Chapter 2: Installing Red Hat and Fedora Core Linux

Overview

This chapter describes the installation procedure for Red Hat and Fedora Core Linux. The installation includes the Linux operating system, a great many Linux applications, and a complete set of network servers. The Red Hat and Fedora use the same Anaconda installation program, designed to be helpful and easy to use, while at the same time efficient and brief, installing as many services and applications as possible. Detailed help panels explain each procedure, every step of the way. Certain services, such as Web server support, would ordinarily require specialized and often complex configuration operations. Red Hat and Fedora automatically install and provide default configurations for many of these services.

Red Hat and Fedora provide detailed installation guides such as the Official Red Hat Linux x86 Installation Guide. (The Fedora version will be available soon.) It is available at the Red Hat Web site. The guide consists of Web pages you can view using any browser. They include detailed figures and step-by-step descriptions. Checking this manual before you install is strongly recommended. This chapter presents all the steps in the installation process, but it is not as detailed as the Red Hat and Fedora guides. You can access documentation at the Red Hat Web site at www.redhat.com. Click Support and choose the link for your version of Red Hat.

Installing Linux involves several steps. First, you need to determine whether your computer meets the basic hardware requirements. These days, most Intel-based PC computers do. Red Hat supports several methods for installing Linux. You can install from a local source such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk, or from a network or Internet source. For a network or Internet source, Red Hat supports NFS, FTP, and HTTP installations. With FTP, you can install from an FTP site. With HTTP, you can install from a Web site. NFS enables you to install over a local network. For a local source, you can install from a CD-ROM or a hard disk. The DVD- ROM included with this boot also operates as a boot CD-ROM. In addition, you can start the installation process by booting from your DVD-ROM, from a DOS system, or from boot disks that can then use the DVD-ROM or hard disk repository. Red Hat documentation covers each of these methods in detail. This chapter deals with the installation using the DVD-ROM provided with this book.

Once the installation program begins, you simply follow the instructions, screen by screen. Most of the time, you only need to make simple selections or provide yes and no answers. The installation program progresses through several phases. First, you create Linux partitions on your hard drive, and then you install the software packages. After that, you can configure your network connection and then your X Window System for graphical user interface support. Both the X Window System and network configurations can be performed independently at a later time.

Once your system is installed, you are ready to start it and log in. Normally, you will log in using a graphical login, selecting the desktop you want and entering your username and password. Alternatively, you can log in to a simple command line interface. From the command line, you can then invoke a desktop such as GNOME or KDE that provides you with a full graphical user interface.