Web Server Administration
Chapter 3
Installing the Server
2
Overview
■ Prepare the server for system installation
■ Understand the installation process
■ Install Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, and Red Hat Linux 8
■ Examine basic Linux commands
■ Configure TCP/IP
3
Prepare the Server for Installation
■ A typical installation is from CD
■ For Windows 2000, you can boot from a floppy for network installation
■ For Linux, you can install from the network or even using FTP
■ Production systems use a single-boot system meaning only one OS is on a computer
■ You can put all described OSs on a single computer which is a multi-boot
4
Checking Hardware Compatibility
■ Typically you have fewer problems if you are using hardware designed for a server from major manufacturers
■ IDE drives are always compatible
■ Make sure that you have the latest drivers for SCSI and RAID controllers
■ With video adapters and NICs, it is best to use ones from major vendors
5
Checking Hardware Compatibility
■ You can have problems if you
■ Put a system together yourself with the latest or off-brand NICs, video adapters, and RAID
controllers
■ Try to upgrade an OS on old servers because they sometimes have specialized hardware that is not supported anymore
■ For Windows OSs
■ www.microsoft.com/hwdg
■ For Red Hat Linux
■ www.redhat.com/support/hardware
6
System Documentation
■ Should be detailed enough for
inexperienced network administrator
■ System documentation is an ongoing process
■ Changes occur over the life of the server
■ These changes need to be documented
7
System Documentation
■ Need compatibility information
■ Hardware information
■ Server manufacturer, including model information
■ Processor type and speed
■ Amount of RAM
■ Drive interface – RAID, SCSI, IDE
■ Hard disk – size, manufacturer, and model
■ NIC manufacturer and model
8
System Documentation
■ System information
■ Partition information – number and sizes
■ OS version installed
■ Latest software patches
■ Extra drivers needed
■ URLs for latest drivers
9
System Documentation
■ Steps for installation including options chosen
■ Keep documentation, CDs, drivers in a binder
■ Know support details
■ Who to call
■ Contract phone number
■ Type of support contract
■ Expiration of contract
10
The Installation Process
■ The Setup program will ask you about your system
■ You need to know the answers to these questions before you start
■ Many of the questions are common to all operating systems
11
The Installation Process- Partitioning the Hard Disk
■ A partition is a logical division of the hard disk
■ A system boots from the primary partition
■ You can create an extended partition
■ Gives you more logical drives in Windows
■ Gives you more Linux partitions
■ It is best to isolate the operating system from applications
■ If the application partition fills and the operating system is on the same partition, the OS stops
12
The Installation Process
■ Six partitions are used for Linux by default
■ / (root partition)
■ swap (used for virtual memory)
■ /boot (boot files – small)
■ /usr (shared files and programs)
■ /home (user files and programs)
■ /var (Web site, FTP, log files)
■ Just / and swap are required
13
Managing Multiple Operating Systems on a Single Computer
■ Useful for development purposes
■ Best to start with unpartitioned hard disk
■ Create one partition for each Windows OS
■ Allow Linux to create default partitions
■ Install Windows first, then Linux
■ Linux installation then produces a menu to select Windows
14
The Installation Process- Naming Computers
■ Identify a computer on the network
■ Windows communicates the computer name to other computers on the subnet so it should be unique
■ Name of computer is not related to how the computer is recognized on the Internet
■ In Linux, the hostname can exist on more than computer, it only uses IP addresses for communication
15
The Installation Process- Licensing
■ Describes how the software can be used
■ For Windows 2000, Microsoft assumes that you have the correct number of client access licenses
■ For Windows Server 2003, each installation must be activated by Microsoft
■ Linux is basically free but there may be a cost for packaging, support, and extras
■ Based on the GNU general public license
■ Red Hat has personal, professional, and Advanced Server options
16
The Installation Process- Selecting a File System
■ A file system determines how files are stored on a hard disk
■ Windows has two file systems
■ FAT is based on the original DOS file system and has no security
■ NTFS has security which is critical for a server
■ The default user file system in Red Hat Linux 8 is ext3, which offers some performance
improvements over ext2
17
Windows 2000 Server Installation
■ Requires a 25-character product key
■ In a production environment where you are connected to the Internet, you will get an IP address from your ISP
■ Although a 2 to 3 GB partition is enough, you may want more
■ Use NTFS
■ As setup installs the networking components, do not wander away otherwise it will accept the default IP settings which you do not want
18
Windows Server 2003 Installation
■ The procedures for installing Web,
Standard, and Enterprise editions are the same
■ Installation is simpler than previous versions of Windows
■ Only essential information such as
computer name, licensing, password, IP address, and domain membership are requested
19
Linux 8 Installation
■ As is true with Windows, you can generally accept the defaults
■ Remember to select Server as the Installation Type
■ This gives you a list of packages that are appropriate for a server environment
■ Remember to select "No firewall"
■ This makes it easier to configure and test your own firewall (Chapter 10)
20
Basic Linux Concepts
■ No drive letters
■ The root is /
■ To use a floppy or CD-ROM, the device must be mounted
■ mount /mnt/floppy
■ mount /mnt/cdrom
■ Now you can copy files between your hard drive and /mnt/floppy
■ When you double-click the CD-ROM or Floppy icon on the desktop, the device is automatically mounted
■ Before you remove the floppy, you have to unmount it to flush the file buffer, if you copied files to it
■ umount /mnt/floppy
21
Shell Prompt
■ Most work is done at the shell prompt which is the command-line interface
■ ls – list files
■ ls /mnt/floppy to see contents of floppy
■ cd – change directory
■ cd /mnt/floppy
■ mkdir – create a directory
■ mkdir /mnt/floppy/test
22
Shell Prompt
■ rmdir – remove a directory
■ rmdir /mnt/floppy/test
■ mv – move or rename a file
■ mv /etc/ftpaccess /var/ftp/ftpaccess
■ cp – copy a file
■ cp var/ftp/ftpaccess /mnt/floppy
■ locate – find a file
■ locate ftpaccess
■ kedit <filename> - start editing a file
■ kedit /var/ftp/ftpaccess
23
Kedit Text Editor
■ The Kedit text editor is similar to Windows
Notepad
■ Note that the positioning of the icons is basically the same as
Notepad
24
Configuring TCP/IP in Windows
■ To determine TCP/IP configuration, type ipconfig at a command prompt
25
To Change the IP Address in Windows
■ From the Local Area Status dialog box, click Properties
■ Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), then click Properties
■ Now you can change the IP address
■ The Advanced button allows you to add multiple IP addresses for a single NIC
26
Configuring TCP/IP in Linux
■ To determine TCP/IP configuration, type ifconfig at a shell prompt
■ The IP address is on the third line
27
To Change the IP Address in Linux
■ In System Settings, click Network
■ Click the Edit button
■ Now you can change the IP address
■ Click OK, then Apply, and Close to save the changes
28
Summary
■ Windows and Linux installations share the task of creating partitions
■ The same computer can have multiple operating systems
■ Windows server operating systems are
licensed based on the edition and the number of users
■ Linux licensing is based on the GNU general public license
29
Summary
■ Microsoft and Linux have improved their ability to recognize devices
■ There are many useful commands when using the Linux shell prompt