This chapter explains how to get the files you need to install and
run Fedora on your computer. Concepts in this chapter
may be new, especially if this is your first free and open source
operating system. If you have any trouble with this chapter, find
help by visiting the Fedora Forums at https://www.fedoraforum.org/.
3.1. How Do I Download Installation Files?
The Fedora Project distributes Fedora in many ways, mostly free of
cost and downloaded over the Internet. The most common
distribution method is CD and DVD media. There are several types
of CD and DVD media available, including:
A full set of the software on DVD media
Live images you can use to try Fedora, and then install
to your system if you so choose
Reduced-size bootable CD and USB flash disk images you can
use to install over an Internet connection
Source code on DVD media
Most users want the Fedora Live image or the full set of
installable software on DVD or CDs. The reduced bootable images are
suitable for use with a fast Internet connection and install Fedora
on one computer. Source code discs are not used for installing Fedora,
but are resources for experienced users and software developers.
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Downloading media |
Users with a broadband Internet connection can download
ISO images of CD and DVD media or images
of USB flash disks. An ISO image is a copy of an entire disc in
a format suitable for writing directly to a CD or DVD. A USB
flash disk image is a copy of an entire disk in a format
suitable for writing directly to a USB flash disk.
For more information on burning CDs and DVDs, refer to
Section 3.4, “How Do I Make Fedora Media?”.
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Fedora software is available for download at no cost in a
variety of ways.
To find the freely downloadable distributions of Fedora,
look for a mirror. A mirror is a computer
server open to the public for free downloads of
software, including Fedora. Mirrors offer both free open
source software and closed source software. To locate a mirror, visit https://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist using a Web
browser, and choose a server from the list. The web page lists
mirrors by geographic location. Mirrors geographically closer to you are
ideal for faster downloading speeds.
Mirrors publish Fedora software under a well-organized
hierarchy of folders. For example, the Fedora 10
distribution normally appears in the directory fedora/linux/releases/10/
.
This directory contains a folder for each architecture supported
by that release of Fedora. CD and DVD media files appear
inside that folder, in a folder called
iso/
. For example, you can find the file
for the DVD distribution of Fedora 10 for x86_64 at
fedora/linux/releases/10/x86_64/iso/F-10-x86_64-DVD.iso
.
BitTorrent is a way to download information in cooperation
with other computers. Each computer cooperating in the group
downloads pieces of the information in a particular torrent from
other peers in the group. Computers that have finished
downloading all the data in a torrent remain in the swarm to
seed, or provide data to other peers. If
you download using BitTorrent, as a courtesy you should seed the
torrent at least until you have uploaded the same
amount of data you downloaded.
If your computer does not have software installed for
BitTorrent, visit the BitTorrent home page at https://www.bittorrent.com/download/ to download it.
BitTorrent client software is available for Windows, Mac OS,
Linux, and many other operating systems.
You do not need to find a special mirror for BitTorrent
files. The BitTorrent protocol ensures that your computer
participates in a nearby group. To download and use the Fedora
BitTorrent files, visit https://torrent.fedoraproject.org/.
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Minimal Boot Images |
Minimal boot CD and USB flash disk images are not
available through BitTorrent. |