Introducing UNIX and Linux

Installing Linux

Overview
Starting out
Preliminaries
      Collecting information about your system
      Installation options
Single boot
Dual boot
      Booting from CD/floppy
      Booting from your hard disk
      A partitionless install
      A dedicated Linux partition
Emulators
      VMware
      WINE
Installing Linux
      Installer software
      Linux partitioning
            Typical partitions
            User accounts
      LILO
The window manager
KDE
      Desktop help
      Applications
      The KDE Control Center
      File access and the command prompt
Summary

Installer software

Most of the Linux distributions, including SuSE and Red Hat, have very good installer software. The SuSE distribution includes the text-mode YaST (Yet another Setup Tool) installer which is designed to make the process of installation as painless as possible. You may also find references to the GUI-based YaST2 which, despite being more memory intensive, is easier to use. Each version of Linux has its own tool similar to YaST.

The installer software will probably provide you with a number of installation modes such as recommended, customized and expert. If this is your first Linux installation then you should choose a recommended installation. This will automatically install the core components and yet provide you with enough options to maintain control over the amount of memory needed for the installation.

Many of the installation questions are straightforward. The choice is less clear however, when you are asked whether you are installing as a workstation, as a server (installation) or for development. Again, if this is your first installation and you are planning on using your computer as a stand-alone machine, then you should opt for the 'workstation' mode. You should also select a security setting if prompted to do so; something around 'medium risk' should be adequate if you are planning on connecting your computer to the Internet.