getting started with linux: novell’s guide to comptia’s linux+ (course 3060) section 1 linux...

Getting Started with Linux: Novell’s Guide to CompTIA’s

Linux+ (Course 3060)

Section 1Linux Basics and SLES 9 Installation

Getting Started with Linux: Novell’s Guide to CompTIA’s Linux+ (Course 3060) 2

Objectives

• The History of Linux

• Understand the Multiuser Environment

• Identify the Components of SLES 9

• Perform a Simple Installation of SLES 9

• Document Installation, Configuration, and Baseline System Performance


The History of Linux

• Linux is closely related to the UNIX operating system

• To understand the history of Linux, you need to know the following:– The Historical Development of UNIX– The Development of Linux– Differences Between SUSE Linux and SUSE Linux

Enterprise Server


The Historical Development of UNIX

• At the end of the 1960s, most operating systems were only designed for batch operations– Programs in punch cards or perforated strips– Debugging was inefficient

• MULTICS allowed you to work in a dialog with the computer– Strongly influenced by the batch operation– Was difficult to operate– In 1969, Ken Thompson (MULTICS developer)

began creating an operating system that aimed to provide a high functionality and structural simplicity


The Historical Development of UNIX (continued)

• First version of UNIX was written in Assembler• UNIX was rewritten in 1971 in C• The system spread quickly

– Bell Laboratories provided documentation and the source code of UNIX to universities almost at cost

– Simple operation – Almost unlimited availability of the source code– Relative portability motivated many users and

companies to become actively engaged in its development

• Functionalities were very quickly added to UNIX and it reached a very high level of maturity


The Historical Development of UNIX (continued)

• A series of commercial UNIX derivatives were developed

• BSD UNIX (Berkeley Software Distribution, 1978)• In 1983, AT&T began marketing UNIX SystemV

– They proclaimed SystemV as “the” UNIX standard– Licensing changed considerably

• Quarrels between UNIX vendors prevented a standardization of the UNIX family

• Modern UNIX operating systems can be separated as either more SystemV or more BSD types

• Linux tries to combine the best of both worlds


The Development of Linux

• 1991: Linus Torvalds, a Finnish student, developed a rudimentary kernel that he passed on as a source text to others who were interested via the Internet

• Source code was made available with the GPL• Linux rapidly developed into a project involving

many people• The development of the system’s core (Linux

kernel) is still coordinated by Linus Torvalds– The functions of the kernel include I/O control,

device control, process management, and file management


The Development of Linux (continued)

• Other system components are maintained by other people or groups

• There are two current versions of development:– A stable version, identified by an even number after

the first dot– Developer versions, identified by an odd number

• Linux distributions are based on the even-numbered versions– They often provide current development kernels,

which, under certain circumstances, are needed for the integration of new hardware components


The Development of Linux (continued)

• Because Linux is written in C, it is available for many different hardware platforms, including:– i386: 32 bit– Intel/AMD: 64 bit– PowerPC (Macintosh, RS/6000)– SPARC (Sun)– IBM pSeries– IBM zSeries (S/390)– Embedded


Differences Between SUSE Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

• SLES is based on SUSE Linux Professional– The Professional distribution is intensely tested and

security and stability is improved

• SLES contains some features that will be made available in future versions of SUSE Professional

• SLES 9 has fewer packages than the Professional distribution

• SLES has a guaranteed life cycle of 5 years– Only the SLES product is certified by independent

hardware and software vendors


Differences Between SUSE Linux and SLES (continued)


Understand the Multiuser Environment

• Unix has:– Multiuser capability– Multitasking capability (preemptive multitasking)

• Truly simultaneous processing is only possible in a multiprocessor system

• Managing resources and granting access to processes is a complex task– Deadlock could occur– Multithreading is an extension of multitasking and

helps solve this problem


Understand the Multiuser Environment (continued)


Understand the Multiuser Environment (continued)

• In multithreading, a number of parts independent from one another (threads) can be produced within a process– Increases the level of parallel processes with each

thread needing to be administered, which makes the use of a multiprocessor system more valuable

• A program exists only once in the system

• Several processes can perform the same program

• If a number of users are active, both programs and processes can be used independently


Identify the Components of SLES 9

• SLES 9 has several new and improved features– Updated Core System with Latest Versions/Features

of All Packages– New and Improved YaST Modules– Next Generation Linux Kernel 2.6.5– Improved High Availability Support– Full Enablement and Support of UTF-8– Inclusion of Red Carpet Enterprise Daemon– New Type of Installation Source: SLP– POSIX-Compliant, High-Performance Threads

Support (NPTL)


Updated Core System with Latest Versions/Features of All Packages

• Updated core system features and versions:– SUSE Linux kernel (version 2.6.5)– Main C library (glibc 2.3.3)– GNU compiler collection (GCC 3.3.3)– XFree X11 graphical user interface (XFree 4.3.99)– KDE Desktop Environment (3.2.1)– GNOME Desktop Environment (2.4.2)– File, print, and other services for Windows (Samba

3.0.4)– Apache Web server version 2.x (Apache 2.0.49)– Domain name server (BIND 9.2.3)


New and Improved YaST Modules

• YaST is the installation and administration tool for SLES 9

• Includes the following improvements:– New YaST license (GPL)– New and improved installation methods (NFS,

HTTP, FTP, VNC, SSH, and SLP)– New and improved configuration modules (such as

DNS)


Next Generation Linux Kernel 2.6.5

• Linux kernel 2.6.5 includes several improvements over the 2.4.x kernel versions, such as:– Performance– Improved hyper threading and NUMA support– Full enablement and support of UTF-8– Better support of big SMP (symmetric

multiprocessing) systems– Fine granular locking to boost parallel execution– Multiple kernel tuning parameters (I/O scheduler)– Scalability


Next Generation Linux Kernel 2.6.5 (continued)

• Improvements (continued):– Support for more than 64 CPUs– Support for thousands of devices and disks– Improved block I/O layer– Improved network stack: IPv6, IPSEC, Mobile IPv6– Hotplug support (SCSI, USB, Firewire, PCI, and CPU)– Persistent device names and unified device handling– Class-based kernel resource management (CKRM)– ACPI improvements (such as suspend to disk/RAM)– Infiniband support (high-speed serial computer bus)


Improved High Availability Support

• The following are high availability supported features:– Cluster volume manager (EVMS)– Cluster IP alias– “Lustre” cluster file system


Full Enablement and Support of UTF-8

• SLES 9 supports Asian characters and fonts with UTF-8 support– Includes translations and commercial fonts


Inclusion of Red Carpet Enterprise Daemon

• SLES 9 includes the Red Carpet daemon


New Type of Installation Source: SLP

• SLES 9 now supports a Service Location Protocol (SLP) installation source– Can send an SLP request for service install.suse to

the network and prompt you to select an entry from the list of returned URLs


POSIX-Compliant, High-Performance Threads Support (NPTL)

• SLES 9 features a new thread implementation called NPTL– Faster and better than the old implementation (called

linuxthreads)


Perform a Simple Installation of SLES 9

• The process of installing the SLES 9 can be divided into the following steps:– Pre-Installation Requirements and Guidelines– Installation Options– Basic Installation– Manual Software Selection– Configuration


Pre-Installation Requirements and Guidelines

• Minimum system requirements for operation:– 256 MB RAM– 500 MB hard disk space for software– 500 MB hard disk space for user data

• Recommended system requirements:– 512 MB to 3 GB RAM, at least 256 MB per CPU– 4 GB hard disk space– Network interface (Ethernet or modem)


Pre-Installation Requirements and Guidelines (continued)

• Before installing SLES 9, you should consider:– Hardware compatibility

• Some laptop HW may not be compatible with SLES 9• www.novell.com/partnerguide/section/481.html

– File system types• Choice depends on particular needs and requirements

– Partitioning scheme• Plan for the appropriate partitions and sizes

– Software package selection– Dual-boot system

• It is often better to install SLES 9 first


Installation Options

• Boot your computer from the SLES 9 DVD


Installation Options (continued)


Installation Options (continued)

• Select the installation option you want to use or wait for the installation program to choose one automatically (Tab key stops countdown)– Boot from Hard Disk (default)– Installation– Installation - ACPI Disabled– Installation - Safe Settings– Manual Installation– Rescue System– Memory Test

• Press Enter: The installation program YaST starts


Basic Installation

• Read and accept the License Agreement

• Select the language (see Figure 1-4) to be used during the installation process; then select Accept

• If Linux is already installed on your computer, the dialog box shown in Figure 1-5 appears– In this dialog box, select one of the options; OK

• YaST displays the information shown in Figure 1-6 and makes suggestions for the installation– Change a setting (if needed) and then click Accept

• Confirm your settings again; select Yes, Install


Basic Installation (continued)



• System• Mode• Keyboard layout• Mouse• Partitioning• Software• Booting• Time zone• Language• Default Runlevel


Manual Software Selection

• To install software that is not included in the default installation, select the Change Software


Manual Software Selection (continued)



Filter by:•Selections•Package Groups•Search•Installation Summary



• Installation state of each package:



•Once your selection is complete, select Accept–A dialog box might indicate that the dependencies between the packages cannot be resolved and that some other packages need to be installed, too–If you are installing SLES from CDs, a warning appears if the wrong CD is in the drive


Configuration

• During the configuration phase of the installation, you configure the following:– Root Password– Network Devices– Services– Users– Hardware


Configuration: Root Password

Warnings appear if the selected password is too simple


Configuration: Network Devices


Configuration: Network Devices (continued)


Configuration: Services


Configuration: Users


Configuration: Users (continued)


Configuration: Users (continued)

For security reasons, option should not be selected


Configuration: Hardware


Exercise 1-1 Install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9

• The purpose of this exercise is to guide you through an installation of SLES 9

• A working installation of SLES 9 is basic to all further exercises

• When choosing a password– Use an insecure password (such as novell) only for

the purpose of training– Choose a more secure password on a live system

• This time skip the updates; you should install the updates on production systems


Document Installation, Configuration, and Baseline System Performance

• Documentation installation decisions, configuration options, and baseline performance

• If there is no company policy to follow you might want to keep it in a binder near the machine itself– A copy of it should be kept at another place, so that

the documentation is not destroyed in a disaster

• Documentation makes it easier to add new systems, to troubleshoot most problems, and to optimize system and network performance


Document Installations and Maintenance

• For each computer, you should document:– HW specifications for the computer Linux is installed

on– Installation sources– Installation options you used– Installed packages– Services configured during installation– TCP/IP assignment– Network settings– Who performed the installation and when


Document Installations and Maintenance (continued)

• Documentation should reflect maintenance procedures:– Upgrades to or maintenance of hardware– Packages that are added, removed, or updated– Changes made to the configuration of services– Changes made to TCP/IP assignments– Changes made to network settings– The order of steps used in the procedure– Who performed the maintenance procedure and

when– Tools that were used to facilitate the procedure


Document Installations and Maintenance (continued)

• If maintenance is performed in response to a complaint, document:– Information about the user or customer– The date the problem was reported– A brief description of the problem– A detailed description of the problem– Steps taken to resolve the issue (even those that did

not work)– Who resolved the issue and when– Confirmation from the customer that the problem is

resolved


Document Configuration Changes

• Details regarding configuration changes must include a history of the following:– Operating system distributions and version numbers– Software configuration changes– Software version numbers– Hardware configuration changes– Hardware brand names and version numbers– System behavior before the change and system

behavior after the change


Document System Baseline Performance

• Baseline performance is established by:– Regularly analyzing the performance of a healthy

system during normal operating hours

• Then you can analyze system’s performance stats and compare them with the baseline stats– This tells you if the system is performing poorly and

how far from the baseline it is– It tells you which specific components of the system

are having a problem

• Command-line utilities that you can use to analyze system performance include top, free and vmstat


Summary

• Linux is an advanced multiuser and multitasking operating system developed by Linus Torvalds

• The Linux source code is protected under GPL; it can be publicly developed and distributed

• One of the most prominent Linux distributions is SUSE Linux

• Before installing SLES 9, you should verify that your computer hardware meets minimum installation requirements


Summary (continued)

• The SLES 9 installation process involves selecting a language, verifying hardware information, choosing software packages, and selecting a hard disk partitioning scheme

• You should document all hardware, software, configuration settings, and baseline performance of your Linux system immediately following installation for use in future troubleshooting and maintenance

getting started with linux: novell’s guide to comptia’s linux+ (course 3060) section 1 linux...

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