Chapter 3
Installing Linux
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Objectives
In this chapter, you will:
• Install a popular distribution of Linux
• Start using a new Linux system
• Troubleshoot problems with a Linux distribution
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Valued Gateway
Client:
Understanding Installation Issues
• Many Linux distributions are available
• The installation program for each distribution is
different
• During the installation process you should
answer technical questions
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Linux Distributions
• Vendors of commercial distributions offer
documentation, technical support, additional
software packages, or related services
• Each Linux distribution targets a certain type of
user
• Linux vendors focus on creating products with
the most recent versions of all software from the
Internet
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Linux Distributions
• There are differences in the installation program
for each distribution
• The default configuration values and the default
services on a Linux system vary by distribution
• Different vendors place configuration files in
different locations
• There are differences in configuration utilities
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Red Hat Linux
• Red Hat Linux was released in 1993
• Red Hat Linux is the most widely used
distribution in the world
• Red Hat Linux has proved to be a stable, longterm participant in the Linux market
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An Overview of Linux Installation
• Linux installation is started from a floppy disk or
Linux CD
• Define the source of the Linux files and the target
partition
– A target hard disk partition is the location on the
system’s hard disk where Linux will be installed
• Define what software to install and configure
• Answer questions posed by the installation
program
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Installation Source Options
• The most common installation sources are:
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CD-ROM
Hard disk
Floppy disk
Network installation
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Options for Starting the Installation
• A boot disk is a floppy disk that can start up your
computer and initialize the installation program
• A bootable CD-ROM drive is a drive that can
launch an operating system directly from a CDROM
• A disk image is a single file that contains an exact
copy of a floppy disk
– The first Linux CD-ROM contains a disk image of a
boot disk
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Creating Floppy Disks to Start the
Installation
• You can use either Windows or Linux to create
disk images
• Use the rawwritewin program to create a boot
disk
• Within the Write tab, enter the full path of the
image file, and click the Write button
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The Rawwritewin Program
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The Installation Process
• The installation process includes several steps:
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Answering initial questions
Preparing hard disk partitions
Choosing installation options
Configuring the boot manager
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Answering Initial Questions
• Choose a keyboard layout and a language for the
installation
• Answer about:
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Mouse
Time zone
Video card
Other details
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Preparing Hard Disk Partitions
• The various components of Linux can be
arranged on different hard disk partitions to
make system administration tasks easier
• You can configure partitions within Linux
installation program
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Preparing Hard Disk Partitions
• Set up both a swap partition and a data partition
(ext2 or ext3 file system format)
• To configure partitions, use one of the options:
– Edit the partition table
– Use a graphical interface
– Use the fdisk utility
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Hard Disk Specifications
• Hard disks in Linux are identified by device
names
• The first hard disk that uses a IDE interface is
identified as /dev/hda
• The first hard disk that uses a SCSI interface is
identified as /dev/sda
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Deciding on Mount Points
• Linux defines a mount point for different file
systems or storage devices
• A mount point is a subdirectory through which a
set of data is accessed
• The beginning point for every Linux file system is
called the root directory
• Linux does not use drive letters
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Typical Subdirectory Mount Points
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Example Mount Points for a MultiplePartition Installation
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Choosing What to Install
• A software package is a single file that contains
all the files needed to install and use an
application
• Software packages are managed using the Red
Hat Package Manager (rpm) format or the dpkg
utility from the Debian distribution
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Choosing What to Install
• Installation programs provide multiple
installation types such as:
– Sever
– Graphical Workstation
– Software Development Station
• Installation options define applications to be
installed with the basic operating system
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Levels of Categorization for Linux Files
and Packages
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Selecting an Installation Type in
Red Hat Linux
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Package Groups in Red Hat Linux
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Package Groups in Red Hat Linux
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User Accounts
• The root account is the system administration
account
• The root account is created automatically during
installation
• To create a regular user account, choose a
username and a password
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Configuring the Boot Manager
• During the Linux installation you have the option
of installing the Linux boot manager in one of
several locations:
– The Master Boot Record
– The boot sector of the active partition
– A floppy disk
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Starting Linux
• Start a Linux-based computer
• Login before you can use its resources
• Authentication, or logging in – process of
identifying yourself as a valid user with
certain access rights
• The login screen can be in text mode or
graphical mode
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A Text-Mode Login Screen
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The Gnome Desktop Interface
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Red Hat Network Service
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Troubleshooting a New Installation
• Problems with installing Linux are usually related
to incorrectly recognized hardware
• You can correct it by using boot parameters or by
adjusting system configuration
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The System Won’t Boot
• If the Linux installation program does not start,
there are likely causes:
– The boot disk is created incorrectly
– The BIOS is configured incorrectly
– The installation program is not able to detect a
video card
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The System Won’t Boot
• After Linux is installed, the system won’t boot,
because there are likely causes:
– One boot manager is installed on the active
partition but another boot manager installed ion
the MBR
– The system does not identify hardware
• A boot parameter is a piece of information about
the hardware that you supply to the boot manager
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The Graphical Interface Doesn’t Work
• The possible causes why the graphical interface
does not work:
– A wrong color depth or resolution
– The video hardware is not detected by the
installation program
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A Device or Part of Memory
Isn’t Available
• To fix the problem with the CD-ROM drive access,
add a boot parameter: linux cdrom=/dev/hdc
• To fix the problem with the RAM access, add the
following boot parameter with the amount of
RAM: linux mem=512M
• You can combine multiple parameters on a single
line separated by spaces
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Testing Network Connections
• To test the network connection, use the ping
command
• If no lines appear, networking is not configured or
activated on your system
• To test your network adapter card configuration,
use the ping command followed by an IP address
• You can run the net utility in Red Hat Linux to
configure your networking card
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Summary
• Commercial Linux distributions such as SuSE
Linux, Caldera OpenLinux, Red Hat Linux provide
graphical installation programs
• Linux installations can be started by a boot disk,
by a bootable CD-Rom, from files on a hard disk,
or across a network connection
• During the Linux installation, a user defines the
source of the Linux files and the target partition,
chooses an installation type, and software to be
installed
• You can install a dual-boot system via a boot
manager program
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Summary
• Linux accesses file systems via mount points
• You can configure different hard disk partitions
within the Linux installation program
• Software packages are managed using special
formats such as the Red Hat Package manager
• To start using a Linux system, you must login
• You can fix problems with Installing Linux by
using boot parameters or adjusting system
configurations
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