Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Please refer to the license in Section C.4, “GNU General Public License”.

Abstract

This document contains installation instructions for the Debian GNU/Linux "sarge" system, for the S/390 (“s390”) architecture. It also contains pointers to more information and information on how to make the most of your new Debian system.


Table of Contents

Installing Debian GNU/Linux "sarge" For s390
1. Welcome to Debian
1.1. What is Debian?
1.2. What is GNU/Linux?
1.3. What is Debian GNU/Linux?
1.4. Getting Debian
1.5. Getting the Newest Version of This Document
1.6. Organization of This Document
1.7. About Copyrights and Software Licenses
2. System Requirements
2.1. Supported Hardware
2.1.1. Supported Architectures
2.1.2. S/390 and zSeries machine types
2.1.3. Multiple Processors
2.2. Installation Media
2.2.1. CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
2.2.2. Hard Disk
2.2.3. Network
2.2.4. Un*x or GNU system
2.2.5. Supported Storage Systems
2.3. Peripherals and Other Hardware
2.4. Memory and Disk Space Requirements
2.5. Network Connectivity Hardware
3. Before Installing Debian GNU/Linux
3.1. Overview of the Installation Process
3.2. Back Up Your Existing Data!
3.3. Information You Will Need
3.3.1. Documentation
3.3.2. Finding Sources of Hardware Information
3.3.3. Hardware Compatibility
3.3.4. Network Settings
3.4. Meeting Minimum Hardware Requirements
3.5. Pre-Partitioning for Multi-Boot Systems
3.6. Pre-Installation Hardware and Operating System Setup
3.6.1. BIOS Setup
3.6.2. Native and LPAR installations
3.6.3. Installation as a VM guest
3.6.4. Setting up an installation server
3.6.5. Hardware Issues to Watch Out For
4. Obtaining System Installation Media
4.1. Official Debian GNU/Linux CD-ROM Sets
4.2. Downloading Files from Debian Mirrors
4.2.1. Where to Find Installation Images
4.3. Creating an IPL tape
4.4. Automatic Installation
4.4.1. debian-installer
5. Booting the Installation System
5.1. Booting the Installer on S/390
5.1.1. s390 Limitations
5.1.2. s390 Boot Parameters
5.2. Boot Parameters
5.2.1. Debian Installer Parameters
5.3. Troubleshooting the Install Process
5.3.1. Floppy Disk Reliability
5.3.2. Boot Configuration
5.3.3. Interpreting the Kernel Startup Messages
5.3.4. Bug Reporter
5.3.5. Submitting Bug Reports
6. Using the Debian Installer
6.1. How the Installer Works
6.2. Components Introduction
6.3. Using Individual Components
6.3.1. Setting up Debian Installer and Hardware Configuration
6.3.2. Partitioning and Mount Point Selection
6.3.3. Installing the Base System
6.3.4. Making Your System Bootable
6.3.5. Finishing the First Stage
6.3.6. Miscellaneous
7. Booting Into Your New Debian System
7.1. The Moment of Truth
7.2. Debian Post-Boot (Base) Configuration
7.2.1. Configuring Your Time Zone
7.2.2. Setting Up Users And Passwords
7.2.3. Configuring APT
7.2.4. Package Installation
7.2.5. Prompts During Software Installation
7.2.6. Configuring Your Mail Transport Agent
7.3. Log In
8. Next Steps and Where to Go From Here
8.1. If You Are New to Unix
8.2. Orienting Yourself to Debian
8.2.1. Debian Packaging System
8.2.2. Application Version Management
8.2.3. Cron Job Management
8.3. Further Reading and Information
8.4. Compiling a New Kernel
8.4.1. Kernel Image Management
A. Partitioning for Debian
A.1. Deciding on Debian Partitions and Sizes
A.2. The Directory Tree
A.3. Recommended Partitioning Scheme
A.4. Device Names in Linux
A.5. Debian Partitioning Programs
B. Installation Howto
C. Random Bits
C.1. Linux Devices
C.1.1. Setting Up Your Mouse
C.2. Disk Space Needed for Tasks
C.3. Installing Debian GNU/Linux from a Unix/Linux System
C.3.1. Getting Started
C.3.2. Install debootstrap
C.3.3. Run debootstrap
C.3.4. Configure The Base System
C.3.5. Install a Kernel
C.3.6. Set up the Boot Loader
C.4. GNU General Public License
C.4.1. Preamble
C.4.2. GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
C.4.3. How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs
D. Administrivia
D.1. About This Document
D.2. Contributing to This Document
D.3. Acknowledgements and Thanks
D.4. Major Contributions
D.5. Trademark Acknowledgement

List of Tables

3.1. Hardware Information Needed for an Install
3.2. Recommended Minimum System Requirements
D.1. Debian-installer Documentation
D.2. Boot-floppies Documentation
D.3. Progeny Documentation
D.4. Translators