Red Hat Linux 7 Unleashed

By William Ball

• Table of Contents
  • Copyright
  • About the Lead Authors
  • About the Contributing Authors
  • Acknowledgments
  • Tell Us What You Think!
  • Introduction
  • I. Red Hat Linux Installation and User Services
  • Chapter 1. Introduction to Red Hat Linux
  • Chapter 2. Installation of Your Red Hat System
    • Preparing for Your Linux Installation
    • Choosing an Installation Method
    • GUI Versus Text-Based Installation
    • Partitioning
    • Creating Boot Disks
    • Starting a Network Install
    • Addressing PCMCIA and External Issues
    • Step-by-Step Installation
    • Post-Installation and Configuration
    • Logging In and Shutting Down
    • Summary
  • Chapter 3. LILO and Other Boot Managers
  • Chapter 4. Configuring the X Window System, Version 11
  • Chapter 5. Window Managers
  • Chapter 6. Connecting to the Internet
  • Chapter 7. IRC, ICQ, and Chat Clients
  • Chapter 8. Using Multimedia and Graphics Clients
  • II. Configuring Services
  • Chapter 9. System Startup and Shutdown
  • Chapter 10. SMTP and Protocols
  • Chapter 11. FTP
  • Chapter 12. Apache Server
  • Chapter 13. Internet News
  • Chapter 14. Domain Name Service and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
  • Chapter 15. NIS: Network Information Service
  • Chapter 16. NFS: Network Filesystem
  • Chapter 17. Samba
  • III. System Administration and Management
  • Chapter 18. Linux Filesystems, Disks, and Other Devices
  • Chapter 19. Printing with Linux
  • Chapter 20. TCP/IP Network Management
  • Chapter 21. Linux System Administration
  • Chapter 22. Backup and Restore
  • Chapter 23. System Security
  • IV. Red Hat Development and Productivity
  • Chapter 24. Linux C/C++ Programming Tools
  • Chapter 25. Shell Scripting
  • Chapter 26. Automating Tasks
  • Chapter 27. Configuring and Building Kernels
  • Chapter 28. Emulators, Tools, and Window Clients
  • V. Appendixes
  • A. The Linux Documentation Project
  • B. Top Linux Commands and Utilities
  • C. The GNU General Public License
  • D. Red Hat Linux RPM Package Listings

Starting a Network Install

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 the first Red Hat Linux 7 CD or on the server that is exporting the install directories.

You must have the following information before you attempt to install over the network:

• The installation program will probe your system and attempt to identify your network card. Most of the time, the driver can locate the card automatically. If it is not able to identify your network card, you'll be asked to choose the driver that supports your network card and to specify any options necessary for the driver to locate and recognize it.
• A valid IP address for your machine.
• A valid netmask (generally 255.255.255.0).
• A valid gateway and nameserver IP.

Each type of network install starts off the same, booting from the bootnet.img boot disk. It will bring up the Welcome to Red Hat screen with a boot: prompt. Press Enter to start the installation. The installation will proceed much like the install outlined later in this chapter, but network installs take longer and risk being interrupted by dropped connections. You will see it load the boot kernel from the floppy drive. It then will bring up a screen asking you which language is to be used during install. Make your selection and press the OK button. Now you are asked to select which basic keyboard type you are using. After you make your selection, press the OK button again. A screen will now come up asking which type of install you would like to do. Make your selection and follow the directions for that choice as outlined in the following sections.

Starting an NFS Install

The first screen that will appear after selecting any of the network options is the TCP/IP Settings screen. It asks you for the IP, netmask, default gateway IP, and the primary nameserver of the computer you are setting up. If you have a BOOTP or DHCP server available on your network, you can also check the box above the form to have the system attempt to resolve these addresses for itself. After inputting this information, press the OK button to proceed to the next step. This next screen asks for your NFS server name and the path to the directory where the Red Hat installation files are. From this point on the install will be just like the standard install outlined in the section Step-by-Step Installation later in this chapter.

Starting an FTP Install

Starting an FTP install is almost exactly like starting an NFS install. You have to supply the same information regarding your network card and your network properties. Also, you must know the IP and point the installation program at the FTP site of your choice. Enter the name or IP address of the FTP site you are installing from and the name of the directory there that contains the Red Hat directory for your architecture. For example, if the FTP site contains the directory /pub/mirrors/redhat/i386/RedHat, enter /pub/mirrors/redhat/i386. If you are not using anonymous FTP, or if you need to use a proxy FTP server (if you're behind a firewall, for example), check the check box, and another dialog box will request the FTP account and proxy information.

Starting an HTTP Install

Again, follow exactly the same steps as you would for an NFS install except choose HTTP as the method of installation. Point the installation program at the HTTP site of your choice. Enter the name or IP address of the HTTP site you are installing from and the name of the directory there that contains the Red Hat directory for your architecture. For example, if the HTTP site contains the directory /pub/mirrors/redhat/ i386/RedHat, enter /pub/mirrors/redhat/i386. If you are not using anonymous HTTP, or if you need to use a proxy HTTP server (if you're behind a firewall, for example), check the check box, and another dialog box will request the HTTP account and proxy information.

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