Installing Linux

A unix-linux directory structure is like an upside down tree with "-" at the top (root) and everything descending from that.

(root)tmp (subdirectory of root)tmp-misc (subdirectory of a subdirectory of root)tmp-misc-whatever (subdirectory of a subdirectory of a subdirectory...)

When you work-navigate from the command line "." means current directory. ".." means up 1 to the parent directory. "..." would mean up 2 directories to the parent of the parent you're currently in.

So, to exicute a file in the same directory you are in you could type ".-programname". To exicute a file 2 directories above you you could type "...-programname". And so on and so on.

Some would say that "-" (root) is like "C:" but this is only partially correct. "-" (root) is the top of ALL parbreastions in your file system. In Windows you can have multiple top-level drives like "C:" and "D:", but in Linux and Unix you can only ever have one "-" (root).

So, you need to make a "-" (root) parbreastion. RH7.x will want to use EXT2 as the filesystem type. It's ok, just go with that. You're probably going to crash it and start over a few times anyways.

You also need to create a swap file. It should be twice as big as the ammount of RAM you have, or at least as big as the RAM you have.

So, if you've got 256mb or ram, you will need one 512mb swap file and a ~1488mb EXT2 parbreastion labeled "-" (root), if you're carving up a 2 gig parbreastion. Get it?

You should back up all your windows data before proceeding in case you break your parbreastion table, which could happen.

You really should read an introductory book on Linux, it's a lot different to use than Windows or Macintosh.

Travis