Hi,
I'm a Linux user since many years now. I've got a server at home running Arch Linux ... but I'm not satisfied for a server usage ... So, I will use, for the first time, the RHEL clone : CentOS (v6).
My server is a little notebook ... and only 1 drive (old drive, IDE). So, first, to set all services required, I will want to use VirtualBox and virtualize the first installation. After that, copy the install back to a HDD and boot it with true hardware ... detect both NIC, ... and I hope that will work fine :).
Do you think it's a good idea ? What about LVM (if set by default, because drive will probably not have same size) and other hardware which will not be present at the begining ???
Thanks
What about install first using VirtualBox, and then copy to HDD ?
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What about install first using VirtualBox, and then copy to
It should be possible to do what you propose, but it seems unlikely to be worth the trouble. It would be a lot easier to just install to the real hardware if that is your final target.
Anyway, to follow the virtual-to-physical conversion path, you will need to copy the installed system to the physical partitions. I think it could be done by attaching the physical partitions to the virtual machine, formatting them, and copying over the data with a tool such as tar, but I have never done that with VirtualBox. You will need to be sure that whatever copy method you use preserves the SELinux context, and that you appropriately modify /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/grub.conf to match the physical hardware, and follow [url=http://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/CreateNewInitrd]Creating a New Initial RAM Disk[/url] to make it bootable. You will also have to change the graphics configuration after boot to match the physical hardware.
I'd just use a VM to practice and then do a fresh install on the real iron.
Anyway, to follow the virtual-to-physical conversion path, you will need to copy the installed system to the physical partitions. I think it could be done by attaching the physical partitions to the virtual machine, formatting them, and copying over the data with a tool such as tar, but I have never done that with VirtualBox. You will need to be sure that whatever copy method you use preserves the SELinux context, and that you appropriately modify /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/grub.conf to match the physical hardware, and follow [url=http://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/CreateNewInitrd]Creating a New Initial RAM Disk[/url] to make it bootable. You will also have to change the graphics configuration after boot to match the physical hardware.
I'd just use a VM to practice and then do a fresh install on the real iron.