Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide
Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Copyright © 2004, 2005 the Debian Installer team
This document contains installation instructions for the Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 system (codename “sarge”), for
the Alpha (“alpha”) architecture. It also contains pointers to more information and information on how to make
the most of your new Debian system.
Note: Although this installation guide for alpha is mostly up-to-date, we plan to make some changes and
reorganize parts of the manual after the official release of sarge. A newer version of this manual may be found
on the Internet at the debian-installer home page (http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/). You may
also be able to find additional translations there.
This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Please refer to the
license in Appendix E.
Table of Contents
Installing Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 For alpha .................................................................................viii
1. Welcome to Debian ......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1. What is Debian? ................................................................................................................... 1
1.2. What is GNU/Linux? ........................................................................................................... 2
1.3. What is Debian GNU/Linux?............................................................................................... 3
1.4. Getting Debian ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.5. Getting the Newest Version of This Document.................................................................... 3
1.6. Organization of This Document........................................................................................... 4
1.7. About Copyrights and Software Licenses............................................................................ 4
2. System Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 6
2.1. Supported Hardware............................................................................................................. 6
2.1.1. Supported Architectures .......................................................................................... 6
2.1.2. CPU, Main Boards, and Video Support................................................................... 7
2.1.3. Graphics Card........................................................................................................ 11
2.1.4. Multiple Processors ............................................................................................... 11
2.2. Installation Media .............................................................................................................. 11
2.2.1. CD-ROM/DVD-ROM ........................................................................................... 11
2.2.2. Hard Disk............................................................................................................... 12
2.2.3. Network ................................................................................................................. 12
2.2.4. Un*x or GNU system ............................................................................................ 12
2.2.5. Supported Storage Systems ................................................................................... 12
2.3. Peripherals and Other Hardware ........................................................................................ 12
2.4. Purchasing Hardware Specifically for GNU/Linux ........................................................... 12
2.4.1. Avoid Proprietary or Closed Hardware ................................................................. 13
2.4.2. Fake or “Virtual” Parity RAM............................................................................... 13
2.5. Memory and Disk Space Requirements............................................................................. 13
2.6. Network Connectivity Hardware ....................................................................................... 13
3. Before Installing Debian GNU/Linux ......................................................................................... 14
3.1. Overview of the Installation Process.................................................................................. 14
3.2. Back Up Your Existing Data!............................................................................................. 15
3.3. Information You Will Need................................................................................................ 15
3.3.1. Documentation ...................................................................................................... 15
3.3.1.1. Installation Manual ................................................................................... 15
3.3.1.2. Hardware documentation.......................................................................... 15
3.3.2. Finding Sources of Hardware Information............................................................ 16
3.3.3. Hardware Compatibility ........................................................................................ 17
3.3.4. Network Settings ................................................................................................... 17
3.4. Meeting Minimum Hardware Requirements ..................................................................... 18
3.5. Pre-Partitioning for Multi-Boot Systems ........................................................................... 18
3.5.1. Partitioning in Tru64 UNIX................................................................................... 20
3.5.2. Partitioning in Windows NT.................................................................................. 20
3.6. Pre-Installation Hardware and Operating System Setup.................................................... 21
3.6.1. Hardware Issues to Watch Out For........................................................................ 21
3.6.1.1. More than 64 MB RAM............................................................................ 21
iii
4. Obtaining System Installation Media ......................................................................................... 22
4.1. Official Debian GNU/Linux CD-ROM Sets ...................................................................... 22
4.2. Downloading Files from Debian Mirrors........................................................................... 22
4.2.1. Where to Find Installation Images ........................................................................ 22
4.2.1.1. Alpha Installation Files ............................................................................. 22
4.3. Preparing Files for TFTP Net Booting............................................................................... 23
4.3.1. Enabling the TFTP Server ..................................................................................... 23
4.3.2. Move TFTP Images Into Place.............................................................................. 23
4.3.2.1. Alpha TFTP Booting ................................................................................ 24
4.4. Automatic Installation........................................................................................................ 24
4.4.1. Automatic Installation Using the Debian Installer ................................................ 24
5. Booting the Installation System................................................................................................... 26
5.1. Booting the Installer on Alpha ........................................................................................... 26
5.1.1. Alpha Console Firmware....................................................................................... 26
5.1.2. Booting with TFTP................................................................................................ 27
5.1.3. Booting from CD-ROM with the SRM Console ................................................... 28
5.2. Boot Parameters ................................................................................................................. 28
5.2.1. Debian Installer Parameters................................................................................... 29
5.3. Troubleshooting the Installation Process ........................................................................... 31
5.3.1. Boot Configuration ................................................................................................ 31
5.3.2. Interpreting the Kernel Startup Messages ............................................................. 31
5.3.3. Bug Reporter ......................................................................................................... 31
5.3.4. Submitting Installation Reports............................................................................. 32
6. Using the Debian Installer............................................................................................................ 33
6.1. How the Installer Works..................................................................................................... 33
6.2. Components Introduction................................................................................................... 33
6.3. Using Individual Components............................................................................................ 36
6.3.1. Setting up Debian Installer and Hardware Configuration ..................................... 36
6.3.1.1. Check available memory........................................................................... 36
6.3.1.2. Language selection.................................................................................... 36
6.3.1.3. Country selection ...................................................................................... 36
6.3.1.4. Choosing a Keyboard................................................................................ 37
6.3.1.5. Looking for the Debian Installer ISO Image ............................................ 37
6.3.1.6. Configuring Network ................................................................................ 37
6.3.2. Partitioning and Mount Point Selection ................................................................ 38
6.3.2.1. Partitioning Your Disks............................................................................. 38
6.3.2.2. Configuring Logical Volume Manager (LVM) ......................................... 40
6.3.2.3. Configuring Multidisk Device (Software RAID)...................................... 40
6.3.3. Installing the Base System..................................................................................... 42
6.3.3.1. Base System Installation ........................................................................... 42
6.3.4. Making Your System Bootable.............................................................................. 43
6.3.4.1. Detecting other operating systems ............................................................ 43
6.3.4.2. Install aboot on a Hard Disk..................................................................... 43
6.3.4.3. Continue Without Boot Loader................................................................. 43
6.3.5. Finishing the First Stage........................................................................................ 44
6.3.5.1. Finish the Installation and Reboot ............................................................ 44
6.3.6. Miscellaneous ........................................................................................................ 44
6.3.6.1. Saving the installation logs ....................................................................... 44
6.3.6.2. Using the Shell and Viewing the Logs...................................................... 44
6.3.6.3. Installation Over the Network................................................................... 44
6.3.6.4. Running base-config From Within debian-installer ....................... 45
iv
7. Booting Into Your New Debian System ...................................................................................... 47
7.1. The Moment of Truth......................................................................................................... 47
7.2. Debian Post-Boot (Base) Configuration ............................................................................ 47
7.2.1. Configuring Your Time Zone ................................................................................ 47
7.2.2. Setting Up Users And Passwords .......................................................................... 47
7.2.2.1. Set the Root Password .............................................................................. 47
7.2.2.2. Create an Ordinary User ........................................................................... 48
7.2.3. Setting Up PPP ...................................................................................................... 48
7.2.3.1. Setting Up PPP over Ethernet (PPPOE) ................................................... 49
7.2.4. Configuring APT ................................................................................................... 49
7.2.4.1. Configuring Network Package Sources .................................................... 50
7.2.5. Package Installation............................................................................................... 50
7.2.5.1. Advanced Package Selection with aptitude............................................. 51
7.2.6. Prompts During Software Installation ................................................................... 51
7.2.7. Configuring Your Mail Transport Agent ............................................................... 52
7.3. Log In ................................................................................................................................. 52
8. Next Steps and Where to Go From Here.................................................................................... 54
8.1. If You Are New to Unix ..................................................................................................... 54
8.2. Orienting Yourself to Debian ............................................................................................. 54
8.2.1. Debian Packaging System ..................................................................................... 54
8.2.2. Application Version Management ......................................................................... 54
8.2.3. Cron Job Management........................................................................................... 55
8.3. Further Reading and Information....................................................................................... 55
8.4. Compiling a New Kernel.................................................................................................... 55
8.4.1. Kernel Image Management ................................................................................... 56
A. Installation Howto........................................................................................................................ 58
A.1. Preliminaries ..................................................................................................................... 58
A.2. Booting the installer .......................................................................................................... 58
A.2.1. CDROM................................................................................................................ 58
A.2.2. Booting from network .......................................................................................... 58
A.2.3. Booting from hard disk......................................................................................... 58
A.3. Installation......................................................................................................................... 59
A.4. Send us an installation report ............................................................................................ 59
A.5. And finally......................................................................................................................... 59
B. Partitioning for Debian................................................................................................................ 61
B.1. Deciding on Debian Partitions and Sizes .......................................................................... 61
B.2. The Directory Tree ............................................................................................................ 61
B.3. Recommended Partitioning Scheme.................................................................................. 62
B.4. Device Names in Linux ..................................................................................................... 63
B.5. Debian Partitioning Programs ........................................................................................... 64
B.5.1. Partitioning for Alpha ........................................................................................... 65
C. Random Bits ................................................................................................................................. 66
C.1. Preconfiguration File Example.......................................................................................... 66
C.2. Linux Devices.................................................................................................................... 72
C.2.1. Setting Up Your Mouse......................................................................................... 73
C.3. Disk Space Needed for Tasks ............................................................................................ 74
C.4. Installing Debian GNU/Linux from a Unix/Linux System ............................................... 74
C.4.1. Getting Started ...................................................................................................... 75
C.4.2. Install debootstrap ............................................................................................... 75
C.4.3. Run debootstrap .................................................................................................. 76
v
C.4.4. Configure The Base System.................................................................................. 76
C.4.4.1. Mount Partitions....................................................................................... 76
C.4.4.2. Configure Keyboard ................................................................................. 77
C.4.4.3. Configure Networking.............................................................................. 77
C.4.4.4. Configure Timezone, Users, and APT...................................................... 78
C.4.4.5. Configure Locales .................................................................................... 79
C.4.5. Install a Kernel...................................................................................................... 79
C.4.6. Set up the Boot Loader ......................................................................................... 79
D. Administrivia................................................................................................................................ 80
D.1. About This Document ....................................................................................................... 80
D.2. Contributing to This Document......................................................................................... 80
D.3. Major Contributions .......................................................................................................... 80
D.4. Trademark Acknowledgement .......................................................................................... 81
E. GNU General Public License ...................................................................................................... 82
E.1. Preamble ............................................................................................................................ 82
E.2. GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE .............................................................................. 82
E.3. How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs ......................................................... 85
vi
List of Tables
3-1. Hardware Information Needed for an Install .............................................................................. 16
3-2. Recommended Minimum System Requirements........................................................................ 18
vii
Installing Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 For alpha
We are delighted that you have decided to try Debian, and are sure that you will find that Debian’s
GNU/Linux distribution is unique. Debian GNU/Linux brings together high-quality free software
from around the world, integrating it into a coherent whole. We believe that you will find that the
result is truly more than the sum of the parts.
We understand that many of you want to install Debian without reading this manual, and the Debian
installer is designed to make this possible. If you don’t have time to read the whole Installation Guide
right now, we recommend that you read the Installation Howto, which will walk you through the basic
installation process, and links to the manual for more advanced topics or for when things go wrong.
The Installation Howto can be found in Appendix A.
With that said, we hope that you have the time to read most of this manual, and doing so will lead to
a more informed and likely more successful installation experience.
viii
Chapter 1. Welcome to Debian
This chapter provides an overview of the Debian Project and Debian GNU/Linux. If you already
know about the Debian Project’s history and the Debian GNU/Linux distribution, feel free to skip to
the next chapter.
1.1. What is Debian?

Debian is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to developing free software and promoting the ide-
als of the Free Software Foundation. The Debian Project began in 1993, when Ian Murdock issued
an open invitation to software developers to contribute to a complete and coherent software distri-
bution based on the relatively new Linux kernel. That relatively small band of dedicated enthusiasts,
originally funded by the Free Software Foundation (http://www.fsf.org/) and influenced by the GNU
(http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html) philosophy, has grown over the years into an organi-
zation of around 900 Debian Developers.
Debian Developers are involved in a variety of activities, including Web (http://www.debian.org/)
and FTP (ftp://ftp.debian.org/) site administration, graphic design, legal analysis of software licenses,
writing documentation, and, of course, maintaining software packages.
In the interest of communicating our philosophy and attracting developers who believe in the princi-
ples that Debian stands for, the Debian Project has published a number of documents that outline our
values and serve as guides to what it means to be a Debian Developer:
• The Debian Social Contract (http://www.debian.org/social_contract) is a statement of Debian’s

commitments to the Free Software Community. Anyone who agrees to abide to the Social Contract
may become a maintainer (http://www.debian.org/doc/maint-guide/). Any maintainer can introduce
new software into Debian — provided that the software meets our criteria for being free, and the
package follows our quality standards.
• The Debian Free Software Guidelines (http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines) are a
clear and concise statement of Debian’s criteria for free software. The DFSG is a very influen-
tial document in the Free Software Movement, and was the foundation of the The Open Source
Definition (http://opensource.org/docs/definition_plain.html).
• The Debian Policy Manual (http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/) is an extensive specifica-
tion of the Debian Project’s standards of quality.
Debian developers are also involved in a number of other projects; some specific to Debian, others
involving some or all of the Linux community. Some examples include:
• The Linux Standard Base (http://www.linuxbase.org/) (LSB) is a project aimed at standardizing the
basic GNU/Linux system, which will enable third-party software and hardware developers to easily
design programs and device drivers for Linux-in-general, rather than for a specific GNU/Linux
distribution.
• The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (http://www.pathname.com/fhs/) (FHS) is an effort to standard-
ize the layout of the Linux file system. The FHS will allow software developers to concentrate their
efforts on designing programs, without having to worry about how the package will be installed in
different GNU/Linux distributions.
1
• Debian Jr. (http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-jr/) is an internal project, aimed at making sure

Debian has something to offer to our youngest users.
For more general information about Debian, see the Debian FAQ (http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/).
1.2. What is GNU/Linux?

Linux is an operating system: a series of programs that let you interact with your computer and run
other programs.
An operating system consists of various fundamental programs which are needed by your computer
so that it can communicate and receive instructions from users; read and write data to hard disks,
tapes, and printers; control the use of memory; and run other software. The most important part of
an operating system is the kernel. In a GNU/Linux system, Linux is the kernel component. The rest
of the system consists of other programs, many of which were written by or for the GNU Project.
Because the Linux kernel alone does not form a working operating system, we prefer to use the term
“GNU/Linux” to refer to systems that many people casually refer to as “Linux”.
Linux is modelled on the Unix operating system. From the start, Linux was designed to be a multi-
tasking, multi-user system. These facts are enough to make Linux different from other well-known
operating systems. However, Linux is even more different than you might imagine. In contrast to other
operating systems, nobody owns Linux. Much of its development is done by unpaid volunteers.
Development of what later became GNU/Linux began in 1984, when the Free Software Foundation
(http://www.gnu.org/) began development of a free Unix-like operating system called GNU.
The GNU Project has developed a comprehensive set of free software tools for use with Unix™ and
Unix-like operating systems such as Linux. These tools enable users to perform tasks ranging from
the mundane (such as copying or removing files from the system) to the arcane (such as writing and
compiling programs or doing sophisticated editing in a variety of document formats).
While many groups and individuals have contributed to Linux, the largest single contributor is still
the Free Software Foundation, which created not only most of the tools used in Linux, but also the
philosophy and the community that made Linux possible.
The Linux kernel (http://www.kernel.org/) first appeared in 1991, when a Finnish computing
science student named Linus Torvalds announced an early version of a replacement kernel for
Minix to the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix. See Linux International’s Linux History Page
(http://www.li.org/linuxhistory.php).
Linus Torvalds continues to coordinate the work of several hundred developers with the help of
a few trusty deputies. An excellent weekly summary of discussions on the linux-kernel
mailing list is Kernel Traffic (http://www.kerneltraffic.org/kernel-traffic/index.html). More
information about the linux-kernel mailing list can be found on the linux-kernel mailing list FAQ
(http://www.tux.org/lkml/).
Linux users have immense freedom of choice in their software. For example, Linux users can choose
from a dozen different command line shells and several graphical desktops. This selection is often
bewildering to users of other operating systems, who are not used to thinking of the command line or
desktop as something that they can change.
Linux is also less likely to crash, better able to run more than one program at the same time, and more
secure than many operating systems. With these advantages, Linux is the fastest growing operating
system in the server market. More recently, Linux has begun to be popular among home and business
users as well.
2
1.3. What is Debian GNU/Linux?

The combination of Debian’s philosophy and methodology and the GNU tools, the Linux kernel, and
other important free software, form a unique software distribution called Debian GNU/Linux. This
distribution is made up of a large number of software packages. Each package in the distribution con-
tains executables, scripts, documentation, and configuration information, and has a maintainer who
is primarily responsible for keeping the package up-to-date, tracking bug reports, and communicating
with the upstream author(s) of the packaged software. Our extremely large user base, combined with
our bug tracking system ensures that problems are found and fixed quickly.
Debian’s attention to detail allows us to produce a high-quality, stable, and scalable distribution.
Installations can be easily configured to serve many roles, from stripped-down firewalls to desktop
scientific workstations to high-end network servers.
Debian is especially popular among advanced users because of its technical excellence and its deep
commitment to the needs and expectations of the Linux community. Debian also introduced many
features to Linux that are now commonplace.
For example, Debian was the first Linux distribution to include a package management system for easy
installation and removal of software. It was also the first Linux distribution that could be upgraded
without requiring reinstallation.
Debian continues to be a leader in Linux development. Its development process is an example of just
how well the Open Source development model can work — even for very complex tasks such as
building and maintaining a complete operating system.
The feature that most distinguishes Debian from other Linux distributions is its package management
system. These tools give the administrator of a Debian system complete control over the packages
installed on that system, including the ability to install a single package or automatically update the
entire operating system. Individual packages can also be protected from being updated. You can even
tell the package management system about software you have compiled yourself and what dependen-
cies it fulfills.
To protect your system against “Trojan horses” and other malevolent software, Debian’s servers ver-
ify that uploaded packages come from their registered Debian maintainers. Debian packagers also
take great care to configure their packages in a secure manner. When security problems in shipped
packages do appear, fixes are usually available very quickly. With Debian’s simple update options,
security fixes can be downloaded and installed automatically across the Internet.
The primary, and best, method of getting support for your Debian GNU/Linux system and commu-
nicating with Debian Developers is through the many mailing lists maintained by the Debian Project
(there are more than 160 at this writing). The easiest way to subscribe to one or more of these lists is
visit Debian’s mailing list subscription page (http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/subscribe) and fill
out the form you’ll find there.
1.4. Getting Debian

For information on how to download Debian GNU/Linux from the Internet or from whom official
Debian CDs can be purchased, see the distribution web page (http://www.debian.org/distrib/). The list
of Debian mirrors (http://www.debian.org/distrib/ftplist) contains a full set of official Debian mirrors,
so you can easily find the nearest one.
Debian can be upgraded after installation very easily. The installation procedure will help set up the
system so that you can make those upgrades once installation is complete, if need be.
3
1.5. Getting the Newest Version of This Document

This document is constantly being revised. Be sure to check the Debian 3.1 pages
(http://www.debian.org/releases/sarge/) for any last-minute information about the 3.1 release of the
Debian GNU/Linux system. Updated versions of this installation manual are also available from the
official Install Manual pages (http://www.debian.org/releases/sarge/alpha/).
1.6. Organization of This Document

This document is meant to serve as a manual for first-time Debian users. It tries to make as few
assumptions as possible about your level of expertise. However, we do assume that you have a general
understanding of how the hardware in your computer works.
Expert users may also find interesting reference information in this document, including minimum
installation sizes, details about the hardware supported by the Debian installation system, and so on.
We encourage expert users to jump around in the document.
In general, this manual is arranged in a linear fashion, walking you through the installation process
from start to finish. Here are the steps in installing Debian GNU/Linux, and the sections of this
document which correlate with each step:
1. Determine whether your hardware meets the requirements for using the installation system, in
Chapter 2.
2. Backup your system, perform any necessary planning and hardware configuration prior to in-
stalling Debian, in Chapter 3. If you are preparing a multi-boot system, you may need to create
partition-able space on your hard disk for Debian to use.
3. In Chapter 4, you will obtain the necessary installation files for your method of installation.
4. Chapter 5 describes booting into the installation system. This chapter also discusses troubleshoot-
ing procedures in case you have problems with this step.
5. Perform the actual installation according to Chapter 6. This involves choosing your language,
configuring peripheral driver modules, configuring your network connection, so that remaining
installation files can be obtained directly from a Debian server (if you are not installing from
a CD), partitioning your hard drives and installation of minimal working system. (Some back-
ground about setting up the partitions for your Debian system is explained in Appendix B.)
6. Boot into your newly installed base system and run through some additional configuration tasks,
from Chapter 7.
7. Install additional software in Section 7.2.5.
Once you’ve got your system installed, you can read Chapter 8. That chapter explains where to look
to find more information about Unix and Debian, and how to replace your kernel.
Finally, information about this document and how to contribute to it may be found in Appendix D.
1.7. About Copyrights and Software Licenses

We’re sure that you’ve read some of the licenses that come with most commercial software — they
usually say that you can only use one copy of the software on a single computer. This system’s license
4
isn’t like that at all. We encourage you to put a copy of on every computer in your school or place
of business. Lend your installation media to your friends and help them install it on their computers!
You can even make thousands of copies and sell them — albeit with a few restrictions. Your freedom
to install and use the system comes directly from Debian being based on free software.
Calling software free doesn’t mean that the software isn’t copyrighted, and it doesn’t mean that CDs
containing that software must be distributed at no charge. Free software, in part, means that the li-
censes of individual programs do not require you to pay for the privilege of distributing or using those
programs. Free software also means that not only may anyone extend, adapt, and modify the software,
but that they may distribute the results of their work as well.
Note: The Debian project, as a pragmatic concession to its users, does make some packages
available that do not meet our criteria for being free. These packages are not part of the official
distribution, however, and are only available from the contrib or non-free areas of Debian mir-
rors or on third-party CD-ROMs; see the Debian FAQ (http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/), under
“The Debian FTP archives”, for more information about the layout and contents of the archives.
Many of the programs in the system are licensed under the GNU General Public License, often simply
referred to as “the GPL”. The GPL requires you to make the source code of the programs available
whenever you distribute a binary copy of the program; that provision of the license ensures that any
user will be able to modify the software. Because of this provision, the source code1 for all such
programs is available in the Debian system.
There are several other forms of copyright statements and software licenses used on the programs
in Debian. You can find the copyrights and licenses for every package installed on your system by
looking in the file /usr/share/doc/package-name/copyright once you’ve installed a package
on your system.
For more information about licenses and how Debian determines whether software is free
enough to be included in the main distribution, see the Debian Free Software Guidelines
(http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines).
The most important legal notice is that this software comes with no warranties. The programmers
who have created this software have done so for the benefit of the community. No guarantee is made
as to the suitability of the software for any given purpose. However, since the software is free, you
are empowered to modify that software to suit your needs — and to enjoy the benefits of the changes
made by others who have extended the software in this way.
1. For information on how to locate, unpack, and build binaries from Debian source packages, see the Debian FAQ
(http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/), under “Basics of the Debian Package Management System”.
5
Chapter 2. System Requirements
This section contains information about what hardware you need to get started with Debian. You will
also find links to further information about hardware supported by GNU and Linux.
2.1. Supported Hardware

Debian does not impose hardware requirements beyond the requirements of the Linux kernel and the
GNU tool-sets. Therefore, any architecture or platform to which the Linux kernel, libc, gcc, etc. have
been ported, and for which a Debian port exists, can run Debian. Please refer to the Ports pages at
http://www.debian.org/ports/alpha/ for more details on Alpha architecture systems which have been
tested with Debian.
Rather than attempting to describe all the different hardware configurations which are supported for
Alpha, this section contains general information and pointers to where additional information can be
found.
2.1.1. Supported Architectures

Debian 3.1 supports eleven major architectures and several variations of each architecture known as
“flavors”.
Architecture Debian Designation Subarchitecture Flavor
Intel x86-based i386 vanilla
speakup
linux26
Motorola 680x0 m68k Atari atari
Amiga amiga
68k Macintosh mac
VME bvme6000
mvme147
mvme16x
DEC Alpha alpha
Sun SPARC sparc sun4cdm
sun4u
ARM and StrongARM arm netwinder
riscpc
shark
lart
IBM/Motorola powerpc CHRP chrp
PowerPC
6
Architecture Debian Designation Subarchitecture Flavor
PowerMac pmac
PReP prep
APUS apus
HP PA-RISC hppa PA-RISC 1.1 32
PA-RISC 2.0 64
Intel ia64-based ia64
MIPS (big endian) mips SGI Indy/Indigo 2 r4k-ip22
r5k-ip22
Broadcom sb1-swarm-bn
BCM91250A
(SWARM)
MIPS (little endian) mipsel Cobalt cobalt
DECstation r4k-kn04
r3k-kn02
Broadcom sb1-swarm-bn
BCM91250A
(SWARM)
IBM S/390 s390 IPL from VM-reader generic
and DASD
IPL from tape tape
This document covers installation for the Alpha architecture. If you are looking for information
on any of the other Debian-supported architectures take a look at the Debian-Ports
(http://www.debian.org/ports/) pages.
2.1.2. CPU, Main Boards, and Video Support

Complete information regarding supported DEC Alphas can be found at Linux Alpha HOWTO
(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Alpha-HOWTO.html). The purpose of this section is to describe the
systems supported by the boot disks.
Alpha machines are subdivided into different system types because there are a number of generations
of motherboard and supporting chipsets. Different systems (“sub-architectures”) often have radically
different engineering and capabilities. Therefore, the process of installing and, more to the point,
booting, can vary from system to system.
The following table lists the system types supported by the Debian installation system. The table also
indicates the code name for these system types. You’ll need to know this code name when you actually
begin the installation process:
Hardware Type Aliases MILO image
7

ALCOR AlphaStation 500 Maverick alcor
5/266.300
AlphaStation 500 Bret alcor
5/333...500
AlphaStation Alcor alcor
600/266...300
AlphaStation XLT xlt
600/300...433
BOOK1 AlphaBook1 (laptop) Alphabook1/Burns book1
AVANTI AlphaStation 200 Mustang avanti
4/100...166
AlphaStation 200 Mustang+ avanti
4/233
AlphaStation 205 LX3 avanti
4/133...333
AlphaStation 250 M3+ avanti
4/300
AlphaStation 255 LX3+ avanti
4/133...333
AlphaStation 300 Melmac avanti
4/266
AlphaStation 400 Chinet avanti
4/166
AlphaStation 400 Avanti avanti
4/233...300
EB164 AlphaPC164 PC164 pc164
AlphaPC164-LX LX164 lx164

AlphaPC164-SX SX164 sx164
EB164 EB164 eb164
EB64+ AlphaPC64 Cabriolet cabriolet
AlphaPCI64 Cabriolet cabriolet

EB64+ EB64+ eb64p
EB66 EB66 EB66 eb66
EB66+ EB66+ eb66p

JENSEN DEC 2000 Model Jensen N/A
300(S)
DEC 2000 Model 500 Culzen N/A
DECpc 150 Jensen N/A
MIATA Personal WorkStation Miata miata
433a
Personal WorkStation Miata miata
433au
8

466au
500a
500au
550au
600a
600au
MIKASA AlphaServer 1000 Mikasa mikasa
4/200
AlphaServer 1000 Mikasa+ mikasa
4/233..266
AlphaServer 1000 Mikasa-Pinnacle mikasa
5/300
AlphaServer 1000 Mikasa-Primo mikasa
5/300
NAUTILUS UP1000 Nautilus N/A
UP1100 Galaxy-Train/Nautilus N/A

Jr.
NONAME AXPpci33 Noname noname
UDB Multia noname

NORITAKE AlphaServer 1000A Noritake N/A
4/233...266
AlphaServer 1000A Noritake-Pinnacle N/A
5/300
AlphaServer 1000A Noritake-Primo N/A
5/333...500
AlphaServer 800 Corelle N/A
5/333...500
AlphaStation 600 A Alcor-Primo N/A
Digital Server 3300 Corelle N/A
Digital Server 3300R Corelle N/A
PLATFORM 2000 P2K P2K p2k
RAWHIDE AlphaServer 1200 Tincup/DaVinci N/A
5/xxx
AlphaServer 4000 Wrangler/Durango N/A
5/xxx
AlphaServer 4100 Dodge N/A
5/xxx
Digital Server 5300 Tincup/DaVinci N/A
9

Digital Server 7300 Dodge N/A
RUFFIAN DeskStation Ruffian ruffian
AlphaPC164-UX
DeskStation RPL164-2 Ruffian ruffian
DeskStation RPL164-4 Ruffian ruffian
DeskStation RPX164-2 Ruffian ruffian
DeskStation RPX164-4 Ruffian ruffian
Samsung Ruffian ruffian

AlphaPC164-BX
SABLE AlphaServer 2000 Demi-Sable N/A
4/xxx
AlphaServer 2000 Demi-Gamma-Sable N/A
5/xxx
AlphaServer 2100 Sable N/A
4/xxx
AlphaServer 2100 Gamma-Sable N/A
5/xxx
TAKARA 21164 PICMG SBC Takara takara
TITAN AlphaServer DS15 HyperBrick2 N/A
AlphaServer DS25 Granite N/A

AlphaServer ES45 Privateer N/A
UNKNOWN Yukon N/A
TSUNAMI AlphaServer DS10 Webbrick N/A
AlphaServer DS10L Slate N/A

AlphaServer DS20 Catamaran/Goldrush N/A
AlphaServer DS20E Goldrack N/A
AlphaServer DS20L Shark N/A
AlphaServer ES40 Clipper N/A
DP264 DP264 N/A
SMARTengine 21264 Eiger N/A
PCI/ISA SBC
UNKNOWN Warhol N/A
UNKNOWN Windjammer N/A
UP2000 Swordfish N/A
XP1000 Monet/Brisbane N/A
XP900 Webbrick N/A
WILDFIRE AlphaServer GS160 Wildfire N/A
AlphaServer GS320 Wildfire N/A
10

XL XL-233...266 XL xl
It is believed that Debian sarge supports installing on all alpha sub-architectures with the exception
of the ARC-only Ruffian and XL sub-architectures and the Titan subarchitecture, which requires a
change to the kernel compile options.
2.1.3. Graphics Card

Debian’s support for graphical interfaces is determined by the underlying support found in XFree86’s
X11 system. Most AGP, PCI and PCIe video cards work under XFree86. Details on supported graphics
buses, cards, monitors, and pointing devices can be found at http://www.xfree86.org/. Debian 3.1 ships
with XFree86 version 4.3.0.
2.1.4. Multiple Processors

Multi-processor support — also called “symmetric multi-processing” or SMP — is supported for this
architecture. However, the standard Debian 3.1 kernel image does not support SMP. This should not
prevent installation, since the standard, non-SMP kernel should boot on SMP systems; the kernel will
simply use the first CPU.
In order to take advantage of multiple processors, you’ll have to replace the standard Debian kernel.
You can find a discussion of how to do this in Section 8.4. At this time (kernel version 2.4.27) the way
you enable SMP is to select “Symmetric multi-processing support” in the “General setup” section of
the kernel config.
2.2. Installation Media

This section will help you determine which different media types you can use to install Debian. For
example, if you have a floppy disk drive on your machine, it can be used to install Debian. There is a
whole chapter devoted media, Chapter 4, which lists the advantages and disadvantages of each media
type. You may want to refer back to this page once you reach that section.
2.2.1. CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
Note: Whenever you see “CD-ROM” in this manual, it applies to both CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs,
because both technologies are really the same from the operating system’s point of view, except
for some very old nonstandard CD-ROM drives which are neither SCSI nor IDE/ATAPI.
CD-ROM based installation is supported for some architectures. On machines which support bootable
CD-ROMs, you should be able to do a completely floppy-less installation. Even if your system doesn’t
support booting from a CD-ROM, you can use the CD-ROM in conjunction with the other techniques
to install your system, once you’ve booted up by other means; see Chapter 5.
Both SCSI and IDE/ATAPI CD-ROMs are supported on Alpha, as long as the controller is sup-
ported by the SRM console. This rules out many add-on controller cards, but most integrated IDE
11
and SCSI chips and controller cards that were provided by the manufacturer can be expected to
work. To find out whether your device is supported from the SRM console, see the SRM HOWTO
(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/SRM-HOWTO/).
2.2.2. Hard Disk

Booting the installation system directly from a hard disk is another option for many architectures.
This will require some other operating system to load the installer onto the hard disk.
2.2.3. Network
You can also boot your system over the network.
Diskless installation, using network booting from a local area network and NFS-mounting of all local
filesystems, is another option.
After the operating system kernel is installed, you can install the rest of your system via any sort of
network connection (including PPP after installation of the base system), via FTP or HTTP.
2.2.4. Un*x or GNU system

If you are running another Unix-like system, you could use it to install Debian GNU/Linux without
using the debian-installer described in the rest of the manual. This kind of install may be useful
for users with otherwise unsupported hardware or on hosts which can’t afford downtime. If you are
interested in this technique, skip to the Section C.4.
2.2.5. Supported Storage Systems

The Debian boot disks contain a kernel which is built to maximize the number of systems it runs
on. Unfortunately, this makes for a larger kernel, which includes many drivers that won’t be used for
your machine (see Section 8.4 to learn how to build your own kernel). Support for the widest possible
range of devices is desirable in general, to ensure that Debian can be installed on the widest array of
hardware.
Any storage system supported by the Linux kernel is also supported by the boot system. This
includes both SCSI and IDE disks. Note, however, that on many systems, the SRM console
is unable to boot from IDE drives, and the Jensen is unable to boot from floppies. (see
http://www.alphalinux.org/faq/FAQ-9.html for more information on booting the Jensen)
2.3. Peripherals and Other Hardware

Linux supports a large variety of hardware devices such as mice, printers, scanners, PCMCIA and
USB devices. However, most of these devices are not required while installing the system.
12
2.4. Purchasing Hardware Specifically for GNU/Linux

There are several vendors, who ship systems with Debian or other distributions of GNU/Linux pre-
installed (http://www.debian.org/distrib/pre-installed). You might pay more for the privilege, but it
does buy a level of peace of mind, since you can be sure that the hardware is well-supported by
GNU/Linux.
Whether or not you are purchasing a system with Linux bundled, or even a used system, it is still
important to check that your hardware is supported by the Linux kernel. Check if your hardware is
listed in the references found above. Let your salesperson (if any) know that you’re shopping for a
Linux system. Support Linux-friendly hardware vendors.
2.4.1. Avoid Proprietary or Closed Hardware

Some hardware manufacturers simply won’t tell us how to write drivers for their hardware. Others
won’t allow us access to the documentation without a non-disclosure agreement that would prevent
us from releasing the Linux source code.
Since we haven’t been granted access to the documentation on these devices, they simply won’t work
under Linux. You can help by asking the manufacturers of such hardware to release the documenta-
tion. If enough people ask, they will realize that the free software community is an important market.
2.4.2. Fake or “Virtual” Parity RAM

If you ask for Parity RAM in a computer store, you’ll probably get virtual parity memory modules
instead of true parity ones. Virtual parity SIMMs can often (but not always) be distinguished because
they only have one more chip than an equivalent non-parity SIMM, and that one extra chip is smaller
than all the others. Virtual-parity SIMMs work exactly like non-parity memory. They can’t tell you
when you have a single-bit RAM error the way true-parity SIMMs do in a motherboard that imple-
ments parity. Don’t ever pay more for a virtual-parity SIMM than a non-parity one. Do expect to pay a
little more for true-parity SIMMs, because you are actually buying one extra bit of memory for every
8 bits.
If you want complete information on Alpha RAM issues, and what is the best RAM to buy, see the
PC Hardware FAQ (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/pc-hardware-faq/part1/).
Most, if not all, Alpha systems require true-parity RAM.
2.5. Memory and Disk Space Requirements

You must have at least 32MB of memory and 110MB of hard disk space. For a minimal console-
based system (all standard packages), 250MB is required. If you want to install a reasonable amount
of software, including the X Window System, and some development programs and libraries, you’ll
need at least 400MB. For a more or less complete desktop system, you’ll need a few gigabytes.
2.6. Network Connectivity Hardware

Any network interface card (NIC) supported by the Linux kernel should also be supported by the boot
disks. You may need to load your network driver as a module.
13
Chapter 3. Before Installing Debian
GNU/Linux
This chapter deals with the preparation for installing Debian before you even boot the installer. This
includes backing up your data, gathering information about your hardware, and locating any necessary
information.
3.1. Overview of the Installation Process

First, just a note about re-installations. With Debian, a circumstance that will require a complete re-
installation of your system is very rare; perhaps mechanical failure of the hard disk would be the most
common case.
Many common operating systems may require a complete installation to be performed when critical
failures take place or for upgrades to new OS versions. Even if a completely new installation isn’t
required, often the programs you use must be re-installed to operate properly in the new OS.
Under Debian GNU/Linux, it is much more likely that your OS can be repaired rather than replaced if
things go wrong. Upgrades never require a wholesale installation; you can always upgrade in-place.
And the programs are almost always compatible with successive OS releases. If a new program ver-
sion requires newer supporting software, the Debian packaging system ensures that all the necessary
software is automatically identified and installed. The point is, much effort has been put into avoiding
the need for re-installation, so think of it as your very last option. The installer is not designed to
re-install over an existing system.
Here’s a road map for the steps you will take during the installation process.
1. Back up any existing data or documents on the hard disk where you plan to install.
2. Gather information about your computer and any needed documentation, before starting the in-
stallation.
3. Create partition-able space for Debian on your hard disk.
4. Locate and/or download the installer software and any specialized driver files your machine re-
quires (except Debian CD users).
5. Set up boot tapes/floppies/USB sticks, or place boot files (most Debian CD users can boot from
one of the CDs).
6. Boot the installation system.
7. Select installation language.
8. Activate the ethernet network connection, if available.
9. Create and mount the partitions on which Debian will be installed.
10. Watch the automatic download/install/setup of the base system.
11. Install a boot loader which can start up Debian GNU/Linux and/or your existing system.
12. Load the newly installed system for the first time, and make some initial system settings.
13. Install additional software (tasks and/or packages), at your discretion.
If you have problems during the installation, it helps to know which packages are involved in which
steps. Introducing the leading software actors in this installation drama:
14
Chapter 3. Before Installing Debian GNU/Linux
The installer software, debian-installer, is the primary concern of this manual. It detects hard-
ware and loads appropriate drivers, uses dhcp-client to set up the network connection, and runs
debootstrap to install the base system packages. Many more actors play smaller parts in this pro-
cess, but debian-installer has completed its task when you load the new system for the first
time.
Upon loading the new base system, base-config supervises adding users, setting a time zone
(via tzsetup), and setting up the package installation system (using apt-setup). It then launches
tasksel which can be used to select large groups of related programs, and in turn can run aptitude
which allows you to choose individual software packages.
When debian-installer finishes, before the first system load, you have only a very basic com-
mand line driven system. The graphical interface which displays windows on your monitor will not
be installed unless you select it during the final steps, with either tasksel or aptitude. It’s op-
tional because many Debian GNU/Linux systems are servers which don’t really have any need for a
graphical user interface to do their job.
Just be aware that the X system is completely separate from debian-installer, and in fact is
much more complicated. Installation and trouble shooting of the X window installation is not within
the scope of this manual.
3.2. Back Up Your Existing Data!

Before you start, make sure to back up every file that is now on your system. If this is the first time
a non-native operating system has been installed on your computer, it’s quite likely you will need to
re-partition your disk to make room for Debian GNU/Linux. Anytime you partition your disk, you
should count on losing everything on the disk, no matter what program you use to do it. The programs
used in installation are quite reliable and most have seen years of use; but they are also quite powerful
and a false move can cost you. Even after backing up be careful and think about your answers and
actions. Two minutes of thinking can save hours of unnecessary work.
If you are creating a multi-boot system, make sure that you have the distribution media of any other
present operating systems on hand. Especially if you repartition your boot drive, you might find that
you have to reinstall your operating system’s boot loader, or in many cases the whole operating system
itself and all files on the affected partitions.
3.3. Information You Will Need
3.3.1. Documentation
3.3.1.1. Installation Manual

The document you are now reading, which is the official version of the Installation
Guide for the sarge release of Debian; available in various formats and translations
(http://www.debian.org/releases/sarge//installmanual).
3.3.1.2. Hardware documentation

Often contains useful information on configuring or using your hardware.
15
• Linux/Alpha FAQ (http://linux.iol.unh.edu/linux/alpha/faq/)
3.3.2. Finding Sources of Hardware Information

In many cases, the installer will be able to automatically detect your hardware. But to be prepared, we
do recommend familiarizing yourself with your hardware before the install.
Hardware information can be gathered from:
• The manuals that come with each piece of hardware.

• The BIOS setup screens of your computer. You can view these screens when you start your com-
puter by pressing a combination of keys. Check your manual for the combination. Often, it is the
Delete key.
• The cases and boxes for each piece of hardware.
• System commands or tools in another operating system, including file manager displays. This
source is especially useful for information about RAM and hard drive memory.
• Your system administrator or Internet Service Provider. These sources can tell you the settings you
need to set up your networking and e-mail.
Table 3-1. Hardware Information Needed for an Install
Hardware Information You Might Need

Hard Drives How many you have.
Their order on the system.

Whether IDE or SCSI (most computers are
IDE).
Available free space.
Partitions.
Partitions where other operating systems are
installed.
Monitor Model and manufacturer.
Resolutions supported.
Horizontal refresh rate.
Vertical refresh rate.
Color depth (number of colors) supported.
Screen size.
Mouse Type: serial, PS/2, or USB.
Port.
Manufacturer.
Number of buttons.
Network Model and manufacturer.
16
Hardware Information You Might Need

Type of adapter.
Printer Model and manufacturer.
Printing resolutions supported.

Video Card Model and manufacturer.
Video RAM available.

Resolutions and color depths supported (these
should be checked against your monitor’s
capabilities).
3.3.3. Hardware Compatibility

Many brand name products work without trouble on Linux. Moreover, hardware for Linux is improv-
ing daily. However, Linux still does not run as many different types of hardware as some operating
systems.
You can check hardware compatibility by:
• Checking manufacturers’ web sites for new drivers.

• Looking at web sites or manuals for information about emulation. Lesser known brands can some-
times use the drivers or settings for better-known ones.
• Checking hardware compatibility lists for Linux on web sites dedicated to your architecture.
• Searching the Internet for other users’ experiences.
3.3.4. Network Settings

If your computer is connected to a network 24 hours a day (i.e., an Ethernet or equivalent connection
— not a PPP connection), you should ask your network’s system administrator for this information.
• Your host name (you may be able to decide this on your own).
• Your domain name.
• Your computer’s IP address.
• The netmask to use with your network.
• The IP address of the default gateway system you should route to, if your network has a gateway.
• The system on your network that you should use as a DNS (Domain Name Service) server.
If you use a wireless network, you should also find out:
• ESSID of your wireless network.
17
• WEP security key (if applicable).
3.4. Meeting Minimum Hardware Requirements

Once you have gathered information about your computer’s hardware, check that your hardware will
let you do the type of installation that you want to do.
Depending on your needs, you might manage with less than some of the recommended hardware
listed in the table below. However, most users risk being frustrated if they ignore these suggestions.
Table 3-2. Recommended Minimum System Requirements
Install Type RAM Hard Drive

No desktop 24 megabytes 450 megabytes
With Desktop 64 megabytes 1 gigabyte
Server 128 megabytes 4 gigabytes
Here is a sampling of some common Debian system configurations. You can also get an idea of the
disk space used by related groups of programs by referring to Section C.3.
Standard Server
This is a small server profile, useful for a stripped down server which does not have a lot of
niceties for shell users. It includes an FTP server, a web server, DNS, NIS, and POP. For these
100MB of disk space would suffice, and then you would need to add space for any data you serve
up.
Desktop
A standard desktop box, including the X window system, full desktop environments, sound,
editors, etc. You’ll need about 2GB using the standard desktop task, though it can be done in far
less.
Work Console
A more stripped-down user machine, without the X window system or X applications. Possibly
suitable for a laptop or mobile computer. The size is around 140MB.
Developer
A desktop setup with all the development packages, such as Perl, C, C++, etc. Size is around
475MB. Assuming you are adding X11 and some additional packages for other uses, you should
plan around 800MB for this type of machine.
Remember that these sizes don’t include all the other materials which are usually to be found, such as
user files, mail, and data. It is always best to be generous when considering the space for your own files
and data. Notably, the /var partition contains a lot of state information specific to Debian in addition
to its regular contents like logfiles. The dpkg files (with information on all installed packages) can
easily consume 20MB. Also, apt-get puts downloaded packages here before they are installed. You
should usually allocate at least 100MB for /var.
18
3.5. Pre-Partitioning for Multi-Boot Systems

Partitioning your disk simply refers to the act of breaking up your disk into sections. Each section is
then independent of the others. It’s roughly equivalent to putting up walls inside a house; if you add
furniture to one room it doesn’t affect any other room.
If you already have an operating system on your system (Tru64 (Digital UNIX), OpenVMS, Windows
NT, FreeBSD, . . . ) and want to stick Linux on the same disk, you will need to repartition the disk.
Debian requires its own hard disk partitions. It cannot be installed on Windows or MacOS partitions.
It may be able to share some partitions with other Linux systems, but that’s not covered here. At the
very least you will need a dedicated partition for the Debian root.
You can find information about your current partition setup by using a partitioning tool for your
current operating system. Partitioning tools always provide a way to show existing partitions without
making changes.
In general, changing a partition with a file system already on it will destroy any information there.
Thus you should always make backups before doing any repartitioning. Using the analogy of the
house, you would probably want to move all the furniture out of the way before moving a wall or you
risk destroying it.
If your computer has more than one hard disk, you may want to dedicate one of the hard disks com-
pletely to Debian. If so, you don’t need to partition that disk before booting the installation system;
the installer’s included partitioning program can handle the job nicely.
If your machine has only one hard disk, and you would like to completely replace the current operating
system with Debian GNU/Linux, you also can wait to partition as part of the installation process
(Section 6.3.2.1), after you have booted the installation system. However this only works if you plan
to boot the installer system from tapes, CD-ROM or files on a connected machine. Consider: if you
boot from files placed on the hard disk, and then partition that same hard disk within the installation
system, thus erasing the boot files, you’d better hope the installation is successful the first time around.
At the least in this case, you should have some alternate means of reviving your machine like the
original system’s installation tapes or CDs.
If your machine already has multiple partitions, and enough space can be provided by deleting and
replacing one or more of them, then you too can wait and use the Debian installer’s partitioning
program. You should still read through the material below, because there may be special circumstances
like the order of the existing partitions within the partition map, that force you to partition before
installing anyway.
If none of the above apply, you’ll need to partition your hard disk before starting the installation to
create partition-able space for Debian. If some of the partitions will be owned by other operating
systems, you should create those partitions using native operating system partitioning programs. We
recommend that you do not attempt to create partitions for Debian GNU/Linux using another oper-
ating system’s tools. Instead, you should just create the native operating system’s partitions you will
want to retain.
If you are going to install more than one operating system on the same machine, you should install all
other system(s) before proceeding with Linux installation. Windows and other OS installations may
destroy your ability to start Linux, or encourage you to reformat non-native partitions.
You can recover from these actions or avoid them, but installing the native system first saves you
trouble.
If you currently have one hard disk with one partition (a common setup for desktop computers), and
you want to multi-boot the native operating system and Debian, you will need to:
1. Back up everything on the computer.
19
2. Boot from the native operating system installer media such as CD-ROM or tapes.
3. Use the native partitioning tools to create native system partition(s). Leave either a place holder
partition or free space for Debian GNU/Linux.
4. Install the native operating system on its new partition.
5. Boot back into the native system to verify everything’s OK, and to download the Debian installer
boot files.
6. Boot the Debian installer to continue installing Debian.
3.5.1. Partitioning in Tru64 UNIX

Tru64 UNIX, formerly known as Digital UNIX, which is in turn formerly known as OSF/1, uses the
partitioning scheme similar to the BSD “disk label”, which allows for up to eight partitions per disk
drive. The partitions are numbered “1” through to “8” in Linux and “lettered” “a” through to “h” in
UNIX. Linux kernels 2.2 and higher always correspond “1” to “a”, “2” to “b” and so on. For example,
rz0e in Tru64 UNIX would most likely be called sda5 in Linux.
Partitions in a Tru64 disk label may overlap. Moreover, if this disk will be used from Tru64, the “c”
partition is required to span the entire disk (thus overlapping all other non-empty partitions). Under
Linux this makes sda3 identical to sda (sdb3 to sdb, if present, and so on). However, the partman
partitioning tool used by debian-installer cannot handle overlapping partitions at present. As a
result, it is currently not recommended to share disks between Tru64 and Debian. Partitions on Tru64
disks can be mounted under Debian after installation has been completed.
Another conventional requirement is for the “a” partition to start from the beginning of the disk, so
that it always includes the boot block with the disk label. If you intend to boot Debian from that disk,
you need to size it at least 2MB to fit aboot and perhaps a kernel. Note that this partition is only
required for compatibility; you must not put a file system onto it, or you’ll destroy data.
It is possible, and indeed quite reasonable, to share a swap partition between UNIX and Linux. In this
case it will be needed to do a mkswap on that partition every time the system is rebooted from UNIX
into Linux, as UNIX will damage the swap signature. You may want to run mkswap from the Linux
start-up scripts before adding swap space with swapon -a.
If you want to mount UNIX partitions under Linux, note that Digital UNIX can use two different file
system types, UFS and AdvFS, of which Linux only understands the former.
3.5.2. Partitioning in Windows NT

Windows NT uses the PC-style partition table. If you are manipulating existing FAT or NTFS parti-
tions, it is recommended that you use the native Windows NT tools (or, more conveniently, you can
also repartition your disk from the AlphaBIOS setup menu). Otherwise, it is not really necessary to
partition from Windows; the Linux partitioning tools will generally do a better job. Note that when
you run NT, the Disk Administrator may offer you to write a “harmless signature” on non-Windows
disks if you have any. Never let it do that, as this signature will destroy the partition information.
If you plan to boot Linux from an ARC/AlphaBIOS/ARCSBIOS console, you will need a (small) FAT
partition for MILO. 5 MB is quite sufficient. If Windows NT is installed, its 6 MB bootstrap partition
can be employed for this purpose. Debian sarge does not support installing MILO. If you already have
MILO installed on your system, or install MILO from other media, Debian can still be booted from
ARC.
20
3.6. Pre-Installation Hardware and Operating System

Setup
This section will walk you through pre-installation hardware setup, if any, that you will need to do
prior to installing Debian. Generally, this involves checking and possibly changing firmware settings
for your system. The “firmware” is the core software used by the hardware; it is most critically invoked
during the bootstrap process (after power-up). Known hardware issues affecting the reliability of
Debian GNU/Linux on your system are also highlighted.
3.6.1. Hardware Issues to Watch Out For

Many people have tried operating their 90 MHz CPU at 100 MHz, etc. It sometimes works, but is
sensitive to temperature and other factors and can actually damage your system. One of the authors
of this document over-clocked his own system for a year, and then the system started aborting the gcc
program with an unexpected signal while it was compiling the operating system kernel. Turning the
CPU speed back down to its rated value solved the problem.
The gcc compiler is often the first thing to die from bad memory modules (or other hardware problems
that change data unpredictably) because it builds huge data structures that it traverses repeatedly. An
error in these data structures will cause it to execute an illegal instruction or access a non-existent
address. The symptom of this will be gcc dying from an unexpected signal.
3.6.1.1. More than 64 MB RAM

The Linux Kernel cannot always detect what amount of RAM you have. If this is the case please look
at Section 5.2.
21
Chapter 4. Obtaining System Installation
Media
4.1. Official Debian GNU/Linux CD-ROM Sets

By far the easiest way to install Debian GNU/Linux is from an Official Debian CD-ROM Set. You
can buy a set from a vendor (see the CD vendors page (http://www.debian.org/CD/vendors/)). You
may also download the CD-ROM images from a Debian mirror and make your own set, if you have a
fast network connection and a CD burner (see the Debian CD page (http://www.debian.org/CD/) for
detailed instructions). If you have a Debian CD set and CDs are bootable on your machine, you can
skip right to Chapter 5; much effort has been expended to ensure the files most people need are there
on the CD. Although a full set of binary packages requires several CDs, it is unlikely you will need
packages on the third CD and above. You may also consider using the DVD version, which saves a
lot of space on your shelf and you avoid the CD shuffling marathon.
If your machine doesn’t support CD booting, but you do have a CD set, you can use an alternative
strategy such as net boot, or manually loading the kernel from the CD to initially boot the system
installer. The files you need for booting by another means are also on the CD; the Debian network
archive and CD folder organization are identical. So when archive file paths are given below for
particular files you need for booting, look for those files in the same directories and subdirectories on
your CD.
Once the installer is booted, it will be able to obtain all the other files it needs from the CD.
If you don’t have a CD set, then you will need to download the installer system files and place them
on the a connected computer so they can be used to boot the installer.
4.2. Downloading Files from Debian Mirrors

To find the nearest (and thus probably the fastest) mirror, see the list of Debian mirrors
(http://www.debian.org/distrib/ftplist).
When downloading files from a Debian mirror, be sure to download the files in binary mode, not text
or automatic mode.
4.2.1. Where to Find Installation Images

The installation images are located on each Debian mirror in the
directory debian/dists/sarge/main/installer-alpha/current/images/
(http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/sarge/main/installer-alpha/current//images) — the MANIFEST
(http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/sarge/main/installer-alpha/current//images/MANIFEST) lists
each image and its purpose.
4.2.1.1. Alpha Installation Files

If you choose to boot from ARC console firmware using MILO, you will also need to prepare a
disk containing MILO and LINLOAD.EXE from the provided disk images. See Section 5.1.1 for
more information on Alpha firmware and boot loaders. The floppy images can be found in the MILO
directory as milo_subarchitecture.bin.
22
Chapter 4. Obtaining System Installation Media
Unfortunately, these MILO images could not be tested and might not work for all subarchitectures.
If you find it doesn’t work for you, try copying the appropriate MILO binary onto the floppy
(ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/sarge/main/disks-alpha/current/MILO/). Note that those MILOs
don’t support ext2 “sparse superblocks”, so you can’t use them to load kernels from newly generated
ext2 file systems. As a workaround, you can put your kernel onto the FAT partition next to the
MILO.
MILO binaries are platform-specific. See Section 2.1.2 to determine the appropriate MILO image
for your Alpha platform.
4.3. Preparing Files for TFTP Net Booting

If your machine is connected to a local area network, you may be able to boot it over the network from
another machine, using TFTP. If you intend to boot the installation system from another machine, the
boot files will need to be placed in specific locations on that machine, and the machine configured to
support booting of your specific machine.
You need to setup a TFTP server, and for many machines, a BOOTP server .
Unlike the Open Firmware found on Sparc and PowerPC machines, the SRM console will not use
RARP to obtain its IP address, and therefore you must use BOOTP for net booting your Alpha1. You
can also enter the IP configuration for network interfaces directly in the SRM console.
The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is used to serve the boot image to the client. Theoretically,
any server, on any platform, which implements these protocols, may be used. In the examples in this
section, we shall provide commands for SunOS 4.x, SunOS 5.x (a.k.a. Solaris), and GNU/Linux.
4.3.1. Enabling the TFTP Server

To get the TFTP server ready to go, you should first make sure that tftpd is enabled. This is usually
enabled by having something like the following line in /etc/inetd.conf:
tftp dgram udp wait nobody /usr/sbin/tcpd in.tftpd /tftpboot
Debian packages will in general set this up correctly by default when they are installed.
Look in that file and remember the directory which is used as the argument of in.tftpd; you’ll need that
below. The -l argument enables some versions of in.tftpd to log all requests to the system logs; this
is useful for diagnosing boot errors. If you’ve had to change /etc/inetd.conf, you’ll have to notify
the running inetd process that the file has changed. On a Debian machine, run /etc/init.d/inetd
reload; on other machines, find out the process ID for inetd, and run kill -HUP inetd-pid .
4.3.2. Move TFTP Images Into Place

Next, place the TFTP boot image you need, as found in Section 4.2.1, in the tftpd boot image direc-
tory. Generally, this directory will be /tftpboot. You’ll have to make a link from that file to the file
1. Alpha systems can also be net-booted using the DECNet MOP (Maintenance Operations Protocol), but this is not covered
here. Presumably, your local OpenVMS operator will be happy to assist you should you have some burning need to use MOP
to boot Linux on your Alpha.
23
which tftpd will use for booting a particular client. Unfortunately, the file name is determined by the
TFTP client, and there are no strong standards.
4.3.2.1. Alpha TFTP Booting

On Alpha, you must specify the filename (as a relative path to the boot image directory) using the
-file argument to the SRM boot command, or by setting the BOOT_FILE environment variable.
Alternatively, the filename can be given via BOOTP (in ISC dhcpd, use the filename directive).
Unlike Open Firmware, there is no default filename on SRM, so you must specify a filename by either
one of these methods.
4.4. Automatic Installation

For installing on multiple computers it’s possible to do fully automatic installations. Debian pack-
ages intended for this include fai (which uses an install server), replicator, systemimager,
autoinstall, and the Debian Installer itself.
4.4.1. Automatic Installation Using the Debian Installer

The Debian Installer supports automating installs via preconfiguration files. A preconfiguration file
can be loaded from the network or from removable media, and used to fill in answers to questions
asked during the installation process.
Although most dialogs used by debian-installer can be preseeded using this method, there are
some notable exceptions. You can (re)partition an entire disk or use available free space on a disk; it is
not possible to use existing partitions. You currently cannot use preseeding to set up RAID and LVM.
Also, with the exception of network driver modules, it is not possible to preconfigure kernel module
parameters.
The preconfiguration file is in the format used by the debconf-set-selections command. A well docu-
mented and working example that you can edit is in Section C.1.
Alternatively, one way to get a complete file listing all the values that can be preseeded is to do a
manual install, and then use debconf-get-selections, from the debconf-utils package, to
dump both the debconf database and the cdebconf database in /var/log/debian-installer/cdebconf to a
single file:
$ debconf-get-selections --installer > file

$ debconf-get-selections >> file
However, a file generated in this manner will have some items that should not be preseeded, and the
file in Section C.1 is a better starting place for most users.
Once you have a preconfiguration file, you can edit it if necessary, and place it on a web server, or
copy it onto the installer’s boot media. Wherever you place the file, you need to pass a parameter to
the installer at boot time to tell it to use the file.
To make the installer use a preconfiguration file downloaded from the network, add
preseed/url=http://url/to/preseed.cfg to the kernel boot parameters. Of course the preconfiguration
will not take effect until the installer manages to set up the network to download the file, so this is
most useful if the installer can set up the network via DHCP without asking any questions. You may
24
want to set the installation priority to critical to avoid any questions while the network is being
configured. See Section 5.2.1.
To place a preconfiguration file on a CD, you would need to remaster the ISO image to include your
preconfiguration file. See the manual page for mkisofs for details. Alternatively, put the preseed file
on a floppy, and use preseed/file=/floppy/preseed.cfg
25
Chapter 5. Booting the Installation System
5.1. Booting the Installer on Alpha
5.1.1. Alpha Console Firmware

Console firmware is stored in a flash ROM and started when an Alpha system is powered up or
reset. There are two different console specifications used on Alpha systems, and hence two classes of
console firmware available:
• SRM console, based on the Alpha Console Subsystem specification, which provides an operating
environment for OpenVMS, Tru64 UNIX, and Linux operating systems.
• ARC, AlphaBIOS, or ARCSBIOS console, based on the Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) speci-
fication, which provides an operating environment for Windows NT.
From the user’s perspective, the most important difference between SRM and ARC is that the choice
of console constrains the possible disk-partitioning scheme for the hard disk which you wish to boot
off of.
ARC requires that you use an MS-DOS partition table (as created by cfdisk) for the boot disk. There-
fore MS-DOS partition tables are the “native” partition format when booting from ARC. In fact,
since AlphaBIOS contains a disk partitioning utility, you may prefer to partition your disks from the
firmware menus before installing Linux.
Conversely, SRM is incompatible1 with MS-DOS partition tables. Since Tru64 Unix uses the BSD
disklabel format, this is the “native” partition format for SRM installations.
GNU/Linux is the only operating system on Alpha that can be booted from both console types, but
Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 only supports booting on SRM-based systems. If you have an Alpha for which
no version of SRM is available, if you will be dual-booting the system with Windows NT, or if your
boot device requires ARC console support for BIOS initialization, you will not be able to use the
Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 installer. You can still run Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 on such systems by using
other install media; for instance, you can install Debian woody with MILO and upgrade.
Because MILO is not available for any of the Alpha systems currently in production (as of February
2000), and because it is no longer necessary to buy an OpenVMS or Tru64 Unix license to have SRM
firmware on your older Alpha, it is recommended that you use SRM when possible.
The following table summarizes available and supported system type/console combinations
(see Section 2.1.2 for the system type names). The word “ARC” below denotes any of the
ARC-compliant consoles.
System Type Console Type Supported

alcor ARC or SRM
avanti ARC or SRM
book1 SRM only
cabriolet ARC or SRM
dp264 SRM only
1. Specifically, the bootsector format required by the Console Subsystem Specification conflicts with the placement of the
DOS partition table.
26
System Type Console Type Supported

eb164 ARC or SRM
eb64p ARC or SRM
eb66 ARC or SRM
eb66p ARC or SRM
jensen SRM only
lx164 ARC or SRM
miata ARC or SRM
mikasa ARC or SRM
mikasa-p SRM only
nautilus ARC (see motherboard manual) or SRM
noname ARC or SRM
noritake SRM only
noritake-p SRM only
pc164 ARC or SRM
rawhide SRM only
ruffian ARC only
sable SRM only
sable-g SRM only
sx164 ARC or SRM
takara ARC or SRM
xl ARC only
xlt ARC only
Generally, none of these consoles can boot Linux directly, so the assistance of an intermediary boot-
loader is required. For the SRM console, aboot, a small, platform-independent bootloader, is used.
See the (unfortunately outdated) SRM HOWTO (http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/SRM-HOWTO/) for
more information on aboot.
The majority of AlphaServers and all current server and workstation products contain both SRM
and AlphaBIOS in their firmware. For “half-flash” machines such as the various evaluation boards,
it is possible to switch from one version to another by reflashing the firmware. Also, once SRM is
installed, it is possible to run ARC/AlphaBIOS from a floppy disk (using the arc command). For the
reasons mentioned above, we recommend switching to SRM before installing Debian GNU/Linux.
As on other architectures, you should install the newest available revision of the firmware2 before
installing Debian GNU/Linux. For Alpha, firmware updates can be obtained from Alpha Firmware
Updates (http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/).
5.1.2. Booting with TFTP

In SRM, Ethernet interfaces are named with the ewa prefix, and will be listed in the output of the
2. Except on Jensen, where Linux is not supported on firmware versions newer than 1.7 — see
http://www.alphalinux.org/faq/FAQ-9.html for more information.
27
show dev command, like this (edited slightly):
>>> show dev

ewa0.0.0.9.0 EWA0 08-00-2B-86-98-65
ewb0.0.0.11.0 EWB0 08-00-2B-86-98-54
ewc0.0.0.2002.0 EWC0 00-06-2B-01-32-B0
You first need to set the boot protocol:
>>> set ewa0_protocol bootp
Then check the medium type is correct:
>>> set ewa0_mode mode
You can get a listing of valid modes with >>>set ewa0_mode.

Then, to boot from the first Ethernet interface, you would type:
>>> boot ewa0 -flags ""
This will boot using the default kernel parameters as included in the netboot image.
If you wish to use a serial console, you must pass the console= parameter to the kernel. This can be
done using the -flags argument to the SRM boot command. The serial ports are named the same
as their corresponding files in /dev. Also, when specifying additional kernel parameters, you must
repeat certain default options that are needed by the debian-installer images. For example, to
boot from ewa0 and use a console on the first serial port, you would type:
>>> boot ewa0 -flags "root=/dev/ram ramdisk_size=16384 console=ttyS0"
5.1.3. Booting from CD-ROM with the SRM Console

Type
>>> boot xxxx -flags 0
where xxxx is your CD-ROM drive in SRM notation.
5.2. Boot Parameters

Boot parameters are Linux kernel parameters which are generally used to make sure that peripherals
are dealt with properly. For the most part, the kernel can auto-detect information about your periph-
erals. However, in some cases you’ll have to help the kernel a bit.
If this is the first time you’re booting the system, try the default boot parameters (i.e., don’t try setting
parameters) and see if it works correctly. It probably will. If not, you can reboot later and look for any
special parameters that inform the system about your hardware.
28
Information on many boot parameters can be found in the Linux BootPrompt HOWTO
(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/BootPrompt-HOWTO.html), including tips for obscure hardware.
This section contains only a sketch of the most salient parameters. Some common gotchas are
included below in Section 5.3.
When the kernel boots, a message
Memory:availk/totalk available
should be emitted early in the process. total should match the total amount of RAM, in kilobytes.
If this doesn’t match the actual amount of RAM you have installed, you need to use the mem=ram
parameter, where ram is set to the amount of memory, suffixed with “k” for kilobytes, or “m” for
megabytes. For example, both mem=65536k and mem=64m mean 64MB of RAM.
If you are booting with a serial console, generally the kernel will autodetect this. If you have a video-
card (framebuffer) and a keyboard also attached to the computer which you wish to boot via serial
console, you may have to pass the console=device argument to the kernel, where device is your
serial device, which is usually something like ttyS0.
5.2.1. Debian Installer Parameters

The installation system recognizes a few additional boot parameters3 which may be useful.
debconf/priority
This parameter sets the lowest priority of messages to be displayed.
The default installation uses debconf/priority=high. This means that both high and critical
priority messages are shown, but medium and low priority messages are skipped. If problems are
encountered, the installer adjusts the priority as needed.
If you add debconf/priority=medium as boot parameter, you will be shown the installation
menu and gain more control over the installation. When debconf/priority=low
is used, all messages are shown (this is equivalent to the expert boot method). With
debconf/priority=critical, the installation system will display only critical messages
and try to do the right thing without fuss.
DEBIAN_FRONTEND
This boot parameter controls the type of user interface used for the installer. The current possible
parameter settings are:
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=text
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=newt
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=slang
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=ncurses
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=bogl
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=gtk
• DEBIAN_FRONTEND=corba
3. Note that the kernel accepts a maximum of 8 command line options and 8 environment options (including any options
added by default for the installer). If these numbers are exceeded, 2.4 kernels will drop any excess options and 2.6 kernels will
panic.
29
The default front end is DEBIAN_FRONTEND=newt. DEBIAN_FRONTEND=text may be prefer-

able for serial console installs. Generally only the newt frontend is available on default install
media, so this is not very useful right now.
BOOT_DEBUG
Setting this boot parameter to 2 will cause the installer’s boot process to be verbosely logged.
Setting it to 3 makes debug shells available at strategic points in the boot process. (Exit the shells
to continue the boot process.)
BOOT_DEBUG=0
This is the default.
BOOT_DEBUG=1
More verbose than usual.
BOOT_DEBUG=2
Lots of debugging information.
BOOT_DEBUG=3
Shells are run at various points in the boot process to allow detailed debugging. Exit the
shell to continue the boot.
INSTALL_MEDIA_DEV
The value of the parameter is the path to the device to load the Debian installer from. For exam-
ple, INSTALL_MEDIA_DEV=/dev/floppy/0
The boot floppy, which normally scans all floppies and USB storage devices it can to find the
root floppy, can be overridden by this parameter to only look at the one device.
debian-installer/framebuffer
Some architectures use the kernel framebuffer to offer installation in a number of languages.
If framebuffer causes a problem on your system you can disable the feature by the parame-
ter debian-installer/framebuffer=false. Problem symptoms are error messages about
bterm or bogl, a blank screen, or a freeze within a few minutes after starting the install.
debian-installer/probe/usb
Set to false to prevent probing for USB on boot, if that causes problems.
netcfg/disable_dhcp
By default, the debian-installer automatically probes for network configuration via DHCP.
If the probe succeeds, you won’t have a chance to review and change the obtained settings. You
can get to the manual network setup only in case the DHCP probe fails.
If you have a DHCP server on your local network, but want to avoid it because e.g. it gives wrong
answers, you can use the parameter netcfg/disable_dhcp=true to prevent configuring the
network with DHCP and to enter the information manually.
hw-detect/start_pcmcia
Set to false to prevent starting PCMCIA services, if that causes problems. Some laptops are
well known for this misbehavior.
30
preseed/url
Specify the url to a preconfiguration file to download and use in automating the install. See
Section 4.4.
preseed/file
Specify the path to a preconfiguration file to load to automating the install. See Section 4.4.
ramdisk_size
If you are using a 2.2.x kernel, you may need to set ramdisk_size=13000 .
5.3. Troubleshooting the Installation Process
5.3.1. Boot Configuration

If you have problems and the kernel hangs during the boot process, doesn’t recognize peripherals you
actually have, or drives are not recognized properly, the first thing to check is the boot parameters, as
discussed in Section 5.2.
If you are booting with your own kernel instead of the one supplied with the installer, be sure that
CONFIG_DEVFS is set in your kernel. The installer requires CONFIG_DEVFS.
Often, problems can be solved by removing add-ons and peripherals, and then trying booting again.
If you have a large amount of memory installed in your machine, more than 512M, and the installer
hangs when booting the kernel, you may need to include a boot argument to limit the amount of
memory the kernel sees, such as mem=512m.
5.3.2. Interpreting the Kernel Startup Messages

During the boot sequence, you may see many messages in the form can’t find something , or
something not present, can’t initialize something , or even this driver release
depends on something . Most of these messages are harmless. You see them because the kernel for
the installation system is built to run on computers with many different peripheral devices. Obviously,
no one computer will have every possible peripheral device, so the operating system may emit a few
complaints while it looks for peripherals you don’t own. You may also see the system pause for a
while. This happens when it is waiting for a device to respond, and that device is not present on your
system. If you find the time it takes to boot the system unacceptably long, you can create a custom
kernel later (see Section 8.4).
5.3.3. Bug Reporter

If you get through the initial boot phase but cannot complete the install, the bug reporter menu choice
may be helpful. It copies system error logs and configuration information to a user-supplied floppy.
This information may provide clues as to what went wrong and how to fix it. If you are submitting a
bug report you may want to attach this information to the bug report.
31
Other pertinent installation messages may be found in /var/log/ during the installation, and
/var/log/debian-installer/ after the computer has been booted into the installed system.
5.3.4. Submitting Installation Reports

If you still have problems, please submit an installation report. We also encourage installation reports
to be sent even if the installation is successful, so that we can get as much information as possible on
the largest number of hardware configurations.
Please use this template when filling out installation reports, and file the report as a bug report against
the installation-reports pseudo package, by sending it to <[email protected]>.
Package: installation-reports
Boot method: <How did you boot the installer? CD? floppy? network?>
Image version: <Fill in date and from where you got the image>
Date: <Date and time of the install>
Machine: <Description of machine (eg, IBM Thinkpad R32)>

Processor:
Memory:
Partitions: <df -Tl will do; the raw partition table is preferred>
Output of lspci and lspci -n:
Base System Installation Checklist:

[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn’t try it
Initial boot worked: [ ]

Configure network HW: [ ]
Config network: [ ]
Detect CD: [ ]
Load installer modules: [ ]
Detect hard drives: [ ]
Partition hard drives: [ ]
Create file systems: [ ]
Mount partitions: [ ]
Install base system: [ ]
Install boot loader: [ ]
Reboot: [ ]
Comments/Problems:
<Description of the install, in prose, and any thoughts, comments

and ideas you had during the initial install.>
In the bug report, describe what the problem is, including the last visible kernel messages in the event
of a kernel hang. Describe the steps that you did which brought the system into the problem state.
32
Chapter 6. Using the Debian Installer
6.1. How the Installer Works

The Debian Installer consists of a number of special-purpose components to perform each installation
task. Each component performs its task, asking the user questions as necessary to do its job. The
questions themselves are given priorities, and the priority of questions to be asked is set when the
installer is started.
When a default installation is performed, only essential (high priority) questions will be asked. This
results in a highly automated installation process with little user interaction. Components are auto-
matically run in sequence; which components are run depends mainly on the installation method you
use and on your hardware. The installer will use default values for questions that are not asked.
If there is a problem, the user will see an error screen, and the installer menu may be shown in order to
select some alternative action. If there are no problems, the user will never see the installer menu, but
will simply answer questions for each component in turn. Serious error notifications are set to priority
“critical” so the user will always be notified.
Some of the defaults that the installer uses can be influenced by passing boot arguments
when debian-installer is started. If, for example, you wish to force static network
configuration (DHCP is used by default if available), you could add the boot parameter
netcfg/disable_dhcp=true. See Section 5.2.1 for available options.
Power users may be more comfortable with a menu-driven interface, where each step is controlled by
the user rather than the installer performing each step automatically in sequence. To use the installer
in a manual, menu-driven way, add the boot argument debconf/priority=medium.
If your hardware requires you to pass options to kernel modules as they are installed, you will need
to start the installer in “expert” mode. This can be done by either using the expert command to start
the installer or by adding the boot argument debconf/priority=low. Expert mode gives you full
control over debian-installer.
The normal installer display is character-based (as opposed to the now more familiar graphical inter-
face). The mouse is not operational in this environment. Here are the keys you can use to navigate
within the various dialogs. The Tab or right arrow keys move “forward”, and the Shift-Tab or left
arrow keys move “backward” between displayed buttons and selections. The up and down arrow se-
lect different items within a scrollable list, and also scroll the list itself. In addition, in long lists, you
can type a letter to cause the list to scroll directly to the section with items starting with the letter you
typed and use Pg-Up and Pg-Down to scroll the list in sections. The space bar selects an item such
as a checkbox. Use Enter to activate choices.
Error messages are redirected to the third console. You can access this console by pressing Left Alt-
F3 (hold the left Alt key while pressing the F3 function key); get back to the main installer process
with Left Alt-F1.
These messages can also be found in /var/log/messages. After installation, this log is copied
to /var/log/debian-installer/messages on your new system. Other installation messages
may be found in /var/log/ during the installation, and /var/log/debian-installer/ after the
computer has been booted into the installed system.
33
6.2. Components Introduction

Here is a list of installer components with a brief description of each component’s purpose. Details
you might need to know about using a particular component are in Section 6.3.
main-menu
Shows the list of components to the user during installer operation, and starts a component when
it is selected. Main-menu’s questions are set to priority medium, so if your priority is set to high
or critical (high is the default), you will not see the menu. On the other hand, if there is an error
which requires your intervention, the question priority may be downgraded temporarily to allow
you to resolve the problem, and in that case the menu may appear.
You can get to the main menu by selecting the “Back” button repeatedly to back all the way out
of the currently running component.
languagechooser
Shows a list of languages and language variants. The installer will display messages in the chosen
language, unless the translation for that language is not complete. When a translation is not
complete, English messages are shown.
countrychooser
Shows a list of countries. The user may choose the country he lives in.
kbd-chooser
Shows a list of keyboards, from which the user chooses the model which matches his own.
hw-detect
Automatically detects most of the system’s hardware, including network cards, disk drives, and
PCMCIA.
cdrom-detect
Looks for and mounts a Debian installation CD.
netcfg
Configures the computer’s network connections so it can communicate over the internet.
iso-scan
Looks for ISO file systems, which may be on a CD-ROM or on the hard drive.
choose-mirror
Presents a list of Debian archive mirrors. The user may choose the source of his installation
packages.
cdrom-checker
Checks integrity of a CD-ROM. This way the user may assure him/herself that the installation
CD-ROM was not corrupted.
lowmem
Lowmem tries to detect systems with low memory and then does various tricks to remove un-
necessary parts of debian-installer from the memory (at the cost of some features).
34
anna
Anna’s Not Nearly APT. Installs packages which have been retrieved from the chosen mirror or
CD.
partman
Allows the user to partition disks attached to the system, create file systems on the selected
partitions, and attach them to the mountpoints. Included are also interesting features like a fully
automatic mode or LVM support. This is the preferred partitioning tool in Debian.
autopartkit
Automatically partitions an entire disk according to preset user preferences.
partitioner
Allows the user to partition disks attached to the system. A partitioning program appropriate to
your computer’s architecture is chosen.
partconf
Displays a list of partitions, and creates file systems on the selected partitions according to user
instructions.
lvmcfg
Helps the user with the configuration of the LVM (Logical Volume Manager).
mdcfg
Allows the user to setup Software RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). This Software
RAID is usually superior to the cheap IDE (pseudo hardware) RAID controllers found on newer
motherboards.
base-installer
Installs the most basic set of packages which would allow the computer to operate under Linux
when rebooted.
os-prober
Detects currently installed operating systems on the computer and passes this information to the
bootloader-installer, which may offer you an ability to add discovered operating systems to the
bootloader’s start menu. This way the user could easily choose at the boot time which operating
system to start.
bootloader-installer
Installs a boot loader program on the hard disk, which is necessary for the computer to start up
using Linux without using a floppy or CD-ROM. Many boot loaders allow the user to choose an
alternate operating system each time the computer boots.
base-config
Provides dialogs for setting up the base system packages according to user preferences. This is
normally done after rebooting the computer; it is the “first run” of the new Debian system.
shell
Allows the user to execute a shell from the menu, or in the second console.
35
bugreporter
Provides a way for the user to record information on a floppy disk when trouble is encountered,
in order to accurately report installer software problems to Debian developers later.
6.3. Using Individual Components

In this section we will describe each installer component in detail. The components have been grouped
into stages that should be recognizable for users. They are presented in the order they appear during
the install. Note that not all modules will be used for every installation; which modules are actually
used depends on the installation method you use and on your hardware.
6.3.1. Setting up Debian Installer and Hardware

Configuration
Let’s assume the Debian Installer has booted and you are facing its first screen. At this time, the
capabilities of debian-installer are still quite limited. It doesn’t know much about your hardware,
preferred language, or even the task it should perform. Don’t worry. Because debian-installer is
quite clever, it can automatically probe your hardware, locate the rest of its components and upgrade
itself to a capable installation system. However, you still need to help debian-installer with some
information it can’t determine automatically (like selecting your preferred language, keyboard layout
or desired network mirror).
You will notice that debian-installer performs hardware detection several times during this
stage. The first time is targeted specifically at the hardware needed to load installer components (e.g.
your CD-ROM or network card). As not all drivers may be available during this first run, hardware
detection needs to be repeated later in the process.
6.3.1.1. Check available memory

One of the first things debian-installer does, is to check available memory. If the available mem-
ory is limited, this component will make some changes in the installation process which hopefully will
allow you to install Debian GNU/Linux on your system.
During a low memory install, not all components will be available. One of the limitations is that you
won’t be able to choose a language for the installation.
6.3.1.2. Language selection

As the first step of the installation, select the language in which you want the installation process to
proceed. The language names are listed in both English (left side) and in the language itself (right
side); the names on the right side are also shown in the proper script for the language. The list is
sorted on the English names.
The language you choose will be used for the rest of the installation process, provided a translation
of the different dialogs is available. If no valid translation is available for the selected language, the
installer will default to English. The selected language will also be used to help select a suitable
keyboard layout.
36
6.3.1.3. Country selection

If you selected a language in Section 6.3.1.2 which has more than one country associated with it (true
for Chinese, English, French, and many other languages), you can specify the country here. If you
choose Other at the bottom of the list, you will be presented with a list of all countries, grouped by
continent.
This selection will be used later in the installation process to pick the default timezone and a Debian
mirror appropriate for your geographic location. If the defaults proposed by the installer are not suit-
able, you can make a different choice. The selected country, together with the selected language, may
also affect locale settings for your new Debian system.
6.3.1.4. Choosing a Keyboard

Keyboards are often tailored to the characters used in a language. Select a layout that conforms to the
keyboard you are using, or select something close if the keyboard layout you want isn’t represented.
Once the system installation is complete, you’ll be able to select a keyboard layout from a wider range
of choices (run kbdconfig as root after you have completed the installation).
Move the highlight to the keyboard selection you desire and press Enter. Use the arrow keys to move
the highlight — they are in the same place in all national language keyboard layouts, so they are
independent of the keyboard configuration. An ’extended’ keyboard is one with F1 through F10 keys
along the top row.
6.3.1.5. Looking for the Debian Installer ISO Image

When installing via the hd-media method, there will be a moment where you need to find and mount
the Debian Installer iso image in order to get the rest of the installation files. The component iso-scan
does exactly this.
At first, iso-scan automatically mounts all block devices (e.g. partitions) which have some known
filesystem on them and sequentially searches for filenames ending with .iso (or .ISO for that mat-
ter). Beware that the first attempt scans only files in the root directory and in the first level of subdi-
rectories (i.e. it finds /whatever.iso, /data/whatever.iso, but not /data/tmp/whatever.iso).
After an iso image has been found, iso-scan checks its content to determine if the image is a valid
Debian iso image or not. In the former case we are done, in the latter iso-scan seeks for another image.
In case the previous attempt to find an installer iso image fails, iso-scan will ask you whether you
would like to perform a more thorough search. This pass doesn’t just look into the topmost directories,
but really traverses whole filesystem.
If iso-scan does not discover your installer iso image, reboot back to your original operating system
and check if the image is named correctly (ending in .iso), if it is placed on a filesystem recognizable
by debian-installer, and if it is not corrupted (verify the checksum). Experienced Unix users
could do this without rebooting on the second console.
6.3.1.6. Configuring Network

As you enter this step, if the system detects that you have more than one network device, you’ll
be asked to choose which device will be your primary network interface, i.e. the one which you
want to use for installation. The other interfaces won’t be configured at this time. You may configure
additional interfaces after installation is complete; see the interfaces(5) man page.
37
By default, debian-installer tries to configure your computer’s network automatically via DHCP.
If the DHCP probe succeeds, you are done. If the probe fails, it may be caused by many factors ranging
from unplugged network cable, to a misconfigured DHCP setup. Or maybe you don’t have a DHCP
server in your local network at all. For further explanation check the error messages on the third
console. In any case, you will be asked if you want to retry, or if you want to perform manual setup.
DHCP servers are sometimes really slow in their responses, so if you are sure everything is in place,
try again.
The manual network setup in turn asks you a number of questions about your network, notably IP
address, Netmask, Gateway, Name server addresses, and a Hostname. Moreover, if you have
a wireless network interface, you will be asked to provide your Wireless ESSID and a WEP key.
Fill in the answers from Section 3.3.
Note: Some technical details you might, or might not, find handy: the program assumes the
network IP address is the bitwise-AND of your system’s IP address and your netmask. It will guess
the broadcast address is the bitwise OR of your system’s IP address with the bitwise negation of
the netmask. It will also guess your gateway. If you can’t find any of these answers, use the
system’s guesses — you can change them once the system has been installed, if necessary, by
editing /etc/network/interfaces. Alternatively, you can install etherconf, which will step you
through your network setup.
6.3.2. Partitioning and Mount Point Selection

At this time, after hardware detection has been executed a final time, debian-installer should be
at its full strength, customized for the user’s needs and ready to do some real work. As the title of this
section indicates, the main task of the next few components lies in partitioning your disks, creating
filesystems, assigning mountpoints and optionally configuring closely related issues like LVM or
RAID devices.
6.3.2.1. Partitioning Your Disks

Now it is time to partition your disks. If you are uncomfortable with partitioning, or just want to know
more details, see Appendix B.
First you will be given the opportunity to automatically partition either an entire drive, or free space on
a drive. This is also called “guided” partitioning. If you do not want to autopartition, choose Manually
edit partition table from the menu.
If you choose guided partitioning, you will be able to choose from the schemes listed in the table
below. All schemes have their pros and cons, some of which are discussed in Appendix B. If you
are unsure, choose the first one. Bear in mind, that guided partitioning needs certain minimal amount
of free space to operate with. If you don’t give it at least about 1GB of space (depends on chosen
scheme), guided partitioning will fail.
Partitioning scheme Minimum space Created partitions

All files in one partition 600MB /, swap
Desktop machine 500MB /, /home, swap
Multi-user workstation 1GB /, /home, /usr, /var, /tmp,
swap
38
If you chose an automatic partitioning for your Alpha system, an additional, unformatted partition
will be allocated at the beginning of your disk to reserve this space for the aboot boot loader.
After selecting a scheme, the next screen will show your new partition table, including information
on whether and how partitions will be formatted and where they will be mounted.
The list of partitions might look like this:
IDE1 master (hda) - 6.4 GB WDC AC36400L

#1 primary 16.4 MB ext2 /boot
#2 primary 551.0 MB swap swap
#3 primary 5.8 GB ntfs
pri/log 8.2 MB FREE SPACE
IDE1 slave (hdb) - 80.0 GB ST380021A

#1 primary 15.9 MB ext3
#2 primary 996.0 MB fat16
#3 primary 3.9 GB xfs /home
#5 logical 6.0 GB ext3 /
#6 logical 1.0 GB ext3 /var
#7 logical 498.8 MB ext3
#8 logical 551.5 MB swap swap
#9 logical 65.8 GB ext2
This example shows two IDE harddrives divided into several partitions; the first disk has some free
space. Each partition line consists of the partition number, its type, size, optional flags, file system,
and mountpoint (if any).
This concludes the guided partitioning. If you are satisfied with the generated partition table, you
can choose Finish partitioning and write changes to disk from the menu to implement the new
partition table (as described at the end of this section). If you are not happy, you can choose to Undo
changes to partitions, to run guided partitioning again or modify the proposed changes as described
below for manual partitioning.
A similar screen to the one shown just above will be displayed if you choose manual partitioning
except that your existing partition table will be shown and without the mount points. How to manually
setup your partition table and the usage of partitions by your new Debian system will be covered in
the remainder of this section.
If you select a pristine disk which doesn’t have neither partitions nor free space on it, you will be
offered to create a new partition table (this is needed so you can create new partitions). After this a
new line entitled “FREE SPACE” should appear under the selected disk.
If you select some free space, you will be offered to create new partition. You will have to answer
a quick series of questions about its size, type (primary or logical), and location (beginning or end
of the free space). After this, you will be presented with detailed overview of your new partition.
There are options like mountpoint, mount options, bootable flag, or way of usage. If you don’t like
the preselected defaults, feel free to change them to your liking. E.g. by selecting the option Use as:,
you can choose different filesystem for this partition including the possibility to use the partition for
swap, software RAID, LVM, or not use it at all. Other nice feature is the possibility to copy data from
existing partition onto this one. When you are satisfied with your new partition, select Done setting
up the partition and you will be thrown back to the partman’s main screen.
If you decide you want to change something about your partition, simply select the partition, which
will bring you to the partition configuration menu. Because this is the same screen like when creating
a new partition, you can change the same set of options. One thing which might not be very obvious
at a first glance is that you can resize the partition by selecting the item displaying the size of the
39
partition. Filesystems known to work are at least fat16, fat32, ext2, ext3 and swap. This menu also
allows you to delete a partition.
Be sure to create at least two partitions: one for the root filesystem (which must be mounted as /) and
one for swap. If you forget to mount the root filesystem, partman won’t let you continue until you
correct this issue.
Capabilities of partman can be extended with installer modules, but are dependent on your system’s
architecture. So if you can’t see all promised goodies, check if you have loaded all required modules
(e.g. partman-ext3, partman-xfs, or partman-lvm).
After you are satisfied with partitioning, select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk from
the partitioning menu. You will be presented with a summary of changes made to the disks and asked
to confirm that the filesystems should be created as requested.
6.3.2.2. Configuring Logical Volume Manager (LVM)

If you are working with computers at the level of system administrator or “advanced” user, you have
surely seen the situation where some disk partition (usually the most important one) was short on
space, while some other partition was grossly underused and you had to manage this situation with
moving stuff around, symlinking, etc.
To avoid the described situation you can use Logical Volume Manager (LVM). Simply said, with
LVM you can combine your partitions (physical volumes in LVM lingo) to form a virtual disc (so
called volume group), which can then be divided into virtual partitions (logical volumes). The point is
that logical volumes (and of course underlying volume groups) can span across several physical discs.
Now when you realize you need more space for your old 160GB /home partition, you can simply add
a new 300GB disc to the computer, join it with your existing volume group and then resize the logical
volume which holds your /home filesystem and voila — your users have some room again on their
renewed 460GB partition. This example is of course a bit oversimplified. If you haven’t read it yet,
you should consult the LVM HOWTO (http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO.html).
LVM setup in debian-installer is quite simple. At first, you have to mark your partitions to be
used as physical volumes for LVM. (This is done in partman in the Partition settings menu where
you should select Use as:−→physical volume for LVM.) Then start the lvmcfg module (either di-
rectly from partman or from the debian-installer’s main menu) and combine physical volumes
to volume group(s) under the Modify volume groups (VG) menu. After that, you should create
logical volumes on the top of volume groups from the menu Modify logical volumes (LV).
After returning from lvmcfg back to partman, you will see any created logical volumes in the same
way as ordinary partitions (and you should treat them like that).
6.3.2.3. Configuring Multidisk Device (Software RAID)

If you have more than one harddrive1 in your computer, you can use mdcfg to setup your drives for
increased performance and/or better reliability of your data. The result is called Multidisk Device (or
after its most famous variant software RAID).
MD is basically a bunch of partitions located on different disks and combined together to form a
logical device. This device can then be used like an ordinary partition (i.e. in partman you can
format it, assign a mountpoint, etc.).
The benefit you gain depends on a type of a MD device you are creating. Currently supported are:
1. To be honest, you can construct MD device even from partitions residing on single physical drive, but that won’t bring
you anything useful.
40
RAID0
Is mainly aimed at performance. RAID0 splits all incoming data into stripes and distributes them
equally over each disk in the array. This can increase the speed of read/write operations, but when
one of the disks fails, you will loose everything (part of the information is still on the healthy
disk(s), the other part was on the failed disk).
The typical use for RAID0 is a partition for video editing.
RAID1
Is suitable for setups where reliability is the first concern. It consists of several (usually two)
equally sized partitions where every partition contains exactly the same data. This essentially
means three things. First, if one of your disks fails, you still have the data mirrored on the
remaining disks. Second, you can use only a fraction of the available capacity (more precisely, it
is the size of the smallest partition in the RAID). Third, file reads are load balanced among the
disks, which can improve performance on a server, such as a file server, that tends to be loaded
with more disk reads than writes.
Optionally you can have a spare disk in the array which will take the place of the failed disk in
the case of failure.
RAID5
Is a good compromise between speed, reliability and data redundancy. RAID5 splits all incom-
ming data into stripes and distributes them equally on all but one disks (similar to RAID0).
Unlike RAID0, RAID5 also computes parity information, which gets written on the remaining
disk. The parity disk is not static (that would be called RAID4), but is changing periodically, so
the parity information is distributed equally on all disks. When one of the disks fails, the missing
part of information can be computed from remaining data and its parity. RAID5 must consist of
at least three active partitions. Optionally you can have a spare disk in the array which will take
the place of the failed disk in the case of failure.
As you can see, RAID5 has similar degree of reliability like RAID1 while achieving less re-
dundancy. On the other hand it might be a bit slower on write operation than RAID0 due to
computation of parity information.
To sum it up:
Type Minimum Spare Device Survives disk Available

Devices failure? Space
RAID0 2 no no Size of the
smallest partition
multiplied by
number of devices
in RAID
RAID1 2 optional yes Size of the
smallest partition
in RAID
RAID5 3 optional yes Size of the
smallest partition
multiplied by
(number of
devices in RAID
minus one)
41
If you want to know the whole truth about Software RAID, have a look at Software RAID HOWTO
(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Software-RAID-HOWTO.html).
To create a MD device, you need to have the desired partitions it should consist of marked for use
in a RAID. (This is done in partman in the Partition settings menu where you should select Use
as:−→physical volume for RAID.)
Warning
Support for MD is a relatively new addition to the installer. You may experience problems for some
RAID levels and in combination with some bootloaders if you try to use MD for the root (/) filesystem.
For experienced users, it may be possible to work around some of these problems by executing some
configuration or installation steps manually from a shell.
Next, you should choose Configure software RAID from the main partman menu. On the first
screen of mdcfg simply select Create MD device. You will be presented with a list of supported
types of MD devices, from which you should choose one (e.g. RAID1). What follows depends on the
type of MD you selected.
• RAID0 is simple — you will be issued with the list of available RAID partitions and your only task
is to select the partitions which will form the MD.
• RAID1 is a bit more tricky. First, you will be asked to enter the number of active devices and the
number of spare devices which will form the MD. Next, you need to select from the list of available
RAID partitions those that will be active and then those that will be spare. The count of selected
partitions must be equal to the number provided few seconds ago. Don’t worry. If you make a
mistake and select different number of partitions, the debian-installer won’t let you continue
until you correct the issue.
• RAID5 has similar setup procedure as RAID1 with the exception that you need to use at least three
active partitions.
It is perfectly possible to have several types of MD at once. For example if you have three 200 GB
hard drives dedicated to MD, each containing two 100 GB partitions, you can combine first partitions
on all three disk into the RAID0 (fast 300 GB video editing partition) and use the other three partitions
(2 active and 1 spare) for RAID1 (quite reliable 100 GB partition for /home).
After you setup MD devices to your liking, you can Finish mdcfg to return back to the partman to
create filesystems on your new MD devices and assign them the usual attributes like mountpoints.
6.3.3. Installing the Base System

Although this stage is the least problematic, it consumes most time of the install because it downloads,
verifies and unpacks the whole base system. If you have a slow computer or network connection, this
could take some time.
6.3.3.1. Base System Installation

During the Base installation, package unpacking and setup messages are redirected to tty3. You can
access this terminal by pressing Left Alt-F3; get back to the main installer process with Left Alt-F1.
42
The unpack/setup messages generated by the base installation are saved in /var/log/messages
when the installation is performed over a serial console.
As part of the installation, a Linux kernel will be installed. At the default priority, the installer will
choose one for you that best matches your hardware. In lower priority modes, you will be able to
choose from a list of available kernels.
6.3.4. Making Your System Bootable

If you are installing a diskless workstation, obviously, booting off the local disk isn’t a meaningful
option, and this step will be skipped.
Note that multiple operating systems booting on a single machine is still something of a black art.
This document does not even attempt to document the various boot managers, which vary by archi-
tecture and even by subarchitecture. You should see your boot manager’s documentation for more
information.
6.3.4.1. Detecting other operating systems

Before a boot loader is installed, the installer will attempt to probe for other operating systems which
are installed on the machine. If it finds a supported operating system, you will be informed of this dur-
ing the boot loader installation step, and the computer will be configured to boot this other operating
system in addition to Debian.
Note that multiple operating systems booting on a single machine is still something of a black art. The
automatic support for detecting and setting up boot loaders to boot other operating systems varies by
architecture and even by subarchitecture. If it does not work you should consult your boot manager’s
documentation for more information.
Note: The installer may fail to detect other operating systems if the partitions on which they reside
are mounted when the detection takes place. This may occur if you select a mountpoint (e.g. /win)
for a partition containing another operating system in partman, or if you have mounted partitions
manually from a console.
6.3.4.2. Install aboot on a Hard Disk

If you have booted from SRM, if you select this option, the installer will write aboot to the first sector
of the disk on which you installed Debian. Be very careful — it is not possible to boot multiple op-
erating systems (e.g. GNU/Linux, Free/Open/NetBSD, OSF/1 a.k.a. Digital Unix a.k.a. Tru64 Unix,
or OpenVMS) from the same disk. If you also have a different operating system installed on the disk
where you have installed Debian, you will have to boot GNU/Linux from a floppy instead.
6.3.4.3. Continue Without Boot Loader

This option can be used to complete the installation even when no boot loader is to be installed, either
because the arch/subarch doesn’t provide one, or because none is desired (e.g. you will use existing
boot loader).
43
If you plan to manually configure your bootloader, you should check the name of the installed kernel
in /target/boot. You should also check that directory for the presence of an initrd; if one is present,
you will probably have to instruct your bootloader to use it. Other information you will need are the
disk and partition you selected for your / filesystem and, if you chose to install /boot on a separate
partition, also your /boot filesystem.
6.3.5. Finishing the First Stage

These are the last bits to do before rebooting to your new Debian. It mostly consists of tidying up
after the debian-installer.
6.3.5.1. Finish the Installation and Reboot

This is the last step in the initial Debian installation process. You will be prompted to remove the boot
media (CD, floppy, etc) that you used to boot the installer. The installer will do any last minute tasks,
and then reboot into your new Debian system.
6.3.6. Miscellaneous
The components listed in this section are usually not involved in the installation process, but are
waiting in the background to help the user in case something goes wrong.
6.3.6.1. Saving the installation logs

If the installation is successful, the logfiles created during the installation process will be automatically
saved to /var/log/debian-installer/ on your new Debian system.
Choosing Save debug logs from the main menu allows you to save the log files to a floppy disk.
This can be useful if you encounter fatal problems during the installation and wish to study the logs
on another system or attach them to an installation report.
6.3.6.2. Using the Shell and Viewing the Logs

There is an Execute a Shell item on the menu. If the menu is not available when you need to use
the shell, press Left Alt-F2 (on a Mac keyboard, Option-F2) to switch to the second virtual console.
That’s the Alt key on the left-hand side of the space bar, and the F2 function key, at the same time.
This is a separate window running a Bourne shell clone called ash.
At this point you are booted from the RAM disk, and there is a limited set of Unix utilities available for
your use. You can see what programs are available with the command ls /bin /sbin /usr/bin /usr/sbin
and by typing help. The text editor is nano. The shell has some nice features like autocompletion and
history.
Use the menus to perform any task that they are able to do — the shell and commands are only there in
case something goes wrong. In particular, you should always use the menus, not the shell, to activate
your swap partition, because the menu software can’t detect that you’ve done this from the shell. Press
Left Alt-F1 to get back to menus, or type exit if you used a menu item to open the shell.
44
6.3.6.3. Installation Over the Network

One of the more interesting components is network-console. It allows you to do a large part of the
installation over the network via SSH. The use of the network implies you will have to perform the first
steps of the installation from the console, at least to the point of setting up the networking. (Although
you can automate that part with Section 4.4.)
This component is not loaded into the main installation menu by default, so you have to explicitly
ask for it. If you are installing from CD, you need to boot with medium priority or otherwise invoke
the main installation menu and choose Load installer components from CD and from the list of
additional components select network-console: Continue installation remotely using SSH. Suc-
cessful load is indicated by a new menu entry called Continue installation remotely using SSH.
After selecting this new entry, you will be asked for a new password to be used for connecting to the
installation system and for its confirmation. That’s all. Now you should see a screen which instructs
you to login remotely as the user installer with the password you just provided. Another important
detail to notice on this screen is the fingerprint of this system. You need to transfer the fingerprint
securely to the “person who will continue the installation remotely”.
Should you decide to continue with the installation locally, you can always press Enter, which will
bring you back to the main menu, where you can select another component.
Now let’s switch to the other side of the wire. As a prerequisite, you need to configure your terminal
for UTF-8 encoding, because that is what the installation system uses. If you do not, remote instal-
lation will be still possible, but you may encounter strange display artefacts like destroyed dialog
borders or unreadable non-ascii characters. Establishing a connection with the installation system is
as simple as typing:
$ ssh -l installer install_host
Where install_host is either the name or IP address of the computer being installed. Before the
actual login the fingerprint of the remote system will be displayed and you will have to confirm that
it is correct.
Note: If you install several computers in turn and they happen to have the same IP address
or hostname, ssh will refuse to connect to such host. The reason is that it will have different
fingerprint, which is usually a sign of a spoofing attack. If you are sure this is not the case, you
will need to delete the relevant line from ~/.ssh/known_hosts and try again.
After the login you will be presented with an initial screen where you have two possibilities called
Start menu and Start shell. The former brings you to the main installer menu, where you can
continue with the installation as usual. The latter starts a shell from which you can examine and
possibly fix the remote system. You should only start one SSH session for the installation menu, but
may start multiple sessions for shells.
Warning
After you have started the installation remotely over SSH, you should not go back to the installation
session running on the local console. Doing so may corrupt the database that holds the configuration
of the new system. This in turn may result in a failed installation or problems with the installed system.
Also, if you are running the SSH session from an X terminal, you should not resize the window as that
will result in the connection being terminated.
45
6.3.6.4. Running base-config From Within debian-installer

It is possible to configure the base system within the first stage installer (before rebooting from the
hard drive), by running base-config in a chroot environment. This is mainly useful for testing the
installer and should normally be avoided.
46
Chapter 7. Booting Into Your New Debian
System
7.1. The Moment of Truth

Your system’s first boot on its own power is what electrical engineers call the “smoke test”.
If you are booting directly into Debian, and the system doesn’t start up, either use your original
installation boot media, or insert the custom boot floppy if you have one, and reset your system. This
way, you will probably need to add some boot arguments like root=root, where root is your root
partition, such as /dev/sda1.
7.2. Debian Post-Boot (Base) Configuration

After booting, you will be prompted to complete the configuration of your basic system, and then
to select what additional packages you wish to install. The application which guides you through
this process is called base-config. Its concept is very similar to the debian-installer from
the first stage. Indeed, base-config consists of a number of specialized components, where each
component handles one configuration task, contains “hidden menu in the background” and also uses
the same navigation system.
If you wish to re-run the base-config at any point after installation is complete, as root run
base-config.
7.2.1. Configuring Your Time Zone

After a welcome screen, you will be prompted to configure your time zone. First select whether the
hardware clock of your system is set to local time or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT or UTC). The
time displayed in the dialog may help you decide on the correct option.
Depending on the location selected at the beginning of the installation process, you will next be shown
either a single timezone or a list of timezones relevant for that location. If a single timezone is shown,
choose Yes to confirm or choose No to select from the full list of timezones. If a list is shown, select
your timezone from the list, or select Other for the full list.
7.2.2. Setting Up Users And Passwords
7.2.2.1. Set the Root Password

The root account is also called the super-user; it is a login that bypasses all security protection on
your system. The root account should only be used to perform system administration, and only used
for as short a time as possible.
Any password you create should contain at least 6 characters, and should contain both upper- and
lower-case characters, as well as punctuation characters. Take extra care when setting your root pass-
word, since it is such a powerful account. Avoid dictionary words or use of any personal information
which could be guessed.
47
Chapter 7. Booting Into Your New Debian System
If anyone ever tells you they need your root password, be extremely wary. You should normally never
give your root password out, unless you are administering a machine with more than one system
administrator.
7.2.2.2. Create an Ordinary User

The system will ask you whether you wish to create an ordinary user account at this point. This
account should be your main personal log-in. You should not use the root account for daily use or as
your personal login.
Why not? Well, one reason to avoid using root’s privileges is that it is very easy to do irreparable
damage as root. Another reason is that you might be tricked into running a Trojan-horse program —
that is a program that takes advantage of your super-user powers to compromise the security of your
system behind your back. Any good book on Unix system administration will cover this topic in more
detail — consider reading one if it is new to you.
You will first be prompted for the user’s full name. Then you’ll be asked for a name for the user
account; generally your first name or something similar will suffice and indeed will be the default.
Finally, you will be prompted for a password for this account.
If at any point after installation you would like to create another account, use the adduser command.
7.2.3. Setting Up PPP

If no network was configured during the first stage of the installation, you will next be asked whether
you wish to install the rest of the system using PPP. PPP is a protocol used to establish dialup con-
nections with modems. If you configure the modem at this point, the installation system will be able
to download additional packages or security updates from the Internet during the next steps of the
installation. If you don’t have a modem in your computer or if you prefer to configure your modem
after the installation, you can skip this step.
In order to configure your PPP connection, you will need some information from your Internet Service
Provider (ISP), including phone number, username, password and DNS servers (optional). Some ISPs
provide installation guidelines for Linux distributions. You can use that information even if they don’t
specifically target Debian since most of the configuration parameters (and software) is similar amongst
Linux distributions.
If you do choose to configure PPP at this point, a program named pppconfig will be run. This program
helps you configure your PPP connection. Make sure, when it asks you for the name of your dialup
connection, that you name it provider .
Hopefully, the pppconfig program will walk you through a trouble-free PPP connection setup. How-
ever, if it does not work for you, see below for detailed instructions.
In order to setup PPP, you’ll need to know the basics of file viewing and editing in GNU/Linux. To
view files, you should use more, and zmore for compressed files with a .gz extension. For example,
to view README.debian.gz, type zmore README.debian.gz. The base system comes with an
editor named nano, which is very simple to use, but does not have a lot of features. You will probably
want to install more full-featured editors and viewers later, such as jed, nvi, less, and emacs.
Edit /etc/ppp/peers/provider and replace /dev/modem with /dev/ttyS# where # stands for
the number of your serial port. In Linux, serial ports are counted from 0; your first serial port is
/dev/ttyS0 under Linux. The next step is to edit /etc/chatscripts/provider and insert your
48
provider’s phone number, your user-name and password. Please do not delete the “\q” that precedes
the password. It hides the password from appearing in your log files.
Many providers use PAP or CHAP for login sequence instead of text mode authentication.
Others use both. If your provider requires PAP or CHAP, you’ll need to follow a different
procedure. Comment out everything below the dialing string (the one that starts with “ATDT”) in
/etc/chatscripts/provider, modify /etc/ppp/peers/provider as described above, and
add user name where name stands for your user-name for the provider you are trying to connect to.
Next, edit /etc/ppp/pap-secrets or /etc/ppp/chap-secrets and enter your password there.
You will also need to edit /etc/resolv.conf and add your provider’s name server (DNS)
IP addresses. The lines in /etc/resolv.conf are in the following format: nameserver
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx where the x s stand for numbers in your IP address. Optionally, you could add
the usepeerdns option to the /etc/ppp/peers/provider file, which will enable automatic
choosing of appropriate DNS servers, using settings the remote host usually provides.
Unless your provider has a login sequence different from the majority of ISPs, you are done! Start the
PPP connection by typing pon as root, and monitor the process using plog command. To disconnect,
use poff, again, as root.
Read /usr/share/doc/ppp/README.Debian.gz file for more information on using PPP on De-
bian.
For static SLIP connections, you will need to add the slattach command (from the net-tools
package) into /etc/init.d/network. Dynamic SLIP will require the gnudip package.
7.2.3.1. Setting Up PPP over Ethernet (PPPOE)

PPPOE is a protocol related to PPP used for some broadband connections. There is currently no sup-
port in base configuration to help you set this up. However, the necessary software has been installed,
which means you can configure PPPOE manually at this stage of the installation by switching to VT2
and running pppoeconf.
7.2.4. Configuring APT

The main means that people use to install packages on their system is via a program called apt-get,
from the apt package.1 Other front-ends for package management, like aptitude, synaptic and the
older dselect also use and depend on apt-get. These front-ends are recommended for new users, since
they integrate some additional features (package searching and status checks) in a nice user interface.
APT must be configured so that it knows where to retrieve packages from. The helper application
which assists in this task is called apt-setup.
The next step in your configuration process is to tell APT where other Debian packages can be found.
Note that you can re-run this tool at any point after installation by running apt-setup, or by manually
editing /etc/apt/sources.list.
If an official CD-ROM is in the drive at this point, then that CD-ROM should automatically be con-
figured as an apt source without prompting. You will notice this because you will see the CD-ROM
being scanned.
1. Note that the actual program that installs packages is called dpkg. However, this package is more of a low-level tool.
apt-get is a higher-level tool as it will invoke dpkg as appropriate and also because it knows to install other packages which
are required for the package you’re trying to install, as well as how to retrieve the package from your CD, the network, or
wherever.
49
For users without an official CD-ROM, you will be offered an array of choices for how Debian pack-
ages are accessed: FTP, HTTP, CD-ROM, or a local file system.
You should know that it’s perfectly acceptable to have a number of different APT sources, even for the
same Debian archive. apt-get will automatically pick the package with the highest version number
given all the available versions. Or, for instance, if you have both an HTTP and a CD-ROM APT
source, apt-get should automatically use the local CD-ROM when possible, and only resort to HTTP
if a newer version is available there. However, it is not a good idea to add unnecessary APT sources,
since this will tend to slow down the process of checking the network archives for new versions.
7.2.4.1. Configuring Network Package Sources

If you plan on installing the rest of your system via the network, the most common option is to
select the http source. The ftp source is also acceptable, but tends to be somewhat slower making
connections.
The next step during the configuration of network package sources is to tell apt-setup which country
you live in. This configures which of the official Debian Internet mirrors you will connect to. Depend-
ing on which country you select, you will be presented with a list of possible servers. It’s generally
fine to pick the one at the top of the list, but any of them should work. Note however that the mirror
list provided by the installation was generated when this version of Debian was released and some
mirrors may no longer be available.
After you have selected a mirror, you will be asked if a proxy server should be used. A proxy server is
a server that will forward all your HTTP and/or FTP requests to the Internet and is most often used to
regulate and optimize access to the Internet on corporate networks. In some networks only the proxy
server is allowed access to the Internet, in which case you will have to enter the name of the proxy
server. You may also have to include an user name and password. Most home users will not need to
specify a proxy server, although some ISPs may provide proxy servers for their users.
After you select a mirror, your new network package source will be tested. If all goes well, you will
be prompted whether you want to add another package source. If you have any problems using the
package source you selected, try using a different mirror (either from your country list or from the
global list), or try using a different network package source.
7.2.5. Package Installation

Next you will be offered a number of pre-rolled software configurations offered by Debian. You
could always choose, package by package, what you want to install on your new machine. This is
the purpose of the aptitude program, described below. But this can be a long task with around 14750
packages available in Debian!
So, you have the ability to choose tasks first, and then add on more individual packages later. These
tasks loosely represent a number of different jobs or things you want to do with your computer, such
as “desktop environment”, “web server”, or “print server”2. Section C.3 lists the space requirements
for the available tasks.
Once you’ve selected your tasks, select Ok. At this point, aptitude will install the packages you’ve
selected.
2. You should know that to present this list, base-config is merely invoking the tasksel program. For manual package
selection, the aptitude program is being run. Any of these can be run at any time after installation to install (or remove) more
packages. If you are looking for a specific single package, after installation is complete, simply run aptitude install
package, where package is the name of the package you are looking for.
50
Note: Even if you did not select any tasks at all, any standard, important, or required priority
packages that are not yet present on your system will be installed. This functionality is the same
as running tasksel -ris at the command line, and currently involves a download of about 37M
of archives. You will be shown the number of packages to be installed, and how many kilobytes of
packages, if any, need to be downloaded.
If you do want to choose what to install on a package by package basis, select the “manual package
selection” option in tasksel. If you select one or more tasks alongside this option, aptitude will be
called with the --visual-preview option. This means you will be able to review3 the packages that are
to be installed. If you do not select any tasks, the normal aptitude screen will be displayed. After
making your selections you should press “g” to start the download and installation of packages.
Note: If you choose “manual package selection” without selecting any tasks, no packages will be
installed by default. This means you can use this option if you want to install a minimal system,
but also that the responsibility for selecting any packages not installed as part of the base system
(before the reboot) that might be required for your system lies with you.
Of the 14750 packages available in Debian, only a small minority are covered by tasks offered
in the Task Installer. To see information on more packages, either use apt-cache search
search-string for some given search string (see the apt-cache(8) man page), or run aptitude as
described below.
7.2.5.1. Advanced Package Selection with aptitude

Aptitude is a modern program for managing packages. aptitude allows you to select individual pack-
ages, set of packages matching given criteria (for advanced users), or whole tasks.
The most basic keybindings are:
Key Action
Up, Down Move selection up or down.
Enter Open/collapse/activate item.
+ Mark package for installation.
- Mark package for removal.
d Show package dependencies.
g Actually download/install/remove packages.
q Quit current view.
F10 Activate menu.
For more commands see the online help under the ? key.
3. You can also change the default selections. If you would like to select any additional package, use View−→New Package
View.
51
7.2.6. Prompts During Software Installation

Each package you selected with tasksel or aptitude is downloaded, unpacked and then installed in
turn by the apt-get and dpkg programs. If a particular program needs more information from the user,
it will prompt you during this process. You might also want to keep an eye on the output during the
process, to watch for any installation errors (although you will be asked to acknowledge errors which
prevented a package’s installation).
7.2.7. Configuring Your Mail Transport Agent

Today, email is a very important part of many people’s life, so it’s no surprise Debian lets you config-
ure your mail system right as a part of the installation process. The standard mail transport agent in
Debian is exim4, which is relatively small, flexible, and easy to learn.
You may ask if this is needed even if your computer is not connected to any network. The short
answer is: Yes. The longer explanation: Some system utilities (like cron, quota, aide, . . . ) may send
you important notices via email.
So on the first screen you will be presented with several common mail scenarios. Choose the one that
most closely resembles your needs:
internet site
Your system is connected to a network and your mail is sent and received directly using SMTP.
On the following screens you will be asked a few basic questions, like your machine’s mail name,
or a list of domains for which you accept or relay mail.
mail sent by smarthost

In this scenario is your outgoing mail forwarded to another machine, called a “smarthost”, which
does the actual job for you. Smarthost also usually stores incoming mail addressed to your com-
puter, so you don’t need to be permanently online. That also means you have to download your
mail from the smarthost via programs like fetchmail. This option is suitable for dial-up users.
local delivery only

Your system is not on a network and mail is sent or received only between local users. Even if
you don’t plan to send any messages, this option is highly recommended, because some system
utilities may send you various alerts from time to time (e.g. beloved “Disk quota exceeded”).
This option is also convenient for new users, because it doesn’t ask any further questions.
no configuration at this time

Choose this if you are absolutely convinced you know what you are doing. This will leave you
with an unconfigured mail system — until you configure it, you won’t be able to send or receive
any mail and you may miss some important messages from your system utilities.
If none of these scenarios suits your needs, or if you need a finer setup, you will need to edit con-
figuration files under the /etc/exim4 directory after the installation is complete. More information
about exim4 may be found under /usr/share/doc/exim4.
52
7.3. Log In
After you’ve installed packages, you’ll be presented with the login prompt. Log in using the personal
login and password you selected. Your system is now ready to use.
If you are a new user, you may want to explore the documentation which is already installed on your
system as you start to use it. There are currently several documentation systems, work is proceeding
on integrating the different types of documentation. Here are a few starting points.
Documentation accompanying programs you have installed is in /usr/share/doc/, under a subdi-
rectory named after the program. For example, the APT User’s Guide for using apt to install other
programs on your system, is located in /usr/share/doc/apt/guide.html/index.html.
In addition, there are some special folders within the /usr/share/doc/ hierarchy. Linux HOWTOs
are installed in .gz format, in /usr/share/doc/HOWTO/en-txt/. After installing dhelp you will
find a browse-able index of documentation in /usr/share/doc/HTML/index.html.
One easy way to view these documents is to cd /usr/share/doc/, and type lynx followed by a
space and a dot (the dot stands for the current directory).
You can also type info command or man command to see documentation on most commands available
at the command prompt. Typing help will display help on shell commands. And typing a command
followed by --help will usually display a short summary of the command’s usage. If a command’s
results scroll past the top of the screen, type | more after the command to cause the results to pause
before scrolling past the top of the screen. To see a list of all commands available which begin with a
certain letter, type the letter and then two tabs.
For a more complete introduction to Debian and GNU/Linux, see
/usr/share/doc/debian-guide/html/noframes/index.html.
53
Chapter 8. Next Steps and Where to Go From
Here
8.1. If You Are New to Unix

If you are new to Unix, you probably should go out and buy some books and do some reading. A lot
of valuable information can also be found in the Debian Reference (http://www.debian.org/doc/user-
manuals#quick-reference). This list of Unix FAQs (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/unix-faq/) contains a
number of UseNet documents which provide a nice historical reference.
Linux is an implementation of Unix. The Linux Documentation Project (LDP) (http://www.tldp.org/)
collects a number of HOWTOs and online books relating to Linux. Most of these documents can be in-
stalled locally; just install the doc-linux-html package (HTML versions) or the doc-linux-text
package (ASCII versions), then look in /usr/share/doc/HOWTO. International versions of the LDP
HOWTOs are also available as Debian packages.
8.2. Orienting Yourself to Debian

Debian is a little different from other distributions. Even if you’re familiar with Linux in other distri-
butions, there are things you should know about Debian to help you to keep your system in a good,
clean state. This chapter contains material to help you get oriented; it is not intended to be a tutorial
for how to use Debian, but just a very brief glimpse of the system for the very rushed.
8.2.1. Debian Packaging System

The most important concept to grasp is the Debian packaging system. In essence, large parts of your
system should be considered under the control of the packaging system. These include:
• /usr (excluding /usr/local)

• /var (you could make /var/local and be safe in there)
• /bin
• /sbin
• /lib
For instance, if you replace /usr/bin/perl, that will work, but then if you upgrade your perl
package, the file you put there will be replaced. Experts can get around this by putting packages on
“hold” in aptitude.
One of the best installation methods is apt. You can use the command line version apt-get or full-
screen text version aptitude. Note apt will also let you merge main, contrib, and non-free so you can
have export-restricted packages as well as standard versions.
54
Chapter 8. Next Steps and Where to Go From Here
8.2.2. Application Version Management

Alternative versions of applications are managed by update-alternatives. If you are maintaining mul-
tiple versions of your applications, read the update-alternatives man page.
8.2.3. Cron Job Management

Any jobs under the purview of the system administrator should be in /etc, since they are
configuration files. If you have a root cron job for daily, weekly, or monthly runs, put them in
/etc/cron.{daily,weekly,monthly}. These are invoked from /etc/crontab, and will run in
alphabetic order, which serializes them.
On the other hand, if you have a cron job that (a) needs to run as a special user, or (b) needs
to run at a special time or frequency, you can use either /etc/crontab, or, better yet,
/etc/cron.d/whatever. These particular files also have an extra field that allows you to stipulate
the user under which the cron job runs.
In either case, you just edit the files and cron will notice them automatically. There is
no need to run a special command. For more information see cron(8), crontab(5), and
/usr/share/doc/cron/README.Debian.
8.3. Further Reading and Information

If you need information about a particular program, you should first try man program , or info
program .
There is lots of useful documentation in /usr/share/doc as well. In particular,

/usr/share/doc/HOWTO and /usr/share/doc/FAQ contain lots of interesting information. To
submit bugs, look at /usr/share/doc/debian/bug*. To read about Debian-specific issues for
particular programs, look at /usr/share/doc/(package name)/README.Debian.
The Debian web site (http://www.debian.org/) contains a large quantity of documentation about De-
bian. In particular, see the Debian GNU/Linux FAQ (http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/) and the De-
bian Reference (http://www.debian.org/doc/user-manuals#quick-reference). An index of more Debian
documentation is available from the Debian Documentation Project (http://www.debian.org/doc/ddp).
The Debian community is self-supporting; to subscribe to one or more of the Debian mailing lists, see
the Mail List Subscription (http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/subscribe) page. Last, but not least,
the Debian Mailing List Archives (http://lists.debian.org/) contain a wealth of information on Debian.
A general source of information on GNU/Linux is the Linux Documentation Project
(http://www.tldp.org/). There you will find the HOWTOs and pointers to other very valuable
information on parts of a GNU/Linux system.
8.4. Compiling a New Kernel

Why would someone want to compile a new kernel? It is often not necessary since the default ker-
nel shipped with Debian handles most configurations. Also, Debian often offers several alternative
55
kernels. So you may want to check first if there is an alternative kernel image package that better
corresponds to your hardware. However, it can be useful to compile a new kernel in order to:
• handle special hardware needs, or hardware conflicts with the pre-supplied kernels
• use options of the kernel which are not supported in the pre-supplied kernels (such as high memory
support)
• optimize the kernel by removing useless drivers to speed up boot time
• create a monolithic instead of a modularized kernel
• run an updated or development kernel
• learn more about linux kernels
8.4.1. Kernel Image Management

Don’t be afraid to try compiling the kernel. It’s fun and profitable.
To compile a kernel the Debian way, you need some packages: fakeroot, kernel-package,
kernel-source-2.4.27 (the most recent version at the time of this writing) and a few others
which are probably already installed (see /usr/share/doc/kernel-package/README.gz for
the complete list).
This method will make a .deb of your kernel source, and, if you have non-standard modules, make
a synchronized dependent .deb of those too. It’s a better way to manage kernel images; /boot will
hold the kernel, the System.map, and a log of the active config file for the build.
Note that you don’t have to compile your kernel the “Debian way”; but we find that using the pack-
aging system to manage your kernel is actually safer and easier. In fact, you can get your kernel
sources right from Linus instead of kernel-source-2.4.27, yet still use the kernel-package
compilation method.
Note that you’ll find complete
documentation on using kernel-package under
/usr/share/doc/kernel-package. This section just contains a brief tutorial.
Hereafter, we’ll assume you have free rein over your machine and will extract your kernel source
to somewhere in your home directory1. We’ll also assume that your kernel version is 2.4.27.
Make sure you are in the directory to where you want to unpack the kernel sources, extract them
using tar xjf /usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.27.tar.bz2 and change to the directory
kernel-source-2.4.27 that will have been created.
Now, you can configure your kernel. Run make xconfig if X11 is installed, configured and being
run; run make menuconfig otherwise (you’ll need libncurses5-dev installed). Take the time to
read the online help and choose carefully. When in doubt, it is typically better to include the device
driver (the software which manages hardware peripherals, such as Ethernet cards, SCSI controllers,
and so on) you are unsure about. Be careful: other options, not related to a specific hardware, should
be left at the default value if you do not understand them. Do not forget to select “Kernel module
loader” in “Loadable module support” (it is not selected by default). If not included, your Debian
installation will experience problems.
Clean the source tree and reset the kernel-package parameters. To do that, do make-kpkg clean.
1. There are other locations where you can extract kernel sources and build your custom kernel, but this is easiest as it does
not require special permissions.
56
Now, compile the kernel: fakeroot make-kpkg --revision=custom.1.0 kernel_image.

The version number of “1.0” can be changed at will; this is just a version number that you will use to
track your kernel builds. Likewise, you can put any word you like in place of “custom” (e.g., a host
name). Kernel compilation may take quite a while, depending on the power of your machine.
Once the compilation is complete, you can install your custom kernel like any package. As root,
do dpkg -i ../kernel-image-2.4.27-subarchitecture_custom.1.0_alpha.deb. The
subarchitecture part is an optional sub-architecture, depending on what kernel options you set.
dpkg -i kernel-image... will install the kernel, along with some other nice supporting files.
For instance, the System.map will be properly installed (helpful for debugging kernel problems),
and /boot/config-2.4.27 will be installed, containing your current configuration set. Your
new kernel-image-2.4.27 package is also clever enough to automatically use your platform’s
boot-loader to run an update on the booting, allowing you to boot without re-running the boot loader.
If you have created a modules package, e.g., if you have PCMCIA, you’ll need to install that package
as well.
It is time to reboot the system: read carefully any warning that the above step may have produced,
then shutdown -r now.
For more information on kernel-package, read the fine documentation in
/usr/share/doc/kernel-package.
57
Appendix A. Installation Howto
This document describes how to install Debian GNU/Linux sarge for the Alpha (“alpha”) with the
new debian-installer. It is a quick walkthrough of the installation process which should contain
all the information you will need for most installs. When more information can be useful, we will link
to more detailed explanations in the Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide.
A.1. Preliminaries
If you encounter bugs during your install, please refer to Section 5.3.4 for instructions on how to
report them. If you have questions which cannot be answered by this document, please direct them
to the debian-boot mailing list ([email protected]) or ask on IRC (#debian-boot on the
freenode network).
A.2. Booting the installer

The debian-cd team provides builds of CD images using debian-installer on the Debian CD
page (http://www.debian.org/CD/). For more information on where to get CDs, see Section 4.1.
Some installation methods require other images than CD images. Section 4.2.1 explains how to find
images on Debian mirrors.
The subsections below will give the details about which images you should get for each possible
means of installation.
A.2.1. CDROM
There are two different netinst CD images which can be used to install sarge with the
debian-installer. These images are intended to boot from CD and install additional packages
over a network, hence the name ’netinst’. The difference between the two images is that on the full
netinst image the base packages are included, whereas you have to download these from the web if
you are using the business card image. If you’d rather, you can get a full size CD image which will
not need the network to install. You only need the first CD of the set.
Download whichever type you prefer and burn it to a CD.
A.2.2. Booting from network

It’s also possible to boot debian-installer completely from the net. The various methods to net-
boot depend on your architecture and netboot setup. The files in netboot/ can be used to netboot
debian-installer.
A.2.3. Booting from hard disk

It’s possible to boot the installer using no removable media, but just an existing hard disk, which can
have a different OS on it. Download hd-media/initrd.gz, hd-media/vmlinuz, and a Debian
58
CD image to the top-level directory of the hard disk. Make sure that the CD image has a filename
ending in .iso. Now it’s just a matter of booting linux with the initrd.
A.3. Installation
Once the installer starts, you will be greeted with an initial screen. Press Enter to boot, or read the
instructions for other boot methods and parameters (see Section 5.2).
After a while you will be asked to select your language. Use the arrow keys to pick a language
and press Enter to continue. Next you’ll be asked to select your country, with the choices including
countries where your language is spoken. If it’s not on the short list, a list of all the countries in the
world is available.
You may be asked to confirm your keyboard layout. Choose the default unless you know better.
Now sit back while debian-installer detects some of your hardware, and loads the rest of itself from
CD, floppy, USB, etc.
Next the installer will try to detect your network hardware and set up networking by DHCP. If you are
not on a network or do not have DHCP, you will be given the opportunity to configure the network
manually.
Now it is time to partition your disks. First you will be given the opportunity to automatically partition
either an entire drive, or free space on a drive. This is recommended for new users or anyone in a hurry,
but if you do not want to autopartition, choose manual from the menu.
On the next screen you will see your partition table, how the partitions will be formatted, and where
they will be mounted. Select a partition to modify or delete it. If you did automatic partitioning, you
should just be able to choose Finished partitioning from the menu to use what it set up. Remember
to assign at least one partition for swap space and to mount a partition on /. Appendix B has more
information about partitioning.
Now debian-installer formats your partitions and starts to install the base system, which can
take a while. That is followed by installing a kernel.
The last step is to install a boot loader. If the installer detects other operating systems on your com-
puter, it will add them to the boot menu and let you know.
debian-installer will now tell you that the installation has finished. Remove the cdrom or other
boot media and hit Enter to reboot your machine. It should boot up into the next stage of the install
process, which is explained in Chapter 7.
If you need more information on the install process, see Chapter 6.
A.4. Send us an installation report

If you successfully managed an installation with debian-installer, please take time to provide
us with a report. There is a template named install-report.template in the /root
directory of a freshly installed system. Please fill it out and file it as a bug against the package
installation-reports, as explained in Section 5.3.4.
If you did not reach base-config or ran into other trouble, you probably found a bug in debian-installer.
To improve the installer it is necessary that we know about them, so please take the time to report them.
You can use an installation report to report problems; if the install completely fails, see Section 5.3.3.
59
A.5. And finally..

We hope that your Debian installation is pleasant and that you find Debian useful. You might want to
read Chapter 8.
60
Appendix B. Partitioning for Debian
B.1. Deciding on Debian Partitions and Sizes

At a bare minimum, GNU/Linux needs one partition for itself. You can have a single partition contain-
ing the entire operating system, applications, and your personal files. Most people feel that a separate
swap partition is also a necessity, although it’s not strictly true. “Swap” is scratch space for an oper-
ating system, which allows the system to use disk storage as “virtual memory”. By putting swap on a
separate partition, Linux can make much more efficient use of it. It is possible to force Linux to use a
regular file as swap, but it is not recommended.
Most people choose to give GNU/Linux more than the minimum number of partitions, however. There
are two reasons you might want to break up the file system into a number of smaller partitions. The
first is for safety. If something happens to corrupt the file system, generally only one partition is
affected. Thus, you only have to replace (from the backups you’ve been carefully keeping) a portion
of your system. At a bare minimum, you should consider creating what is commonly called a “root
partition”. This contains the most essential components of the system. If any other partitions get
corrupted, you can still boot into GNU/Linux to fix the system. This can save you the trouble of
having to reinstall the system from scratch.
The second reason is generally more important in a business setting, but it really depends on your use
of the machine. For example, a mail server getting spammed with e-mail can easily fill a partition. If
you made /var/mail a separate partition on the mail server, most of the system will remain working
even if you get spammed.
The only real drawback to using more partitions is that it is often difficult to know in advance what
your needs will be. If you make a partition too small then you will either have to reinstall the system
or you will be constantly moving things around to make room in the undersized partition. On the other
hand, if you make the partition too big, you will be wasting space that could be used elsewhere. Disk
space is cheap nowadays, but why throw your money away?
B.2. The Directory Tree

Debian GNU/Linux adheres to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (http://www.pathname.com/fhs/)
for directory and file naming. This standard allows users and software programs to predict the location
of files and directories. The root level directory is represented simply by the slash /. At the root level,
all Debian systems include these directories:
Directory Content
bin Essential command binaries
boot Static files of the boot loader
dev Device files
etc Host-specific system configuration
home User home directories
lib Essential shared libraries and kernel modules
media Contains mount points for replaceable media
61
Directory Content
mnt Mount point for mounting a file system
temporarily
proc Virtual directory for system information (2.4 and
2.6 kernels)
root Home directory for the root user
sbin Essential system binaries
sys Virtual directory for system information (2.6
kernels)
tmp Temporary files
usr Secondary hierarchy
var Variable data
opt Add-on application software packages
The following is a list of important considerations regarding directories and partitions. Note that disk
usage varies widely given system configuration and specific usage patterns. The recommendations
here are general guidelines and provide a starting point for partitioning.
• The root partition / must always physically contain /etc, /bin, /sbin, /lib and /dev, otherwise
you won’t be able to boot. Typically 150–250 MB is needed for the root partition.
• /usr: contains all user programs (/usr/bin), libraries (/usr/lib), documentation
(/usr/share/doc), etc. This is the part of the file system that generally takes up most space.
You should provide at least 500 MB of disk space. This amount should be increased depending on
the number and type of packages you plan to install. A generous workstation or server installation
should allow 4-6 GB.
• /var: variable data like news articles, e-mails, web sites, databases, the packaging system cache,
etc. will be placed under this directory. The size of this directory depends greatly on the usage of
your system, but for most people will be dictated by the package management tool’s overhead. If
you are going to do a full installation of just about everything Debian has to offer, all in one session,
setting aside 2 or 3 gigabyte of space for /var should be sufficient. If you are going to install in
pieces (that is to say, install services and utilities, followed by text stuff, then X, ...), you can get
away with 300–500 MB. If hard drive space is at a premium and you don’t plan on doing major
system updates, you can get by with as little as 30 or 40 MB.
• /tmp: temporary data created by programs will most likely go in this directory. 40–100 MB should
usually be enough. Some applications — including archive manipulators, CD/DVD authoring tools,
and multimedia software — may use /tmp to temporarily store image files. If you plan to use such
applications, you should adjust the space available in /tmp accordingly.
• /home: every user will put his personal data into a subdirectory of this directory. Its size depends
on how many users will be using the system and what files are to be stored in their directories.
Depending on your planned usage you should reserve about 100 MB for each user, but adapt this
value to your needs. Reserve a lot more space if you plan to save a lot of multimedia files (MP3,
movies) in your home directory.
62
B.3. Recommended Partitioning Scheme

For new users, personal Debian boxes, home systems, and other single-user setups, a single / partition
(plus swap) is probably the easiest, simplest way to go. However, if your partition is larger than around
6GB, choose ext3 as your partition type. Ext2 partitions need periodic file system integrity checking,
and this can cause delays during booting when the partition is large.
For multi-user systems or systems with lots of disk space, it’s best to put /usr, /var, /tmp, and
/home each on their own partitions separate from the / partition.
You might need a separate /usr/local partition if you plan to install many programs that are not part
of the Debian distribution. If your machine will be a mail server, you might need to make /var/mail
a separate partition. Often, putting /tmp on its own partition, for instance 20 to 50MB, is a good idea.
If you are setting up a server with lots of user accounts, it’s generally good to have a separate, large
/home partition. In general, the partitioning situation varies from computer to computer depending
on its uses.
For very complex systems, you should see the Multi Disk HOWTO
(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Multi-Disk-HOWTO.html). This contains in-depth information,
mostly of interest to ISPs and people setting up servers.
With respect to the issue of swap partition size, there are many views. One rule of thumb which
works well is to use as much swap as you have system memory. It also shouldn’t be smaller than
16MB, in most cases. Of course, there are exceptions to these rules. If you are trying to solve 10000
simultaneous equations on a machine with 256MB of memory, you may need a gigabyte (or more) of
swap.
On 32-bit architectures (i386, m68k, 32-bit SPARC, and PowerPC), the maximum size of a swap par-
tition is 2GB. That should be enough for nearly any installation. However, if your swap requirements
are this high, you should probably try to spread the swap across different disks (also called “spin-
dles”) and, if possible, different SCSI or IDE channels. The kernel will balance swap usage between
multiple swap partitions, giving better performance.
As an example, an older home machine might have 32MB of RAM and a 1.7GB IDE drive on
/dev/hda. There might be a 500MB partition for another operating system on /dev/hda1, a 32MB
swap partition on /dev/hda3 and about 1.2GB on /dev/hda2 as the Linux partition.
For an idea of the space taken by tasks you might be interested in adding after your system installation
is complete, check Section C.3.
B.4. Device Names in Linux

Linux disks and partition names may be different from other operating systems. You need to know
the names that Linux uses when you create and mount partitions. Here’s the basic naming scheme:
• The first floppy drive is named /dev/fd0.

• The second floppy drive is named /dev/fd1.
• The first SCSI disk (SCSI ID address-wise) is named /dev/sda.
• The second SCSI disk (address-wise) is named /dev/sdb, and so on.
• The first SCSI CD-ROM is named /dev/scd0, also known as /dev/sr0.
• The master disk on IDE primary controller is named /dev/hda.
• The slave disk on IDE primary controller is named /dev/hdb.
63
• The master and slave disks of the secondary controller can be called /dev/hdc and /dev/hdd,
respectively. Newer IDE controllers can actually have two channels, effectively acting like two
controllers.
The partitions on each disk are represented by appending a decimal number to the disk name: sda1
and sda2 represent the first and second partitions of the first SCSI disk drive in your system.
Here is a real-life example. Let’s assume you have a system with 2 SCSI disks, one at SCSI address 2
and the other at SCSI address 4. The first disk (at address 2) is then named sda, and the second sdb.
If the sda drive has 3 partitions on it, these will be named sda1, sda2, and sda3. The same applies
to the sdb disk and its partitions.
Note that if you have two SCSI host bus adapters (i.e., controllers), the order of the drives can get
confusing. The best solution in this case is to watch the boot messages, assuming you know the drive
models and/or capacities.
B.5. Debian Partitioning Programs

Several varieties of partitioning programs have been adapted by Debian developers to work on various
types of hard disks and computer architectures. Following is a list of the program(s) applicable for
your architecture.
partman
Recommended partitioning tool in Debian. This Swiss army knife can also resize partitions,
create filesystems and assign them to the mountpoints.
fdisk
The original Linux disk partitioner, good for gurus.
Be careful if you have existing FreeBSD partitions on your machine. The installation
kernels include support for these partitions, but the way that fdisk represents them
(or not) can make the device names differ. See the Linux+FreeBSD HOWTO
(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Linux+FreeBSD-2.html)
cfdisk
A simple-to-use, full-screen disk partitioner for the rest of us.
Note that cfdisk doesn’t understand FreeBSD partitions at all, and, again, device names may
differ as a result.
One of these programs will be run by default when you select Partition a Hard Disk. If the one which
is run by default isn’t the one you want, quit the partitioner, go to the shell (tty2) by pressing Alt
and F2 keys together, and manually type in the name of the program you want to use (and arguments,
if any). Then skip the Partition a Hard Disk step in debian-installer and continue to the next step.
If you will be working with more than 20 partitions on your ide disk, you will need to create devices
for partitions 21 and beyond. The next step of initializing the partition will fail unless a proper device
is present. As an example, here are commands you can use in tty2 or under Execute A Shell to add
a device so the 21st partition can be initialized:
# cd /dev
# mknod hda21 b 3 21
# chgrp disk hda21
# chmod 660 hda21
64
Booting into the new system will fail unless proper devices are present on the target system. After
installing the kernel and modules, execute:
# cd /target/dev
# mknod hda21 b 3 21
# chgrp disk hda21
# chmod 660 hda21
B.5.1. Partitioning for Alpha

Booting Debian from the SRM console (the only disk boot method supported by sarge) requires you
to have a BSD disk label, not a DOS partition table, on your boot disk. (Remember, the SRM boot
block is incompatible with MS-DOS partition tables — see Section 5.1.1.) As a result, partman
creates BSD disk labels when running on alpha, but if your disk has an existing DOS partition table
the existing partitions will need to be deleted before partman can convert it to use a disk label.
If you have chosen to use fdisk to partition your disk, and the disk that you have selected for parti-
tioning does not already contain a BSD disk label, you must use the “b” command to enter disk label
mode.
Unless you wish to use the disk you are partitioning from Tru64 Unix or one of the free 4.4BSD-Lite
derived operating systems (FreeBSD, OpenBSD, or NetBSD), it is suggested that you do not make
the third partition contain the whole disk. This is not required by aboot, and in fact, it may lead to
confusion since the swriteboot utility used to install aboot in the boot sector will complain about a
partition overlapping with the boot block.
Also, because aboot is written to the first few sectors of the disk (currently it occupies about 70
kilobytes, or 150 sectors), you must leave enough empty space at the beginning of the disk for it.
In the past, it was suggested that you make a small partition at the beginning of the disk, to be left
unformatted. For the same reason mentioned above, we now suggest that you do not do this on disks
that will only be used by GNU/Linux. When using partman, a small partition will still be created for
aboot for convenience reasons.
65
Appendix C. Random Bits
C.1. Preconfiguration File Example

This is a complete working example of a preconfiguration file for an automated install. Its use is
explained in Section 4.4. You may want to uncomment some of the lines before using the file.
Note: In order to be able to properly present this example in the manual, we’ve had to split some
lines. This is indicated by the use of the line-continuation-character “\” and extra indentation in the
next line. In a real preconfiguration file, these split lines have to be joined into one single line. If
you do not, preconfiguration will fail with unpredictable results.
A “clean” example file is available from http://www.debian.org/releases/sarge/example-
preseed.txt.
#### Startup.
# To use a preseed file, you’ll first need to boot the installer,

# and tell it what preseed file to use. This is done by passing the
# kernel a boot parameter, either manually at boot or by editing the
# syslinux.cfg (or similar) file and adding the parameter to the end
# of the append line(s) for the kernel.
#
# If you’re netbooting, use this:
# preseed/url=http://host/path/to/preseed
# If you’re remastering a CD, you could use this:
# preseed/file=/cdrom/preseed
# If you’re installing from USB media, use this, and put the preseed file
# in the toplevel directory of the USB stick.
# preseed/file=/hd-media/preseed
# Be sure to copy this file to the location you specify.
#
# Some parts of the installation process cannot be automated using
# some forms of preseeding, because the questions are asked before
# the preseed file is loaded. For example, if the preseed file is
# downloaded over the network, the network setup must be done first.
# One reason to use initrd preseeding is that it allows preseeding
# of even these early steps of the installation process.
#
# If a preseed file cannot be used to preseed some steps, the install can
# still be fully automated, since you can pass preseed values to the kernel
# on the command line. Just pass path/to/var=value for any of the preseed
# variables listed below.
#
# While you’re at it, you may want to throw a debconf/priority=critical in
# there, to avoid most questions even if the preseeding below misses some.
# And you might set the timeout to 1 in syslinux.cfg to avoid needing to hit
# enter to boot the installer.
#
# Note that the kernel accepts a maximum of 8 command line options and
# 8 environment options (including any options added by default for the
# installer). If these numbers are exceeded, 2.4 kernels will drop any
66
# excess options and 2.6 kernels will panic. With kernel 2.6.9 or newer,
# you can use 32 command line options and 32 environment options.
#
# Some of the default options, like ’vga=normal’ may be safely removed
# for most installations, which may allow you to add more options for
# preseeding.
# It is not possible to use preseeding to set language, country, and

# keyboard. Instead you should use kernel parameters. Example:
# languagechooser/language-name=English
# countrychooser/shortlist=US
# console-keymaps-at/keymap=us
#### Network configuration.
# Of course, this won’t work if you’re loading your preseed file from the
# network! But it’s great if you’re booting from CD or USB stick. You can
# also pass network config parameters in on the kernel params if you are
# loading preseed files from the network.
# netcfg will choose an interface that has link if possible. This makes it
# skip displaying a list if there is more than one interface.
d-i netcfg/choose_interface select auto
# If you have a slow dhcp server and the installer times out waiting for
# it, this might be useful.
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_timeout string 60
# If you prefer to configure the network manually, here’s how:

#d-i netcfg/disable_dhcp boolean true
#d-i netcfg/get_nameservers string 192.168.1.1
#d-i netcfg/get_ipaddress string 192.168.1.42
#d-i netcfg/get_netmask string 255.255.255.0
#d-i netcfg/get_gateway string 192.168.1.1
#d-i netcfg/confirm_static boolean true
# Note that any hostname and domain names assigned from dhcp take
# precedence over values set here. However, setting the values still
# prevents the questions from being shown even if values come from dhcp.
d-i netcfg/get_hostname string unassigned-hostname
d-i netcfg/get_domain string unassigned-domain
# Disable that annoying WEP key dialog.

d-i netcfg/wireless_wep string
# The wacky dhcp hostname that some ISPs use as a password of sorts.
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_hostname string radish
#### Mirror settings.
d-i mirror/country string enter information manually

d-i mirror/http/hostname string http.us.debian.org
d-i mirror/http/directory string /debian
d-i mirror/suite string testing
d-i mirror/http/proxy string
#### Partitioning.
67
# If the system has free space you can choose to only partition that space.
#d-i partman-auto/init_automatically_partition \
# select Use the largest continuous free space
# Alternatively, you can specify a disk to partition. The device name can
# be given in either devfs or traditional non-devfs format.
# For example, to use the first disk devfs knows of:
d-i partman-auto/disk string /dev/discs/disc0/disc
# You can choose from any of the predefined partitioning recipes:

d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select \
All files in one partition (recommended for new users)
#d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select Desktop machine
#d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select Multi-user workstation
# Or provide a recipe of your own...

# The recipe format is documented in the file devel/partman-auto-recipe.txt.
# If you have a way to get a recipe file into the d-i environment, you can
# just point at it.
#d-i partman-auto/expert_recipe_file string /hd-media/recipe
# If not, you can put an entire recipe in one line. This example creates
# a small /boot partition, suitable swap, and uses the rest of the space
# for the root partition:
#d-i partman-auto/expert_recipe string boot-root :: \
# 20 50 100 ext3 $primary{ } $bootable{ } method{ format } format{ } \
# use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 } mountpoint{ /boot } . \
# 500 10000 1000000000 ext3 method{ format } format{ } \
# use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 } mountpoint{ / } . \
# 64 512 300% linux-swap method{ swap } format{ } .
# For reference, here is that same recipe in a more readable form:
# boot-root ::
# 40 50 100 ext3
# $primary{ } $bootable{ }
# method{ format } format{ }
# use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 }
# mountpoint{ /boot }
# .
# 500 10000 1000000000 ext3
# method{ format } format{ }
# use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 }
# mountpoint{ / }
# .
# 64 512 300% linux-swap
# method{ swap } format{ }
# .
# This makes partman automatically partition without confirmation.

d-i partman/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i partman/choose_partition select \
Finish partitioning and write changes to disk
d-i partman/confirm boolean true
#### Boot loader installation.
# Grub is the default boot loader (for x86). If you want lilo installed
# instead, uncomment this:
68
#d-i grub-installer/skip boolean true
# This is fairly safe to set, it makes grub install automatically to the MBR
# if no other operating system is detected on the machine.
d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean true
# This one makes grub-installer install to the MBR if if finds some other OS
# too, which is less safe as it might not be able to boot that other OS.
d-i grub-installer/with_other_os boolean true
# Alternatively, if you want to install to a location other than the mbr,

# uncomment and edit these lines:
#d-i grub-installer/bootdev string (hd0,0)
#d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean false
#d-i grub-installer/with_other_os boolean false
#### Finishing up the first stage install.
# Avoid that last message about the install being complete.

d-i prebaseconfig/reboot_in_progress note
#### Shell commands.
# d-i preseeding is inherently not secure. Nothing in the installer checks

# for attempts at buffer overflows or other exploits of the values of a
# preseed file like this one. Only use preseed files from trusted
# locations! To drive that home, and because it’s generally useful, here’s
# a way to run any shell command you’d like inside the installer,
# automatically.
# This first command is run as early as possible, just after

# preseeding is read.
#d-i preseed/early_command string anna-install some-udeb
# This command is run just before the install finishes, but when there is
# still a usable /target directory.
#d-i preseed/late_command string echo foo > /target/etc/bar
# This command is run just as base-config is starting up.

#base-config base-config/early_command string echo hi mom
# This command is run after base-config is done, just before the login:
# prompt. This is a good way to install a set of packages you want, or to
# tweak the configuration of the system.
#base-config base-config/late_command string \
# apt-get install zsh; chsh -s /bin/zsh
###### Preseeding the 2nd stage of the installation.
#### Preseeding base-config.
# Avoid the introductory message.

base-config base-config/intro note
# Avoid the final message.

base-config base-config/login note
69
# If you installed a display manager, but don’t want to start it immediately

# after base-config finishes.
#base-config base-config/start-display-manager boolean false
# Some versions of the installer can report back on what you’ve installed.
# The default is not to report back, but sending reports helps the project
# determine what software is most popular and include it on CDs.
#popularity-contest popularity-contest/participate boolean false
#### Clock and time zone setup.
# Controls whether or not the hardware clock is set to UTC.

#base-config tzconfig/gmt boolean true
# If you told the installer that you’re in the United States, then you
# can set the time zone using this variable.
# (Choices are: Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii,
# Aleutian, Arizona East-Indiana, Indiana-Starke, Michigan, Samoa, other)
#base-config tzconfig/choose_country_zone/US select Eastern
# If you told it you’re in Canada.
# (Choices are: Newfoundland, Atlantic, Eastern, Central,
# East-Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Mountain, Pacific, Yukon, other)
#base-config tzconfig/choose_country_zone/CA select Eastern
# If you told it you’re in Brazil. (Choices are: East, West, Acre,
# DeNoronha, other)
#base-config tzconfig/choose_country_zone/BR select East
# Many countries have only one time zone. If you told the installer you’re
# in one of those countries, you can choose its standard time zone via this
# question.
#base-config tzconfig/choose_country_zone_single boolean true
# This question is asked as a fallback for countries other than those
# listed above, which have more than one time zone. You can preseed one of
# the time zones, or "other".
#base-config tzconfig/choose_country_zone_multiple select
#### Account setup.
# To preseed the root password, you have to put it in the clear in this
# file. That is not a very good idea, use caution!
#passwd passwd/root-password password r00tme
#passwd passwd/root-password-again password r00tme
# If you want to skip creation of a normal user account.

#passwd passwd/make-user boolean false
# Alternatively, you can preseed the user’s name and login.

#passwd passwd/user-fullname string Debian User
#passwd passwd/username string debian
# And their password, but use caution!
#passwd passwd/user-password password insecure
#passwd passwd/user-password-again password insecure
#### Apt setup.
# This question controls what source the second stage installation uses
# for packages. Choices are cdrom, http, ftp, filesystem, edit sources list
# by hand
base-config apt-setup/uri_type select http
70
# If you choose ftp or http, you’ll be asked for a country and a mirror.
base-config apt-setup/country select enter information manually
base-config apt-setup/hostname string http.us.debian.org
base-config apt-setup/directory string /debian
# Stop after choosing one mirror.
base-config apt-setup/another boolean false
# You can choose to install non-free and contrib software.

#base-config apt-setup/non-free boolean true
#base-config apt-setup/contrib boolean true
# Do enable security updates.

base-config apt-setup/security-updates boolean true
#### Package selection.
# You can choose to install any combination of tasks that are available.
# Available tasks as of this writing include: Desktop environment,
# Web server, Print server, DNS server, File server, Mail server,
# SQL database, Laptop, Standard system, manual package selection. The
# last of those will run aptitude. You can also choose to install no
# tasks, and force the installation of a set of packages in some other
# way. We recommend always including the Standard system task.
tasksel tasksel/first multiselect Desktop environment, Standard system
#tasksel tasksel/first multiselect Web server, Standard system
#### Mailer configuration.
# During a normal install, exim asks only a few questions. Here’s how to
# avoid even those. More complicated preseeding is possible.
exim4-config exim4/dc_eximconfig_configtype \
select no configuration at this time
exim4-config exim4/no_config boolean true
exim4-config exim4/no_config boolean true
# It’s a good idea to set this to whatever user account you choose to
# create. Leaving the value blank results in postmaster mail going to
# /var/mail/mail.
exim4-config exim4/dc_postmaster string
#### X Configuration.
# Preseeding Debian’s X config is possible, but you probably need to know

# some details about the video hardware of the machine, since Debian’s X
# configurator does not do fully automatic configuration of everything.
# X can detect the right driver for some cards, but if you’re preseeding,
# you override whatever it chooses. Still, vesa will work most places.
#xserver-xfree86 xserver-xfree86/config/device/driver select vesa
# A caveat with mouse autodetection is that if it fails, X will retry it

# over and over. So if it’s preseeded to be done, there is a possibility of
# an infinite loop if the mouse is not autodetected.
#xserver-xfree86 xserver-xfree86/autodetect_mouse boolean true
# Monitor autodetection is recommended.
71
xserver-xfree86 xserver-xfree86/autodetect_monitor boolean true

# Uncomment if you have an LCD display.
#xserver-xfree86 xserver-xfree86/config/monitor/lcd boolean true
# X has three configuration paths for the monitor. Here’s how to preseed
# the "medium" path, which is always available. The "simple" path may not
# be available, and the "advanced" path asks too many questions.
xserver-xfree86 xserver-xfree86/config/monitor/selection-method \
select medium
xserver-xfree86 xserver-xfree86/config/monitor/mode-list \
select 1024x768 @ 60 Hz
#### Everything else.
# Depending on what software you choose to install, or if things go wrong

# during the installation process, it’s possible that other questions may
# be asked. You can preseed those too, of course. To get a list of every
# possible question that could be asked during an install, do an
# installation, and then run these commands:
# debconf-get-selections --installer > file
# debconf-get-selections >> file
# If you like, you can include other preseed files into this one.
# Any settings in those files will override pre-existing settings from this
# file. More that one file can be listed, separated by spaces; all will be
# loaded. The included files can have preseed/include directives of their
# own as well. Note that if the filenames are relative, they are taken from
# the same directory as the preseed file that includes them.
#d-i preseed/include string x.cfg
# More flexibly, this runs a shell command and if it outputs the names of
# preseed files, includes those files. For example, to switch configs based
# on a particular usb storage device (in this case, a built-in card reader):
#d-i preseed/include_command string \
# if $(grep -q "GUID: 0aec3050aec305000001a003" /proc/scsi/usb-storage-*/*); \
# then echo kraken.cfg; else echo otherusb.cfg; fi
# To check the format of your preseed file before performing an install,

# you can use debconf-set-selections:
# debconf-set-selections -c preseed.cfg
C.2. Linux Devices

In Linux you have various special files in /dev. These files are called device files. In the Unix world
accessing hardware is different. There you have a special file which actually runs a driver which in
turn accesses the hardware. The device file is an interface to the actual system component. Files under
/dev also behave differently than ordinary files. Below are the most important device files listed.
fd0 First Floppy Drive

fd1 Second Floppy Drive
72
hda IDE Hard disk / CD-ROM on the first IDE port

(Master)
hdb IDE Hard disk / CD-ROM on the first IDE port
(Slave)
hdc IDE Hard disk / CD-ROM on the second IDE
port (Master)
hdd IDE Hard disk / CD-ROM on the second IDE
port (Slave)
hda1 First partition of the first IDE hard disk
hdd15 Fifteenth partition of the fourth IDE hard disk
sda SCSI Hard disk with lowest SCSI ID (e.g. 0)

sdb SCSI Hard disk with next higher SCSI ID (e.g.
1)
sdc SCSI Hard disk with next higher SCSI ID (e.g.
2)
sda1 First partition of the first SCSI hard disk
sdd10 Tenth partition of the fourth SCSI hard disk
sr0 SCSI CD-ROM with the lowest SCSI ID

sr1 SCSI CD-ROM with the next higher SCSI ID
ttyS0 Serial port 0, COM1 under MS-DOS

ttyS1 Serial port 1, COM2 under MS-DOS
psaux PS/2 mouse device
gpmdata Pseudo device, repeater data from GPM (mouse)
daemon
cdrom Symbolic link to the CD-ROM drive

mouse Symbolic link to the mouse device file
null Everything pointed to this device will disappear

zero One can endlessly read zeros out of this device
C.2.1. Setting Up Your Mouse

The mouse can be used in both the Linux console (with gpm) and the X window environment. The
two uses can be made compatible if the gpm repeater is used to allow the signal to flow to the X server
as shown:
mouse => /dev/psaux => gpm => /dev/gpmdata -> /dev/mouse => X
73
/dev/ttyS0 (repeater) (symlink)

/dev/ttyS1
Set the repeater protocol to be raw (in /etc/gpm.conf) while setting X to the original mouse proto-
col in /etc/X11/XF86Config or /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.
This approach to use gpm even in X has advantages when the mouse is unplugged inadvertently.
Simply restarting gpm with
# /etc/init.d/gpm restart
will re-connect the mouse in software without restarting X.

If gpm is disabled or not installed with some reason, make sure to set X to read directly
from the mouse device such as /dev/psaux. For details, refer to the 3-Button Mouse
mini-Howto at /usr/share/doc/HOWTO/en-txt/mini/3-Button-Mouse.gz,
man gpm, /usr/share/doc/gpm/FAQ.gz, and README.mouse
(http://www.xfree86.org/current/mouse.html).
C.3. Disk Space Needed for Tasks

The base installation for i386 using the default 2.4 kernel, including all standard packages, requires
573MB of disk space.
The following table lists sizes reported by aptitude for the tasks listed in tasksel. Note that some tasks
have overlapping constituents, so the total installed size for two tasks together may be less than the
total obtained by adding up the numbers.
Note that you will need to add the sizes listed in the table to the size of the base installation when
determining the size of partitions. Most of the size listed as “Installed size” will end up in /usr; the
size listed as “Download size” is (temporarily) required in /var.
Task Installed size (MB) Download size (MB) Space needed to

install (MB)
Desktop 1392 460 1852
Web server 36 12 48
Print server 168 58 226
DNS server 2 1 3
File server 47 24 71
Mail server 10 3 13
SQL database 66 21 87
Note: The Desktop task will install both the Gnome and KDE desktop environments.
If you install in a language other than English, tasksel may automatically install a localization task,
if one is available for your language. Space requirements differ per language; you should allow up to
200MB in total for download and installation.
74
C.4. Installing Debian GNU/Linux from a Unix/Linux

System
This section explains how to install Debian GNU/Linux from an existing Unix or Linux system,
without using the menu-driven installer as explained in the rest of the manual. This “cross-install”
HOWTO has been requested by users switching to Debian GNU/Linux from Red Hat, Mandrake, and
SUSE. In this section some familiarity with entering *nix commands and navigating the file system
is assumed. In this section, $ symbolizes a command to be entered in the user’s current system, while
# refers to a command entered in the Debian chroot.
Once you’ve got the new Debian system configured to your preference, you can migrate your existing
user data (if any) to it, and keep on rolling. This is therefore a “zero downtime” Debian GNU/Linux
install. It’s also a clever way for dealing with hardware that otherwise doesn’t play friendly with
various boot or installation media.
C.4.1. Getting Started

With your current *nix partitioning tools, repartition the hard drive as needed, creating at least one
filesystem plus swap. You need at least 150MB of space available for a console only install, or at least
300MB if you plan to install X.
To create file systems on your partitions. For example, to create an ext3 file system on partition
/dev/hda6 (that’s our example root partition):
# mke2fs -j /dev/hda6
To create an ext2 file system instead, omit -j.

Initialize and activate swap (substitute the partition number for your intended Debian swap partition):
# mkswap /dev/hda5
# sync; sync; sync
# swapon /dev/hda5
Mount one partition as /mnt/debinst (the installation point, to be the root (/) filesystem on your
new system). The mount point name is strictly arbitrary, it is referenced later below.
# mkdir /mnt/debinst
# mount /dev/hda6 /mnt/debinst
Note: If you want to have parts of the filesystem (e.g. /usr) mounted on separate partitions, you
will need to create and mount these directories manually before proceding with the next stage.
75
C.4.2. Install debootstrap

The tool that the Debian installer uses, which is recognized as the official way to install a Debian base
system, is debootstrap. It uses wget and ar, but otherwise depends only on /bin/sh. Install wget
and ar if they aren’t already on your current system, then download and install debootstrap.
If you have an rpm-based system, you can use alien to convert the .deb into .rpm, or download an
rpm-ized version at http://people.debian.org/~blade/install/debootstrap
Or, you can use the following procedure to install it manually. Make a work folder for extracting the
.deb into:
# mkdir work
# cd work
The debootstrap binary is located in the Debian archive (be sure to select the
proper file for your architecture). Download the debootstrap .deb from the pool
(http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/d/debootstrap/), copy the package to the work folder, and
extract the binary files from it. You will need to have root privileges to install the binaries.
# ar -x debootstrap_0.X.X_arch.deb
# cd /
# zcat /full-path-to-work/work/data.tar.gz | tar xv
Note that running debootstrap may require you to have a minimal version of glibc installed (cur-
rently GLIBC_2.3). debootstrap itself is a shell script, but it calls various utilities that require glibc.
C.4.3. Run debootstrap

debootstrap can download the needed files directly from the archive when you run it.
You can substitute any Debian archive mirror for http.us.debian.org/debian in the
command example below, preferably a mirror close to you network-wise. Mirrors are listed at
http://www.debian.org/misc/README.mirrors.
If you have a sarge Debian GNU/Linux CD mounted at /cdrom, you could substitute a file URL
instead of the http URL: file:/cdrom/debian/
Substitute one of the following for ARCH in the debootstrap command: alpha, arm, hppa, i386,
ia64, m68k, mips, mipsel, powerpc, s390, or sparc.
# /usr/sbin/debootstrap --arch ARCH sarge \

/mnt/debinst http://http.us.debian.org/debian
C.4.4. Configure The Base System

Now you’ve got a real Debian system, though rather lean, on disk. Chroot into it:
# LANG= chroot /mnt/debinst /bin/bash
76
C.4.4.1. Mount Partitions

You need to create /etc/fstab.
# editor /etc/fstab
Here is a sample you can modify to suit:
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.

#
# file system mount point type options dump pass
/dev/XXX / ext3 defaults 0 1
/dev/XXX /boot ext3 ro,nosuid,nodev 0 2
/dev/XXX none swap sw 0 0

proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,rw,sync,user,exec 0 0

/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro,user,exec 0 0
/dev/XXX /tmp ext3 rw,nosuid,nodev 0 2

/dev/XXX /var ext3 rw,nosuid,nodev 0 2
/dev/XXX /usr ext3 rw,nodev 0 2
/dev/XXX /home ext3 rw,nosuid,nodev 0 2
Use mount -a to mount all the file systems you have specified in your /etc/fstab, or to mount file
systems individually use:
# mount /path # e.g.: mount /usr
You can mount the proc file system multiple times and to arbitrary locations, though /proc is cus-
tomary. If you didn’t use mount -a, be sure to mount proc before continuing:
# mount -t proc proc /proc
The command ls /proc should now show a non-empty directory. Should this fail, you may be able
to mount proc from outside the chroot:
# mount -t proc proc /mnt/debinst/proc
C.4.4.2. Configure Keyboard

To configure your keyboard:
# dpkg-reconfigure console-data
Note that the keyboard cannot be set while in the chroot, but will be configured for the next reboot.
77
C.4.4.3. Configure Networking

To configure
networking, edit /etc/network/interfaces, /etc/resolv.conf, and
/etc/hostname.
# editor /etc/network/interfaces
Here are some simple examples from /usr/share/doc/ifupdown/examples:
######################################################################
# /etc/network/interfaces -- configuration file for ifup(8), ifdown(8)
# See the interfaces(5) manpage for information on what options are
# available.
######################################################################
# We always want the loopback interface.

#
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
# To use dhcp:
#
# auto eth0
# iface eth0 inet dhcp
# An example static IP setup: (broadcast and gateway are optional)

#
# auto eth0
# iface eth0 inet static
# address 192.168.0.42
# network 192.168.0.0
# netmask 255.255.255.0
# broadcast 192.168.0.255
# gateway 192.168.0.1
Enter your nameserver(s) and search directives in /etc/resolv.conf:
# editor /etc/resolv.conf
A simple /etc/resolv.conf:
search hqdom.local\000
nameserver 10.1.1.36
nameserver 192.168.9.100
Enter your system’s host name (2 to 63 characters):
# echo DebianHostName > /etc/hostname
If you have multiple network cards, you should arrange the names of driver modules in the
/etc/modules file into the desired order. Then during boot, each card will be associated with the
interface name (eth0, eth1, etc.) that you expect.
78
C.4.4.4. Configure Timezone, Users, and APT

Set your timezone, add a normal user, and choose your apt sources by running
# /usr/sbin/base-config new
C.4.4.5. Configure Locales

To configure your locale settings to use a language other than English, install the locales support
package and configure it:
# apt-get install locales

# dpkg-reconfigure locales
NOTE: Apt must be configured before, ie. during the base-config phase. Before using locales with
character sets other than ASCII or latin1, please consult the appropriate localization HOWTO.
C.4.5. Install a Kernel

If you intend to boot this system, you probably want a Linux kernel and a boot loader. Identify
available pre-packaged kernels with
# apt-cache search kernel-image
Then install your choice using its package name.
# apt-get install kernel-image-2.X.X-arch-etc
C.4.6. Set up the Boot Loader

To make your Debian GNU/Linux system bootable, set up your boot loader to load the installed kernel
with your new root partition. Note that debootstrap does not install a boot loader, though you can use
apt-get inside your Debian chroot to do so.
79
Appendix D. Administrivia
D.1. About This Document

This manual was created for Sarge’s debian-installer, based on the Woody installation manual for
boot-floppies, which was based on earlier Debian installation manuals, and on the Progeny distribution
manual which was released under GPL in 2003.
This document is written in DocBook XML. Output formats are generated by various programs using
information from the docbook-xml and docbook-xsl packages.
In order to increase the maintainability of this document, we use a number of XML features, such as
entities and profiling attributes. These play a role akin to variables and conditionals in programming
languages. The XML source to this document contains information for each different architecture —
profiling attributes are used to isolate certain bits of text as architecture-specific.
D.2. Contributing to This Document

If you have problems or suggestions regarding this document, you should probably submit them as a
bug report against the package debian-installer-manual. See the reportbug package or read
the online documentation of the Debian Bug Tracking System (http://bugs.debian.org/). It would be
nice if you could check the open bugs against debian-installer-manual (http://bugs.debian.org/debian-
installer-manual) to see whether your problem has already been reported. If so, you can supply addi-
tional corroboration or helpful information to <XXXX @bugs.debian.org>, where XXXX is the num-
ber for the already-reported bug.
Better yet, get a copy of the DocBook source for this document, and produce patches against it.
The DocBook source can be found at the debian-installer WebSVN (http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/d-
i/). If you’re not familiar with DocBook, don’t worry: there is a simple cheatsheet in the manuals
directory that will get you started. It’s like html, but oriented towards the meaning of the text rather
than the presentation. Patches submitted to the debian-boot mailing list (see below) are welcomed. For
instructions on how to check out the sources via SVN, see README (http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/d-
i/README?op=file) from the source root directory.
Please do not contact the authors of this document directly. There is also a discussion list
for debian-installer, which includes discussions of this manual. The mailing list is
<[email protected]>. Instructions for subscribing to this list can be found at the
Debian Mailing List Subscription (http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/subscribe) page; or you can
browse the Debian Mailing List Archives (http://lists.debian.org/) online.
D.3. Major Contributions

This document was originally written by Bruce Perens, Sven Rudolph, Igor Grobman, James Treacy,
and Adam Di Carlo. Sebastian Ley wrote the Installation Howto. Many, many Debian users and
developers contributed to this document. Particular note must be made of Michael Schmitz (m68k
support), Frank Neumann (original author of the Amiga install manual (http://www.informatik.uni-
oldenburg.de/~amigo/debian_inst.html)), Arto Astala, Eric Delaunay/Ben Collins (SPARC informa-
tion), Tapio Lehtonen, and Stéphane Bortzmeyer for numerous edits and text. We have to thank Pascal
80
Appendix D. Administrivia
Le Bail for useful information about booting from USB memory sticks. Miroslav Kuře has docu-
mented a lot of the new functionality in Sarge’s debian-installer.
Extremely helpful text and information was found in Jim Mintha’s HOWTO for
network booting (no URL available), the Debian FAQ (http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/),
the Linux/m68k FAQ (http://www.linux-m68k.org/faq/faq.html), the Linux for
SPARC Processors FAQ (http://www.ultralinux.org/faq.html), the Linux/Alpha FAQ
(http://linux.iol.unh.edu/linux/alpha/faq/), amongst others. The maintainers of these freely available
and rich sources of information must be recognized.
The section on chrooted installations in this manual (Section C.4) was derived in part from documents
copyright Karsten M. Self.
D.4. Trademark Acknowledgement

All trademarks are property of their respective trademark owners.
81
Appendix E. GNU General Public License
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. — 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA
02110-1301, USA.
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing
it is not allowed.
E.1. Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By
contrast, the gnu General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change
free software — to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies
to most of the Free Software Foundation’s software and to any other program whose authors commit
to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the gnu Library General
Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses
are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge
for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can
change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these
things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to
ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you
distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the
recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source
code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license which
gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software.
Also, for each author’s protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that
there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on,
we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that any problems introduced
by others will not reflect on the original authors’ reputations.
Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid the danger
that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the
program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for
everyone’s free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.
E.2. GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
• This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright
holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program",
82
below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the
Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program
or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language.
(Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term "modification".) Each licensee is
addressed as "you".
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they
are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the
Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of
having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program
does.
• You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program’s source code as you receive it, in any
medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate
copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and
to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License
along with the Program.
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer
warranty protection in exchange for a fee.
• You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a work based
on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
a) You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed the files
and the date of any change.
b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is
derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third
parties under the terms of this License.
c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively when run, you must cause it,
when started running for such interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an
announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there is no warranty (or
else, saying that you provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under these
conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this License. (Exception: if the Program itself
is interactive but does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on the Program
is not required to print an announcement.)
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are
not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works
in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute
them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a
work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License,
whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part
regardless of who wrote it.
Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to work written entirely
by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or collective
works based on the Program.
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or with
a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the
other work under the scope of this License.
• You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code
or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the
83
following:
a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be
distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software
interchange; or,
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a
charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-
readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and
2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source
code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the
program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to
it. For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it
contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation
and installation of the executable. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need
not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major
components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs,
unless that component itself accompanies the executable.
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to copy from a designated
place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same place counts as dis-
tribution of the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source along
with the object code.
• You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided
under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is
void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License. However, parties who have
received copies, or rights, from you under this License will not have their licenses terminated so
long as such parties remain in full compliance.
• You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else
grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions
are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the
Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do
so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the Program or works
based on it.
• Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the recipient automat-
ically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject
to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients’ exer-
cise of the rights granted herein. You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties
to this License.
• If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement or for any other reason
(not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or
otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not excuse you from the conditions
of this License. If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this
License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the
Program at all. For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the
Program by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you
could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the Program.
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under any particular circumstance, the
balance of the section is intended to apply and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other
84
circumstances.
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any patents or other property right
claims or to contest validity of any such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the
integrity of the free software distribution system, which is implemented by public license practices.
Many people have made generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed through
that system in reliance on consistent application of that system; it is up to the author/donor to decide
if he or she is willing to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot impose
that choice.
This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence of the rest
of this License.
• If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries either by patents or
by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder who places the Program under this Li-
cense may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those countries, so that
distribution is permitted only in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License
incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this License.
• The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of the General Public
License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but
may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. Each version is given a distinguishing
version number. If the Program specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and
"any later version", you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that version
or of any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. If the Program does not specify
a version number of this License, you may choose any version ever published by the Free Software
Foundation.
• If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free programs whose distribution con-
ditions are different, write to the author to ask for permission. For software which is copyrighted
by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software Foundation; we sometimes make ex-
ceptions for this. Our decision will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of all
derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.
NO WARRANTY
• because the program is licensed free of charge, there is no warranty for the program, to the extent
permitted by applicable law. except when otherwise stated in writing the copyright holders and/or
other parties provide the program "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied,
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular
purpose. the entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is with you. should the
program prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.
• in no event unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing will any copyright holder, or
any other party who may modify and/or redistribute the program as permitted above, be liable to
you for damages, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out
of the use or inability to use the program (including but not limited to loss of data or data being
rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by you or third parties or a failure of the program to operate
with any other programs), even if such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility of
such damages.
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
E.3. How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs

If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest possible use to the public, the
85
best way to achieve this is to make it free software which everyone can redistribute and change under
these terms.
To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest to attach them to the start of each
source file to most effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least the
"copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
one line to give the program’s name and a brief idea of what it does.
Copyright (C) year name of author
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the gnu
General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License,
or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even
the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the gnu General Public
License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the gnu General Public License along with this program; if not,
write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301,
USA.
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this when it starts in an interactive
mode:
Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year name of author
Gnomovision comes with absolutely no warranty; for details type ‘show w’.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type ‘show c’
for details.
The hypothetical commands ‘show w’ and ‘show c’ should show the appropriate parts of the General
Public License. Of course, the commands you use may be called something other than ‘show w’ and
‘show c’; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items — whatever suits your program.
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your school, if any, to sign a
"copyright disclaimer" for the program, if necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program ‘Gnomovision’ (which makes
passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
signature of Ty Coon, 1 April 1989
Ty Coon, President of Vice
This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs.
If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary
applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the gnu Library General Public License
instead of this License.
86

Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

1.1. What is Debian?

• The Debian Social Contract (http://www.debian.org/social_contract) is a statement of Debian’s

• Debian Jr. (http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-jr/) is an internal project, aimed at making sure

1.2. What is GNU/Linux?

1.3. What is Debian GNU/Linux?

1.4. Getting Debian

1.5. Getting the Newest Version of This Document

1.6. Organization of This Document

1.7. About Copyrights and Software Licenses

2.1. Supported Hardware

2.1.1. Supported Architectures

Architecture Debian Designation Subarchitecture Flavor

Intel x86-based i386 vanilla

Architecture Debian Designation Subarchitecture Flavor

2.1.2. CPU, Main Boards, and Video Support

Hardware Type Aliases MILO image

Hardware Type Aliases MILO image

AlphaPC164-LX LX164 lx164

AlphaPCI64 Cabriolet cabriolet

EB66+ EB66+ eb66p

Hardware Type Aliases MILO image

UP1100 Galaxy-Train/Nautilus N/A

UDB Multia noname

Hardware Type Aliases MILO image

DeskStation RPL164-4 Ruffian ruffian

DeskStation RPX164-2 Ruffian ruffian

DeskStation RPX164-4 Ruffian ruffian

Samsung Ruffian ruffian

AlphaServer DS25 Granite N/A

AlphaServer DS10L Slate N/A

AlphaServer GS320 Wildfire N/A

Hardware Type Aliases MILO image

2.1.3. Graphics Card

2.1.4. Multiple Processors

2.2. Installation Media

2.2.2. Hard Disk

2.2.4. Un*x or GNU system

2.2.5. Supported Storage Systems

2.3. Peripherals and Other Hardware

2.4. Purchasing Hardware Specifically for GNU/Linux

2.4.1. Avoid Proprietary or Closed Hardware

2.4.2. Fake or “Virtual” Parity RAM

2.5. Memory and Disk Space Requirements

2.6. Network Connectivity Hardware

3.1. Overview of the Installation Process

3.2. Back Up Your Existing Data!

3.3. Information You Will Need

3.3.1.1. Installation Manual

3.3.1.2. Hardware documentation

• Linux/Alpha FAQ (http://linux.iol.unh.edu/linux/alpha/faq/)

3.3.2. Finding Sources of Hardware Information

• The manuals that come with each piece of hardware.

Table 3-1. Hardware Information Needed for an Install

Hardware Information You Might Need

Their order on the system.

Hardware Information You Might Need

Printing resolutions supported.