Chapter 4. Installing Red Hat Linux 6.2

Once you have finished this chapter, you will have completed a full installation of Red Hat Linux 6.2.

If you need information about performing an upgrade, please refer to Chapter 5 for those instructions.

Continuing the Installation

You usually install Red Hat Linux on a clean disk partition or set of partitions, or over another installation of Linux.

	Warning
	Installing Red Hat Linux over another installation of Linux (including Red Hat Linux) does not preserve any information (files or data) from a prior installation. Make sure you save any important files! If you are worried about saving the current data on your existing system (without making a backup on your own), you should consider performing an upgrade instead (see Chapter 5).

In choosing a full installation, you must also choose the class of the installation. Your options include: Cluster Server or Custom.

Warning

Do not choose this method if you're sharing a disk with Windows NT; if you do, you will be unable to boot Windows NT. LILO will write over NT's boot loader and you will be unable to boot NT. You must perform a custom-class installation and configure LILO so that it is not installed on the Master Boot Record (MBR).

To create a dual-boot environment on a system that currently has NT, you must install LILO on the first sector of the root partition, not the MBR. Please be sure to create a boot disk. In a case such as this, you will either need to use the boot disk, or configure the NT system loader to boot LILO from the first sector of the root partition. Be sure to check out http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/Linux+NT-Loader.html for more information on setting up LILO and NT.

	Warning
	A cluster server-class installation will erase all partitions (both Linux and non-Linux) from every one of your computer's hard drive(s).

The custom-class installation allows you the most flexibility during your installation. The workstation-class and server-class installations automatically go through the installation process for you and omit certain steps. During a custom-class installation, it is up to you how disk space should be partitioned. You have complete control over the packages that will be installed on your system. You can also determine whether you'll use LILO (the LInux LOader) to boot your system. Unless you have prior Linux experience, you should not select the custom-class installation method.

If you would like to know what steps are omitted by not performing a custom-class installation please refer to the section called Behind the Scenes of a Custom-Class Installation in Chapter 2.