Linux Guide to Linux Certification, Second Edition

1
Linux Guide to Linux Certification, Second
Edition

• Chapter 2
• Preparing for Linux Installation

2
Objectives

• Describe common types of hardware and their
  features
• Obtain the hardware and software information
  necessary to install Linux

3
Understanding HardwareCentral Processing Units
(CPUs)

• Core component of any computer
• Also known as microprocessor or processor
• Two main components
• Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) Mathematical
  calculations and logic-based operations executed
  here
• Control unit (CU) Instruction code or commands
  loaded and carried out here

4
Understanding Hardware CPUs (continued)

• Processor architecture Arrangement of a
  processors integral electronics
• Two main processor architectures
• Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC)
• Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)

5
Understanding Hardware CPUs (continued)

• Clock speed Internal time cycle of a processor
• Determines speed that processor executes commands
• Measured in Megahertz (MHz)
• A processor may require one cycle to complete a
  command or may be superscalar
• Amount of information a processor can process at
  one time is a major factor in clock speed
• Measured in binary digits (bits)
• The more information that can be worked on at
  once, the faster data can be manipulated

6
Understanding Hardware CPUs (continued)

• Cache Temporary store of information
• Cache size and location affect a processors
  ability to calculate larger volumes of data
• Level 1 (L1) cache Cache stored in the processor
  itself
• Level 2 (L2) cache Cache stored in a separate
  computer chip
• Connected to processor via high speed link
• Level 3 (L3) cache Cache stored on a separate
  computer chip
• Connected directly to processor

7
Understanding Hardware CPUs (continued)

• Multiple processors can work together
• Perform the same tasks faster
• Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) Allows OS and
  memory to use both processors simultaneously for
  any task
• ASymmetric Multi-Processing (ASMP) Each
  processor given a set of tasks to complete
  independently

8
Understanding HardwarePhysical Memory

• Storage area for information that is directly
  wired through circuit boards to the processor
• Two main categories
• Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Volatile memory
• Read Only Memory (ROM)

9
Understanding HardwarePhysical Memory?RAM

• Requires constant supply of electricity to
  maintain stored information
• Directly related to computer performance
• Two major categories
• Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
• Static RAM (SRAM)

10
Understanding HardwarePhysical Memory?RAM
(continued)

• Three main types of DRAM sticks
• Single In-line Memory Modules (SIMM)
• No longer produced
• Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMM)
• Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Modules
  (SODIMM)
• Used in portable notebook computers and Macintosh
  systems

11
Understanding HardwarePhysical Memory?RAM
(continued)

• Three recent DIMM technologies
• Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM)
• Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random
  Access Memory (DDR SDRAM)
• Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM)

12
Understanding HardwarePhysical Memory?ROM

• Read-only Memory Physical memory that can be
  read but not written to
• Nonvolatile
• Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) ROM Stores
  programs used to initialize hardware components
  when starting computer

13
Understanding HardwarePhysical Memory?ROM
Variants

• Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) Can only be
  written to once
• Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM)
  Contents can be repeatedly erased and rewritten
  as a whole
• Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only
  Memory (EEPROM) Whole or partial contents can be
  repeatedly erased/rewritten

14
Understanding HardwareDisk Drives

• Most information in a computer maintained using
  nonvolatile media, not consisting of integrated
  circuits
• Hard disk
• Floppy disk
• CD-ROM, DVD
• CD-RW, DVD-RW disk
• Zip disk
• Flash Memory

15
Understanding HardwareDisk Drives?Hard Disk
Drives

• Not directly wired to the processor
• Pass through a hard disk controller card
• Controls flow of information to and from the
  hard disk drive (HDD)
• Two types of controller cards
• Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)
• Also known as Advanced Technology Attachment
  (ATA) controllers
• Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)

16
Understanding HardwareDisk Drives?HDDs
(continued)
Table 2-1 IDE HDD configurations
17
Understanding HardwareDisk Drives?HDDs
(continued)

• Partitions Small, manageable sections of a hard
  drive
• Filesystems Specify how data should reside on
  the hard disk itself
• A partition must be formatted with a filesystem

18
Understanding HardwareDisk Drives?HDDs
(continued)

• Primary partitions Major unique and separate HDD
  divisions
• Extended partitions Partitions that can be
  further subdivided into logical drives
• Master Boot Record (MBR) Table of all partition
  information for a hard disk
• Stored outside of all partitions

19
Understanding HardwareDisk Drives?HDDs
(continued)
Table 2-2 Example partitioning scheme for a
primary master IDE HDD
20
Understanding Hardware Disk Drives?Other
Information Storage Devices

• Removable media Information storage media that
  can be removed from the computer
• Transferable between computers
• Floppy disks Store information
  electro-magnetically
• Used in floppy disk drives
• Zip disks Similar to floppy disks
• Can store much more information
• Used in zip drives

21
Understanding Hardware Disk Drives?Other
Information Storage Devices (continued)

• DVDs and CD-ROMs Use lasers to read reflected
  light pulses
• Greater data transfer speed
• Larger storage capacity
• More resistance to data loss than floppy disks or
  ZIP disks
• Flash memory drives Use EEPROM chips to store
  information

22
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components

• Bus Pathway information takes from one hardware
  device to another via a mainboard
• Mainboard (also called a motherboard) Circuit
  board that connects all other hardware components
  together via slots or ports on the circuit board
• Peripheral components Attach to the mainboard of
  a computer
• e.g., video cards, sound cards, and network
  interface cards (NICs)
• Connected via an Input/Output bus represented by
  different slots or ports on the mainboard

23
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)

• Three common slots for peripheral devices
• Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) Information
  transfer at 8 MHz
• Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
  Information transfer at 33 MHz
• Can use Direct Memory Access (DMA)
• Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Information
  transfer over 66 MHz
• Designed for video card peripherals

24
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)
Figure 2-1 Mainboard components
25
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)

• Other peripherals may have external connections
  to mainboard
• PS/2
• COM (Serial)
• LPT
• USB
• IEEE1394 (Firewire)
• PCMCIA

26
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)

• PS/2 ports Connect keyboards and mice to
  computers
• COM ports Connect a variety of peripherals to
  the mainboard
• Serial port
• LPT ports Most commonly connect printers to the
  mainboard
• Parallel ports

27
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)

• Universal Serial Bus (USB) port Connects
  peripheral components such as mice, printers, and
  scanners
• Hot-swappable Can be attached to the computer
  while it is running
• FireWire (IEEE1394) Hot-swappable variant of USB
  commonly used to connect SCSI hard disks,
  scanners, digital cameras, and CD-RW drives

28
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)

• Personal Computer Memory Card International
  Association (PCMCIA) ports Allow a small card to
  be inserted into the computer with electronics
  necessary to provide certain functionality
• Advanced Power Management (APM) BIOS feature
  that shuts off power to unused peripheral devices

29
Understanding Hardware Mainboards and Peripheral
Components (continued)

• Interrupt Request Line (IRQ) Specifies a unique
  channel from a device to the CPU
• Input/Output (IO) address Small working area of
  RAM where CPU can pass information to and receive
  information from a device
• Plug-and-Play (PnP) OS and peripheral devices
  that automatically assign the correct IRQ, I/O
  address, and DMA settings

30
Understanding Hardware Video Adapter Cards and
Monitors

• Video adapter cards Provide graphical display
  when connected to a monitor
• Commonly referred to as video cards
• Resolution Total number of pixels that can be
  displayed on a computer video screen
• Color depth Total set of colors that can be
  displayed on a computer video screen

31
Understanding Hardware Video Adapter Cards and
Monitors (continued)
Table 2-3 Memory requirements for screen
resolution and color depths
32
Understanding Hardware Video Adapter Cards and
Monitors (continued)

• Refresh rate Rate at which information displayed
  on a video screen is refreshed
• Measured in Hertz (Hz)
• Two types of refresh rates
• HSync (horizontal refresh)
• VSync (vertical refresh)

33
Understanding HardwareKeyboards and Mice

• Facilitates user input and direction
• Variety of ways to connect to motherboard
• Serial port
• Large circular AT 5-pin connector
• Small circular PS/2 6-pin connector
• USB connection
• Wireless or radio connection
• Check hardware components against a Hardware
  Compatibility List (HCL)

34
Gathering Preinstallation Information
Table 2-4 Red Hat 7.2 hardware requirements
35
Gathering Preinstallation Information (continued)
Table 2-5 Sample pre-installation checklist
36
Gathering Preinstallation Information (continued)
Table 2-5 (continued) Sample pre-installation
checklist
37
Gathering Hardware Information

• Tools and resources to check hardware against a
  preinstallation checklist
• Computer manuals
• Windows System Information tool (if Windows
  already installed)
• Windows Device Manager (if Windows already
  installed)

38
Gathering Hardware Information (continued)
Figure 2-2 The Windows System Information tool
39
Gathering Hardware Information (continued)
Figure 2-3 The Windows Device Manager
40
Gathering Hardware Information (continued)
Figure 2-4 The Windows Display applet
41
Gathering Hardware Information (continued)
Figure 2-5 System Power-On Self Test (POST)
42
Gathering Hardware Information (continued)
Figure 2-6 BIOS Setup Utility
43
Gathering Software Information

• Identifying system network configuration
• Hostname
• IP address
• Netmask
• Gateway
• DNS servers
• Resolve FQDNs

44
Gathering Software Information (continued)

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
  server Server on network providing IP
  configuration to requesting computers
• If selected during installation, Linux will
  attempt to get IP settings from a DHCP server on
  the network

45
Gathering Software Information (continued)
Table 2-6 Common Linux packages
46
Gathering Software Information (continued)
Table 2-6 (continued) Common Linux packages
47
Summary

• Understand the hardware before an installation
• Allows you to make appropriate choices
• Verify that the installation was successful
• CPUs process most instructions in a computer
• Two CPU architectures RISC and CISC
• Computer memory can be volatile (RAM) or
  nonvolatile (ROM)

48
Summary (continued)

• Most information is stored on hard disks, floppy
  disks, and CD-ROMs in a nonvolatile manner
• Two main types of hard disks SCSI and IDE
• Peripheral components (video adapter cards, sound
  cards, mice, keyboards, NICs) attach to mainboard
  via an expansion slot or port
• Common expansion slots ISA, PCI, and AGP
• Common ports PS/2, serial, parallel, USB,
  FireWire, and PCMCIA

49
Summary (continued)

• All peripherals must have a unique IRQ and I/O
  address to communicate with the processor
• Can use DMA to bypass some processor operations
• Hardware information can be gathered from
  computer manuals, BIOS, or other OSs
• Can set software information at installation