Installing FreeBSD 7.0 - Base

Following is a series of articles related to my experiences with FreeBSD 7.0 and how to install it. I will focus on how to get the stuff working. I will try to keep each installation in separate blog entries.

I have three Mac OS X Leopard Machines in my network so my focus is to get FreeBSD working with those. Therefore I doubt that I will consider writing a entry about samba for example.

This is what I will try to cover over time:

Base installation (this article)

Remote administration

• Webmin
  
• SSH
  

Gateway features

• Routing 
  
• Firewall
  
• DNS
  
• DHCP
  

File share

• AFP (Apple File Protocol?)
  
• Netatalk (Apple talk)
  
• Howl mDNSRespond
  

Public services

• Appache 2.2
  
• MySQL
  
• FTP
  
• E-mail
  

Authentication and security

• Kerberos (Single sign on) 
  
• OpenLDAP

Point your web browser to this place http://www.freebsd.org/where.html and download FreeBSD 7.0 boot only version for your architecture. For i386 based computers ftp://anonymous@ftp5.se.FreeBSD.org:21/pub/FreeBSD/ISO-IMAGES-i386/7.0/7.0-RELEASE-i386-bootonly.iso. This size of this file is 33.6 MB.

Burn the image to a CD and boot. Finally you will end up in the installation application. 

Choose Express -> Custom

Choose Options

• Do appropriate settings for you. I usually turn off IPv6 and skip PCCARD. 
  
• Press Q to get back
  

Let's initialize the harddrive. Now I have only installed FreeBSD on a single harddrive with nothing else on it. So if you don't want to loose something that you keep on your harddrive - Do not do this!

Choose Partition

• Press A for Automatic 
  
• Press Q to get back
  

When asked to install Boot manager I usually choose "Standard", but if you have a secondary OS on your machine then you would probably want to choose "BootMgr". Again, if you do have something else on your hard drive that you are afraid to wipe out - do not follow my instructions!

Choose Label

• Press A for Automatic
  
• Press Q to get back
  

Choose Distributions

• Minimal
  
• Kern-Developer, the installation program will suggest installing "ports". This is something that you really need, so agree to that.

Note: First make the Minimal selection, then make the Kern-Developer selection. If you do it in the wrong order the Minimal selection will unselect it selfe for some reason. I Don't know if it will install Minimal or not in this condition.

Choose Media

• FTP
  
• Select whatever site is closest to your computer
  

For the last time. When you choose commit, your hard drive will finally be initialized and you will loose anything that you might have stored on it. If you care about anything on your hard drive - Do not proceed!

Choose Commit

• Wait
  

After commit is finished just exit the installation and the computer will reboot.

• Login root, no password

Change password

• Execute: passwd
  
• Enter your password twice