Chapter 1. Introduction
Welcome to the Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide. This manual will walk you through a typical workstation-class[1] installation of Red Hat Linux. Once you have completed the installation as outlined in this manual, you will have a fully functioning Red Hat Linux desktop system.
Throughout this manual, you will find the following symbols:
 | Tip |
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Suggestions for installation options and post installation configurations. |
 | Please Note |
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Additional information that you may find to be helpful during your installation. |
 | Caution |
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Notes that certain choices or configurations could cause problems with your system setup. Please read the text carefully before continuing with the installation. |
 | Warning |
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Explains that changes will occur to your current system, such as the removal of existing data. Read carefully to determine if the choice you are making is in your best interest. |
How to Use This Manual
This manual, focusing on a workstation-class installation, is ideal for users new to Red Hat Linux and for those who want a quick and simple installation solution. It will help you prepare your system for the installation, walk you through the installation, and assist you in the configuration of your Red Hat Linux system.
For those of you who need to perform a server-[2] or a custom-class[3] installation, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide on the Documentation CD.
| Please Note |
|---|---|
If you currently use Red Hat Linux 3.0.3 (or greater), you can perform an upgrade. Skim Chapter 3 to review the basics, then read Chapter 5, following the directions as you go. Once you have chosen to perform an upgrade in the installation program, refer to Appendix A. |
If you are an experienced user who wants to perform a workstation-class installation, but do not need a review of the basics, you can skip ahead to Chapter 5 to begin the installation process.
| Tip |
|---|---|
Refer to the Red Hat Frequently Asked Questions for answers to questions and problems that may occur before, during or after the installation. You'll find the FAQ online at: |
We Need Feedback!
If you spot a typo in the Installation Guide, or if you've thought of a way to make this manual better, we'd love to hear from you! Be sure to mention the manual's identifier:
Inst(EN)-7.0-HTML-RHI (2000-07-18T15:39-0400) |
That way we'll know exactly which version of the guide you have.
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If you have a suggestion for improving the documentation, try to be as specific as possible when describing it. If you've found an error, please include the section number and some of the surrounding text so we can find it easily. We may not be able to respond to every message sent to us, but you can be sure that we'll be reading them all!
If you have a support question (for example, if you need help configuring X, or if you aren't sure how to partition you hard drive[s]), please register your product at www.redhat.com/now and use the online support system for those type of requests.