Installing Linux

After the partitions are created and formatted, and the filesystems have been created, you can install the Linux software. This step may be automated, depending on the installation procedure included with your Linux distribution. Most versions of Linux include a utility called setup, which installs the software for you. From the Linux prompt, type the command:

setup

If you are running the color root image, you will get graphical full-screen windows for the installation process. Other root images use character-based installation messages. Either way accomplishes the same task, and many users who install Linux frequently avoid the color root image because it can take a little longer to answer all the questions the script poses, and some keyboard typing errors are difficult to correct easily.

Whichever root image you choose, it is a good idea to read each screen carefully. Many choices are presented to you during the installation, and although the default choices are correct for most people, you should make sure each time.

The setup installation script asks for several pieces of information. You have the option of letting Linux install everything without your prompting except when Disk Sets change, but this should be used only if you know exactly what is going on your disk. If you are installing Linux for the first time or want to choose the software to be installed by examining descriptions of each package, use the verbose options to show all messages and let you control the process.

You are also asked for the source of the software. If you have a CD-ROM, it should have been activated during the boot process if the drivers were correct for your hardware. Select the CD-ROM option. You may be asked to further narrow down the type of CD-ROM you have on your system. Choose the correct entry (or the one nearest it) and hope for the best! If you are installing from another disk drive partition (such as another Linux partition or a DOS partition), provide the full device and path names.

You are prompted for the target of the installation. This is where you want the software to be installed. The newly created Linux partition is probably the location you want, so enter the partition name. You might be asked whether you want to format that partition, and you should answer yes. (Running mkfs or its variants does not format the partition for you.)

Finally, Linux displays a list of the Disk Sets you can install. Choose the ones you want. Some setup versions let you further refine the list of utilities when the Disk Set is installed. As a last step, verify the information, then let Linux install itself. Watch for messages and prompts, and follow any onscreen instructions. If you are installing from floppy, you are prompted at intervals to change to the next disk in the Disk Set.

At the end of the installation routine, you may be prompted whether you want to create a boot disk. This boot disk allows you to bring the system up at any time, especially if the normal boot process fails. It is a good idea to create a boot disk. This disk is not the same as the boot floppy you made to start the installation (which is useful only when you reinstall from scratch).

Setting the Boot Process

The last step in the Linux installation is setting the boot device. Most of the time, Linux is booted by a utility called LILO (Linux Loader). LILO can boot your system in several different ways, depending on whether you want to use your system with another operating system or not. Most of the time, you will want LILO to boot your system into Linux with the option to load DOS (if you have it on your system).

The LILO screens explain most of the choices quite well, but LILO has a few quirks to it. That’s why there’s a complete chapter on it next, which explains what LILO does and how to make it behave properly. For now, if you are impatient, follow the defaults, but don’t let LILO overwrite your hard disk’s Master Boot Record. Doing so can cause a bit of a hassle when you want to boot DOS. You can, however, let LILO write a boot sector to your Linux partition, and then use fdisk to make either DOS or Linux active.

If you’re not too sure what to do with LILO, ignore it for now. You have a boot floppy that lets you start your machine, and when you better understand LILO, you can set it up the way you want.

As a last step in the installation process, reboot your machine and let Linux boot from the boot floppy or from LILO, if you installed it. If all boots properly, you can continue to use Linux as you normally would. If you experienced problems booting, watch error messages and check the installation process to see which part went screwy. As long as you have your boot disk, you should be able to get into Linux without a problem.

Viewing Installed Software Files

When Linux is up and running, you might want to install or remove Disk Sets and other software. You can also check that components of a Disk Set have been properly installed. There are a few different utilities available for this task, but the most common is called pkgtool.

When you enter the pkgtool command name at the shell prompt, you are presented with a menu that lets you install new software, remove existing software, or view installed files in a package.

To view the contents of a package, select View from the main pkgtool menu, then choose the name of the package from the list presented. The list should include all the Disk Set tools you have installed, as well as any additional software installed after the first installation. Selecting a tool name sends pkgtool to check all the files that should be in the software and report its success.

Sometimes the list of software in a package can take a while to appear. Be patient. The list pkgtool presents usually has a brief description of the tool and a list of all the files in the installation.