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\begin{center}
{\huge Installing Linux-Athena -- SIPB Installer} \\
{\Large Redhat 6.2/Athena 8.4\footnote{If a machine is left up overnight,
with no one logged in, it should automatically update itself
to Redhat 7.1/Athena 9.0.  If you want your machine to take this
update immediately. you can run ``{\tt /etc/athena/update\_ws 9.0}''.}}
\end{center}

You may have used the Linux-Athena workstations deployed in many
Athena clusters around campus.  These workstations are installed by an
installer distributed by Information Systems.  Since it makes a lot of
assumptions about the ethernet card and video hardware, it won't work
on a workstation whose hardware configuration isn't exactly like that
of the cluster machines.

The SIPB installer, documented here, is designed to install the same
software as is deployed in the clusters, onto any hardware that RedHat
Linux supports.  It should produce a workstation capable of auto-updating,
and which is fully supported by Information Systems.

This is a substantial change from previous versions of Linux-Athena.
Loosely speaking, previous versions of Linux-Athena strived to produce
a system resembling RedHat Linux, with Athena functionality added. By
comparison, this version chooses the Athena way of doing things, when
there is conflict between the Athena way and the RedHat way.

Before you begin the install, you should make sure that your system is
prepared to run Linux and that you have all the information you will
need to do the install:

\begin{ourenum}

\item We urge you to become familiar with how the end product of this
install should behave, before you begin.  Read the 
Private Workstation Owner's Guide at
\href{http://web.mit.edu/olh/Private/Private.html}{\tt
http://web.mit.edu/olh/Private/Private.html}.

\item Install a supported Ethernet card. The list of cards which
Information Systems recommends can be found at
\href{http://web.mit.edu/is/desktop/pcether.html}{\tt
http://web.mit.edu/is/desktop/pcether.html}. You can find a list of
other cards that will work with Linux in
\href{http://web.mit.edu/linux/docs/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO}{\tt
/mit/linux/docs/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO}.

\item Get a hostname and an IP address. Look at
\href{http://rcc.mit.edu}{\tt http://rcc.mit.edu/} for more
information, including forms which you can use to submit a request for
your IP address.\footnote{MIT Departments (and only departments) can
call x3-1104. Students on Resnet should use the web page.}

\item Partition your disk for Linux. Partitioning breaks you disk up
into pieces, each of which has a specific use. We suggest two to four
partitions:
\begin{description}
\item[{\tt /}] The root partition, where most files will be places. It
should 2 gigabytes or larger.

\item[swap] The swap partition gives your machine additional memory
space. Swap plus real memory should be at least 150Mb. Twice real
memory is another rule of thumb.

\item[{\tt /boot}] The boot partition is where the most basic parts of
the OS will be installed (the kernel). The kernel much be in the first
8Gb of your disk. If your root partition goes outside the first 8Gb of
your disk, you should use a 20Mb boot partition, placed within the
first 8Gb, to make sure the kernel is in the right place.

\item[{\tt /usr/vice/cache}] This is the AFS cache. If possible it
should be on a seperate 100Mb partition, to make sure that there is
always space available to it.
\end{description}

Partitioning will generally require you to repartition your drive in
order to have free space. You can do this at install time, if you
don't mind losing whatever else is on your drive. If you'd like to
keep an existing install, you might want to try using FIPS, which can
be found at \href{http://www.igd.fhg.de/~aschaefe/fips/}{\tt
http://www.igd.fhg.de/$\sim$aschaefe/fips/}, to shrink your partition.
Do be sure, however to make a backup of whatever you want to keep,
before changing partition sizes or installing linux.

\item Find out the following information about your computer (You
can find this information by physically looking in your machine or by
looking at your DOS/Windows configuration):
\begin{itemize}
\item Type and configuration of your ethernet card.
\item Type and configuration of SCSI card (if you have one).
\item Type of video card (including the chipset), amount of video
memory, and monitor information (including available resolutions and
horizontal and vertical sync range). It may help to have your monitor
and video card manuals on hand.
\item Type of mouse and how it is connected to your computer.
\end{itemize}

\end{ourenum}

After reading through the documentation, you are ready to begin
installing Linux on your system.  Don't worry, it is a lot easier than
it seems.  We recommend the following basic outline:

\begin{ourenum}
\item Create your boot disk.  
From any Athena workstation, make a boot floppy by running
\begin{verbatim}
    add linux
    linux-install-floppy
\end{verbatim}

\item Boot your machine with the boot disk you have prepared. If it
boots successfully, you will be presented with the RedHat Install
screen.

When prompted, select ``NFS install'', and provide the install program
with the information you looked up prior to beginning the install.

You'll need to provide your IP address, but installer should make a
reasonable guess at the correct netmask and network addresses.  For most
people on MITnet, the following table should help you cross check these:

\begin{tabular}{|l|r|r|r|}
\hline
Parameter & Form & Example & Yours\\
\hline
IP Address & {\tt 18.b.c.d} & {\tt 18.20.0.153} & {\tt 18.\_\_\_\_.\_\_\_\_.\_\_\_\_}\\
Netmask & {\tt 255.255.0.0} & {\tt 255.255.0.0} & {\tt 255.255.0.0}\\
Network & {\tt 18.b.0.0} & {\tt 18.20.0.0} & {\tt 18.\_\_\_\_.0.0}\\
Broadcast & {\tt 18.b.255.255} & {\tt 18.20.255.255} & {\tt 18.\_\_\_\_.255.255}\\
Gateway & {\tt 18.b.0.1}       & {\tt 18.20.0.1} & {\tt 18.\_\_\_\_.0.1}\\
\hline
\end{tabular}

\vspace{3mm}
These are site specific configurations that should also be provided by the installer:
\begin{itemize}
\item Nameserver: {\tt 18.70.0.160}
\item NFS Server: {\tt sipb-nfs.mit.edu}
\item Path to RedHat directory: {\tt /u3/is-linux/redhat-6.2}
\end{itemize}

\item
You've now reached the point at which the installer will spend some time
downloading the heavily customized second stage installer (up until now,
you've been exclusively using stock RedHat).

If it can figure out enough about your video hardware, it should start
the X based installer.  If not, it'll fall back to the text mode one
(if it doesn't do this correctly for you, you can force the installer
to run in text mode, by starting over, and typing {\tt text} at the very
first prompt that you are given, when the system boots).

\item One of the questions you'll be asked about is if you want to
register your workstation with Information Systems. To learn more
about this option, take a look at
\href{http://web.mit.edu/acs/min-std-athena.html}{\tt
http://web.mit.edu/acs/min-std-athena.html}.

If you choose to let the installer register you, it'll simply send mail
similar to the mail that the web form would send, so if you prefer to
use the web form, feel free.
If you've already registered from the hostname that you're using, you don't
need to register it a second time.  Running {\tt hesinfo {\it hostname} cluster}
will check for hesiod information associated with your hostname.  If you've
already registered, it'll say something like
\begin{verbatim}
    syscontrol control/control-8.4 8.4
    sysprefix /afs/athena.mit.edu/system/rhlinux
    syscontrol control/control-8.3 8.3
    syscontrol control/control-9.0 9.0
\end{verbatim}
(this takes a few hours to update, so don't expect to see it right away).

Even if you would prefer that your workstation not take updates
automatically, we still recommend that you register, since it'll make
taking updates manually a lot easier.  You can easily disable auto-update
later,\footnote{Edit {\tt /etc/athena/rc.conf}} but the install process assumes that the workstation will take
its first update automatically.

\item Using the default configuration, the install process takes about
an hour on MITnet.  (It will take longer from off-campus ILGs and
houses with a cable-modem connection to the Internet.)

\item After rebooting you should have a system equivalent to a public
Athena workstation. Much of the maintenance of this system will be
Athena-specific, rather than Linux-specific, so even if you've
maintained a Linux workstation before, we encourage you to look at the
Private Workstation Owner's Guide at
\href{http://web.mit.edu/olh/Private/Private.html}{\tt
http://web.mit.edu/olh/Private/Private.html}.

% fixme this repeats stuff from earlier

\end{ourenum}

If you have any questions about the install process, or running
Linux-Athena, you can stop by the SIPB office (W20-557, x3-7788), or
send e-mail to {\tt linux-help@mit.edu}.
Bugs in Linux-Athena should be reported using {\tt sendbug}, while bugs
about the install process can be reported to {\tt linux-dev@mit.edu}.

You should subscribe to the Linux-Athena announcements mailing list,
{\tt linux-announce},
if you are not already subscribed,
To do so, type:
\begin{verbatim}
    blanche linux-announce -a $USER
\end{verbatim}

\vfill
{\noindent\it This document is \verb!$Revision: 1.42 $!. Last modified
\verb!$Date: 2002/03/24 04:10:11 $!}.

\end{document}
