Preparing for a Network Installation

If you are performing a network installation and have booted from a boot disk with the bootnet.img image, the Configure TCP/IP dialog appears; for an explanation of this dialog, go to the Section called Network Configuration, and then return here.

Setting Up the Server

Because the Red Hat Linux 7.3 installation program is capable of installing Red Hat Linux from multiple CD-ROMs, if you intend to support NFS, FTP, or HTTP installations you must copy the RedHat directory from each CD-ROM comprising Red Hat Linux 7.3 onto a disk drive:

Insert CD-ROM 1 and execute the following commands:
- mount /mnt/cdrom
- cp -var /mnt/cdrom/RedHat /location/of/disk/space
  Where /location/of/disk/space is a directory you create such as /export/7.3/.
- umount /mnt/cdrom
Insert CD-ROM 2 and execute the following commands:
- mount /mnt/cdrom
- cp -var /mnt/cdrom/RedHat /location/of/disk/space
  Where /location/of/disk/space is a directory you create such as /export/7.3/.
- umount /mnt/cdrom
Next, make /location/of/disk/space accessible to the installation program (for example, exporting it for NFS installations) by editing the /etc/exports file and adding the line:
/location/of/disk/space *(ro)
Finally, run the following command to make /location/of/disk/space available as read-only to each system to mount:
/sbin/service nfs reload

If you are not sure how to do this, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide and the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide for more information.

Using ISO Images for NFS Installs

NFS installations can use ISO (or CD-ROM) images rather than copying an entire installation tree. After placing the required ISO images (the binary Red Hat Linux CD-ROMs) in a directory, choose to install via NFS. You will then point the installation program at that directory to perform the installation.

Verifying that the ISO images are intact before you attempt an installation will help to avoid problems that are often encountered during an NFS installation. To verify the ISO images are intact prior to performing an installation, use an md5sum program (many md5sum programs are available for various operating systems). An md5sum program should be available on the same server as the ISO images.

Note

ISO images now have an md5sum embedded in them. To test the checksum integrity of an ISO image, at the installation boot prompt, type:

boot: linux mediacheck

Additionally, if a file called updates.img exists in the directory from which you install, then it will be used for Anaconda updates. Refer to the file install-methods.txt in the anaconda RPM package for detailed information on the various ways to install Red Hat Linux, as well as how to apply Anaconda updates.