2. Installation Notes

Note

To learn how to install Fedora, refer to http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/. If you encounter a problem or have a question during installation that is not covered in these release notes, refer to http://www.fedoraproject.org/wiki/FAQ and http://www.fedoraproject.org/wiki/Bugs/Common.

Anaconda is the name of the Fedora installer. This section outlines issues related to anaconda and installing Fedora 11.

2.1. Installation in Text Mode

Note

We recommend that you use the graphical installer to install Fedora on your computer wherever possible. If you are installing Fedora on a system that lacks a graphical display, consider performing the installation over a VNC connection (see "Chapter 12. Installing Through VNC" in the Fedora 11 Installation Guide). If your system has a graphical display, but graphical installation fails, try booting with the xdriver=vesa option (see "Chapter 9. Boot Options" in the Fedora 11 Installation Guide) or with the Install system with basic video driver option when booting from the Fedora 11 Distro DVD.

The text-mode installation option in Fedora 11 is significantly more streamlined than it was in earlier versions. Text-mode installation now omits the more complicated steps that were previously part of the process, and provides you with an uncluttered and straightforward experience.

These steps are now automated in text mode:

Package selection: Anaconda now automatically selects packages only from the base and core groups. These packages are sufficient to ensure that the system is operational at the end of the installation process, ready to install updates and new packages.
Advanced partitioning: Anaconda still presents you with the initial screen from previous versions that allows you to specify where anaconda should install Fedora on your system. You can choose to use a whole drive, to remove existing Linux partitions, or to use the free space on the drive. However, anaconda now automatically sets the layout of the partitions and does not ask you to add or delete partitions or file systems from this basic layout. If you require a customized layout at installation time, you should perform a graphical installation over a VNC connection or a kickstart installation. More advanced options yet, such as logical volume management (LVM), encrypted filesystems, and resizable filesystems are still only available only in graphical mode and kickstart.
Bootloader configuration: Anaconda now performs bootloader configuration automatically.

2.1.1. Kickstart Installations in Text Mode

Text-mode installations using kickstart are carried out in the same way that they were in previous versions. However, because package selection, advanced partitioning, and bootloader configuration are now automated in text mode, anaconda cannot prompt you for information that it requires during these steps. You must therefore ensure that the kickstart file includes the packaging, partitioning, and bootloader configurations. If any of this information is missing, anaconda will exit with an error message.