HOW TO INSTALL FREEBSD
WHAT IS FREEBSD?
FreeBSD is a computer operating system, like Windows or Linux.
It's a lot more stable than Windows, and allows for easier
maintenance than Linux. FreeBSD can easily emulate Linux and
some people report that some Linux applications run better
on FreeBSD than Linux. Click on the links below find out more
about the advantages:
FreeBSD at Yahoo!
TechTV Comparison with Linux
Linux vs. FreeBSD
http://www.Google.com/search?q=compare+FreeBSD+Linux+Windows
http://www.Google.com/search?q=compare+FreeBSD+Linux
http://www.InternetWeek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=12800936
http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/rants/bsd4linux/bsd4linux8.php
FreeBSD has been around longer than Windows or Linux in some
form or another.
Click
here to find out more about the history
of FreeBSD.
ASSUMPTIONS:
A. You are familiar with computers, and probably
know either Windows or Linux fairly well.
B. You have access to the Internet. You
need to be able to plug into an existing
router or switch for your new FreeBSD computer.
C. You don't plan to dual-boot. It has
been our experience that while many people have
sucessfully configured two or more operating systems
on a hard drive, the chance for a major loss
of data is significant. If you really want
to use your computer with multiple operating
systems, you might want to consider getting
a 'cold swap' hard drive bracket and keep each
operating system on a separate hard
drive. Our preference is to keep the OSs
on their own separate computers.
D. Either the computer's hard drive is blank, or
the data on it is backed up elsewhere. This
procedure will PERMANENTLY DELETE any data
currently residing on it.
HARDWARE CHECK
- Make sure the computer's hardware is installed properly:
motherboard settings, cables connected properly,
adequate cooling, etc.
OBTAIN SOFTWARE
The FreeBSD software is usually obtainable
in ISO
CDROM image format. ISO stands for International
Standards Organization.
When referring to an ISO CD image, it just means that the entire
contents of the actual, usable CD, is contained in a single file.
This single file has a specified format, that when used with the
proper software, will create the needed bootable CD.
Before we tell where to get the ISO file or files, note that
you can get the FULL version or the MINI version. You
are likely to be better off downloading the FULL version because
you will have less to download later on. The rest of
this procedure assumes that you have downloaded the FULL
version.
- Download FreeBSD version 4.9, or latest version as
you desire. The 5.x branch is not production rated, yet.
You can get the ISO's here:
http://tinyurl.com/5oxoj
More info:
http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors.html
http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors-ftp.html
http://mirrorlist.FreeBSD.org/FBSDsites.php
ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ISO-IMAGES-i386/
- Now that you have downloaded the ISO files, make sure to back them
up--either making several copies or distributing them to
several physical locations, or both. This will avoid
the need to download them again.
CREATE BOOTABLE CDROM
- Presumably you are familiar with either the Windows or Linux
operating systems. In order to create the bootable installation
disks, you will need to burn the ISOs using the appropriate software
(always make sure to use the 'verify' option so you are absolutely
certain that the data was burned properly):
Create
a CD from an ISO image in Windows
Create
a CD from an ISO image in Linux
FIRMWARE CHECK AND CONFIGURATION
- Update your motherboard to the latest BIOS if necessary.
- Turn off BIOS or Video caching or shadowing if
necessary. (This is necessary if you have problems
viewing the monitor).
- Configure BIOS so that the computer will boot from
a CDROM
- Configure BIOS so that the computer's clock is
running UTC time. Odds are, unless you live
in the same longitude as London, England, your computer
is NOT set to UTC time. In many instances
UTC time is referred to at GMT (Greenwich
Mean Time), but the official nomenclature is UTC.
Click on either of these links to find out the
current UTC time:
U. S.
Naval Observatory Master Clock
UTC Time
BOOT USING THE INSTALLATON CD
- Boot with the CD in the drive.
The computer will boot and will soon show:
Hit [Enter] to boot immediately, or any other key for command prompt.
Booting [kernel] in _ seconds...
- Hit Enter, or wait until it boots
CONTINUE WITH ACTUAL INSTALLATION
- Select:
Skip kernel configuration and continue
with installation?
Press: 'Enter'
- You'll see lots of messages as the FreeBSD
operating system boots from the CD and then it shows:
sysinstall Main Menu
CONFIGURE HARD DRIVE PARTITIONS
- Select and navigate through the following sequence:
[Custom] ® [3 Partition
Allocate disk space for FreeBSD]
A. If it gives you a warning about Geometry, select 'OK'.
Press 'Enter'. This warning may appear for some some
large hard drives.
B. If partitions/slices already exist, delete them--this is a
'new' install.
- Press the 'A' key, in order to select:
A = Use Entire Disk
The partitions are generated and allocated in about 1 second.
- Press the 'Q' key, in order to select:
Q = Finish
- Select:
BootMgr
Install the FreeBSD Boot Manager.
Press: 'Enter'
- Select:
4 Label
Label allocated disk partitions.
Press: 'Enter'
- Press the 'A' key, in order to select:
A = Auto Defaults
- Press the 'Q' key, in order to select:
Q = Quit
INSTALL THE FREEBSD PORTS TREE
Shows:
Choose Custom Installation Options
- Select:
5 Distributions
Select distribution(s) to extract.
Press: 'Enter'
- Cursor to:
All
All system sources, binaries and X window system'.
Press: 'Enter'
Shows:
User Confirmation Request
Would you like to install the FreeBSD ports collection?
- Press 'Y' for yes.
Explanation:
The FreeBSD ports collection is a group of many thousands of
compatible programs that will run on FreeBSD. At this point,
the entire ports collection is NOT installed. That would take up
many gigabytes of space. What actually happens shortly
is that the 'ports tree' is copied onto the hard drive. The
ports tree contains just a few small files for each program.
This small group of files specify how that program is to
be installed: where to retrieve the software,
what the file names are, locations, and other configuration
information. This minimal information allows you
to easily install a program when you decide to do so.
All you would need to do is go
to that program's directory within /usr/ports/ and type: 'make install'
and installation will proceed.
- Cursor to:
X Exit
Exit this menu (return to previous).
Press: 'Enter'
Screen shows:
Choose Custom Installation Options
- Cursor to:
6 Media
Choose the installation media type.
Press: 'Enter'
- Select:
1 CD/DVD
Install from a FreeBSD CD/DVD.
Press: 'Enter'
- Cursor to:
7 Commit
Perform any pending Partition/Label/Extract actions.
Press: 'Enter'
Shows:
User Confirmation Requested
Last Chance!...etc....
- Press 'Y' for Yes
The computer now shows various progress graphs as it
configures the hard disk and installs software from
the CD. Typically this will take around 5-10
minutes depending on the speed of your computer.
If error messages show up at this point, then the
hard drive, CD Drive, CD disk,
one of the cables, relative placement of the
cards in the motherboard slots, or some other connection
is likely the cause. One type of error
is a signal [number] error. This type of
error are almost always RAM memory, but in
some instances are caused by a faulty
motherboard or CPU.
Here is a list of device codes that may help
you decipher error messages:
FreeBSD
Device List
As described earlier, it's a good idea to keep
two CDs with known good ISO burns so if there
is an error at this point you can use the
other CD to diagnose whether it is a problem
with the ISO CD or hardware related.
- When the system has been configured, and the ports
have been installed, it will show:
User Confirmation Requested
Visit the general configuration menu for a chance
to set any last options?
- Press 'Y' for Yes
- Cursor to:
Time Zone
Set which time zone you're in
- Press: 'Enter'
The screen shows:
Select local or UTC (Greenwich Mean Time) clock
Is this machine's CMOS clock set to UTC?
If it is set to local time, or you don't know,
please choose NO here!
Since you specifically set this computer's clock to
UTC earlier, you want to select 'Yes'.
- Press 'Y' for Yes
- Navigate the menu and select your local time
as is appropriate for you.
When you have chosen your local time zone, the screen
shows:
FreeBSD Configuration Menu
- Cursor to:
X Exit
Exit this menu (Returning to Previous)
- Press: 'Enter'
The screen shows:
Choose Custom Installation Options
- Cursor to:
X Exit
Exit this menu (returning to previous)
- Press: 'Enter'
The screen shows:
sysinstall Main Menu
- Press the TAB key to select:
[X Exit Install]
- Press: 'Enter'
The screen shows:
User Confirmation Requested
Are you sure you wish to exit? The system will reboot
(be sure to remove and floppies/CDs/DVDs from the drives).
- Press 'Y' for Yes
After about 5 seconds, the screen will go dark and
the computer will start to reboot.
VERY QUICKLY, as it begins
to reboot, remove the CD from its drive. Put it
in safe place, then close the CDROM tray.
Also, VERY QUICKLY, as the computer reboots,
go into the BIOS and
change to boot settings so that the computer will
boot from the hard drive, rather than the CDROM.
The computer will boot and will show:
Hit [Enter] to boot immediately, or any other key for command prompt.
Booting [kernel] in _ seconds...
- Hit Enter, or wait until it boots
You'll see lots of messages for a minute or so,
as the FreeBSD operating system boots from the
hard drive. Don't be alarmed if your
computer pauses for quite some time at the
'Generating public/private dsa key pair'
message. It only does this once.
Soon it shows:
Login:
- Login by typing:
root
- Press: 'Enter'
The screen will show a bunch of information about FreeBSD.
When it is finally done booting, there
will be a little number/pound sign '#' at
the bottom of the screen. This is the cursor for
the 'root' user.
- Type in the following:
shutdown -h now
The computer will take a few seconds and then show
a bunch of messages. At the bottom you will
see 2 lines:
The operating system has halted.
Please press any key to reboot.
- DON'T PRESS ANY KEY!
- Instead, turn OFF the power to the computer
CONFIGURE NETWORKING
- Connect a cable between the computer's Ethernet card
and your router (or switch) so that you will have access to the
Internet (if you haven't already done so).
- Turn on the power, and let the machine reboot
Once the computer has booted, it will show:
Login:
- Login by typing:
root
- Press: 'Enter'
- If it shows:
Password
Then press: 'Enter' (no password)
- To run the system installation program, type in:
/stand/sysinstall
- Press: 'Enter'
- Select and navigate the following sequence:
[Configure] ®
[Media] ®
[FTP] ®
[Main site - ftp.freebsd.org] ®
[Running multi-user, assume that the network is already configured?]
®
No
- Select the proper NIC (Network Interface Card)
(Probably 'dc0' DEC/Intel 21143 (and clones) PCI fast ethernet card)
Press: 'Enter'
- After you have selected the NIC card, a window shows:
Do you want to try IPv6 configuration of the interface?
- Press 'N' for No
A VERY SIMILAR WINDOW shows:
Do you want to try DHCP configuration of the interface?
- Press 'Y' for Yes
Shows:
Scanning for DHCP Servers
- Next a full screen shows. In the box for
'Host', type in the the name you want the computer
to be called. This could be something like:
'FreeBSD', 'Zeus', 'Gizmo', 'Sally', 'Wilbur',
etc. This name should probably be 8 characters
or less.
- If you have a domain name configured on
your network, then type that in the 'Domain'
box. Otherwise, just leave it blank.
- Press the Tab key until OK is hightlighed, then press 'Enter'.
Shows:
FreeBSD Configuration Menu
- Cursor to:
X Exit this menu (returning to previous)
- Press: 'Enter'
Shows:
sysinstall Main Menu
- Tab to:
X Exit install
- Press: 'Enter'
Now, even though you have exited the sysinstall
program, you may still see its menu. This may
be confusing, so just hit the Enter key a bunch of
times or enter the command 'clear' to clear the
screen. You should now have a command prompt:
'#'.
- Type in the following:
shutdown -r now
The computer will take a few seconds, then show
a bunch of messages, and eventually reboot.
When you see:
Login:
- Type in:
root
Press: 'Enter'
- At the command prompt (
SomeName#) enter:
ping -c 4 yahoo.com
You should get some ping messages back and you should see
a line that looks like this:
4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0% packet loss
This indicates you have configured
networking properly, and you now have access to the Internet.
DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL CVSUP
'CVSup' stands for 'Concurrent Versions System UPdate' and
is usually pronounced 'siv-sup'.
This program allows you to keep the 'source tree' that you
loaded from the CDROM updated so that when you install
a program you will be loading the most recent, and presumably
bug-free, version.
Even though you might have the very latest version of FreeBSD,
the programs that run on FreeBSD are constantly being updated
and improved. So, this update of the ports tree is
essential. It's also a good idea to run CVSup just
before you load a program that you need, so that you load
and install the latest version.
As you become more familiar with FreeBSD, you may want to
write a 'cron' script that will automatically run CVSup
during the night so that you will always have an updated
ports tree.
There is more information in the
CVSup
Section of FreeBSD handbook.
- Enter:
/stand/sysinstall
- Select and navigate the following sequence:
[Configure] ®
[Packages] ®
[FTP - Install from an FTP server]
- Cursor down to
Primary
Each of these mirror sites has a different geographical
location. Here are the approximate
locations of the primary FreeBSD servers as of 2004
September. If you cursor down even further, you
will see locations in different countries. For speed
of downloading, and to balance the load on the different
servers, please choose the location nearest you.
ftp1.FreeBSD.org Fairfax, Virgina, U. S.
ftp2.FreeBSD.org Fairfax, Virgina, U. S.
ftp3.FreeBSD.org Kallax, Sweden
ftp4.FreeBSD.org Ashland, Oregon, U. S.
ftp5.FreeBSD.org Cambridge, Mass., U. S.
ftp6.FreeBSD.org Fairfax, Virgina, U. S.
ftp7.FreeBSD.org Manchester, England
ftp8.FreeBSD.org London, England
ftp9.FreeBSD.org Bloomington, Indiana, U. S.
ftp10.FreeBSD.org Tucson, Arizona, U. S.
ftp11.FreeBSD.org Boston, Mass., U. S.
ftp12.FreeBSD.org Danville, Illinois, U. S.
ftp13.FreeBSD.org Atlanta, Georgia, U. S.
ftp14.FreeBSD.org Charlottesville, Virgina, U. S.
Shows:
Running multi-user, assume that the network is already configured?
- Press 'Y' for Yes
Shows:
Logging into ftp__.freebsd.org
- Shows:
Located index, now reading package data from it...
This download could take just a few minutes, or around
half an hour depending on your network connection speed,
and your computer speed.
- Shows:
Package Selection
- Select and navigate the following sequence:
[Net] ®
[cvsup-without-gui-16.h(or similar)]
- Press space bar to select that option
- Tab to select:
OK
- Press: 'Enter'
Shows:
Package Selection
- Tab to:
Install
- Press: 'Enter'
Shows:
Package Targets
These are the packages you've selected for extraction.
...etc.
- Make sure
OK is highligted,
then press: 'Enter'
Shows:
Please select a FreeBSD FTP distribution site
- Select a download site.
(See list above for the nearest site, or cursor down to your
country's section)
- Once you've highlighted your chosen site, press: 'Enter'
Shows:
User Confirmation Requested
You've already done the network configuration once,
would you like to skip over it now?
- Press 'Y' for Yes
Shows:
Logging into ftp_.FreeBSD.org
Shows:
Adding packages/...etc....
At the bottom of the screen you should see the
download in progress with the value changing.
The download is about 850K.
- Once the download is finished, the screen shows:
FreeBSD Configuration Menu
- Cursor to:
X Exit
Exit this menu (returning to previous)
- Press: 'Enter'
Shows:
sysinstall Main Menu
- Tab to:
[X Exit Install]
- Press: Enter
- Now you will probably see most of the menu on your
screen. Press 'Enter' a bunch of times and
it will disappear at the top of the screen.
- Shutdown the computer:
At the command prompt (SomeName#), type in:
shutdown -h now
- Press: 'Enter'
The computer will take a few seconds and then show
a bunch of messages. At the bottom you will
see 2 lines:
The operating system has halted.
Please press any key to reboot.
- DON'T PRESS ANY KEY!
- Instead, turn OFF the power to the computer
RUNNING CVSUP TO UPDATE THE FREEBSD PORTS TREE
Depending on the speed of your Internet connection and
how 'fresh' your ports are, will determine how long this
procedure will take. Generally speaking it will
probably take a minimum of 5-10 minutes. In the worst
case, it can take several hours. To be safe, you
might want to start this routine so that it can
run overnight.
- Wait at least 5 seconds, then turn on the power,
and let the computer reboot
- Once the computer has booted, login as 'root'
like you have done before.
- Type in one of the following commands:
(There are quite a few servers all over the world.
Click
here to find the nearest CVSup server.
Make sure that you use the closest server to you. )
cvsup -h cvsup1.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Ellensburg, Washington, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup2.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Virginia, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup3.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Cambridge, Mass., U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup4.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Cambridge, Mass., U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup5.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Tucson, AZ, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup6.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Dallas, TX, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup7.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Louisville, CO, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup8.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Louisville, CO, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup9.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Buffalo, NY, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup10.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Santa Clara, CA, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup11.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Springfield, VA, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup12.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(West Layfayette, IN, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup13.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Buffalo, NY, U. S.)
cvsup -h cvsup14.freebsd.org /usr/share/examples/cvsup/ports-supfile
(Buffalo, NY, U. S.)
You will shortly see something like:
Connected to cvsup__.freebsd.org
After a while, you will see something like:
Updating collection ports-all/CVS
Checkout ports/CHANGES
Edit ports/INDEX
This process will now take a while as described
previously. You will see many, many lines
informing you of the progress as the ports are
updated.
When you again see the command prompt (SomeName#),
FreeBSD is installed. CONGRATULATIONS!
Now, click here to
configure
your shell and set up some automated daily tasks >>>
Here are some other FreeBSD related links:
How to Install FreeBSD
Shell Configuration
FreeBSD Device List
Hardware
Burn-In Test Using FreeBSD
FreeBSD
Commands Cheat Sheet
'make
install' fails on FreeBSD
The
FreeBSD 'Handbook' online
Search
for Answers to Questions about FreeBSD
How
to Install NTP (Network Time Protocol) software on FreeBSD
How
to Install Samba file server software on FreeBSD
Mounting
and Using the Floppy Drive in FreeBSD
Mounting
and Using the CD-ROM Drive in FreeBSD
How to Find or Search for a Directory or a file
How to Preserve the Date and Time Stamp When Copying Files
How to Copy Files, and Directories recursively in FreeBSD / unix
How To Fix The 'Read Only File System' Problem When rc.conf is Corrupted on Freebsd
Random Passwords Generator
URL Decoder / Link Maker
AT YOUR OWN RISK: These instructions have no guarantee or
warrantee of fitness for any purpose whatsoever--and none
shall be implied or inferred. If you use these
and incur any kind of damage--it is your responsibility.
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