Answers to: How Linux gets installed

Answer by Shashi Ranjan

Shashi Ranjan — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:25:03 -0400

As per my understanding of Linux installation on any hard drive is very easy. If we see the installation process carefully then we'll find that installation comes into two phases. First phase of installation provides one pre compiled kernel and initial ramdisk. Ramdisk contains all those module necessary to work with file system and kernel starts booting process and the second stage provides all the softwares to be installed as part of OS. If we are using CD/DVD rom then we can easily see precompiled kernel and ramdisk under images folder in the installtion CD/DVD. If we are using PXE boot then we first provide these two through tftp server. I hope this is a logical answer.

Answer by Yaro Kasear

Yaro Kasear — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:52:30 -0400

Er...

Actually, the Linux kernel doesn't really need GCC specifically. Not anymore. These days there are plenty of compilers avalable.

And you don't even need GCC specifically to build anything on Linux.

As for which came first, GCC did, although it is frequently debated about its quality before Linux came along. That, of course, is not a subject for this web site.

I think it'd serve well to point out that almost everything in the GNU toolchain has a comparable non-GNU Free/Open Source replacement available. GCC is replaced commonly with EGCS, for example, and HAS replaced GCC as the default in systems such as Debian.

Answer by Network Systems Engineer

Network Systems Engineer — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:20:33 -0400

what is your linux platform ???

Answer by fancylad

fancylad — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:44:56 -0400

For most distros when you install Linux everything is already pre-compiled so you don't need gcc at all to install the kernel or anything else. You only need gcc if you want to compile source code into binary yourself.

Answer by portamenteff

portamenteff — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:50:18 -0400

i think what he was asking was "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" The answer is the compiler. Linux kernel compiled originally on another system. Don't know what system Torvalds used. He compiled the first kernel and installed it. Gcc is older than Linux. It was originally done at Berkley. If you can read this message, you have a machine that will compile. Not sure why. You can use Gcc on Windows, Linux, Solaris, ATT Unix, Mac, BSD etc....

Answer by jdackle

jdackle — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:43:47 -0400

Linus Torvalds based his Linux kernel on Minix. He wasn't actually working on a blank-no-software-installed computer (or even just one machine for that matter)...

Answer by Timmi

Timmi — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:44:26 -0400

For the newbies who come here, thinking this was actually a question on how to install Linux, go check out the following versions of Linux:

Knoppix

Mint-ubuntu

Both will autoinstall, autodetect and configure all your hardware. Bliss.

Answer by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:44:51 -0400

Hi,

Thanks all for your answers.Ya, gcc came much earlier then Linux. Still I have some question like while we put Installation media say DVD and start installation process. What it does first of all. Is it install gcc and go for kernel installation process or it does something else.

Also can we install gcc on a raw disk.

Answer by Paul

Paul — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:07:22 -0400

Don't forget, linux is really just the kernel, and gcc doesn't necessarily need the linux kernel to run.

You could for example recompile the gcc compiler for Windows, and then from Windows cross compile the linux kernel.

The build environment does not need to be the same as the environment you are trying to build.

Answer by Web31337

Web31337 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:30:09 -0400

gcc was available before linux. you may wish to read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel and links from there :)

Answer by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:34:00 -0400

Hi, I am not asking about the installation process etc ........ As Titus already pointed out I am more into how it all started ?? The question can be generalised for any OS. I tried to look into ULK for system startup but it only talks about how system gets bootup not installed

Answer by Titus

Titus — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:04:33 -0400

I think question was how it all started :) . How linus installed first linux. when he did not have gcc how he compiled linux :).

Answer by Web31337

Web31337 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:32:44 -0400

You need a LiveCD to be able to build linux kernel & coreutils, etc from sources. LiveCD has all above. I prefer using either Gentoo Install CD or Slackware DVD for that(last one is easy for me because I already have it on disc) for that.

Also I am a Gentoo Linux user, I've built it from stage 3(meaning I have gcc, coreutils and some other basic soft already compiled), my current kernel is 2.6.33.2 from kernel.org.

Answer by Thor

Thor — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:31:58 -0400

Hi,

Ok, this one is easy...but first: welcome to the pack. If you ask THIS question, you're possibly V-E-R-Y new to Linux, so, again: welcome!

Installing Linux...the easy way.

Get a distro. Flip to this page (ftp://ftp.belnet.be/mirror/) and select one. I use Fedora, but you are free to choose. If you are that new, though, go for Ubuntu. Download the ISO's. Can you burn a DVD? Cool, get the one big one. No DVD's? Like me, then, get one ISO per CD-rom. Burn the CD-s/DVD. Any package can do that. Install. Put the DVD/first CD in the drive and reboot, follow instructions.

It seems that what you are trying to do is build a Lambo from scratch. Well, "Linux from scratch" lets you do just that, but it IS tuff, be warned. Better just use what's already out there, most of us do...

Now, however, you are on the right path here assuming gcc is needed somewhere. It is. To recompile a kernel. Wanna give that a whack? No sweat, it is easy, just follow the steps outlined here : http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/compiling-linux-kernel-26.html and you're off. But Linux needs to have been installed already...

At install, the installer will ask to prep the drive, let it use the pre-configured settings, they "fit most sizes" - it will (re) format the drive for you. If there is no surface at all - then you'll need to low-level format the thing first.

Let the pack know how this turns out!! Happy to have you in the group!!

Thor