Install without CD-ROM

[Abhik Das]

How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?

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[Paul Howarth]

On Tue, 2005-02-22 at 23:33 -0800, Abhik Das wrote:
> How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?

If you have two machines networked together, you can NFS-export a
filesystem containing the ISO images using one machine and do an NFS-
based installation on the other machine.

However, how do you intend to boot the installer program? What boot
options do you have since there is no CD-ROM? Can you boot from USB?

Paul.

[Aleksandar Milivojevic]

Abhik Das wrote:
> How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?

I guess you simply want to avoid downloading 2-3GB of ISO images?

You can install over the network directly from Fedora download server or 
any of the mirrors (preffered).  You'll need to burn rescue CD (~80 meg, 
should be fast to download, good thing to have handy anyhow).  Another 
option is to have a machine capable of booting from USB memory device 
(such as "usb keys"), than you can download image similar to floppy 
image, place it onto usb memory device (using dd) and boot from it.

As soon as you get first Fedora splash screen, on boot prompt type 
"linux askmethod".  Boot loader will load the kernel, than Anaconda 
installer will start, and will ask you what installation method you wish 
to use.  It will also ask you to configure your ethernet card (either 
static config or DHCP can be used).  For network installs, you can 
choose between NFS, FTP, and HTTP.  Choose FTP or HTTP (NFS is mostly 
usefull if you have local copy of Fedora install tree exported over NFS) 
and when asked just point it to your favorite Fedora mirror.  For 
example, if Fedora installation tree is located at 
http://foo.bar.com/mirrors/fedora/3/i386/os/, than you would provide 
this to Anaconda:

host: foo.bar.com
    dir:  /mirrors/fedora/3/i386/os

Check http://fedora.redhat.com/ for list of mirror sites, and choose the 
one closest to you.  All of them should have i386 directory somewhere, 
each with os and iso subdirectories.  Installation tree is under os 
subdirectory.

[Gunnar Kramm]

On Wed, Feb 23, 2005 at 08:52:40AM -0600, Aleksandar Milivojevic wrote:
> Abhik Das wrote:
> > How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?
>
> I guess you simply want to avoid downloading 2-3GB of ISO images?

[ snip ]

Actually there is a way you can install Fedora core without a boot CD or a
boot USB device.

First you will need a copy of the boot.iso.
then mount it
(as root)
mount -o loop boot.iso /mnt

Next make a new dir in you /boot directory
mkdir /boot/upgrade

Next copy the contents of /mnt/isolinux to the directory you just created.
cp /mnt/isolinux /boot/upgrade

Finally modify your grub.conf to have to be able to boot from /boot/upgrade/
make it look something like this
title Fedora Core (Upgrade)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /upgrade/vmlinuz ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
        initrd /upgrade/initrd.img

Now reboot
> From the Grub Menu choose

Fedora Core (Upgrade)

Now you can follow the rest of the instructions in this thread.
> As soon as you get first Fedora splash screen, on boot prompt type 
> "linux askmethod".  Boot loader will load the kernel, than Anaconda 
> installer will start, and will ask you what installation method you wish 
> to use.  It will also ask you to configure your ethernet card (either 
> static config or DHCP can be used).  For network installs, you can 
> choose between NFS, FTP, and HTTP.  Choose FTP or HTTP (NFS is mostly 
> usefull if you have local copy of Fedora install tree exported over NFS) 
> and when asked just point it to your favorite Fedora mirror.  For 
> example, if Fedora installation tree is located at 
> http://foo.bar.com/mirrors/fedora/3/i386/os/, than you would provide 
> this to Anaconda:
>
> host: foo.bar.com
>    dir:  /mirrors/fedora/3/i386/os
>
> Check http://fedora.redhat.com/ for list of mirror sites, and choose the 
> one closest to you.  All of them should have i386 directory somewhere, 
> each with os and iso subdirectories.  Installation tree is under os 
> subdirectory.
>
> -- 
> Aleksandar Milivojevic     Pollard Banknote Limited
> Systems Administrator                           1499 Buffalo Place
> Tel: [phone] ext 276                     Winnipeg, MB  R3T 1L7
>
> -- 
> fedora-list mailing list
> [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe: http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list

[Paul Howarth]

On Wed, 2005-02-23 at 09:13 -0800, Gunnar Kramm wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 23, 2005 at 08:52:40AM -0600, Aleksandar Milivojevic wrote:
> > Abhik Das wrote:
> > > How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?
> >
> > I guess you simply want to avoid downloading 2-3GB of ISO images?
>
> [ snip ]
>
> Actually there is a way you can install Fedora core without a boot CD or a
> boot USB device.
>
> First you will need a copy of the boot.iso.
> then mount it
> (as root)
> mount -o loop boot.iso /mnt

(snip)

This is indeed a useful method but it only works if you can boot into a
Linux environment in the first place (e.g. using an existing
installation); it doesn't help a first-time installer (but then neither
did my earlier suggestion of doing an NFS install).

Paul.

[Gunnar Kramm]

On Wed, Feb 23, 2005 at 07:10:51PM +0000, Paul Howarth wrote:
> On Wed, 2005-02-23 at 09:13 -0800, Gunnar Kramm wrote:
> > On Wed, Feb 23, 2005 at 08:52:40AM -0600, Aleksandar Milivojevic wrote:
> > > Abhik Das wrote:
> > > > How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?
> > >
> > > I guess you simply want to avoid downloading 2-3GB of ISO images?
> >
> > [ snip ]
> >
> > Actually there is a way you can install Fedora core without a boot CD or a
> > boot USB device.
> >
> > First you will need a copy of the boot.iso.
> > then mount it
> > (as root)
> > mount -o loop boot.iso /mnt
>
> (snip)
>
> This is indeed a useful method but it only works if you can boot into a
> Linux environment in the first place (e.g. using an existing
> installation); it doesn't help a first-time installer (but then neither
> did my earlier suggestion of doing an NFS install).
>
> Paul.

Agreed, I was assuming the OP was starting with an existing Linux install.
Which may or may not be the case.
> -- 
> Paul Howarth
>
> -- 
> fedora-list mailing list
> [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe: http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list

[Rick Wagner]

There are several options.  If you don't mind one CD-ROM, you can burn the 
images/boot.iso, then NFS/FTP/HTTP install from images on a server, or HD 
install from a local hard drive.  I have done a number of NFS installs and HD 
installs this way.

If you're upgrading an earlier release, you can do what I did on a couple of 
systems which could not boot from CD: 
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~colohan/docs/fedora_upgrade.html

I've seen messages suggesting doing a version upgrade via yum or apt.  I don't 
know the success of that; check the archives for this list.

Good luck.
 --rick

On Wednesday 23 February 2005 12:33 am, Abhik Das wrote:
> How can we install Fedora core 2 / 3 without burning iso images to CD?
>
> Do you Yahoo!?
>  Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard.

[jery_wang]

can I give http://fedora.redhat.com/ from "linux askmethod" to install over the internet, by ftp or http?

thanks,

Thufir

[thomas cameron]

On Sat, 2005-04-02 at 20:45 +0200, thufir wrote:
> can I give http://fedora.redhat.com/ from "linux askmethod" to install over the internet, by ftp or http?
>
> thanks,
>
> Thufir

Better to use a mirror which is close to you and has plenty of
bandwidth.  The list mirrors is at
http://fedora.redhat.com/download/mirrors.html.

Thomas

[Thufir]

On Apr 2, 2005 8:41 PM, Thomas Cameron  wrote:
> On Sat, 2005-04-02 at 20:45 +0200, thufir wrote:
> > can I give http://fedora.redhat.com/ from "linux askmethod" to install over the internet, by ftp or http?
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > Thufir
>
> Better to use a mirror which is close to you and has plenty of
> bandwidth.  The list mirrors is at
> http://fedora.redhat.com/download/mirrors.html.
>
> Thomas
>
> --
> fedora-list mailing list
> [e-mail]
> To unsubscribe: http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list

http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/3/i386/iso/

just sticking with this as an example, what's the IP and what's the directory?

ip=http://download.fedora.redhat.com/
directory=/pub/fedora/linux/core/3/i386/iso/

?

I'll give it another go, last time it said no such directory, IIRC.

Thufir

[thomas cameron]

On Sat, 2005-04-02 at 21:07 +0000, THUFIR HAWAT wrote:
> On Apr 2, 2005 8:41 PM, Thomas Cameron  wrote:
> > On Sat, 2005-04-02 at 20:45 +0200, thufir wrote:
> > > can I give http://fedora.redhat.com/ from "linux askmethod" to install over the internet, by ftp or http?
> > >
> > > thanks,
> > >
> > > Thufir
> >
> > Better to use a mirror which is close to you and has plenty of
> > bandwidth.  The list mirrors is at
> > http://fedora.redhat.com/download/mirrors.html.
> >
> > Thomas
> >
> > --
> > fedora-list mailing list
> > [e-mail]
> > To unsubscribe: http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list
>
> http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/3/i386/iso/
>
> just sticking with this as an example, what's the IP and what's the directory?
>
> ip=http://download.fedora.redhat.com/
> directory=/pub/fedora/linux/core/3/i386/iso/
>
> ?
>
> I'll give it another go, last time it said no such directory, IIRC.

Hrm - in my instance (text mode install) I just put in the name of the
server I wanted to connect to and the path to the install source...

mirrors.kernel.org
/fedora/core/test/3.90/i386/os/

Thomas