Fedora minimal install

To get a basic, command line only, base packages install of Fedora, simply add “text” to the installer’s kernel line at boot.

This will then install around 200 base packages and give a small, clean, lean system. From here you can install whatever package or group you like to built it up to something you want.

See here for more options for Anaconda, the Fedora installer.

Update: Alternatively, select “Customize now” during the standard installation process and un-tick everything (yes, ALL package groups even the Base group!). This will then also install the same 200 base packages for a minimal system, but has the added benefit of providing the graphical installer. Use the netinstaller to reduce your initial download.

6 thoughts on “Fedora minimal install

  1. Thanks for the insight. I am building an Atom based router/firewall that will also host Nview. Nview is a linux based weather station software. I have looked at router/firewall software like smoothwall and untangled but they do not allow you to run other software (as far as I can tell). I really like the reporting functions of untangle. So, I would like to find a simular report generator for Fedora. I picked Fedora because I have been using it since Read Hat 3 and am familier with it. Another reason I did’nt choose a canned package is because I want to be able to run snort, tripwire, OpenVPN and SSH. I also want to be able to run something like yum to keep things up to date. Do you know of any firewall report generators that might produce reports like those in untangle?

  2. Hi Jim,

    Unfortunately I can’t think of any, but perhaps Snort? Other than that, maybe ask on the Fedora mailing list?

    -c

  3. I wish I had started with this knowledge. Right now I have 19GB of Fedora14 on my partition. Is there a way to REVERT to the basic 200 packages without a complete reinstall? I am trying hard to find the way back (without complete restart).
    I would like to avoid a backup-restore $HOME / formate / reinstall everything.
    I would like to keep all the .dot files in my $HOME (i.e.
    .evolution) and go back to the basic 200 packages and rebuild a slim system. (If I reinstalled evolution later then it would re-find my .evolution etc..) Do you know any way to do this?

  4. Hmm.. there is probably a way, but in all honesty I think it’s easier to do a fresh install. It’s Linux, right, so it’s not as hard as you might think. You should always (IMO) create a separate partition for /home so that things like this are a pinch! If you haven’t, then backup your /home/ directory and do a re-install, log in as root, copy your data back to /home directory and you’re done.

    -c

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