Linux for Newbie(Part 2)

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Linux for Newbie(Part 2)

Before Linux Installation

1 Which Linux distribution should I use?

The differences between the distributions ("distros") are minor: the installation program, choice of the bundeled tools/applications, arrangement of a few things on the hard drive (most of Linux is still at the same, standard hard drive location in all distributions). Whichever distribution you decide to install, you will end up with essentially the same Linux.
We mostly use "Red Hat Linux" (also called RedHat or RH) for these reasons:
(1) RedHat is very popular (both advantage for a newbie and a testimony to RedHat quality). (2) RedHat is a general-purpose distribution.
(3) RedHat comes with a relatively easy setup program.
(4) RedHat contributions to Linux are "open software" (this means that all the software written by RedHat and included on the RH distribution CD is lisensed under the General Public License, GPL, so that it can be legally copied, given away, reused, etc.).
(5) RedHat can be obtained very cheaply or free if you don’t care for commercial support. This is a consequence of (4).
In short, as a newbie, you can safely bet on "Red Hat" unless you like something else or have specialized needs. The most recent RedHat release (October 1999) is version 6.1 (called RH6.1) which is only a relatively minor upgrade over the previous version of RedHat 6.0 (RH6.0) which hit the street in May 1999. The yet previous version was RedHat 5.2 and it was very popular for quite a while. Be sure to specify the most recent version if ordering your software from a dealer--many dealers like to clear their inventory by sending you an old version (this applies not only to Linux). The authors have no connection to RedHat (or any other Linux distributor) whatsoever.
Our recommending RedHat for newbies does not mean that other distributions don’t offer benefits or unique features which may surpass RedHat in specific areas. We do believe that we benefited from an exposure to a different distribution because it helped us understand Linux better.
We tried Debian and we liked it very much. It was probably as easy as RedHat, but it seems less common (hence, being newbies, we picked up RedHat). The great benefit of Debian is that it is 100% non-commercial (put together by volunteer hackers, the true Linux way) and it probably most strictly adheres to Linux standards (it probably sets the standards too). Another benefit is that Debian crams on their numerous distribution CDs thousands of tools and applications--easily much more than any other distribution. All these tools/apps are nicely "packaged" (for ease of installation) and tested for compatibility. This makes Debian distro look monumental, safe, conservative, and always slightly outdated. So yes, we would not have a problem recommending Debian for as a great general-purpose Linux distribution.
Corel is currently beta-testing their own Linux distribution apparently geared towards a nice and easy platform to run the Corel suite of office applications: WordPerfect wordprocessor, QuattroPro spreadsheet, Corel Presentations, Paradox database, CorelDraw artist package.... The Corel Linux is based on Debian. So if you think about using Corel in the future, picking Debian may be your smart choice now.
Slackware seems to be favorite among "cutting-edge hackers" who like being close to the operating system and perhaps upgrade their kernel every other day--we did not use it so this is hearsay. S.u.S.E distribion is very popular in Europe. It surely looks German-solid, general-purpose distro with an easy setup and an excellent reputation. Another well-known and respected distribution is Caldera, said to be aiming at corporate users--it has the most fancy, perhaps most easy installation program. Mandrake distribution is a RedHat clone which is updated more often than the pedigree RedHat (RedHat tends to update less often so as not to proliferate too many versions). Mandrake seems to be very popular lately. There are "localized" versions of Linux for specific countries or languages (Korean, Chinese, Japanese ...)--they likely contain on default all the hacks and docs that the users in these countries probably want to see.
There are also "special purpose" distributions, e.g. the "real-time" editions of Linux (might be useful if you are in for automation, robotics, etc.), very small distros (could be good for the next-generation CD/MP3 player or if you like the idea of running Linux from a single floppy), parallel computing and clustering systems (might be great if you plan to do your own weather forcasting :-) ), etc. Here the differences will be larger, but these distributions are not meant to be "general purpose". As a newbie, you likely don’t want to start with any of these, although you might be tempted to. (They surely show Linux strength and viability--it runs on toys as well as computer clusters that make the currently fastest systems in the world.)
The distribution you need is of course specific to the hardware platform you have. This means that for your PC hardware containing a Intel 386 processor, or 486, or Pentium, or Cyrix, or K6, or similar, you need the binary distribution called "Intel" or "386". [Unless you are prepared to start with your own compilation of the Linux source code, which is not typical for a newbie :-)] This happens because there are binary distribution for other platforms too (PowerPC, Alpha, and perhaps a dozen more)--don’t get those for your PC clone, surely they will not work.
In short, although newbies get confused with the multiple Linux distributions, there are reasons to have different distros. They should be viewed as a Linux strength rather than weakness.
This guide concentrates on RedHat 5.2, 6.0 and 6.1 on the PC (Intel) platform. Many of the answers will work fine on other distributions or platforms, but we did not try them.

2 What are the Linux hardware requirements?

"Out-of-box" Linux will run on a 386SX-based PC with 8 MB of memory, but such a low-end computer is practical for text-only applications (no X-window). A 486 with 16 MB memory and 600 MB free (unpartitioned) hard drives will do for work with X-windows. My 586-90 MHz with 64 MB of memory flies under Linux. My Pentium-2 233 MHz with 64 MB of memory is a complete pleasure with an almost instantaneous response even when running many large applications concurrently. My 486-33 MHz with 8 MB memory and 1 GB hard drive has too little memory to run adequately stand-alone under GUI, but is useful in my home network environment (a 486-class machine performs just adequately also stand-alone if it has at least 16 MB of memory). My old portable 386-SX-20 MHz Toshiba with 9 MB memory and 120 MB hard drive runs "legacy applications" under MS Windows 3.11 and connects to our Linux home network and is thus still useful. We tried Debian Linux on this Toshiba too, and it runs fine in text mode. If you are willing to jump through a few extra hoops, you should be able to install and run Linux on a little as 4 MB of memory, but this is probably not worth the effort for the general purpose home Linux machine. I would say: get at least 16 MB of memory, and if possible 32 or 64 MB --more memory can make a difference in performance when running concurrently several large GUI applications. Memory is cheap these days.
Networking is where Linux really shines, so consider getting 10-base-T Ethernet cards--they are not very expensive and will be perfect to connect your two or more home computers together. Also, look around for old Ethernet cards which MS Windows deems obsolete--they can be bought for a really low price and they will work fine under Linux. To connect just two computers, a cross-over cable for direct Ethernet-card to Ethernet-card connection is sufficient. To connect more than 2 computers together, you need a hub (~US$30 to US$80) and normal (not cross-over) cables. (If you have extra Ethernet cards, you may also consider installing more than 1 Ethernet card on a computer, use direct connections using the cross-over cables, and save the expense of a hub. ) The 10-base-T system uses "giant phone" (RJ45)-type connectors and all machines are connected to one box (called the hub). The hub has an extra connection (called "uplink") which you will use if you ever have a permanent connection to the outside world.
Here is another suggestion on setting up a different kind of network, older type, which uses coaxial cables. For this, no hub is necessary. Because this networking scheme is older, it can be assembled using cards and parts that are often available almost for free:
(edited for space) From: John.Edwards@brunel.ac.uk Subject: Linux Guide-a suggestion
Hi. Many older 10Mbps network cards (and some newer ones as well) have a BNC connector and you can usually pick up old co-axial cabling when companies upgrade to UTP. Add a T piece for each machine and a 50-ohm terminator at each end (about 1 pound or $1.50 each) and you have a home network that will happily support more machines than you probabily have room for. And most importantly--no expensive hub (or cheap hub that can cause trouble). There are other advantages to co-ax as well, it’s tougher to break and more resistent to noise from other equipment.
Disadvantages: There is a limit of 185 metres per network segment of thin co-ax, 30 machines per network, and you’re stuck at 10Mbps, but I don’t see any small home network needing more than that. Also if one cable goes down then the whole network stops, this shouldn’t happen often unless someone unplugs a cable section. You can disconnect the T piece from a PC without harming the rest though.
Quick diagram, T for a T piece and Term for a terminator:
Term-T-----T-----T-----T-Term | | | | PC PC PC PC
The various parts connect together using BNC connectors similar to TV & video connector but with a bayonet that secures the two sockets together.
For more detail see page 6 of the /usr/doc/HOWTO/Ethernet-HOWTO

3 Will my hardware work under Linux?

Not every piece of PC hardware is supported under Linux, but most are, particularly the more standard, older, and popular ones. This applies to SCSI adapters, CDROMs, writable and rewritable CDs (CD-R and CD-RW), video cards, mice, printers, modems, network cards, scanners, Iomega drives, etc.
The most notable exceptions are the so-called Winmodems (=MS Windows modems). Avoid these like fire--they are maybe $5 less expensive than full modems, but they are crippled and there is little chance they will ever work under a normal operating system (they may not even work with the next version of MS Windows). External modems are never "MS Windows modems" so if in doubt, purchase an external modem (external modems are more expensive, but they don’t drain your PC power supply, are easily portable between machines, look better, and show modem activity).
Another area of potential problem is the video card. If you have a recent "cutting edge" 3D or uncommon card, you may want to check its compatibility at http://www.Xfree86.org.
So the short answer is yes, in all likelihood your standard PC will run Linux with no problems. You don’t invest much when trying Linux, so probably the easiest way to make sure is to attempt an installation on your existing hardware. There are Linux hardware compatibility lists at http://www.redhat.com/support/docs/hardware.html and 
http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO.html if you want to check your newer or less popular hardware.
When purchasing new hardware, ask your supplier if the hardware is supported under Linux or consider a system with Linux pre-installed. Not too many major suppliers offer one yet (most plan to), but you can get one from a smaller vendor.
If a piece of hardware of yours is (apparently) not supported in your current Linux distribution, don’t give up. Chances are that: 1. It is supported, but you don’t know how to set it up. (Solution: stay around with Linux for a few days or weeks, don’t waste your time, when you get some understanding of how your system works, then you may be able to set it up.) 2. You have to go through a more complex setup to support the hardware (for example some cryptic command or a kernel re-compile, which is not as difficult as it seems). 3. An updated (different?) distribution already supports it "out-of-box" (you can usually order it for US$1.99). 4. There is already an upgrade somewhere on the Internet, you have to find it, download it, and figure out how to install it. 4. The upgrade will be available next week--Linux development goes really fast!

4 How do I download Linux?

Do yourself a favor and do not download Linux, get an installation CD instead. Linux can be downloaded completely from the Internet, but it is a large and sophisticated operating system. The download will take hours or days of download time and you will probably encounter problems when trying to stitch the downloaded pieces together.
If you do have a speedy Internet connection (definitely not a 28.8-modem) and you are not a complete newbie, Linux download may be an option to you after all. Try: ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/ if the site is not too busy today.

5 How do I get a Linux CD?

Many possible ways. (1) Buy the "RedHat" CD from linuxmall (http://www.LinuxMall.com/), or cheapbytes (http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart )--last time I checked , "the unofficial" RedHat 6.1 GPL was US$1.89 and US$1.99 respectively + shipping and handling. They will mail you a bare CD. You get no printed manual, no support, no boot diskette, but the price is right, and the manual and tools to make a boot diskette are on the CD. I purchased several packages from "cheapbytes" and they always arrived fast, were of good quality, and there were no problems with my credit card charge (the authors have no connection to "cheapbytes" whatsoever). (2) Buy the boxed "official Red Hat" from the same place on the Internet or from your favorite software supplier, prices start at around US$40--you will get the printed manual, e-mail or telephone installation support (60 days?), the boot diskette, additional CDs with "bundled" commercial applications, and perhaps other goodies (free updates?). (3) Copy the installation CD from your friend. This is perfectly legal and ok--Linux is free. If you have a Linux CD, don’t be shy to loan it to your neighbor. (4) Check your library, local bookstore, or http:/www.amazon.com. Several Linux handbooks come with an attached CD containing a full Linux distribution. This is a good way to start with Linux! It is definitely a good idea to have a nice Linux handbook. With Linux countless utilities, I need a handbook all the time. (5) Visit a Linux "installfest" when one is organized in a place near you. Local Linux "gurus" will install Linux on your computer free (bring the computer) and you will likely be able to get a Linux CD too (why don’t you bring 1 or more empty CD-R to the fest?). Check for the Linux User Group on the net to see when the nearest to you plans an installfest. Good way to meet other Linuxers too. (6) If you are really short on cash or are a Linux pioneer in one of these places in the world where US$2 goes a long way, try "linux exchange" or "giveaway"--people loan or donate Linux CDs (e.g. try: http://visar.csustan.edu/giveaway.html). If you live in a major city, you may even get lucky and somebody will help you with your first Linux installation / setup. If you can’t find anything, let me (bklimas@magma.ca) know. I’ll try to arrange sending a copy of Linux CD to you (if you are not a joker). Once again, if you have a Linux CD, don’t be shy to loan it to your neighbor.

6 I have RedHat CD but no install floppy. What do I do?

If your computer can boot from the CD drive (most computers cannot), you don’t need a boot diskette to install Linux. Have a look at your BIOS setup, the boot sequence can often be set up there. My computer has the CD drive specified as the first boot device in the BIOS yet still cannot boot from the CD drive. So the BIOS setup does not necessary reflect the capability of your machine. If you can boot from CD drive, just insert the RedHat CD into the CD drive and reboot the computer to enter the RedHat Linux installation program.
If you don’t know how to access your BIOS setup, read this paragraph. The BIOS setup can typically be entered at boottime by pressing the proper key at the right moment (often when a prompt is briefly displayed). Most often, it is the <Del> key. Here is a list of key combinations used by popular BIOSes: Acer notebooks: <F2> during Power-On Self-Test (POST). American Megatrends (AMI): <Del> during Power-On Self-Test. Award: <Del>, or <Ctrl><Alt><Esc>. Compaq: <F10> after the square appears in the top right corner of the screen during boot-up. Dell: <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>. DTK: <Esc> during Power-On Self-Test. IBM Aptiva 535: <F1> while the square with the wavy lines is displayed in the upper right corner during power-on. IBM PS/2: <Ctrl><Alt><Del>, then <Ctrl><Alt><Ins> when the cursor is in the top right corner Mr. BIOS: <Ctrl><Alt><S> during Power-On Self-Test. Packard Bell: For some models, <F1> or <F2 > during Power-On Self-Test. Phoenix: <Ctrl><Alt><Esc> or <Ctrl><Alt><S>, or <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>.
If your computer cannot boot from the CD drive, make an install boot diskette from under DOS or the MS Windows DOS mode. (You have go to to "Shutdown" and "Restart in MS-DOS mode", not just run a DOS window). From DOS, you may try the program:
EZSTART.BAT
which is on my RedHat CD from "cheapbytes".
It is important that you have a perfectly good floppy (without even one bad cluster). The program that makes the diskette does not check if the floppy was written properly. Also don’t count that the DOS FORMAT utility will find a faulty floppy--it probably won’t. If I were you, I would make two or three boot floppies at once--you may be surprised how many diskettes have problems. For me, the third floppy worked! If your install diskette does not boot, make another one--it definitely should boot.
If you don’t have the EZSTART.BAT, here are the essential commands. To make the boot floppy run:
F:\dosutils\rawrite.exe -f F:\images\boot.img -d a: -n
To make the supplemental (optional) diskette run: F:\dosutils\rawrite.exe -f F:\images\supp.img -d a: -n
This assumes your CDROM is the DOS "F:" drive, and your floppy is "A:", adjust the commands if the drive letters are different on your system.
You may find it easier to run rawrite without any argument--it will interactively prompt you for the input image and output file.
From under Linux, you can make a boot disk by mounting the RedHat CDROM and typing the commands (as root user):
cd /mnt/cdrom/images/ dd if=boot.img of=/dev/fd0
[The ‘‘dd’’ command copies files. The above command specifies that the input file ("if") is ‘‘boot.img’’ and the output file ("of") is /dev/fd0, which is the first floppy drive, i.e. the floppy drive number zero (if you want to write to your second floppy drive, use /dev/fd1). ]

7 What do I need to read before installation?

You may want to read the RedHat manual. If you don’t have the printed copy, an html version is on your CD so you can read it using any web browser, e.g. Netscape for Windows. Look here to see how to access this manual and some additional reading material.
It is also helpful to get some UNIX orientation if you don’t have any. Buy a good Linux manual or dust your old Unix handbook. Almost all basic Unix commands will run fine under Linux. Manuals for MS Windows are useless (click this, click that), but manuals for Linux/UNIX are typically great (give you an understanding of the system, a lasting benefit).
You may want to learn about your hardware: how many and what size hard drives you have, the type, number, order and size of all partitions on each drive, where are your DOS/Windows partitions, which one is the DOS/Windows boot partition (if you plan to have dual boot), what type of mouse you have, what video card and with how much memory, what monitor (max synchronization frequencies), etc.
Go to BIOS setup to see the number and geometry of your hard drives. Run DOS "fdisk" to display your hard drive(s) partition table(s). Watch your system boot to learn about the type of your video card and the amount of video memory. Boot MS Windows, go to the control panel-devices and write down the sound card, modem, network card types and settings (name, type, IRQ, i/o address, DMA channel). Read the label underneath your mouse to see the type of mouse you have. (Next time you buy a mouse, get a Linux-ready 3-button Logitech or similar--Linux makes good use of all three buttons.) Dust off your monitor manual to find out the maximum synchronization frequencies (vertical and horizontal) that your monitor supports. Never use freqencies out the the monitor specification--this may damage your monitor.

8 Can I have MS Windows and Linux installed on the same computer?

Yes, you can. Many Linuxers use dual boots. This is typically achieved by installing MS Windows on one hard drive partition and Linux on another partition. Linux comes with a simple boot manager called LILO, which will let you choose at the boot time the operating system you boot. Install MS Windows first and Linux only afterwards or else MS Windows installation program will disable your access to Linux. Have a Linux boot floppy ready if you need to re-install MS Windows--MS Windows will surely disable your access to Linux and you will have to boot Linux from the floppy and then re-run the command lilo to get back to business.
From under Linux, you will be able to read from and write to your MS Windows drive partitions so that data exchange between MS Windows- and Linux-based program is seamless. You will also be able to use your existing MS Windows-based resources: sound files, backgrounds, pictures, fonts, etc. (First check if it does not violate your license agreement :-) though. For products that are on rent to you from Microsoft, it probably would. With my Linux computers, I am proud to have no pirated software on my system whatsoever.)

9 How do I partition my hard drive?

If you plan a dual boot (Linux and MS Windows on the same computer), first use your DOS/Win utility FDISK to make the MS Windows partition(s). Leave a part of the hard drive(s) unpartitioned for Linux. You will make and format the Linux partitions during your RedHat installation. Make the MS Windows partition "primary" and "bootable". Install, configure, and test your MS Windows before Linux installation. If you plan to run Linux only, you need just clean hard drive (no partitions) to start with.
It is possible to have only one Linux partition (plus one for MS Windows if you dual-boot). But it is better to have more partitions so you can keep users’ data separate from the rest of the operating system. This way, if something ever goes wrong and you have to reformat and re-install the operating system, you don’t lose the users’ data. (You can however do a Linux re-install without losing the contents of the /home directory that contains all user data if you skip the "re-format" option given to you during installation.)
During the Linux setup, you will be asked to partition the available space on your hard drive(s). There are many possible ways to partition, depending on your hard drive space, requirements, and taste. I like Linux hard drive partitions like this (for a modest total of 2 GB that I dedicated for Linux):
mount point type size
/ ext2 300 MB
/usr ext2 1200 MB
/home ext2 380 MB
swap swap 120 MB
In the above example, I dedicate 300 MB for the root partition that holds the base of the Linux operating system. I give 1200 MB for the mount point that will be visible on my filesystem as the/usr directory and will contain user’s programs (the programs that don’t come with the base operating system and I install later, for example WordPerfect). I dedicate 380 MB for the partition that will be visible as the directory /home and will contain the setting and data of all users on the machine. And I give 120 MB for a "raw" partition for the operating system to use as the virtual memory (extension of the physical, silicon memory on the hard drive, so-called swap). If your kernel is lower than 2.2 (this is the case with standard RH5.2 and earlier), your swap partition cannot be larger than approximately 127 MB. The rule of thumb is that the swap should be about twice the amount of the physical memory (RAM). 120 MB is quite a bit of swap and it is unlikely you should need more. If you think you do need more (e.g. you expect to run custom programs with really large data structures) you might want to create a larger swap partion during the installation (or several smaller swap partitions) or add swap a file(s) later.
2 GB is a lot of disk space and should be sufficient even for users who like having many applications. (This is because Linux applications tend to be slimmer than their MS Windows equivalents). However, if you try to install everything that’s available for Linux on the Internet, you will surely run out of disk space :-) . My experience is that however large the hard drive space, it will get filled and I regret I don’t have more :-) .
If my space on the hard drive is really restricted, I may consider a two-partition setup like this (for a lean 650 MB total dedicated for Linux):
m ount point type size / ext2 600 MB swap swap 50 MB
In this example, I dedicate 600 MB to contain the base of the operating system, applications, and user documents/data, and give 50 MB for the swap partition (for the operating system to use as the virtual memory). The 50-MB swap should be quite sufficient for medium duty operations. The limitation of 600 MB for the operating system, applications and user data means that you will have to be selective as to which applications you install or else you risk running out of hard drive space. Try pressing <F1> when installing the optional software that come on Red Hat CD--it will give you a short description what the software does so you could perhaps decide if you really need it. (Don’t worry too much if you miss something you need, you can install the missing parts later). You can easily finish the RedHat installation with 200 MB free on your Linux partition (out of 600 MB used in this example) if you make reasonable choices. Please note that "bundling together" the root partition "/" and the /home directory will likely save you some disk space, but it is not the safest solution.
It is possible to install Linux on even less disk space than in the example above, but you will have to be even more selective as to what you install.
For a larger available hard drive space, I may consider the following setup (for a comfortable total of 6 GB dedicated for Linux):
mount point type size / ext2 400 MB /usr ext2 2000 MB /usr/local ext2 2500 MB /home ext2 800 MB swap swap 300 MB
Please note that the the mount points can reside on different physical hard drives.
Another consideration when setting up the partitions. Many older BIOSes have the restriction that the boot partition cannot extend beyond the 1024th cylinder on your first physical hard drive. To overcome this limitation, simply make the first (bootable) partition so that it ends before the cylinder number1023 (this makes this partition max approximately 512 MB in size, which is plenty for the "/" root partition). Once Linux boots, the BIOS restriction does not matter any more as Linux can also access the partition(s) beyond the cylinder number1023.

When installing and using Linux, your drives appear as devices with the following names: hda--first IDE drive (stands for "hard drive a", i.e. the master drive on the first IDE interface), hdb--second IDE drive (i.e., the slave drive on the first IDE interface), hdc--third IDE drive (i.e. the master drive on the second IDE interface), hdd--fourth IDE drive (i.e. the slave drive on the second IDE interface). The numbers mean the partitions on the physical drives: "hda1" means the first IDE hard drive (hd a), first partition (1); "hda2" is the first IDE hard drive, second partition; "hda3"--the first IDE hard drive, third partition; (and so on if you have more than 3 partitions on the first IDE hard drive); "hdb1"--second IDE hard drive, first partition (or just "hdb" if it is the CDROM installed as a slave on your first IDE interface). "hdc1"--third IDE hard drive, first partition, etc. SCSI drives have analogous names but start with letters "sd" (="SCSI drive"), followed by the letter indicating the SCSI interface and by the number indicating the SCSI device id. For example, "sda4" means "first SCSI interface, id number 4". If you have an external zip drive attached to your parallel port, it will apear as a SCSI device "sda4" (it works in a SCSI-emulation mode).

10 The MS Windows partition occupies my whole harddrive. Can I shrink/split it without a re-install?

Possibly. There is a utility called FIPS.EXE on your RedHat CD that does just that. Check the directory \dosutils\fipsdocs\on your RedHat CD for documentation. If I were you, I would back-up my essential data before doing anything to the partition. There are also commercial utilities to change the partition size without destroying the content of the partition.
My personal preference is to do a clean re-install of MS Windows on a single, dedicated partition. I leave some space on the hard drive unpartitioned so I can use it later for Linux. My fair division of hard drive space between MS Windows and Linux is 50/50. Linux programs tend to be smaller but they include as a standard components that MS Windows offers only with many thousand dollars of add-ons: e.g., servers (not just clients) for telnet, ftp, http, and mail, several databases, programming lanuages, ...

11 How do I start the installation?

Insert the installation boot diskette into your floppy drive, the RedHat CD to the CDROM, and reboot. If you boot from the CD, insert the RedHat CD into your CDROM drive and reboot.
You may also start the installation from DOS (or real DOS mode under MS Windows), by running EZSTART.BAT which is on my RedHat CD from Cheapbytes.

12 Is the Linux installation difficult?

It was not for me. It seems that for most newbies, it is fairly straight forward and painless. Depending on your hardware and installation choices, it typically takes 0.5 h to 2.0 hours. [Expect longer or possible problems for slow systems with very restricted memory--it took whole night to install RH on my 486-33 MHz with 8 MB memory, the system pausing for 5 minutes at a time appearing to do nothing, yet it installed ok.] However, some newbies reported that the installation was a "total nightmare" to them (hardware problems?). If you encounter problems, my advice would be to install a plain-vanilla system, without struggling with the highest resolution on your fancy video card or other bleeding-edge hardware which you might have. Anything can be added/configured later, after you get more understanding of how things work on your system. Even a re-install is always an option for a newbie (it seems Linux gurus think it is a shame to ever re-install). It seems that many newbies have problems because they specify too high screen resolutions (which may be not supported or supported only with some extra tune-up). Again, it may not be wise to break your whole installation for support of a single device--the support can be added/tuned-up later.
13 I finished the installation. How do I log-in for the very first time?
As root. "root" is the only account that exists after the initial installation (newer installation programs do prompt you to create a regular user account during the installation). Example login:my_machine_name login: root
Password: my_password
In the example above, I typed the word "root" at the login prompt. After that, I entered the password that I chose during the initial Linux installation. The password did not appear on the screen when I typed it (for security).

"root" is a special account with an absolute power over the system, and it is used for system administration. You surely want to create at least one more "user" account later to perform regular (not system administration) work. Read on to learn how to do it.