As you initially install Debian, you will proceed through several
different steps:
1. Boot the installation system
2. Initial system configuration
3. Install the base system
4. Boot the newly installed base system
5. Install the rest of the system
Booting the Debian installation system, the first step, is generally
done with the Rescue Floppy or from the CD-ROM.
Once you’ve booted into Linux, the dbootstrap program will launch
and guide you through the second step, the initial system
configuration. This step is described in detail in section 3 on page
[*].
The “Debian base system” is a core set of packages that are required
to run Debian in a minimal, stand-alone fashion. dbootstrap will
install it from your CD-ROM, as described in section 3.12 on page
[*]. Once you have configured and installed the base system, your
machine can “stand on its own.”
The final step is the installation of the remainder of the Debian
system. This would include the applications and documents that you
actually use on your computer, such as the X Window system, editors,
shells, and development environments. The rest of the Debian system
can be installed from CD-ROM. At this point, you’ll be using the
standard Debian package management tools, such as dselect. This step
is described in section 3.20 on page [*].