Installing Linux over a network

Background

Typically RHEL and CentOS require multiple CD's to install.  Although DVD install images are available, its often easier to download several CD images and burn them to physical disks than bother with DVD images.  Indeed, DVD images are typically larger than 2 GBytes which is too large to download easily under various conditions.

However once you have the CD's, there are cases where you want to collapse the files into a single image for enabling network installs (FTP, NFS, HTTP).

Installing Linux - askmethod HTTP

• Prepare a server with install files

  Typically this is done by copying the first CD to a shared folder on a server. Note the Server folder contained on the first CD. Then copy only the files in the Server folder of the other CD's to the same Server folder of the first CD.

• Installation

  You will still need at least the first physical install CD to start the installation process.

  After booting from install media, at the boot prompt type: linux askmethod text

  Be sure to remove your install media before hitting return, otherwise installer may detect you physical media and ignore your network install request. After several prompts for configuring you network it allow you to select HTTP.

  When ask type in only the raw URL, often you may use a direct IP address like 192.168.0.10, then for the Server folder name just provide the path to the first CD files.