| Installation GuideChapter 15. Configuring Language and Installation SourceBefore the graphical installation program starts, you need to configure the language and installation source. 15.1. The Text Mode Installation Program User InterfaceWe recommend that you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux using the graphical interface. If you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a system that lacks a graphical display, consider performing the installation over a VNC connection - see Chapter 31, Installing Through VNC. If anaconda detects that you are installing in text mode on a system where installation over a VNC connection might be possible, anaconda asks you to verify your decision to install in text mode even though your options during installation are limited. If your system has a graphical display, but graphical installation fails, try booting with the xdriver=vesa option - refer to Chapter 28, Boot OptionsThe widgets include: Window - Windows (usually referred to as dialogs in this manual) appear on your screen throughout the installation process. At times, one window may overlay another; in these cases, you can only interact with the window on top. When you are finished in that window, it disappears, allowing you to continue working in the window underneath. Checkbox - Checkboxes allow you to select or deselect a feature. The box displays either an asterisk (selected) or a space (unselected). When the cursor is within a checkbox, press Space to select or deselect a feature. Text Input - Text input lines are regions where you can enter information required by the installation program. When the cursor rests on a text input line, you may enter and/or edit information on that line. Text Widget - Text widgets are regions of the screen for the display of text. At times, text widgets may also contain other widgets, such as checkboxes. If a text widget contains more information than can be displayed in the space reserved for it, a scroll bar appears; if you position the cursor within the text widget, you can then use the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through all the information available. Your current position is shown on the scroll bar by a # character, which moves up and down the scroll bar as you scroll. Scroll Bar - Scroll bars appear on the side or bottom of a window to control which part of a list or document is currently in the window's frame. The scroll bar makes it easy to move to any part of a file. Button Widget - Button widgets are the primary method of interacting with the installation program. You progress through the windows of the installation program by navigating these buttons, using the Tab and Enter keys. Buttons can be selected when they are highlighted.
15.1.1. Using the Keyboard to NavigateNavigation through the installation dialogs is performed through a simple set of keystrokes. To move the cursor, use the Left, Right, Up, and Down arrow keys. Use Tab, and Shift-Tab to cycle forward or backward through each widget on the screen. Along the bottom, most screens display a summary of available cursor positioning keys. To "press" a button, position the cursor over the button (using Tab, for example) and press Space or Enter. To select an item from a list of items, move the cursor to the item you wish to select and press Enter. To select an item with a checkbox, move the cursor to the checkbox and press Space to select an item. To deselect, press Space a second time. Pressing F12 accepts the current values and proceeds to the next dialog; it is equivalent to pressing the OK button. Unless a dialog box is waiting for your input, do not press any keys during the installation process (doing so may result in unpredictable behavior). Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select a language to use during the installation process (refer to Figure 15.3, "Language Selection"). With your selected language highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice. The language you select here will become the default language for the operating system once it is installed. Selecting the appropriate language also helps target your time zone configuration later in the installation. The installation program tries to define the appropriate time zone based on what you specify on this screen. Once you select the appropriate language, click Next to continue. 15.3. Installation MethodUse the arrow keys on your keyboard to select an installation method (refer to Figure 15.4, "Installation Method"). With your selected method highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice. 15.3.1. Beginning Installation 15.3.1.1. Installing from DVDTo install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a DVD, place the DVD your DVD drive and boot your system from the DVD. Even if you booted from alternative media, you can still install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from DVD media. The installation program then probes your system and attempts to identify your DVD drive. It starts by looking for an IDE (also known as an ATAPI) DVD drive. If your DVD drive is not detected, and it is a SCSI DVD, the installation program prompts you to choose a SCSI driver. Choose the driver that most closely resembles your adapter. You may specify options for the driver if necessary; however, most drivers detect your SCSI adapter automatically. If the DVD drive is found and the driver loaded, the installer will present you with the option to perform a media check on the DVD. This will take some time, and you may opt to skip over this step. However, if you later encounter problems with the installer, you should reboot and perform the media check before calling for support. From the media check dialog, continue to the next stage of the installation process (refer to Section 16.5, "Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux"). 15.3.2. Installing from a Hard DriveThe Select Partition screen applies only if you are installing from a disk partition (that is, you selected in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog allows you to name the disk partition and directory from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=hd boot option, you already specified a partition. Select the partition containing the ISO files from the list of available partitions. Internal IDE, SATA, SCSI, and USB drive device names begin with /dev/sd. Each individual drive has its own letter, for example /dev/sda. Each partition on a drive is numbered, for example /dev/sda1. Also specify the Directory holding images. Enter the full directory path from the drive that contains the ISO image files. The following table shows some examples of how to enter this information: Table 15.1. Location of ISO images for different partition types | Partition type | Volume | Original path to files | Directory to use |
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| VFAT | D:\ | D:\Downloads\RHEL6 | /Downloads/RHEL6 | | ext2, ext3, ext4 | /home | /home/user1/RHEL6 | /user1/RHEL6 |
If the ISO images are in the root (top-level) directory of a partition, enter a /. If the ISO images are located in a subdirectory of a mounted partition, enter the name of the directory holding the ISO images within that partition. For example, if the partition on which the ISO images is normally mounted as /home/, and the images are in /home/new/, you would enter /new/. An entry without a leading slash may cause the installation to fail. 15.3.3. Performing a Network InstallationWhen you start an installation with the askmethod or repo= options, you can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a network server using FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or NFS protocols. Anaconda uses the same network connection to consult additional software repositories later in the installation process. If your system has more than one network device, anaconda presents you with a list of all available devices and prompts you to select one to use during installation. If your system only has a single network device, anaconda automatically selects it and does not present this dialog. If you are not sure which device in the list corresponds to which physical socket on the system, select a device in the list then press the Identify button. The Identify NIC dialog appears. The sockets of most network devices feature an activity light (also called a link light) - an LED that flashes to indicate that data is flowing through the socket. Anaconda can flash the activity light of the network device that you selected in the Networking Device dialog for up to 30 seconds. Enter the number of seconds that you require, then press OK. When anaconda finishes flashing the light, it returns you to the Networking Device dialog. When you select a network device, anaconda prompts you to choose how to configure TCP/IP: IPv4 options - Dynamic IP configuration (DHCP)
Anaconda uses DHCP running on the network to supply the network configuration automatically. - Manual configuration
Anaconda prompts you to enter the network configuration manually, including the IP address for this system, the netmask, the gateway address, and the DNS address.
IPv6 options - Automatic
Anaconda uses router advertisement (RA) and DHCP for automatic configuration, based on the network environment. (Equivalent to the Automatic option in NetworkManager) - Automatic, DHCP only
Anaconda does not use RA, but requests information from DHCPv6 directly to create a stateful configuration. (Equivalent to the Automatic, DHCP only option in NetworkManager) - Manual configuration
Anaconda prompts you to enter the network configuration manually, including the IP address for this system, the netmask, the gateway address, and the DNS address.
Anaconda supports the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. However, if you configure an interface to use both IPv4 and IPv6, the IPv4 connection must succeed or the interface will not work, even if the IPv6 connection succeeds. By default, anaconda uses DHCP to provide network settings automatically for IPv4 and automatic configuration to provide network settings for IPv6. If you choose to configure TCP/IP manually, anaconda prompts you to provide the details in the Manual TCP/IP Configuration dialog: The dialog provides fields for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and prefixes, depending on the protocols that you chose to configure manually, together with fields for the network gateway and name server. Enter the details for your network, then press OK. When the installation process completes, it will transfer these settings to your system. 15.3.4. Installing via NFSThe NFS dialog applies only if you selected in the Installation Method dialog. If you used the repo=nfs boot option, you already specified a server and path. Enter the domain name or IP address of your NFS server in the NFS server name field. For example, if you are installing from a host named eastcoast in the domain example.com, enter eastcoast.example.com. Enter the name of the exported directory in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 directory field: If the NFS server is exporting a mirror of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation tree, enter the directory which contains the root of the installation tree. If everything was specified properly, a message appears indicating that the installation program for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is running. If the NFS server is exporting the ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD, enter the directory which contains the ISO image.
Specify any NFS mount options that you require in the NFS mount options field. Refer to the man pages for mount and nfs for a comprehensive list of options. If you do not require any mount options, leave the field empty.
15.3.5. Installing via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPSWhen you provide a URL to an installation source, you must explicitly specify http:// or https:// or ftp:// as the protocol. The URL dialog applies only if you are installing from a FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server (if you selected in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog prompts you for information about the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=ftp or repo=http boot options, you already specified a server and path. Enter the name or IP address of the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS site from which you are installing, and the name of the directory that contains the /images directory for your architecture. For example: /mirrors/redhat/rhel-6/Server/ppc64/
To install via a secure HTTPS connection, specify https:// as the protocol. Specify the address of a proxy server, and if necessary, provide a port number, username, and password. If everything was specified properly, a message box appears indicating that files are being retrieved from the server. If your FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server requires user authentication, specify user and password as part of the URL as follows: {ftp|http|https}://<user>:<password>@<hostname>[:<port>]/<directory>/
For example: The DVD offers an option to verify the integrity of the media. Recording errors sometimes occur while producing DVD media. An error in the data for package chosen in the installation program can cause the installation to abort. To minimize the chances of data errors affecting the installation, verify the media before installing. If the verification succeeds, the installation process proceeds normally. If the process fails, create a new DVD using the ISO image you downloaded earlier. |
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