Appendix D.
Driver Media
D.1. Why Do I Need Driver Media?
While the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program is loading, a screen may appear asking you
for driver media. The driver media screen is most often seen in the following scenarios:
•
If you need to perform an installation from a network device
•
If you need to perform an installation from a block device
•
If you need to perform an installation from a PCMCIA device
•
If you run the installation program by entering
linux dd
at the installation boot prompt or in the
IPL Parameter field of the NWSD
•
If you run the installation program on a computer which does not have any PCI devices
D.1.1. So What Is Driver Media Anyway?
Driver media can add support for hardware that may or may not be supported by the installation
program. Driver media could include a driver diskette or image produced by Red Hat, it could be a
diskette or CD-ROM you make yourself from drivers found on the Internet, or it could be a diskette
or CD-ROM that a hardware vendor includes with a piece of hardware.
Driver media is used if you need access to a particular device to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Drivers can be used for network (NFS) installations, installations using a PCMCIA or block device,
non-standard or very new CD-ROM drives, SCSI adapters, NICs, and other uncommon devices.
Note
If an unsupported device is not needed to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on your system, continue
with the installation and add support for the new piece of hardware once the installation is complete.
D.1.2. How Do I Obtain Driver Media?
Driver images can be obtained from several sources. They may be included with Red Hat Enterprise
Linux, or they may be available from a hardware or software vendor’s website. If you suspect that
your system may require one of these drivers, you should create a driver diskette or CD-ROM before
beginning your Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation.
Tip
It is also possible to use a driver image via a network file. Instead of using the
linux dd
boot com-
mand, use the
linux dd=
url
command, where
url
is replaced by an HTTP, FTP, or NFS address
of the driver image to be used.