Updates to documentation to aid the less tech-savy

docs/install.md

@@ -6,25 +6,105 @@ This document explains how a user can download and install the Pelican client.
 Installation Steps:
 --------------------
 
-### Install the Pelican Platform Binary
-Navigate to the [Pelican release page](https://github.com/PelicanPlatform/pelican/releases/). Download the proper binary for the system you are running on and select which version you would like to install. 
+### 1. Install the Pelican Platform Binary
+Navigate to the [Pelican release page](https://github.com/PelicanPlatform/pelican/releases/). Download the proper binary for the system you are running on and select which version you would like to install. If you do not know which binary to install, below is a chart that may help:
 
+| Package Name                   | Description                                                            |
+|--------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `pelican-7.1.2-1.arm64.rpm`    | RPM package for ARM64 architecture on Linux systems.                  |
+| `pelican-7.1.2-1.ppc64le.rpm`  | RPM package for little endian PowerPC architecture on Linux systems.   |
+| `pelican-7.1.2-1.x86_64.rpm`   | RPM package for x86_64 (64-bit) architecture on Linux systems.         |
+| `pelican-7.1.2-1_amd64.deb`    | Debian package for AMD64 (x86_64) architecture on Debian-based Linux systems. |
+| `pelican-7.1.2-1_arm64.deb`    | Debian package for ARM64 architecture on Debian-based Linux systems. |
+| `pelican-7.1.2-1_ppc64le.deb`  | Debian package for little-endian PowerPC architecture on Debian-based Linux systems. |
+| `pelican_amd64.apk`            | APK package for AMD64 (x86_64) architecture. |
+| `pelican_arm64.apk`            | APK package for ARM64 architecture. |
+| `pelican_Darwin_arm64.tar.gz`  | Tarball for macOS systems running on ARM64 architecture. |
+| `pelican_Darwin_x86_64.tar.gz` | Tarball for macOS systems with x86_64 architecture. |
+| `pelican_Linux_arm64.tar.gz`   | Tarball for Linux systems with ARM64 architecture. |
+| `pelican_Linux_ppc64le.tar.gz` | Tarball for Linux systems with little-endian PowerPC architecture. |
+| `pelican_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz`  | Tarball for Linux systems with x86_64 (64-bit) architecture. |
+| `pelican_ppc64le.apk`          | APK package for little-endian PowerPC architecture, suitable for some PowerPC-based systems or specific Linux distributions. |
+| `pelican_Windows_x86_64.zip`   | ZIP archive for Windows systems with x86_64 (64-bit) architecture. **Note:** Pelican on Windows is still experimental and you may run into issues. |
+
+##### RPM, APK, or DEB?
+###### RPM (Red Hat Package Manager):
+You want to install a `.rpm` package if you are using a Red Hat-based Linux distribution system such as: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Fedora, or openSUSE.
+
+###### APK (Alpine Package Keeper):
+You want to install a `.apk` package if you are using an Alpine Linux system.
+
+###### DEB (Debian Package):
+You want to install a `.deb` package if you are using a Linux distribution system such as: Debian, Ubuntu, or something similar.
+
+##### What about tar and zip?
+If you want a more manual setup, you can download the `.tar.gz` or `.zip` files and extract the binary where you need it. However, the above packages are recommended for more inexperienced users.
+
+##### What version should I download?
 Our versions are built like so:
 For example: 7.1.2
 - 7 represents the latest major version release
 - 1 represents feature releases
 - 2 represents a bug fix/patch release
 
-### Extract the Binary
-Once the package has finished downloading, place it in your workspace and extract the binary
+We recommend you to use the latest feature or major release version so it includes the latest bug fixes and features.
+
+### 2. Extract the Binary
+Once the package has finished downloading, place it in your workspace
+
+##### RPM:
+To install RPM packages, you can use the dnf or yum package manager. Just make sure you have sudo access if you are not root:
+```console
+sudo yum install pelican-7.1.2-1.x86_64.rpm
+```
+Replace 'yum' with 'dnf' for dnf install
+
+##### DEB:
+To install Debian packages, you can use apt or dpkg package manager:
+```console
+sudo dpkg -i pelican-7.1.2-1_amd64.deb
+sudo apt-get install -f
+```
+Or
+```console
+sudo apt install ./pelican-7.1.2-1_amd64.deb
+```
+
+##### APK:
+To install APK packages on Alpine Linux, you can use the apk package manager:
+```console
+apk add pelican_amd64.apk
+```
+
+##### Tarballs:
+To install `.tar.gz` packages, you can extract with tar:
+```console
+tar -xzf pelican_Darwin_x86_64.tar.gz
+```
+
+##### Zip:
+To install `.zip` packages, you can use [7zip](https://www.7-zip.org/) or other programs to unzip your file. Simply right click on the `.zip` file and extract all contents to a directory of your choice 
+
+### 3. Test Functionality of the Pelican Platform
+##### For rpm, deb, and apk
+If you downloaded this way, Pelican should automatically be added to the path. You can check this by:
+```console
+which pelican
+```
+and make sure you get an output. You can then check functionality by running:
+```console
+pelican -f osg-htc.org object copy /osgconnect/public/osg/testfile.txt .
+testfile.txt 36.00 b / 36.00 b [=============================================================================================] Done!
+```
 
-### Test Functionality of the Pelican Platform
+##### For tarballs and zip, using the binary itself:
 Once extracted, make sure you are in the same directory as the **Pelican** executable. To test if everything works, we can do a simple **object copy** command:
 
 ```console
 ./pelican -f osg-htc.org object copy /osgconnect/public/osg/testfile.txt .
 testfile.txt 36.00 b / 36.00 b [=============================================================================================] Done!
 ```
+**Note:** If you are running on windows, you will need to add '.exe' to './pelican' to be './pelican.exe ...'
 
 You should now notice a file **testfile.txt** now in your directory.