Linux Guide to Linux Certification, Second Edition

1
Linux Guide to Linux Certification, Second
Edition

• Chapter 3
• Linux Installation and Usage

2
Objectives

• Install Red Hat Fedora Linux using good practices
• Outline the structure of the Linux interface
• Enter basic shell commands and find command
  documentation
• Properly shut down the Linux operating system

3
Installing Linux Installation Methods

• FTP server
• HTTP Web server
• NFS server
• SMB server
• Virtual Network Computing (VNC) server
• Packages on hard disk

4
Performing the Installation Starting the
Installation

• Boot from first Red Hat Fedora Linux CD-ROM
• Largest problem is initiating a graphical
  installation
• Disable framebuffer
• Framebuffer Abstract representation of video
  adapter card hardware
• Instead of direct communication with video
  adapter

5
Performing the Installation Starting the
Installation (continued)
Figure 3-1 Beginning a Red Hat installation
6
Performing the Installation Starting the
Installation (continued)

• Press F2 at Welcome screen to get installation
  options
• Check media for errors prior to installation
• Optional, but recommended

7
Performing the Installation Starting the
Installation (continued)
Figure 3-2 Viewing installation options
8
Choosing the Language, Keyboard, Mouse, and
Monitor

• Keyboard model and layout automatically detected
• Check Emulate 3 Button if mouse does not have
  third button
• Most monitors automatically detected
• If not, try to locate on list of monitor models
  or use generic model with correct horizontal and
  vertical sync
• Incorrect monitor settings can damage monitor

9
Choosing the Language, Keyboard, Mouse, and
Monitor (continued)
Figure 3-4 Selecting an installation language
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Choosing the Language, Keyboard, Mouse, and
Monitor (continued)
Figure 3-5 Verifying keyboard configuration
11
Choosing the Language, Keyboard, Mouse, and
Monitor (continued)
Figure 3-6 Selecting a mouse type
12
Choosing the Language, Keyboard, Mouse, and
Monitor (continued)
Figure 3-7 Verifying monitor configuration
13
Specifying the Installation Type

• Personal Desktop
• GUI environment and common applications
• Workstation
• Same as Personal Desktop plus administrative and
  network tools
• Server
• Several server services
• Custom

14
Specifying the Installation Type (continued)
Figure 3-8 Choosing an installation type
15
Hard Disk Partitioning

• Filesystems can be accessed if attached (mounted)
  to a directory
• Minimum of two partitions
• Partition for root directory
• Partition for virtual memory (swap memory)
• Area on hard disk used to store information
  normally residing in physical memory (RAM)
• Automatic or manual partitioning

16
Hard Disk Partitioning (continued)
Table 3-1 Common Linux filesystems and sizes
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Hard Disk Partitioning (continued)
Figure 3-9 Choosing a disk partitioning method
18
Hard Disk Partitioning (continued)

• Different types of filesystems
• Ext2 Used on most Linux computers
• Ext3 Performs journaling
• Vfat Compatible with Windows FAT filesystem
• REISER Performs journaling
• Journaling Keeps track of the information
  written to the hard drive
• Disk Druid Graphical partitioning program

19
Hard Disk Partitioning (continued)
Figure 3-10 The Disk Druid partitioning utility
20
Hard Disk Partitioning (continued)
Figure 3-11 Creating a new partition
21
Configuring the Boot Loader

• Boot loader Program started by BIOS ROM
• Loads kernel into memory
• Can also boot other existing OSs
• GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB) Boot loader
  configured during Fedora Linux installation
• Dual booting Choose OS to boot at startup

22
Configuring the Boot Loader (continued)
Figure 3-12 Configuring a boot loader
23
Configuring the Boot Loader (continued)

• Boot loader usually resides on the MBR or on
  first sector of / or /boot partition
• Kernel parameters Information passed to Linux
  kernel via the boot loader
• Large Block Addressing 32-bit (LBA32) Enables
  Large Block Addressing in boot loader
• For large hard disks not fully supported by the
  BIOS

24
Configuring the Boot Loader (continued)
Figure 3-13 Configuring advanced boot loader
options
25
Configuring the Network and Firewall
Figure 3-14 Specifying a network configuration
26
Configuring the Network and Firewall (continued)

• Will NIC be activated at boot time?
• Manual IP configuration
• Set IP address, Netmask, host name, gateway,
  primary domain name space (DNS)
• Automatic IP configuration via DHCP
• Firewall prevents traffic from entering computer
• Customize which traffic is allowed through

27
Configuring the Network and Firewall (continued)
Figure 3-15 Configuring a firewall
28
Choosing a System Language and Time Zone
Figure 3-16 Selecting additional language support
29
Choosing a System Language and Time Zone
(continued)
Figure 3-17 Choosing a time zone
30
Creating the Root User

• Authentication Users log in via valid user name
  and password
• Configure two user accounts
• Administrator account (root)
• Full rights to system
• Regular user account

31
Creating the Root User (continued)
Figure 3-18 Setting a root password
32
Selecting Packages
Figure 3-19 Selecting packages
33
Installing Packages
Figure 3-19 Package Installation
34
Completing the Firstboot Wizard

• Complete the installation
• License agreement
• Graphics settings
• User accounts and authentication
• Install additional software
• Log in with user account for daily tasks
• Shadow password stored in separate DB from user
  accounts
• MD5 password encryption method

35
Completing the Firstboot Wizard (continued)
Figure 3-22 Setting the date and time
36
Completing the Firstboot Wizard (continued)
Figure 3-23 Configuring screen resolution and
color depth
37
Completing the Firstboot Wizard (continued)
Figure 3-24 Creating a regular user account
38
Completing the Firstboot Wizard (continued)
Figure 3-25 Configuring user information
39
Completing the Firstboot Wizard (continued)
Figure 3-26 Configuring authentication
40
Basic Linux Language Shells, Terminals, and the
Kernel

• Terminal Channel allowing users to log on to the
  kernel locally or across a network
• Shell Transfers user input to kernel
• BASH Shell (Bourne Again Shell) Default Linux
  shell
• Command line shell
• Linux allows multiple terminals, each with its
  own shell

41
Basic Linux Language Shells, Terminals, and the
Kernel (continued)
Figure 3-27 Shells, terminals, and the kernel
42
Basic Linux Language Shells, Terminals, and the
Kernel (continued)

• Graphical Interface
• Start GUI environment on top of BASH shell o
• Or, switch to a graphical terminal
• e.g., GNOME Display Manager (gdm)
• From the local server, use key combinations to
  change to separate terminal
• Command-line terminal may be accessed from GUI
  environment
• Command prompt
• Root user
• Regular user

43
Basic Linux Language Shells, Terminals, and the
Kernel (continued)
Table 3-2 Common Linux terminals
44
Basic Linux Language Shells, Terminals, and the
Kernel (continued)
Figure 3-29 Accessing a command-line terminal in
a GUI environment
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Basic Shell Commands

• Commands Indicate name of program to execute
• Case sensitive
• Options Specific letters starting with -
  appearing after command name
• Alter way command works
• Arguments Specify a commands working parameters

46
Basic Shell Commands (continued)
Table 3-3 Some Common Linux commands
47
Shell Metacharacters

• Metacharacters Characters with a special meaning
• e.g.,
• Refers to a variable

48
Shell Metacharacters (continued)
Table 3-4 Common BASH Shell metacharacters
49
Getting Command Help

• Linux distributions contain many commands
• Manual pages Most common form of documentation
  for Linux commands
• man pages
• At command prompt, type man followed by a
  command name
• Contain different sections
• Info pages Set of local, easy-to-read command
  syntax documentation
• At command prompt, type info followed by a
  command name

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Getting Command Help (continued)
Table 3-5 Manual page section numbers
51
Shutting Down the Linux System
Table 3-6 Commands to halt and reboot the Linux
operating system
52
Summary

• Most software information can be specified at
  installation
• Network configuration and package selection
  should be carefully planned before installation
• CD-ROMbased installation
• Easiest
• Most common
• Rarely requires installation boot disk

53
Summary (continued)

• Installation prompts for language, boot loader,
  hard disk partitions, network configuration,
  firewall configuration, time zone, user accounts,
  authentication, and package selection
• Users must log in to a terminal and receive a
  shell before they are able to interact with the
  Linux system and kernel

54
Summary (continued)

• From any type of terminal you can enter commands,
  options, and arguments at a shell prompt to
  perform system tasks, obtain command help, or
  shut down the Linux system
• The shell is case sensitive and understands a
  variety of special characters called shell
  metacharacters, which should be protected if
  their special meaning is not required