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Hour
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This hour guides you through the initial process of installing Linux on your machine. Planning is one of the most important factors in a successful installation of any operating system. Your installation plan needs to cover how to install, where to install, and what the installation might affect. Planning isn't always a fun process, so it may help to keep in mind that working with the Linux operating system is a lot like being a hot rod mechanic back in 1955. All you've got is your parents' old car and a box of parts that were heading to the junk yard. The right tools and knowledge can turn that car into the fastest dragster on the strip.
With the hot rod mechanic in mind, look over the three steps that are covered in this hour:
You should grab a pad of paper and a pen, because there are some numbers later in the chapter you may want to write down. You should also grab three formatted 1.44 MB floppy disks. Make sure one of the disks is bootable by using the /s switch with the format command from DOS.
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| JUST A MINUTE |
In order to install Linux from the CD included with this book, you need to have an operating system (such as DOS or Windows) already installed—or access to another computer. |
First you need to take an inventory of your computer so that you can tell what you have to work with. Having an accurate inventory can come in handy if you have hardware problems. Taking inventory can be the most tedious part of the installation, but it also can eliminate a lot of larger headaches in the future.
It is easiest to begin by listing what external hardware you have. The following is a list of external items you should inventory:
| Keyboard | Keyboards are a fairly standard item, but some are specialized for a language or other item. |
| Monitor | Make a note of the brand and size of your monitor. It's helpful if you have the monitor's manual, because it will have specifications like horizontal/vertical frequencies that you need later. |
| Mouse | The important information to know for your mouse is the brand, how many buttons it has, and what type of port (serial, PS/2, or bus mouse) it connects to. |
| Printer | You should write down the manufacturer, if the printer is capable of emulating another printer, and if your printer is a PostScript printer or not. |
| JUST A MINUTE |
Although not necessary for installation, it is a good idea to inventory anything else outside your computer: speakers, external disk drives, and so on. |
Now comes the trickier hardware—the items that are inside your computer. There are many different kinds of hardware, and many different acronyms can be involved (such as SCSI, IDE, BIOS, and so on). However, it's not difficult to get through if you take things a step at a time.
Most of the information that you need can be obtained from your machine's BIOS. On many machines, as the system comes up you see instructions referring to a certain key (F1, Del, or some similar key) to enter the BIOS. Depending on the type, brand, and sophistication of the BIOS, you can find out all the information you need. If you're
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Microsoft Windows 95 or NT 4.0, most of the information can be found in the Control Panel's system properties.
| JUST A MINUTE |
If your BIOS doesn't give access to all the information asked for in this hour, don't worry. You can usually get this information from the computer's manufacturer; it will just take a little longer. |
You'll need to know what kind of CPU you have. While Linux runs on many different platforms, the distribution included with this book only runs on Intel CPUs (or clones from AMD and Cyrix). So if your computer has a 386, 486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, or a clone of one of these chips, then you're set to go. Below is a list of internal items you should inventory:
| CD-ROM | While Linux supports a large group of CD-ROM drives, those that are the easiest to install are those connected to the IDE bus or a SCSI card. If the CD-ROM is connected to the IDE bus, it needs to be an ATAPI-compliant CD-ROM. |
| Floppy Drive | The floppy drive you boot to has to be a 3.5" drive. |
| Hard Drive | Hard drives, like CD-ROMs, may be connected to either an IDE bus or a SCSI bus. It is a good idea to write down the number of cylinders shown in your computers BIOS. (Cylinders are discussed later in the hour.) |
| Internal Bus |
This usually isn't an important issue except for people with IBM PS/2 machines. Linux doesn't currently support the Micro-Channel Architecture bus. Supported internal buses are PCI, ISA, EISA, and the VL Bus. Machines built from 1995 onward will probably have a PCI bus. |
| Memory | Linux requires at least 8 megabytes of RAM to run. The amount of RAM you have can usually be found at boot time or from the BIOS. |
| Sound Card | Not needed for installation, but if you have a Creative Labs Sound Blaster, or compatible sound card, you can get sound relatively easily. |
| Video Card | What's important here is the card's chipset and how much memory it contains. In the case of PCI video cards, this information can be probed during the installation. (This information is really only necessary if you plan to use the X Window environment.) |