devices Not all devices work with Linux Newer hardware devices less likely to be supported!! Check on Web site of Linux vendor to see if hardware is supported Supported Linux Hardware (continued) http://hardware.redhat.com Comprehensive site for exploring Linux hardware compatibility Applies to all Linux distributions Understanding Networking Networking protocols Used by computer systems to communicate Protocol Organized pattern of signals or words IP networking Each computer must have unique IP address All IP addresses on single network related Understanding Networking (continued) Special IP addresses associated with setting up Linux networking Network mask Network address that identifies local network Broadcast address Gateway address Domain name Assigned to organization Used to identify collection of computers Understanding Networking (continued) Top-level domain name Last word of domain name Domain name system (DNS) Network service Maps domain names and host names to IP addresses Creating a Shared System Dual-boot system System with more than one operating system Live CD version of Linux Boots from CD-ROM Uses system memory (RAM) as storage Never writes information to hard disk Boot manager Select operating system each time computer booted Creating a Shared System (continued)
Basic options Store each operating system on separate hard disk Store multiple operating systems on single hard disk Install on a virtual PC Graphical Systems Current installation programs Automatically detect what video card is installed Configures without input from user Good idea to understand some video card concepts for those times when installation doesn t go as smoothly as planned Very few standards exist Creating a System Inventory Sources of information Manuals BIOS settings Microsoft windows operating system Take advantage of device information Windows has discovered Find networking information IP address gateway other information Configuring Disk Space Must install Linux in dedicated partition on hard disk Each hard disk can have only four partitions Called primary partitions Numbered 1 through 4 Logical partitions Exist within physical partition Numbered beginning with 5 Configuring Disk Space (continued) Logical partitions Some Linux distributions use logical partitions by default Active partition Bootable partition BIOS passes control to operating system stored on partition Booting the System Master boot record (MBR) Contains small program that decides how to start operating system Boot record Small area that contains boot manager program to start operating system on partition Linux boot manager can be stored on either MBR Boot record of active partition
Hard Disk Geometry Hard disk composed of multiple flat platters that hold magnetic data Track Concentric circle on platter Sector Unit of data storage on hard disk Contains 512 bytes Block 1024 bytes or two sectors Hard Disk Geometry (continued) Swap Partitions Should create separate partition used as swap partition For more efficient operation Normally from 128 MB to 2 GB in size Should be twice the size of RAM Preparing a Shared Hard Disk Disk partitioning utility Needed to create dual-boot system Products FIPS Parted partition editor PartitionMagic QtParted Defragmenting Necessary before installing Linux Installing Linux Install Red Hat Software s Fedora Linux Procedure applicable to virtually all versions of Linux Linux Distributions Linux distributions very similar to each other technically Fedora Linux Based on Red Hat Linux Stable long-term participant in Linux market An Overview of Linux Installation Operating system initializes itself sufficiently to install itself on computer General procedure User starts installation program Installation program runs copy of Linux within the computer s RAM Installation program determines where files for installation are located General Installation Procedure Continued Installation program determines where Linux operating system should be installed
User answers questions Program copies Linux software packages from installation source to target partition Installation program configures system User starts newly installed Linux operating system Installation Source Options CD-ROM Hard disk Network installation On a virtual PC CD images in form of ISO files one image per installation CD Options for Starting the Installation Pass control directly to Linux installation program located on-- Floppy disk CD-ROM DVD ISO images of installation CDs Boot disk Removable disk that can start up computer and initialize installation program Bootable CD-ROM drive Drive that can start operating system Options for Starting the Installation (continued) Disk image Single file Contains exact copy of floppy disk Create boot disk if CD boot does not work Usually for older computers The Installation Process Initial questions How you will interact with installation program Preparing hard disk partitions Edit partition table Deciding on mount points Subdirectory through which set of data is accessed Must specify mount point for file system Create regular user account for non system administration work The Installation Process: Choosing What to Install Decide which of many components to install Installation type determines which Linux software is installed Software package single file that contains all files needed to install and use application RPM
most popular data storage format for creating software packages Packages grouped into functional categories The Installation Process (continued) User accounts Specify password for root account Create regular user account for non system administration work Configuring boot manager Possible locations Master boot record Boot sector of partition on which Linux is being installed Floppy disk The Installation Process (continued) Kickstart Installations Automates installation selections Used to reinstall system or install multiple identical systems Relies on configuration file Contains all settings to complete installation Reviewing the Kickstart Configuration File File /root/anaconda-ks.cfg Created during installation Open with editor Using the Graphical Configuration Tool Create file From scratch in text editor Using graphical Kickstart configurator tool Helpful to be logged in as root Kickstart configurator Tool to create Kickstart configuration file Do not need to define every option in Kickstart configuration Using the Graphical Configuration Tool (continued) Summary Devices communicate with CPU using: Interrupts Direct memory access Port-mapped I/O Linux supports thousands of hardware components (devices) Protocols define how devices and parts of operating system communicate with each other Compile detailed system inventory Dual-boot system Use Linux on same computer as another operating system
Linux installations are started by: Boot disk Bootable CD-ROM Bootable DVD Bootable USB device ISO images of bootable CDs Attractive graphical installation programs standard in commercial versions of Linux Various components of Linux sometimes arranged on different hard disk partitions Kickstart method uses configuration file to hold all installation selections