ITCwiki:Current events

== Chapter 2 Linux Installation and Usage ==

• Preparation and installation of Fedora Linux using good practices.
• Outline the structure of Linux interface.
• Enter basic shell commands and find command documentation.
• Properly shutdown the Linux OS

Preparing for Installation

 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)

 The minimum requirement s for Fedora 13 Linux can be found :

 Http://docs.fedoraproject.org

 Preinstallation checklist

 A system checklist that can compared against the HCL during installation.

 Information will include :

• CPU (Type /MHz)

• RAM (Mb)

• Keyboard model and layout

• Hard Disk size (MB)

• Host Name

• Network card IP configuration

• IP address, Netmask Gatway, DNS servers, and DHCP

• Linux Packages to install

• Video Card Make and Model

• Video Card RAM (Mb)

• Monitor make and model

• Monitor Vsync and HSync ranges

Installation Methods  FTP server across network  HTTP web server across network  NFS server across network  SMB (SAMBA) server across network  Packages located on HD  CD-ROM or bootable DVD media

Performing the Installation stages  Start installation  Choosing language, keyboard and storage type  Selecting hostname, time zone & root password  Configuring storage devices  Configuring the boot loader  Selecting and installing packages  Completing first boot wizard

Starting the Installation  System Rescue – A installation feature used to repair a system from the installation DVD  Can be used to repair a Linux system which cannot be started.  Memory Test – Can be used to test memory and prevent errors. Uses memtest86 utility to test RAM for errors

Checking media for errors  Feature of the default installation  Optional - Good practice with new, unused media  Checks bootable DVD or CD-ROM for errors

Choosing language, keyboard and storage type  This is just a matter of choosing the language you’ll be using, your default keyboard layout and whether or not you’ll installing Linux locally or on a DASD (direct access storage device)

Configuring Storage Devices Can only be one of four basic configurations:  Primary master PATA - had  Primary slave PATA – hdb  Secondary master PATA – hdc  Secondary slave PATA – hdd Used by newer server systems typically use :  SATA/SCSI –1st disk= sda, 2nd disk = sdb, 3rd disk= sdc, ect.  Unlike PATA can have more than four hard disks

Hard Disk Partitioning  Maximum of four primary partitions  Extended Partition can contain unlimited number of smaller partitions or logical drives  Root Directory (/)  Swap memory – Virtual memory utilized when physical memory (RAM) is being exhausted

Primary Master Partitioning Linux only requires two partitions minimum :  Root directory (main directory) designated by a “\”  Swap (aka Virtual memory) • Doesn’t contain a file system is never mounted to a directory because Linux is responsible for swapping info.  Extra partitions help keep the entire system free from errors.

Basic Linux  Kernel – Loads all components and controls computing activities, the heart of the operating system  Once the BIOS starts after boot-up, it then starts a boot loader (such as GRUB) which then loads the Linux Kernel into memory.  If there is a windows system already on the HD the boot loader can give you the option of which OS you’d like to load. This is known as dual booting.  Terminal – Channel that allows users to log in  Shell – Passes user input to the kernel for processing. BASH shell (Bourne Again Shell) – command-line shell similar to cmd on Windows

Basic Shell Commands  Commands – Case sensitive, indicate program to execute  Options – specific letters preceded by a hyphen (-) following a command  Arguments – specify parameters that tailor the command to the users particular needs  Command line order is this.. (Command) (Options)(Argument)  Ls – a /etc/ntp  Command = Ls (list)  Option = -a (lists all files)  Argument = /etc/ntp (refers to the /etc/ntp directory)

Common CommandsYou can find some common commands on page 66 of the text.

Metacharacters  Keyboard characters that have a special meaning  ($) – Tells the shell that the following text refers to variable  A piece of information that is stored in memory, typically uppercase words, automatically set by the Linux system at login  There’s a list of metacharacters used in BASH on page 67 of the text Help  Manual pages (man pages)  man <command name>  Include description, syntax, options, related files, and commands  Search manual pages with a keyword use –k  man –k <keyword>  Info pages – include easy-to-read description and hyperlinks

Shutdown Commands There’s a list of various shutdown commands on page 73 of the text