Linux Installation

For the last couple of years, open source software has been making headilines in IT circles the world over. People who are staunch
supporters of Open Source want freedom from the shackles of windows and Microsoft; Linux has been welcomed by a sizable group
of people, and as the word spreads out it is attracting more and more followers. Red Hat being its most popular flavor has perhaps,
the biggest market share. Migrating from Windows to Linux is not difficult but requires firstly, that users master or understand the
installation process, and secondly, become used to a quite, if not totally, different environment. There are advantages to using Linux: not only do you dare to be different, it is a very stable operating systemn, and you do not have to worry about viruses or worms, both of which tend to target the more widely-used Windows OS,

Pre-Install

before you set out to install Linux, check your hardware, i.e. your sound card, video card and modem. Carefully note down the name and model of the manufacturer. Visit Red Hat hardware compatibillity check to see if yours will work with Linux. Chances are that your VGA and sound cards will work, considering the fact that Linux support for drivers has been improving with every version. However, if you don't find your piece of
hardware will continue to work, albeit with degraded performance. Alternatively, since the market is full of low-priced computers and accessories you may as well try to find Linux-compatibile hardware. Then get and installation of Red Hat Linux 9, make a partition (4-5 GB) on your hard drive using partition magic for Linux and you're ready to install Linux on your system.

Installation
Set your CD_ROM drive to Priority 1 by going to your system's Bios. Inser Cd # 1, and your will see the Textual Menu and instructions on proceeding the install process. Select "Graphical Installation" from the menu, as the textual version is a little tricky. The setup process will probe your system for the sound and VGA cards, and your mouse type (among other things) during this phase. It will then ask you to run a test of your installation CDs, I suggest you go for it, as it is better to get new CDs from the market rather than flopping in the middle of installation. Finally, upon successful test of your media, the main installer program "Anaconda" will start. When given the choice on which package to install, select Personal desktip. Before the installation files are copied to your hard drive, the Linux setup process will format your partition according to the appropriate file system type. For this it will run the Disk Druid utility. Make sure you select manual formatting. In Linux this process is called "creating mount points". There are three types of mount points you will have to create from the space you have allocated for your Linux installation. Creating mount points might sound very tricky but actually this process involves clicking a few buttons. The first on is called "/swap" and should be approximately equal to the amount of RAM in your PC. Linux uses this space for programs that require lots of RAM. The other mount point is "/boot" and is used for storing files needed to boot up Linux. 100 MB would be a decent size for this. Finally, the third mount point is "/". After this, your desired partition will be formatted and setup will begin copying installation files onto your hard drive. The setup will prompt you for your default language, network settings and root password. In Linux, Root means Administrator, so be sure to write down your password. You will be prompted about the kind of installation, "default" or "customized", I would suggest you choose "customized", as you might miss some very important files in case of default installation. Be sure to check "sndconfig" from the sound and multimedia settings, as it will help you to configure your sound card. Also make sure you select "Gnome" and "Kde"; these are the two desktop environments-they are graphical and easy to use. Finally, creat a boot disk, identify your sound card and set your desired screen resolution. Now, you will be prompted for a user name and passwork; do not be alarmed. Linux recommends that you not log in to the system as Root, since only Root can bring about changes in the configuration after the installation has completed. This is to prevent you from causing accidental damage to the system, due to any ignorance. Choose an appropriate user name and password to log in to the system. "Kudzu", the program for finding new hardware, will run and your installaion is complete! No need to restart your system three times, unlik with Windows! You may be prompted to insert any additional CDs if you want to install other Linux packages, but believe me after you have logged in you will be simply amazed by what you find there. I mean who ever thought of bundling miRC, Instant Messenger, CD-writers, games (more than you can count), programming environments and compliers, the complete Openoffice.org, and even desktop software for Palm devices? Getting used to Linux will take time. Take frequent tours of Red Hat in order to get the latest information on the OS.

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RED Hat www.redhat.com
Red Hat hardware check hardware.redhat.com/hcl