Linux Operations and Administration Chapter Fourteen Planning for a Linux Installation

Linux Operations and Administration Objectives Identify the hardware components in a Linux computer Develop a preinstallation checklist Use an automated method to install openSUSE 2

Linux Operations and Administration Analyzing Hardware Components openSUSE (as well as most Linux distributions) detects hardware components during installation An administrator must determine whether: –Hardware settings have been detected correctly –Hardware meets the Linux distribution’s installation requirements 3

Linux Operations and Administration Analyzing Hardware Components (cont’d.) For openSUSE, Novell recommends: –Pentium GHz or higher or any AMD64 for Intel EM64T processor –1 GB RAM –At least 3 GB free disk space –1024 × 768 or better display resolution 4

Linux Operations and Administration Microprocessors (CPUs) CPU –Also known as the microprocessor –“Brains” of a computer –An integrated circuit containing millions of transistors that perform arithmetic and logical operations –Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) Responsible for mathematical and logical (true or false) operations –Control unit (CU) Regulates instructions 5

Linux Operations and Administration Microprocessors (CPUs) (cont’d.) Clock speed –Number of pulses per second generated by the motherboard –Sets processor’s tempo –Measured in MHz (millions of cycles per second) or GHz (billions of cycles per second) Multiplier –A component hard-wired into the CPU to determine processor speed 6

Linux Operations and Administration Microprocessors (CPUs) (cont’d.) Cache –RAM built into the CPU that’s used to store frequently accessed data and instructions –L1 cache Level 1 (L1) cache –L2 cache Level 2 (L2) cache –L3 cache Level 3 (L3) cache 7

Linux Operations and Administration Microprocessors (CPUs) (cont’d.) CPU performs calculations with binary digits (bits) 32-bit processor can store 32-bit numbers –Correlates with the amount of data a CPU can process per clock cycle 64-bit processor can theoretically double the amount of data the CPU can process uname -m command –Can be used to determine what type of processor your Linux machine has 8

Linux Operations and Administration Physical Memory: RAM and ROM Physical memory –Memory chips or hard drives installed on a computer Two major categories of physical memory –RAM: random access memory Volatile Depends on a constant source of power –ROM: read-only memory Nonvolatile Doesn’t need a power source to store data 9

Linux Operations and Administration Physical Memory: RAM and ROM (cont’d.) Two types of RAM –Dynamic RAM (DRAM) –Static RAM (SRAM) Much faster and more expensive than DRAM Used in L2 and L3 caches, and other memory chips 10

Linux Operations and Administration Physical Memory: RAM and ROM (cont’d.) Common types of ROM –Programmable read-only memory (PROM) –Erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) –Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) –Flash memory 11

Linux Operations and Administration Storage Devices Table 14-1 –Describes common long-term storage devices Hard drive –Also known as a hard disk drive (HDD) –Main storage device in a computer –Two main types of hard drives: Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) –Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA): an advanced IDE interface Small computer systems interface (SCSI) 12

Linux Operations and Administration Storage Devices (cont’d.) 13 Table 14-1 Long-term storage devices

Linux Operations and Administration Video Adapter Cards Video adapter cards –Also known as video cards –Expansion devices –Plug into a bus on the motherboard Bus: a channel for connecting hardware components to a processor –Send graphical information to a video device, such as a monitor, TV, or projector Table 14-2 –Describes common video card formats 14

Linux Operations and Administration Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.) 15 Table 14-2 Video adapter card formats

Linux Operations and Administration Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.) Resolution –Number of horizontal and vertical pixels a monitor is capable of displaying Before you choose a video card, make sure: –Motherboard supports it –A driver is available for the Linux OS Table 14-3 –Lists some common video card drivers 16

Linux Operations and Administration Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.) 17 Table 14-3 Video card drivers

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist Before any OS installation, make sure you have the official manual openSUSE has several manuals you can download in PDF format and print openSUSE 11.2 Installation Quick Start –A brief overview of how to install a default version of openSUSE 18

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.) openSUSE 11.2 Start-up –An introduction to openSUSE that explains where to find documentation, how to install the OS, and how to use openSUSE openSUSE 11.2 GNOME Quick Start –An overview of using the GNOME desktop environment –Walks you through configuring the OS as well as printers, , and media files 19

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.) openSUSE 11.2 KDE Quick Start –An overview of using the K Desktop Environment openSUSE 11.2 GNOME User Guide –A complete manual on using GNOME in openSUSE openSUSE 11.2 KDE User Guide –A complete manual on using KDE in openSUSE openSUSE 11.2 Applications Guide –Offers information on a variety of applications included with openSUSE, such as the openOffice suite, Kontact, and Evolution 20

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.) openSUSE 11.2 Reference Guide –Intended for system administrators, it’s a comprehensive guide on advanced installation and configuration openSUSE 11.2 Security Guide –This manual introduces system administrators to security measures in openSUSE AppArmor Quick Start –Covers Novell AppArmor, which is security software for the Linux OS 21

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.) You should fill out a hardware and software preinstallation checklist –Use information from Chapter 2 Table 14-4 –Describes openSUSE preinstallation checklist for hardware Table 14-5 –Describes openSUSE preinstallation checklist for software 22

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.) 23 Table 14-4 The openSUSE preinstallation checklist for hardware

Linux Operations and Administration Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.) 24 Table 14-5 openSUSE preinstallation checklist for software

Linux Operations and Administration Gathering Hardware Information in Windows Computer manuals System window –Found in Windows –Has CPU, RAM, and other information OS (C:) Properties dialog box –Has information on free disk space on hard drive Screen Resolution dialog box –Has information on the video card 25

Linux Operations and Administration Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.) 26 Figure 14-1 The System window © Cengage Learning 2013

Linux Operations and Administration Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.) 27 Figure 14-2 Checking disk space © Cengage Learning 2013

Linux Operations and Administration Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.) 28 Figure 14-3 The Screen Resolution dialog box © Cengage Learning 2013

Linux Operations and Administration Partitioning Divides a hard drive into logical sections –Each section is a contiguous section of blocks treated as a separate physical drive Helps improve performance –By reducing the time OS needs to perform I/O operations 29

Linux Operations and Administration Partitioning (cont’d.) Other reasons for partitioning an HDD –Installing multiple OSs –Storing different file systems –Limiting data growth You should assign separate partitions for different areas of openSUSE Linux file systems 30

Linux Operations and Administration Partitioning (cont’d.) Primary partitions –Installed as part of the Linux boot sector –Linux supports a maximum of four primary partitions on a hard disk Logical partitions –Numbered beginning with 5 –Created by partitioning a primary partition 31

Linux Operations and Administration Partitioning (cont’d.) Extended partition –Essentially a container for logical partitions –Can have only one extended partition per primary partition Swap partitions on an HDD contain swap space Linux kernel uses swap space to store pages from RAM to free up RAM –A page consists of the blocks of RAM allocated to current processes running on a computer 32

Linux Operations and Administration Partitioning (cont’d.) Linux naming scheme for HDD partitions: /dev/ppdN –/dev indicates the directory where device files are stored –pp specifies the type of device on which a partition is created –d specifies the actual device containing a partition with letters such as a, b, and c –N specifies the partition number 33

Linux Operations and Administration Automating an OpenSUSE Installation AutoYaST –A tool for installing SUSE Linux OSs without user intervention To use AutoYaST, you need an AutoYaST profile AutoYaST profile –An ASCII XML configuration file used to specify: Software being installed Partitioning scheme Root user’s password 34

Linux Operations and Administration Automating an OpenSUSE Installation (cont’d.) Options for creating an AutoYaST profile: –Create it manually with an XML file –Use AutoYaST module AutoYaST module –Use YaST Software Manager to add the module Issue yast2 -i autoyast2 command as root user –yast2 autoyast command Can be used to run AutoYaST Opens YaST Configuration window 35

Linux Operations and Administration Automating an OpenSUSE Installation (cont’d.) 36 Figure 14-4 The YaST Configuration window © Cengage Learning 2013

Linux Operations and Administration Creating an AutoYaST Profile Manually <profile xmlns=" 4. xmlns:config=" false root

Linux Operations and Administration Creating an AutoYaST Profile Manually (cont’d.) Control file container or profile –Configuration description for the system <profile 4. xmlns=" 5. xmlns:config="

Linux Operations and Administration Using Auto-Installation To install openSUSE with an AutoYaST profile, you must choose a boot medium to store the XML file: –NFS server Can be opened with autoyast=nfs:///server/path command in Startup Options window –Web server Can be opened with path command in Startup Options window 39

Linux Operations and Administration Using Auto-Installation (cont’d.) 40 Figure 14-5 Specifying an NFS server in the Startup Options window © Cengage Learning 2013

Linux Operations and Administration Using Auto-Installation (cont’d.) –USB drive Can be opened with autoyast=usb:///path command in Startup Options window Activity 14-1: Installing openSUSE Automatically –Use AutoYaST to install openSUSE automatically with a profile 41

Linux Operations and Administration Summary Planning a Linux installation is very important –Determine your hardware information and fill out a hardware and software preinstallation checklist CPU is the microprocessor of a computer –CPU clock speed and cache play major roles in processor speed Types of physical memory: RAM and ROM –RAM is volatile; ROM is nonvolatile Two main types of hard drives: IDE and SCSI 42

Linux Operations and Administration Summary (cont’d.) Video cards: expansion devices that send graphical information to the monitor Resolution: number of horizontal and vertical pixels a monitor is capable of displaying Partitioning a hard drive improves system –Primary partitions, logical partitions AutoYaST enables administrators to install openSUSE on multiple machines without user intervention –AutoYaST profile: an ASCII XML configuration file for specifying installation settings 43