Anaconda is the name of the Fedora Installer. This section outlines those issues that are related to Anaconda (the Fedora Core installation program) and installing Fedora Core 6.
![[Note]](./stylesheet-images/note.png) | Downloading Large Files |
|---|---|
If you intend to download the Fedora Core 6 DVD ISO image, keep
in mind that not all file downloading tools can accommodate
files larger than 2 GiB in size. |
Anaconda tests the integrity of
installation media by default. This function works with the CD, DVD,
hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. The Fedora Project
recommends that you test all installation media before starting the
installation process, and before reporting any installation-related
bugs. Many of the bugs reported are actually due to
improperly-burned CDs. To use this test, type linux
mediacheck at the
boot: prompt presented at the start
of installation.
The mediacheck function is highly sensitive, and
may report some usable discs as faulty. This result is often caused
by disc writing software that does not include padding when creating
discs from ISO files. For best results with
mediacheck, boot with the following option:
linux ide=nodma
After you complete the mediacheck function
successfully, reboot to return DMA mode to its normal state. On many
systems this results in a faster installation process from disc. You
may skip the mediacheck option when rebooting.
Use the sha1sum utility to verify discs before
carrying out an installation. This test accurately identifies discs
that are not valid or identical to the ISO image files.
![[Important]](./stylesheet-images/important.png) | BitTorrent Automatically Verifies File Integrity |
|---|---|
If you use BitTorrent, any files you
download are automatically validated. If your file completes
downloading, you do not need to check it. Once you burn your CD,
however, you should still use |
You may perform memory testing before you install Fedora Core by
entering memtest86 at the
boot: prompt. This option runs the
Memtest86 standalone memory testing
software in place of Anaconda.
Memtest86 memory testing continues until
the Esc key is pressed.
| Memtest86 Availability |
|---|---|
You must boot from Installation Disc 1 or a rescue CD in order to use this feature. |
Fedora Core 6 supports graphical FTP and HTTP installations.
However, the installer image must either fit in RAM or appear on
local storage such as Installation Disc 1. Therefore, only systems
with more than 192MiB of RAM, or which boot from Installation Disc
1, can use the graphical installer. Systems with 192MiB RAM or less
fall back to using the text-based installer automatically. If you
prefer to use the text-based installer, type linux
text at the boot:
prompt.
Anaconda now features the ability to install packages from Fedora Extras or any custom
yum-compatible software repository. Fedora Extras is available by default on interactive installs with network connectivity.
| Yum Repository Support |
|---|---|
Only HTTP and FTP repositories are supported; repositories on CDs or NFS are not currently supported. |
You can now use the installer to generate a Live CD for Kadischi. Refer to http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Kadischi/ for more details.
Anaconda uses SquashFS to compress and store packages on images.
Anaconda now supports installation using IPv6.
Anaconda now supports installation from FireWire and USB storage devices.
Anaconda's backend,
yum, has been updated to 2.9.x.The installer provides enhanced support for the ppc64 architecture.
The installer now supports Apple Macintosh systems with Intel processors.
The installer now supports multipathing.
Vera fonts are retired and replaced by DejaVu as default for the installer.
The installer is now translated in Greek, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Oriya.
Three new kickstart keywords have been
added.
repo --name=<repoid> [--baseurl=<url>|--mirrorlist=<url>repospecifies additional package repositories to use for installation.baseurlspecifies the URL for the repository, whilemirrorlistspecifies a list of mirrors. One and only one of these options may be specified per repository definition.services [--disabled=<list>] [--enabled=<list>]servicesmodifies the default set of services that are started in the default runlevel.enabledanddisabledtake comma-separated lists, withenabledservices taking priority.user --name=<username> [--groups=<list>] [--homedir=<homedir>] [--password=<password>] [--iscrypted] [--shell=<shell>] [--uid=<uid>]usercreates a new user with the specified parameters.nameis required; all other parameters are optional.
More documentation on kickstart is
available in the anaconda package. To install
it, run the command su -c 'yum install
anaconda' and read the
/usr/share/doc/anaconda*/kickstart-docs.txt
file for more information.
Some Sony VAIO notebook systems may experience problems installing Fedora Core from CD-ROM. If this happens, restart the installation process and add the following option to the boot command line:
pci=off ide1=0x180,0x386
Installation should proceed normally, and any devices not detected are configured the first time Fedora Core is booted.
Not all IDE RAID controllers are supported. If your RAID
controller is not yet supported by dmraid, you
may combine drives into RAID arrays by configuring Linux
software RAID. For supported controllers, configure the RAID
functions in the computer BIOS.
Some servers with multiple network interfaces may not assign
eth0 to the first network interface as
BIOS knows it, which can cause the installer to try using a
different network interface than was used by PXE. To change this
behavior, use the following in
pxelinux.cfg/* config files:
IPAPPEND 2 APPEND ksdevice=bootif
The configuration options above cause the installer to use the same network interface as BIOS and PXE use. You can also use the following option:
ksdevice=link
This option causes the installer to use the first network device it finds that is linked to a network switch.
Refer to http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/DistributionUpgrades for detailed recommended procedures for upgrading Fedora.
In general, fresh installations are recommended over upgrades, particularly for systems that include software from third-party repositories. Third-party packages remaining from a previous installation may not work as expected on an upgraded Fedora system. If you decide to perform an upgrade anyway, the following information may be helpful:
Before you upgrade, back up the system completely. In particular, preserve
/etc,/home, and possibly/optand/usr/localif customized packages are installed there. You may wish to use a multi-boot approach with a "clone" of the old installation on alternate partition(s) as a fallback. In that case, create alternate boot media such as a GRUB boot floppy.
| System Configuration Backups |
|---|---|
Backups of configurations in |
After you complete the upgrade, run the following command:
rpm -qa --last > RPMS_by_Install_Time.txt
Inspect the end of the output for packages that pre-date the upgrade. Remove or upgrade those packages from third-party repositories, or otherwise deal with them as necessary.