METHODS OF INSTALLING GNU/LINUX
Linux is a very powerful operating system and sometimes can be very overwhelming to install. In this article I’ll discuss different methods by which one can install Linux in their machines. I will list out the advantages, disadvantages, and requirements for each method so that you can decide which one best suits your needs.
Linux can be installed in four different ways depending on whether you intend to use it as your main OS or just to use it as a test platform. Let’s take a brief look at these methods.
1. WSL
WSL or Windows Subsystem of Linux is a way by which you can get a Linux terminal with Bash within Windows. WSL 1 used to provide you with a terminal on top of Windows NT, which meant you weren’t actually running Linux, you were just using Linux commands, and all the tasks were handled by Windows NT kernel. Although in the newer WSL 2 version Microsoft provided an actual Linux kernel, it is still not comparable to a system running Linux on its own hardware, but it is also much better than WSL 1. An official comparison for WSL Versions 1 and 2 is available at the Microsoft website here.
ADVANTAGES : -
- It is best for beginners trying out Linux for first time.
- A nice way to get hands on experience of Linux commands.
- It can even be integrated to VS Code, which means instead of Windows Powershell you can use a Linux terminal for compiling.
DISADVANTAGES : -
- Full hardware resources can not be used by Linux.
- Some commands can not be executed, as Windows would not allow it.
- Can’t be used for resource extensive computing.
- Some GUI apps can’t be installed using WSL, and that too requires installing Windows X server.
Official installation procedure by Microsoft can be found here.
2. VM
VM stands for Virtual Machine, just like WSL it can work on top of Windows (not only on Windows but on any operating system) but it gives you a little more control and insight into Linux. As the name suggests, it is a Virtual Machine, so it behaves like a whole another PC. It has its own efi, Bluetooth, filesystem, CPU cores, and RAM, almost everything an actual Linux OS has, but shared with Windows. VMs are often used to test new Linux distributions before installing them on real hardware.
ADVANTAGES : -
- This one is also beginner friendly.
- Unlike WSL, it provides you full GUI support, and a medium to understand how Linux works.
- Can be used to try out different distros at same time.
- Can be used to test any unstable/buggy software or virus without actually harming the contents of main OS.
DISADVANTAGES : -
- Full hardware resources can also not be used here.
- Using VM takes a good amount of resources and running more than one instances at a time will hinder the performance of host.
- Less efficient than actual Linux running on actual hardware.
- Sometimes weaknesses of host machine can be infested to the VM.
There are different virtualization software available out there (eg:- Vmware, Virtualbox, QEMU) just surf the web and you will be good to go.
3. Dual Boot / Actual Hardware
In order to get the most from Linux, it is best to install the operating system on actual hardware. This is how Linux was intended to be used, to take full advantage of each ounce of system hardware. Using this method, a real productive environment can be set up without any hardware limitations for running resource-intensive programs. The root user has actual power to modify and develop up until the RING 0 level of administration may be reached.
Installing Linux on a different drive or partition can be done alongside Windows or even replace Windows. After the installation, at the time of booting your PC, you must choose the desired operating system from the boot menu or GRUB. Changing the boot priority order in your BIOS can also be used to configure your booting process. That’s how you can have two different OSes on the same machine. Not only two, you can have as many as you like, and it will not affect the performance of other OS’s, since only one OS runs at a time.
ADVANTAGES : -
- Full system hardware can be used.
- Good for long term use and resource extensive computing.
- Gives full access to every hardware and software so that one can develop and customize according to their needs.
- Linux is much secure as it is open source.
- No interference of any other OS.
DISADVANTAGES : -
- Booting to another OS will take a full system restart.
- Installation process is much more complex than other methods.
4. Portable/Persistent
You have probably guessed by now, what this method involves. With this method, the user installs Linux on a removable media, like an external SSD or HDD or even a Flash Drive. The procedure is the same as installing Linux on actual hardware with just a few minutes differences. As an example, when using Calamares (an installer that ships with most Linux distributions for hassel-free installation), it allows the installation of the EFI in the pre-existing EFI partition of some other OS that is already present. Because of this, your OS won’t boot on another machine because the efi partition is not on the removable drive. These kinds of things need to be monitored, otherwise 90% of the procedures are the same.
You can also avoid installing Linux altogether and use a live boot OS as your main OS, with persistent data partition alongside in the same drive. A little web surfing will help you get a better handle on it.
ADVANTAGES : -
- Well its portable
- Can be a great way to test various computers on same Linux distro.
DISADVANTAGES : -
- Booting though an external drive can be slow sometimes, especially if you are using USB 2.x
- Not very secure
Thank you for reading…!!
