Introducing UNIX and Linux

Installing Linux

Overview
Starting out
Preliminaries
      Collecting information about your system
      Installation options
Single boot
Dual boot
      Booting from CD/floppy
      Booting from your hard disk
      A partitionless install
      A dedicated Linux partition
Emulators
      VMware
      WINE
Installing Linux
      Installer software
      Linux partitioning
            Typical partitions
            User accounts
      LILO
The window manager
KDE
      Desktop help
      Applications
      The KDE Control Center
      File access and the command prompt
Summary

Linux partitioning

Disk partitions allow the hard drive on your computer to be sectioned into a number of different areas. This is useful as it allows programs to be stored separately from data and it allows multiple operating systems to be resident on the same disk.

If you are used to a Windows system then you will be familiar with the alphabetic labelling of your disk drives. The labels A: and B: are reserved for floppy disk drives. If you have two hard disks, which is true of many computers these days, then you will find that C: and D: are normally used as labels for the first primary partitions of each of these drives. If your two hard drives are sub-partitioned then these would follow the lettering E: for the second partition on the first drive and F: for the second partition on the second drive. When accessing files under Windows you specify the drive, directory and filename.

Linux uses a style of disk partitioning that differs from the Windows equivalent. The names given to Linux partitions are derived from the type of the drive, the drive letter and the partition number. This leads to some slightly obscure names such as hda1, for example. However, the equivalent of typing 'dir C:\' in DOS is to type 'ls /' in Linux. The relationship between the directory name (e.g. /) and the partition which forms the associated storage area (e.g. hda1) is set up through the mounting process.

When selecting a Linux distribution you should choose a version of Linux that provides nondestructive disk partitioning during installation, otherwise you will have to use the destructive application called FDISK.

If you do go for this latter option, then before installing Linux you should back up your hard disk as you will not be able to recover your files after it has been run. Once you have backed up your hard disk, it is worth running scandisk to correct any disk errors that might be present. It also makes sense to run the Windows defrag program, which tidies up the data stored on your disk, if you want to create a separate partition for your Linux installation.

If you opt for a Linux distribution that provides disk partitioning - and this should be your preferred option - then you will be taken step-by-step through the automated process of disk partitions and mounting.