Normally, installing the JDS is easy using the CDs included with your original JDS installation media. We assume that you have the media and plan to use this method. Essentially, you can use the same steps to upgrade JDS to a later version from CD-ROM images that you can download or purchase from Sun.
If you plan on installing JDS from a server set up by your organization, the material in this appendix probably does not pertain to you.
The Java Desktop System comes with documentation that can help you install the system. This information is on the Documentation CD that accompanies your JDS Media. At the time of this writing, you can find the installation guide under the path cdrom/en/Java-Desktop-System-R2/java-desktop-system-r2-documentation.html. This appendix contains information similar to what you can find in Sun’s Documentation. In the event you do not have the ability to access the documentation, you can use the information contained here to install your system—but it is subject to change.
We also provide some explanations of the installation process not found on the Sun Documentation CD and some suggestions about what to do if you run into problems. Let’s begin by looking at the requirements for using JDS.
To successfully install JDS, you are required to have a personal computer (PC) that meets certain modest hardware resources. Sun Microsystems provides both a minimum supported configuration and a recommended one. The minimum supported configuration requires an Intel Pentium II 266 MHz compatible processor, a 4 GB hard disk, 128 MB of RAM, and a color monitor with at least an 800 600 screen resolution.
Ideally, Sun recommends a Pentium III compatible processor, 600 MHz or faster, at least 4 GB of hard disk space, at least 256 MB of RAM, and 1024 768 screen resolution or better. However, we have found the system runs best with a Pentium IV processor and 512 MB of memory. The system can also achieve excellent performance with a DRI monitor and Video card if the manufacturer provides a configuration utility for the DRI driver.
Your PC should boot from an installation CD. Intel systems have different ways of booting from the CD- or DVD-ROM. For example, some Laptops allow you to boot from the CD-ROM only if you press a specific button. Sometimes it is not enough to reboot a system with the CD-ROM installed; you may have to insert the CD-ROM, power down the system, and power it up again.
If you try inserting the CD-ROM and powering up the system, but it insists on booting from the hard disk as usual, you may need to enter the BIOS utility and select the order in which your CD-ROM boots. The exact procedure varies from system to system; one example of a BIOS display is shown in Figure F-1.
The screen in the BIOS utility shows the order of booting. In this situation, the first boot device listed is the hard drive (HDD-0).
You need to change this order so that the CD-ROM becomes the first boot device. In the example screen, you select the First Boot Device by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. You then press the Enter key and another screen appears offering you different device options, such as the hard drive, CD-ROM or Floppy. If you choose the CD-ROM, you may or may not have to reset the remaining devices, depending on the type of computer you have.
Figure F-2 shows an example of a different computer manufacturer’s BIOS. Although Phoenix made both systems, notice the difference in the type of page displayed. In this figure, we selected the Boot Menu, which contains only four entries, each devoted to selecting the boot sequence.
On the righthand side of the screen, you can see the instructions for selecting the device you want to begin the boot process. If the system doesn’t find a CD-ROM in the drive tray, it will seek a system disk in the next device, and so on.
We recommend that you look at your computer’s documentation to determine how to boot from the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, so many different systems exist that methods vary not only from manufacturer to manufacturer but from model to model. If you like, of course, you can go back in the BIOS and restore the previous order of booting once you have successfully installed JDS and don’t anticipate the need to reinstall it.
You need to have certain information ready before you begin your installation. For example, you will need to know:
The username and password you wish to use
The root password you wish to use
Network configuration information, such as how your system will determine its IP address (DHCP or Static), the gateway address, and netmask (See Chapter 4)
The status of any existing operating systems if you plan to dual boot (as described in the following section)
How you will partition your disk (partitions are explained in the sidebar below)
ISP configuration information (See Chapter 4)
Many people like to have two operating systems to boot from. This is not like the simultaneous use of multiple operating systems described in Chapter 9. Dual booting allows you to choose your operating system when you boot, but you can’t switch back and forth between them during system operation; you have to reboot to change operating systems. Despite the rigidity of this practice, it is very convenient for people with ample disk space who need to run Windows, for example, for some activities and JDS for others.
To install Linux on a machine with another operating system in place, you need a dual-boot environment and approximately 5 GB of free disk space.
Typically, Windows installations use an entire hard disk, leaving no space for other operating systems. Sun’s JDS Installation Program can create a partition allowing you to install the Linux operating system, even if the disk is already taken up by a Windows formatted partition.
If you have less than 5 GB available, consider installing an additional drive or carve the space out of your existing drive using a free utility such as FIPS or a commercial product such as PartitionMagic. (The JDS utility does not work with NTFS-formatted drives.)
Repartitioning a drive involves some risk, so be sure to back up your data before repartitioning.
Because Windows cannot resize existing partitions, the JDS Installation Program checks your hard disk to find out how it’s laid out and proposes an appropriate partition setup to permit JDS to run.
Tip
If your existing Windows takes up the entire disk with an NTFS file system, the JDS installation program does not enable you to resize your partition, but proposes instead replacing your existing partition. In order to keep your Windows partition and permit dual booting, use third-party partition applications such as PartitionMagic to resize your partitions and create special partitions for JDS.