CHAPTER 2

Linux Installation Procedures

Overview

1. Pre-Installation Tasks2. Installing and Configuring Linux3. X Server4. Post Installation Configuration and Tasks

Pre-Installation Tasks

The Boot Method

There is a configuration setting in the BIOS that will tell the system which medium to boot from.

Choices are a floppy disk, hard drive, CD-ROM, a network drive that has the files stored on a server, or a high capacity removable drive like a Jaz or Zip drive.

Another way to begin the installation process is by using the existing OS bootstrap method.

Installation Media

The easiest and quickest way to do an installation is with the installation CD. Currently every distribution of Linux comes on CD.

Linux may also be installed from a Network connection and is recommended if there is a fast network connection.

Linux can be installed from files that are located on a different partition, even if this partition has a different OS running in it.

This is known as installing from a hard disk.

Installing and Configuring Linux

Linux Hardware Requirements

Linux can be installed on all Pentium class processors.

A floppy disk or a CD-ROM and a hard drive with at least 900MB of free disk space will be required.

The minimum requirement for RAM is 16 MB, but 64 MB of RAM minimum is preferred.

Starting the Installation

The installation will start once the CD is inserted and the BIOS is configured to boot from the CD. Select the settings for the system Choose the type of installation, server, or

workstation Partition the hard drive Configure network settings and the time zone

For a server installation the next step is to install the operating system. If the workstation installation is selected, the installer will be prompted to first configure the X-Windows Environment before the installation will begin.

Selecting the Appropriate Parameters for Installation

One of the first options to be displayed will be Installation Options, Graphical or Text Mode.

Then the choice of what language is to be used. A window will be displayed to choose the type of mouse and

keyboard that is attached to the computer if is not auto detected. Features like the number of buttons the mouse has and if it

has a wheel or not can be selected.

Installation Type

Here you will choose the installation type that is best for your needs.

Personal Desktop, Workstation, server or custom type.

Disk Partitioning Setup

On this screen, a user can choose to perform automatic partitioning, partition manually using Disk Druid, or to partition manually using the DOS utility fdisk.

For this installation, select the Automatic partitioning option and Red Hat will automatically partition the hard drive.

Automatic Partitioning

The following are the automatic partitioning options:

Remove all Linux partitions on this system . (Select this option for this lab) 

Remove all partitions on this system

Keep all partitions and use existing free space

Disk Setup

Red Hat will create one partition for the Linux Kernel (/boot), one for the files and applications (/), and a swap file to store data that does not fit into RAM.

Boot Loader Configuration

Choose LILO or Grup as the boot loader.

Install Boot Loader record on /dev/had.

Boot label: Linux.

Network Configuration

A prompt to configure the network settings (IP address, subnet mask, host name, DNS server, and default gateway) appears.

If the system is connected to a DHCP server it will provide the information automatically.

Firewall Configuration

The High selection only allows the following connections:

• DNS replies

• DHCP The Medium selection does not

allow the following Ports lower than 1023, such as FTP, SSH, telnet, and HTTP are blocked.

The No firewall disables any security checking.

Choose Customize to add trusted devices or to allow additional incoming services

Other Configuration

Language Support

Choose a language that will be used as the default on the Linux system (Choose English and Arabic)

Time Zone Selection

Select the correct time zone by scrolling to, and highlighting, the correct city.

Account Configuration

Enter the root password twice:

-Root Password: 123456 -Confirm: 123456 Authentication Configuration

Choose the security level for passwords (Shadow Password & MD 5)

Configuring Appropriate Security Settings

The Root account in Linux is also known as the superuser or system administrator account.

This account is mandatory, during installation the user will be prompted to enter the password twice to protect against typing errors.

There are advantages and disadvantages in creating user accounts during the installation.

Understanding these will help any administrator determine which is best based on the security implementations that have been planned.

Selecting Packages to Install

There are many packages to choose from, depending on which distribution is being installed.

Keep in mind that here is the amount of disk space that is available to work with.

Installing all of these packages will consume disk space. (about 5 GB)

X Server

X server

The X Window System is a software system that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for computers.

It provides the basic for GUI environments: drawing and moving windows on the screen and interacting with a mouse and/or keyboard.

Its named as X. It contains the drivers for most video

cards.

X server

X Server Options

Xfree86 is the free X server that comes with every major distribution that supports a GUI interface.

Most Linux distributions that are shipped after the year 2001 come with the 4.0.X version of Xfree86.

With the growing popularity of Linux, many of the manufactures have made drivers available that will be supported by Xfree86.

Check the manufacturer’s website for the appropriate drivers.

Configuring X Server

As with most Linux configurations there are two ways to configure X server.

1st is to use the graphical configuration tools, then the operating system automatically writes these changes to the XF86Config text file.

The XF86Config file is a text file that can be manually edited. This requires using a text editor to open the file and manually make the changes.

Unless the user is experienced with using a text editor, this is not the recommended way.

This method is usually used for adjusting a working configuration to get better performance and not to initially configure the X server.

Configuring X Server

There are three configuration tools that are used with XFree86 3.3.X: Xf86config: - It operates entirely in text

mode Xconfigurator: - This tool can be used in

either text mode or GUI mode XF86Setup: - This tool can only be used

in GUI mode

Hardware Configurations

Some of the main hardware devices that need to be configured with the X server are the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and video card.

If any one of these devices is not configured correctly the X server will not operate at optimal performance or may not work at all.

Post-Installation Configuration and Tasks

Post-Installation of Applications and Programs

There are three types of package managers that a Linux administrator needs to know.

The Red Hat Package Manager (RPM), Debian Packages, and Tarballs are used to install and remove applications and programs in Linux systems after the installation process has completed.

Post-Installation of Applications and Programs RPM is the most popular type of package. It provides the necessary tools such as package

databases that are needed to install and remove programs, however, not all applications or programs use RPM.

The difference between Debian and RPM packages is that they are not interchangeable.

Debian contains a package database that has the same features as the RPM database, however, the Debian database is stored in the /var/lib/dpkg directory.

Tarballs are by far the most widely supported type of package available with Linux.

Every distribution can use tarballs to install or remove applications and programs.

However, tarballs is not as advanced as RPM or Debian packages.

Kernel Issues

An operating system’s kernel provides functions such as memory management, low-level hardware drivers (excluding X video drivers and printer drivers), scheduling when specific processes get access to the CPU, allow programs to access the network, and controls access to the file system on a hard drive.

An administrator must make sure that the kernel version is up-to-date.

A typical Linux Kernel version might look something like Linux 2.4.3. 1st number is the kernel version number 2nd number is the major revision number: indicates

if the version is a stable or experimental version 3rd number minor revision number: represents any

small or minor fixes usually done to an already stable kernel version

Environment Variables

The Environmental Variables in a Linux system contain information such as the user’s home directory, disk space, hostname, the name of the current shell, or resources available on the system.

There are many different types of environmental variables that can be set for a Linux system.

To see a list, type the env command at the prompt.

Verifying Proper Application Functioning and Performance

The final stage of the installation process consists of testing and verifying that the programs, applications, and operating system in functioning properly.

Install the operating system first in a test network. Then install all the programs and applications onto

the system and verify that everything will work properly.

Testing and evaluating the new software on a test system helps reduce problems.

To set up a proper test environment, recreate as close as possible the existing system or systems.