Linux OS Install Guide

Red Hat 8.0 Install Guide

Introduction

Points to note:

• If you wish to use FDISK before hand, check out this guide.
• If you wish to Multi-Boot, check out this guide.
• This install guide should not be a substitute for the outstanding documentation found on redhat.com. However, this information provides a supplement to those directions.

1) Red Hat Linux Boot screen: (Image 1.1)   After configuring the system for booting from a CD, the Red Hat Linux Boot screen appears. At this point, press Enter for the graphical Setup.

2) Welcome to Red Hat: (Image 1.2)   The "Welcome to Red Hat" screen appears with the option of Hiding the help pane (left side) or viewing the Release Notes. Select Next when ready.

3) Language Selection: (Image 1.3) The Language Selection screen displays all of the languages available to install Red Hat with. I chose English here, then Next.

4) Keyboard Configuration: (Image 1.4)   Keyboard Configuration is next. Highlight the best match for your particular system. Usually, the default works best. Select Next when complete.

5) Mouse Configuration: (Image 1.5)     Mouse Configuration is next. Again, highlight the best match for your particular system. Select Next when finished.

6) Installation type: (Image 1.6) Selection of a standard installation type is now available. The options include Personal Desktop, Workstation, Server, or Custom. For this particular guide, I selected Personal Desktop and then Next.

7) Partitioning your system: (Image 1.7) You are now faced with the option of automatically partitioning your system with the default values or selecting a more expert approach of choosing exactly what values each partition will be. I chose Automatic, then selected Next.

8) Warning dialog box: (Image 1.8)   If this is a new hard drive or a hard drive that no partitions currently exist, a warning dialog box will appear. Select Yes to continue..

9) Automatic Partitioning: (Image 1.9)     Here are the options of deleting all Linux partitions, deleting all partitions, or keep the disk structure as it already is. If this is a new drive, any options work just fine, but, if you already have partitions defined, as in a Multi-Boot environment, be careful as to which selection and drive volume you choose. Also, check the Review and modify box at the bottom to retain control over what happens to the hard drive and view the recommended configuration.

10) New hard drive structure: (Image 1.10)   If you checked the Review and modify box, the new hard drive structure is displayed. This fits my purposes, so I chose Next to continue.

11) Boot loader options: (Image 2.1)

Boot Loader options are displayed.

If this is the only OS to be installed, I recommend to install a boot loader, such as Grub (the default).

If this is part of a Multi-Boot System, I recommend to not install a boot loader and use a boot floppy, created later on in the install process, instead.

Important: If you chose to NOT install a boot loader and NOT make a boot floppy, your Red Hat installation will NOT work.

12) Install a boot loader: (Image 2.2)   Please view my Multi-Boot Guide for more information about Boot Floppies.

13) Network setup: (Image 2.3)   Network setup options are next. Enter in the required information for your particular setup, here. I chose the default, DHCP setup, then selected Next.

14) Firewall setup: (Image 2.4)   Firewall setup is very important! If this system will be connected directly to the internet, choose High to start out with. If this system is already behind a hardware firewall or router, choose Medium as a good starting point.

15) Language Selection: (Image 2.5) Additional Language options are also available. Since I understand no other language besides English, the default was fine.

16) Time Zone Selection: (Image 2.6) Configure your Time Zone with this display. Being on the West Coast, Pacific Time was selected here. Choose what is right for your location and then select Next to continue.

17) Create a root or administrator password: (Image 2.7) Another important part of the installation process is to create a root or administrator password and a "normal" user account for everyday tasks. DO NOT leave your root password as blank or easily guessable.

18) Add users: (Image 2.8) After acceptance of your root password, select the Add button to create an additional account for everyday tasks. Do not worry. If at anytime you need to use the root account to change system settings, you can. You will be prompted for the password even if you are logged in as a regular user. After creating a new account and selecting a "good" password, select the OK button.

19) Add as many users as you wish: (Image 2.9) Your display could look something like this. Add as many users as you wish, then select Next to continue.

20) Default package configuration: (Image 2.10) Here, you have the option of accepting the default package configuration, or selecting exactly what applications and services you desire. If you wish, you can skip this step and select Next as the default option and your system will be configured accordingly. However, if you desire to add or subtract particular applications, choose the Customize packages to be installed button and select Next.

21) Selecting exactly what packages: (Image 2.11) Here you will have the option of selecting exactly what packages and applications you wish to install. Detailed descriptions about each are also available, after selecting the check box on the left of the category, by selecting the details button. Upon completing your options, select Next to continue. 22) Installation will now start: (Image 3.1) Installation will now start after selecting the Next button. 23) Formatting of the hard drive: (Image 3.2) Formatting of the hard drive or partitions will begin. Depending on the size of the hard drive, this may take much time. 24) Transfer of the install image: (Image 3.3) Transfer of the install image to the hard drive now takes place. Again, if you selected many packages, this could take some time. 25) Installation of all selected packages: (Image 3.4) Installation of all selected packages and applications are now underway. Depending on what was selected and system configuration, this could take 15 minutes to over an hour. 26) Insert the next CD soon: (Image 3.5) Do not go far, though, as you may be required to insert the next CD soon. 27) Boot floppy creation: (Image 3.6) If this is the only OS to be installed, I recommend to install a boot loader previously, such as Grub (the default). This does NOT mean that you should forget about creating a boot floppy, also. If this is part of a Multi-Boot System, I recommend a boot floppy, created here, and not to use a boot loader. Important: If you chose to NOT install a boot loader and NOT make a boot floppy, your Red Hat installation will NOT work. 28) Graphics card setup: (Image 3.7) Select your graphics card setup and memory configuration here. Chose Next after highlighting your selection. 29) Monitor Setup: (Image 3.8) Enter the proper values or highlight the model of your display here. After selecting the configuration for your system, chose Next. 30) Desktop resolution: (Image 3.9) Choose your desktop resolution and bit-depth. Capabilities beyond your card should not be displayed. 31) Install complete: (Image 3.10) Installation is completed and the system will reboot after selecting Next. 32) Grub boot loader: (Image 4.1) Upon reboot, the Grub (if selected previously in the install process) is displayed with the option of booting your Linux installation. If you opted for a boot floppy, ensure that your system is configured to boot from "A:" first, then your hard drive, otherwise, your system may skip to your previous OS by default. 33) Boot Red Hat: (Image 4.2) Keep in mind, while the OS is loading, Linux is famous for allowing the USER to choose exactly what, how and why everything happens. This is not Windows. You will see all kinds of information about the internal workings of your system. Do not be alarmed. You will come to enjoy that information in due time. :) 34) Logon: (Image 4.3) If you opted for a graphical install screen, the user name prompt is displayed. Log in as one of the users you created previously (not root) and enter in your password (not blank). 35) Gnome Desktop: (Image 4.4) The Red Hat 8.0 default desktop is now displayed. If you selected KDE and not Gnome, your view will be slightly different. Remember, anything that you wish to do, you can, including messing with system files. When in doubt, think twice. :) 36) BlackViper.com in Mozilla: (Image 4.5) I had to fire up Mozilla 1.0.1 to ensure my internet connectivity functioned, and it worked great! Thank you for viewing my install guide and I hope it has helped you gain an insight to what may be required before taking the Red Hat plunge. Ubuntu 9.10 Install Guide Introduction After many requests for this information, I have drafted this general guide to help. Important Information Important points to note about this guide: I use an Ubuntu Live CD to install the OS. You can download Ubuntu here. I assume that you are installing only one OS: Ubuntu. Multi-boot guide coming soon... This guide assumes a "clean" installation. Ensure that you backup all of your important files (documents, music, etc) to CD/DVD/another hard drive before following these steps. All data will be lost using this guide exactly as written! 1) Shall we begin?: (Image 1.1) After configuring the system to boot from a CD, the Ubuntu 9.10 Menu Language Selection screen appears. Select your language of choice. Here, I picked English. 2) Selection Screen: (Image 1.2) This selection screen offers several choices: Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer - This selection will boot the Live CD and completely run the OS only from that CD. A perfect choice for those that just want to check out Linux or Ubuntu and not completely destroy data on their system. Install Ubuntu - This is the selection that I will be using. Warning: This will format the storage device you select later and remove all data from the system. Check disk for defects - A good option if this is your first time running the Live CD to ensure that all data was burned properly. Test memory - This test uses Memtest86+ v2.11 to check your memory. The check will take a long time (sometimes hours), depending on the system performance and amount of memory installed. If you desire to test your memory, you should download the latest version of Memtest86+ and boot off of that CD instead. The latest version as of this writing is 4.0 (September 22, 2009). Make your choice by using the down arrow key and hitting enter. 3) Language Selection: (Image 1.3) After selecting Install Ubuntu in the previous step, the Ubuntu logo fades different colors while the install routine is loaded. The first options you will come across are selections for Install Language. Make your selection on the left and press the Forward button. 4) Time Zone: (Image 1.4) After a quick check for NTP access to sync the system clock from the internet, the time zone selection screen appears. Use the pull down menus to make your selection. Here, I picked United States and Pacific. After selecting your time zone, press the Forward button. 5) Keyboard Layout: (Image 1.5) The keyboard Suggested Option: USA is already selected for me. If you wish to change the default, select Choose your own: In either case, press the Forward button to continue installation. 6) Prepare Disk Space: (Image 2.1) Since my current storage device has no data on it, Ubuntu detects no operating system installed. This is a good thing. Here, I chose to allow Ubuntu to automatically setup my partition information for me by leaving the default Erase and use the entire disk selected. One more warning: This will erase all data on the drive you have selected. Press the Forward button to continue. 7) Who Are You? (Image 2.2) Fill in the requested information, such as name, your user account and computer name. It should be worth noting that the Forward button is disabled until a password is entered and confirmed. Ensure that you use a good password and not things like "default" or even worse, "pa$$word". Upper and lowercase letters, symbols and random characters (that you can remember) are a good choice. Depending on personal preference and the environment you are using the system, you can select Log in automatically. I personally prefer the default of Require my password to log in. Press the Forward button to continue. A dialog box warning of a weak password could appear. 8) Ready To Install: (Image 2.3) A summery appears with, once again, the data destroy warning... Press the Install button to continue. 9) Installing System: (Image 2.4) A progress bar now appears while Ubuntu is setting up the system. 10) Apt Get: (Image 2.5) I suggest allowing Apt Get to continue setup tasks and do not press the Skip button here. 11) Installation Complete: (Image 2.6) Ubuntu is now installed. Press the Restart Now button to reboot the system. 12) Boot In Progress: (Image 3.1) The Ubuntu logo fades different colors while the system is initially booting. 13) Progress Bar? (Image 3.2) A more graphical progress bar appears on the screen while the system continues to boot. 14) Log In: (Image 3.3) The login screen now is displayed. Select your user account, enter your password and then press the Log In button. 15) The Desktop: (Image 3.4) The desktop now is displayed for the first time. 16) Update Manager: (Image 3.5) When booting for the first time and connected to the internet, the Update Manager is displayed automatically. I highly suggest that you select Install Updates at this time to ensure all packages are the latest and greatest, fixing bugs and possible security issues with a clean installation. The administrator password (created earlier in the installation process) is required before downloading new package files. 17) Guide Finished: (Image 3.6) Ubuntu 9.10 is now installed. Hope you enjoyed my guide and good luck with Ubuntu!