handbook

# Installation Guide¶

## Thank you for using Calculate Linux!¶

We do our best to offer you a most convenient system for work, using the original installer, redesigned user interface, templates, Calculate utilities and Gentoo Portage. The system is distributed as an installation image, which contains chosen software. Most of the software we have included come under the free license, thus allowing you to install, distribute and modify the source code.

Below is the complete list of our distributions with their abbreviations:

- CLD - Calculate Linux Desktop KDE
- CLDG - Calculate Linux Desktop GNOME
- CLDX - Calculate Linux Desktop XFCE
- CLS - Calculate Linux Scratch
- CMC - Calculate Media Center
- CDS - Calculate Directory Server
- CSS - Calculate Scratch Server

To obtain administrator privileges on a system booted from a LiveCD, log in as root with the password root. Access to the CLD, CLDG and CLDX desktop can be obtained by the user guest with the password guest.

## Network configuration¶

Network Setup in CLD, CLDG and CLDX is performed with the Networkmanager. The program has a graphical interface with which you can configure both wired and wireless networks. When you load the program, it tries to bring up a network interface and obtain an IP address from a DHCP server. Start the program by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Network Configuration of CLS, CDS and CSS is performed via the configuration file `/etc/conf.d/net`; help on setting up a network can be found in `/usr/share/doc/openrc/net.example`. Once you have edited the settings, restart the network interface:

    /etc/init.d/net.eth0 restart

## Partition management¶

Before installing, you may need to change the partitions on your hard disk. To install CLD, CLDG or CLDX, we recommend that you use the partition of at least 10 GB. More detailed hardware requirements can be found here. The swap partition (swap) will normally be twice the size of RAM. If the swap partition already exists, the system will use it. It is wise to have a separate partition for your personal files (/home). See more detailed recommendations on partitioning here.

The CLD distro uses Partitionmanager to change the disk partitioning, while CLDG and CLDX use Gparted. You can also partition the disk with the graphical installer, using the cfdisk tool. Note that CLS and CDS contain only the command line utilities: fdisk or cfdisk.

To view the list of all existing partitions, open the console as root and type:

    fdisk -l

Note: To obtain root rights in console mode, use `su` or `sudo`.

If you are new to Linux, it may be a while before you get used to the differences between partition names.
In Linux, partitions are referred to as sda1, sda2, ... instead of the common C:\, D:\, ...

You can also use the existing partitioning or create it from Windows. To define a given partition in Linux, remember its location and size. Usually, drive C:\ corresponds to sda1, disk D:\, to sda2.

## Installation¶

Since Calculate Linux 10.9, we use the `cl-install` utility for installation. A graphical front-end is provided for CLD, CLDG, CLDX and CLS versions: `cl-install-gui`. To run this program, click on the icon "Calculate Linux Install" on your desktop.

To install the system on the second partition of your hard disk with `cl-install`, run the following in the terminal with root privileges:

    cl-install -d /dev/sda2

Here is the list of most commonly used parameters:

- --hostname HOSTNAME - set a short or a full hostname;
- -l - the system locale. The supported languages are en_US - American English, bg_BG - Bulgarian, de_DE - German, es_ES - Spanish, fr_FR - French, it_IT - Italian, pl_PL - Polish, pt_BR - Portuguese, ru_RU - Russian, and uk_UA - Ukrainian;
- --mbr DEVICE - disk with master boot record; if set to 'off', changes will be disabled.

During installation, the program will extract stage4 - that is, the image of your future system - and perform the initial configuration via templates.

## Installing on a USB Flash¶

Before you begin, we highly recommend that you make a backup of your data on a flash drive.

To install the system on a USB Flash, you should use the command line utility `cl-install`. Plug the flash drive to your computer. If you do not know the device name of your stick, run the following in the console with root privileges:

    fdisk -l

If your flash drive was recognized as a `/dev/sdb` device, type the following in the console to install the system on it:

    cl-install -d /dev/sdb1

## The first launch¶

After installing the CLD, CLDX and CLSG you get two users: root and guest (if you have not specified other user accounts). The user guest can get access to the graphical environment: use the username guest with the password guest to log in.

CLS, by default, does not prompt for the password in graphical mode. After installation you can login as root and launch the window manager by typing:

    startx

To become root, use the `su` command. More details on creating user accounts can be found here.

By default, you can log into the system remotely using `ssh` only as root. To add space for other users or to replace the root user edit the options AllowUsers in `/etc/ssh/sshd_config`. We recommend to deny the remote access for the root user.

## Update¶

Calculate Linux is a rolling-release distribution. You can update the system virtually unlimited number of times, using the emerge software manager. Before you update or install packages, execute the following to update the Portage tree:

    eix-sync

For further updates of all your software, run:

    emerge -uDNa world

After that, you can upgrade existing or install new versions of programs with "emerge". A quick reference can be found here. Read also the System Update Guide.

## Help¶

If you have any difficulties installing Calculate Linux, or if you want to share your impressions, visit the IRC channel #calculate (on FreeNode) of our user community. You just have to click on the Xchat icon on your desktop.

Website: http://www.calculate-linux.org
Newsletter: http://www.calculate-linux.org/main/en/maillist
IRC chat: http://www.calculate-linux.org/irc

Enjoy!
Calculate Linux Team.