program then asks you to select the type of SCSI adapter you have and possibly some parameters for it; however, most of the time, the installation program can automatically detect the parameters. If you do not have either an IDE/ATAPI or SCSI CD-ROM drive, choose other and select the driver for your CD-ROM.

If you are installing via NFS, choose NFS image. The program asks which network card you have; you must have one on the list. It then asks for the IP address you will use for installation, your netmask, the default gateway, and the primary nameserver. See Figure 2.4 for an example.

Next, as shown in Figure 2.5, the program asks for the domain name of your system, your hostname (the name of your computer), and a secondary and tertiary nameserver (you don't need these if you don't have them).

Then the program asks about your NFS server. Enter the address of the server and the directory that contains the Red Hat directory in the NFS Setup dialog box, as shown in Figure 2.6.

If you are installing Red Hat Linux using either FTP or SMB, you must have a supported network card. The installation program asks what card you have, just as in an NFS install.

The installation program presents you with the network configuration dialog box, just as in the NFS installation (refer to Figure 2.5). The installation program then asks for information for the FTP server (see Figure 2.7) or the SMB server (see Figure 2.8).

After you finish selecting which method to use and completing the appropriate information for the method, the installation program asks whether you want to install or upgrade in the Installation Path dialog box, as shown in Figure 2.9. You should choose Upgrade only if you currently have a previous version of Red Hat Linux, which is based on RPM technology, installed on your system. Otherwise, choose Install.

Disk Partitioning

If you choose Install, the installation program automatically starts the Linux fdisk utility, which sets up the partitions on your hard drive.

Here are some commands and a walkthrough of using fdisk:

• m provides a listing of the available commands.
• p provides a listing of the current partition information.
• n adds a new partition.
• t sets or changes the partition type.
• l provides a listing of the different partition types and their ID numbers.
• w saves your information and quits fdisk.

The first thing you will want to do is use p to check the current partition information. You need to first add your root partition. Use n to create a new partition and then select either e or p for extended or primary partition. Most likely you will want to create a primary partition. You are asked what partition number should be assigned to it, at which cylinder the partition should start (you will be given a range—just choose the lowest number), and the size of the partition. For example, for a 500MB partition, you would enter +500M for the size when asked.

You will now want to create your swap partition. Some thought must be given to the size of this partition. The swap partition is used for swapping the unused information in your RAM to disk to make room for more information. You should have at least 16MB total between your RAM and swap space. If you are running X Window, you should have at least 32MB between them.

The problem with using the generic formula mentioned previously is that it doesn't take into consideration what the user may be doing. A better estimate of the amount of swapping you need is given below. Note that if you run out of swap space, your system will thrash about trying to move memory pages into and out of the swap space, which will take your system to its knees.

A better estimate of how much RAM you need is to figure out the size of all the programs you would run at one time. Add this total to 8MB (to cover the OS). If this number is less than 32MB, then use 32MB; otherwise, use the actual value.

You should always configure some swapping space regardless of how much RAM you have. Even a small amount of swapping space will have good results on a system with a lot of RAM. For example, on my system I have 64MB of RAM, which is more than enough for all of the programs I run. I still have 32MB of swap space for those programs that I have running but am not actively using.

To create your swap partition, you need to use n for a new partition. Choose either primary or extended; you will most likely need primary. Give the partition a number and tell it where the first cylinder should be. Lastly, tell fdisk how big you want your swap partition. You then need to change the partition type to Linux swap. Enter t to change the type and enter the partition number of your swap partition. Enter 82 for the hex code for the Linux swap partition.

Now that you have created your Linux and Linux swap partitions, it is time to add any additional partitions you might need (for example, Windows 95). Use n again to create a new partition, and enter all the information just as before. After you enter the size of the partition, you need to change the partition type. Enter l to get a listing of the hex codes for the different partition types. Find the type of partition you need and use t to change the partition type. Keep repeating this procedure until all your partitions are created. You can create up to four primary partitions; then you must start putting extended partitions into each primary partition.

After your partitions are created, the installation program will look for Linux swap partitions and ask to initialize them. Choose the swap partitions you want to initialize, check the Check for bad blocks during format box, and press OK. This formats the partition and makes it active so Linux can use it.

Next, the program asks where you want your root partition to be, if you are performing a full install. If you are upgrading, the installation program will find it by itself.

If you have any partitions for other operating systems, the installation program asks you which ones are for what operating systems (see Figure 2.10).