144 Part II Installation

Review of a Linux Installation

I have covered the steps for both GUI and text-based Linux installations. You must complete some general tasks during both of these installations, the first of which is to prepare for the installation. This preparation includes the following tasks: Make a list, and determine which resources you need, which packages you need to supply the software, and which system configuration that you want to use during installation.

See Chapter 4 for more information on preparing to install Linux.

After the preparation is complete, the installation can begin — but first, you must complete a series of general tasks.

Installation media

First, you must select the source of the installation files, which include CD-ROM, local hard drive, diskette, or Network Server — and is determined for each individual installation. The CD-ROM version is used for most Linux distributions because the Linux system does not have to be connected to the network, which provides an added layer of security. Network installations require an NIC that is supported by Linux, a network connection, and server resources to supply the installation files.

Initial selections

Second, you select the customization of the language, keyboard, and mouse — decisions that affect the rest of the installation.

Installation type or class

Third, select the type of installation class. In some environments, a workstation, server, or laptop installation will work, but usually the custom installation class is the best option because it will allow only the required services to be installed. This choice creates not only a customized system, but also a system that is often more secure than any of the other installation classes.

Disk partitioning and formatting

Fourth, configure the hard drive for use by Linux. This is a complicated step because even though many tools are available to aid you in this task, you will only truly benefit from pre-planning and experience. The common tool used in this step is fdisk, which is included in almost every major distribution. Other tools include

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Disk Druid, and third party tools, such as Partition Magic, which can be used to create the partitions required for Linux. After you have selected one of these tools, you have basically two more selections to make — the file systems to use and the partitions to create. The most popular file system may be ext2, but the ReiserFS is gaining ground due to its journaling capabilities because of this reason, this is the file system that I recommend. The creation of partitions (or slices for UNIX/BSD users) is truly according to the preferences of the installer because only one partition is required. Although configuring a disk is a challenging task, the tools are getting much better and can sometimes perform most tasks automatically.

Installing LILO

Fifth, the installation of a boot loader is usually necessary for most systems. LILO is a standard boot loader for Linux (although you may encounter security issues); GRUB is the GNU project counterpart. Boot loaders not only boot the system, but they also allow the system to possibly boot other operating systems. LILO can also be installed to only a diskette and thus render a system non-bootable unless the diskette is present. This possibility can provide local security for the system because without the diskette — which can be locked in a safe or stored off-site — the system won’t boot.

Network configuration

Sixth, configure Linux networking. During installation, the system is usually configured for some basic networking, which can include modem use or access, terminal connections, LAN or WAN connections, and many others. Broadband connections and devices are also becoming basic networking options.

User accounts

Seventh, create user accounts with passwords that conform to good password practices. That is, create a password with a minimum of eight characters and also use a mixture of alpha, numeric, and special characters. This rule holds especially true for the root user account because this is the most privileged account on the system.

Authentication methods

Eighth, create authentication methods that protect the passwords; good security practice suggests enabling both MD5 and shadow passwords. MD5 enables encrypted passwords to be used, and shadow passwords prevent all users from reading the encrypted passwords (in other words, the shadow password file is only readable by the root user).