80	Part II Installation

This chapter is about installing Linux. First, I will show you how to install Linux based on the customer’s needs and requirements. Then, I will show you how

to use different file systems to fulfill those installation needs. I will also discuss how to select the required services in order to meet the requirements of the users needs.

I will walk you through a Linux installation step-by-step, showing you the appropriate method of installation, the different types of installation interaction, how to select appropriate parameters (such as language, time zones, keyboard, and mouse), the different packages based on the Workstation, how to choose between a Server or a Custom installation, partitioning based on pre-installation choices and the tools to accomplish partitioning. Other installation tasks include configuring the network, security, and passwords, Xfree86 with video cards, monitors and the desktop windows managers. Then, finalizing the installation and reasons for recompiling and adding packages to the installation will be illustrated.

Final Preparations for Installation

1.1 Identify purpose of Linux machine based on predetermined customer requirements (e.g., appliance, desktop system, database, mail server)

1.3 Determine what software and services should be installed (e.g., client applications for workstation, server services for desired task), check requirements and validate that it is supported by Linux.

1.8 Describe the functions, features, and benefits of a Linux solutions as compared with other operating systems (e.g., Linux players, distributions, available software)

You have a few tasks to complete before you can begin the actual installation. One of the most important tasks is to verify the type of installation that you wish to use. Is the user absolutely sure that she wants to have just a workstation or server? This is an important decision and should be verified beforehand. For example, the user may think that she wants only a desktop system, but perhaps she also wants to share documents on the intranet or Internet? If so, a Web server installation may be more appropriate.

Verification

If you verify the services that the user wants from his or her machine prior to installation, you may save yourself the task of reconfiguring at a later date. Most installation types can be verified by using a checklist, similar to the one that is used during the installation of Linux. The checklist can be a very complicated table or as simple as the list shown in Table 4-1.

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Table 4-1

Linux installation checklist

Workstation System

Selected Installation Type or Service

Word Processor

Spreadsheet

Database

Graphics

E-Mail client

Web browser

Programming languages

Application development tools

Networking

Commercial Applications

Server System

Selected Installation Type or Service

Web server

File Server

Database Server

Mail Server

Application Server

Terminal Server

E-commerce Server

Proxy Server

DNS Server

DHCP Server

News Server

Search Server

FTP Server

Firewall

Commercial server application

82	Part II Installation

You should consider this table to be only a partial list of possible options. Each installer should customize the verification list to make the installation process easier. Having this checklist should help installers to determine if a user needs a workstation or server type installation. Generally, however, users don’t always know which service they want to use. Therefore, the installer should employ some probing questions to ascertain whether the user wants to share any files or services with others. The following is a list of sample questions that installers can ask their users:

Do you want to have others use your files, system, or documents over an intranet or the Internet?

Which result do you desire the most — sharing of network resources, prevention of outside access to the network, or controlling access?

Do you need to run any high-end applications or services such as Web and FTP?

Using these questions will allow the installer to determine whether the user needs only a workstation, server, or appliance. Here is a breakdown of each type of installation:

Workstation installation: Generally does not provide services to anyone but the user of the machine.

Server installation: Provides services to users anywhere on the intranet or Internet.

Appliance system: Used only to provide special network services, such as routing, proxy, or firewall services; are often minimum hardware configurations that are customized to provide the given service.

Thin server: A special distribution customized to provide only one service; are easy to configure and are often customized to provide the best service for one particular task.

Package selection

No matter which type of server installation you choose, you still need to configure it with the required software packages that are needed for your specific applications. Every installer’s goal is to make installations easier, a list should be created of software packages that allows for the installation of the client’s desired service. A good example of this is shown in Table 4-2:

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Table 4-2

Detailed installation list

Type of System or Service	Distribution or Package	Notes
Server Installation	___Red Hat ___Mandrake	There are many more
	___ SuSE ___TurboLinux	distributions than this
	___Caldera ___ Debian	and some are considered
	___ Slackware ___ Krud	better at certain tasks
Web Server	___Apache ___Tux Web Server*	System to provide a
	____Other	Web page?
File Server	___Samba ___NFS	Share files on the intranet?
	___Netatalk ___Other
Database Server	___MySQL ___PostgreSQL	Database of employees?
	___Oracle ___Other
Mail Server	___Sendmail ___Domino**	Provide e-mail to and
	___other	from the Internet?

* Tux Web Server is a fast Web server included with Red Hat Linux

**Domino is an e-mail server from Lotus

The installer can customize this installation list to the current environment that he or she is working in. Using a list ensures that the installation meets the needs of the client, and also allows the client to learn of other possible uses of Linux. Because some clients may be using another operating system to provide a service, such as a Windows file server, they may not know that Linux can also provide that service. Informing your clients of this fact can be an excellent way to move them from other operating systems to Linux.

Final hardware verification

Even though you have already checked the system against the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), it is best to actually verify some information — such as the hardware details — before proceeding with the installation of Linux, because some details may need to be clarified. For example, some hardware makers may use several different chipsets to create a piece of hardware; therefore, it is wise to verify that the video card is version x, y, or z of a chipset. This is also true of hard drives; the size may be the same but they may have different structures. Suppose that one 30GB hard drive has 16,383 cylinders, 16 heads, and 63 sectors with 60,030,432 LBA (logical block addressing) to have a total capacity of 30,760MB; another 30GB hard drive has the same 16,383 cylinders, 16 heads, and 63 sectors, but with 60,032,448 LBA for a capacity of 30,736MB. These two drives also work at different speeds: The first has runs at 7200 RPM, and the second drive runs at 5400 RPM. This difference may seem inconsequential, but when you are setting up a server environment, it may cause problems down the road. Therefore, a checklist similar to the one that