How to Set Up a RHEL 6.4 Server from a DVD ISO Image on x86_64 Hardware
How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 from a DVD ISO Image
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a Linux-based operating system that provides a stable, secure, and scalable platform for enterprise applications. RHEL is widely used by organizations of all sizes and industries for running web servers, database servers, mail servers, virtualization hosts, cloud computing platforms, and more.
Rhel-server-6.4-x86 64-dvd.iso Install
RHEL 6.4 is one of the minor releases of RHEL 6 that was released in February 2013. It supports several variants and architectures, such as Server, Workstation, Desktop, HPC Node, IBM System z (s390x), IBM Power Systems (ppc64), and AMD64 and Intel 64 (x86_64).
In this article, we will show you how to install RHEL 6.4 from a DVD ISO image on a x86_64 system. We will assume that you have a blank system with no other operating systems installed on it. We will also assume that you have access to a RHEL subscription or a free evaluation subscription from the Red Hat Customer Portal.
Prerequisites
Before you begin installing RHEL 6.4, you need to make sure that your system meets the following hardware and software requirements:
A 64-bit processor with at least 1 GHz speed
At least 1 GB of RAM (2 GB recommended)
At least 10 GB of hard disk space (more if you plan to use LVM or RAID)
A DVD drive or a USB port
A network connection (optional but recommended)
A monitor and a keyboard (or a serial console)
You also need to obtain a RHEL subscription or a free evaluation subscription from the Red Hat Customer Portal. A subscription gives you access to software updates, security patches, technical support, and other benefits. To get a subscription or an evaluation subscription, follow these steps:
Visit https://access.redhat.com/home and log in with your account credentials.
Click DOWNLOADS at the top of the page.
Click Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Select RHEL Server as the product variant and x86_64 as the architecture.
Click Purchase/Renew Subscription if you want to buy a subscription or Evaluate Red Hat Enterprise Linux if you want to get a free evaluation subscription.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete your purchase or evaluation request.
Once you have a subscription or an evaluation subscription, you can download the DVD ISO image file from the Customer Portal. The DVD ISO image file contains all the packages and files needed to perform a complete installation without additional repositories. To download it, follow these steps:
Visit https://access.redhat.com/home and log in with your account credentials.
Click DOWNLOADS at the top of the page.
Click Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Select RHEL Server as the product variant and x86_64 as the architecture.
A list of available downloads will appear; click RHEL Server 6.4 Binary DVD.
You can either click its name to begin downloading it to your computer using your web browser or right-click its name and then click Copy Link Location or a similar menu item to copy its URL to your clipboard. This allows you to use an alternative application to download it to your computer.
Preparing for Installation
After downloading the DVD ISO image file, you need to verify its integrity using checksums. A checksum is a unique value that identifies a file and ensures that it has not been corrupted or tampered with during transmission. To verify the checksum of your downloaded file, follow these steps:
Navigate to https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/69/ver=/rhel---6/6.4/x86_64/product-software.
In the RHEL Server 6.4 Binary DVD section, click Show Details.
You will see two checksum values: one for SHA-256 and one for MD5. Copy one of them to your clipboard.
If you are using Windows, open Command Prompt and navigate to the folder where you saved your downloaded file.
Type certutil -hashfile rhel-server-6.4-x86_64-dvd.iso SHA256 if you copied the SHA-256 checksum or CertUtil -hashfile rhel-server-6.4-x86_64-dvd.iso MD5 if you copied the MD5 checksum.
If you are using Linux or macOS, open Terminal and navigate to the folder where you saved your downloaded file.
Type sha256sum rhel-server-6.4-x86_64-dvd.iso if you copied the SHA-256 checksum or md5sum rhel-server-6.4-x86_64-dvd.iso if you copied the MD5 checksum.
The command will output a checksum value; compare it with the one that you copied from the Customer Portal. If they match exactly, then your file is valid; otherwise, it is corrupted and you need to download it again.
The next step is to burn the ISO image file to a DVD or create a bootable USB drive. You can use any software that can burn ISO files to DVDs or create bootable USB drives. For example, you can use balenaEtcher for Windows, Linux, and macOS, or Rufus for Windows. Follow the instructions of your chosen software to create a bootable DVD or USB drive.
After creating a bootable DVD or USB drive, you need to boot your system from it and start the installation program. To do this, you may need to change the boot order in your system's BIOS or UEFI settings. Refer to your system's documentation for details on how to access and modify these settings. Typically, you need to press a specific key (such as F2, F10, or F12) during the system startup to enter the BIOS or UEFI menu.
Once you have set your system to boot from the DVD or USB drive, insert it into your system and restart it. You should see a screen with the following options:
Install or upgrade an existing system: This option starts the graphical installation program. Choose this option if your system has a monitor and a mouse.
Install system with basic video driver: This option starts the graphical installation program with a basic video driver that works with most video cards. Choose this option if you have problems with the default video driver.
Rescue installed system: This option starts a rescue mode that allows you to repair an existing RHEL installation. Choose this option if you need to troubleshoot or recover your system.
Boot from local drive: This option boots from the first hard disk on your system. Choose this option if you want to cancel the installation and boot from an existing operating system.
Memory test: This option runs a memory test on your system. Choose this option if you want to check your system's RAM for errors.
To select an option, use the arrow keys on your keyboard and press Enter. You can also press Tab to edit the boot options or Esc to access the boot prompt.
Performing the Installation
In this section, we will guide you through the main steps of performing the installation using the graphical installation program. If you prefer to use the text-based installation program, you can append text to the boot options at the boot prompt.
The graphical installation program consists of several screens that allow you to configure various aspects of your installation. You can navigate between these screens using the mouse or the keyboard. To move forward, click Next or press Alt+N; to move backward, click Back or press Alt+B; to quit the installation, click Cancel or press Alt+C.
The following are the main steps of the installation process:
Selecting the language: On this screen, you can select the language that will be used during the installation and on the installed system. You can also select the keyboard layout that matches your keyboard.
Selecting the storage devices: On this screen, you can select which storage devices will be used for installing RHEL. You can choose between basic storage devices (such as local hard disks) and specialized storage devices (such as iSCSI or FCoE disks). If you choose specialized storage devices, you will need to provide additional information about them on subsequent screens.
Selecting the installation type: On this screen, you can select whether you want to perform a fresh installation or an upgrade of an existing RHEL installation. You can also choose whether you want to replace an existing Linux system, use free space, or create a custom layout for your partitions.
Selecting the partitioning scheme: On this screen, you can create and modify partitions on your selected storage devices. You can use one of the predefined partitioning schemes or create your own custom scheme. You can also choose whether you want to use LVM (Logical Volume Manager) or RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) for managing your partitions.
Selecting the network configuration: On this screen, you can configure your network settings, such as hostname, IP address, gateway, DNS server, etc. You can also enable or disable network interfaces and configure them for DHCP or static IP addresses.
Selecting the time zone: On this screen, you can select your time zone and enable or disable network time synchronization using NTP (Network Time Protocol).
Setting the root password: On this screen, you can set a password for the root user, which is the administrator of your system. You should choose a strong password that is not easy to guess or crack.
Selecting the package set: On this screen, you can select which packages (software applications) will be installed on your system. You can choose between different package sets based on your intended use of your system, such as Basic Server, Web Server, Database Server, Desktop, etc. You can also customize your package selection by adding or removing individual packages.
Selecting the boot loader options: On this screen, you can configure the boot loader, which is a program that loads the operating system when you start your system. You can choose where to install the boot loader (such as the master boot record or a specific partition), whether to use a password to protect the boot loader, and whether to add other operating systems to the boot menu.
After completing these steps, you will see a summary of your installation settings. You can review them and make any changes if needed. When you are ready, click Begin Installation to start the installation process. You will see a progress bar that shows the status of the installation. Depending on your hardware and software configuration, the installation may take several minutes or hours to complete.
When the installation is finished, you will see a message that prompts you to reboot your system. Click Reboot to restart your system and boot into your newly installed RHEL 6.4.
Post-installation Tasks
After rebooting your system, you need to perform some post-installation tasks to complete your RHEL 6.4 setup. These tasks include:
Registering your system with Red Hat Subscription Management: This task allows you to activate your subscription and access software updates, security patches, technical support, and other benefits. To register your system, follow these steps:
Open a terminal window and log in as root.
Type subscription-manager register --username your_username --password your_password, where your_username and your_password are your Red Hat account credentials.
You will see a message that confirms your registration and displays your system's ID.
Type subscription-manager list --available to see a list of available subscriptions for your system.
Type subscription-manager attach --pool=pool_id, where pool_id is the ID of the subscription that you want to attach to your system.
You will see a message that confirms your attachment and displays the details of your subscription.
Updating your system with the latest patches and advisories: This task ensures that your system has the most recent security fixes and enhancements. To update your system, follow these steps:
Open a terminal window and log in as root.
Type yum update to check for available updates for your system.
You will see a list of packages that will be updated; review them and type y to confirm the update.
The update process will begin and may take some time to complete; do not interrupt it or turn off your system.
When the update is finished, you will see a message that indicates the success of the update.
Type reboot to restart your system and apply the updates.
Configuring additional features and services: This task allows you to customize your system according to your needs and preferences. You can configure various features and services, such as firewall, SELinux, users, groups, SSH, etc. To configure these features and services, you can use either graphical tools or command-line tools. For example, you can use system-config-* tools for graphical configuration or config-*, service-*, or systemctl-* tools for command-line configuration. For more information on how to configure these features and services, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Deployment Guide.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to install RHEL 6.4 from a DVD ISO image on a x86_64 system. We have also explained how to prepare for installation, perform the installation, and complete some post-installation tasks. By following these steps, you should be able to set up a RHEL 6.4 server that meets your requirements and expectations.
RHEL 6.4 is a reliable and secure operating system that offers many features and benefits for enterprise applications. However, it is not the latest version of RHEL; RHEL 8 is the current major release that provides more enhancements and innovations for hybrid cloud environments. If you want to learn more about RHEL 8 and how to install it, check out our article on How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 from an ISO Image.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can I install RHEL 6.4 from a network source?
the DVD ISO image to a network server or by using the createrepo command. You can also use an existing network repository that is provided by Red Hat or a third-party source. For more information on how to create and use network repositories, refer to the Network Installation chapter of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Installation Guide.
Q: How can I install RHEL 6.4 on a virtual machine?
A: You can install RHEL 6.4 on a virtual machine by using a virtualization software that supports RHEL 6.4 as a guest operating system. For example, you can use VMware Workstation for Windows and Linux, VirtualBox for Windows, Linux, and macOS, or Hyper-V for Windows. You can also use Red Hat Virtualization, which is a comprehensive solution for managing virtual machines on RHEL hosts. To install RHEL 6.4 on a virtual machine, you need to create a new virtual machine and specify its hardware settings, such as memory, disk space, network adapter, etc. Then, you need to attach the DVD ISO image file as a virtual CD-ROM drive and boot the virtual machine from it. The installation process is similar to installing RHEL 6.4 on a physical system, as described above.
Q: How can I install RHEL 6.4 on a different architecture?
A: You can install RHEL 6.4 on a different architecture by using the appropriate DVD ISO image file for that architecture. RHEL 6.4 supports several architectures, such as Server, Workstation, Desktop, HPC Node, IBM System z (s390x), IBM Power Systems (ppc64), and AMD64 and Intel 64 (x86_64). You can download the DVD ISO image file for your desired architecture from the Customer Portal and create a bootable DVD or USB drive as described above. Then, you need to boot your system from the DVD or USB drive and start the installation program. The installation process may vary slightly depending on the architecture, but the main steps are similar to installing RHEL 6.4 on a x86_64 system, as described above.
Q: How can I troubleshoot or recover my RHEL 6.4 installation?
A: You can troubleshoot or recover your RHEL 6.4 installation by using the rescue mode that is available on the DVD or USB drive that you used for installation. The rescue mode is a special mode that allows you to access your system's files and partitions without booting into the installed operating system. You can use the rescue mode to fix boot loader problems, repair file system errors, reset root password, restore configuration files, etc. To enter the rescue mode, follow these steps:
Boot your system from the DVD or USB drive that you used for installation.
Select Rescue installed system from the boot menu and press Enter.
Select your language and keyboard layout.
The rescue mode will try to find and mount your existing RHEL installation under /mnt/sysimage. If it fails to do so automatically, you can manually mount it using the shell command.
You will see a prompt that asks you whether you want to start a shell or reboot your system. Type 1 to start a shell.
You will see a shell prompt where you can enter commands to troubleshoot or recover your system.
When you are done, type exit to exit the shell and reboot your system.