Installing via FTP

# 3. Installing via FTP

Contents of this section

You have two ways you can ``FTP'' install your system. If you have an Ethernet card and are connected to the Internet, you can download just the three boot images and start installing via the network. If you are not directly on the Internet, but you do have access to an account from which you can FTP the distribution, you can download everything to a DOS or ext2 partition and install from there.

There are inherent problems associated with an FTP install, however. The biggest of these is that many FTP servers are very busy and timeouts can occur that the install can't deal with well. You should try and find a server that isn't loaded heavily and try to use off peak times for your install. Also try and use servers located close to your own site. Be prepared for a retry or two before everything works smoothly.

## 3.1 Getting the Boot Images

FTP to one of the above sites and cd to the `current` directory. You will see several directories, but the only ones you are concerned with are `RedHat` and `images`. You may also need to get some of the files in the `dos` directory if you are doing this from DOS.

First you will need to get a boot image. To do that, `cd` into the `images/1213` directory and get the `image.txt` file. Exit FTP (or just escape back), read the `image.txt` file and choose a hardware configuration. Then return to your FTP session and download the corresponding boot image (`bootXXXX.img`).

Next go to the `images` directory and download both `ramdisk1.img` and `ramdisk2.img`.

You should now have the following:

    bootXXXX.img
    ramdisk1.img
    ramdisk2.img

## 3.2 Making Your Boot and Ramdisks

To make the images under Linux, you should use `dd` as follows:

> `

>     dd of=/dev/fd0 if=ramdisk1.img
>     [swap floppy disks and label]
>     dd of=/dev/fd0 if=ramdisk2.img
>     [swap floppy disks and label]
>     dd of=/dev/fd0 if=bootXXXX.img

> `

Existing Linux users may also want to download and run the `savesetup.pl` Perl script after writing the boot floppy. It saves a number of TCP/IP parameters and XFree86 configuration to the boot floppy for use during the installation. To use it, mount your boot floppy disk somewhere, and run:

> `

>     savesetup.pl [mountpoint]

> `

Under DOS, you need to run `rawrite.exe` to make the disks. You can FTP this utility from the `dos` directory of the FTP site. Put it somewhere in your path. You can then run `rawrite` and tell it what file to write and which drive to write to. Do this for all three floppies labelling them as you go.

## 3.3 Installing Directly from the Internet

If you have an Ethernet card and are on the network, you can now do the install via the network. The only things you need are the three floppy disks you just created in the previous step.

Note that this method of install will NOT work via PPP or SLIP -- you must have a direct ethernet connection to the Internet. If you want to install via PPP or SLIP, you will have to first do a minimal install as described in the next section ``Installing from a spare partition''. Once up, you can use PPP or SLIP from Linux to download additional packages.

Just boot the boot disk and insert the ramdisks as prompted. Hopefully your Ethernet card was detected at boot time. If not, you may have picked the wrong boot image for your hardware or you may need to specify hardware parameters at the `LILO` prompt.

Once your machine has booted and your hardware has been detected, continue by answering the normal questions and then by saying you want to do an FTP install. At that point, pick a site close to you (or choose ``custom'' and enter a FTP site and directory from the `MIRRORS` file) and you should be off! Your install should run from there just like any other install.

## 3.4 Installing from a Spare Partition

If your only access to the Internet for your target machine is via PPP or SLIP or even Zmodem or Kermit, you can download Red Hat Linux to a DOS or ext2 partition and install it from there. It isn't the fastest way, but it can be done.

The basic steps are as follows:

- Get the boot and ramdisk images and make floppies
- Set up a directory structure on your DOS or ext2 drive
- Download the series file and decide which series you need
- Download all the proper RPMs
- Download the contents of the `base` directory
- Boot the floppies and install

### Boot and Ramdisk Floppies

Create the boot and ramdisk floppies as described above in the ``Getting the Boot Images'' section.

### Make the Directory Structure

At the ``root'' of your DOS or ext2 drive or partition, make a directory called `RedHat`. Then `cd` in there and make an `RPMS` directory and a `base` directory. Note that for a DOS drive, the capitalization of the `RedHat` is insignificant.

### Download the Series File and RPM Packages

From the FTP site, download the `RedHat/base/series` file and place it in your local `RedHat/base` directory. It will look something like:

> `

>     0

>     1 Base
>     MAKEDEV
>     SysVinit
>     adduser
>     at
>     bash
>     bdflush
>     cpio
>     crontabs
>     dev
>     e2fsprogs
>     ed
>     etcskel
>     file
>     fileutils
>     findutils
>     gawk
>     getty_ps
>     gpm
>     .
>     .
>     end

> `

This shows you most of the ``base'' series.

The `series` file describes all the series, and which packages they contain. The first line in each series contains a number and the name of the series; you can ignore the number. The series ends with the keyword ``end''. Everything inbetween is an RPM name.

For each series that you want you need to download all of the corresponding RPMs. It may not hurt to leave some RPMs out, but we highly recommend that you get all the RPMs for each series you select. At a minimum, you should get all the packages in the ``base'' series.

There is a directory `RedHat/sets` which contains subdirectories for each series in the series file. In each subdirectory there are symbolic links to the actual packages in `RedHat/RPMS`. This can be used for two benefits. One, you can download an entire series by going to the proper directory and getting everything in it, and two, if you are installing from DOS the filenames will fit the DOS 8.3 convention. The installation scripts do not care what the rpm package filenames are -- so you don't have to worry about them being called `package.031` and so on.

With this setup, you can easily download everything you need to make a complete series. Just download everything in each subdirectory that you want into your `RedHat/RPMS` directory on your local hard drive. Note: When you are done, all your RPM files should be in the `RedHat/RPMS` directory.

In addition, if you will be installing the X Window System, you will need to get an XFree86 server package corresponding to your video hardware. These packages are:

> `

>     XFree86-8514            XFree86-P9000
>     XFree86-AGX             XFree86-S3
>     XFree86-Mach32          XFree86-SVGA
>     XFree86-Mach64          XFree86-VGA16
>     XFree86-Mach8           XFree86-W32
>     XFree86-Mono

> `

### Downloading the Final Pieces

Change into the `RedHat/base` directory that you created earlier and download `RedHat/base/fsstnd.cgz` and `RedHat/base/skeleton.cgz` to that directory.

You should now be ready to install! You may now skip ahead to the ``Continuing the Install'' section.

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