Chapter Objective: Install RHEL interactively using the Anaconda installer, including boot media creation, storage and network configuration, software selection, and initial account setup.
No commands to memorize this chapter — this is a guided, graphical/text-based installation walkthrough.
The Anaconda Installer
Anaconda is RHEL's installation program, presenting a hub-and-spoke interface: a central summary screen with categories (storage, network, software, and so on), each opening into its own configuration screen before returning to the hub.
🔵 Why It Matters
Every decision made during installation — disk layout, hostname, initial software set — shapes the system for the rest of its life. Later chapters cover automating this process with Kickstart, but understanding the manual flow first makes automation much easier to reason about.
Creating Boot Media
| Method | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Bootable USB drive | Physical hardware installs |
| Mounted ISO / virtual CD | Virtual machines |
| PXE network boot | Multiple systems, often paired with automated installs |
# Write a downloaded RHEL ISO to a USB drive (Linux/macOS example)
# Double-check the device — this is destructive to the target drive
sudo dd if=rhel-10.0-x86_64-boot.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sync
⚠️ Warning — Verify the Target Device
As with any
dd operation (Chapter 7), writing to the wrong device destroys its existing data instantly. Confirm the correct USB device with lsblk before running the command.
The Installation Summary Screen
After booting the installer and selecting a language, Anaconda presents the central hub — a set of categories, each showing its current status, that can be visited and configured in any order before clicking Begin Installation.
| Category | Covers |
|---|---|
| Installation Source | Where package data is coming from |
| Software Selection | Which package group/environment to install |
| Installation Destination | Disk selection and partitioning |
| Network & Host Name | Interface configuration and system hostname |
| Root Password / User Creation | Initial accounts |
✅ Tip — Anaconda Won't Let You Proceed With Required Items Unfinished
Categories marked with a warning icon must be addressed before Begin Installation becomes available — a built-in check against accidentally skipping something essential, like storage configuration.
Configuring Storage
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Automatic partitioning | Anaconda lays out a sensible default scheme (typically LVM-based) on the selected disk(s) |
| Custom partitioning | Manually define mount points, sizes, and filesystem types — including standard partitions or LVM, drawing on Chapters 10–11 |
🔵 Note — Automatic Uses LVM by Default
RHEL's automatic partitioning typically creates a small
/boot as a standard partition (required, since GRUB can't boot directly from LVM) and puts the rest under LVM — the same physical volume / volume group / logical volume structure covered in Chapter 11.
⚠️ Warning — Confirm Which Disk(s) Are Selected
On a system with multiple disks, it's easy to accidentally include a disk that should have been left untouched. Review the selected disks carefully — especially in custom partitioning — before letting Anaconda write changes.
Configuring Network and Hostname
The Network & Host Name screen configures the system's hostname and enables/disables detected network interfaces, using the same underlying NetworkManager concepts covered earlier (RH124 Chapters 17–18).
✅ Tip — Enable the Interface, Not Just Configure It
A common mistake is configuring an interface's settings but forgetting to toggle it ON in the installer — leaving the system without network connectivity immediately after install completes.
Software Selection
Anaconda groups installable software into base environments (like "Server" or "Minimal Install"), each optionally extended with add-ons for specific functionality.
| Environment | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Minimal Install | Smallest footprint, no GUI — a common choice for production servers |
| Server | Common server tooling without a full desktop |
| Server with GUI | Adds the graphical desktop environment |
| Workstation | Desktop-focused environment for interactive use |
🔵 Note — Smaller Is Usually Safer for Servers
A minimal install reduces the attack surface (fewer installed packages means fewer potential vulnerabilities) and can always have specific packages added afterward with
dnf — starting minimal and growing is generally preferred over starting large.
Root Password and User Creation
Anaconda lets you set a root password, create a regular user account, or both — and can optionally grant the created user administrator (sudo/wheel) privileges directly during setup.
✅ Tip — Consider Disabling Direct Root Login
Anaconda offers an option to lock the root account entirely, relying solely on a sudo-enabled regular user for administration — consistent with the accountability-focused approach covered in Chapter 13.
After Installation Completes
# First things worth checking after the initial reboot
subscription-manager status # registration (RH124 Chapter 4)
nmcli device status # network came up correctly
df -h # storage matches what was configured
sudo -l # confirm your account's privileges
🔵 Note — Register and Update Right Away
A freshly installed system is unregistered and running whatever package versions were on the installation media at build time. Registering it (RH124 Chapter 4) and running a full
dnf update should be one of the first post-install steps, before the system does anything else.
Key Terms for Chapter 16
- Anaconda
- RHEL's graphical/text-based installation program
- hub-and-spoke interface
- Anaconda's design: a central summary screen linking to individual configuration screens
- base environment
- A predefined software set (like Minimal Install or Server) chosen during installation
- automatic partitioning
- Anaconda's default storage layout, typically LVM-based with a separate /boot
- custom partitioning
- Manually defined storage layout during installation
Review Questions
- Describe Anaconda's "hub-and-spoke" interface design in your own words.
- Why does automatic partitioning typically put
/booton a standard partition rather than inside LVM? - What is a common mistake administrators make on the Network & Host Name screen, beyond just configuring the interface's settings?
- Why might a Minimal Install be preferred for a production server over a larger base environment?
- What option does Anaconda offer that's consistent with the accountability-focused sudo approach from Chapter 13?
- Name two things worth checking immediately after a fresh installation's first reboot.
- Why should you confirm which disk(s) are selected before letting Anaconda apply a partitioning scheme, especially on multi-disk systems?