Web Server Administration : 1 Web Server Administration Chapter 3
Installing the Server
Overview : 2 Overview Prepare the server for system installation
Understand the installation process
Install Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, and Red Hat Linux 8
Examine basic Linux commands
Configure TCP/IP
Prepare the Server for Installation : 3 Prepare the Server for Installation A typical installation is from CD
For Windows 2000, you can boot from a floppy for network installation
For Linux, you can install from the network or even using FTP
Production systems use a single-boot system meaning only one OS is on a computer
You can put all described OSs on a single computer which is a multi-boot
Checking Hardware Compatibility : 4 Checking Hardware Compatibility Typically you have fewer problems if you are using hardware designed for a server from major manufacturers
IDE drives are always compatible
Make sure that you have the latest drivers for SCSI and RAID controllers
With video adapters and NICs, it is best to use ones from major vendors
Checking Hardware Compatibility : 5 Checking Hardware Compatibility You can have problems if you
Put a system together yourself with the latest or off-brand NICs, video adapters, and RAID controllers
Try to upgrade an OS on old servers because they sometimes have specialized hardware that is not supported anymore
For Windows OSs
www.microsoft.com/hwdg
For Red Hat Linux
www.redhat.com/support/hardware
System Documentation : 6 System Documentation Should be detailed enough for inexperienced network administrator
System documentation is an ongoing process
Changes occur over the life of the server
These changes need to be documented
System Documentation : 7 System Documentation Need compatibility information
Hardware information
Server manufacturer, including model information
Processor type and speed
Amount of RAM
Drive interface – RAID, SCSI, IDE
Hard disk – size, manufacturer, and model
NIC manufacturer and model
System Documentation : 8 System Documentation System information
Partition information – number and sizes
OS version installed
Latest software patches
Extra drivers needed
URLs for latest drivers
System Documentation : 9 System Documentation Steps for installation including options chosen
Keep documentation, CDs, drivers in a binder
Know support details
Who to call
Contract phone number
Type of support contract
Expiration of contract
The Installation Process : 10 The Installation Process The Setup program will ask you about your system
You need to know the answers to these questions before you start
Many of the questions are common to all operating systems
The Installation Process-Partitioning the Hard Disk : 11 The Installation Process-Partitioning the Hard Disk A partition is a logical division of the hard disk
A system boots from the primary partition
You can create an extended partition
Gives you more logical drives in Windows
Gives you more Linux partitions
It is best to isolate the operating system from applications
If the application partition fills and the operating system is on the same partition, the OS stops
The Installation Process : 12 The Installation Process Six partitions are used for Linux by default
/ (root partition)
swap (used for virtual memory)
/boot (boot files – small)
/usr (shared files and programs)
/home (user files and programs)
/var (Web site, FTP, log files)
Just / and swap are required
Managing Multiple Operating Systems on a Single Computer : 13 Managing Multiple Operating Systems on a Single Computer Useful for development purposes
Best to start with unpartitioned hard disk
Create one partition for each Windows OS
Allow Linux to create default partitions
Install Windows first, then Linux
Linux installation then produces a menu to select Windows
The Installation Process-Naming Computers : 14 The Installation Process-Naming Computers Identify a computer on the network
Windows communicates the computer name to other computers on the subnet so it should be unique
Name of computer is not related to how the computer is recognized on the Internet
In Linux, the hostname can exist on more than computer, it only uses IP addresses for communication
The Installation Process-Licensing : 15 The Installation Process-Licensing Describes how the software can be used
For Windows 2000, Microsoft assumes that you have the correct number of client access licenses
For Windows Server 2003, each installation must be activated by Microsoft
Linux is basically free but there may be a cost for packaging, support, and extras
Based on the GNU general public license
Red Hat has personal, professional, and Advanced Server options
The Installation Process-Selecting a File System : 16 The Installation Process-Selecting a File System A file system determines how files are stored on a hard disk
Windows has two file systems
FAT is based on the original DOS file system and has no security
NTFS has security which is critical for a server
The default user file system in Red Hat Linux 8 is ext3, which offers some performance improvements over ext2
Windows 2000 Server Installation : 17 Windows 2000 Server Installation Requires a 25-character product key
In a production environment where you are connected to the Internet, you will get an IP address from your ISP
Although a 2 to 3 GB partition is enough, you may want more
Use NTFS
As setup installs the networking components, do not wander away otherwise it will accept the default IP settings which you do not want
Windows Server 2003 Installation : 18 Windows Server 2003 Installation The procedures for installing Web, Standard, and Enterprise editions are the same
Installation is simpler than previous versions of Windows
Only essential information such as computer name, licensing, password, IP address, and domain membership are requested
Linux 8 Installation : 19 Linux 8 Installation As is true with Windows, you can generally accept the defaults
Remember to select Server as the Installation Type
This gives you a list of packages that are appropriate for a server environment
Remember to select "No firewall"
This makes it easier to configure and test your own firewall (Chapter 10)
Basic Linux Concepts : 20 Basic Linux Concepts No drive letters
The root is /
To use a floppy or CD-ROM, the device must be mounted
mount /mnt/floppy
mount /mnt/cdrom
Now you can copy files between your hard drive and /mnt/floppy
When you double-click the CD-ROM or Floppy icon on the desktop, the device is automatically mounted
Before you remove the floppy, you have to unmount it to flush the file buffer, if you copied files to it
umount /mnt/floppy
Shell Prompt : 21 Shell Prompt Most work is done at the shell prompt which is the command-line interface
ls – list files
ls /mnt/floppy to see contents of floppy
cd – change directory
cd /mnt/floppy
mkdir – create a directory
mkdir /mnt/floppy/test
Shell Prompt : 22 Shell Prompt rmdir – remove a directory
rmdir /mnt/floppy/test
mv – move or rename a file
mv /etc/ftpaccess /var/ftp/ftpaccess
cp – copy a file
cp var/ftp/ftpaccess /mnt/floppy
locate – find a file
locate ftpaccess
kedit - start editing a file
kedit /var/ftp/ftpaccess
Kedit Text Editor : 23 Kedit Text Editor The Kedit text editor is similar to Windows Notepad
Note that the positioning of the icons is basically the same as Notepad
Configuring TCP/IP in Windows : 24 Configuring TCP/IP in Windows To determine TCP/IP configuration, type ipconfig at a command prompt
To Change the IP Address in Windows : 25 To Change the IP Address in Windows From the Local Area Status dialog box, click Properties
Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), then click Properties
Now you can change the IP address
The Advanced button allows you to add multiple IP addresses for a single NIC
Configuring TCP/IP in Linux : 26 Configuring TCP/IP in Linux To determine TCP/IP configuration, type ifconfig at a shell prompt
The IP address is on the third line
To Change the IP Address in Linux : 27 To Change the IP Address in Linux In System Settings, click Network
Click the Edit button
Now you can change the IP address
Click OK, then Apply, and Close to save the changes
Summary : 28 Summary Windows and Linux installations share the task of creating partitions
The same computer can have multiple operating systems
Windows server operating systems are licensed based on the edition and the number of users
Linux licensing is based on the GNU general public license
Summary : 29 Summary Microsoft and Linux have improved their ability to recognize devices
There are many useful commands when using the Linux shell prompt