Appendix C. Driver Disks
Why Do I Need a Driver Disk?
While the Red Hat Linux installation program is loading, you may see a screen that asks you for a driver disk. The driver disk screen is most often seen in three scenarios:
if you are running the installation program in expert mode
if you run the installation program by entering linux dd at the boot: prompt
if you run the installation program on a computer which does not have any PCI devices
So What Is a Driver Disk Anyway?
A driver disk adds support for hardware that is not otherwise supported by the installation program. The driver disk could be produced by Red Hat, it could be a disk you make yourself, or it could be a disk that a hardware vendor includes with a piece of hardware.
There is really no need to use a driver disk unless you need a particular device in order to install Red Hat Linux. You will most likely use a driver disk for SCSI adapters and NICs, as those are really the only devices which are used during the installation that might require driver disk support. If an unsupported device is not needed to install Red Hat Linux on your system, continue with a regular installation and then add support for the new piece of hardware once the installation is complete.
How Do I Obtain a Driver Disk?
Your best option for finding driver disk information is on Red Hat's website at http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/ under the section called Bug Fixes.
If you find a driver disk that is appropriate for your device support needs, create a boot disk using that filename.img file. For instructions on how to make a boot disk, see the Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide section called Making Installation Diskettes.
Once you have created your driver disk, boot your system using the diskette as a boot disk and enter either linux expert or linux dd at the boot: prompt.
 | Please Note |
|---|---|
Some driver disk images may also be found in the images directory of your Red Hat Linux CD. |