Using Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Georgia Tech's RHN Satellite Server Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux NOTE: If you need more information regarding the installation process for other distributions or have questions beyond the installation of RHEL, please contact the OIT Support Center at 4.7173 or Linux Remedy Support at http://www.remedy.gatech.edu/its/campus/campuslinuxhelp.html. Additional support can be obtained by contacting the Georgia Tech Linux Users Group at http://www.lugatgt.org or posting to the git.unix.linux newsgroup on the Georgia Tech news server. Special thanks to Matthew Bain of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association for his work on developing the core of this document. Let s Begin 1) Download the ISO files you need from http://software.oit.gatech.edu and burn them to discs. 2) Disconnect the network cable from the PC you intend to install RHEL on, and boot from disc one.
3) Press ENTER for the graphical install. 4) Press OK or SKIP the media test. 5) Begin the installation by clicking NEXT.
a) Choose your language, and click NEXT.
b) Choose your keyboard layout, and click NEXT. c) Depending on what's already installed on the system, you may have to select a fresh install of RHEL vs. upgrading a previous installation. In this example, let s choose to do a fresh install. Click NEXT.
d) Again, depending on your preference, choose how you want the system partitioned. Let s go with automatic. Click NEXT.
e) Carefully select your partitioning scheme. Since RHEL is the only thing used on this machine, let s opt to remove all existing partitions and data. Click NEXT and then confirm your choice by clicking YES.
f) Look at the autopartitioning choices and click NEXT.
g) Select a boot loader and change any options you want. The defaults are recommended in this install. Click NEXT.
h) Configure your network device(s) and click NEXT.
i) Enable the firewall, select any service(s) you need, and activate SELinux. Click NEXT.
j) Select any additional languages, and click NEXT.
k) Select your time zone (America/New_York) and click NEXT.
l) Set the root password and click NEXT.
m) Install the default packages, or customize what you want, and click NEXT.
n) Finally, click NEXT to install. Confirm that you have all of your CDs and click CONTINUE. o) Swap discs as required.
p) After the installation is finished, connect your network cable and reboot the PC.
6) After reboot, the Setup Agent will continue the installation. Click NEXT.
a) Read the license agreement and select YES to agree to its terms. Click NEXT.
b) Verify the date and time are correct.
c) Click the Network Time Protocol tab, and ENABLE NTP. Add ntp1.gatech.edu, ntp2.gatech.edu, and ntp3.gatech.edu to the list of NTP servers, and click NEXT.
d) Configure your display properties. If you like a lot of real estate on the screen, choose a resolution of at least 1024x768.
e) Red Hat Login: This process can be somewhat confusing. To use the Georgia Tech RHN satellite server, you must have the SSL certificate installed and some files configured, so at this point of the installation, select Tell me why I need to register... and click NEXT.
f) Now select I can not complete registration at this time. and click NEXT.
g) Set up a system user or use a network login and click NEXT.
h) Test your sound card and click NEXT.
i) Install any extras you may need or click NEXT.
j) The setup is now finished! Click NEXT.
7) You can now log in to your new Red Hat workstation. The next steps will walk you through joining it to the Georgia Tech RHN satellite server.
a) To register your system with the GT RHN Satellite, run the following commands (you will need to know your root password): Applications --> System Tools --> Terminal b) In the Terminal, use the su command to gain root access. $ su - Password: c) Go to the directory that contains the registration script using the cd command. # cd <directory-containing-register.sh> d) Change permissions on the registration script using chmod +x. This will allow the script to become executable. # chmod +x register.sh e) Register your machine by running the registration key with the following command:
#./register.sh <your-activation-key> Here is what the output should look like: Retrieving http://rhn.gatech.edu/pub/rhn-org-trusted-sslcert-1.0-1.noarch.rpm Preparing... ########################################### [100%] 1:rhn-org-trusted-sslcer########################################### [100%] # Unfortunately, the GUI "Red Hat Network Alert Icon / Notification Tool" can be a little buggy. Please report any concerns to the OIT Support Center at 4.7173 or online at: http://www.remedy.gatech.edu/its/campus/campuslinux-help.html In the interim we recommend that you run the following command regularly: # up2date -u This manual update command can be performed at any time. OIT has opened a case with Red Hat to address this issue. Information will be posted periodically as resolution is obtained.