Things You Should Know

2.2 Things You Should Know

In order to prevent any surprises during the installation, you should collect some information before attempting to install Red Hat Linux. You can find most of this information in the documentation that came with your system, or from the system's vendor or manufacturer.

Please Note: The most recent list of hardware supported by Red Hat Linux can be found at Red Hat Software's World Wide Web site at
http://www.redhat.com/hardware. It's a good idea to check your hardware against this list before proceeding.

2.2.1 Basic Hardware Configuration

Basic Hardware Configuration

You should have a basic understanding of the hardware installed in your computer, including:

hard drive(s) -- Specifically, the number, size, and type. If you have more than one, it's helpful to know which one is first, second, and so on. It is also good to know if your drives are IDE or SCSI.
memory -- The amount of RAM installed in your computer.
CD-ROM -- Most importantly, the unit's interface type (IDE, SCSI, or other interface) and, for non-IDE, non-SCSI CD-ROMs, the make and model number.
SCSI adapter (if one is present) -- The adapter's make and model number.
network card (if one is present) -- The card's make and model number.
mouse -- The mouse's type (serial, PS/2, or bus mouse), protocol (Microsoft, Logitech, MouseMan, etc.), and number of buttons; also, for serial mice, the com port it is connected to.

[Alpha Systems: In addition to the latest hardware compatibility list on Red Hat Software's website, owners of Alpha-based systems should refer to Section D.2 for more information on supported hardware configurations.]

[SPARC Systems: In addition to the latest hardware compatibility list on Red Hat Software's website, SPARC owners should refer to Section C.1 for a list of supported hardware.]

2.2.2 Video Configuration

Video Configuration

If you will be installing the X Window System, you should also be familiar with the following:

your video card -- The card's make and model number (or the video chipset it uses), and the amount of video RAM it has.
your monitor -- The unit's make and model number, along with allowable ranges for horizontal and vertical refresh rates.

2.2.3 Network-related Information

Network-related Information

If you will be connected to a network, be sure you know your:

IP address -- Usually represented as a set of four numbers separated by dots, such as 10.0.2.15.
netmask -- Another set of four numbers separated by dots. An example netmask would be 255.255.248.0.
gateway IP address -- Yet another set of four dot-separated numbers. For instance, 10.0.2.254.
one or more name server IP addresses -- One or more sets of dot-separated numbers. 10.0.2.1 might be the address of a name server.
domain name -- The name given to your organization. For instance, Red Hat Software has a domain name of redhat.com.
hostname -- The name of your computer. A computer might be named pooh, for instance.

Please Note: The information given above is an example only! Do not use it when you install Red Hat Linux! If you don't know the proper values for your network, ask your network administrator.