| Red Hat Docs > Manuals > Red Hat Linux Manuals > Red Hat Linux 7.1 > |
|
The Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program includes a number of new features. For more information, please refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide.
Swap-related issues — The 2.4 kernel is more aggressive than the 2.2 kernel in its use of swap space. However, as with previous versions of the kernel, the optimal sizing of swap space remains dependent on the following:
The amount of RAM installed
The amount of disk space available for swap
The applications being run
The mix of applications that are run concurrently
No rule-of-thumb can possibly take all these data points into account. However, we recommend the following swap sizes:
Single-user systems with less than 128MB physical RAM: 256MB
Single-user systems and low-end servers with more than 128MB physical RAM: two times physical RAM (2xRAM)
Dedicated servers with more than 512MB physical RAM: highly dependent on environment (must be determined on a case-by-case basis)
While it is certainly possible for systems with specific configurations and application loads to run with less (or even no) swap space, these guidelines attempt to ensure that you will not run out of swap. The old saying certainly applies to swap space:
"It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."
Swap-related issues specific to upgrades — If you are performing a fresh Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation, the sizing of swap partitions is a relatively-straightforward process. However, if you have an older Red Hat Linux system that you wish to upgrade to Red Hat Linux 7.1, please keep in mind that the size of the swap partition(s) you had previously created may no longer be sufficient.
The Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program now examines the available swap space. If insufficient swap space exists, it will configure additional swap space in the form of a swap file. The installation program will do this by asking you to select a partition on which to create a swap file. You will also be asked for the desired size of the new swap file.
 | Note |
|---|---|
In no instance will the Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program create a swap partition or file larger than 2GB. Should your swap requirements exceed this size, you will need to address this after the installation has completed. |
XFree86 4.0.3 — The Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program includes improved test screens and better detection of video memory, doing more than ever to help you get everything correct with a minimum of fuss.
Firewall Configuration — For added security, you can now configure a firewall as part of your system installation. You can choose from two levels of security, as well as choosing which common system services should be allowed or disallowed by default.
Please note that both medium and high firewall settings will cause RPC-based services (such as NIS or NFS) to be blocked, and thus fail.
Hard Drive Installation - ISO images are now required for hard drive installations, making it no longer necessary to copy and install the entire tree. Instead, simply put the required ISO images in a directory. During the hard drive installation, point the Red Hat Linux installation program at that directory. In addition, since Red Hat publishes MD5 checksums for all ISO images, it is now possible to ensure that you are using officially-released software by running the md5sum program against your ISO images, and comparing the checksums against the ones published by Red Hat.
Language Selection — Language selection has been significantly re-vamped. It is now possible to install in one language, but specify that the system, after installation, will operate in another language.
Laptop Installation Class — A new Laptop installation class is available, which enables PCMCIA support by default. It should be detected automatically if your computer has a supported PCMCIA controller.
LBA32 Support — There is now support for the LBA32 option in LILO. This makes it possible to boot from partitions partially or completely above cylinder 1024 (which had been a historical limitation). Note, however, that we have found that not all motherboards support this option, even when the BIOS claims support is available. Therefore, this option is disabled by default. Note also that this option is available ONLY when a partition has been created using fdisk, and that partition is then chosen as the /boot or / partition. The fdisk restriction is necessary as it is not possible to create a bootable partition above cylinder 1024 using Disk Druid.
Disk Druid Improvements — Disk Druid now detects partition table inconsistencies, such as partitions that do not end on cylinder boundaries. This can be caused if the geometry of a hard disk drive is detected differently than when the drive was originally partitioned. In these cases, we recommend that you use the fdisk program to more closely inspect these inconsistencies, or choose to skip the drive entirely.
Graphical Kickstart Configuration — Red Hat Linux 7.1 now provides a graphical interface for creating kickstart configurations, allowing custom, unattended installations to be created with greater ease than ever before.
Improved Rescue Mode — Rescue mode now attempts to mount the filesystems listed in /etc/fstab (assuming the root filesystem can be found). The filesystems are mounted under /mnt/sysimage. This eliminates a very confusing step for users using rescue-mode for the first time.
New Authentication Configuration Security Option — Authentication configuration now includes the ability to use Transport Layer Security (TLS) when performing lookups. TLS allows LDAP clients to use an encrypted connection when performing authentication.
Miscellaneous Installation Program Improvements — Overall, there are many additional tests and checks performed to catch potential problems which previously caused tracebacks (installation program crashes). This should reduce the number of poor out-of-box experiences for newer users.