I have been playing with redhat for a while. I am currently using
redhat enterprise linux. I would like to install a very basic system
for security reasons. It would include the kernel rpm and some basic
utils like vi, tcpdump, bash, cp, tar, mv, gzip just to get the system
up and running with minimal funtionality. When I do the most basic
install, the system installs about 250 packages. I am trying to get
that number down as low as possible. Can someone point me do a doc or
where to go look for guidance.

Thanks very much

Fri, 23 Jul 2004 12:22:41 -0700 tarihinde, Dan P dedi ki:

> I have been playing with redhat for a while. I am currently using
> redhat enterprise linux. I would like to install a very basic system
> for security reasons. It would include the kernel rpm and some basic
> utils like vi, tcpdump, bash, cp, tar, mv, gzip just to get the system
> up and running with minimal funtionality. When I do the most basic
> install, the system installs about 250 packages. I am trying to get
> that number down as low as possible. Can someone point me do a doc or
> where to go look for guidance.

You are describing Debian installation process: It first installs a
skeleton system in the first stage, and then goes on to install your
package selections. If you select nothing extra, then you will have a base
system (pretty much like what you are after) in 10 minutes.

--
Abdullah | aramazan@ |
Ramazanoglu | myrealbox |
________________| D-O-T_cöm |

Dan P wrote:
> I have been playing with redhat for a while. I am currently using
> redhat enterprise linux. I would like to install a very basic system
> for security reasons. It would include the kernel rpm and some basic
> utils like vi, tcpdump, bash, cp, tar, mv, gzip just to get the system
> up and running with minimal funtionality. When I do the most basic
> install, the system installs about 250 packages. I am trying to get
> that number down as low as possible. Can someone point me do a doc or
> where to go look for guidance.
>
> Thanks very much

When installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an early screen will ask you
what kind of installation you want. Workstation, Server, Custom (I am
guessing at the option names since I set mine up in early March and
disremember exactly).

This is around the time you set up the disk formatting and partition
setup. So you pick the one closest to what you need (probably Server or
Custom). Pretty soon it will give you a list of what it proposes to
install. At that point you can accept what it has chosen, or edit it to
delete stuff you do not want and include stuff it left out. If you delete
too much to get a working system, it will offer (insist?) on putting some
stuff back. For example, if you want GNOME and not the XFree86 stuff, you
can either accept the XFree86 stuff or get rid of GNOME.

I have no need for a web server, so I deleted that entirely from my
system. I did not need a telnet or ftp server either, so they are gone. Etc.

Now when Red Hat's up2date program runs, I watch what it is updating.
Every once in a while (and less frequently as time goes on), I notice
something getting updated that makes me realize I do not need it at all.
So once the update is completed, I just remove those packages with rpm.

--
.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642.
/V\ Registered Machine 241939.
/( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org
^^-^^ 16:30:00 up 7 days, 2:11, 4 users, load average: 0.14, 0.13, 0.09

"Dan P" <danielpinsky@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b3310522.0407231122.dffa97d@posting.google.co m...
> I have been playing with redhat for a while. I am currently using
> redhat enterprise linux. I would like to install a very basic system
> for security reasons. It would include the kernel rpm and some basic
> utils like vi, tcpdump, bash, cp, tar, mv, gzip just to get the system
> up and running with minimal funtionality. When I do the most basic
> install, the system installs about 250 packages. I am trying to get
> that number down as low as possible. Can someone point me do a doc or
> where to go look for guidance.

The RedHat "minimal" install is a bit overcrowded. Who in the hell needs
ISDN utilities these days?

Look into the "kickstart" software with RedHat, and how to reset the
packages included in the basic installation. Some of the dependencies are
excessive. To install emacs, you need XFree86-libs and in some cases Chinese
font handlers, for example.