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Linux 2

This document provides an overview of installing Linux. It discusses preparing a system by partitioning disks and checking hardware compatibility. The installation process includes selecting language and keyboard settings, partitioning disks, configuring the boot loader, network, and users. Additional steps may include configuring X, sound, and printers. Packages are then installed and the system reboots to complete the process. Post-installation, additional configuration like graphics or sound may be performed.

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Mark Zuña
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
10 views

Linux 2

This document provides an overview of installing Linux. It discusses preparing a system by partitioning disks and checking hardware compatibility. The installation process includes selecting language and keyboard settings, partitioning disks, configuring the boot loader, network, and users. Additional steps may include configuring X, sound, and printers. Packages are then installed and the system reboots to complete the process. Post-installation, additional configuration like graphics or sound may be performed.

Uploaded by

Mark Zuña
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 22

Welcome to:

Unit 2
Installing Linux

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


3.0.3
Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.
Unit Objectives
After completing this unit, you should be able to:
Prepare a system for installation
Install Linux from CD-ROM

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Preparing a System for Installation
Know your hardware
CPU, memory, keyboard, mouse
Hard disks, CD-ROM players
Graphical adapters, monitor capabilities
Network adapters, IP addresses
Printers
Is all your hardware supported?
Linux Hardware-HOWTO
Distributors Hardware Compatibility List
Hardware manufacturer
If unsure, just try it!
Make space for Linux partitions

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Know Your Hardware
Obtain information from
Manuals
Windows Control Panel

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Partitioning Theory
Partitioning is necessary on Intel-based computers
Maximum of four primary partitions
One primary partition may be an extended partition
An extended partition can hold an unlimited amount of logical
partitions (but the OS may pose a limit anyway)

master boot record hda: The first sector of the disk contains the MBR and
Partition Table
partition table

Windows hda1: First primary partition holds a Windows filesystem


hda2: Second primary partition is an extended partition and
holds three logical partitions
hda5: First logical partition holds a Linux filesystem that will
Linux /
be mounted as /
hda6: Second logical partition holds a Linux filesystem that
Linux /home will be mounted as /home
hda7: Third logical partition holds a Linux swap space
Linux swap
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006
Partitioning Tools
PartitionMagic
Commercial program from PowerQuest
Runs under MS-DOS and Windows
Can create/resize/move/delete partitions
GNU parted
Can create/resize/move/delete partitions
QTParted is a graphical frontend for parted
fdisk
Virtually every PC OS (Windows, OS/2, Linux) comes with a tool
"fdisk" to create partitions for that OS
Disk Druid, YaST and others
Partitioning programs integrated in install program

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


PartitionMagic

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Installing Linux
Boot system from bootable media
All modern PCs can boot from CD-ROM directly
Must be enabled in BIOS
Otherwise, boot from floppy
Some distributions require additional disks
Disk images are usually stored on the CD-ROM
After booting, install from:
Local CD-ROM/DVD
Local Hard Disk
Network

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Installation Steps
All installation programs need to perform essentially the same
steps:
1. Choose language, keyboard type, mouse type
2. Create partitions
3. Set up a boot loader
4. Configure network
5. Configure users and authentication
6. Select package groups
7. Configure X
8. Install Packages
9. Registration
Order of steps may vary from distribution to distribution
Other steps may also be included
For example, firewall, printers, sound

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Select Language, Keyboard, Mouse
Select the language to be used during installation process
Different distributions support different languages
Select the keyboard layout
Different countries use different keyboard layouts
Dead (compose) keys allow you to input accented or special
characters such as é, ç, ß and so forth.
Select your mouse
A mouse can be connected using a PS/2, USB or serial connector
If your mouse has only two buttons, you can emulate the third
(middle) button by clicking both buttons simultaneously

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Install Class
Some distributions have installation "classes" for typical users

Workstation

Laptop

Server

...
A "custom" class allows you to make all decisions yourself
Packages to be installed
Various configuration options

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Disk Partitioning
Linux installation requires you to create Linux partitions
At a minimum, create:

/ swap
1.5 GB min. 256 - 1000 MB

Recommended:

/boot
32 MB min.

May need/want to create other partitions:

/usr /usr/local /var /tmp /opt /home

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Configure a Boot Loader
A Boot Loader loads and starts the Linux kernel

Can boot other operating systems as well


OS/2, Windows, BeOS, ...
Give each OS a unique label
Can be password protected
Prevents users from passing boot parameters to Linux or booting
any OS
Should generally be configured in the MBR, unless another boot
loader is used
Common Boot Loaders:
LILO: Linux Loader
GRUB: GRand Unified Boot Loader

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Configure Network
Most distributions configure your network adapter as part of the
installation process
Ethernet
Token Ring
Need the following information:
IP address
Subnetmask
Network address
Broadcast address
Hostname
Default router/gateway
DNS server addresses
May also be configured to use DHCP

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Configure Root and User Accounts
root is the superuser of the system
Can do anything
Needs a strong password
Do not use your system as root unless you need to!
Most distributions allow you to add user accounts during installation
too:
Create a user account for every individual user that is going to
use the system
Hint: You should enable shadow passwords and MD5
encryption if available for additional security

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Select Package Groups
Most distributions have grouped individual packages in package
groups
Only select the package groups you need on your workstation
Selecting individual software packages is usually still possible but
tedious
A typical distribution has over 1000 packages

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Configure X
X (X Window System) is the graphical user interface of Linux
Needs to be configured for your system
Graphical adapter
Monitor
Most adapters and monitors can be autodetected
If not autodetected, select manually or use a generic adapter or
monitor
Usually customization allowed:
Resolution, Refresh rate
Color Depth
Test settings if possible
If nothing works, skip X configuration

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Other (Optional) Installation Screens
Some distributions offer additional installation screens:

Printer configuration

Firewall configuration

Sound card configuration

Modem configuration

Time Zone configuration

Usually straightforward

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Installing Packages
Installing packages may take 5 mins to several hours
Most distributions provide a progress bar and/or total time
indication
Some distributions provide some entertainment while installing
While installation is going on, various virtual terminals provide
information on the progress
Switch between VTs using Ctrl-Alt-F1, Ctrl-Alt-F2, and so forth
Feed additional CDs when asked for

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Post-install Configuration
After installation has finished, your system reboots to activate the
newly installed kernel
SUSE performs the reboot during installation
For almost all Linux distributions, this is the only reboot that is ever
required
After reboot, some post-installation configuration may happen
Configure graphics
Configure sound card
Install documentation, updates, drivers
Create user accounts
Registration

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Checkpoint

T/F 1. Linux can coexist with Windows on the same


hard disk.

2. Which of the following steps is NOT essential in the


installation process:
a. Create partitions for Linux
b. Configure your printer
c. Select your keyboard type
d. Identify the packages to install

3. What is the best source of information about your


hardware?

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006


Unit Summary
Preparing a system for installation
Booting the installation program
Installing Linux and basic configuration

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006

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