Install Path

Please choose whether you would like to perform a full installation or an upgrade (see Figure 4-5 ).

Figure 4-5. Choosing Install or Upgrade

Installing

You usually install Red Hat Linux on a clean disk partition or set of partitions, or over another installation of Linux.

Warning

Installing Red Hat Linux over another installation of Linux (including Red Hat Linux) does not preserve any information (files or data) from a prior installation. Make sure you save any important files! If you are worried about saving the current data on your existing system (without making a backup on your own), you should consider performing an upgrade instead (see the section called Upgrading ).

If you choose to perform a full installation, you must also choose the class of the installation. Your options include: Custom , GNOME Workstation , KDE Workstation , or Server .

Only the custom-class installation allows you complete flexibility. The workstation-class and server-class installations automatically go through the installation process for you and omit certain steps. During a custom-class installation, it is up to you how disk space should be partitioned. You have complete control over the packages that will be installed on your system. You can also determine whether you'll use LILO to boot your system.

If you would like to know what steps are missed by not performing a custom-class installation please refer to the section called Behind the Scenes of a Custom-Class Installation in Chapter 2 .

Workstation-class installations will install the X Window System and the desktop manager of your choice.

Caution

A workstation-class installation will erase all information in all Linux-related partitions from every one of your computer's hard drive(s).

A server-class installation is most appropriate for you if you'd like your system to function as a Linux-based server, and you don't want to heavily customize your system configuration.

Caution

A server-class installation will erase all partitions (both Linux and non-Linux) from every one of your computer's hard drive(s).

Upgrading

The installation process for Red Hat Linux 6.1 includes the ability to upgrade from prior versions of Red Hat Linux (version 2.0 and later) which are based on RPM technology.

Upgrading your system installs the modular 2.2.x kernel as well as updated versions of the packages which are currently installed on your machine. The upgrade process preserves existing configuration files by renaming them using an .rpmsave extension (e.g., sendmail.cf.rpmsave ) and leaves a log of the actions it took in /tmp/upgrade.log . As software evolves, configuration file formats can change, so you should carefully compare your original configuration files to the new files before integrating your changes.

Please Note: Some upgraded packages may require that other packages are also installed for proper operation. The upgrade procedure takes care of these dependencies , but it may need to install additional packages which are not on your existing system.