Installing Linux

1
Installing Linux

• Chapter Eight

2
Reviewing Your Computers Hardware

• Install operating system yourself
• Plan your installation to
• Make effective use of hardware
• Prevent problems from occurring during
  installation
• Before installing
• Gather information about computer
• Determine best way to organize Linux on computer

3
Understanding Computer Hardware

• Linux treats computer hardware as collection of
  devices
• Must be configured to use all devices on computer
  system
• Before installing Linux, gather information about
  computer system

4
Understanding Computer Hardware (continued)

• Common terms that describe computer hardware
• Bit/Byte
• Megabyte (MB)/Gigabyte (GB)
• Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Read-Only Memory (ROM)
• Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
• CMOS RAM

5
Understanding Computer Hardware (continued)
6
Understanding Computer Hardware (continued)

• Common terms that describe computer hardware
• 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

7
Understanding Computer Hardware (continued)
8
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

9
Supported Linux Hardware (continued)

• https//hardware.redhat.com/hwcert/index.cgi
• Comprehensive site for exploring Linux hardware
  compatibility
• https//wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport

10
Supported Linux Hardware (continued)

• http//ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper
• Installing Video Drivers and Other Links
• https//help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Wireles
  sCardsSupported

11
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

12
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

13
Understanding Networking (continued)
14
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

15
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

16
Creating a Shared System (continued)

• Basic options
• Store each operating system on separate hard disk
• Store multiple operating systems on single hard
  disk

17
Dual Booting with Windows XP

• Install Windows XP first. Linux will recognize
  the partition for Windows XP.
• Boot up with the Live CD from any distribution.
  Find the partition manager and partition the free
  space as follows for a basic install 4.5 to 10
  Gbytes using ext3 and 1.5 Gbytes as linux-swap
  (three times physical RAM). Quit out the
  partition manager.
• Install the Linux operating system. When you get
  to the step with partitioning, choose the manual
  partitioning.
• Only format the new partitions, the larger
  partition for root \ and the smaller partition is
  for the swap space.

18
Changing Boot Order

• Changing Boot Order
• Make a backup of /boot/grub/menu.lst (Debian) or
  /boot/grub/grub.conf (RedHat).
• cd /boot/grub
• cp menu.lst backupmenu.lst
• sudo gedit menu.lst

19
Changing Boot Order

• Your file will have contents that appear similar
  to the next slide. You will need to move the
  blue menu options above the options shown for
  booting the ubuntu kernel.
• The indicates a comment.

20
Changing Boot Order

• End Default Options
• Move Windows XP here
• title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-386
• root (hd0,2)
• kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386
  root/dev/hdd3 ro quiet splash
• initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
• savedefault
• boot
• title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-386
  (recovery mode)
• root (hd0,2)
• kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386
  root/dev/hdd3 ro single
• initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
• boot
• title Ubuntu, memtest86
• root (hd0,2)
• kernel /boot/memtest86.bin
• boot

• END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
• This is a divider, added to separate the menu
  items below from the Debian
• ones.
• title Other operating systems
• root
• This entry automatically added by the Debian
  installer for a non-linux OS
• on /dev/hdd1
• title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• root (hd0,0)
• savedefault
• makeactive
• chainloader 1

21
Graphical Systems

• Current installation programs
• Automatically detect what video card is installed
  
• Configure it without any input from user
• Good idea to understand some video card concepts
  for those times when installation doesnt go as
  smoothly as planned
• Very few standards exist

22
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

23
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
• Can have 4 primary partitions
• or
• Can have 3 primary partition and one extended
  partition with logical drives
• Logical drives
• Exist within physical partition
• Numbered beginning with 5

24
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

25
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

26
Partitions

• / - 3 GB ext3
• /home 200 MB per user ext3
• /var 2 GB reiserfs
• /boot 100 MB ext3
• /tmp 1GB ext3
• /usr 3 GB ext3
• /usr/local 4 GB ext3
• /opt 3 GB ext3
• swap 3 physical RAM

27
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

28
Hard Disk Geometry (continued)
29
Preparing a Shared Hard Disk

• Disk partitioning utility
• Needed to create dual-boot system
• Products
• FIPS
• Parted partition editor
• PartitionMagic
• QtParted
• GNOME Partition Editor
• Defragmenting
• Necessary before installing Linux

30
Linux Distributions

• Linux distributions very similar to each other
  technically
• Fedora Linux
• Based on Red Hat Linux
• Stable long-term participant in Linux market
• Ubuntu
• Linux distribution with GNOME
• Kubuntu
• Linux distribution with KDE

31
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 computers RAM
• Installation program determines where files for
  installation are located

32
An Overview of Linux Installation (continued)

• General procedure
• 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

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Installation Source Options

• CD-ROM
• Hard disk
• Network installation

34
Options for Starting the Installation

• Pass control directly to Linux installation
  program located on
• Floppy disk
• CD-ROM
• Boot disk
• Removable disk that can start up computer and
  initialize installation program
• Bootable CD-ROM drive
• Drive that can start operating system

35
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

36
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 new Linux file
  system
• Create regular user account for non system
  administration work

37
The Installation Process (continued)

• 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

38
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

39
The Installation Process (continued)
40
Kickstart Installations

• Kickstart
• Method of automating installation selections
• Used to reinstall system or install multiple
  identical systems
• Relies on configuration file
• Contains all settings to complete installation

41
Reviewing the Kickstart Configuration File

• RedHat File /root/anaconda-ks.cfg
• Created during installation
• Open with editor

42
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

43
Graphical Configuration Tool
44
Post-Installation Checks

• cat /proc/cpuinfo
• cat /proc/meminfo
• cat /proc/dma
• cat /proc/interrupts
• cat /proc/ioports
• cat /proc/modules
• tail /var/log/dmesg
• tail /var/log/boot.log
• tail /var/log/messages
• more /var/log/daemon.log
• cat /proc/net/dev