Red Hat Linux 6.

The Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide

ISBN: N/A

Red Hat, Inc.

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Contents
Red Hat Linux 6.2

Chapter 1 New Features of Red Hat Linux 6.2 ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 5
1.1 Installation-Related Enhancements . ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 5

Chapter 2 Before You Begin .... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 7
2.1 Seven Steps to Get You Started .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 7
2.2 System Requirements Table . ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 19

Chapter 3 Starting the Installation . .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 23
3.1 The Installation Program User Interface . ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 23
3.2 Starting the Installation Program. . ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 24
3.3 Selecting an Installation Method .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 27
3.4 Beginning the Installation . .. .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 28
3.5 Language Selection . .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 30
3.6 Keyboard Configuration .. ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 31
3.7 Mouse Configuration .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 32
3.8 Welcome to Red Hat Linux . .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 34
3.9 Install Options.. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 35

Chapter 4 Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2 . ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 37
4.1 Continuing the Installation .. .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 37
4.2 Partitioning with fdisk .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 39
4.3 Automatic Partitioning . ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 42
4.4 Partitioning Your System.... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 44
4.5 Choose Partitions to Format.. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 51
4.6 Installing LILO. . ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 52
4.7 Network Configuration ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 56
4.8 Time Zone Configuration ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 57
4.9 Account Configuration ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 58
4.10 Authentication Configuration . ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 60

iii
 4.11 Package Group Selection... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 62
4.12 GUI X Configuration Tool ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 65
4.13 Preparing to Install .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 68
4.14 Installing Packages .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 69
4.15 Boot Disk Creation .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 70
4.16 Installation Complete.. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 71

Chapter 5 Upgrading Your Current System . ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 73
5.1 What it Means to Upgrade .. .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 73
5.2 Upgrading Your System .. ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 73
5.3 Customizing Your Upgrade . .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 74
5.4 Selecting Packages to Upgrade. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 75
5.5 Upgrading Packages .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 77
5.6 Upgrade Complete .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 78

Appendix A Getting Technical Support . .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 81
A.1 Remember to Sign Up ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 81
A.2 An Overview of Red Hat Support . ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 81
A.3 Scope of Red Hat Support . .. ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 83
A.4 The Red Hat Support System. .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 83
A.5 How to Get Technical Support .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 83
A.6 Questions for Technical Support .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 85
A.7 Support Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). . ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 86

Appendix B Installing Without Partitioning ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 87
B.1 The Ups and Downs of a Partitionless Installation . .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 87
B.2 Performing a Partitionless Installation .. .. ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 88

Appendix C Removing Red Hat Linux ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ... .. ... . 93

iv
Section 1.1:Installation-Related Enhancements 5

1 New Features of Red Hat Linux 6.2

This chapter describes features that are new to the Red Hat Linux 6.2 graphical installation
process. To learn about non-installation-related new features, please refer to the Official Red
Hat Linux Reference Guide.

1.1 Installation-Related Enhancements

Improvements to Red Hat Linux 6.2 which will make installation even easier include:
Partitionless Installation
This new installation type allows a user with an existing, formatted DOS (FAT) filesys-
tem to install Red Hat Linux 6.2 on their current system without having to worry about
making Linux partitions. For more information about this installation process, refer to
Appendix B, Installing Without Partitioning.
Improved X Configuration
Configuration of your X Window System during the installation has never been more
thorough. From choosing your monitor and its correct settings, to video card probing,
to testing your desired X setup, Xconfigurator will help you set everything just right.
Additional GUI Partitioning Tool
Previously available only in expert mode, fdisk has been added to the GUI installation.
You can now choose to partition with Disk Druid or fdisk, depending on your level of
skill and personal preference.
Rescue Disk Improvements
New and improved options make using the rescue disk even more powerful than before.
Improvements include mtools and RAID tools, and pico as the new default editor.
Software RAID Configuration in Kickstart Installations
New to kickstart installations is the ability to configure RAID.
RAID Upgrades
New to the installation program is the ability to perform RAID upgrades.
ATAPI Zip Drive Recognition
6 Chapter 1:New Features of Red Hat Linux 6.2

ATAPI Zip drives are now recognized by the installation program and automatically
configured to use SCSI emulation. If you add an ATAPI Zip drive after the installation,
the hardware recognition program kudzu will recognize it once you reboot your system.
The installation program will also create device files for Jaz drives as well.
Section 2.1:Seven Steps to Get You Started 7

2 Before You Begin

This chapter explains how to prepare for the Red Hat Linux installation. It’s divided into two
main sections:
• Seven steps to get you ready for the installation (such as checking for errata, hardware
compatibility, making diskettes and more);
• System requirements table for gathering your hardware information.
While installing Red Hat Linux is a fairly straightforward process, taking time to prepare
for it will make things go much more smoothly. In this chapter, we’ll discuss the steps you
should perform prior to the installation.

Please Note
If you currently use Red Hat Linux 2.0 (or greater), you can per-
form an upgrade. Skim this chapter to review the basics then read
Chapter 3, Starting the Installation, following the directions as you
go. The upgrade procedure starts out identically to the installation
procedure. Once you have chosen to perform an upgrade please re-
fer to Chapter 5, Upgrading Your Current System.

If you are an experienced user and do not need a review of the basics, you can skip ahead to
Chapter 3, Starting the Installation to begin the installation process.

Tip
Refer to the Red Hat Frequently Asked Questions for answers
to questions and problems that may occur before, during or after
the installation. You’ll find the FAQ online at: http://www.red-
hat.com/support/docs/faqs/rhl_general_faq/FAQ.html

2.1 Seven Steps to Get You Started

There are seven steps you should perform prior to installing Red Hat Linux:
8 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

2.1.1 Step 1 - Do You Have the Right Red Hat Linux

Components?
If you’ve purchased the Official Red Hat Linux boxed set, you’re ready to go! However,
mistakes occasionally happen, so now is a good time to double-check the contents of your
boxed set.
In your Red Hat Linux box, there is a Registration Card. On the back of that card is
a list of the contents of your boxed set version. Please read over this list and check to make
sure that you have all the diskettes and manuals that are available with your version.
If you’ve purchased the Official Red Hat Linux boxed set from Red Hat, Inc. (or one of its
distributors), and you’re missing one or more of the items listed, please let us know! Contact
information is also available on the Registration Card.
How to identify our official boxed set: The bottom of our box has an ISBN number next to
one of the bar codes. That ISBN number should be in this form:
1-58569-xx-y

(The xx and y will be unique numbers.) If your box has an ISBN number in this form, and
you’re missing something, please use the contact information included in the boxed set.
Keep in mind is that Red Hat partners with companies (international and domestic) so that
we can make Red Hat Linux available to you in the most convenient form. Because of this,
you might find that your Red Hat Linux boxed set may not have been actually produced by
Red Hat.
If your box has a different ISBN number (or none at all), you’ll need to contact the company
that produced your boxed set. Normally, third-party producers will include their logo and/or
contact information on the outside of the box; an official Red Hat Linux boxed set lists only
our name and contact information.

No Boxed Set? No Problem!

Of course, not everyone purchases a Red Hat Linux boxed set. It’s entirely possible to install
Red Hat Linux using a CD created by another company, or even via FTP. In these cases, you
may need to create one or more diskettes to get started.
For information on downloading and installing Red Hat Linux via FTP, refer to
http://www.redhat.com/download/howto_download.html.
Section 2.1:Seven Steps to Get You Started 9

For people installing Red Hat Linux from a CD-ROM not from Red Hat, you may need a
boot disk, or if using a PCMCIA device during the installation (such as a laptop), a PCMCIA
boot disk. It may also be possible to start the installation directly from the CD. We’ll discuss
this in more detail when we outline the various installation methods.
For information on making diskettes, see Making Installation Diskettes in Section 2.1.6.

2.1.2 Step 2 - Is Your Hardware Compatible with Red Hat

Linux 6.2?
Hardware compatibility is particularly important to those of you with older systems or sys-
tems that you may have built yourself. Red Hat Linux 6.2 should be compatible with most
hardware in systems that were factory built within the last two years. However, with hard-
ware specifications changing and improving almost daily, it is hard to guarantee that your
hardware will be 100% compatible.
First, use Red Hat’s online resources to make sure your hardware is compatible and/or sup-
ported. You’ll find the hardware compatibility list at: http://www.redhat.com/hardware.
Second, gather all the system hardware information you can; the Official Red Hat Linux Ref-
erence Guide has instructions on doing this in the Installation-Related Reference (including
instructions for Windows users). At the end of this chapter, a system requirements table (see
Section 2.2, System Requirements Table) is available for you to fill out and reference during
the installation.

2.1.3 Step 3 - Have You Checked for Errata?

Although most of the time it’s not necessary to check for errata before the installation, it is
also not a bad idea, either.
Red Hat offers updated diskette images, documentation and other errata downloads for your
convenience.
There are two ways to review the errata:
1. Online -- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata; supplies errata you can read online, and
you can download diskette images easily.
2. E-mail -- By sending an empty mail message to [email protected], you will re-
ceive an e-mail containing a text listing of the complete errata of the installation program
and software itself (if errata exist at that time). Also included are URLs to each updated
10 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

package and diskette image in the errata. Using these URLs, you can download any nec-
essary diskette images. Please note: use binary mode when transferring a diskette image.
Occasionally, we find that the installation may fail, and that a revised diskette image is needed
for the installation to work properly. In these cases, we make special images available via
the Red Hat Linux errata listing.
Since this is relatively rare, you will save time if you try to use the standard diskette images
first. Review the errata only if you experience problems completing the installation.
If you experience problems, focus on entries that include new diskette images (the filenames
always end in .img). If you find an entry that applies to your problem, get a copy of the
diskette images, and create them using the instructions in Making Installation Diskettes in
Section 2.1.6.
Also available are documentation errata. When significant changes are made to the manu-
als, we make sure to update these online as well. Documentation updates can be found at
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/doc_errata/.

2.1.4 Step 4 - Do You Have Enough Disk Space?

Nearly every modern-day operating system uses disk partitions, and Red Hat Linux is no
exception. When installing Red Hat Linux, it may be necessary to work with disk partitions.
If you have not worked with disk partitions before (or would like a quick review of the basic
concepts) please read An Introduction to Disk Partitions in the appendix of the Official Red
Hat Linux Reference Guide before proceeding.
If you are not performing a "fresh" installation, in which Red Hat Linux will be the only OS
on your system, and you are not performing an upgrade, you will need to make sure you have
enough available disk space on your hard drive(s) for this installation.
This disk space must be separate from the disk space used by other OSes you may have
installed on your system, such as Windows, OS/2, or even a different version of Linux. This
is done by dedicating one or more partitions to Red Hat Linux.
Before you start the installation process, one of the following conditions must be met:
• Your computer must have enough unpartitioned disk space available to install Red Hat
Linux.
• Your computer must have one or more partitions that may be deleted, thereby freeing up
enough disk space to install Red Hat Linux.
Section 2.1:Seven Steps to Get You Started 11

• You must have a preexisting, formatted FAT partition, and install using the partitionless
installation method (Appendix B, Installing Without Partitioning).
To give you an idea of how much space you’ll need, below is a list of installation methods
and their minimum space requirements. This includes partitionless installation requirements.
• GNOME Workstation - 700MB
• KDE Workstation - 700MB
• Server - 1.7GB
• Custom (choosing Everything) - 1.7GB
For more information about these installation classes, see Section 2.1.7, Step 7 - Which In-
stallation Type is Best For You?
If you are not sure that you meet these conditions or want to know how to free up more space
for your Red Hat Linux installation, please refer to the partitioning appendix in the Official
Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.

2.1.5 Step 5 - How Do You Want to Install Red Hat Linux?

Next, you must decide which type of installation best fits your needs. Options include:
CD-ROM
If you purchased a Red Hat Linux 6.2 boxed set (or have a Red Hat Linux CD-ROM)
and have a CD-ROM drive. This method requires a boot disk, a bootable CD-ROM,
or a PCMCIA boot disk.
Hard Drive
If you have copied the Red Hat Linux files to a local hard drive. This method requires
a boot disk or PCMCIA boot disk.
NFS Image
If you are installing from an NFS Image server which is exporting the Red Hat Linux
CD-ROM or a mirror image of Red Hat Linux. Requires a network or PCMCIA boot
disk.
FTP
If you are installing directly from an FTP server. Requires a network or PCMCIA boot
disk.
12 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

HTTP
If you are installing directly from an HTTP Web server. Requires a network or PCM-
CIA boot disk.

2.1.6 Step 6 - How Do You Want to Start the Installation?

Depending on the installation method you chose in Step 5, you must decide how you want
to start the installation process itself. What boot media will you use?
Bootable CD-ROM
If your system will allow you to boot from your CD-ROM drive, you can use the Red
Hat Linux CD-ROM to boot into the installation program to perform a local CD-ROM
installation.
Local Media Boot Disk
If you purchased an Official Red Hat Linux 6.2 boxed set, you will find a local boot
disk in the box. This diskette can be used for CD-ROM installations for which your
CD-ROM drive is not bootable, or for a hard drive installation.
Network Boot Disk
If you are performing an installation via FTP, HTTP, or NFS you must create your
own network boot disk. The network boot disk image file is bootnet.img, and is
located in the images directory on your Red Hat Linux/Intel CD.
PCMCIA Boot Disk
Here’s a checklist to help you determine if you’ll need to create a PCMCIA boot disk:
• If you’ll be installing Red Hat Linux from a CD-ROM, and your CD-ROM drive is
attached to your computer through a PCMCIA card, you’ll need a PCMCIA boot
disk.
• If you will be using a PCMCIA network adapter during the installation, you may
need a PCMCIA boot disk.
If you need a PCMCIA boot disk, you must make one. The PCMCIA boot disk im-
age file is pcmcia.img, and is located in the images directory on your Red Hat
Linux/Intel CD.
Section 2.1:Seven Steps to Get You Started 13

Making Installation Diskettes

It is sometimes necessary to create a diskette from an image file; for example, you may need
to use updated diskette images obtained from the Red Hat Linux errata page or you may need
to create a boot disk.
An image file contains an exact copy (or image) of a diskette’s contents. Since a diskette
contains filesystem information in addition to the data contained in files, the image file is not
usable until it has been written to a diskette.
To start, you’ll need a blank, formatted, high-density (1.44MB), 3.5-inch diskette. You’ll
need access to a computer with a 3.5-inch diskette drive, and capable of running an MS-DOS
program, or the dd utility found on most Linux-like operating systems.
The images directory on your Red Hat Linux CD contains the boot images for Red Hat
Linux/Intel.
Once you’ve selected the proper image, it’s time to transfer the image file onto a diskette.
Making a Diskette Under MS-DOS
To make a diskette under MS-DOS, use the rawrite utility included on the Red Hat Linux
CD in the dosutils directory. First, label a blank, formatted 3.5-inch diskette appropri-
ately (such as "Boot Disk" or "Updates Disk"). Insert it into the diskette drive. Then, use the
following commands (assuming your CD is drive d:):
C:\> d:
D:\> cd \dosutils
D:\dosutils> rawrite
Enter disk image source file name: ..\images\boot.img
Enter target diskette drive: a:
Please insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and
press --ENTER-- : [Enter]
D:\dosutils>

First, rawrite asks you for the filename of a diskette image; enter the directory and name of
the image you wish to write (for example, ..\images\boot.img). Then rawrite asks
for a diskette drive to write the image to; enter a:. Finally, rawrite asks for confirmation
that a formatted diskette is in the drive you’ve selected. After pressing [Enter] to confirm,
rawrite copies the image file onto the diskette. If you need to make another diskette, label
that diskette, and run rawrite again, specifying the appropriate image file.
14 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

Making a Diskette Under a Linux-Like OS

To make a diskette under Linux (or any other Linux-like operating system), you must have
permission to write to the device representing a 3.5-inch diskette drive (known as /dev/fd0
under Linux).
First, label a blank, formatted diskette appropriately (such as"Boot Disk," "Updates Disk").
Insert it into the diskette drive (but don’t issue a mount command). After mounting the Red
Hat Linux CD, change directory to the directory containing the desired image file, and use the
following command (changing the name of the image file and diskette device as appropriate):
# dd if=boot.img of=/dev/fd0 bs=1440k

If you need to make another diskette, label that diskette, and run dd again, specifying the
appropriate image file.

2.1.7 Step 7 - Which Installation Type is Best For You?

Red Hat Linux includes four different classes, or types of installations. They are:
• Workstation -- A workstation-class installation is most appropriate if you are new
to the world of Linux, and would like to give it a try. By answering a few installation
questions, you can be up and running Red Hat Linux in no time!
• Server -- A server-class installation is most appropriate for you if you’d like your
system to function as a Linux-based server, and you don’t want to heavily customize
your system configuration.
• Custom -- A custom-class installation allows you the greatest flexibility during your
installation. You choose your partitioning scheme, which packages you want and more.
Custom-class installations are most appropriate for those users more familiar with Red
Hat Linux installations and for those afraid of losing complete flexibility.
• Upgrade -- If you already have a version of Red Hat Linux 2.0 (or greater) running on
your system and you want to quickly update to the latest packages and kernel version,
then an upgrade is most appropriate for you.
Section 2.1:Seven Steps to Get You Started 15

Please Note
The custom-class installation allows you the most flexibility. The
workstation- and server-class installations go through the installa-
tion process for you and omit certain steps. However, partition flex-
ibility has been added to workstation- and server-class installations,
so you can now partition your drives manually.

These classes give you the option of simplifying the installation process (with some potential
for loss of configuration flexibility), or retaining flexibility with a slightly more complex
installation process. Let’s take a detailed look at each class, so you can see which one is
right for you.

Please Note
If you are planning to perform a partitionless installation, you will
also need to choose what class of installation you want to perform.
However, unlike the warnings for users performing a typical instal-
lation, you will not have to worry about losing any information on
your system. A partitionless installation will not remove existing
partitions.

The Workstation-Class Installation

There are two types of workstation-class installations for you to choose:
• GNOME Workstation -- Installs on a system that will be used primarily as a work-
station. Loads the GNOME GUI and configures the system to start GNOME when the
system boots. If you choose not to manually partition, the installation program deletes all
data in all existing Linux partitions, decides how to partition the disk for the new version,
and chooses which software packages to load.
• KDE Workstation -- Installs on a system that will be used primarily as a workstation.
Loads the KDE GUI and configures the system to start KDE when the system boots. If
you choose not to manually partition, the installation program deletes all data in all exist-
ing Linux partitions, decides how to partition the disk for the new version, and chooses
which software packages to load.
16 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

Please Note
Unlike previous workstation-class installations, performing a Red
Hat Linux 6.2 workstation-class installation will not install the net-
work daemon inetd. Not installing inetd results in a more secure
installation; however, network-related services such as finger, telnet,
talk, and FTP will not work. If you require these types of services,
choose a server- or a custom-class installation.

What Does It Do?

If you choose not to partition manually, a workstation-class installation removes all Linux-
related partitions on all installed hard drives (and uses all free unpartitioned disk space) to
create the following partitions:
• A 64MB swap partition.
• A variable-sized (the exact size is dependent on your available disk space) root partition
(mounted as /) in which all other files are stored.
• A 16MB partition (mounted as /boot) in which the Linux kernel and related files reside.
This approach to disk partitioning results in the simplest filesystem configuration possible.

Please Note
You will need at least 700MB of free disk space in order to perform
a workstation-class installation.

If your system already runs Windows (Windows 3.1/95/98/NT), a workstation-class installa-

tion will automatically configure your system to dual-boot using LILO (the LInux LOader).
Section 2.1:Seven Steps to Get You Started 17

CAUTION

A workstation-class installation will remove all existing Linux par-

tition on all hard drives in your system. It will also attempt to set up
a dual boot environment automatically on your system, if another
OS is present.

The Server-Class Installation

During the server-class installation, the X Window System is not configured and no GUI will
be loaded when the system boots. The installation program deletes all data in all existing
partitions of any kind, decides how to partition the disk for the new version, and chooses
which software packages to load.
What Does It Do?
If you choose not to partition manually, a server-class installation removes ALL existing par-
titions on ALL installed hard drives, so choose this installation class only if you’re sure you
have nothing you want saved! When the installation is complete, you’ll find the following
partitions:
• A 64MB swap partition.
• A 256MB partition (mounted as /).
• A partition of at least 512MB (mounted as /usr).
• A partition of at least 512MB (mounted as /home).
• A 256MB partition (mounted as /var).
• A 16MB partition (mounted as /boot) in which the Linux kernel and related files are
kept.
This approach to disk partitioning results in a reasonably flexible filesystem configuration
for most server-class tasks.
18 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

Please Note
You will need at least 1.7GB of free disk space in order to perform
a server-class installation.

CAUTION

A server-class installation will remove ALL existing partitions of

ANY type on ALL existing hard drives of your system. All drives
will be erased of all information and existing operating systems,
regardless if they are Linux partitions or not!

The Custom-Class Installation

As you might guess from the name, a custom-class installation puts the emphasis on flexibil-
ity. During a custom-class installation, you can choose how disk space should be partitioned.
You have complete control over which packages will be installed on your system. You also
determine whether you’ll use LILO (the LInux LOader) to boot your system.
Behind the Scenes of a Custom-Class Installation
This section covers those installation steps that are only seen when performing a custom-class
installation.
This may help those of you who are trying to decide which installation class will better suit
your needs. If you think you’ll have trouble performing any of the tasks on this list, you
should not perform a custom-class installation without reading through this manual and clar-
ifying any questions you may have.
• Creating Partitions -- In the custom-class installation it is necessary for you to specify
where you want Red Hat Linux to be installed. (This is no longer specific to custom-class
installations because you now have the option to manually partition in the workstation-
and server-class installations.)
• Formatting Partitions -- All newly created partitions must be formatted. Any partitions
that contain old data (data you no longer need or want) should be formatted. (If you
chose to manually partition your workstation- or server-class installation, you will need
to choose which partitions to format.)
Section 2.2:System Requirements Table 19

• Selecting and Installing Packages -- This is performed after your partitions have been
configured and selected for formatting. Here you may select groups of packages, indi-
vidual packages, a combination of the two, or choose an "everything" install.
• LILO Configuration -- In a custom-class installation, you are able to choose where you
would like LILO to be installed -- either on the master boot record (MBR) or on the first
sector of your root partition -- or you can choose not to install LILO at all.

Upgrading Your System

Upgrading Red Hat Linux 2.0 (or greater) will not delete any existing data. The installation
program updates the modular 2.2.x kernel and all currently installed software packages. See
Chapter 3, Starting the Installation and Chapter 5, Upgrading Your Current System for those
instructions.

2.2 System Requirements Table

Use the space provided to fill in your system settings and requirements. This will help you
keep a record of your current system, as well as make the installation process easier.
Table 2–1 System Requirements
Hard Drive(s): 1)
Number, size, type;
ex: IDE hda=1.2G
Partitions: map 2)
of partitions and
mount points; ex:
/dev/hda1=/home,
/dev/hda2=/ (fill
this in once you know
where they will reside).
Memory: Amount 3)
of RAM installed
on your system; ex:
64MB, 128MB
20 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

CD-ROM: Interface 4)
Type; ex: SCSI, IDE
(ATAPI)
SCSI Adapter: If 5)
present, make and
model number; ex:
BusLogic SCSI
Adapter, Adaptec
2940UW
Network Card: If 6)
present, make and
model number; ex:
Tulip, 3COM 3C590
Mouse: Type, protocol, 7)
and number of
buttons; ex: generic
3 button PS/2 mouse,
MouseMan 2 button
serial mouse
Monitor: Make, model, 8)
and manufacturer
specifications; ex:
Optiquest Q53,
ViewSonic G773
Video Card: Make, 9)
model number and
VRAM; ex: Creative
Labs Graphics Blaster
3D, 8MB
Section 2.2:System Requirements Table 21

Sound Card: Make, 10)

chipset and model
number; ex: S3
SonicVibes, Sound
Blaster 32/64 AWE
IP Address: Four 11)
numbers, separated
by dots; ex: 10.0.2.15
(contact your netadmin
for help)
Netmask: Usually four 12)
numbers, separated by
dots; ex: 255.255.248.0
(contact your netadmin
for help)
Gateway IP address: 13)
Four numbers,
separated by dots;
ex: 10.0.2.245 (contact
your netadmin for help)
One or more name 14)
server IP Addresses:
Usually one or more
sets of dot-separated
numbers; ex: 10.0.2.1
(contact your netadmin
for help)
22 Chapter 2:Before You Begin

Domain name: the 15)

name given to your
organization; ex:
Red Hat’s would be
redhat.com (contact
your netadmin for help)
Hostname: the name 16)
of your computer; your
personal choice of
names ex: cookie,
southpark.
Section 3.1:The Installation Program User Interface 23

3 Starting the Installation

This chapter explains how to start the Red Hat Linux installation process. We’ll cover the
following areas:
• Getting familiar with the installation program’s user interface;
• Starting the installation program;
• Selecting an installation method;
• Beginning the installation.
By the end of this chapter, the installation program will be running on your system, and you
will have begun the process of either installing or upgrading to Red Hat Linux 6.2.

3.1 The Installation Program User Interface

If you’ve used a graphical user interface (GUI) before, you’ll be familiar with this process.
If not, simply use your mouse to navigate the screens, "click" buttons or enter text fields. You
can also navigate through the installation using the [Tab] and [Enter] keys.

Please Note
If you do not wish to use the GUI installation program, the text mode
installation program is also available. To enter text mode, enter the
following boot command:
boot: text

For text mode installation instructions, please refer to the Official

Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.

3.1.1 A Note about Virtual Consoles

The Red Hat Linux installation program offers more than the dialog boxes of the installation
process. Several different kinds of diagnostic messages are available to you, in addition to
giving you a way to enter commands from a shell prompt. It presents this information on five
virtual consoles, among which you can switch using a single keystroke.
24 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

These virtual consoles can be helpful if you encounter a problem while installing Red Hat
Linux. Messages displayed on the installation or system consoles can help pinpoint a prob-
lem. Please see Table 3–1, Console, Keystrokes, and Contents for a listing of the virtual
consoles, keystrokes to switch to them, and their contents.
Table 3–1 Console, Keystrokes, and Contents
Console Keystrokes Contents
1 [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F1] installation dialog
2 [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F2] shell prompt
3 [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F3] install log (messages from
installation program)
4 [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F4] system-related messages
5 [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F5] other messages
7 [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F7] X graphical display

Generally, there’s no reason to leave the default console (virtual console #7) unless you are
attempting to diagnose installation problems. But if you get curious, feel free to look around.

3.2 Starting the Installation Program

Now it’s time to begin installing Red Hat Linux. To start the installation, you must first boot
the installation program. Please make sure you have all the resources you’ll need for the
installation. If you’ve already read through Chapter 2, Before You Begin, and followed the
instructions, you should be ready to begin.

3.2.1 Booting the Installation Program

Please Note
If you need to create a boot disk, please refer to Section 2.1.6, Step
6 - How Do You Want to Start the Installation?.
Section 3.2:Starting the Installation Program 25

Insert the boot disk into your computer’s first diskette drive and reboot (or boot using the
CD-ROM, if your computer supports this). Your BIOS settings may need to be changed to
allow you to boot from the diskette or CD-ROM.

Tip
To change your BIOS settings, you will need to take note of the
instructions given when your computer first begins to boot. Often
you will see a line of text telling you to press the [Del] key to enter
the BIOS settings. Once you have done whatever process is needed
to enter your computer’s BIOS, you can then change the boot order
to allow your computer to boot from the CD-ROM drive or diskette
drive first when bootable software is detected. For more informa-
tion, please refer to the documentation that came with your system.

There are four possible boot methods:

• Bootable CD-ROM -- your machine supports a bootable CD-ROM drive and you want
to perform a local CD-ROM installation.
• Local boot disk -- your machine will not support a bootable CD-ROM and you want to
install from a local CD-ROM or a hard drive.
• Network boot disk -- use to install from NFS, FTP and HTTP installation methods.
• PCMCIA boot disk -- use in cases where you need PCMCIA support, but your machine
does not support booting from the CD-ROM drive or if you need PCMCIA support in
order to make use of the CD-ROM drive on your system. This boot disk offers you all
installation methods (CD-ROM, hard drive, NFS, FTP, and HTTP).
After a short delay, a screen containing the boot: prompt should appear. The screen con-
tains information on a variety of boot options. Each boot option also has one or more help
screens associated with it. To access a help screen, press the appropriate function key as
listed in the line at the bottom of the screen.
You should keep two things in mind:
• The initial screen will automatically start the installation program if you take no action
within the first minute. To disable this feature, press one of the help screen function keys.
26 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

• If you press a help screen function key, there will be a slight delay while the help screen
is read from diskette.
Normally, you’ll only need to press [Enter] to boot. Watch the boot messages to see whether
the Linux kernel detects your hardware. If it does not properly detect your hardware, you
may need to restart the installation in "expert" mode. If your hardware is properly detected,
please continue to the next section.
Expert mode can be entered using the following boot command:
boot: linux expert

Please Note
If you do not wish to perform a CD-ROM GUI installation, you can
choose to perform a text mode installation by using the following
boot command:
boot: text

For text mode installation instructions, please refer to the Official

Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.
The command to start a serial installation has changed. If you need
to perform the installation in serial mode, type:
boot: linux console=<device>

Where <device> should be the device you are using (such as ttyS0
or ttyS1).

Please Note
The initial boot messages will not contain any references to SCSI
or network cards. This is normal, since these devices are supported
by modules that are loaded during the installation process.

Options can also be passed to the kernel.

Section 3.3:Selecting an Installation Method 27

For example, to instruct the kernel to use all the RAM in a 128MB system, enter:
boot: linux mem=128M

After entering any options, press [Enter] to boot using those options.
If you do need to specify boot options to identify your hardware, please make note of them
-- they will be needed during the LILO configuration portion of the installation (please see
Section 4.6, Installing LILO for more information).
Booting without diskettes
The Red Hat Linux/Intel CD-ROM can also be booted by computers that support bootable
CD-ROMs. Not all computers support this feature, so if yours can’t boot from the CD-ROM,
there is one other way to start the installation without using a boot disk. The following method
is specific to Intel-based computers only.
If you have MS-DOS installed on your system, you can boot directly from the CD-ROM
drive without using a boot disk.
To do this (assuming your CD-ROM is drive d:), use the following commands:
C:\> d:
D:\> cd \dosutils
D:\dosutils> autoboot.bat

This method will not work if run in a DOS window -- the autoboot.bat file must be ex-
ecuted with DOS as the only operating system. In other words, Windows cannot be running.
If your computer can’t boot directly from CD-ROM (and you can’t use a DOS-based auto-
boot), you’ll have to use a boot diskette to get things started.

3.3 Selecting an Installation Method

Next, you will be asked what type of installation method you wish to use. You can install
Red Hat Linux via the following basic methods:
CD-ROM
If you have a CD-ROM drive and the Red Hat Linux CD-ROM. Requires a boot disk,
a bootable CD-ROM or a PCMCIA boot disk.
Hard Drive
28 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

If you copied the Red Hat Linux files to a local hard drive. Refer to the Official Red
Hat Linux Reference Guide for hard drive installation instructions. Requires a boot
disk or a PCMCIA boot disk.
NFS Image
If you are installing from an NFS Image server which is exporting the Red Hat Linux
CD-ROM or a mirror image of Red Hat Linux. Requires a network or PCMCIA boot
disk. Refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide for network installation
instructions. Please note: NFS installations may also be performed in GUI mode.
FTP
If you are installing directly from an FTP server. Requires a network or PCMCIA
boot disk. Refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide for FTP installation
instructions.
HTTP
If you are installing directly from an HTTP Web server. Requires a network or PCM-
CIA boot disk. Refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide for HTTP instal-
lation instructions.

3.4 Beginning the Installation

If you are planning to install via CD-ROM using the graphical interface, please read on.

Please Note
If you’d rather perform a text mode installation, reboot your system
and at the boot: prompt, type text. Refer to the Official Red
Hat Linux Reference Guide for further instructions.

3.4.1 Installing from CD-ROM

To install Red Hat Linux from CD-ROM, choose "CD-ROM" and select OK. When
prompted, insert the Red Hat Linux CD into your CD-ROM drive (if you did not boot from
the CD-ROM). Once done, select OK, and press [Enter].
The installation program will then probe your system and attempt to identify your CD-ROM
drive. It will start by looking for an IDE (also known as ATAPI) CD-ROM drive. If found,
Section 3.4:Beginning the Installation 29

you will continue to the next stage of the installation process (see Section 3.5, Language
Selection).
If a drive is not detected, you’ll be asked what type of CD-ROM drive you have. Choose
from the following types:
SCSI
Select this if your CD-ROM drive is attached to a supported SCSI adapter; the instal-
lation program will then ask you to choose a SCSI driver. Choose the driver that most
closely resembles your adapter. You may specify options for the driver if necessary;
however, most drivers will detect your SCSI adapter automatically.
Other
If your CD-ROM drive is neither an IDE nor a SCSI, it’s an "other." Sound cards
with proprietary CD-ROM interfaces are good examples of this CD-ROM type. The
installation program presents a list of drivers for supported CD-ROM drives -- choose
a driver and, if necessary, specify any driver options.

Tip
A partial list of optional parameters for CD-ROM drives can be
found in the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide, in the Gen-
eral Parameters and Modules appendix.

What If the IDE CD-ROM Was Not Found?

If the installation program fails to find your IDE (ATAPI) CD-ROM (it asks you what type
of CD-ROM drive you have), restart the installation, and at the boot: prompt enter linux
hdX=cdrom. Replace the X with one of the following letters, depending on the interface
the unit is connected to, and whether it is configured as master or slave:
• a - First IDE controller, master
• b - First IDE controller, slave
• c - Second IDE controller, master
• d - Second IDE controller, slave
(If you have a third and/or fourth controller, simply continue assigning letters in alphabetical
order, going from controller to controller, and master to slave.)
30 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

Once identified, you will be asked to insert the Red Hat Linux CD into your CD-ROM drive.
Select OK when you have done so. After a short delay, the next dialog box will appear.
After booting, the installation program begins by displaying the language screen.

Please Note
If you wish to abort the installation process at this time, simply re-
boot your machine then eject the boot diskette or CD-ROM. You
can safely cancel the installation at any point before the About to
Install screen, see Section 4.13, Preparing to Install.

3.5 Language Selection

Using your mouse, select the language you would prefer to use for the installation and as the
system default (see Figure 3–1, Language Selection).
Figure 3–1 Language Selection
Section 3.6:Keyboard Configuration 31

3.6 Keyboard Configuration

Choose the model that best fits your system (see Figure 3–2, Keyboard Configuration). If
you cannot find an exact match, choose the best Generic match for your keyboard type (for
example, Generic 101-key PC).
Next, choose the correct layout type for your keyboard (for example, U.S. English).
Creating special characters with multiple keystrokes (such as Ñ, Ô, and Ç) is done using
"dead keys" (also known as compose key sequences). Dead keys are enabled by default. If
you do not wish to use them, select Disable dead keys.
To test your configuration, use the blank text field at the bottom of the screen to enter text.

Tip
To change your keyboard type post-installation, become root and
use the /usr/sbin/kbdconfig command, or you can type
setup at the root prompt.
32 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

Figure 3–2 Keyboard Configuration

3.7 Mouse Configuration

Choose the correct mouse type for your system. If an exact match cannot be found, choose
a mouse type that you are sure is compatible with your system (see Figure 3–3, Mouse Con-
figuration).
To determine your mouse’s interface, follow the mouse cable back to where it plugs into your
system. If the connector at the end of the mouse cable plugs into a rectangular connector,
you have a serial mouse; if the connector is round, you have a PS/2 mouse. If you are in-
stalling Red Hat Linux on a laptop computer, in most cases the pointing device will be PS/2
compatible.
If you cannot find a mouse that you are sure is compatible with your system, select one of
the Generic entries, based on your mouse’s number of buttons, and its interface.
Section 3.7:Mouse Configuration 33

Figure 3–3 Mouse Configuration

If you have a PS/2 or a Bus mouse, you do not need to pick a port and device. If you have a
serial mouse, you should choose the correct port and device that your serial mouse is on.
The Emulate 3 Buttons check box allows you to use a two-button mouse as if it had three
buttons. In general, it’s easiest to use the X Window System if you have a three-button mouse.
If you select this check box, you can emulate a third, "middle" button by pressing both mouse
buttons simultaneously.
34 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

Tip
To change your mouse configuration post-installation, become
root. You can then use the /usr/sbin/mouseconfig com-
mand from the shell prompt.
To configure your mouse as a left-handed mouse, you can reset the
order of the mouse buttons. This can be done after you have booted
your Red Hat Linux system, by typing gpm -B 321 at the shell
prompt.

3.8 Welcome to Red Hat Linux

The "Welcome" screen (see Figure 3–4, Welcome to Red Hat Linux) does not prompt you for
any installation input. Please read over the help text in the left panel for additional instruc-
tions and information on where to register your Official Red Hat Linux product.
Figure 3–4 Welcome to Red Hat Linux
Section 3.9:Install Options 35

Please notice the Hide Help button at the bottom left corner of the screen. The help screen is
open by default, but if you do not want to view the help information, click on the Hide Help
to minimize the screen.
Click on the Next button to continue.

3.9 Install Options

Please Note
New Feature: Red Hat Linux 6.2 has a new installation method
known as a "partitionless" installation. If your system has a FAT
(DOS/Windows) partition with sufficient free space, you can install
Red Hat Linux without repartitioning your hard drive. This method
is perfect for people who are new to Linux, and would like to try
Red Hat Linux with a minimum of disruption to their computer.
To learn more about this method, refer to Appendix B, Installing
Without Partitioning.

Choose whether you would like to perform a full installation or an upgrade (see Figure 3–5,
Choosing Install or Upgrade).
In the top right-hand corner of the Install Type screen there is a box you may select if you
wish to partition using fdisk. Note that fdisk is not as intuitive to use as Disk Druid and is not
selected by default. If you have not used fdisk before, you should read about both fdisk and
Disk Druid to determine which will best suit your needs.
36 Chapter 3:Starting the Installation

Figure 3–5 Choosing Install or Upgrade

To perform a full GUI installation, please refer to Chapter 4, Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2 for
those instructions.
To perform an upgrade, please refer to Chapter 5, Upgrading Your Current System.
Section 4.1:Continuing the Installation 37

4 Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Once you have finished this chapter, you will have completed a full installation of Red Hat
Linux 6.2.
If you need information about performing an upgrade, please refer to Chapter 5, Upgrading
Your Current System for those instructions.

4.1 Continuing the Installation

You usually install Red Hat Linux on a clean disk partition or set of partitions, or over another
installation of Linux.

WARNING

Installing Red Hat Linux over another installation of Linux

(including Red Hat Linux) does not preserve any information
(files or data) from a prior installation. Make sure you save any
important files! If you are worried about saving the current
data on your existing system (without making a backup on
your own), you should consider performing an upgrade instead
(see Chapter 5, Upgrading Your Current System).

In choosing a full installation, you must also choose the class of the installation. Your options
include: GNOME Workstation, KDE Workstation, Server or Custom.
Most suitable for new users, the workstation-class installation will install your choice of a
GNOME or KDE desktop environment, and the X Window System.
38 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

WARNING

Do not choose this method if you’re sharing a disk with Win-

dows NT; if you do, you will be unable to boot Windows NT.
LILO will write over NT’s boot loader and you will be unable
to boot NT. You must perform a custom-class installation and
configure LILO so that it is not installed on the Master Boot
Record (MBR).
To create a dual-boot environment on a system that currently
has NT, you must install LILO on the first sector of the root
partition, not the MBR. Please be sure to create a boot disk. In
a case such as this, you will either need to use the boot disk, or
configure the NT system loader to boot LILO from the first sec-
tor of the root partition. Be sure to check out http://www.linux-
doc.org/HOWTO/mini/Linux+NT-Loader.html for more infor-
mation on setting up LILO and NT.

WARNING

A workstation-class installation will erase all information in all

Linux-related partitions from every one of your computer’s hard
drive(s).

Please Note
Unlike previous workstation-class installations, performing a Red
Hat Linux 6.2 workstation-class installation will not install the net-
work daemon inetd. Not installing inetd results in a more secure
installation; however, network-related services such as finger, telnet,
talk, and FTP will not work. If you require these types of services,
please go back and choose a server- or a custom-class installation.
Section 4.2:Partitioning with fdisk 39

A server-class installation is most appropriate for you if you’d like your system to function
as a Linux-based server, and you don’t want to heavily customize your system configuration.

WARNING

A server-class installation will erase all partitions (both Linux

and non-Linux) from every one of your computer’s hard
drive(s).

The custom-class installation allows you the most flexibility during your installation. The
workstation-class and server-class installations automatically go through the installation
process for you and omit certain steps. During a custom-class installation, it is up to you
how disk space should be partitioned. You have complete control over the packages that
will be installed on your system. You can also determine whether you’ll use LILO (the
LInux LOader) to boot your system. Unless you have prior Linux experience, you should
not select the custom-class installation method.
If you would like to know what steps are omitted by not performing a custom-class installa-
tion please refer to Behind the Scenes of a Custom-Class Installation in Section 2.1.7.

4.2 Partitioning with fdisk

CAUTION

Unless you have previously used fdisk and understand how it works,
we do not recommend that you use it. Disk Druid is an easier and
friendlier partitioning tool for those new to partitioning their sys-
tem. To exit fdisk click Back to return to the previous screen, dese-
lect fdisk, and then click Next.

This section applies only if you chose to use fdisk to partition your system. If are not using
fdisk, please skip to Section 4.3, Automatic Partitioning for automatic partitioning or Section
4.4, Partitioning Your System for partitioning with Disk Druid.
40 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

If you have chosen to use fdisk, the next screen (see Figure 4–1, fdisk) will prompt you to
select a drive to partition using fdisk.
Figure 4–1 fdisk

Once you have chosen which drive to partition, you will be presented with the fdisk command
screen (see Figure 4–2, Partitioning with fdisk). If you are unsure as to what command you
should use, type [m] at the prompt for help. Please refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Ref-
erence Guide for an overview of fdisk. When you’ve finished making partitions, type w to
save your changes and quit. You will be taken back to the original fdisk screen where you can
choose to partition another drive or continue with your installation.
Section 4.2:Partitioning with fdisk 41

Figure 4–2 Partitioning with fdisk

After you have partitioned your drive(s), click Next. You will then use Disk Druid to assign
mount points to your partitions.
You will not be able to add new partitions using Disk Druid, but you will be able to edit those
you have already created.
42 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Figure 4–3 Editing with Disk Druid

Skip to Section 4.5, Choose Partitions to Format for further installation instructions.

4.3 Automatic Partitioning

Automatic Partitioning allows you to perform an installation without having to par-
tition your drive(s) yourself. If you do not feel comfortable with partitioning your system,
it is recommended that do not choose to partition manually and instead let the installation
program partition for you.
The Automatic Partitioning screen is only seen when performing a workstation-
or server-class installation. If you are performing a custom-class installation, or choose to
manually partition, please refer to Section 4.4, Partitioning Your System.
In this screen, you can choose to continue with this installation, to partition manually, or
use the Back button to choose a different installation method (see Figure 4–4, Automatic
Partitioning).
If you do not want to lose some or all of your data, you should either choose to partition
manually or choose a different installation class.
Section 4.3:Automatic Partitioning 43

Figure 4–4 Automatic Partitioning

CAUTION

A workstation-class installation will remove all data on all currently

existing Linux partitions.
If you do not want Red Hat Linux to be installed on your master
boot record (MBR) or if you want to use a boot manager other than
LILO, do not choose this installation method.
44 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

CAUTION

A server-class installation will remove all data on all partitions of

all hard drives.
If you have another OS on your system that you wish to keep in-
stalled, if you do not want Red Hat Linux to be installed on your
master boot record (MBR), or if you want to use a boot manager
other than LILO, do not choose this installation method.

If you are unsure how you want your system to be partitioned, please read the chapter on
partitioning in the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.

4.4 Partitioning Your System

If you are performing a workstation- or server-class installation and you chose not to partition
manually, please skip to Section 4.7, Network Configuration.
At this point, it’s necessary to let the installation program know where it should install Red
Hat Linux. This is done by defining mount points for one or more disk partitions in which
Red Hat Linux will be installed. You may also need to create and/or delete partitions at this
time (refer to Figure 4–5, Partitioning with Disk Druid).

Please Note
If you have not yet planned how you will set up your partitions, refer
to the partitioning appendix in the Official Red Hat Linux Reference
Guide. As a bare minimum, you’ll need an appropriately-sized root
partition, and a swap partition of at least 16 MB.
Section 4.4:Partitioning Your System 45

Figure 4–5 Partitioning with Disk Druid

The partitioning tool used in Red Hat Linux 6.2 is Disk Druid. With the exception of certain
esoteric situations, Disk Druid can handle the partitioning requirements for a typical Red Hat
Linux installation.

4.4.1 Partition Fields

Each line in the "Partitions" section represents a disk partition. Each line in this section has
five different fields:
Mount Point:

A mount point is the location within the directory hierarchy at which a volume exists.
The volume is said to be mounted at this location. This field indicates where the parti-
tion will be mounted. If a partition exists, but is "not set" you need to define its mount
point. Double-click on the partition or use the Edit key.
Unless you have a reason for doing otherwise, we recommend that you create the fol-
lowing partitions:
46 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

• A swap partition (at least 16MB) -- Swap partitions are used to support virtual
memory. In other words, data is written to a swap partition when there is not enough
RAM to store the data your system is processing. If your computer has 16MB of
RAM or less, you must create a swap partition. Even if you have more memory,
a swap partition is still recommended. The minimum size of your swap partition
should be equal to your computer’s RAM, or 16MB (whichever is larger).
• A /boot partition (16MB, maximum) -- The partition mounted on /boot
contains the operating system kernel (which allows your system to boot Red Hat
Linux), along with files used during the bootstrap process. Due to the limitations
of most PC BIOSes, creating a small partition to hold these files is a good idea.
This partition should be no larger than 16MB.
• A root partition (700MB-1.7GB) -- This is where "/" (the root directory) resides.
In this setup, all files (except those stored in /boot) reside on the root partition. A
700MB root partition will permit the equivalent of a workstation-class installation
(with very little free space), while a 1.7GB root partition will let you install every
package.
Device:

This field displays the partition’s device name.

Requested:

This field shows the partition’s original size. To re-define the size, you must delete the
current partition and recreate it using the Add button.
Actual:

This field shows the space currently allocated to the partition.

Type:

This field shows the partition’s type (such as Linux Native or DOS).

4.4.2 Problems When Adding a Partition

If you attempt to add a partition and Disk Druid can’t carry out your request, you’ll see a dialog
box listing partitions that are currently unallocated, along with the reason they could not be
allocated. Unallocated partition(s) are also displayed on Disk Druid’s main screen (though you
may have to scroll through the "Partitions" section to see them).
Section 4.4:Partitioning Your System 47

As you scroll through the Partitions section, you might see an "Unallocated Requested Parti-
tion" message (in red text), followed by one or more partitions. A common reason for this is
a lack of sufficient free space for the partition. In any case, the reason the partition remains
unallocated will be displayed after the partition’s requested mount point.
To fix an unallocated requested partition, you must move the partition to another drive which
has the available space, resize the partition to fit on the current drive, or delete the partition
entirely. Make changes using the Edit button or by double clicking on the partition.

4.4.3 Drive Summaries

Each line in the Drive Summaries section represents a hard disk on your system. Each line
has the following fields:
Drive:
This field shows the hard disk’s device name.
Geom [C/H/S]:
This field shows the hard disk’s geometry. The geometry consists of three numbers
representing the number of cylinders, heads and sectors as reported by the hard disk.
Total:
This field shows the total available space on the hard disk.
Free:
This field shows how much of the hard disk’s space is still unallocated.
Used:
These fields show how much of the hard disk’s space is currently allocated to partitions,
in megabytes and percentage.
The Drive Summaries section is displayed only to indicate your computer’s disk configura-
tion. It is not meant to be used as a means of specifying the target hard drive for a given
partition. That is done using the Allowable Drives field in Section 4.4.5, Adding Partitions.

4.4.4 Disk Druid’s Buttons

These buttons control Disk Druid’s actions. They are used to add and delete partitions, and to
change partition attributes. There are also buttons that are used to accept the changes you’ve
made, or to exit Disk Druid. Let’s take a look at each button in order.
48 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Add:

used to request a new partition. When selected, a dialog box will appear containing
fields (such as mount point and size) that must be filled in.
Edit:

used to modify attributes of the partition currently selected in the "Partitions" section.
Selecting Edit will open up a dialog box. Some or all of the fields can be edited, de-
pending on whether the partition information has already been written to disk.
Delete:

used to remove the partition currently highlighted in the Current Disk Partitions section.
You’ll be asked to confirm the deletion of any partition.
Reset:

used to restore Disk Druid to its original state. All changes made will be lost if you Reset
the partitions.
Make RAID Device:

Make RAID Device can be used if you want to provide redundancy to any or all disk
partitions. It should only be used if you have experience using RAID. To read more
about RAID, please refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.

4.4.5 Adding Partitions

To add a new partition, select the Add button. A dialog box will appear (see Figure 4–6,
Adding a Partition).

Please Note
You will need to dedicate at least one partition to Red Hat Linux, and
optionally more. This is discussed more completely in Appendix C
in the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.
Section 4.4:Partitioning Your System 49

Figure 4–6 Adding a Partition

• Mount Point: Highlight and enter the partition’s mount point. For example, if this par-
tition should be the root partition, enter /; enter /boot for the /boot partition, and
so on. You can also use the pull-down menu to choose the correct mount point for your
partition.
• Size (Megs): Enter the size (in megabytes) of the partition. Note this field starts with a
"1" in it; unless changed you’ll end up with a 1 MB partition.
• Grow to fill disk: This check box indicates if the size you entered in the previous field is to
be considered the partition’s exact size, or its minimum size. When selected, the partition
will grow to fill all available space on the hard disk. The partition’s size will expand and
contract as other partitions are modified. You can make multiple partitions growable; if
you do, the additional free space will be shared among all growable partitions.
• Partition Type: This field contains a list of different partition types (such as Linux Native
or DOS). Select the appropriate partition type by using the mouse.
• Allowable Drives: This field contains a list of the hard disks installed on your system. If
a hard disk’s box is highlighted, then a desired partition can be created on that hard disk.
50 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

If the box is not checked, then the partition will never be created on that hard disk. By
using different check box settings, you can direct Disk Druid to place partitions as you see
fit, or let Disk Druid decide where partitions should go.
• Ok: Select Ok once you’re satisfied with the settings, and wish to create the partition.
• Cancel: Select Cancel if you don’t want to create the partition.

4.4.6 Editing Partitions

To edit a partition, select the Edit button or double-click on the existing partition (see Figure
4–7, Editing a Partition).
Figure 4–7 Editing a Partition

Please Note
If the partition already existed on your hard disk, you will only be
able to change the partition’s mount point. If you want to make any
other changes, you will need to delete the partition and recreate it.
Section 4.5:Choose Partitions to Format 51

4.4.7 Deleting a Partition

To delete a partition, highlight it in the "Partitions" section and double-click the Delete button.
You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

4.5 Choose Partitions to Format

Choose the partitions that you would like to format. All newly created partitions should be
formatted. In addition, any existing partitions that contain data you no longer need should
be formatted. However, partitions such as /home or /usr/local must not be formatted
if they contain data you wish to keep (see Figure 4–8, Choosing Partitions to Format).
Figure 4–8 Choosing Partitions to Format

If you wish to check for bad blocks while formatting each filesystem, please make sure to
select the check for bad blocks option.
Checking for bad blocks can help prevent data loss by locating the bad blocks on a drive and
making a list of them to prevent using them in the future.
52 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

4.6 Installing LILO

If you’re performing a workstation- or server-class installation, please skip ahead to Section
4.8, Time Zone Configuration.
In order to be able to boot your Red Hat Linux system, you usually need to install LILO (the
LInux LOader). You may install LILO in one of two places:
The master boot record (MBR)
The recommended place to install LILO, unless the MBR already starts another oper-
ating system loader, such System Commander or OS/2’s Boot Manager. The master
boot record is a special area on your hard drive that is automatically loaded by your
computer’s BIOS, and is the earliest point at which LILO can take control of the boot
process. If you install LILO in the MBR, when your machine boots, LILO will present
a boot: prompt. You can then boot Red Hat Linux or any other operating system you
configure LILO to boot.
The first sector of your root partition
Recommended if you are already using another boot loader on your system (such as
OS/2’s Boot Manager). In this case, your other boot loader will take control first. You
can then configure that boot loader to start LILO (which will then boot Red Hat Linux).
If you choose to install LILO, please select where you would like LILO to be installed on
your system (see Figure 4–9, LILO Configuration). If your system will use only Red Hat
Linux you should choose the master boot record (MBR). For systems with Win95/98, you
also should install LILO to the MBR so that LILO can boot both operating systems.
If you have Windows NT (and you want to install LILO) you should choose to install LILO
on the first sector of the root partition, not the MBR. Please be sure to create a boot disk. In a
case such as this, you will either need to use the boot disk, or configure the NT system loader
to boot LILO from the first sector of the root partition. Be sure to check out http://www.lin-
uxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/Linux+NT-Loader.html for more information on setting up LILO
and NT.
Section 4.6:Installing LILO 53

CAUTION

If you choose not to install LILO for any reason, you will not be
able to boot your Red Hat Linux system directly, and will need to
use another boot method (such as a boot diskette). Use this option
only if you are sure you have another way of booting your Red Hat
Linux system!

The Use linear mode button is selected by default. In most cases, linear mode should
be enabled; if your computer cannot use linear mode to access your hard drives, deselect this
option.
Figure 4–9 LILO Configuration

If you wish to add default options to the LILO boot command, enter them into the kernel
parameters field. Any options you enter will be passed to the Linux kernel every time it
boots.
54 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Bootable Partition -- Every bootable partition is listed, including partitions used by other
operating systems. The "Boot label" column will be filled in with the word linux on the
partition holding your Red Hat Linux system’s root filesystem. Other partitions may also
have boot labels. If you would like to add boot labels for other partitions (or change an
existing boot label), click once on the partition to select it. Once selected, you can change
the boot label.

Please Note
The "Boot label" column lists what you must enter at LILO’s
boot: prompt in order to boot the desired operating system.
However, if you forget the boot labels defined on your system, you
can always press [Tab] at LILO’s boot: prompt to display a list
of defined boot labels.

4.6.1 Configuring LILO

• Create boot disk -- The Create boot disk option is checked by default. If you do not want
to create a boot disk, you should deselect this option. However, we strongly urge you to
create a boot disk. A boot disk can be handy for a number of reasons:
– Use It Instead of LILO -- You can use a boot disk instead of LILO. This is handy
if you’re trying Red Hat Linux for the first time, and you’d feel more comfortable if
the boot process for your other operating system is left unchanged. With a boot disk,
going back to your other operating system is as easy as removing the boot disk and
rebooting.
– Use It If Another Operating System Overwrites LILO -- Other operating systems
may not be as flexible as Red Hat Linux when it comes to supported boot methods.
Quite often, installing or updating another operating system can cause the master boot
record (originally containing LILO) to be overwritten, making it impossible to boot
your Red Hat Linux installation. The boot disk can then be used to boot Red Hat
Linux so you can reinstall LILO.
• Do not install LILO -- if you have Windows NT installed on your system, you may not
want to install LILO. If you choose not to install LILO for this reason, make sure that
you have chosen to create a boot disk; otherwise you will not be able to boot Linux. You
can also choose to skip LILO if you do not want to write LILO to your hard drive.
Section 4.6:Installing LILO 55

Tip
To use the boot disk with rescue mode, you have several options:
• Using the CD-ROM to boot, type linux rescue at the
boot: prompt.
• Using the network boot disk, type linux rescue at the
boot: prompt. You will then be prompted to pull the rescue
image from the network.
• Using the boot disk included with the Red Hat Linux boxed set,
type linux rescue at the boot: prompt. You then pick an
installation method and choose a valid installation tree to load
from.

For more information regarding rescue mode, refer to the System

Administration chapter of the Official Red Hat Linux Reference
Guide.

4.6.2 Alternatives to LILO

If you do not wish to use LILO to boot your Red Hat Linux system, there are several alter-
natives:
Boot Disk
As previously stated, you can use the boot disk created by the installation program (if
you elected to create one).
LOADLIN
You can load Linux from MS-DOS. Unfortunately, it requires a copy of the Linux ker-
nel (and an initial RAM disk, if you have a SCSI adapter) to be available on an MS-DOS
partition. The only way to accomplish this is to boot your Red Hat Linux system us-
ing some other method (e.g., from LILO on a diskette) and then copy the kernel to an
MS-DOS partition. LOADLIN is available from ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/sys-
tem/boot/dualboot/ and associated mirror sites.
SYSLINUX
56 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

An MS-DOS program very similar to LOADLIN. It is also available from ftp://meta-

lab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/boot/loaders/ and associated mirror sites.
Some commercial bootloaders
For example, System Commander and Partition Magic, which are able to boot Linux
(but still require LILO to be installed in your Linux root partition).

4.6.3 SMP Motherboards and LILO

This section is specific to SMP motherboards only. If the installer detects an SMP mother-
board on your system, it will automatically create two lilo.conf entries, rather than the usual
single entry.
One entry will be called linux and the other will be called linux-up. The linux will boot by
default. However, if you have trouble with the SMP kernel, you can elect to boot the linux-up
entry instead. You will retain all the functionality as before, but you will only be operating
with a single processor.

4.7 Network Configuration

If you have a network card and have not already configured your networking information,
you now have the opportunity to configure networking (as shown in Figure 4–10, Network
Configuration).
Choose your device type and whether you would like to configure using DHCP. If you have
multiple Ethernet devices, each device will keep the information you have provided. You
may switch between devices, for example eth0 and eth1, and the information you give will
be specific to each device. If you select Activate on boot, your network interface will be
started when you boot. If you do not have DHCP client access or are unsure as to what this
information is, please contact your network administrator.
Next enter, where applicable, the IP Address, Netmask, Network, and Broadcast addresses. If
you are unsure about any of these, please contact your network administrator.
Figure 4–10 Network Configuration
Section 4.8:Time Zone Configuration 57

Tip
Even if your computer is not part of a network, you can enter a
hostname for your system. Take this opportunity to enter in a name,
if you do not, your system will be known as localhost.

Finally, enter the Gateway and Primary DNS (and if applicable the Secondary DNS and Ternary
DNS) addresses.

4.8 Time Zone Configuration

You can set your time zone either by selecting your computer’s physical location, or by your
time zone’s offset from Universal Coordinated Time (also known as UTC).
Figure 4–11 Configuring Time Zone

Notice the two tabs at the top of the screen (see Figure 4–11, Configuring Time Zone). The
first tab offers you the ability to configure by location. With this option, you can choose your
58 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

view. In choosing view, your options are: World, North America, South America, Pacific Rim,
Europe, Africa, and Asia.

From the interactive map, you can also click on a specific city, as indicated by the yellow
dots; a red X will appear indicating your selection. You can also scroll through a list and
choose your desired time zone.
The second tab offers you the ability to use the UTC offset. UTC presents you with a list of
offsets to choose from, as well as an option to set daylight saving time.
For both tabs, there is the option of selecting System Clock uses UTC. Please select this if you
know that your system is set to UTC.

Tip
If you wish to change your time zone configuration after you
have booted your Red Hat Linux system, become root and use the
/usr/sbin/timeconfig command.

4.9 Account Configuration

The Account Configuration screen allows you to set your root password. Additionally, you
can set up user accounts for you to log into once the installation is complete (see Figure 4–12,
Account Creation).
Section 4.9:Account Configuration 59

Figure 4–12 Account Creation

4.9.1 Setting the Root Password

The installation program will prompt you to set a root password for your system.
The root password must be at least six characters long; the password you type is not echoed
to the screen. You must enter the password twice; if the two passwords do not match, the
installation program will ask you to enter them again.
You should make the root password something you can remember, but not something that is
easy for someone else to guess. Your name, your phone number, qwerty, password, root,
123456, and anteater are all examples of poor passwords. Good passwords mix numerals
with upper and lower case letters and do not contain dictionary words: Aard387vark or
420BMttNT, for example. Remember that the password is case-sensitive. Write down this
password and keep it in a secure place.
60 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Please Note
The root user (also known as the superuser) has complete access
to the entire system; for this reason, logging in as the root user is
best done only to perform system maintenance or administration.

4.9.2 Setting Up User Accounts

If you choose to create a user account now, you will have an account to log in to once the
installation has completed. This allows you to safely and easily log into your computer with-
out having to be root to create other accounts.
Enter an account name. Then enter and confirm a password for that user account. Enter the
full name of the account user and press [Enter]. Your account information will be added to
the account list, clearing the user account fields so you can add another user.
You can also choose New to add a new user. Enter the user’s information and use the Add
button to add the user to the account list.
You can also Edit or Delete the user accounts you have created or no longer want.

4.10 Authentication Configuration

If you are performing a workstation-class installation, please skip ahead to Section 4.12, GUI
X Configuration Tool.
If you are performing a server-class installation, please skip ahead to Section 4.13, Preparing
to Install.
You may skip this section if you will not be setting up network passwords. If you are unsure
as to whether you should do this, please ask your system administrator for assistance.
Unless you are setting up NIS authentication, you will notice that both MD5 and shadow pass-
words are selected (see Figure 4–13, Authentication Configuration). We recommend you use
both to make your machine as secure as possible.
To configure the NIS option, you must be connected to an NIS network. If you are unsure
whether you are connected to an NIS network, please ask your system administrator.
Section 4.10:Authentication Configuration 61

Figure 4–13 Authentication Configuration

• MD5 Password -- allows a long password to be used (up to 256 characters), instead of the
standard eight letters or less.
• Shadow Password -- provides a secure method of retaining passwords. The passwords
are stored in /etc/shadow, which is readable only by root.
• Enable NIS -- allows you to run a group of computers in the same Network Information
Service domain with a common password and group file. There are two options to choose
from here:
– NIS Domain -- this option allows you to specify which domain or group of computers
your system belongs to.
– NIS Server -- this option causes your computer to use a specific NIS server, rather than
"broadcasting" a message to the local area network asking for any available server to
host your system.
62 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

4.11 Package Group Selection

After your partitions have been selected and configured for formatting, you are ready to select
packages for installation.
You can select components, which group packages together according to function (for ex-
ample, C Development, Networked Workstation, or Web Server), individual
packages, or a combination of the two.
To select a component, click on the check box beside it (see Figure 4–14, Package Group
Selection).
Figure 4–14 Package Group Selection

Select each component you wish to install. Selecting Everything (which can be found at
the end of the component list) installs all packages included with Red Hat Linux. Selecting
every package will require close to 1.7GB of free disk space.
To select packages individually, check the Select Individual Packages box at the bottom of
the screen.
Section 4.11:Package Group Selection 63

4.11.1 Selecting Individual Packages

After selecting the components you wish to install, you can select or deselect individual pack-
ages. The installation program presents a list of the packages in that group, which you can
select or deselect using your mouse (see Figure 4–15, Selecting Individual Packages).
Figure 4–15 Selecting Individual Packages

On the left side of the screen you will see a directory listing of various package groups. When
you expand this list (double-click to select it) and double-click on a single directory, the list
of packages available for installation will appear on the right.
To select an individual package, double-click on it, or click on it once to highlight it and click
on the Select Package For Installation button below. A red check mark will appear on any of
the packages you have selected for installation.
To read information about a particular package before choosing it for installation, left-click
on it once to highlight it, and the information will appear at the bottom of the screen along
with the name and size of the package.
64 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Please Note
Some packages (such as the kernel and certain libraries) are required
for every Red Hat Linux system and are not available to select or
deselect. These base packages are selected by default.

4.11.2 Unresolved Dependencies

Many software packages, in order to work correctly, depend on other software packages that
must be installed on your system. For example, many of the graphical Red Hat system ad-
ministration tools require the python and pythonlib packages. To make sure your system has
all the packages it needs in order to be fully functional, Red Hat Linux checks these package
dependencies each time you install or remove software packages.
If any package requires another package which you have not selected to install, the program
presents a list of these unresolved dependencies and gives you the opportunity to resolve
them (see Figure 4–16, Unresolved Dependencies).
The Unresolved Dependencies screen will only appear if you are missing certain packages
that are needed by your selected packages. Under the list of missing packages, there is an
Install packages to satisfy dependencies check box at the bottom of the screen which is se-
lected by default. If you leave this checked, the installation program will resolve package
dependencies automatically by adding all required packages to the list of selected packages.
Section 4.12:GUI X Configuration Tool 65

Figure 4–16 Unresolved Dependencies

4.12 GUI X Configuration Tool

If you decided to install the X Window System packages, you now have the opportunity to
configure an X server for your system. If you did not choose to install the X Window System
packages, skip ahead to Section 4.14, Installing Packages.

4.12.1 Configuring Your Monitor

Xconfigurator, the X Window System configuration tool, first presents a list of monitors for
you to choose from. In the list, you can either use the monitor that is autodetected for you,
or choose another monitor.
66 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Figure 4–17 Monitor Selection

If your monitor does not appear on the list, select the most appropriate Generic model avail-
able. If you do select a Generic monitor, Xconfigurator will suggest horizontal and vertical
sync ranges. These values are generally available in the documentation which accompanies
your monitor, or from your monitor’s vendor or manufacturer; please check your documen-
tation to make sure these values are set correctly.

CAUTION

Do not select a monitor similar to your monitor unless you are cer-
tain that the monitor you are selecting does not exceed the capabil-
ities of your monitor. Doing so may overclock your monitor and
damage or destroy it.

Also presented are the horizontal and vertical ranges that Xconfigurator suggests.
Click Next when you have finished configuration of your monitor.
Section 4.12:GUI X Configuration Tool 67

4.12.2 Video Hardware Configuration

Next, Xconfigurator will probe for any video hardware you have (see Figure 4–18, Videocard
Setup). Failing that, Xconfigurator will present a list of video cards and monitors for you to
select from.
If your video card does not appear on the list, XFree86 may not support it. However, if
you have technical knowledge about your card, you may choose Unlisted Card and attempt
to configure it by matching your card’s video chipset with one of the available X servers.
Figure 4–18 Videocard Setup

Next, Xconfigurator prompts you for the amount of video memory installed on your video
card. If you are not sure, please consult the documentation accompanying your video card.
You will not damage your video card by choosing more memory than is available, but the
XFree86 server may not start correctly if you do.
Once your hardware has been determined, you can test the configuration settings. We recom-
mend that you do test your configuration to make sure that the resolution and color is what
you want to work with.
68 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

If you would like to customize the X configuration, please make sure the Customize X Con-
figuration button is selected. If you choose to customize, you will be presented with another
screen that lets you select what your resolution should be (see Figure 4–19, X Customiza-
tion). Again, you will have the option of testing the configuration.
Figure 4–19 X Customization

You may also choose to Skip X Configuration if you would rather configure X after the install
or not at all.

4.13 Preparing to Install

You will now see a screen preparing you for the installation of Red Hat Linux (see Figure
4–20, Ready to Install).
Section 4.14:Installing Packages 69

WARNING

If, for some reason, you would rather not continue with the in-
stallation process, this is your last opportunity to safely cancel
the process and reboot your machine. Once you press the Next
button, partitions will be written and packages will be installed.
If you wish to abort the installation, you should reboot now be-
fore your hard drive(s) are rewritten.

Figure 4–20 Ready to Install

4.14 Installing Packages

At this point there’s nothing left for you to do until all the packages have been installed (see
Figure 4–21, Installing Packages). How quickly this happens depends on the number of
packages you’ve selected, and your computer’s speed.
70 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Figure 4–21 Installing Packages

4.15 Boot Disk Creation

If you chose to to create a boot disk, you should now insert a blank, formatted diskette into
your floppy drive (see Figure 4–22, Creating Your Boot Disk).
After a short delay, your boot disk will be created; remove it from your floppy drive and label
it clearly. Note that if you would like to create a boot disk after the installation, you’ll be
able to do so. For more information, please see the mkbootdisk man page, by typing man
mkbootdisk at the shell prompt.
If you boot your system with the boot disk (instead of LILO), make sure you create a new
boot disk if you make any changes to your kernel.
Section 4.16:Installation Complete 71

Figure 4–22 Creating Your Boot Disk

4.16 Installation Complete

Congratulations! Your Red Hat Linux 6.2 installation is now complete!
The installation program will prompt you to prepare your system for reboot (see Figure 4–23,
Installation Complete). Don’t forget to remove any diskette in the floppy drive or CD in the
CD-ROM drive. If you did not install LILO, you’ll need to use your boot disk now.
After your computer’s normal power-up sequence has completed, you should see LILO’s
standard prompt, which is boot:. At the boot: prompt, you can do any of the following
things:
• Press [Enter] -- Causes LILO’s default boot entry to be booted.
• Enter a Boot Label, followed by [Enter] -- Causes LILO to boot the operating system
corresponding to the boot label. (Press [?] at the boot: for a list of valid boot labels.)
• Do Nothing -- After LILO’s timeout period, (which, by default, is five seconds) LILO
will automatically boot the default boot entry.
72 Chapter 4:Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Figure 4–23 Installation Complete

Do whatever is appropriate to boot Red Hat Linux. You should see one or more screens of
messages scroll by. Eventually, you should see a login: prompt or a GUI login screen (if
you installed the X Window System and chose to start X automatically).

Tip
If you’re not sure what to do next, we suggest you begin with the
Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide as an introduction to
using Red Hat Linux. The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started
Guide covers topics relating to the basics of your system.
If you are a more experienced user looking for information on sys-
tem configuration or administration topics, you may find the Offi-
cial Red Hat Linux Reference Guide to be more helpful.
Section 5.2:Upgrading Your System 73

5 Upgrading Your Current System

This chapter explains those steps you’ll see while performing an upgrade of Red Hat Linux
6.2.

5.1 What it Means to Upgrade

The installation process for Red Hat Linux 6.2 includes the ability to upgrade from prior
versions of Red Hat Linux (version 2.0 and later) which are based on RPM technology.
Upgrading your system installs the modular 2.2.x kernel as well as updated versions of the
packages which are currently installed on your machine. The upgrade process preserves
existing configuration files by renaming them using an .rpmsave extension (e.g., send-
mail.cf.rpmsave) and leaves a log of the actions it took in /tmp/upgrade.log. As
software evolves, configuration file formats can change, so you should carefully compare
your original configuration files to the new files before integrating your changes.

Please Note
Some upgraded packages may require that other packages are also
installed for proper operation. If you choose to customize your
packages to upgrade, you may be required to resolve any depen-
dency problems. Otherwise, the upgrade procedure takes care of
these dependencies, but it may need to install additional packages
which are not on your existing system.

5.2 Upgrading Your System

At this point, you should have chosen Upgrade as your preferred installation type (see Figure
5–1, Choosing to Upgrade).
74 Chapter 5:Upgrading Your Current System

Figure 5–1 Choosing to Upgrade

5.3 Customizing Your Upgrade

Next, you must choose whether to let the installation program upgrade your system for you
or if you would like to customize your packages to be upgraded (see Figure 5–2, Upgrade
Customization).
If you click Next and the Customize packages to upgrade button is not selected, your system
will automatically begin the upgrade process (see Section 5.5, Upgrading Packages).
If you want to customize your upgrade packages, select this option and then click Next.
Section 5.4:Selecting Packages to Upgrade 75

Figure 5–2 Upgrade Customization

5.4 Selecting Packages to Upgrade

Here, you are given the opportunity to choose which packages you would like to upgrade
(see Figure 5–3, Individual Package Selection).
On the left side of the screen you will see a directory listing of various package groups. When
you expand this list (double-click to select it) and double-click on a single directory, the list
of packages available for installation will appear on the right.
To select an individual package, double-click on it, or click on it once to highlight it and click
on the Select Package For Installation button below. A red check mark will appear on any of
the packages you have selected for installation.
To read information about a particular package before choosing it for installation, left-click
on it once to highlight it, and the information will appear at the bottom of the screen along
with the name and size of the package.
76 Chapter 5:Upgrading Your Current System

Please Note
Some packages (such as the kernel and certain libraries) are required
for every Red Hat Linux system and are not available to select or
deselect. These base packages are selected by default.

Figure 5–3 Individual Package Selection

5.4.1 Unresolved Dependencies

If any package requires another package which you have not selected to install, the program
presents a list of these unresolved dependencies and gives you the opportunity to resolve
them (see Figure 5–4, Unresolved Dependencies).
The Unresolved Dependencies screen will only appear if you are missing certain packages
that are needed by your customized package selection. Under the list of missing packages,
there is an Install packages to satisfy dependencies check box at the bottom of the screen
which is selected by default. If you leave this checked, the installation program will resolve
Section 5.5:Upgrading Packages 77

package dependencies automatically by adding all required packages to the list of selected
packages.
Figure 5–4 Unresolved Dependencies

5.5 Upgrading Packages

At this point there’s nothing left for you to do until all the packages have been upgraded or
installed (see Figure 5–5, Installing Packages).
78 Chapter 5:Upgrading Your Current System

Figure 5–5 Installing Packages

5.6 Upgrade Complete

Congratulations! Your Red Hat Linux 6.2 upgrade is now complete!
You will now be prompted to prepare your system for reboot. Don’t forget to remove any
diskette in the floppy drive or CD in the CD-ROM drive. If you do not have LILO installed,
you’ll need to use your boot disk now.

Tip
If you need a quick review of some of the basic concepts of Red Hat
Linux refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide.
For information dealing with system configuration and administra-
tion, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide.
Section 5.6:Upgrade Complete 79

Figure 5–6 Upgrade Complete

80 Chapter 5:Upgrading Your Current System
Section A.2:An Overview of Red Hat Support 81

A Getting Technical Support

A.1 Remember to Sign Up
If you have an official edition of Red Hat Linux 6.2, please remember to sign up for the
benefits you’re entitled to as a Red Hat customer.
You’ll be entitled to any or all of the following benefits, depending upon the Official Red Hat
Linux product you purchased:
• Official Red Hat support -- Get help with your installation questions from Red Hat, Inc.’s
support team.
• Priority FTP access -- No more late-night visits to congested mirror sites. Owners of Red
Hat Linux 6.2 receive free access to priority.redhat.com, Red Hat’s preferred customer
FTP service, offering high bandwidth connections day and night.
• Red Hat Update Agent -- Receive e-mail directly from Red Hat as soon as updated RPMs
are available. Use Update Agent filters to receive notification about only those subjects
that interest you.
• Under the Brim: The Official Red Hat E-Newsletter -- Every month, get the latest news
and product information directly from Red Hat.
To sign up, go to http://www.redhat.com/now. You’ll find your Personal Product ID on a
red and white card in your Official Red Hat Linux box.

A.2 An Overview of Red Hat Support

Red Hat provides installation assistance for Official Red Hat Linux boxed set products and
covers installation on a single computer. This assistance is intended to help customers suc-
cessfully install Red Hat Linux. Assistance with installation is offered via telephone and the
Web.
Red Hat Support will attempt to answer any questions you may have before the installation
process is initiated. This includes the following:
• Hardware compatibility questions
• Basic hard drive partitioning strategies
Red Hat, Inc. Support can also provide assistance during the installation process:
82 Appendix A:Getting Technical Support

• Getting any supported hardware recognized by the Red Hat Linux operating system
• Assistance with drive partitioning
• Configuring Red Hat Linux and up to one other operating system (on Intel platforms
only) to dual-boot using the Linux boot loader LILO. Please note that third party boot
loaders and partitioning software are not supported.
We can also help you with basic post-installation tasks, such as:
• Successfully configuring the X Window System using XF86Setup or Xconfigurator
• Configuring a local parallel port printer to print text
• Configuring a mouse
Our installation assistance service is designed to get you up and running with Red Hat Linux
as quickly and as easily as possible. However, there are many other things that you may want
to do with your Red Hat Linux system (from compiling a custom kernel to setting up a Web
server) which are not covered.
For assistance with these tasks, there is a wealth of on-line information available in the form
of HOWTO documents, Linux-related websites, and commercial publications. The Red Hat
Linux operating system includes the various Linux HOWTO documents on the installation
CD in the /doc/HOWTO directory as plain text files that can easily be read from within Red
Hat Linux and other operating systems.
A large number of Linux-related websites are available. The best starting point for finding
information on Red Hat Linux is the Red Hat, Inc. website at:
http://www.redhat.com/

Many Linux-related books are available. If you’re new to Linux, a book that covers Linux
basics will be invaluable. We can recommend several titles: Using Linux, by Bill Ball; Linux
Clearly Explained, by Bryan Pfaffenberger; Linux for Dummies, by Jon "maddog" Hall; and
A Practical Guide to Linux, by Mark G. Sobell.
Red Hat also offers various incident-based support plans to assist with configuration issues
and tasks that are not covered by installation assistance. Please see the Red Hat Support web-
site for more information. The Red Hat technical support website is located at the following
URL:
http://www.redhat.com/support/
Section A.5:How to Get Technical Support 83

A.3 Scope of Red Hat Support

Red Hat, Inc. can only provide installation assistance to customers who have purchased an
Official Red Hat Linux boxed set. If you have obtained Linux from any other company, you
must contact that company for support. Examples of such companies are as follows:
• Macmillan
• Sams/Que
• Linux Systems Labs (LSL)
• Mandrake
• CheapBytes
Additionally, Red Hat Linux obtained via any of the following methods does not qualify for
support from Red Hat:
• Red Hat Linux PowerTools Archive
• Downloaded via FTP on the Internet
• Included in a package such as Motif or Applixware
• Copied or installed from another user’s CD

A.4 The Red Hat Support System

As of October 1999, Red Hat, Inc. has implemented a new technical support system. If
you signed up for technical support in the past with Red Hat, it may be necessary for you to
sign up again. The new system will implement a unified login and password that will work
across the entire Red Hat website. The support system will also automatically route and track
service requests.
If you haven’t signed up yet, then you should. Instructions for how to sign up are provided
next, in Section A.5, How to Get Technical Support.

A.5 How to Get Technical Support

In order to receive technical support for your Official Red Hat product, you first have to sign
up.
84 Appendix A:Getting Technical Support

Every Official Red Hat product comes with a Personal Product Identification code: a 16-char-
acter alphanumeric string. The Personal Product ID for Red Hat Linux 6.2 is located on a red
and white card that can be found inside the box. Your Personal Product ID is on a perforated
card that you can punch out and keep in a safe place. You need this code, so don’t lose the
card!

Please Note
Do not throw away the card with your Personal Product ID. You
need the Personal Product ID to get technical support. If you lose
the certificate, you may not be able to receive support.

The Personal Product ID is the code that will enable your technical support and any other
benefits or services that you purchased from Red Hat, depending upon which Red Hat product
you purchased. The Personal Product ID may also enable priority FTP access, depending on
the product that you purchased, for a limited amount of time.

A.5.1 Signing up for Technical Support

You’ll need to:
1. Create a customer profile at http://www.redhat.com/now. You may have already com-
pleted this step; if you have, continue to the next step. If you do not already have a
customer profile on the Red Hat website, please create a new one.
2. With your login name and password, please login at the Red Hat Support website at
http://www.redhat.com/support.
3. Update your contact information if necessary.

Please Note
If your e-mail address is not correct, communications regarding
your technical support requests CANNOT be delivered to you,
and you will not be able to retrieve your login and password by
e-mail. Be sure that you give us your correct e-mail address.

If you’re worried about your privacy, please see Red Hat’s privacy statement at
http://www.redhat.com/legal/privacy_statement.html.
Section A.6:Questions for Technical Support 85

4. Add a product to your profile. Please enter the following information:

• The Personal Product ID for the boxed set product
• A description of the hardware on which the Red Hat Linux product will be installed
• The Support Certificate Number or Entitlement Number if the product is a contract
5. Set your customer preferences.
6. Answer the optional customer questionnaire.
7. Submit the form.
If the previous steps were completed successfully, you can now login at http://www.red-
hat.com/support and open a new technical service request. However, you must still use your
Personal Product ID in order to obtain technical support via telephone (if the product you
purchased came with phone support). Please do not lose your Personal Product ID, or you
might not be able to receive support.

A.6 Questions for Technical Support

Technical support is both a science and a mystical art form. In most cases, support techni-
cians must rely on customer observations and communications with the customer in order to
diagnose and solve the problem. Therefore, it is extremely important that you are as detailed
and clear as possible when you state your questions and report your problems. Examples of
what you should include are:
• Symptoms of the problem (for example: "Linux is not able to access my CD-ROM drive.
When it tries, I get timeout errors.")
• When the problem began (for example: "My system was working fine until yesterday,
when a lightning storm hit my area.")
• Any changes you made to your system (for example: "I added a new hard drive and used
‘Partition Wizzo’ to add Linux partitions.")
• Other information that may be relevant to your situation, such as the installation method
(CD-ROM, NFS, HTTP)

A.6.1 How to Send Support Questions

Please login at http://www.redhat.com/support and open a new service request, or call the
phone number for support. If your product came with phone support, or you’ve purchased a
86 Appendix A:Getting Technical Support

phone support contract, the phone number you’ll need to call will be provided to you during
the sign up process.

A.7 Support Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A.7.1 Q: E-Mail Messages to [email protected] Bounce
I send e-mail to [email protected] but my messages bounce back to me. What is the
problem?

A.7.2 A: [email protected] Is Not Used at This Time

To better serve our customers, Red Hat is re-engineering our e-mail support process. At this
time, the [email protected] address is not functional. In the meantime, please use support
via the Web or by telephone.

A.7.3 Q: System Won’t Allow Login

I know that I have already signed up, but the system will not let me log in.

A.7.4 A: Old Logins and Passwords Won’t Work

You could be trying to use an old login and password, or simply mistyping your login or
password.
Section B.1:The Ups and Downs of a Partitionless Installation 87

B Installing Without Partitioning

This chapter explains how to install Red Hat Linux 6.2 without creating Linux partitions on
your system.

Please Note
Although this is a great way to explore the world of Red Hat Linux
without having to put Linux partitions on your system, please note
that you will still have to perform a full Red Hat Linux installation
as outlined in this manual.

Please Note
You must currently have a formatted DOS (FAT) filesystem in or-
der to perform this type of installation. Users who have Win95/98
should have no problems with this type of installation. Users who
have NTFS partitions (such as those using Windows NT) will have
to create and format a DOS (FAT) filesystem before this installa-
tion can be performed. This installation will not work unless the
DOS (FAT) filesystem has been formatted prior starting the Red
Hat Linux installation.

B.1 The Ups and Downs of a Partitionless Installation

There may be reasons why you might want to perform a partitionless installation, but there
also are some drawbacks (depending on how you look at them).
Here we will cover the basics of what will happen, both during an installation and as a result
of this type of installation, and how your system will be affected.
Basic Installation
You will perform a basic Red Hat Linux installation. However, instead of adding Linux
partitions to your system, you will edit an existing, formatted DOS (FAT) partition (that
must have enough free space) to be named root (/).
88 Appendix B:Installing Without Partitioning

Unlike a typical Red Hat Linux installation, you will not need to format any partitions,
since you will not be adding any partitions to your system.
LILO (LInux LOader) and Boot Disk
In a partitionless installation, you will not configure LILO (the LInux LOader). In a
typical installation, you are able to choose where you would like LILO to be installed
-- either on the master boot record (MBR) or on the first sector of your root partition
-- or you can choose not to install LILO at all.
You must create a boot disk in order to access Red Hat Linux with a partitionless in-
stallation, and you will be prompted to create a boot disk at the end of the installation.
Performance Implications
Red Hat Linux will perform slower than it would if it had its own dedicated partitions.
However, for those of you unconcerned with speed, a partitionless installation is a great
way of seeing what Red Hat Linux has to offer without having to deal with partitioning
your system.

B.2 Performing a Partitionless Installation

If you have a DOS (FAT) filesystem you must first make sure you have a DOS (FAT) partition
with enough free space to dedicate to this installation.

B.2.1 How Much Space Do I Need?

Like a typical installation, you will need to have enough available space in order to install
Red Hat Linux on your system. To give you an idea, below is a list of installation methods
and their minimum space requirements.
For more information about these installation classes, see Section 2.1.7, Step 7 - Which In-
stallation Type is Best For You?.
• GNOME Workstation - 700MB
• KDE Workstation - 700MB
• Server - 1.7GB
• Custom (choosing Everything) - 1.7GB
Section B.2:Performing a Partitionless Installation 89

B.2.2 Using Disk Druid

Since you will not be adding partitions or creating new partitions, there is relatively little that
you actually need to do with Disk Druid (a GUI partitioning tool).
Figure B–1 Choosing DOS (FAT) Partition to Define as /

What you should see when Disk Druid’s main screen appears is a list of your DOS (FAT)
partitions (see Figure B–1, Choosing DOS (FAT) Partition to Define as /). Choose a DOS
(FAT) partition with enough available free space to install your choice of installation classes.
Highlight the partition by clicking on it with your mouse or by using the [Tab], [Up] and [Down]
keys.
Once the desired partition is highlighted, choose Edit. A new window will appear allowing
you to name this partition (see Figure B–2, Editing a DOS (FAT) Partition). In the mount
point field, label this partition as / (known as root) and click Enter.
90 Appendix B:Installing Without Partitioning

Figure B–2 Editing a DOS (FAT) Partition

A confirmation window (see Figure B–3, Confirmation) will appear next asking you to con-
firm that you do want to continue with this installation. It also explains that you cannot have
any Linux partitions on your system other than the / labeled DOS partition that you have
just created. Click Yes to continue.
Next, you will be able to determine the root filesystem size and the swap size of this / par-
tition.
The installation program will determine the maximum size for the root filesystem (Figure
B–4, Configuration of Filesystem). You can make the root filesystem anything you would
like, as long as it does not exceed the maximum size recommendation.
The size you create for the root filesystem is the amount of disk space available for the entire
filesystem (this means that you need to keep in mind the size of the installation class as well
as allow you space to write and save data to).
Section B.2:Performing a Partitionless Installation 91

Figure B–3 Confirmation

Swap space acts like virtual memory. In other words, data is written to a swap partition
when there is not enough RAM to store the data your system is processing. The installation
program will set swap to 32MB as a default. You can choose to increase the swap size if
desired, but there is no need to create a swap space larger than 256MB.
From here, you can continue following the main installation chapter (see Section 4.7, Net-
work Configuration) for further installation instructions. The only difference you will see
from this point is a screen prompting you to create a boot disk. Once you make the boot disk
and follow the other instructions, your installation will be complete.
To access Red Hat Linux, make sure the boot disk that you created during the installation is
in your floppy drive. When you reboot your system it will enter into Red Hat Linux rather
than your other OS. To access your other OS, remove the boot disk and reboot your system.
92 Appendix B:Installing Without Partitioning

Figure B–4 Configuration of Filesystem

B.2.3 How to Remove a Partitionless Installation From Your

System
To remove this partitionless installation, you will need to delete the following files:
redhat.img
rh-swap.img

These files can be found in the partition’s root directory (known as \ under Dos/Windows.)
Once these files have been removed, Red Hat Linux will no longer boot on your system. Your
system will return to its previous state and you will be able to access the space used by Red
Hat Linux as you normally would.
Removing Red Hat Linux 93

C Removing Red Hat Linux

To uninstall Red Hat Linux from your system, you will need to remove the LILO information
from your Master Boot Record (MBR).
There are several methods to removing LILO from the master boot record of the machine.
Inside of Linux, you can replace the MBR with an earlier saved version of the MBR using
the /sbin/lilo command:
/sbin/lilo -u

In DOS, NT, and Windows 95 you can use fdisk to create a new MBR with the "undocu-
mented" flag /mbr. This will ONLY rewrite the MBR to boot the primary DOS partition.
The command should look like:
fdisk /mbr

If you need to remove Linux from a hard drive, and have attempted to do this with the default
DOS fdisk, you will experience the "Partitions exist but they don’t exist" problem. The best
way to remove non-DOS partitions is with a tool that understands partitions other than DOS.
You can perform this with the installation floppy by typing "linux expert" (without the quotes)
at the boot: prompt.
boot:linux expert

Select install (versus upgrade) and when it comes to partitioning the drive, choose fdisk. In
fdisk type [p] to print out the partition numbers, and remove the Linux partitions with the [d]
command. When you’re satisfied with the changes you have made, you can quit with a [w]
and the changes will be saved to disk. If you deleted too much, type [q] and no changes will
occur.
Once you have removed the Linux partitions, you can reboot your computer by pressing
[Control-]-[Alt-]-[Delete] instead of continuing with the install.
94 Appendix C:Removing Red Hat Linux
Index 95

Index clock .. ..................................57

time ... ..................................57
A
time zone ...............................57
adding partitions. ...... ....... ........ .... 48 XFree86 ................................65
ATAPI CD-ROM configuring LILO ........................52
unrecognized, problems with .... .... 29 configuring network... ...................56
authentication configuration ........ .... 60 configuring X .. ...........................65
MD5 .. ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 60 consoles, virtual ..........................23
NIS .... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 60
shadow....... ........ ....... ........ .... 60 D
autoboot . ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 27
dd, creating installation diskette with..14
automatic partitioning........ ........ .... 42
deleting partitions ........................51
server . ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 42
dependencies
workstation.. ........ ....... ........ .... 42
installing packages . ...................64
B upgrading packages ...................76
disk
boot disk........ ........ ....... ........ .... 54 boot ... ..................................54
bootable CD-ROM .... ....... ........ .... 27 Disk Druid ................................44
booting installation program ........ .... 24 adding partitions.......................48
buttons . .................................47
C deleting partitions .. ...................51
canceling the installation .... ........ .... 30 drive summaries .......................47
CD-ROM editing partitions.......................50
ATAPI........ ........ ....... ........ .... 28 partitions ...............................44
ATAPI, unrecognized, problems problems adding partitions ...........46
with .... ........ ....... ........ .... 29 diskette
bootable ..... ........ ....... ........ .... 27 boot, creating ..........................13
IDE.... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 28 network boot, creating ................13
IDE, unrecognized, problems with .. 29 PCMCIA support, creating ...........13
other... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 29 diskette, making under Linux-like OS .14
SCSI .. ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 29 diskette, making with MS-DOS ........13
CD-ROM installation ........ ........ .... 28
class E
installation... ........ ....... ........ .... 35 editing partitions..........................50
clock ..... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 57 expert installation mode .................26
configuration
96 Index

F ( See Official Red Hat Linux Ref-

erence Guide )
fdisk ....... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 39
via network
features, new to 6.2
( See Official Red Hat Linux Ref-
( See new features )
erence Guide )
formatting partitions ......... ........ .... 51
installation class ..........................35
fsck ....... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 51
installation method
CD-ROM .... ...........................27
I
FTP.... ..................................28
IDE CD-ROM hard drive...............................28
unrecognized, problems with .... .... 29 HTTP . ..................................28
individual packages ... ....... ........ .... 63 NFS Image .. ...........................28
selecting ..... ........ ....... ........ .... 63 selecting ................................27
install text mode
CD-ROM . ... ........ ....... ........ .... 27 ( See Official Red Hat Linux Ref-
FTP.... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 28 erence Guide )
Hard Drive .. ........ ....... ........ .... 28 installation mode, expert ................26
HTTP . ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 28 installation mode, serial .................26
NFS Image .. ........ ....... ........ .... 28 installation mode, text ...................26
installation ( See also Official Red Hat Linux
aborting ...... ........ ....... ........ .... 30 Reference Guide )
CD-ROM . ... ........ ....... ........ .... 28 installation partitioning ..................44
FTP installation problems
( See Official Red Hat Linux Ref- IDE CD-ROM related.................29
erence Guide ) installation program
getting Red Hat Linux .... ........ ..... 8 booting..................................24
hard drive booting without diskette .. ............27
( See Official Red Hat Linux Ref- starting. .................................24
erence Guide ) user interface...........................23
HTTP virtual consoles ........................23
( See Official Red Hat Linux Ref- installation, starting ... ...................23
erence Guide ) installing packages .......................62
installing without partitioning.... .... 87
preparing for ........ ....... ........ ..... 7 K
starting. ...... ........ ....... ........ .... 28
kernel options .. ...........................26
text mode
Index 97

keyboard creating installation diskette with....13

configuration ........ ....... ........ .... 31
keyboard type N
selecting ..... ........ ....... ........ .... 31
network configuration ...................56
keymap
new features................................ 5
selecting type of keyboard........ .... 31
ATAPI Zip drive recognition .......... 5
fdisk partitioning tool ................... 5
L install-related ........................... 5
language installation without partitioning . ..... 5
selecting ..... ........ ....... ........ .... 30 RAID config in kickstart . ............. 5
LILO ..... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 52 RAID upgrades ......................... 5
alternatives to ....... ....... ........ .... 55 rescue disk .. ............................ 5
boot disk.. ........ ....... ........ .... 55 X configuration ......................... 5
commercial products ... ........ .... 56
LOADLIN........ ....... ........ .... 55 O
SYSLINUX ...... ....... ........ .... 56 options, kernel . ...........................26
choosing not to install..... ........ .... 54 OS/2 .......................................52
configuration ........ ....... ........ .... 52
MBR .. ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 52 P
overwriting .. ........ ....... ........ .... 54
removing .... ........ ....... ........ .... 93 package groups ...........................62
root partition, installing on ....... .... 52 selecting ................................62
SMP Motherboards........ ........ .... 56 packages
using boot disk in replace of ..... .... 54 installing................................62
Linux-like OS selecting ................................62
creating installation diskette with.... 14 Partition Magic ...........................56
LOADLIN...... ........ ....... ........ .... 55 partition problems ........................46
partitioning ................................44
automatic ...............................42
M
with fdisk ................................39
master boot record partitioning your system .................44
see MBR..... ........ ....... ........ .... 52 partitionless installation .................87
MBR behind the scenes ... ...................87
installing LILO on.. ....... ........ .... 52 install class options....................15
mouse, configuration.. ....... ........ .... 32 performing .. ...........................88
mouse, selecting ....... ....... ........ .... 32 space requirements . ...................88
MS-DOS
98 Index

password not provided for other companies’

setting root .. ........ ....... ........ .... 58 products...........................83
policy overview ........................81
R registering
via the Web..........................84
rawrite,creating installation diskette
signing up for ..........................83
with ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 13
text mode installation
recursion
( See Official Red Hat Linux Refer-
( See recursion )
ence Guide )
removing
time zone configuration..................57
LILO .. ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 93
Red Hat Linux ...... ....... ........ .... 93
U
rescue mode.... ........ ....... ........ .... 55
root password .. ........ ....... ........ .... 58 unallocated partition(s) ..................46
uninstalling................................93
S unresolved dependencies
full installation.........................64
selecting packages..... ....... ........ .... 62
upgrade .................................76
serial mode, installation ..... ........ .... 26
upgrade .. ..................................73
SMP Motherboards
customizing . ...................... 74–75
LILO .. ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 56
description of ..........................73
starting installation .... ....... ........ .... 28
package selection ... ...................75
starting installation program ........ .... 24
packages ................................74
support, technical
starting. .................................73
( See technical support )
unresolved dependencies . ............76
swap...... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 46
user account creation.. ...................60
manually partitioning ..... ........ .... 44
user accounts
server auto-partition....... ........ .... 17
setting up ...............................60
workstation auto-partition ........ .... 16
user interface, installation program ....23
SYSLINUX .... ........ ....... ........ .... 56
System Commander... ....... ........ .... 56
V
T virtual consoles ...........................23
technical support ...... ....... ........ .... 81
X
FAQ ... ....... ........ ....... ........ .... 86
how to send questions for ........ .... 85 X, configuration
how to state problems for......... .... 85 GUI tool ................................65
Index 99

Xconfigurator .. ........ ....... ........ .... 65

monitor setup ....... ....... ........ .... 65
video card setup .... ....... ........ .... 67
XFree86
configuration ........ ....... ........ .... 65