Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4: Installation Guide for x86, Itanium™, AMD64, and Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel® EM64T)
Prev | Chapter 2. Steps to Get You Started | Next

# 2.4. Can You Install Using the CD-ROM?

There are several methods that can be used to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Installing from a CD-ROM requires that you have purchased a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 product, or you have a Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM, and you have a CD-ROM drive. Most new computers allow booting from the CD-ROM. If your system supports booting from the CD-ROM, it is an easy way to begin a local CD-ROM installation.

Your BIOS may need to be changed to allow booting from your CD-ROM drive. For more information about changing your BIOS, refer to Section 4.3.1 Booting the Installation Program on x86, AMD64, and Intel® EM64T Systems.

## 2.4.1. Alternative Boot Methods

Boot CD-ROM

  If you can boot using the CD-ROM drive, you can create your own CD-ROM to boot the installation program. This may be useful, for example, if you are performing an installation over a network or from a hard drive. Refer to Section 2.4.2 Making an Installation Boot CD-ROM for further instructions.

USB pen drive

  If you cannot boot from the CD-ROM drive, but you can boot using a USB device, such as a USB pen drive, the following alternative boot method is available:

  To boot using a USB pen drive, use the `dd` command to copy the `diskboot.img` image file from the `/images/` directory on CD-ROM 1. For example:

      dd if=diskboot.img of=/dev/sda

  Your BIOS must support booting from a USB device in order for this boot method to work.

## 2.4.2. Making an Installation Boot CD-ROM

`isolinux` (not available for Itanium systems) is used for booting the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation CD. To create your own CD-ROM to boot the installation program, use the following instructions:

Copy the `isolinux/` directory from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1 into a temporary directory (referred to here as `<path-to-workspace>`) using the following command:

    cp -r <path-to-cd>/isolinux/ <path-to-workspace>

Change directories to the `<path-to-workspace>` directory you have created:

    cd <path-to-workspace>

Make sure the files you have copied have appropriate permissions:

    chmod u+w isolinux/*

Finally, issue the following command to create the ISO image file:

    mkisofs -o file.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot \
    -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -R -J -v -T isolinux/

| Note
| The above command was split into two lines for printing purposes only. When you execute this command, be sure to type it as a single command, all on the same line.

Burn the resulting ISO image (named `file.iso` and located in `<path-to-workspace>`) to a CD-ROM as you normally would.

Prev | Home | Next
Do You Have Enough Disk Space? | Up | Preparing for a Network Installation