Completing post-installation tasks

This section describes how to complete the following post-installation tasks:

  • Completing initial setup

  • Registering your system

  • Securing your system

Completing initial setup

This section contains information about how to complete initial setup on a CentOS 8 system.

If you selected the Server with GUI base environment during installation, the Initial Setup window opens the first time you reboot your system after the installation process is complete.

The information displayed in the Initial Setup window might vary depending on what was configured during installation. At a minimum, the License information option is displayed.

Prerequisite

  • You have completed the graphical installation according to the recommended workflow described on Installation workflow.

Procedure

  1. From the Initial Setup window, select License Information.

    The License Agreement window opens and displays the licensing terms for CentOS 8.

  2. Review the license agreement and select the I accept the license agreement checkbox.

    You must accept the license agreement. Exiting Initial Setup without completing this step causes a system restart. When the restart process is complete, you are prompted to accept the license agreement again.

  3. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the Initial Setup window.

Securing your system

Complete the following security-related steps immediately after you install CentOS.

Prerequisites

  • You have completed the graphical installation according to the recommended workflow described in Installation workflow.

Procedure

  1. To update your system, run the following command as root:

    # yum update

  2. Even though the firewall service, firewalld, is automatically enabled with the installation of CentOS, there are scenarios where it might be explicitly disabled, for example in a Kickstart configuration. In that scenario, it is recommended that you re-enable the firewall.

    To start firewalld, run the following commands as root:

    # systemctl start firewalld
# systemctl enable firewalld

  3. To enhance security, disable services that you do not need. For example, if your system has no printers installed, disable the cups service using the following command:

    # systemctl mask cups

    To review active services, run the following command:

    $ systemctl list-units | grep service