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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Manuel Ricart
ISBN: 078971826x
Publication Date: 12/22/98
Search this book:
Table of Contents
Part 4Appendixes
Are you ready for an adventure? Anxious to check out Linux and see what it can do? Then let’s get you on the right path by installing Linux. The information in Appendix A helps you get the Linux operating system up and running. Appendix B is a hardware compatibility guide to help you figure out if any part of your box isn’t Linux–compatible. Now, let’s get started and breathe some life into your computer!
Appendix ALinux Installation
In This Appendix
• Getting to Know Your Hardware
• Basic Requirements for Installing Caldera OpenLinux
• The Multiboot System
• Installing Linux
• Starting the Install
• Configuring X-Windows
The process of installing Linux on your computer is not any more difficult than installing Windows or any other operating system (OS). If you have ever installed an OS on a PC, you already know how frustrating it can be. For some reason, “plug and play” devices sometimes are not recognized, or a driver shipped with your hardware is not really compatible with the version of the OS you are installing; or worse, the driver included with the OS is not compatible with your hardware. As I’m sure you’re aware, installing an OS is tricky business.
You can save yourself a lot of grief and frustration by following a few basic guidelines and preparing for the task at hand. First, you really ought to have a clue about the hardware you are installing the OS on. If you don’t, you can try to install Linux, but I bet you are going to spend lots of time working out what hardware you have. To reduce your general stress levels, you really need to know your hardware a little more than you’d probably care to.
The basic steps for installing follow:
• Gather information about your hardware
• Check compatibility lists to ensure your hardware is supported
• Decide if your Linux installation will share the computer with another OS
• Install the software
• Provide some configuration
Getting to Know Your Hardware
Before you even attempt to do anything, making a list of what’s inside will save you eons. People who install OSs typically know what’s in their boxes, and they have the documentation for every little bit of hardware they have. Live by example—do as they do!
Sources of Information
There are several sources of information you can use to identify your hardware:
• Original equipment manuals: (You saved them, right?)
• Hardware specifications from the manufacturer: The Web can be a very good starting place for this information. More and more manufacturers are putting their complete specifications on the Web. It’s a good idea to look them up before you start your install. And don’t forget to check back periodically for updated drivers and information after your system is up and running.
• The manufacturer itself: You can ask the system manufacturer for what’s under the hood. If you lost your manuals, you can also ask the manufacturer to sell you a replacement manual. (A greater number of manufacturers are also putting their manuals, or portions thereof, on the Web.)
• The store where you bought the computer: If it’s not a chain store or a fly-by-night merchant, its salespeople are likely to know what they sold you.
• Software tools such as msd (Microsoft System Diagnostics): These tools can examine your hardware to great depths and provide quite a bit of information. In the past, msd was included with DOS, Windows, and retail versions of Windows 95. You can also get it from ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/ MSDZIP.EXE. It is best to run msd from DOS, so copy it to a bootable DOS floppy and start your computer with it. When the computer boots, type a:\msd, and you should see a screen like the one in the following figure. (The Device Manager, a Win95/98 control panel tool, might be able to provide as much information as msd. With WinNT, you can also try Windows NT Diagnostics. Or, if you have Norton Utilities, you can also try that.)
If you would like to save msd’s output to a file, enter the command a:\msd /F a:\report.
• The computer’s innards: Finally, as a last resort, you can always take the computer apart and take a peek inside. However, this is only recommended for those who have already done so before and know how to handle static-sensitive components.
Msd can give you a lot of information about your computer’s hardware.
In particular, you’ll want to know the details about your cards and setup—you know, things like chipsets (the type of computer chips), which are important for your video setup. For example, the following figure gives you an idea of the information you’ll want to know. These details should include the brand and model of the card, and it doesn’t hurt to know the IRQ and memory addresses for it, if available. Msd can be of great help if you have fairly standard PC hardware; however, things like SCSI, sound, and network cards are not always properly recognized. Oh well, the saga of owning a computer continues.
Notice how msd was able to provide information about the video card chipsets. The chipsets information is found the line with the S3 86C375/86C385 on it. Look for this sort of information about your own hardware.
Hardware and Network Inventory
Before you proceed, make a list—and check it twice! To help you out, you can use Tables A.1 and A.2 for guidance.
Table A.1 Hardware Inventory
Device
Make
Model
Comments
CD-ROM
Ethernet Card
Mouse
COM (serial) port number or PS2
Video card
Memory size in MB
Monitor
Maximum scan rate and resolution
Modem
COM (serial) port number
RAM
How much RAM do you have?
Table A.2 Network Information
Item
Address
Machine’s host name
Domain name for your network
IP address assigned to your computer
Netmask
Broadcast address
Gateway/Router address
DNS name servers (2)
The information about your hardware is essential before you install. But in the event that your computer doesn’t support booting from a CD-ROM disk, you might need two 3 1/2” floppy disks (1.44MB) that are PC formatted.
Basic Requirements for Installing Caldera OpenLinux
So, what kind of hardware do you need to have to install Linux? Linux runs on a slew of platforms. The CD included with this book is only intended for Intel-based PCs. Other distributions have software for Digital Alpha hardware, Sun SPARC, PowerPC, and PA-RISC workstations from Hewlett-Packard. But keep in mind, the basic PC requirement is any 386, 486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, or compatible PC or clone.
In terms of memory, the basic requirements for an install are actually quite modest, especially when compared with other OSs. You should be able to install Linux on an Intel-based computer that has 8MB of RAM. If you intend to use a graphical environment, I strongly recommend that you consider 16MB as the reasonable minimum. Although this is on the questionable side of being enough, it might be all you need for minimum installations. Don’t expect a minimal system to be speedy, because the resources are going to be taxed to the max. Given today’s beyond reasonable memory prices, a 32MB system should be the minimum you consider if you will be working with Linux using a graphical environment. Having 32–40MB will keep Linux zooming right along and should prove to be more responsive than your current OS.
In terms of disk space, a minimal installation can probably fit on 54MB (100MB if you’re installing X Windows), but at this size, many important functions will have been omitted. A small installation takes about 136MB. But keep in mind that 418MB is the recommended space for a standard install; this book assumes that you have at least that. More or less space will be required, depending on the options you choose to install. A full install will take around 1000MB, but the majority of users will never need these extra functions.
In addition to these basic requirements, you’ll also need a mouse and a supported video card if you intend to take advantage of a graphical interface.
If your computer meets or exceeds these standards (any modern $350 PC seems to do), you are ready to check if your hardware is supported.
As a rule of thumb, Win devices (Winmodems, Winprinters, and so on) are not supported. Bleeding-edge hardware, as opposed to leading-edge, is also likely not to be supported. Standard clone stuff will work due to the high-quality standard components and wide availability.
See Appendix B, “OpenLinux Compatibility Guide,” for the most current list of compatible hardware at the time of this writing. Make a list of the required modules, if any. If your hardware is not listed, it is probably not supported. Some components, such as Ethernet cards, will work if you try the NE2000/NE1000 and provide the IRQ and memory address for the card.
The Multiboot System
If your hardware is supported, you only need to make one more decision before you install. If you are not sure that Linux is for you, it is possible to install Linux alongside your current OS. This involves a little more preparation but gives you the opportunity to boot your computer with Linux or your other OS.
If you are considering having a dual-boot computer and have not yet installed the other OS, go ahead and do so now. Your installation will be easier if the other OS is already there. It is likely that Linux will be aware of other OSs, but your other OS probably doesn’t know how to handle Linux.
Sharing the Disk with Another OS
Whether or not you are considering sharing the disk with another OS, you’ll need to create at least two new partitions solely for Linux. Partitions are portions of a disk that are owned and used by a single OS. One partition will accommodate Linux itself, and the other will be used for virtual memory storage (swap space). The minimum size of the swap partition is 16MB, but typically, you’ll want to allocate a swap space of the same size as you have RAM memory. Therefore, if you have 32MB of RAM, you’ll want a 32MB swap area.
If your current OS’s partition is using all available disk space, you still might be able to install Linux, provided there is free space available within the partition. Included with the Linux distribution is software to allow you to repartition the hard disk without destroying the current contents of your disk. This software is called fips.
Before you run fips, you’ll need to defragment the disk to ensure that there’s enough space for the repartitioning process. Your OS should have a tool such as defrag.exe or optimize.exe for this purpose. If not, there are several available from commercial vendors (Norton Utilities is one) that will do the job. Fips is only able to handle DOS and Windows 95-style partitions. If you are running Windows NT or OS2, you might need to take a look at a commercial product like PartitionMagic (see http://www.powerquest. com) that also supports NTFS and HPFS—even Linux drives.
The fips program, along with some readme files you should definitely read before installing, is located on the CD-ROM under col\tools\fips15. Let’s take a quick look at how to repartition your disk space using fips:
1. Back up any important data before repartitioning. If something goes wrong, you will lose all your existing data.
2. Defragment your system.
3. Boot your computer into DOS. (You might need to create a DOS boot diskette; follow your computer’s manuals on how to do this.)
4. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into your computer. If your boot diskette does not enable use of the CD-ROM, you might have to copy the fips program to another diskette.
5. If your CD-ROM is located on drive D, at the prompt type d:col\tools\fips15\fips.exe. If your CD-ROM is accessible by another letter, substitute it for the correct drive.
Follow the onscreen instructions to reserve the amount of space you expect to need for Linux. A good estimate should include allowances for the size of your Linux install (usually 418MB), the size of your swap space (same size as your memory), and extra space for data you create while using Linux (usually a few hundred megabytes). To resize your DOS partition, use the arrow keys on your keyboard. Press Enter to set the appropriate size. Confirm your changes and reboot your computer.
Installing Linux
How you install Linux will depend on whether your BIOS supports booting from a CD-ROM. If your computer’s BIOS doesn’t support booting from a CD-ROM, you’ll have to create two floppy disks: One disk will be a boot disk, and the other will be a modules (drivers) disk.
If your computer supports booting from a CD, you can skip building the floppies; go directly to the section “Starting the Install.”
Building the Boot and Modules Floppies
If your computer doesn’t support booting from a CD-ROM device, you’ll need to create two floppies that start the Linux installation. One disk is required to boot the computer (the boot disk). The other disk (the modules or drivers disk) will contain additional software that is necessary if you
• Need access to a PC card (PCMCIA device support) while installing. (Maybe you are using a PCMCIA network or SCSI card or some other peripheral.)
• Are installing from the Network.
• Are installing from a SCSI CD-ROM.
If your system is fairly standard, it is unlikely that you’ll need the second disk, but build it anyway just in case you do. To build the floppies, follow these steps:
1. Boot your computer into DOS or Windows.
2. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into your computer. (I am assuming that your CD-ROM is located in drive D. If it is located elsewhere, substitute the correct drive letter).
3. Insert a 3 1/2” 1.44MB diskette into the floppy drive.
4. At a DOS prompt, enter d:\col\launch\floppy\rawwrite3.
5. Enter the full pathname to the disk image file: d:\col\launch\floppy\install.144.
6. Provide the drive letter for the floppy diskette (typically A) and press Enter.
To build the modules diskette, repeat steps 3–6 but provide the name of the modules image instead: d:\col\launch\floppy\modules.144.
Note that rawrite3 sometimes has trouble with Windows NT 4.0 systems and with some computer system BIOS chips. If rawrite3 fails to produce working disks on your computer, you might need to borrow a friend’s computer for a few moments to make working install and modules disks.
Starting the Install
If your computer doesn’t support booting from a CD-ROM, insert the install diskette and start your computer. After a few seconds you’ll see the Linux boot prompt. Hit return to start the installation process.
If your computer supports booting from a CD, put your CD into the CD-ROM, verify that your BIOS is set to boot from the CD (see your computer’s manual), and start your computer. Booting from the CD is the fastest way to install Linux on your computer.
Either way, after a few seconds you’ll see the installation screen and a boot: prompt. Hit Enter to expedite the process; otherwise, you’ll have to wait about 20 seconds before the installation boot begins. After the boot process begins, you’ll see text scrolling up your display for up to a minute; it is safe to ignore these progress reports.
Language Selection
After the boot process is complete, you’ll be prompted for the language you want to use during the installation. Select whatever language is appropriate for you. Use the arrow keys to change the selection. When the option you want is highlighted, press Enter. Note that while installing, the button with the white text is the selected option. This is not always obvious.
Keyboard Layout Selection
Next you’ll be asked to select a keyboard layout matching your locale (country). Do so and press Enter.
Using a Previously Saved Configuration
Next, you’ll be asked if you want to resume installation from a known configuration. The No option should be selected (white letters); press Enter. If you are a system administrator–type person, it might be useful to know that at the end of an install, you can save your configuration to disk. If you are installing Linux on multiple machines, you can use the configuration information on the disk so you don’t have to repeat the same configuration selection data.
Changing LISA Setup
The next screen will provide various options that LISA (Linux Installation and System Administration utility) will use to obtain configuration information. The options displayed on this screen are as follows:
• Disable “Plug and Play” cards: Operating systems handle Plug and Play cards in different ways, so for the moment, you should avoid altering any Plug and Play settings. The default setting should prove the safest.
• Automatic network configuration with BOOTP: This searches for information from a boot parameter server. Leave it off.
• Automatic network configuration with netprobe: Leave this one off also. This setting and the preceding one are good for system administrators that have a configured network.
• Use this setup and continue: This is the option that sets the previous settings and continues with the install.
Select the Use this setup and continue option and press Enter. LISA will now probe your computer and try to locate some basic hardware.
Hardware Found (IDE/ATAPI)
After its initial probe, LISA will report the IDE and ATAPI (CD-ROM) disks that it found. Verify that your IDE and ATAPI devices are found.
Press Enter and confirm that all devices have been recognized. If they haven’t, LISA will perform a more detailed probe of your system.
Cautious Autoprobing
If you answered No when asked if all your IDE and ATAPI devices were found, LISA will probe for additional devices. Go ahead with the cautious autoprobe. After a few moments, LISA will display additional devices it found during the probe, if any. Make note of the devices found. (You might have to use your up/down arrows to see them all.) Press Enter to continue.
If your system freezes during the cautious probe, you can press your reset button and try the install again. If your system freezes on the second try, you’ve probably discovered a hardware conflict that needs to be resolved—a topic beyond the scope of this book. For now, you’ll either have to live without the devices Linux didn’t find, or you’ll have to look into technical support options from Caldera. (Linux user groups also might provide some great information resources.)
Hardware Found (Hard Disks/CD-ROM/Ethernet)
If all of your devices were found, answer Yes to the recognized hardware question. Otherwise, answer No to manually load additional kernel modules with the Kernel Module Manager.
The Kernel Module Manager
If not all of your hardware was found, you’ll need to manually specify the missing devices and pick the appropriate module (driver) for it. If you made your list and verified that your components are compatible with Linux, this is not really all that difficult.
Select the Load kernel modules option and press Enter to manually select any missing devices. On the Load Kernel Module panel that is displayed, select the type of driver you want to load. For example, if your Ethernet card was not recognized, select Load driver for network card and press Enter.
You will then be presented with a list of all available drivers. If your card is listed, select it and press Enter to continue. You might be required to provide some parameters before the card is successfully recognized. If so, read the next section, “Module Options.”
Module Options
On your keyboard, press Alt+F2 and type help at the login prompt. This will display the Installation Help System. Select the List of possible parameters for module loading option. A list of the modules and required parameters will be displayed. Press j to scroll down and k to scroll up a line at a time. To move an entire screen at a time, press f or b to go forward or backward, respectively. Find the documentation on the driver you need.
For example, my network card is a LynkSys Ether16, a card that is not automatically recognized by Linux. However, many PC Ethernet cards are compatible with the NE2000/NE1000. If you scroll down the document, you’ll see an entry for it, telling you that NE2000/NE1000 takes two parameters—the IO and IRQ settings. Make a note of this, and press q to exit the help document. This will return you to the Installation Help System. Select the Exit this help system (quit) option and press Enter. Press Alt+F1 to return to your installation window, pick the correct module (in my case, NE2000/NE1000), and provide the parameters as per your installation list.
If you absolutely can’t figure out the proper parameters to provide to the module, try using the module without specifying any parameters. Although this is not recommended, some modules will work this way.
When you attempt to load the module, you will be informed whether this worked. Keep in mind that you might be prompted to insert the modules floppy at some point. Press Alt+F6 to see any diagnostic errors that might have been raised when the module was loading. Press Alt+F1 to return to the installation screen. You should see a message indicating whether your card was recognized. Repeat the process for any other devices that weren’t recognized.
The Hardware found screen should now list any added devices. Press Enter to continue the installation. If you are done loading modules, select Return to previous menu and press Enter. Then select Finish kernel module management and press Enter.
Changing the Partition Table
At this point you might need to define partitions for Linux and its swap area. If you do, answer Yes to the Change Partition Table panel.
This will prompt you to select a disk. Pick the disk you want to change, and answer Yes to the Change Partition Table panel.
Using Fdisk
You will be dumped into an fdisk session. Fdisk is used to define partitions. It is a dangerous program because it gives you the ability to delete a partition that contains data.
Creating the Primary Linux Partition
Follow these steps to create the primary partition:
1. Enter p to list all current partitions. Make a note of where the partition ends.
2. To create the main Linux partition, enter n.
3. Enter p to create a primary partition. You’ll then be asked to provide a primary partition number. Disks are only allowed to have four primary partitions. Enter a number one higher than the existing number of partitions on your disk. For example, if your disk currently contains a single partition, enter the number 2. If there are no partitions on your disk, enter the number 1.
4. When it asks you for the first cylinder, enter the first number you see in the parentheses. This should be a number larger than the ending cylinder of the existing partition. If there is no partition already on your disk, enter the number 1.
5. Specify the size of the new partition in megabytes by entering, for example, +1024MB—making sure that you create a partition large enough for the type of installation that you intend to do plus some extra space for your files.
6. Enter p to list all partitions. Your new partition should be listed there.
Creating the Swap Partition
Follow these steps to create the swap partition:
1. To create a new partition, enter n.
2. Enter p to create a primary partition. When prompted for a partition number, enter a number one higher than the number of partitions that exist so far, including the primary partition you just created.
3. Enter the number suggested for the first cylinder. This number should be one higher than the end cylinder in the previous partition.
4. Your swap partition should be at least 16MB. I suggest that you allocate a partition the same size as the amount of real RAM you have installed. If you have 64MB of RAM, enter +64M.
5. Enter t to change the partition type. When prompted, enter the number of your swap partition. Then, enter the type code for a swap partition: 82.
Saving Your Changes
To save your changes, enter w. This will write your new partitions to disk and exit the program. When returned to the Hard Disk Selection panel, select No further hard disk changes and press Enter.
You will now be warned that you might need to reboot your system to ensure that your partitions were properly allocated on disk. This is not normally necessary with recent computers; most users can continue with the install process safely. If you do have an older system and decide to reboot, you’ll have to redo many of the Linux install steps up to this point.
The Configure Swap Space Panel
The partition that you designated for the swap area should be highlighted. Click Continue to initialize it. This will enable Linux to access it.
Installation Source Selection
Next, you are prompted for the Installation Source Selection; don’t freak out—this is just a fancy way of asking you where your Linux installation disk is. Select CD and press Enter. A window with a list for all possible CD devices is displayed. If you have a standard ATAPI CD-ROM, you should see your CD-ROM selected. Otherwise, select the appropriate drive as per your configuration list.
LISA will confirm the version of the CD you are using for installation. Press Enter to acknowledge that this is what you want.
Creating the Root Partition
Next, you are asked to select the root partition. LISA should highlight the partition you created earlier for this purpose; press Enter.
LISA will confirm that the selected partition will be erased and all data it currently contains will be lost. Press Enter to confirm your choice or press your arrow key to select No to cancel the operation.
LISA will ask you if you want to check the new partition for errors. This is generally necessary only for older 386 or 486 computers or for cautious individuals. If your computer is a newer system, you can safely skip the error check. (This type of error check can take many hours if you happen to be running it on the newer, larger hard drives.) After a few moments, you’ll be asked if you want to mount additional partitions. Select No. You will see information as LISA formats and prepares the partition. The format process can take anywhere from a few moments to a few hours, depending on the size of the disk and whether you chose to verify the format.
Selecting the Installation Type
You are then prompted to select the type of install. Select standard system. This book assumes that you will use this type of installation. (Note that 418MB of disk space is required for this installation, and that this number does not include space for your own data files.)
Selecting the X-Server
Next, you need to pick the X11 server appropriate for your video card. The X11 server is the software that displays a graphical user interface on your screen. This software is matched to the type of video card you have. Moving up and down through the list with your arrow keys, use the Spacebar to select both of the following servers:
• The server that matches the chipset on your video card
• The server called XFree86-SVGA
By default, the XFree86-VGA16 server will also be installed. This 16-color server will allow you to configure the server that more closely matches your card. If the server that matches your card doesn’t work, you can then try the SVGA server. If you are unable to find another server that works with your card, the generic VGA16 server will always be available. Keep in mind, however, that choosing this type of server will limit you to a small screen with only 16-color support.
From here on, Linux will begin to copy and install files. When it finishes doing so, it will ask you for some additional information. In the meantime, go and take a coffee break. This process will take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours, depending on the speed of your CD-ROM drive, speed of your CPU (386, 486, or faster), and type of install you selected (although you shouldn’t have chosen any other type of install when we’ve coached you to choose standard system).
Configuring the Network
When file copying is completed, you will be prompted for various Network settings.
Hostname Entry
In the Hostname Entry panel you are asked for the fully qualified domain name of your computer. If your computer is in a networked environment, enter that name here. Otherwise, name your computer anything you want, but use a domain like the default .nodomain.nowhere (a domain that doesn’t exist).
Network Card Configuration
Next, you are asked if you have a network card. Enter Yes if you do, No otherwise. If you have a network card, its name is probably eth0 (multiple network cards are named by exchanging the 0 for some other number). Enter eth0 as the device name for the network interface.
The next step is to provide an IP address for the card. If your computer is on a small, local network without a registered IP number(s), use an IP like 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1. (You can replace the 1 with any number up to 254, depending on this machine’s location in the network.) These IP sets are reserved for private networks that are not registered with Internet IP numbers. If this computer will have a registered IP number on the Internet, provide a real IP number.
Enter a network mask if yours differs from the one that Linux calculated for you; same for the broadcast address. If you have a router or gateway, press Enter to set its IP; otherwise, select No and press Enter.
If you have a DNS name server, press Enter to enter this IP; otherwise, answer No. Or, if you have NIS information from your system administrator, enter it now. Otherwise, you should select Do not use NIS and press Enter.
Configuring the Clock
If your clock is set to Greenwich Mean Time, select this option. If not, select Local Time. If you don’t know, your computer is almost certainly set to local time. When asked to do so, pick your time zone.
Configuring the Mouse Type
In the Configure Mouse Type panel, you get to pick the type of mouse you have. Select the appropriate setting and press Enter. If you’re asked to select a serial port for your mouse, select the port to which your mouse is connected.
Selecting your Printer
Select your printer from the list of available printer types. If a driver or module for your exact printer is not available, select another model by the same manufacturer. I have an Epson Photo Stylus 700 printer and use the Epson Stylus Color setting. You’ll then be asked for the port to use in communicating with the printer, the default resolution, and the default paper size. Provide the appropriate values.
Setting the Root Password
At the Password for root prompt, guess what you’ll be asked? Here’s where you’ll set the root password. Now, you might be asking, what in the world is root? Root is a special administrative account that should only be used for system configuration. This password is essential. Whatever you set it to, make sure that you don’t forget it. Otherwise, you might have to reinstall the system. Note that your characters will not show as you type the password in. This is so that someone can’t look over your shoulder and steal your password. After entering it once, you’ll be asked to enter it again so that the computer is sure you typed it correctly.
Accounts are covered in more detail in the first few chapters in the book. For now, just remember this password.
Creating the First Account
If you should only use the root account for system configuration, what account do you use on a day-to-day basis? The step following the root password setup is where you create your own home account. This is the account that you normally use when working with Linux. Select a username (eight characters, no spaces). Typically, your account will be your first name or a combination of your first and last names, although it could be your nickname. Enter the first letter of your name followed by your last name, or anything else you like.
Leave the UID displayed as it is (100).
Select users standard group.
Press Enter to set the user’s home directory. It should read /home/username where username is the username you selected for your account.
On the shell selection, leave GNU bash as the default option.
Enter your full name and provide a password for your account. Again, your characters will not display as you type them, and you’ll be asked to enter the password twice.
Don’t forget your username and password; you’ll need them to log in. Note that passwords and logins are case sensitive.
Configuring LILO
The next few steps configure the LILO boot manager. LILO is the software responsible for starting your computer when you use Linux. If Linux is sharing your computer with another OS, LILO can provide you with a choice of OSs when you start your computer. To do this, LILO must be installed on the first hard disk’s MBR (master boot record).
Some OSs, like Windows NT, don’t like LILO very much. For a multiboot system with NT, you’ll need to install LILO on the Linux root partition instead of on the MBR and configure the NT loader to give you a choice when you start your box (computer). Other OSs like MS-DOS, Windows 95, and Windows 98 work fine with LILO on the MBR.
When installing LILO, you will be asked to choose a Linux kernel for your system. Select the default (/boot/vmlinuz) and press Enter. If you are asked to provide an initial ramdisk file image, select the default file by pressing Enter. If you are asked to name the boot image, the default name linux should be used. At the boot parameter box, press Enter to accept whichever values appear by default, unless you do need to add some special parameters for your hardware. When the LILO installation menu displays again, select No further entries to add to LILO and press Enter to display the configuration file LISA has built for you. Press Enter to continue, and when the Install LILO as configured dialog box is displayed, press Enter once more to install LILO.
Configuring Daemon Services
Say OK to the options listed for the daemon/server autostart. These options should be left alone unless you know what you are doing. If you need to alter these settings at some point in the future, you can do them using LISA without having to reinstall Linux.
Configuring X Windows
To configure X Windows, select the X11 server appropriate for your card and press Enter.
Select Yes to call XF86Setup right now. For LISA, “right now” really means “postpone this until the installation is finished,” so you won’t see XF86Setup until later.
If you have another floppy disk handy, save your configuration to a diskette in case you need to restore it later. This will save you from having to manually reconfigure the install.
Congratulations! You have installed most of Linux on your system. Your computer will now boot into Linux, and afterward, you’ll be able to setup the X server. During the boot process, you’ll notice some scrolling status information while Linux starts. This process will take anywhere from several seconds to several minutes, depending on the speed of your computer.
XF86Setup
After your computer finishes booting into Linux, you should see a graphics screen with an X-shaped mouse pointer. After a few seconds, the XF86Setup program will be displayed.
If your mouse is working, you can use the mouse to click on boxes and select various options. Otherwise, you might have to use your arrow and Tab keys to move among the various options. Use the Enter key to activate the option.
Mouse Settings for X Windows
The mouse configuration screen allows you to set the details about your mouse (see the next figure). Linux likes mouse devices that have three buttons. If your mouse only has two, you might want to consider purchasing an inexpensive three-button mouse. Your other alternative is to select the Emulate3Buttons option. This will require that you press both mouse buttons at the same time to simulate the middle one.
Note that configuring a nonworking mouse can be tricky. For example, some newer Logitech mouse devices use the Microsoft protocol, whereas some older Microsoft mouse devices use the Logitech protocol. If yours is an older mouse, try to match the name of the mouse to the name of the protocol. If yours is a newer serial mouse, it is most likely a Microsoft mouse, regardless of its manufacturer. If your mouse is connected to a PS/2 mouse port, select the PS/2 protocol. If your mouse is already working, just let it be!
The mouse configuration option allows you to fine-tune and configure your mouse settings. If your mouse is working, you should leave most of the settings as they are by default.
Keyboard Configuration
To begin keyboard configuration, select the Keyboard button at the top of the display (see the following figure). More than likely your keyboard is already working properly. One setting that many people like is assigning the Caps Lock key (to the right of the A key) as the Ctrl key. This is only one of the possible options. The keyboard selection also has settings for specific keyboards from Dell and other vendors, including laptop models. Check this option to see if you have one of those listed. Click the Apply button when you have completed your configuration.
The keyboard option allows you to select a keyboard and to control various options such as the location of the Ctrl key.
Video Card Configuration
To begin video card configuration, select the Card button at the top of the display. The following figure shows you your video card configuration. Provided you selected the appropriate X11 server to match your card, you should be able to specify a minimum number of settings to have your card recognized. You will want to specify the amount of Video RAM you have and the chipset. If you know the exact card and chip settings (an S3 86C375/86C385 type of thing), you can click on the Card List button, pick the correct card, and then press Detailed Setup.
If you don’t know a specific value, use the Probed options. XF86Setup will try to query the card for the unknown information. If your card is unknown, you might want to try the SVGA settings. The system won’t be able to make use of advanced features available for your card, but you’ll be able to work while you find more information about your system.
Configuring Your Monitor
To begin monitor configuration, select the Monitor button at the top of the display, as shown in the next figure. You’ll need to know the specs for your monitor and supply the appropriate range for horizontal and vertical refresh rates. If you don’t know them, you’ll need to pick one of the options listed. Note that it’s very important that you supply the correct options for your monitor. Using incorrect refresh rates will overdrive your monitor, possibly wrecking it. This is more of an issue with non-multisync–type monitors. If you have your monitor manual, you should enter the settings yourself by hand.
This is the configuration screen for your video card. Note that you can assign multiple settings by clicking the Card List button and picking your card.
Laptop monitors can be especially tricky. Newer laptops might work without problems using standard 640×480, 800×600, or 1024×768 modes. (Select the resolution that matches your laptop’s display.) Some laptops, on the other hand, might exhibit display problems. On my laptop I have been unable to find the proper setting, so when I boot into X-Windows, my screen dances. My fix for a number of years has been to switch between monitor output options (internal and external), and that somehow fixes the problem for the session.
Monitor resolution selects the refresh rates your monitor is capable of supporting. Overclocking a refresh rate will kill a monitor.
Selecting Resolutions
To begin resolution configuration, select the Modeselection button at the top of the display. You’ll see the screen shown in the next figure. Depending on the amount of video RAM your video card has, it might be possible to specify various resolutions and color settings. By default, X-Windows will use the biggest resolution the card can handle. In some environments, this means enabling a virtual screen in which the screen drops off the right and bottom edges. Moving the cursor to the right or bottom edges scrolls what you see. To me, this sort of setting is disturbing, so I specify settings that match what my monitor can do.
The color depth selection is activated by the four buttons at the bottom of the panel: 8 bpp (bits per pixel) will yield 256 colors, 16bpp will yield 32768 colors, and 24 and 32bpp will yield 65535 and millions of colors, respectively. Note that not all video cards will support all display depths.
The Modeselection panel allows you to set the resolutions you want to use on your monitor along with the default color depth.
Other Configurations
The Other configuration has to do with options for switching resolutions and exiting the X server (see the following figure). The Ctrl+Alt+Numeric Pad plus (+) and minus (-) keys allow you to switch between different display resolutions on the fly. The Ctrl+Alt+Backspace sequence is used to exit immediately from the X server. If you boot into X Windows and cannot read the screen, Ctrl+Alt+Backspace will take you back to the command prompt. You might need to do this once or twice before you get your configuration right.
The Other configuration panel allows you to set options regarding switching resolutions and exiting X-Windows.
Finishing the Configuration
When you click Done to exit the XF86Setup program, XF86Setup will prompt you to make sure you’re done setting up your system. If you select OK, XF86Setup will try to start your card-specific X server using the settings you specified for your monitor and video card. If your settings appear normal, you are done. If your screen is scrunched up and your monitor geometry buttons don’t correct the problem, you might need to use xvidtune, a program that will fine-tune the video rates. Xvidtune is a potentially dangerous program and should be used only if you cannot adjust the picture using your monitor’s controls.
If your settings are correct, you should see a black-and-white mesh as the background for your screen and a window without any title bars that aligns with the top-left corners of the screen. If this is correct, click Save the configuration and exit button. Your system will now boot into multiuser mode and is ready for use.
Congratulations! Now that you’ve installed and configured Caldera OpenLinux, turn to Chapter 1, “The First Login on the KDE Desktop” to get started using your new OS.
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