Книга: Fedora™ Unleashed, 2008 edition

Installing Using a Network

Installing Using a Network

Fedora can be installed from a local network (or even over the Internet if you have broad band access). You need access to a web, FTP, or NFS server hosting the installation pack ages. To boot to a network install, use the bootable CD-ROM created with the boot.iso boot image as described previously, or the Fedora DVD included with this book. Boot your PC with the boot floppy or, if you use CD-ROM, type linux askmethod at the boot prompt. Follow the prompts, and you will be asked to choose the type of network installation.

To install from an FTP location, select the network IP address assignment for your target PC, such as DHCP, or manually enter an IP address along with optional gateway IP

address and nameserver addresses. You are then asked for the FTP site name. You can enter the name or IP address of a remote FTP server hosting the Fedora release. The name of the remote directory depends on where the Fedora install files are located on the remote server.

Using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to install Fedora requires access to an FTP server (see Chapter 20, "Remote File Serving with FTP," to see how to set up a server and use FTP). You have to know the hostname or IP address of the server, along with the path (directory) holding the Fedora software. One way to prepare a server to host installs is to follow these steps:

1. Create a directory named Fedora under the FTP server's pub directory. The directory is usually /var/ftp/pub on a Linux server.

2. Create a directory named base and a directory named RPMS underneath the Fedora directory.

3. Copy or download all RPM packages included with Fedora into the pub/Fedora/RPMS directory.

4. Copy all original base files (comps.rpm, comps.xml, hdlist, hdlist2, hdstg2.img, netstg2.img, stage2.img, TRANS.TBL) from the DVD's base directory into the pub/Fedora/base directory.

Using this approach, enter pub when asked for the name of the remote directory holding the Fedora install software.

Installing Fedora from a remotely mounted Network File System (NFS) is similar to a hard drive installation, but requires access to an NFS server. You need access permission, a permitted IP address or hostname for your computer, the hostname or IP address of the NFS server, and the path to the Fedora software. See Chapter 14, "Networking," for more information about NFS and network addressing.

To install Fedora with HTTP, you need the hostname or IP address of the remote web server, along with the directory containing Fedora's software. See Chapter 17, "Apache Web Server Management," to see how to set up a web server.

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