2.5. Can You Install Using the CD-ROM?

2.5.1. Alternative Boot Methods

If you choose to create a boot CD-ROM, it is not necessary to create a driver diskette.

If you cannot boot from the CD-ROM drive, the following alternative boot method is available:

	Note
	USB Diskette Drive — You can also boot the installation program using a boot diskette in a USB diskette drive (if your system supports booting from a USB diskette drive).

2.5.2. Making an Installation Boot CD-ROM

isolinux (not available for Itanium systems) is used for booting the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation CD. To create your own CD-ROM to boot the installation program, use the following instructions:

Copy the isolinux/ directory from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1 into a temporary directory (referred to here as <path-to-workspace>) using the following command:

cp -r <path-to-cd>/isolinux/ <path-to-workspace>

Change directories to the <path-to-workspace> directory you have created:

cd <path-to-workspace>

Make sure the files you have copied have appropriate permissions:

chmod u+w isolinux/*

Finally, issue the following command to create the ISO image file:

mkisofs -o file.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot \ 
-boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -R -J -v -T isolinux/

	Note
	The above command was split into two lines for printing purposes only. When you execute this command, be sure to type it as a single command, all on the same line.

Burn the resulting ISO image (named file.iso and located in <path-to-workspace>) to a CD-ROM as you normally would.

2.5.3. Making an Installation Boot Diskette

isolinux (not available for Itanium systems) is used for booting the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation CD. If you have problems booting from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD, you can write the images/bootdisk.img image to a diskette.

You may need to create a diskette from an image file; for example, you may need to use updated diskette images obtained from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux errata page:

http://www.redhat.com/apps/support/errata/

An image file contains an exact copy (or image) of a diskette's contents. Since a diskette contains file system information in addition to the data contained in files, the contents of the image file are not usable until they have been written to a diskette.

For x86 and AMD64 systems: You need a blank, formatted, high-density (1.44MB), 3.5-inch diskette and access to a computer with a 3.5-inch diskette drive.

For Itanium systems: You need an LS-120 diskette and an LS-120 diskette drive.

The computer must be able to run either an MS-DOS program or the dd utility found on most Linux-like operating systems.

The images/ directory on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1 contains boot images. Once you have selected the proper image (bootdisk.img), transfer the image file onto a diskette using one of the following methods.

2.5.3.1. Using the rawrite Utility

To make a diskette using MS-DOS, use the rawrite utility included on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1 in the dosutils/ directory. First, label a blank, formatted diskette appropriately (such as Boot Disk or Updates Disk). Insert it into the diskette drive. Then, use the following commands (assuming your CD-ROM is drive D:):

C:\> d: D:\> cd \dosutils D:\dosutils> rawrite Enter disk image source file name: ..\images\bootdisk.img Enter target diskette drive: a: Please insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press --ENTER-- : [Enter] D:\dosutils>

First, rawrite asks you for the file name of a diskette image; enter the directory and name of the image to write (for example, ..\images\bootdisk.img). Then rawrite asks for a diskette drive to write the image to; enter a:. Finally, rawrite asks for confirmation that a formatted diskette is in the drive you have selected. After pressing [Enter] to confirm, rawrite copies the image file onto the diskette. To make another diskette, label that diskette, and run rawrite again, specifying the appropriate image file.

	Note
	The rawrite utility only accepts 8.3-type file names, such as filename.img[2]. If you download an update image from http://www.redhat.com/ named something similar to update-anaconda-03292002.img, you must rename it as updates.img before you run rawrite.

dd if=bootdisk.img of=/dev/fd0 bs=1440k