Installing Debian - Part 1

First, you need to obtain a copy of the netinstall ISO image for Debian. For the purposes of this tutorial, we assume you're going to go with the i386 version of Debian GNU/Linux "Etch" (the current version as of this writing). This version is a safe bet for any PC-compatible system, including those with 64-bit processors (the operating system will still run in 32-bit mode). If your server uses a different architecture, you simply need to download the appropriate install image.

Download the "netinst" ISO image for your architecture from this page: http://debian.org/CD/netinst/#netinst-stable. Once the image is downloaded, use your favorite CD burning application to burn the image to a CD. If you're installing into a virtual machine, you don't need to create a physical CD; you can simply specify the ISO file as the CD-ROM device for your virtual machine.

Boot up into the installer on your soon-to-be validation server (either by booting up off the CD-ROM or starting your virtual machine), and you're greeted by this screen:



Press "Enter" to continue, and select your language, country, and keyboard layout:

Continue: Installing Debian - Part 2

1. Introduction and Motivation
2. Installing Debian - Part 1
3. Installing Debian - Part 2
4. Installing Debian - Part 3
5. Installing Debian - Part 4
6. Installing Debian - Part 5
7. Initial System Configuration
8. Installing the W3C Markup Validator