Hello i am having real problems configuring Fedora 8. I have no previous experience using this OS so please if you can help you will need to explain things in real lamen's terms.

Basically I have installed fedora 8 on a machine which also has Vista Business installed, both on separate SATA hard drives. I wish to do the following but do not know how;


1.
As stated the PC came with windows Vista Business. I have added another hard drive and installed Fedora 8 successfully. However when the computer boots it does not give me the choice to choose which OS to boot into. At the moment the only way I can choose which OS is disconnecting a drive with the OS I do not wish to load.


2.
The PC is going to be for use on a domain controlled by a server running Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Small Business Server with Service Pack 2 and Active Directory. Does anyone know how I can add the Fedora OS to a windows domain?


3.

I also want to set up a software mirror/raid between the disk with the Fedora OS insatlled and a 3rd blank hard disk installed , does anyone know how?


As stated i am a total novice with Fedora so if you could give me some real basic instructions or suggest any guides that will help id appreciate it greatly, total rookie here!!

Cheers!

That would be layman

This one is not too hard. The tool you want to use is GRUB, the GRand Unified Bootloader. You will need to install it on your master (boot) disc; then when you boot up, it will offer you the option of which OS to boot. Details for how to do all that are found at http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/html_node/

The trick to getting Fedora running so that you can do this is either to boot from the install disc (and use rescue mode), or swap the SATA cables, so that the Fedora disc is attached to the lowest-numbered SATA port. Then it will be found first, and the GRUB loader will know how to boot Windows if you want it to run.

This manual takes some reading. Read it, before beginning to actually do the work, because it is entirely possible to make the primary disc un-bootable. In addition, before you actually start, make sure that there is a Windows Rescue Disk, and that you know where it is.

An optional package called Samba handles interchange of data between Linux and Windows systems. There seems to be some move afoot to replace the original Samba function with CIFS (Common Internet File System). Windows 2003 will support this file-sharing system. I think Fedora 7-8 will, too, but I still use the older SMB protocol in my shop.

Yes. But this stuff is still fairly close to black magic, since there are so many ways to lose everything. I recommend doing steps 1 and 2, and then reading in depth on the web about RAID. There are lots of (strong) opinions, and lots of out-of-date webpages. The thing you almost certainly want is most commonly called Software RAID, even if your machine's BIOS or manual claims to support RAID on the motherboard. And you can add this functionality on at any time, not just during a fresh installation. So take this one slowly; your discs will probably last at least a year or so before you will have to start worrying about a disc failure.

Don't know if this is true about Vista for Business or not. I have Vista Home Premium and after installing GRUB to the MBR, Vista would no longer boot. I had to track down a repair utility from the command line on my Vista DVD, which I had to boot, and repair the MBR. As I type this I am seeking a proper solution.

Most of the solutions I've seen involve putting GRUB on the BOOT PARTITION of Fedora 8 and NOT THE MBR. Putting GRUB on the MBR runs the risk of forbidding a Vista boot.

The error I get in that situation is something about "BOOTMGR" not being present. I've read this is not uncommon.

So with all due respect, because the above used to work just fine, putting GRUB on the MBR of Vista drive is NOT a good idea. It will probably keep you from booting Windows.

Thanks for the heads up about Vista and its problems with GRUB. I just did a bit of a Google search, and found this pretty complete and convincing explanation of the effect you have described. It looks like it is possible to use GRUB with Windows Vista, but it will take a little bit of preparation of the Vista load first:

Thanks, that's in line with what I've discovered. It also explains why I've heard of it actually working in some cases.

Anyhow I opted for the EasyBCD solution, which has worked out fine. Not the prettiest boot loader around, but it is tried and true. All seems well now and I can boot my Linux or my Vista without problem.

I simply put GRUB on the boot partition of my Linux, configured just for a single installation boot (no Vista). Booted to Windows Vista, installed EasyBCD (freeware, available for download) and configured to boot both systems. Q.E.D.

I will say, it does not make me happy that Microsoft has found yet another way to screw with us. MBR's have worked just fine as is for years and there was no really valid reason to do this - all "plausible deniability" aside, they really just did this to make life more difficult for other OS's, IMHO.