This assignment consists of three components:
- Select a Linux distro to install.
- Select a target environment to install in.
- Perform the installation and demonstrate successful installation.
Instructions
1. Select a Linux distro to install
After doing some research, decide which Linux distro you would like to use for this assignment. It is strongly suggested that you select a distro that includes a GUI (Graphical User Interface). Note that you are not required to use this Linux distro for the remaining assignments in this course. In fact, you may well find it more convenient to use the Practice Labs environment for the remaining coursework. The objective of this assignment is to let you get some experience in installing Linux. You may discard this Linux installation after this assignment has been submitted and graded, or you might want to keep it around to play with.
Deliverable: Create a document with few errors that communicates your decision regarding your choice of distro and your rationale supporting your decision. Be sure to tell what URL you used to obtain the distro.
2. Select a target environment to install in
There are several possible locations where you can install Linux. Each has advantages and disadvantages. You will need to decide which location makes the most sense for you. Some of the possible locations include:
- Use a separate computer.
- If you have a spare computer available, even quite an old one, this is the simplest option by far. Linux requires far fewer resources compared to Windows or OS X in terms of processor, RAM, drive space, etc. There are distros that require less than 100 MB of RAM and less than 256 MB of disk space and only an X386 class processor!
- Use your primary computer, using a virtual machine.
- This is the most flexible and convenient option. A virtual machine is an environment that is created by an application that you run on your computer that essentially creates a “software replica” of an operating system environment. It is not a hardware emulator – a replica computer is not created. Rather, the environment for an operating system is created. This environment can be created using PC, Mac, Workstation host platforms. And the “guest” operating systems can be Windows, OS X, Linux, and others. The most widely used virtual machines are:
- VMware Fusion https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion.html
- Parallels https://www.parallels.com/
- VirtualBox https://www.virtualbox.org/
- VMware https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player/workstation-player-evaluation.html
- Use your primary computer, dual boot.
- This is probably the least convenient method, but it has the advantage of being able to use your primary computer without the necessity of any additional hardware or software. Depending upon which platform you are using for your computer – PC, Mac, Linux – you will need to follow the appropriate instructions for configuring your computer to dual boot. This always involves partitioning your hard drive so that the new operating system (Linux in this case) has a place to live. Then you will install Linux in the newly created partition. Now when you boot (start) your computer you will be presented with an option asking which operating system you wish to run. If at some point you want to discard the partition containing Linux and return those drive resources to the system this is easy to do. Thereafter your machine will revert to normal single boot operation.
Deliverable: Create a document with few errors that communicates your decision regarding which installation environment you selected and your rationale supporting your decision. If you decided to use a virtual machine, be sure to tell what URL you used to obtain the VM software.
3. Perform the installation and demonstrate successful installation
Having selected the Linux distro, you wish to install and having selected the target location you are ready to perform the installation. You will need to create a record of the installation process. The simplest way to do this is to use your smartphone’s camera to capture your display screen. Take a shot when you start the installation and then take another shot each time you are presented with a dialog asking for some kind of input. You’ll wind up with perhaps a dozen shots. Prune them down to no more than four.
Now that you have successfully installed Linux, it’s time to demonstrate that it is functioning correctly. You will need to demonstrate that these two functionalities work:
-
From a command line (Open a terminal window if you are using a GUI), issue the command: ls -lF /usr/bin. Capture the output that is displayed. It is okay if you only capture the last dozen lines or so. You can use any technique you wish to capture the output; even using your camera is okay.
- Launch a simple text editor. Pico and/or nano should be available. Gedit may be available. Vi or emacs may be available. It makes no difference which editor you use. Once the editor is running, enter the following three lines of text and then capture the screen:
- Your Name
- Capella University
- IT4575
