2.7.1 Select the
Distribution Set
Deciding which distribution set to install will depend largely on the
intended use of the system and the amount of disk space available. The
predefined options range from installing the smallest possible configuration
to everything. Those who are new to UNIX�
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
and/or FreeBSD should almost certainly select one of these canned options.
Customizing a distribution set is typically for the more experienced user.
Press F1 for more information on the distribution
set options and what they contain. When finished reviewing the help,
pressing Enter will return to the Select Distributions
Menu.
If a graphical user interface is desired then a distribution set that is
preceded by an X should be chosen. The
configuration of the X server and selection of a default desktop must be
done after the installation of FreeBSD. More information regarding the
configuration of a X server can be found in
Chapter 5.
Xorg is the default version of X11 that is
installed.
If compiling a custom kernel is anticipated, select an option which
includes the source code. For more information on why a custom kernel should
be built or how to build a custom kernel, see
Chapter 8.
Obviously, the most versatile system is one that includes everything. If
there is adequate disk space, select All as
shown in
Figure 2-25 by using the arrow keys and press Enter.
If there is a concern about disk space consider using an option that is more
suitable for the situation. Do not fret over the perfect choice, as other
distributions can be added after installation.
2.7.2 Installing the
Ports Collection
After selecting the desired distribution, an opportunity to install the
FreeBSD Ports Collection is presented. The ports collection is an easy and
convenient way to install software. The Ports Collection does not contain
the source code necessary to compile the software. Instead, it is a
collection of files which automates the downloading, compiling and
installation of third-party software packages.
Chapter 4 discusses how to use the ports collection.
The installation program does not check to see if you have adequate
space. Select this option only if you have adequate hard disk space. As of
FreeBSD 7.0, the FreeBSD Ports Collection takes up about 440 MB of disk
space. You can safely assume a larger value for more recent versions of
FreeBSD.
User Confirmation Requested
Would you like to install the FreeBSD ports collection?
This will give you ready access to over 18,000 ported software packages,
at a cost of around 440 MB of disk space when "clean" and possibly much
more than that if a lot of the distribution tarballs are loaded
(unless you have the extra CDs from a FreeBSD CD/DVD distribution
available and can mount it on /cdrom, in which case this is far less
of a problem).
The Ports Collection is a very valuable resource and well worth having
on your /usr partition, so it is advisable to say Yes to this option.
For more information on the Ports Collection & the latest ports,
visit:
http://www.FreeBSD.org/ports
[ Yes ] No
Select [ Yes ] with the arrow keys to
install the Ports Collection or [ No ] to
skip this option. Press Enter to continue. The Choose
Distributions menu will redisplay.
