Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide July 31, 2021 Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide Copyright © 2004 – 2021 the Debian Installer team This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Please refer to the license in Appendix F. Build version of this manual: 20210730. i Contents 1 Welcome to Debian 1 1.1 What is Debian? . 1 1.2 What is GNU/Linux? . 1 1.3 What is Debian GNU/Linux? . 2 1.4 What is the Debian Installer? . 3 1.5 Getting Debian . 3 1.6 Getting the Newest Version of This Document . 3 1.7 Organization of This Document . 3 1.8 About Copyrights and Software Licenses . 4 2 System Requirements 5 2.1 Supported Hardware . 5 2.1.1 Supported Architectures . 5 2.1.2 Three different ARM ports . 6 2.1.3 Variations in ARM CPU designs and support complexity . 6 2.1.4 Platforms supported by Debian/armel . 6 2.1.5 Platforms and devices no longer supported by Debian/armel . 6 2.1.6 Graphics Hardware Support . 7 2.1.7 Network Connectivity Hardware . 7 2.1.8 Peripherals and Other Hardware . 7 2.2 Devices Requiring Firmware . 7 2.3 Purchasing Hardware Specifically for GNU/Linux . 7 2.3.1 Avoid Proprietary or Closed Hardware . 8 2.4 Installation Media . 8 2.4.1 CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/BD-ROM . 8 2.4.2 Network . 8 2.4.3 Hard Disk . 9 2.4.4 Un*x or GNU system . 9 2.4.5 Supported Storage Systems . 9 2.5 Memory and Disk Space Requirements . 9 3 Before Installing Debian GNU/Linux 10 3.1 Overview of the Installation Process . 10 3.2 Back Up Your Existing Data! . 11 3.3 Information You Will Need . 11 3.3.1 Documentation . 11 3.3.1.1 Installation Manual . 11 3.3.1.2 Hardware documentation . 11 3.3.2 Finding Sources of Hardware Information . 11 3.3.3 Hardware Compatibility . 12 3.3.3.1 Testing hardware compatibility with a Live-System . 13 3.3.4 Network Settings . 13 3.4 Meeting Minimum Hardware Requirements . 13 3.5 Pre-Partitioning for Multi-Boot Systems . 14 3.6 Pre-Installation Hardware and Operating System Setup . 14 3.6.1 ARM firmware . 14 3.6.2 Setting the ethernet MAC address in U-Boot . 15 3.6.3 Kernel/Initrd/Device-Tree relocation issues in U-Boot . 15 ii CONTENTS 4 Obtaining System Installation Media 16 4.1 Official Debian GNU/Linux installation images . 16 4.2 Downloading Files from Debian Mirrors . 16 4.2.1 Where to Find Installation Files . 16 4.2.1.1 Kurobox Pro Installation Files . 16 4.2.1.2 HP mv2120 Installation Files . 16 4.2.1.3 QNAP Turbo Station Installation Files . 17 4.2.1.4 Plug Computer and OpenRD Installation Files . 17 4.2.1.5 LaCie NASes Installation Files . 17 4.3 Preparing Files for TFTP Net Booting . 17 4.3.1 Setting up RARP server . 17 4.3.2 Setting up a DHCP server . 17 4.3.3 Setting up a BOOTP server . 18 4.3.4 Enabling the TFTP Server . 18 4.3.5 Move TFTP Images Into Place . 19 4.4 Automatic Installation . 19 4.4.1 Automatic Installation Using the Debian Installer . 19 4.5 Verifying the integrity of installation files . 19 5 Booting the Installation System 20 5.1 Booting the Installer on 32-bit soft-float ARM . 20 5.1.1 Boot image formats . 20 5.1.2 Booting by TFTP . 20 5.1.2.1 TFTP-booting in U-Boot . 20 5.2 Accessibility.............................................. 21 5.2.1 Installer front-end . 21 5.2.2 Board Devices . 22 5.2.3 High-Contrast Theme . 22 5.2.4 Zoom . 22 5.2.5 Expert install, rescue mode, automated install . 22 5.2.6 Accessibility of the installed system . 22 5.3 Boot Parameters . 22 5.3.1 Boot console . 22 5.3.2 Debian Installer Parameters . 23 5.3.3 Using boot parameters to answer questions . 24 5.3.4 Passing parameters to kernel modules . 25 5.3.5 Blacklisting kernel modules . 25 5.4 Troubleshooting the Installation Process . 26 5.4.1 Reliability of optical media . 26 5.4.1.1 Common issues . 26 5.4.1.2 How to investigate and maybe solve issues . 26 5.4.2 Boot Configuration . 27 5.4.3 Interpreting the Kernel Startup Messages . 27 5.4.4 Reporting Installation Problems . 28 5.4.5 Submitting Installation Reports . 28 6 Using the Debian Installer 29 6.1 How the Installer Works . 29 6.1.1 Using the graphical installer . 29 6.2 Components Introduction . 30 6.3 Using Individual Components . 31 6.3.1 Setting up Debian Installer and Hardware Configuration . 31 6.3.1.1 Check available memory / low memory mode . 31 6.3.1.2 Selecting Localization Options . 32 6.3.1.3 Choosing a Keyboard . ..