|
Level 2 support is basically an extension of what the CC does now. If there are problems with your system and you need help, then you can request help from the Computer Center and we will help you as time permits. Specific subdirectories of /group may be mounted with approval, however, /home will not be mounted on your system. Additionally, the user will maintain the root password but the Computer Center will automatically apply security-related Linux updates and patches.
Before you can install Linux on your machine, you will need to obtain a bootable installation CD from the helpdesk. You can drop by any time they're open and request one.
If you're comfortable with burning your own CDROMs, you can also download and install the latest ISO image. We don't support this method, but it is convenient if you already know what you're doing and don't want to make a special trip to the helpdesk just to pick up a CDROM you could make at your desktop.
The latest ISO image can be found here.
In order to install the current version of Linux, you will need to create a floppy containing the configuration information for the new system. To do this:
/site/CC/linux/mkdisk --hostname your_hostname \
--cuelevel 2
--class desktop
Where it says your_hostname, just put in the short name
of the machine you're going to install. For example, if this will be
jlabtest1.jlab.org, then you'd use "--hostname jlabtest1" without the
.jlab.org part.
The "--class" and "--cuelevel" options may deserve some explanation. "--cuelevel" specifies what level of a CUE supported machine you want to build. There are two valid options, "1" or "2". These instructions show you how to build a CUE Level 2 machine. The "--class" option specifies what sort of machine you want to build. You can actually build a few different kinds of machines, but you will almost always want to specify "--class desktop". This installs Linux in a configuration suitable for desktop use, with GNOME and KDE GUI desktops and a long list of preinstalled applications. You may occasionally want to build with "--class server", which installs a very stripped-down version of Linux suitable for creating a single-purpose server without a lot of extra stuff you won't need.
If you have already have Windows installed and want to configure this machine to boot either Windows or Linux, you can use the "--dualboot" option to mkdisk. This is something else we don't officially support, but provide because some people like it. You'll need to repartition your hard drive to take some room away from Windows and allocate it for Linux, and this is a tricky proposition. If you don't know exactly what you're doing, CONTACT THE HELPDESK BEFORE TRYING TO DUAL BOOT YOUR MACHINE.
Once you run the program with the correct options, you will be asked to supply a root password for the machine. Actually, you'll be asked to type it twice, just to make sure you didn't make a typo. Then the script will prompt you to insert a blank, formatted floppy disk and to press RETURN to continue. If you want, you can abort the procedure at this time by pressing CTRL-C. Otherwise, press RETURN to create your configuration floppy.
That was a long winded explanation, but it's really easy in practice. Here's an example for building a new Level 2 machine called "jlabtest1.jlab.org".
/site/CC/linux/mkdisk --hostname jlabtest1 --cue 2 --class desktop
Once the floppy disk has been created, insert the bootable CD into the system's CDROM drive and the configuration floppy into the floppy drive of the system you are installing Linux onto and reboot the system.
This document is maintained by {helpdesk@jlab.org}
Copyright Jefferson Lab 2007