Re: Installing via Network without a CD (was Re: Disk Druid - Fedora flame #1)

From: Aleksandar Milivojevic (amilivojevic_at_pbl.ca)
Date: 01/25/05

  • Next message: David Cary Hart: "Re: HELP resolv.conf is erased" 
    Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 09:54:42 -0600
To: tim@birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie, For users of Fedora Core releases <fedora-list@redhat.com>

    Timothy Murphy wrote:
    > But how do I transfer anything to the hard disk without removing the CD?

    Jumping late into this thread, so this my not apply to your case.

    Burn either boot or rescue CD (my preference is rescue). Boot from it.
      On boot prompt (on the first fedora splash screen, as soon as CD
    boots), type "linux askmethod" and press <enter> key. As soon as it
    asks you for language, you can remove CD drive. You are not going to
    need it anymore (haven't actaully tested it all the to the end, but I
    got to disk partitioning part). Answer the language question, than
    keyboard type, and from where do you want to install. If you want to
    install from network, choose one of FTP, HTTP, and/or NFS, depending on
    where is your install server. It'll ask you to configure IP address of
    your network interface and so on. If you don't have local install
    server, choose HTTP (or FTP) and point it to one of Fedora mirrors.
    When it asks you, for directory enter path to directory that contains
    top of Fedora tree, for example /pub/fedora/linux/core/3/i386/os if
    using download.fedora.redhat.com.

    If you plug network card after Anaconda started, there's possibility
    you'll need to load drivers for it manually. Hmmm... not sure, but
    there might be option you can pass on boot prompt to force loading of a
    driver even if device isn't present at boot time. Maybe somebody else
    can jump-in here.

    If your laptop (I guess it is laptop, you mentioned PCMCIA stuff)
    supports booting off USB, instead of burning rescue CD, you can transfer
    diskboot.img from images directory onto USB memory device (USB memory
    key, or some kind of memory card such as compact flash if you have USB
    reader for it) and boot from it. You do not need CD. The procedure
    from there on is the same as when booting off rescue CD. I've tried
    this out several times, and it works like charm. And you bypassed all
    those problems with removing CD drive. If your laptop supports booting
    off USB, and you don't have USB memory key, consider borrowing or buying
    it. Buying is investment all right, but the smaller ones are kind of
    cheap these days, and you'll probably have use for it even after the
    install is done.

    If it doesn't support booting off USB, check if there are any BIOS
    updates for your laptop. There is (very small and unlikely, but there's
    still hope) possibility that booting off USB was added at some point in
    time.

    If your laptop can boot directly off network using PXE, there's also
    pxeboot directory with kernel and initrd images that can be placed on
    boot server. I never attempted this kind of booting, and therefore
    can't help you how to setup boot server (maybe somebody else from the
    list could, or maybe there's some kind of HOWTO, I'd be also interested
    in trying it out).

    So, you have several options listed above. Go and play ;-) 

    -- 
Aleksandar Milivojevic <amilivojevic@pbl.ca>    Pollard Banknote Limited
Systems Administrator                           1499 Buffalo Place
Tel: (204) 474-2323 ext 276                     Winnipeg, MB  R3T 1L7
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  • Next message: David Cary Hart: "Re: HELP resolv.conf is erased"

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