Parsix GNU/Linux Installation Guide

Version 3.4 (Last update: April 30 2011)
Author: Navid Abdi
Corrections and Additions: Alan Baghumian, Ali Yousefi Sabzevar

Disclaimer

This document is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.
This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

General Notes‌

Please send your comments and notes to (docs AT parsix DOT org) to make this guide better. Report bugs and problems at Parsix Bug Tracker.

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Topics

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FAQs

1. Is it possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux on the hard disk?

2. What's the minimum hardware requirements to install Parsix GNU/Linux?

3. Is it possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux beside of other GNU/Linux distributions like Red Hat or Debian GNU/Linux?

4. Is it possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux beside of MS-Windows?

5. What's the default boot loader of Parsix GNU/Linux?

6. Does Parsix GNU/Linux's boot loader recognize other installed GNU/Linux distributions on my PC?

7. How many partitions and how much space are required to install Parsix GNU/Linux?

8. Is it possible to update an existing Parsix GNU/Linux installation?

Installation Guide

1. Prerequirements

2. Running Installation program

3. Installation Start

4. Main Menu

5. Partitioning

6. Installation Configuration

7. Saving and Restoring Configuration

8. Installation Process

9. Quit

Updating An Existing Installation

1. Update Installation Mode

2. Starting Update Process

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General Notes

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Is it possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux on the hard disk?

1. Yes. You can do this using the Parsix GNU/Linux installation program. Parsix GNU/Linux is designed to be installed on the hard disk.

What's the minimum hardware requirements to install Parsix GNU/Linux?

1. The minimum required hardware is a 500MHz processor and at least 512MB of RAM. For better performance, 1GB of RAM is recommended.

Is it possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux beside of other GNU/Linux distributions such as Red Hat or Debian GNU/Linux?

1. Yes. You can install it beside of any type of GNU/Linux distribution. Parsix GNU/Linux installer system will try to detect other installed operating systems automatically.

Is it possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux beside of MS-Windows?

1. Yes. You can install it beside of MS-Windows (Any version).

What's the default boot loader of Parsix GNU/Linux?

1. Parsix GNU/Linux uses GNU GRUB as it's default boot loader. Starting from Parsix GNU/Linux 3.0r0, we are using GRUB 2.

Does Parsix GNU/Linux's boot loader recognizes other installed GNU/Linux distributions on my PC?

1. Since version 0.81 (Shipped with Parsix 1.0 called Ramon), the installer system supports auto-detection of all installed operating systems. This feature is also implemented in GRUB 2.

How many partitions and how much space are required to install Parsix GNU/Linux?

1. At least a root partition with 5 GB free space and a swap partition is required for the installation. Swap partition's capacity should be about twice as your RAM's. Since Parsix GNU/Linux 3.0r0, its officially possible to use an extra partition as /home.

Is it possible to update an existing Parsix GNU/Linux installation?

1. Parsix installation system can also update existing installations. For more information, see "Update installation mode".

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Installation Guide

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1. Prerequirements

• As mentioned above, you need at least two partitions. A root partition with 5GB of free space and a swap partition. If you have other GNU/Linux installations on your hard disk, Parsix GNU/Linux can recognize and use their swap partitions automatically. You can use provided "GParted" partitioning tool (Run it from Applications > System Tools > Partition Editor) to create new partitions or to resize existing ones. Do not forget that if you create or resize any partitions, it's recommended to reboot the computer to apply changes and then start the installation. If your partitions are ready, you can start installation right away.
  
  It is possible to install Parsix GNU/Linux on "Primary" and "Extended" partitions. If you have more than one hard disk, it's possible to use any of them as the installation target.

2. Running Installation Program

• To run the installation program, click on the "Install Parsix" icon on desktop or in the Applications > Parsix menu. Or type "sudo parsix-installer" command.

  

3. Installation Start

• After clicking on the "Install Parsix" icon, the installation program displays a welcome window. Click "OK" to proceed.

  

4. Main Menu

• After clicking on the "OK" button, the installation program displays the main menu. This menu has six entries. To quit installation, click "Quit".

  

5. Partitioning

• If you do not have any ready to use partitions to install Parsix GNU/Linux, choose partition and click "OK". This will run "GParted" partitioning tool that could be used to create new or resize existing partitions.

Parsix GNU/Linux needs at least two partitions to be installed. A Swap partition about twice as your RAM's and a main or root. Size of this partition should be at least 5GB. It will be formatted using the format you choose in the installation wizard. We recommend to create three partitions: "swap", "/ (root)" and "/home". Having a separate /home partition is always a good idea to keep your data in an isolated environment than the main operating system files. Just in case you need to format the main partition, you will not need to even touch your /home.

If you create or resize any partitions, it's highly recommended to reboot the computer to apply changes and then restart the installation. If the "Partition Editor" tool fails to detect your partitions or crashes during applying needed changes, you can manually partition the hard disk using "su -c cfdisk" command. Cfdisk is a powerful partitioning tool but can not resize your existing partitions. To resize partitions using the command line, use the "parted" command. For more information type the "man parted" command.

6. Starting the Installation

• Before starting the installation procedure, you should configure needed installation information such as installation place, user/passwords etc. From the main menu choose "Start Installation" or "New Installation" and click "OK". In the first step, it asks to choose an installation partition. Choose a partition that you want to install Parsix GNU/Linux in. Then click "Next" to proceed.
  

  

If the installer program finds more than one available partition to be used in installation procedure, it would recommend to use one of them as /home with this question: Would you like specify a separate "/home" partition?
Please note that this partition also will be formatted by the installer.

If you answer "Yes", you should choose a partition to be used as your "/home".

Answering "No" will lead the installer system to use a single partition to store both system and your personal data.

In the next step, you should choose desired file system format. If you don't know about file system differences, click "Next" to proceed.

Then installation program asks you to enter your full name, username and password respectively.

In the next step, you should enter your root (Administration) password. You will need it to do administrative tasks later, so choose a password that you never forget!

In the next step you should enter a hostname (Computer name). Default hostname is "parsix". You can change it. Hostname is needed for networking.

In the next step, the installation program asks about boot loader installation. Parsix GNU/Linux uses GRUB boot loader. It's recommended to choose "mbr". This will install boot loader on the master boot record.

8. Installation Process

• After finishing configuration, the installation program displays a confirmation window. Take a look, if everything seems to be fine, click "Next" to proceed.

  

  The installation program starts formatting the chosen partition or partitions, copies files & configurations, creates users, installs boot loader and kernel. Then displays the final message that "Installation has finished successfully". Now you can boot the computer using Parsix GNU/Linux.

9. Quit

• In "Start Installation" step, you can use "Quit" button to exit the installation. The installation program will ask you to save the configuration in a file. If you like, you can save your configuration to use it later.

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Updating An Existing Installation

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Update Installation Mode

• If you have an existing installation of Parsix GNU/Linux on the computer, it is possible to update it to the new version using update installation mode. It is recommended to backup your data before proceed. Update procedure deletes a lot of data from your root partition. This action can not be undone.

Starting Update Process

• To start update procedure, click on "Applications > Parsix > Install Parsix" icon or type "sudo parsix-installer" command. Then skip the welcome window and choose "Update installation" then click next.

  

  Then system asks you to choose a partition that contains your existing Parsix GNU/Linux installation.

  

  Then displays a confirmation message about the update process. Again it is highly recommended to backup your data before starting the update installation process.

  
  During the final steps of update installation mode, the installer asks you to replace the X.Org and GNOME desktop configurations. Answer yes if you desire to reset these configurations.

  After 10-15 minutes the installer displays the final confirmation window and your new Parsix GNU/Linux is ready to use. Important note that all extra installed software packages will be deleted and you have to reinstall them after updating the system using the following command:

  # apt-get update && apt-get install `cat /root/diffpackages-xxxxxxxx-xxxx.txt`