I start with Red Hat Linux 7.3 on a computer I install from a CD-ROM distribution. To set up an FIS server I will use these packages:

• ncftp
• vsftpd (preferred) or wu-ftpd

I download the Red Hat Linux 9 ISO files (from my local mirror). If you don't need the source RPMs you can skip disks 4, 5, and 6, but I get them all because I am compulsive that way. I choose 'ftp.software.umn.edu' because they are close to me:

  # mkdir -p /var/ftp/pub/redhat/9/iso
  # cd /var/ftp/pub/redhat/9/iso
  # ncftpget ftp://ftp.software.umn.edu/pub/linux/redhat/linux/9/en/iso/i386/*
    ... FTP server sends lengthy, time consuming ISO files ... 

I mount each ISO (one through three only, as I just need the binaries for installations) in turn on the loop device:

  # mkdir /mnt/tmp
  # mount -t iso9660 -o loop=/dev/loop0 shrike-i386-disc1.iso /mnt/tmp
  # cp -af /mnt/tmp/* /var/ftp/pub/redhat/9/
  # umount /mnt/tmp
    ... mount, copy, and umount ISOs 2 and 3 ...

Now, to make things as safe and secure as possible, I download the latest updates from Red Hat to a convenient FTP public directory. I use 'ncftp' or 'ncftpget' to do this:

  # mkdir -p /var/ftp/pub/redhat/9/updates
  # cd /var/ftp/pub/redhat/9/updates
  # ncftpget ftp://ftp.software.umn.edu/pub/linux/redhat/linux/updates/9/en/os/*
    ... FTP server sends lengthy list of updated RPM files ... 
  # ls
    ... the athlon/i386/i586/i686/noarch/SRPM directories should be here ...

To make this directory tree updateable and manageable by a normal user I change permissions on it:

  # cd /var/ftp/pub/
  # chown -R myuser redhat