Install a Linux guest and record every first-boot task Windows does not need

short · 50 min · Objective 1.1

Task

Install a Linux distribution in the disposable guest, and produce a comparison of the first-boot tasks each system expects. The exercise is not learning Linux -- it is noticing that the same checklist exists everywhere with different names on the steps, which is what this objective is actually teaching.

Steps

  1. Install the distribution, choosing manual partitioning so you see the mount points. Record the layout in lab/nix/partitions.csv with header mount_point,filesystem,size_mb,purpose.
  2. Write lab/nix/packages.md recording the package manager, the command to update everything, and the command to install one named program -- and run all three.
  3. Write lab/nix/firstboot.csv with header task,linux_command_or_step,windows_equivalent,why_it_matters covering at least five first-boot tasks.
  4. Record in lab/nix/swap.txt how much swap the installer proposed, how much memory the guest has, and whether hibernation would fit in the swap you have.
  5. Write lab/nix/dualboot.md explaining the bootloader order problem in your own words, and why fast startup must be disabled on a machine that dual boots.

Verify

awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=4 {n++} END {print n" mount point(s)"}' lab/nix/partitions.csv
grep -Eic 'apt|dnf|pacman|zypper' lab/nix/packages.md
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=4 {n++} END {print n" first-boot task(s)"}' lab/nix/firstboot.csv
grep -c . lab/nix/swap.txt
grep -Eic 'bootloader|grub|boot order|fast startup' lab/nix/dualboot.md

Two or more mount points, a named package manager, five or more first-boot tasks, and the dual-boot note mentioning both the bootloader and fast startup.

Notes

The /boot/efi mount point only appears when the guest's firmware is set to UEFI. If your installer never offered it, the guest is booting in legacy mode, which is itself worth recording.

This is an independent study companion for CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 and is not produced by or endorsed by CompTIA.