How to install RHEL 8 from USB

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The RHEL 8 ISO can be transferred to the USB flash drive using the ddrescue command hence creating a bootable RHEL 8 USB flashdrive.

In this tutorial you will learn:

  • How to create bootable RHEL 8 USB flash drive.
  • How to access boot menu.
  • How to access BIOS/UEFI.

Redhat USB.

Software Requirements and Conventions Used

Software Requirements and Linux Command Line Conventions
Category Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used
System Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Software ddrescue
Other Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command.
Conventions # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

How to install RHEL 8 from USB step by step instructions

  1. Obtain the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 ISO image. Login to your Redhat customer portal and download the latest RHEL 8 iso image. Example: 
    $ ls
rhel-server-8.0-x86_64-dvd.iso
  2. Install the ddrescue command line tool which will be used in the next step to create the bootable RHEL 8 USB flash drive: 
    REDHAT/CENTOS
# yum install ddrescue
DEBIAN/UBUNTU
# aptitude install gddrescue
  3. Use the fdisk -l command to locate the block device name of your USB flash drive. Sample output: 
    # fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sdb: 14.4 GiB, 15500673024 bytes, 30274752 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
    WARNING
    The block device name of your USB flash drive may be different. Make sure that you have a correct block device to avoid accidents like overwriting your existing system or data.
  4. Create a bootable RHEL 8 flash drive. Use the ddrescue command to transfer rhel-server-8.0-x86_64-dvd.iso onto USB flash drive /dev/sdX. Amend the bellow command with the correct ISO image path, name and block device. No prior USB flash drive formatting is required: 
    # ddrescue rhel-server-8.0-x86_64-dvd.iso /dev/sdX --force -D
  5. Insert the RHEL 8 bootable USB flash drive into your computer and access the boot menu.

    To start the USB boot, switch off your PC and insert the USB bootable flash drive into your computer. It is recommended that all other USB devices are removed (e.g. memory cards, printers). After that, switch ON your computer. If you set your BIOS/UEFI correctly your PC will start the booting sequence from the USB external media in order to install RHEL 8 from USB.

    Access Boot Menu

    To access Boot Menu on your computer you will need to hit different keys (or combination of keys) depending on your computer type. Here is the list of possible keys you may have to press depending on your PC:

    Key combinations for accessing Boot Menu
    Device Key Combination Comment
    Acer Esc, F12 or F9 F12 key most likely
    Asus F8 or Esc
    Compaq Esc or F9
    Dell F12
    eMachines F12
    Fujitsu F12
    HP Esc or F9
    Lenovo F8, F10 or F12 Other possibilities: Novo button or Fn + F11
    Samsung Esc or F2 or F12 For ultrabooks from Samsung disable the fast boot option in BIOS/UEFI. See next section.
    VAIO Esc, F10 or F11 Other possibilities: Assist button
    Toshiba F12

    Access BIOS/UEFI

    To access BIOS/UEFI on your computer you will also need to hit different keys (or combination of keys) depending on your computer type. Here is the list of possible keys you may have to press depending on your PC:

    Key combinations for accessing BIOS/UEFI
    Device Key Combination Comment
    Acer Del or F2 F2 key most likely
    Asus Delete or Del
    Compaq F10
    Dell F2
    eMachines Tab or Del
    Fujitsu F2
    HP Esc, F10, F11 Other possibilities: on Pavilion – F1
    Lenovo F1 or F2 Other possibilities: small button next to the Power button (if laptop)
    Samsung F2 For ultrabooks from Samsung it might be F10
    VAIO F1, F2, F3 Other possibilities: Assist button
    Toshiba F1, F2, F12 or Esc
  6. Select Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 from the boot menu and continue with the RHEL 8 installation as per usual.

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 boot menu.

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 boot menu.

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