Slackware Linux Basics - Huihoo

Chapter 5. Installing Slackware Linux
5.1. Booting the installation CD-ROM
The easiest method for booting the installation system is by using the installation CD-ROM. The Slackware Linux
installation CD-ROM is a bootable CD, which means that the BIOS can boot the CD, just like it can boot, for example,
a floppy disk. Most modern systems have a BIOS which supports CD-ROM booting.
If the CD is not booted when you have the CD inserted in the CD-ROM drive during the system boot, the boot sequence
is probably not correctly configured in the BIOS. Enter the BIOS setup (usually this can be done by holding the
or key when the BIOS screen appears) and make sure the CD-ROM is on the top of the list in the boot sequence.
If you are using a SCSI CD-ROM you may have to set the boot sequence in the SCSI BIOS instead of the system
BIOS. Consult the SCSI card manual for more information.
When the CD-ROM is booted, a pre-boot screen will appear. Normally you can just press to proceed
loading the default (hugesmp.s) Linux kernel. This kernel requires at least a Pentium Pro CPU. You can boot an
alternative kernel by entering the kernel name on the prompt, and pressing . The following table lists the
different kernels that are available from the Slackware Linux CD or DVD.
Table 5.1. Installation kernels
Linux Description
huge.s Previously, there were specific
kernels for different sets of
disk controlers. The new huge
kernels include support for all
common ATA, SATA and SCSI
controllers. This kernel does not
have SMP support, and works on
i486 and newer CPUs. If you
have a Pentium Pro or newer
CPU, it is recommended to use
the hugesmp.s kernel, even on
uniprocessor systems.
hugesmp.s The hugesmp.s kernel has support
for common ATA, SATA, and
SCSI controllers. Additionally,
this kernel has SMP support. This
is the recommended kernel on
Pentium Pro and newer CPUs.
speakup.s This kernel is comparable to the
huge.s kernel, but also includes
support for hardware speech
synthesizers.
After booting the installation system, you will be asked whether you are using a special (national) keyboard layout
or not. If you have a normal US/International keyboard, which is the most common, you can just press at
this question. After that the login prompt will appear. Log on as “root”, no password will be requested. After login,
the shell is started and you can begin installing Slackware Linux. The installation procedure will be explained briefly
in this chapter.
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