linux operations and administration chapter fourteen planning for a linux installation

Linux Operations and Administration

Chapter FourteenPlanning for a Linux Installation


Objectives

• Identify the hardware components in a Linux computer

• Develop a preinstallation checklist

• Use an automated method to install openSUSE

2


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


Analyzing Hardware Components (cont’d.)

• For openSUSE, Novell recommends:– Pentium 4 2.4 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


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


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

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• 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

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• 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


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


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


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


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


Storage Devices (cont’d.)

13

Table 14-1 Long-term storage devices


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


Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.)

15

Table 14-2 Video adapter card formats



• 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

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17

Table 14-3 Video card drivers


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

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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, e-mail, and media files

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• 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

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• 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 2.3.1 Quick Start– Covers Novell AppArmor, which is security software

for the Linux OS

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• 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

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23

Table 14-4 The openSUSE preinstallation checklist for hardware



24

Table 14-5 openSUSE preinstallation checklist for software


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


Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.)

26

Figure 14-1 The System window© Cengage Learning 2013



27

Figure 14-2 Checking disk space© Cengage Learning 2013



28

Figure 14-3 The Screen Resolution dialog box© Cengage Learning 2013


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

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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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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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

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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

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Creating an AutoYaST Profile Manually

1. <?xml version="1.0"?>

2. <!DOCTYPE profile>

3. <profile xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns"

4. xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">

5. <users config:type="list">

6. <user>

7. <encrypted config:type="boolean">false</encrypted>

8. <user_password>P@$$w0rD</user_password>

9. <username>root</username>

10. </user>

11. </users>

12. </profile>

37

Creating an AutoYaST Profile Manually (cont’d.)

• Control file container or profile– Configuration description for the system

1. <?xml version="1.0"?>

2. <!DOCTYPE profile>

3. <profile

4. xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns"

5. xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">

6.

7. 

8.

9. </profile>

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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 autoyast=http:///[user.password@]server/path command in Startup Options window

39


Using Auto-Installation (cont’d.)

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Figure 14-5 Specifying an NFS server in the Startup Options window© Cengage Learning 2013


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

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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


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 settings43

linux operations and administration chapter fourteen planning for a linux installation

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