% Linux Installation and Getting Started    -*- TeX -*-
% distributions.tex
% Copyright (c) 1992-1994 by Matt Welsh <mdw@sunsite.unc.edu>
%
% This file is freely redistributable, but you must preserve this copyright 
% notice on all copies, and it must be distributed only as part of "Linux 
% Installation and Getting Started". This file's use is covered by the 
% copyright for the entire document, in the file "copyright.tex".

\section{Distributions of Linux}
\namedlabel{sec-install-distributions}{Distributions of Linux}
\namedlabel{sec-install-distrib}{Distributions of Linux}

\index{distributions|(}

Because Linux is free software, no single organization or entity is 
responsible for releasing and distributing the software. Therefore, 
anyone is free to put together and distribute the Linux software,
as long as the restrictions in the GPL are observed. The upshot of this
is that there are many distributions of Linux, available via anonymous 
FTP or via mail order. 

You are now faced with the task of deciding upon a particular distribution
of Linux which suits your needs. Not all distributions are alike. Many
of them come with just about all of the software you'd need to run a complete 
system---and then some. Other Linux distributions are ``small'' distributions
intended for users without copious amounts of diskspace. Many
distributions contain only the core Linux software, and you are expected to
install larger software packages, such as the X~Window System, yourself. 
(In Chapter~\ref{chap-sysadm-num} we'll show you
how.)

The Linux {\em Distribution HOWTO\/} (see Appendix~\ref{app-sources-num})
contains a list of Linux distributions available via the Internet
as well as mail order. Appendix~\ref{app-vendor-num} also lists contact
addresses for a number of Linux mail-order vendors. If you purchased this
book in printed the form, the publisher should also be able to provide
you with a Linux distribution or tell you who can.

How can you decide among all of these distributions? If you
have access to USENET news, or another computer conferencing 
system, you might want to ask there for personal opinions from people who
have installed Linux. Even better, if you know someone who has installed
Linux, ask them for help and advice. There are many factors to consider
when choosing a distribution, however, everyone's needs and opinions are
different. In actuality, most of the popular Linux distributions contain
roughly the same set of software, so the distribution that you select is 
more or less arbitrary.

\ifodd\igsslack
This book contains information on installing the popular Slackware and
Slackware Pro distributions of Linux.
\fi

\subsection{Getting Linux from the Internet}
\label{sec-getting-internet}

\index{Internet}
\index{Linux!getting}
\index{distributions!Internet, getting from the}
If you have access to the Internet, the easiest way to obtain Linux is
via anonymous FTP.\footnote{If you do not have direct Internet access, you
can obtain Linux via the {\tt ftpmail} service, provided that you have
the ability to exchange e-mail with the Internet. See 
Appendix~\ref{app-ftplist-num} for details.}
Appendix~\ref{app-ftplist-num} lists a number of 
FTP archive sites which carry Linux software. One of these is
{\tt sunsite.unc.edu}, and the various Linux distributions can be found
in the directory
\begin{tscreen}
/pub/Linux/distributions
\end{tscreen}
there. 

\index{FTP!anonymous}
\index{RAWRITE.EXE@{\tt RAWRITE.EXE}}
Many distributions are released via anonymous FTP as a set of disk 
images. That is, the distribution consists of a set of files, and each file
contains the binary image of a floppy. In order to copy the contents of the 
image file onto the floppy, you can use the {\tt RAWRITE.EXE} program
under MS-DOS. This program copies, block-for-block, the contents of
a file to a floppy, without regard for disk format.\footnote{If you have
access to a UNIX workstation with a floppy drive, you can also use the
{\tt dd} command to copy the file image directly to the floppy. A command
such as ``{\tt dd of=/dev/rfd0 if=foo bs=18k}'' will ``raw write'' the
contents of the file {\tt foo} to the floppy device on a Sun workstation.
Consult your local UNIX gurus for more information on your system's floppy
devices and the use of {\tt dd}.}

{\tt RAWRITE.EXE} is available on the various Linux FTP sites,
including {\tt sunsite.unc.edu} in the directory 
\begin{tscreen}
{\tt /pub/Linux/system/Install/rawwrite}
\end{tscreen}

Therefore, in many cases, you simply download the set of
diskette images, and use {\tt RAWRITE.EXE} with each image in turn to 
create a set of diskettes. You boot from the so-called ``boot diskette''
and you're ready to roll. The software is usually installed directly from the
floppies, although some distributions allow you to install from an MS-DOS
partition on your hard drive. Some distributions allow you to install over
a TCP/IP network. The documentation for each distribution should describe 
these installation methods if they are available.

Other Linux distributions are installed from a set of MS-DOS format
floppies. For example, the Slackware distribution of Linux requires only
the boot and root diskettes to be created using {\tt RAWRITE.EXE}.
The rest of the diskettes are copied to MS-DOS format diskettes using
the MS-DOS {\tt COPY} command.  The system 
installs the software directly from the MS-DOS floppies. This saves you
the trouble of having to use {\tt RAWRITE.EXE} for many image files, 
although it requires you to have access to an MS-DOS system to create the
diskettes. 

Each distribution of Linux available via anonymous FTP should include a
{\tt README} file describing how to download and prepare the diskettes
for installation. Be sure to read all of the available documentation for
the release that you are using.

When downloading the Linux software, be sure to use {\em binary\/} mode
for all file transfers (with most FTP clients, the command ``{\tt binary}''
enables this mode). 

\ifodd\igsslack
See Section~\ref{sec-slack-getting}, below, for information on 
obtaining the Slackware distribution from the Internet.
\fi

\subsection{Getting Linux from other online sources}

\index{distributions!online sources}
If you have access to
another computer network such as CompuServe or Prodigy, there may be a
means to download the Linux software from these sources. In addition, many
bulletin board (BBS) systems carry Linux software. A list of Linux BBS
sites is given in Appendix~\ref{app-bbs}.
Not all Linux distributions are available
from these computer networks, however---many of them, especially the
various CD-ROM distributions, are only available via mail order.

\subsection{Getting Linux via mail order}

\index{distributions!mail order}
\index{mail order}
If you don't have Internet or BBS access, many Linux distributions are 
available via mail order on diskette,
tape, or CD-ROM. Appendix~\ref{app-vendor-num} lists a number of these
distributors. Many of them accept credit cards as well as international
orders, so if you're not in the United States or Canada you still should be
able to obtain Linux in this way.

Linux is free software, although distributors are allowed by the GPL to
charge a fee for it. Therefore, ordering Linux via mail order might
cost you between US\$30 and US\$150, depending on the distribution.
However, if you know someone who has already purchased or downloaded a
release of Linux, you are free to borrow or copy their software
for your own use. Linux distributors are not allowed to restrict the
license or redistribution of the software in any way. If you are thinking
about installing an entire lab of machines with Linux, for
example, you only need to purchase a single copy of one of the distributions,
which can be used to install all of the machines. 

\ifodd\igsslack
\input{install/slack/getting}
\fi

\index{distributions|)}
