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Setting the Boot Loader Unless you have data left on the disk, it is normally safe to accept the removal of existing partitions on the disk, by clicking on the Next button. Note If your machine has an existing Windows partition that you want to keep, then you should note that it’s not sufficient to choose the Remove all Linux Partitions option here. Rather, you will need to go Back to the Disk Partitioning screen, and configure your partitions manually using the Disk Druid tool. You may even need to resize your Windows partition using a partitioning utility like PartitionMagic, to create some free space onto which you can install Red Hat Linux If you have existing partitions, and you have asked Red Hat Linux to remove them for you, you will be asked to confirm your desire to remove the partitions: Before accepting the removal of the partitions, be aware that removal of partitions leads to complete loss of any existing data on the disk. If you are sure about your decision, confirm the deletion (by clicking Yes) and move on to the next screen. Setting the Boot Loader In the next screen, Red Hat Linux allows you to set various boot loader options. A boot loader is normally required when you have multiple operating systems on the hard disk, and an option (at boot time) for choosing the operating system to boot from. Red Hat provides the GRUB boot loader for this purpose. The screen provides you with an option to specify the default operating system to boot from: 25

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Setting up the Disk Partitions The space on your hard disk is normally divided into sections, called partitions, for better management of the space. Dividing a hard disk into partitions can help you segregate the available disk space according to its usage. For example, you might choose to dedicate one partition solely to your executable programs, and to set aside another partition just to hold your work-related data files. This type of organization has the advantage that when you are upgrading your system, you can ask Red Hat Linux to leave the data partition of your disk alone, and upgrade only the software packages installed in the other partitions. The optimum number and size of partitions on your disk depends on many factors - the overall disk size, the purpose of each partition, and so on. Such decisions are usually made on anticipated future requirements and data organization structure, and often rely heavily on previous experience. However, Red Hat Linux makes this decision simpler by offering an automatic partitioning option, which creates an arrangement of partitions based on your install type preferences. So, if you chose the Personal Desktop installation type in the previous screen, your hard disk can be automatically reorganized into partitions that are likely to be used for day-to-day personal work. Red Hat Linux also offers an option for creating partitions manually, and if you feel comfortable and confident with creating your own partitions, then feel free to do so. However, it is normally safe enough to accept the default automatic partition option, and that’s what we’ll do here. Dealing with Existing Partitions If you already have partitions on your disk, then you can use the next screen to remove the older partitions: 24

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Setting up the Disk Partitions Then we come to the screen that asks us to specify the installation type desired: As we mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, we will use a Personal Desktop installation for our machine. We therefore select the Personal Desktop option, and click Next to proceed to the next screen. Setting up the Disk Partitions The next screen allows you to organize the storage space on your machine’s hard disk: 23
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Selecting the Mouse Choose your preferred keyboard option (the screenshot shows a user selecting the default keyboard layout, US English), and click Next to proceed to the next screen. Selecting the Mouse In the next screen, Red Hat shows the list of mouse types that it supports: It tries to detect and select the correct mouse type automatically for you. If everything goes well, you can just click Next to go on to the next screen. Selecting an Installation Type At this stage, the installation will look for an existing version of Red Hat Linux on your machine. If it finds one, it will invite you to choose between upgrading the existing version and replacing it. An upgrade will take less time, and allow you to preserve any existing data on your drives while bringing the software packages up to date with the latest distribution. By contrast, a replacement may overwrite your existing data but will provide a completely up-to-date installation. Here, we’ll opt for a completely new installation: 22
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Selecting the Default Language Selecting the Default Language Red Hat supports many languages other than English during the installation process. Those more comfortable with their native language can use this screen to select the language appropriate for their use: Note Note that many languages, notably those using various Asian Indic scripts, are missing from this list. This is because the version of the GUI toolkit used for developing the installation, GTK+, doesn’t support the display of these languages. Red Hat is continually adding local language support for the installation process and the desktop itself for various localities. If your language of choice is not listed here, you will probably see it added to this list in future versions of the distribution. Selecting the Keyboard For many non-English speaking countries, language-specific keyboards are available for the computer. These keyboards make it easier to type in the native language. In the next screen, Red Hat Linux allows you to specify the keyboard layout of your choice: 21
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The Graphical Installation Launch If you see an error message instead, it indicates that your CD is defective. This means that you’ll need to arrange to replace it and restart the installation. When Disk 1 has been tested, you will be prompted as shown below, which asks you whether you want to insert any other disks for checking: You should check all the remaining CDs, by pressing the Test button each time. When all of the CDs have passed, you can press the Continue button to continue with the remainder of the installation. The Graphical Installation Launch Having tested all the CDs (or skipped the test altogether), the Red Hat Linux installer program - called Anaconda - begins, launching the graphical installer. It tries to detect the video card, monitor, and mouse, as shown below: Note Note that Anaconda has failed to detect the exact make and model of video card and monitor here, and so has opted for a configuration that it thinks should work. Its choice will probably not give the best performance, but it should at least see you through the installation process to the point at which you can use your checklist to adjust the hardware configuration details more precisely. Then it launches into the GUI install screen, as shown here. Press Next (in the bottom right corner) to continue to the next screen. 20
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Testing the Media This module will check your installation CDs and tell you if it finds any problems reading their contents. If you’re installing from CDs included as part of Red Hat’s retailed box set, then your CDs are likely to be fine. But if you’ve downloaded CD images and burned your own disks, then it’s definitely a good idea to use this module, to check the validity of your disks. If you want to skip this test (for example, if you’re in a hurry or you already know that the disks are OK), use your cursor keys and Enter key to select Skip; and you yourself can skip to the next section. Alternatively, to run the media check module (which we recommend if the disks have never been used before), press OK. This will take you to the CD media check screen: Since the first disk is already in the drive, you can simply press Test to start the media test of the disk right away. The progress of the test is shown like this: If the test completes and doesn’t find any errors, you’ll see confirmation that the disk passed the test: 19

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Testing the Media Note If you don’t get this screen, then it may be because your computer is not configured to boot off the CD-ROM drive by default. In this case, you may need to adjust the configuration of your machine by changing the boot sequence of your computer, so that it begins with the CD-ROM drive. The best way to do this is to reboot your computer, and take it into the BIOS setup menu immediately after boot up. The exact way to access the BIOS setup menu varies from machine to machine, but it usually involves hitting a button such as F2 or F10 or Escape. Check your motherboard’s manual if you have it, or follow the instructions on screen immediately after the reboot. The dialog asks you to select whether to install in graphical or text mode. Text mode is suitable in situations where a minimal configuration is required, or where there is a problem with the display. We will conduct our installation in graphical mode, so just press the Enter key. When you’ve selected the mode of installation, the boot program proceeds by displaying a flurry of messages on the screen. Don’t be alarmed by this - this is perfectly normal in a Linux operating system boot up. When Linux boots up, it stays in text mode briefly to perform a few routine checks and processes, and then launches the installation in graphical mode after that. So, let’s deal with these initial questions of the installation. Testing the Media In version 9, Red Hat has introduced a media test module into the installation process. The purpose of the media test module is to eliminate one of the most frequent sources of installation problems - defects in the CDs themselves. As shown below, the module asks you whether you would like to test the CD media before proceeding with the installation: 18

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Getting Help IP Address: If your machine is to have a fixed IP address, you need to know what IP address to use. An IP address is always mentioned along with its network mask, so make a note of both the IP address and network mask. DNS Host and Domain Names: You also need to note some DNS (domain name service) details - specifically the machine’s host name and domain name. For example, if your network administrator assigns your machine the DNS name arwen.acme.com, then your machine host name is arwen and your domain name is acme.com. The combination of host name and domain name (here arwen.acme.com) is called the fully qualified domain name (FQDN). Note If your office is running an internal DNS server, this host and domain name combination should refer to the IP address that we’ve already mentioned. Many network applications perform optimally when a local DNS server is present in the network. DNS Servers: DNS servers are responsible for resolving Internet names to the corresponding IP addresses. You should note the IP address(es) of your network’s DNS server(s). If there is no local DNS server, then it’s possible that an external DNS server is used for Internet name resolution. Red Hat Linux allows you to specify up to three DNS servers. Internet Gateway: Finally, you should note the IP address of your machine’s Internet gateway. While any network traffic for your local LAN will be sent directly to those local machines, any traffic to other networks (like those of the Internet) will be sent out through this gateway. Failure to set this value will prevent you from accessing the Internet after installation. Getting Help If you find problems, there are plenty of ways to get answers. In fact, the Open Source community boasts of a huge number of avenues that can help you to resolve your technical difficulties. For example, Red Hat itself has an extensive bug reporting and resolution database, freely available for public access at http://bugzilla.redhat.com. In addition, there are many Linux users’ communities world-wide, hungry to share experiences and thriving on a diet of mutual support (see http://www.linux.org/groups). In fact, the extent of third-party support in Red Hat Linux is unparalleled among the various Linux distributions. The Installation Having collected all the information in our hardware and network checklists, you’re ready to begin the installation itself. This section will walk you through the graphical installation tool, explaining the steps as we go. Although this section is quite long, it includes quite a number of screenshots, so you’ll soon see how simple it is to install Red Hat Linux 9 using the graphical installation tool. Booting off the CD We normally begin the installation process by booting off the first CD of the distribution. To do this, you need to have the machine switched on, so that you can open your CD-ROM drive. Insert Disk 1 of your Red Hat Linux distribution into your CD-ROM drive, and then restart the machine. The installation process should start automatically, as soon as the computer’s power-on self test is complete: 17

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The Hardware The Hardware Compatibility List Red Hat maintains a list of officially supported hardware, called the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). The HCL lists all the hardware components against which the operating system has been checked extensively for proper functioning. The list is available at http://hardware.redhat.com/hcl/. It’s worth checking for your own hardware components in this list before buying new hardware for your Red Hat desktop; if you find them, it can give you some peace of mind. You shouldn’t panic, however, if your hardware doesn’t appear in the HCL; there’s still a good chance that it will work with the Red Hat Linux 9 installation. Many hardware components behave using standardized interfaces that can be persuaded to work with Linux (although sometimes in a less efficient way). For example, most modern video cards support the VESA mode of graphic display, which can be used by Red Hat Linux to present a GUI front-end to the user. While the VESA mode is not suitable for performance-intensive graphic displays, it is a quick and easy way to persuade an incompatible video card to work with the GUI software in the Linux operating system. Note It is well worth using the HCL to check out the compatibility of hardware with Red Hat Linux (or, indeed, any distribution of Linux) before investing your money into it. A significant proportion of all queries submitted by new users of Red Hat Linux relate to hardware for which Red Hat has not confirmed official support. While any new motherboard or processor should safely work with a Linux basic console mode, the most common problems lie with compatibility of sound and display hardware. Due to the nature of the Open Source movement, the compatibility of Linux with specific hardware configurations can take some time to develop. Not all hardware manufacturers are quick to offer Linux versions of their driver software. The Boot Disk The installation process will also offer you the opportunity to create a boot disk. The boot disk can help you to recover gracefully if you have boot problems. While creation of the boot disk is optional, it is recommended - you never know when you might need it. For this, it’s a good idea to have a floppy disk ready during the installation process. Make sure there’s nothing important on the disk, because the boot disk creation process will overwrite it! Network Details We’ve already talked about compiling a hardware checklist before installation. If you intend to use your new Red Hat Linux desktop within an existing network, you should also compile a checklist of network-related information for use during the installation process. You may need to ask your network administrator some of these details: DHCP or Fixed IP: An IP address is essential for any computer to participate in any networking activity. So, you must ask: Is your desktop assigned an IP address dynamically (by a DHCP server), or should it be configured with a static IP address? By default, Red Hat Linux will configure your machine to request an IP address from a DHCP server, but if you need to, you can change this either during the installation process itself or after the installation is complete. If your computer is to be configured to get its IP address dynamically from a DHCP server, you can skip the rest of these questions: 16

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