WEEK4 - Linux Installation –How to--

• GENERAL OBJECTIVES: Preparation for Linux Installation and Installing

Linux.

Planning a Linux Installation

Installation of Linux System
Planning a Linux Installation
• Instead of installing a Linux system in a haphazard, unstructured manner,
an administrator should develop a deployment plan before starting the
installation process. Doing so will help you prevent a litany of costly
errors (and probably save your job). we’ll discuss how to go about
planning a Linux installation. The following topics will be addressed:
• Conducting a needs assessment
• Selecting a distribution
• Verifying system requirements and hardware compatibility
• Planning the file system
• Selecting system software packages
• Specifying user accounts
• Gathering network information
• Selecting an installation source
 Conducting a Needs Assessment
• Conducting a needs assessment is one of the most important aspects
of creating a Linux deployment plan. It’s also the most frequently
skipped step. Even when it is done, it’s usually done poorly.
• What exactly is a needs assessment? It’s the process of determining
why the Linux deployment is being undertaken and what outcomes
are expected when it is complete.
• Completing a needs assessment will require you to step out of your
technician role and step into the role of a project manager.
Conducting a Needs Assessment
• .When you’re done, the needs assessment portion of your deployment
plan should contain the following information (at a minimum):
• What are the goals of the project? You should find out why the
implementation is being requested.
• What problem will this installation fix?
• What will be the final result of the implementation?
• What organizational objectives will be met by the implementation? When
you list the goals of the project, be sure to use language that is clear and
measurable.
• Who are the stakeholders in this project?
Conducting a Needs Assessment
• As a part of your needs assessment, you should identify all individuals who will
be impacted by the project in any way. You should ask the following questions:
• Who requested the new system?
• Who will use the system after it’s installed?
• Who has the authority to approve funds for the project?
• Who has authority to allocate your time to the project?
• Who must give final approval to this project before it can begin?
• Who will maintain and support the system after it is implemented?
• Is the new system a fit with our current technology environment and strategy
direction?
 Selecting a distribution

• Linux is available in a wide variety of flavors called distributions. One of the key
parts of your deployment plan is specifying which of these distributions you will use
on your system.
• Which one is best? That depends on your preferences and what you want to the
system to do. Here are some guidelines you can use to select the right distribution:
Will the system function as a workstation or a server?
• Most Linux distributions, on the other hand, can be used in either role.
• However, be aware that there are Linux distributions available that are specifically
designed and optimized to function as servers, and others as workstations. For
example, Red Hat provides two distributions that are designed for providing
network services:
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES This distribution is designed for servers in medium
organizations that will be placed under moderate workload.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS This distribution is designed for very large organizations
that will place a very heavy load on their server systems.
• Red Hat also provides two distributions that are designed specifically
for use in desktop systems:
• Red Hat Desktop This distribution is designed for use by the average
end user on desktop systems used to complete day-to-day work.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS This distribution is intended for use by
high-end users, such as engineers or graphic designers, who use high-
end desktop hardware to complete more advanced computing tasks.
• Does the distribution offer support?
• Some vendors offer technical support for their Linux distributions
while others offer limited support or no support at all.
• If the system will be used in a corporate environment, you should
seriously consider implementing a well-supported distribution.
 Verifying System Requirements and Hardware
Compatibility
• It is a very good idea to check the Web site for your distribution and
verify that your system’s hardware is listed on the distribution’s
Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Even though hardware support for
Linux has become much better in the last decade, there are still
devices that aren’t supported. You can use your distribution’s HCL to
check and see if it will support your system’s devices.
• HCLs are usually available in two locations. First, most distributions
include a list of supported hardware in a text file on the first
installation CD or DVD. However, you should rarely use this version of
the HCL. Because it’s a static document on disc, it hasn’t been
updated since the disc was burned. If a device in your computer was
released at some point after the disc was burned, you have no idea if
it’s supported or not.
Verifying System Requirements

• When formulating your deployment plan, be sure to specify the

hardware needed by the distribution you’ve selected. A key aspect of
your system requirements is your PC’s CPU architecture.
• When downloading your Linux distribution, be sure you select the
correct architecture for your system’s CPU
• For example, if you are going to install Linux on a Pentium IV CPU,
then you need the x86 version of your distribution. If your hardware
uses an AMD Athlon 64 CPU, then you need x86-64 version of the
distribution.
• If you pick the wrong one, most Linux installers will generate an error
and you won’t be able to complete the installation.
 Planning the File System
• When planning a Linux implementation, you need to include
specifications for how the file system will be created and maintained
on the system’s hard disk drive.
• When conducting disk I/O operations, the operating system needs to
know where data is stored, how to access it, and where it is safe to
write new information. This is the job of the file system. Its role is to
reliably store data on the hard drive and organize it in such a way that
it is easily accessible.
• Most Linux distributions offer a wide variety of file systems that you
can choose from (ext2, ext3, Reiser among others)
 Planning Your Partitions

• By default, most Linux distributions propose two partitions by default

during the installation process:
• Swap: This partition is used for virtual memory by the Linux operating
system. You should create a swap partition that is at least twice as
large as your installed RAM.
• / : This partition is mounted at the root directory (/) of the Linux file
system. All user data, programs, log files, and configuration files are
contained in this single disk partition.
• Using these recommended partitions will add a degree of stability to
your system
Recommended Partitions
 Linux Files System
 ext2(Second Extended File System) file system is one of the oldest Linux file systems still available.
It stores data in the standard hierarchical fashion used by most other file systems. supports Linux file
system users, groups, and permissions. It also supports file compression.
Weakness: It takes a long time to recover if the system shuts down abruptly.

 ext3(third extended file system) file system is an updated version of ext2. the ext3 file
system offers one key advantage that makes it highly preferable over ext2: journaling.
Since key disadvantage of ext2 is the fact that it must check the entire file system if the system
goes down uncleanly. Journaling eliminates this problem. However, because it does a better
job of ensuring data integrity and does it faster, most system administrators prefer ext3 over
ext2 in spite of the decreased performance
Weakness: A disadvantage of ext3 is the fact that the journaling process uses up more system
memory and slows down disk I/O operations
 Reiser- This is an alternative file system to the ext3 file system which like ext3,utilizes
journaling to make crash recovery very fast. However, Reiser file system is different from
ext2 and ext3, because it uses a dramatically different internal structure which allows it to
support a larger maximum file size of 8TB and maximum volume size of 16TB.
Installation of Linux
Linux is the foundation of thousands of open source operating systems
designed as an alternative to Windows and Mac OS. Because it is open
source, there are a variety of different versions, or distributions,
available developed by different groups.

This presentation provides basic instructions on how to install any

version of Linux, as well as specific instructions for some of the most
popular ones.
STEP 1
Download the Linux distribution of your choice. Linux distributions (known
as "distros") are typically available for free to download in ISO format.
This format needs to be burned to a CD or USB stick. This will create a Live
CD or Live/bootable USB. A Live CD or Live USB is a disk that you can boot
into, and often contains a preview version of the operating system that can
be run directly from the CD or USB stick. Install an image burning program,
or use your system’s built-in burning tool if you are using Windows 7, 8, or
Mac OS X. Pen Drive Linux and UNetBootin are two popular tools for
burning ISO files to USB sticks. There are many others available on the
Internet.
STEP 2
Boot into the Live CD or Live USB. Most computers are set to boot
into the hard drive first, which means you will need to change some
settings to boot from your newly-burned CD or USB. Start by
rebooting the computer. Once the computer reboots, press the key
used to enter the boot menu. If your computer doesn't give you
direct access to the boot menu from the manufacturer's splash
screen, it's most likely hidden in the BIOS menu. You can access the
BIOS menu in the same way that you would get to the boot menu.
Once you're in the boot menu, select your live CD or USB. Once
you’ve changed the settings, save and exit the BIOS setup or boot
menu. Your computer will continue with the boot process
STEP 3
Try out the Linux distribution before installing. Most Live
CDs and USBs can launch a "live environment", giving you
the ability to test it out before making the switch. You
won’t be able to create files, but you can navigate around
the interface and decide if it’s right for you.
 STEP 4
Start the installation process. If
you’re trying out the distro, you
can launch the installation from STEP 5
the application on the desktop. Create a username and password
If you decided not to try out the
distribution, you can start the
installation from the boot menu.
STEP 6
Set up the partition. Linux needs to be installed on a separate partition
from any other operating systems on your computer if you intend dual
booting Linux with another OS. If the installation process does not give
you automatic partitions, make sure that the partition you create is
formatted as Ext4. If the copy of Linux you are installing is the only
operating system on the computer, you will most likely have to manually
set your partition size.
STEP 7
Boot into Linux. Once the installation is finished, your computer will
reboot. You will see a new screen when your computer boots up called
―GNU GRUB‖. This is a boot loader that handles Linux installations. Pick
your new Linux distro from the list. This screen may not show up if you
only have one operating system on your computer. If this screen isn't being
presented to you automatically, then you can get it back by hitting shift
right after the manufacturer splash screen. If you install multiple distros on
your computer, they will all be listed here.
STEP 8
Check your hardware. Most hardware
should work out of the box with your Linux
distro, though you may need to download
some additional drivers to get everything
working.
Some hardware requires proprietary drivers to work correctly in Linux. This is most
common with graphics cards. There is typically an open source driver that will
work, but to get the most out of your graphics cards you will need to download the
proprietary drivers from the manufacturer. In Ubuntu, you can download
proprietary drivers through the System Settings menu. Select the Additional
Drivers option, and then select the graphics driver from the list. Other distros have
specific methods for obtaining extra drivers. You can find other drivers from this
list as well, such as Wi-Fi drivers.
STEP 9
Start using Linux. Once your installation is complete and you’ve verified
that your hardware is working, you’re ready to start using Linux. Most
distros come with several popular programs installed, and you can
download many more from their respective file repositories.
 Linux Shells

Mentioned in WEEK 1
• To fully understand how the command-line interface works under Linux, you need to
understand the concept of a shell. A shell is a command interpreter that allows you
to type commands from the keyboard to interact with the operating system kernel.
• Linux also uses command-line shells. However, unlike DOS, you have a choice of
which shell you want to use. As with many other aspects of Linux, you can try out
several of different command-line shells and choose the one that you like the best.
Some of the more popular shells include the following:

■ sh (Bourne Shell) The sh shell was the earliest shell, being developed for UNIX back in the late
1970s. While not widely used on Linux systems, it is still very widely used on UNIX systems.

■ bash (Bourne-Again Shell) The bash shell is an improved version of the sh shell and is one of
the most popular shells today. It’s the default shell used by most Linux distributions.
 Linux Shells
■ csh (C Shell) The csh shell was originally developed for BSD UNIX. It uses a syntax that is very similar to C
programming.

■ tsch The tsch shell is an improved version of the C Shell. It is the default shell used on FreeBSD systems.

■ zsh (Z Shell) The Z Shell is an improved version of the bash shell.

Running Commands at the Shell Prompt

• Running a program or command from the shell prompt is relatively easy. It is done in the same manner as in DOS or
within a command window in Windows. You just type the command or program file name at the shell prompt and
press ENTER.
• For example, in the illustration shown next the ls command has been issued. The ls command is equivalent to the
DIR command under DOS.

• It prints a listing of files and directories within the current directory on screen
 Running Commands at the Shell Prompt

• There is one issue here you need to be aware of. That is the fact that
Linux handles the path to the executable you want to run in a different
manner than Windows or DOS.
Running Commands at the Shell
Prompt
• Even if the executable in question resides in the current directory,
Linux won’t be able to find it if the current directory is not in the PATH
variable. Instead, the shell will return an error. For example, in the
next illustration, an executable file named runme.pl is located in the
home directory of the rtracy user. This has been verified using the ls
command.
 Running Commands at the Shell
Prompt
• However, when runme.pl is entered at the shell prompt, the shell can’t find the file because
rtracy’s home directory (/home/rtracy) is not listed within the PATH environment variable.

• There are two ways to deal with this. First, you can enter the full path to the executable file.
For the example shown above, you could enter /home/rtracy/runme.pl at the shell prompt
to execute the file. Second, you can switch to the directory where the executable file
resides. Then add ./ to the beginning of the command. In the above example, you would
first verify that the current directory is /home/rtracy; then you could enter ./runme.pl at
the shell prompt.
• The ./ characters denote the current directory. By adding them to the beginning of a
command, you tell the shell to look for the specified file in the command in the current
directory.
Running Commands at the Shell
Prompt
• There’s one other issue that you need to be aware of when working with Linux
shells. Linux file names and directory names are case-sensitive! That means
Linux commands are also case-sensitive.

• If you’re calling /home/rtracy/runme.pl, then you must enter the command

using the exact case. /Home/Rtracy/Runme.pl will point the command
interpreter to a completely different place in the file system.
 Commonly Used CLI Commands and Utilities

• As you gain experience with Linux you’ll discover that it includes some very
powerful commands and utilities that you will use over and over. These include
the following:
• halt This command shuts down the operating system, but can only be run by
the root user.
• reboot This command shuts down and restarts the operating system. It also can
only be run by root.
• init 0 This command also shuts down the operating system, and can only be run
by your root user.
• init 6 This command also shuts down and restarts the operating system. It also
can only be run by root.
 Commonly Used CLI Commands and Utilities

• man This command opens the manual page for the command or utility
specified. The man utility is a very useful tool. If you are unsure how to use any
command, use man to access its manual page. For example, you could enter
man ls at the shell prompt to learn how to use the ls utility.

• info The info utility also displays a help page for the indicated command or
utility. The information displayed tends to be more in-depth than that
displayed in the man page for the same command.

• su This command switches the current user to a new user account. For
example, if you’re logged in as rtracy and need to change to user account
dcoughanour, you can enter su dcoughanour at the shell prompt. This
command is most frequently used to switch to the superuser root account.
 Commonly Used CLI Commands and Utilities

• env This command displays the environment variables for the currently logged-in user.

• echo This command is used to echo a line of text on the screen. It’s frequently used to
display environment variables. For example, if you wanted to see the current value of
the PATH variable, you could enter echo $PATH.

• top This command is a very useful command that displays a list of all applications and
processes currently running on the system. You can sort them by CPU usage, memory
usage, process ID number, and which user owns them..

• which This command is used to display the full path to a shell command or utility. For
example, if you wanted to know the full path to the ls command, you would enter
which ls. The full path to ls will be displayed on screen.
 Commonly Used CLI Commands and Utilities
• whoami This command displays the username of the currently logged-in user.

• netstat This command displays the status of the network, including current
connections, routing tables, etc.

• route This command is used to view or manipulate the system’s routing table.

• ifconfig This command is used to manage network boards installed in the

system. It can be used to display or modify your network board configuration
parameters. This command can only be run by the root user.
 How the Linux GUI Works
• The GUI on a Linux system is created using the X Window System software. Many
times you will hear the X Window System referred to as “X Windows,” “X11,” or
just “X.”
• The X Window System provides the base system for the graphical interface on
Linux. It allows programmers to run applications in windows. It also allows users to
move windows around on the screen as well as click on items with the mouse.
• However, the X Window System alone isn’t enough. You have to have three
additional components to create a fully functional Linux GUI system:
• Window Managers The role of the window manager is to control the appearance
of the windows on the screen. It also determines how they are arranged on the
screen. Commonly used window managers include the following: Enlightenment,
Window Maker, Sawfish ,fvwm, IceWM , Xfwm and twm.
 How the Linux GUI Works
• GUI Toolkits GUI toolkits are libraries used by programmers to create X
Window applications. On Linux, the GTK+, Motif, and Qt toolkits are commonly
used.
• Desktop Environments The desktop environment is used to actually present
the GUI desktop to the end user. It allows you to place icons on the desktop,
customize the appearance of your windows, add wallpaper to the desktop
background, and so on. Two very popular Linux desktop environments include
the K Desktop Environment (KDE) and GNOME.
• When you put these three components together, you create a graphical user
interface on your Linux system that works in a very similar manner as
Microsoft Windows. You will find many of the desktop components you may
be familiar with on Windows in the Linux GUI.
3.5 Getting help

• GENERAL OBJECTIVES: Access system documentation and help files.

• SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: Learn how to: Use man Pages, Use info, Use
Other Documentation and Troubleshooting Resources
Getting help

• One of the great things about Linux is that documentation and help
information are abundantly available for your use. Pick any Linux operating
system task or utility and you can probably find documentation that will teach
you how to accomplish what you need to do.
In this UNIT, we’ll introduce you to the various sources for getting help when
working with Linux. The following topics will be covered:
■ Using man pages
■ Using info
■ Using other documentation and troubleshooting resources
 Getting help
• One of the primary means used by the Linux operating system to maintain
system documentation is through the use of manual (man) pages.

• These manual pages contain documentation about the operating system itself
as well as any applications installed on the system. These man pages are
viewed using a utility called man.

• You simply enter man followed by the name of the command, utility, service,
or file you need to learn about.
 Use info

• In addition to man, you can also use the info utility to view documentation for
commands, utilities, services, and files on your Linux system.
• You might be asking, “Why do I need info if I’ve already got man?” The two
utilities do serve a similar purpose; however, they do it in a different way.
• Man pages are packed with information, but they aren’t really instructional in
nature. Essentially, man says, “Here’s the utility and its syntax. You go figure out
how to use it.”
• The info utility, on the other hand, is more of a learning utility. Most info nodes
contain the same information as a man page.
• However, info nodes are usually more verbose and can actually teach you how
to use a particular Linux tool.
Self Test Exercises
1. When conducting a needs assessment, what questions should you ask? (Choose two.)
A. What problem will this installation fix?
B. Which distribution should I use?
C. Where can I get the best price on a new server?
D. Who is requesting the new systems?
2. Which of the following is a properly stated goal in a needs assessment?
A. Mike’s boss wants a new server, so we’re gong to install it.
B. We’re going to install Linux.
C. We need a new Linux system.
D. The new Linux system will provide a network database to increase the
documentation team’s productivity by an anticipated 20 percent.
Self Test Exercises
3. Suppose Karen from Customer Service approaches you and asks for a new Linux server for
her team. Who else should you talk to as a part of your needs assessment? (Choose two.)
A. Karen’s boss
B. Karen’s co-workers
C. The Technical Support supervisor
D. Your hardware vendor
4. Which of the following are components of your project scope? (Choose two.)
A. Customer demands
B. Management decision-making
C. Schedule
D. Scale
5. You’re responsible for implementing five new Linux servers in your
organization’s Technical Support department. The Technical Support
supervisor has asked that four additional servers be added to the project.
Due to time constraints, he won’t allow you to adjust the original schedule to
accommodate the additional servers. Which of the following is the most
appropriate response?
A. Ignore the request.
B. Inform the supervisor that additional resources will have to be added to
the project.
C. Resign in protest.
D. Cheerfully agree to the request and then miss the deadline.