linux operations and administration chapter fourteen planning for a linux installation
TRANSCRIPT
Linux Operations and Administration
Chapter FourteenPlanning for a Linux Installation
Linux Operations and Administration
Objectives
• Identify the hardware components in a Linux computer
• Develop a preinstallation checklist
• Use an automated method to install openSUSE
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
Microprocessors (CPUs) (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
Microprocessors (CPUs) (cont’d.)
• 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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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)
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Linux Operations and Administration
Storage Devices (cont’d.)
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Table 14-1 Long-term storage devices
Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.)
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Table 14-2 Video adapter card formats
Linux Operations and Administration
Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
Video Adapter Cards (cont’d.)
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Table 14-3 Video card drivers
Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.)
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Table 14-4 The openSUSE preinstallation checklist for hardware
Linux Operations and Administration
Developing a Preinstallation Checklist (cont’d.)
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Table 14-5 openSUSE preinstallation checklist for software
Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.)
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Figure 14-1 The System window© Cengage Learning 2013
Linux Operations and Administration
Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.)
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Figure 14-2 Checking disk space© Cengage Learning 2013
Linux Operations and Administration
Gathering Hardware Information in Windows (cont’d.)
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Figure 14-3 The Screen Resolution dialog box© Cengage Learning 2013
Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
Partitioning (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
Partitioning (cont’d.)
• 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 Operations and Administration
Partitioning (cont’d.)
• 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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Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
Automating an OpenSUSE Installation (cont’d.)
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Figure 14-4 The YaST Configuration window© Cengage Learning 2013
Linux Operations and Administration
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>
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Linux Operations and Administration
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. <!-- ADD YOUR RESOURCE CONFIGURATION COMPONENTS HERE -->
8.
9. </profile>
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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
Using Auto-Installation (cont’d.)
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Figure 14-5 Specifying an NFS server in the Startup Options window© Cengage Learning 2013
Linux Operations and Administration
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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Linux Operations and Administration
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
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Linux Operations and Administration
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