Installation guide

Chapter 2. Steps to Get You Started 7
2.5.1. 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 Enterprise 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
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program has the ability to test the integrity of the installation
media. It works with the CD, DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. Red Hat recom-
mends that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting
any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned CDs).
To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt (prepend with elilo for Itanium
systems):
linux mediacheck
Additionally, if a file called updates.img exists in the directory from which you install, then it will
be used for installation program updates. Refer to the file install-methods.txt in the anaconda
RPM package for detailed information on the various ways to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, as
well as how to apply the installation program updates.
Note
You can only have the ISO images for one release and one variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux in the
directory.
2.6. Preparing for a Hard Drive Installation
Note
Hard drive installations only work from ext2, ext3, or FAT file systems. If you have a file system other
than those listed here, such as reiserfs, you will not be able to perform a hard drive installation.
Hard drive installations require the use of the ISO (or CD-ROM) images. An ISO image is a file
containing an exact copy of a CD-ROM image. Because Red Hat Enterprise Linux has so many
packages included with its distribution, there are several ISO images available. After placing the
required ISO images (the binary Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROMs) in a directory, choose to install
from the hard drive. You can then point the installation program at that directory to perform the
installation.