Chapter 1. Getting Started
You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux with an installation utility called Anaconda. Most users can simply follow the procedure outlined in Section 4.1, “Interactive Installation” to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux using the graphical interface in Anaconda.
Users with advanced requirements can also use the graphical interface to configure many aspects of the installation, and install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a wide variety of systems. On systems without a local interface, installation can be accessed entirely remotely. Installation can also be automated by using a Kickstart file, and performed with no interaction at all.
1.1. Graphical Installation
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installer, Anaconda, provides a simple graphical method to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The graphical installation interface has a built-in help system which can guide you through most installations, even if you have never installed Linux before. However, Anaconda can also be used to configure advanced installation options if required.
Anaconda is different from most other operating system installation programs due to its parallel nature. Most installers follow a linear path; you must choose your language first, then you configure networking, and so on. There is usually only one way to proceed at any given time.
In the graphical interface in Anaconda you are at first only required to select your language and locale, and then you are presented with a central screen, where you can configure most aspects of the installation in any order you like. While certain parts require others to be completed before configuration - for example, when installing from a network location, you must configure networking before you can select which packages to install - most options in Anaconda can be configured in any order. If a background task, such as network initialization or disk detection, is blocking configuration of a certain option, you can configure unrelated options while waiting for it to complete.
Additional differences appear in certain screens; notably the custom partition process is very different from other Linux distributions. These differences are described in each screen's subsection.
Some screens will be automatically configured depending on your hardware and the type of media you used to start the installation. You can still change the detected settings in any screen. Screens which have not been automatically configured, and therefore require your attention before you begin the installation, are marked by an exclamation mark. You cannot start the actual installation process before you finish configuring these settings.
Installation can also be performed in text mode, however certain options, notably including custom partitioning, are unavailable. See Section 8.3, “Installing in Text Mode”, or if using an IBM Power system or IBM Z, see Section 13.3, “Installing in Text Mode”, or Section 18.4, “Installing in Text Mode”, respectively, for more information.
