1. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, Second Edition
Chapter 7
Advanced Installation

2. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Objectives
Describe the types and structure of SCSI devices
Identify default IRQs, I/O addresses, and DMAs
Explain how Plug-and-Play can be used to assign configuration to peripheral devices
Explain how APM and ACPI can be used to control power to peripheral devices
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

3. Objectives (continued)
Outline the steps used to install Linux from source files on a DVD, hard disk, or network server
Understand methods used to automate the Linux installation
Install Red Hat Fedora Linux using a kickstart file
Troubleshoot the installation process
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4. Advanced Hardware Configuration: SCSI Hard Disk Drive Configuration
Terminator: Prevents signals from bouncing back and forth on a cable
SCSI ID: Uniquely identifies devices attached to a SCSI controller
Target ID
Identifies priority
Logical Unit Number (LUN): Unique ID for each device attached to a node in a SCSI chain
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5. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Advanced Hardware Configuration: SCSI Hard Disk Drive Configuration (continued)
Figure 7-1: Connecting SCSI devices
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6. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Advanced Hardware Configuration: SCSI Hard Disk Drive Configuration (continued)
Table 7-1: Common SCSI standards
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7. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Advanced Hardware Configuration: SCSI Hard Disk Drive Configuration (continued)
Figure 7-2: A 50-pin Centronics SCSI connector
Figure 7-3: A 50-pin LPT SCSI connector
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8. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Advanced Hardware Configuration: SCSI Hard Disk Drive Configuration (continued)
Figure 7-4: A 68-pin LPT SCSI connector
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9. Mainboard Flow Control: IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses
IRQs: Method for peripheral devices to share processor time
Prioritize simultaneous service requests
Polling: Processor polls devices to determine tasks to be run
Difficult to prioritize
Interruption: Processor interrupted by devices when resources needed
Prioritize via IRQ
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10. Mainboard Flow Control: IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses (continued)
Figure 7-5: IRQ priorities
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11. Mainboard Flow Control: IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses (continued)
Table 7-2: Default IRQ assignments
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12. Mainboard Flow Control: IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses (continued)
I/O address: Identifies working space in RAM for peripheral devices
DMA: Allows devices direct physical memory access via unique channels
Improves system performance
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13. Mainboard Flow Control: IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses (continued)
Table 7-3: Default I/O address assignments
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14. Mainboard Flow Control: IRQs, DMAs, and I/O Addresses (continued)
Table 7-4: Default DMA assignments
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15. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Plug-and-Play
PnP: Automatically assigns configuration information to devices
IRQs, I/O addresses, DMAs
Uses BIOS information to avoid conflicts
Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS): Memory on mainboard used to store configuration information for boot process
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16. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
APM and ACPI
APM: Shuts off power to peripheral components as needed
Configured in BIOS
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI): Configures peripheral’s power setting from OS
Monitor CPU temperature and battery power
Standby mode and sleep mode
Linux ACPI Client: Utility used to view ACPI settings
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17. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
RAID Configuration
Fault tolerant: Device exhibiting minimum downtime after failure
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID): Combines several HDDs’ storage space
Hardware- or software-based
Seven raid configurations
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18. RAID Configuration (continued)
Spanning: Two HDDs seen as one volume
RAID level 0, not fault tolerant
Disk striping: Write separate information to different HDDs
Decreases read/write time
Disk mirroring: Two identical hard disks
RAID level 1, fault tolerant
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19. RAID Configuration (continued)
Disk striping with parity: Write separate information to HDDs and maintain parity information
RAID level 5, fault tolerant
Parity bits indicate what data is where
Can be used to re-generate data when HDD fails
Requires three HDDs minimum
Most common RAID configuration
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20. RAID Configuration (continued)
Figure 7-6: Organization of data on RAID level 5
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21. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Installation Methods
International Standards Organization (ISO) image: Large file containing exact copy of contents of a CD-ROM or DVD
CD-ROM is the most common and easiest method for installing Linux
Other methods for installing Linux
DVD
Network server
Local hard disk
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

22. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
DVD Installation
Similar to CD-ROM installation
Only one DVD required, as opposed to multiple CD-ROMs
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

23. Hard Disk Installation
May install Linux directly from ISO images on hard disk
Must have sufficient free space outside partition containing ISO images
Create installation startup CD-ROM or bootable USB flash memory drive
Boot from this to start installation
Installation will be text-based
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24. Hard Disk Installation (continued)
Figure 7-7: Installation welcome screen
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25. Hard Disk Installation (continued)
Figure 7-8: Language selection screen
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26. Hard Disk Installation (continued)
Figure 7-9: Keyboard selection screen
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27. Hard Disk Installation (continued)
Figure 7-10: Selecting an installation method
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28. Hard Disk Installation (continued)
Figure 7-11: Specifying source file location for a hard disk-based installation
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29. Network-Based Installations
Requires installation startup CD-ROM or bootable USB flash memory drive
Contains NIC drivers and programs allowing connection to server
Installation via one of following protocols:
Network File System (NFS)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Must configure network settings
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30. Network-Based Installations (continued)
Figure 7-12: Configuring local network settings
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31. Network-Based Installations (continued)
Figure 7-13:Specifying source file location for an NFS-based installation
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32. Network-Based Installations (continued)
Figure 7-14: Specifying source file location for an FTP-based installation
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33. Network-Based Installations (continued)
Figure 7-15: Specifying source file location for an HTTP-based installation
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34. Automating Linux Installations
Deploy several Linux servers and workstations requiring same configuration
Disk imaging software: Duplicates HDD contents from one computer to another
e.g., Symantec Ghost
Typically loaded from boot floppy disk
Copy whole partitions or HDDs to other HDDs
Locally or across network
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35. Automating Linux Installations (continued)
Figure 7-16: Symantec Ghost
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36. Automating Linux Installations (continued)
Kickstart file: Automated installation script
Specifies normal OS installation choices
ks.cfg
Kickstart Configuration: Configure a new kickstart file
To use ks.cfg:
Format floppy with ext2, copy ks.cfg to it
Boot from installation startup CD-ROM
At welcome screen, specify ks.cfg file
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37. Automating Linux Installations (continued)
Figure 7-17: The Kickstart Configurator
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38. Troubleshooting Installation
Computers typically have different BIOS configurations
Installing on different computers is rarely the same
Problems primarily related to hardware support or configuration
Typically fixed by changing hardware configuration
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39. Problems Starting the Installation
Check BIOS boot order
Check BIOS for reserved peripheral configurations (IRQ, I/O addresses, DMA)
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40. Problems During Installation
For graphical installation, video card must be detected
Appropriate drivers must be loaded
Video card may not be supported by mode and resolution of graphical installation
Use Linux nofb or linux lowres installation
Mouse does not work
Use text-based installation
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41. Problems During Installation (continued)
Installation freezes
Disable PnP support in BIOS prior to installation
Installation ends abnormally
“fatal signal 11” error displayed
Could be problem with RAM
Often fixed by turning off CPU cache memory or increasing number of wait states in the BIOS
Could also be RAM or CPU voltage issue
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42. Problems During Installation (continued)
Other failure causes include bad memory chips, an AMD K6 processor, laptop power management conflicts, overclocked CPUs
Overclocked: Running a processor at a higher speed than it is rated for
May lead to increased performance
Produces more heat on processor
May result in computer crashes
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43. Problems After Installation
May have problems if installation program did not detect computer hardware properly or certain programs were not installed
Installation log file: Records actions that occur or fail during installation
/root/install.log: Lists packages installed
/root/install.log.syslog: Lists all system events that occurred during installation
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44. Problems After Installation (continued)
To verify hardware settings, examine contents of /proc directory or boot-up log files
To view hardware detected at boot time, use dmesg command
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45. Problems After Installation (continued)
Table 7-5: Files commonly found in the /proc directory
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

46. Problems After Installation (continued)
Table 7-5 (continued): Files commonly found in the /proc directory
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

47. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Summary
SCSI HDDs are uniquely identified by a SCSI ID and attach to a controller via a terminated cable
Each peripheral device must be configured with an IRQ and I/O address prior to use, and can optionally use a DMA channel
Portable laptop computers typically use APM or ACPI to shut down power to peripheral devices when not in use to save battery power
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

48. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Summary (continued)
Computers that require fault tolerance typically employ SCSI hard disks configured using RAID
Linux can be installed using files located on DVD, hard disks, and NFS, FTP, and HTTP servers
Use disk imaging software or a kickstart file to simplify the installation of Linux on several computers
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e

49. Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e
Summary (continued)
Unsupported video cards, overclocked CPUs, PnP support, and improper RAM settings can cause an installation to fail
The /proc directory contains information regarding detected hardware on the system and is useful when verifying whether an installation was successful
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification, 2e