Installing SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional
Installing Operating Systems with gore.
Part 5:
SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional:
Installation of SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional:
Introduction:
Screw Gentoo, Simply Change ;?)
As many of you know, I am an arrogant elitist when it comes to SuSE Linux. I was very pleased to finally get SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional a few days ago, and now I'm finally going to install it.
I havn't read the manuals much yet, but I flipped through to see what had changed. I was shocked to see more new information than usual, and also pleased at the same time.
I highly recommend anyone who wants to try Linux to go buy SUSE. You get enough manuals to get you through most day to day things, and of course me on Anti Online for other things.
Starting up the installation:
I am going to be assuming a few things here:
You have a computer
You are not Shrekkie
You have a CD or DVD drive in your computer
You will be configuring a Network connection (If you are not just skip that part of it)
You have already bought SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional
For readers with unsupported hardware:
If for some reason you use Hardware that does not want to work, don't give
up. You can do a text based installation. This may also be best if you're
installing on a server machine. Please refer to the "Administration Guide"
book that came with SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional to work with the text based
installation. For the most part, a lot of how the installation goes will act
the same, just in text.
What will you be using your system for?
Server use:
If you plan in using SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional as a server system, you
probably won't need much. When it comes time for package selection, read how I
show you to find more packages to install, and then select which services you
need.
YAST2 will work in text only mode. Like "MCC" for Mandrake Linux, SUSE Linux
9.1 Professional has YAST2 for both GUI and text only run levels. YAST2 will
work fine, and is quite easy to use.
Workstation:
If you plan on using Linux for a workstation, first, decide if you want to use
a GUI at all first. You really don't need X at all, but if you have never used
a UNIX based OS before, or if the last sentence confused you, you should
install X.
For a workstation, anywhere from 500 MB - 2 GB would be a good size. This
gives you a little room to grow and save documents you may be working on, and
of course have a few MP3s. SUSE comes with great command line MP3 players.
Home use:
Using Linux for home use, to do work you need to get done, and of course
surfing the web is fun. You again may decide if you need X or not, but as I
said before, if you have never used it before, I highly recommend X.
About 1 GB would be an OK size for HD space, but if you download music or
movies, or install software, or like to put things on your HD, I would
recommend anywhere from 2 - 7 GB of HD space.
Gore style use:
If you're like me, then a small HD may not work so well. I use my machines for
a lot of reasons. Everything from Web/FTP/SSH servers, to playing games,
listening to music, watching movies, surfing the web, exploring things, and
web development.
If this sounds more like you, and you're a female, please send your phone
number and e-mail address too...Woops, sorry there.
OK, if this sounds like you, then here are two machines I use with SUSE Linux
that work just fine for me:
One machine has a 42.9 GB HD and a Pentium 3 733 MHz processor, and 384 MB
RAM. This works fine for just about everything I throw at it.
The other machine has an 80 GB HD and a 2.40 GHz processor with 512 MBs RAM,
and a 128 MB Nvidia card for games. This can of course handle everything I
throw at it too.
I use both machines for Web, FTP, and SSH servers so I can
upload, back up, and store thing across my network with the other boxes, and
course these two machines have awesome speakers, so I use SSH to play MP3s
when I'm not near one of them, but want to listen to songs I have stored on
those HD while working on another machine.
I would recommend at least a 20-30 GB HD for this kind of use.
Absolute minimum HD size for SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional to install:
180 MB
SUSE can be installed on a 180 MB HD, but this will be the smallest you can
trim it down too. XFree86 will NOT be installed in this small amount of HD
space, but I also doubt that anyone will be using that small of a disk unless
it is for server use only.
Install:
Take either the first DVD, or the first CD out, and open either your CD drive to insert CD 1 or your DVD drive to insert DVD 1 and reboot the machine.
As the machine starts up you should see a splash screen, and then another screen with options too either boot from the hard disk, or install, or a few other things.
The first thing I am going to do is hit "F2" and select 1024x768 for the installation, because I like that setting. You can set this to whatever you want as long as your hardware will support it.
To start the installation, hit the DOWN arrow key once, to highlight "Installation" and then hit "ENTER".
After you have hit the "ENTER" key, you should see another splash screen. To see what it is actually doing, hit "F2" or if you don't care, sit and wait. It is currently checking for hardware, and doing a few other things, which can take some time, so relax while it does it's job.
After this stage, your screen should go black for a minute, and then you should end up at another screen saying "Welcome to SUSE Linux". This is where you select your language.
Move your mouse, and notice how it makes the arrow on the screen move too. After you have the hang of that down, select which language you speak. After you have done this, click on "Accept" in the lower right hand corner.
After you click "Accept" you are taken to a new screen where your hardware is detected, and then a little window pops up asking what type of installation you want to do.
It defaults for me to "New Installation" as the only OS on this HD is Slackware 9.1, and I'm not keeping it. For now all I want on this machine is SUSE, so I am going to accept the default.
I should take a minute to explain something here:
I'm NOT going to help partition a HD so that Windows and SUSE Linux can play together on the same HD in this tutorial. It's not hard, and you have two nice manuals, and to be honest, if this was any easier it would come with a hand job.
If you plan on dual booting the machine, I suggest you read the manual and find out how easy it really is. If you want to run JUST SUSE Linux, then continue; It's not too late to turn back.
For those who wanted me to hold hands with them during the partition stage for Windows and Linux:
Move the mouse up to "Abort Installation"
Click
Click "OK"
Grasp manuals sent with packaging of SuSE Linux 9.1 Professional
Put the books on your lap
Pick up book entitled "User Guide"
Make sure book is right side up
Open
Read
For the rest who want to install SUSE Linux by itself on a HD, or already know how to Partition:
You should now be at a screen showing "Installation Settings"
Check over everything to make sure it detected your mouse and system correctly. If you need to change anything, just move the mouse over the particular group of settings you want to change, and it will turn into a hand, which, yes, it is a link to change that particular group of settings.
I'm already pleasently surprised;
SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional has not only found my mouse, but also realises it is a scroll mouse. For some reason this mouse never works with any Linux or BSD correctly, and SUSE grabs it without a problem before the install is even finished.
If you look at the "Partition" section on your screen, it shows you how it plans to partition the HD.
I am going to accept the default settings it gave me because it's what I wanted anyway.
The "Time Zone" section I am going to change though. I live in Michigan.
I click on "Time Zone" select "Michigan" from the list at the right of the screen, and then click on "Accept" in the lower right.
Clicking "Accept" brings me back to the main installation page, and now I am going for the long, take a few hours possibly part of the installation; Selecting Software.
This only takes long because I select each and every of the 5,000 or so packages myself, by hand.
It's not hard to really do though. To get to the package selection, click on "Software" You come to a new screen, which allows you to select a few ways of software installation, and from here, click on "Detailed Selection".
The next screen shows a few groups of packages you can install, but there is more than this. I found out in the first few SUSE installs I ever made that if you look in the upper left corner of the screen, you can see "Filter:" Click on the word "Selections" and from the drop down menu, select "Package Groups".
Now you should see a huge list of groups on the left hand side of the screen.
Before you get yourself into dependency Hell, in the middle of the screen, at the very bottom, click on "Autocheck". This will make sure that when you click on a new package to add, it will grab the dependencies too.
For this page, you're on your own. I'm not typing out every package I'm picking, and you shouldn't pick every package I select, as some you may not need.
for this part, just look around, and see if you want any extra packages. If you're not sure about a particular package, click on it, but don't select to install it, and it will show you a description of it.
OK, I'm not assuming anyone reading this is stupid, but if you've never installed SUSE Linux before, the way you install a packages source code, is buy sliding the little blue bar in the middle of the screen all the way to the right, and you'll see that another little check box is there for installation of source code.
After you have selected the packages you want, you may want to save the selections you made to a floppy disk so if you install on another machine or have to reinstall for some reason, you don't have to go through this all again. Grab a FAT formatted floppy disk, stick it in the floppy drive, and at the top of the screen, click on "File" and clikc on "Export".
Click on "Floppy" at the little pop up window, and click on "OK". The selection list is svaed to the floppy, and when you get the pop up that it unmounted alright, you're ready to take the floppy out, and click on "Accept" in the bottom right hand corner.
After you click "Accept" it checks dependencies one more time, and then pops up a window showing you all the packages that will be added for dependencies. Click on "Continue" as these packages will be added automatically.
After clicking on "Continue" you go back to the main screen again. Make sure you have all the options you wanted set, and when you have made sure your options are correct, click "Accept" in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
When you click on "Accept" a little green window pops up, warning you that all the information you have to provide to install is now complete, and that the installation is going to actually begin.
Click on "Yes, Install" in the left bottom corner of the green pop up window.
After you click "Yes, Install" YAST2 formats the partitions, and begins installing.
Now is a good time to go smoke, as I am about to do, because this will take a few minutes.
Now is a good time to mention that SUSE defaults to Reiser for the file
system. This is fine because I use it anyway. You of course can choose another
if you'd like, but Reiser is quite good, and I usually stick with it, even for
my Slackware installations.
Reiser is a "Journaling" File System, meaning it keeps little notes about
things in the file system. This is great for crash recovery. If for some
reason you do have a system crash, you can get back up and running very fast.
EXT3 is also Journaling. If you like EXT2, but like the idea of faster crash
recovery, then this may just be something more for you. All 3 file systems are
available to you, and you can choose whichever you'd like, but I will leave
that up to you.
Reading the manuals that came with your box will help you get through
that. The point of this tutorial is to get it installed, up, and running. The
manuals it came with are great, so read them.
Remember, a year ago at this time, I was using Linux for my first time too. So
if you stick with it, you'll learn fast, and be better at customizing how you
want it too run.
I think SUSE has really done a lot for making Linux easier to use for a
beginner, and some people won't use it because "It's to easy". I think that is
pretty shallow in my opinion, because Linux can't get more users if it's to
hard to use.
If someone ever makes fun of you for using SUSE, it's best to just not talk to
them. Someone with that big of an ego about this really isn't going to listen
to anything you say anyway.
SUSE has a lot of software, and is a good first distribution. You can learn
with it because it's easy enough for a beginner, but also has advanced tools
and settings to allow you room to grow.
When it becomes to easy for you to use and you want more of a challenge, just
switch to runlevel 3 ;)
This tutorial is being typed on a SuSE 8.2 Professional machine, and I'm
installing SUSE 9.1 Professional as I type this to make sure that I have a
play by play tutorial that works.
After a while the packages finish installing and another screen comes up. This is "Finishing Basic Install". It will take a few minutes, but not nearly as long as the last screen.
After this step finishes, you will see a count down screen telling you the
system will restart. After it restarts, it will start booting up, and then go
back to YAST2.
Setting the Root password:
The first screen you see asks you to create a root password. I don't think I
have to remind you of how important it is to NOT make this easy to guess, or
even a real word.
Setting up and configuring the Network:
After you pick a root password, click "NEXT" and you are taken to another
screen to configure, and set up, the network.
This screen tells you what SUSE has found on your computer. If you have DSL,
you should see something there in the DSL connections area, and if you use
dial up, it should find your modem no problem.
This machine I am installing on has an integrated software modem, and it even
found that. Thank the Lord, I don't use dial up anymore. If you have a cable
connection, or a LAN, then it should have a NIC it found, as it does for me.
If you have problems with it finding your hardware, don't worry, the manuals
can help you, and so can clicking on whatever is not correct on this screen.
Also, remember some NICs use similar chips, and one NIC driver may work for
600 others.
After you're done looking over this screen, click on "Next".
YAST2 saves the Network configuration, and then brings you to another screen
that allows you to test your network connections. The default is to test the
network connection, so go ahead and let it, unless you're in a hurry.
Click on "Next" and YAST2 brings up the network and then tries making
connection to the internet. If it does, it will also check for updates, as my
machine just did. Don't think this means it will show the updates just yet,
all you will see is "Result: Success".
If you have problems, click on back, and try again. It should work fine
though, it does for me. Obviously if your ISP is having problems you may not
get this part done.
After you have finished the network connection test, select "Next".
After you click on "Next" a pop up window pops up and asks if you would like
to update. Unless you have accidently set your house on fire, and need to get
your children out to safety, then there is no reason you should not do this.
It defaults to "Yes, Run Online Update Now" so click on "OK".
After you have clicked on "OK" you are taken to a screen showing "YOU". Click
"Next" and it will pop up a window trying to connect to the servers. If you
get an error saying to many users are connected, don't worry, just click on
the drop down menu and select another city.
After you select one that allows you to connect, the pop up window checks for
the updates you need, and then takes you to another screen showing you the
updates.
Scroll down on this update section, and you can download "Microsoft TrueType
Core fonts" and the Nvidia graphics card driver, and even firmware for
Wireless cards.
The updates that are not checked may not be needed bye you, but if you click
on them, you will see if they are updated or not. It will show a check on the
box if you have the package installed, and if you do, go ahead and click on
the update to add it to the downloads.
If you see the box colored in with grey, then you don't have that installed,
and don't need the update. Security updates are already preselcted for you,
and when you finish selecting whatever else you want, then go ahead and click
on "Accept".
After clicking "Accept" if you selected to download the Microsoft True Type
Fonts, you will have a message pop up asking if you really want to install the
patch. It's nothing but a license to use them.
Go ahead and click on "Install Patch".
The next pop up is the Nvidia video card driver. Go ahead and click on
"Install Patch".
The next pop up window is warning you about updating a Kernel.
DO NOT INSTALL THIS PATCH YET. If you read the pop up window, you will see
that it will possibly cause problems, so wait untill you have finished the
install, and run Yast Online Update again. Click on "Skip Patch".
After you click on "Skip Patch" you should see the updates start to
download. If you want to save disk space, click on "Remove Source Packages
After Update" under thst status bars.
Depending on the speed of your connection, this may take a while. After the
updates are downloaded, the "Total Progress" bar shows 50% As the packages
begin being installed.
After a little while, a pop up should come up on your window saying how to
update your Anti Virus software SUSE came with.
If you miss the update, or forget how to do this, the pop up says to run
"freshclam" to update.
After that pop up window, the updates are finished installing. Click on
"Finish".
After click on "Finish" the system configuration starts up to write this all
into configuration. This will happen every time you update SuSE Linux and
usually only takes a minute or two.
After that finishes up, you will be taken to another screen asking for
authentication methods.
Unless you know what you're doing on this, just stick with the default.
"Stand-Alone Machine" should be selected by default. This is fine, so click on
"Next".
Adding users:
Now it's time to add users. Add a user! Even if you're the only one using the
machine, make another anyway, running everything as root is grossly stupid.
Now, if you're the only one who uses your machine, it may be OK to allow auto
log in like Windows XP does.
If anyone lives with you, DE-SELECT THIS BY UNCHECKING THE BOX CHECKED BY
"AUTO LOG IN"!
After you have a user name typed in and everything set up there, click on
"Next".
You may see the password is going to be truncated. This is OK, and can be
changed later.
After you click on "Next" it writes the system configuration again, and much
faster this time.
When the system finishes writing the configuration, you will be at another
screen with the release notes. Read this if you want, and then click on
"Next".
Hardware set up:
After you click on "Next" the Hardware set up screen comes up.
It should find everything and have it set up just fine, but if you want to
change anything, just click on the section like you have throughout the
installation.
Click on "Next" after you have finished checking the hardware settings.
Finishing up:
After you click on "Next" it saves the configuration for the hardware, and
then brings you to another screen telling you that the installation is
complete, and giving you the option to start the YAST Control Center right
away or not.
You can do this if you want, it doesn't really matter. Click on "Finish" after
deciding if you want to start up YAST right or not.
After clicking on "Finish" your computer finishes booting up, and then you can
log in. Welcome to SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional.
Re: Installing SUSE Linux 9.1 Professional
Quote:
Originally posted here by gore
As many of you know, I am an arrogant elitist when it comes to SuSE Linux.
Couldn't have put it better myself. ;)
Quote:
You are not Shrekkie
Or pwaring, the other die-hard gentoo fan. :p
