ECS Linux-Mandriva Installation Process

Below you will a very brief description of how to install the Linux-Mandriva 2007. You can borrow the six CDs or single DVD available in class. You can find more information at the Mandriva website: http://wwwnew.mandriva.com. I will assume that you wish to dual boot Linux with some version of Windows. You can find much more extensive instructions for installing Linux at:
Professor Norman Matloff's Beginner's Guide to Installing Linux : http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/linux.html
I recommend you read and print out both this and Prof. Matloff's pages before starting.

IF YOU HAVE ANY CRITICAL FILES, BACK THEM UP BEFORE STARTING THIS PROCESS! CREATE AN EMERGENCY REPAIR DISK NOW!

There are three steps to installing Linux:

1. 1. Gathering network information.

2. 2. Set-up partitions on the disk drive to have room for Linux.

3. 3. Installing Linux

1. Gathering network information
Before starting to install Linux you must gather information about your current network settings. You can find these in the Network section of the Windows Control Panel. If you do not have DHCP, then you need to note your IP address. You should also note the subnet mask (usually 255.255.255.0), gateway address, primary DNS, and secondary DNS if there is one. If you are using encrypted wireless, then jot down the keys and/or pass phrase. You should also determine your graphics adapter and monitor model and current resolution settings.

2. Setting up partitions
Linux must be installed on partitions separate from all other operating systems. In Windows, each partition is given a drive letter. In Linux, all of the partitions on the first drive start with hda, and are numbered hda1, hda2, and so forth. The partitions on the second hard drive all start with hdb. Please note that the first drive may not be your C: drive in Windows. If you have multiple drives, you should note, based on its size, which is your C: drive. You will need this later to install the boot loader.

There are many ways to create the necessary space for Linux, but I will cover only the simplest. You will need clear out enough space in an existing partition so that it can be shrunk enough to make room for both Linux partitions. This may mean deleting files and/or moving files from one drive to another. Disk Cleanup can help you to choose the files to remove. When done, note how much space you need for your files on the drive. Once you are done cleaning up the disk, you should run the defragmenter tool to consolidate the files. Please note that Mandriva 2007 can shrink any file system, including the NTFS file system!

If you happen to have left some empty space on a hard disk, that you are not going to use for LINUX, then partition and format it now, before installing Linux. You should not use Windows/DOS tools to partition the Linux disk after Linux is installed--it can really screw things up.



2. Installing Linux
On most computers, you can bypass using an Install Boot floppy, by choosing to boot directly from the CDROM. To do this, you need to change the first device searched for booting in the BIOS. To access the BIOS settings, reboot the computer and hold down the indicated key, usually DEL. When the BIOS settings show up, look for a page that lists the order of boot search. You should find that the floppy is the first listed, followed by the hard drive. Change the first entry from floppy to CDROM. Then hit Escape, and choose to save the changes. Now when you reboot, the computer will start looking first in the CDROM. Note that after you have installed Linux, you should go through the same process to change the first device back to the floppy.

To install Linux, your computer must either boot to a specially created floppy or directly to the CD labeled Mandriva 2007 CD 1 or the Mandriva 2007 DVD.

1. Place CD 1, or the DVD in your CD drive and restart your computer.

2. Select “Installation” from the first menu.

3. Select “English (American)” as your language choice. (default)

4. Accept the license agreement.

5. Choose to install.

6. Set the Security to “Standard” so you can access your Windows partitions without being root

7. Assuming you don’t have enough free space, select “Use existing partitions” for Paritioning

8. Select the partition you wish to resize.

9. Slide the bar to determine the size of the old Windows partition. You can refer to your notes to determine the minimum you need for your Windows files. Remember you need to free up at least 5000 megabytes for Linux, but you should leave at least 500 megabytes free on the Windows partition to allow for future use.

10. Mandriva may ask you to reboot the computer. If so, then go through step 2 to 7, and then continue from here.

11. Select Auto allocate.

12. If everything pictured in the Partitioning charts makes sense, then select OK to write the partition table.

13. Mandriva may ask you to reboot again! If so, then go through steps 2 to 7, and then continue from here.

14. Mandrake will guess where root (/) will be mounted. Make sure the selected partition is the one you wanted.

15. Allow the partition to be formatted. (default)

16. The list of installation media found is correct so just click Next.

17. The default package selections are fine. However, if you have space on your hard disk, then feel free to select additional packages. As you select groups, the total size of the selections is updated at the bottom of the selection window. If you select packages from the right (server) column, then be warned that server components make your computer much more susceptible to attacks from hackers. Do not install server components unless you know what you are doing!

18. Just click “Install” on the Software Management Screen. The program will take about an hour to install, and will ask you to insert the other five CDs. If you are using a DVD, just press it back in when another CD is requested.

19. Set the root password; don’t leave it blank.

20. Add yourself as a user. I suggest you use your CSIF user name as your login name to make ssh and sftp a little easier.

21. After adding yourself, just press Next at the next Add user screen.

22. if there is only you, and your computer is in a safe place, you can agree to automatically log on one user.

23. Place LILO in the First sector of drive (MBR). (default)

24. If you are offered any proprietary drivers, then say Yes. (default)

25. If it finds your printer, then allow it to set it up automatically. (default)

Mandriva now provides a list of configurations that you will need to modify. You will need to configure the time zone to Los Angeles, but the other time defaults (hardware clock is not set to GMT) are fine. Configure the graphical interface. Make sure you test the configuration of your graphics adapter and monitor. You can use the information you gathered from your Windows network to configure the Network. If you have wireless, then select “wireless” from the list of adapters. The domain you choose for your host name is probably irrelevant—so make one up! Start the connection now to ensure it works. If you have a printer available to the computer but it was not detected earlier by Mandriva, then press the configure button next to printers, then Add a Printer, and then Auto-Detect. If Mandriva does not detect your printer, then uncheck Auto-Detect, click Next, and manually select its port, make, and model. Mandriva should be able to detect your printer, but you should check its efforts by printing a test page when prompted. If you wish to make your Windows OS the default, you will need to configure the bootloader. Upon entering the bootloader configuration area, click Next until you see a list of entries in the boot menu. Double click the "windows" entry, and then place an X in the Default checkbox.

After OKing the summary, don’t download updates. Remove the CD or DVD, and click the Reboot button. (You may wish to change your BIOS boot-up sequence back at this time.) When the system reboots, select the “linux” entry to start Mandriva for the first time.

If you are confronted with a command prompt instead of a GUI when Mandriva starts up, then login or su as root, and type XFdrake to open the graphics configuration tool. Play with the settings, and test until you get a good screen.

You may now want update the computer by Start icon -> System->Configuration->Packaging->Install, Remove & Update Software. After entering the root password, go to Software Management->”Look at available updates….” Then select a source URL (I use usc.edu), and wait for the list to download. You will see a Software Management window. You should download any Bugfix Updates, and Normal Updates.

Once you have installed all the updates, you should install the GUI debugger, ddd. Select “Select from where software packages are downloaded …”. Then select Add and then “Distribution sources.” Select a URL (I use ftp://ftp.ale.org). After the list of packages is downloaded, select “Look at installable software…” from the four Software Management choices. Type “ddd” in the search box, and then press Search. The rest of the process is straightforward.

Congratulations! Your done installing Linux!