Very Minimal CentOS Installation – we use CENTos for our Moon Rover

Any attempt to install CentOS using text-mode or kick-start will result into 340+ packages and lots of useless services. The only way you can achieve a true minimal CentOS is through a manual install process and using graphics mode.

Please seek more guidance from this manual for topics not covered here.

Checkpoint 1: Start graphics installation by hitting enter on boot prompt.

Checkpoint 2: Pick Customize now during package group selection.

Checkpoint 3: De-select everything (Yes, I repeat it! Deselect everything including base).

If you follow the suggested process, you will get a True Minimal CentOS installation with only 148 packages installed (and very few system services).

OTHER VERSION

For my version of the minimal install I:

1. Boot to CD 1
2. Type in “linux text” to get the text installation setup
3. Proceed normally with the installation until it asks which packages to install
4. I deselect all of the packages and then click on the “customize package selection” check box
5. I then hold down the “-” key, which scrolls through all of the package options, and deselects them all for me
6. I finish the install and I am done

7. Then I do a “yum update” to get latest
8. Then I do a “yum install <package>” for what ever packages I need but didn’t get during installation.

All of this with only CentOS 5 CD 1.

OR ANOTHER

You can do a minimal install that just requires the first CD by performing the following two steps during the installation:

• During the category/task selection, deselect all package categories, and choose the “Customize now” option at the bottom of screen.
• During the customized package selection, deselect everything.

There are reports that more than CD 1 is required in the following case:

• If you use some software raid options (this will also require CD 2 and 5)
• If you use encrypted filesystems

When the anaconda installer notes that additional disks will be required, but you desire a one CD install, the quick answer is one or more of the following approaches:

• Trim back and do a minimal install. Then once the install is up and running, pull in more packages with yum, and add more options later.
• Use the method: linux text ( Note: you cant do a minimal install using the Text mode, you *must* use the GUI mode if you are looking to install the minimal package set)

If you want to avoid using more than one CD, but want to install more than just the minimal set of packages, you could also consider doing a network installation. A network installation ISO (called boot.iso) is available from the 5/os/<arch>/images/ directory on CentOS mirrors.

CUSTOM DVD ISO OF CENTOS

http://lingxiang.tang.googlepages.com/createalesssizecentos5

http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/Installation_Guide-en-US/ch-kickstart2.html