Changes

The first step on the path to learning about Red Hat Enterprise Linux involves installing the operating system. RHEL can be installed either in a clean disk environment (where an entire disk is cleared of any existing partitions and dedicated entirely to RHEL) or in a dual boot environment where RHEL co-exists with another operating system on the disk (typically a member of the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems). In this chapter we will be covering the clean disk approach to installation. Dual boot installation will be covered in [[Installing RHEL 5 with Windows in Dual Boot Environment]].

Although RHEL is an open source operating system, and as such, the source code is freely downloadable. The pre-built, the binary installation images are only available, however, as part of a paid Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription. In addition to access to the installation images for RHEL, this subscription also provides technical support for the operating system. If you already have a paid subscription, log into your Red Hat account to download the operating system. If you would like to try out RHEL before purchasing, Red Hat provides a 30-day trial. To register for a trial, visit the Red Hat website at [http://www.redhat.com/rhel/details/eval/ http://www.redhat.com/rhel/details/eval/] and complete the registration process.

Having downloaded either DVD or CDROM images, either burn them to disk, configure your virtualization environment to treat them as DVD or CDROM drives or use the steps outlined in [[Performing an RHEL 5 Network Installation ]] to access the installation image over a network.

* '''Remove Linux partitions on selected drives and create default layout''' - If the drive was previously configured to support a Windows/Linux dual boot environment or was devoted entirely to another Linux installation, this option may be selected to instruct the installer to delete the pre-existing Linux partition and replace it with CRHELRHEL, leaving the non-Linux partitions intact. Once again, it is important to backup any user data that may still be needed.

After the system has started for the first time, the RHEL Setup Agent will appear with a welcome message. Click on the Forward button to display licensing information followed by the Firewall settings. By default all ports are closed on the firewall with the exception of the ssh port which allows you to remotely log into the system. The topic of firewall configuration will be covered in more detail in the chapter entitled [[Basic RHEL Firewall Configuration ]] so for now leave the default settings unchanged. Leave SELinux configured as Enforcing to ensure the most secure environment. Choose whether or not to enable Kdump support and then work through the remaining screens to create a user account for yourself and verify the date and time. If you would like the date and time of your RHEL system to be synchronized which with an external Network Time Protocol server, select the Synchronize date and time over network option before proceeding.