Translations by Ralph Janke

Laptops and other computers that will not always be connected to the same network.

A workstation installation of Edubuntu is just what it sounds like: an install that can boot and function on its own, with or without a network connection. (An internet connection is needed when downloading new or updated software.) The first user created on the system can perform administration functions such as change settings that affect all users, installing new software, etc. System files, applications, and user data are all stored locally on the computer's hard disk, as opposed to being stored on a central server as in other Edubuntu installations.

Hardware requirements

A workstation Edubuntu system needs at least:

500 Mhz processor

128 MB of RAM

2.1 GB of hard disk space

Installing Edubuntu Standalone

To make a workstation installation of Edubuntu, you will need:

Boot CD/DVD: <keycap>F2</keycap>

Press <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>B</keycap></keycombo> to choose boot media

Pressing the button(s) when asked will give you a list of things you can boot. Choose the drive your Edubuntu CD is in.

<emphasis role="bold">Option two:</emphasis> Look for a message that contains the words "BIOS", "options", "set-up", or "configure", as well as a button or buttons to press. It will look similar (but not necessarily identical) to one of the following:

Press the <keycap>Del</keycap> key to enter set-up.

Press <keycap>Esc</keycap> for options.

Press <keycap>F4</keycap> now to enter BIOS configuration.

Pressing the correct button(s) when asked will bring up a configuration screen. Each computer is slightly different, so just read the displayed information and find the option to boot from your CD drive first. Make certain that the hard drive boots after the CD drive, or your new Edubuntu system will not boot properly after it is installed.

Often, these start-up messages scroll by so quickly that by the time you've read which button to press, it is too late! Don't worry. Just shutdown the computer and turn it on again. When the message comes up this time, you will be ready.

Choose language

Use your arrow keys to select the language you would like the installer to use, and press <keycap>Enter</keycap>.

The next screen asks what country you are in. Highlight your country and press <keycap>Enter</keycap>, or choose "<option>other</option>" if your country is not listed.

Select keyboard layout

If the layout shown is incorrect, you may choose "Find your layout by pressing some keys" and follow the on-screen instructions to help Edubuntu learn what type of keyboard you have.

If you already know the name of your keyboard layout, you may choose "Select from full keyboard list" to do just that.

If you would like to double-check that you have chosen the correct keyboard layout, choose "Test whether this layout is correct" and type a few letters, numbers, and symbols in the space provided.

If the test looked wrong, you should choose "Find your layout by pressing some keys" and then test again when done.

Once your layout has been confirmed, your computer will take a closer look at your CD-ROM drive and prepare for the rest of the installation.

Configure the network

The Edubuntu installer will now ask you to choose the network connection to use for the installation. If you are not sure which to choose, try the interface that the installer has highlighted for you. (If this turns out to be incorrect, you can always go back and try again.)

A network connection is optional. If you do not have one, you will not be able to download updates to software packages at the end of the install process, but you can still install all of the great software found on your Edubuntu install CD.

If you are using a wireless network, the installer will ask you for a WEP key. If you do not know what this is, you probably don't need one and can just choose <keycap>Continue</keycap>.

The installer will try to detect your network settings for you. However, in some cases this is not possible, and the installer will prompt you for an IP address, netmask, and gateway. The person who manages your network will know what the correct settings are. For a small home network, some good guesses are:

Still not sure? If you have another computer on this network, look at its network settings and use the same netmask and gateway. Set the IP so that the first three numbers are identical but set the last number slightly higher than the other computer. For example, if the other computer's IP is 192.168.1.100 you might try 192.268.1.105.

Choose a mirror of the Ubuntu archive

This section asks for proxy information. If you are unsure, you probably don't need a proxy. In this case, just choose <keycap>Continue</keycap>.

Partition Disks

In this step, you tell the Edubuntu installer how to set up your computer's hard drive.

Most people will want to choose the second option, "Erase entire disk:..." ''This will erase everything on your hard disk'' and use the entire hard disk for your new Edubuntu system.

If you plan to dual-boot Edubuntu and another operating system, you probably want to choose the first option, "Resize..."

Do not choose the third or fourth options, "Erase entire disk and use LVM..." and "Manually edit..." unless you are sure you know what you are doing with them.

The next screen will tell you about the changes being made to your hard disk. Select <keycap>Yes</keycap> to continue.

If your hard drive is large, this is a good time to go look for a beverage to go with your snack.

Configure time zone

Set up users and passwords

This section walks you through creating a log-in for your first user. This user is the one responsible for installing and removing software, managing system-wide settings, and other maintenance.

If you have used other Linux distributions before, you may be expecting to create a root login password. The user you are creating now is a normal user, but will have sudo privileges for package management and other tasks normally performed by root. By default, logging in directly as root is disabled on Edubuntu. If you don't know what this note means, just ignore it. You won't think anything is weird.

Once this user has been created, the Edubuntu installer will load the Edubuntu operating system and a selection of great applications on to your hard disk.

The "Select and install software" progress bar stays at 5% for what seems like a very long time. Don't worry, the install is still progressing normally. The progress bar will move again after a few minutes.

Finish the installation

Take out your Edubuntu install CD and choose <keycap>Continue</keycap> to restart your computer and begin using your newly installed Edubuntu system.