Re: Testing the new boot floppies
On Thu, 23 Mar 2000, Joey Hess wrote:
> [ Let's get some terminology straight... The "install procedure" is
> dbootstrap, the configuration after install is base-config, and the
> "simple install" is tasksel. ]
>
> Dale Scheetz wrote:
> > First there is no way to setup PPP within the install procedure. Upon
> > rebooting after the Base System has been installed, I must move to another
> > VC and run pppconfig on my own, start the connection, and then I can use
> > the ftp method.
>
> It seems we must have a cascade of problems.
>
> Base-config only runs pppconfig if PPP is set in /root/dbootstrap_settings --
> dbootstrap is supposed to set that if you do something (dunno what) during the
> initial install. Does dbootstrap do this correctly? I don't know. If you
> can supply a /root/dbootstrap_settings file, we can find out.
The PPP option is never set in /root/dbootstrap_settings (I've looked a
couple of times at your previous directions)
I don't know what the "something" is that dbootstrap wants either. If you
don't install the Ethernet driver for your card, the network configuration
complains. In the previous release, after declaring a host name, you were
asked if you were on a network, and told to answer no if you were going to
use the PPP connection method. This question is never asked. PPP is never
mentioned in any of the install screens that I have seen, so I don't know
where, or what you would click to make this flag be set.
>
> If that is set properly, base-config will prompt you to tall if you want to
> install via ppp. However, I notice this prompt has a default of no, and it
> is only asked at a medium priority. If you ran dbootstrap in quiet mode,
> this would cause it to default to no w/o you seeing the question. I've
> increased the priority of the question now.
>
It sounds like you can set it up to ask about ppp dispite the lack of a
flag in /root/dbootstrap_settings? If you could do this, I would be
satisfied ;-)
> I have confirmed that base-config also has a bug -- it should set up ppp
> after asking the question and before configuring apt, but does not. I have
> now corrected this bug, and verified that pppconfig is run if PPP is set in
> dbootstrap_settings. (This fixs is in base-config 0.24, in Incoming.)
>
> > There is a bug report on this issue, so I hope it is being fixed.
>
> Against what? I can't find it.
59256 was pointed out to me by someone...
>
> > The PPP configuration sets up the dialout to leave the speaker connected
> > once the connection is established, leaving you with a machine that makes
> > a very agrivating noise.
>
> Sounds like a pppconfig bug.
>
Well, it certainly wasn't the correct assumption for my modem, but this
may work just fine for most folks ;-)
You can work around it by editing the chat script, putting in the proper
init strings. There is an offer to edit the init strings, but it only uses
one entry. My current working chat scripts have two init statements
delivered by separate lines. It is easy to edit the chat script provided
to "do the right thing".
> > this in the future. When I got into the actual download I was told that
> > the time to completion was somehwere in excess of 14 hours! As I have
> > never held a connection for that long, I am left with a serious question:
> > How does apt deal with a dropped line in the middle of the download? How
> > do I restart things once the connection has been re-established?
>
> If you lose connection, apt will presumably die with an error. You will
> then be told there was a problem with the install, and prompted to retry,
> which will re-run apt and continue the download.
>
Well, my experience was a bit different. The first time, when I dropped
the ppp connection the download process simply hung, all counters stopped.
I suppose if I had been patient I might have experienced some kind of
timeout, but I wasn't and I didn't.
When I went back the next day and ran it again, it only estimated 4 hours,
and only took about 6. When it was done, gpm and man-db had failed to
download and I was asked if I wanted to retry. This failed with the same
"file not found" errors as before, however, when I finally ran the process
from scratch (restarting base-config) it was able to retrieve and install
these two packages.
On the first failure however, when I answered "No" nothing else happened.
The messages I recieved suggested that gpm and man-db were the only
packages not installed, but dpkg quickly informed me that none of the
intended packages hd been installed. I tried apt-get install * but was
told that the first file in the archives was not found (even though it was
truely there). Cd'd to the archives directory and ran dpkg -i ./*.deb and
got everything to install that was in the archives with three minor
esceptions. Two tetex packages had not even been unpacked, and another
package (don't remember) had to be configured.
When I returned to this process again, the packages selected were
downloaded (gpm and man-db) and installed. It seems if there are any
download problems the install stops without trying to install the packages
that _were_ downloaded. This is less than helpful.
I have successfully used 'apt-get install mc' from the command line with
similar success, however, one not-so-small problem remains.
On the task selection screen I selected all the gnome tasks and all the
xfree86 tasks and the only package I get installed is xfree_common, seems
that these tasks don't work!
> I don't know if pppconfig defaults to running ppp with persist on. If it
> does, ppp should automatically redial. If not, you're rather screwed at
> that point.
>
I don't have any problem going to another VC and cranking up the ppp
connection again.
> > The "simple" install is actually pretty nice, although I believe I will
> > use the advanced method in the future. It would be nice if the simple
> > install included a single "standard" choice, as I am used to having a
> > standard system to start with, and then adding on what I need.
>
> Tasksel automatically selects all required and important packages no matter
> what you select. Perhaps this should include all standard priority packages
> as well?
Or add a "Standard" task that includes them.
>
> The policy manual says that all standard packages should be installed by
> default "if the user doesn't select anything else". Randolph and I have
> talked about this before, inconclusively. I don't know if it makes sense to
> only install standard if you select no tasks in tasksel, or what.
Well, there are several things that I believe should be optional in the
"standard" packages. tetex, emacs, and another package I can't remember
right now should be components of other tasks (like document production)
and not installed by default. Personally I use LaTeX quite a lot in my
work, so I like having the tetex packages installed. On the other hand,
I've never used Emacs for anything but writing a tutorial on the product.
I know that others have different expectations ;-)
>
> > What are the chances of having a working ppp configuration by release
> > time?
>
> I dunno, it's going to take testing, that's for sure.
>
I am at your service. Let me know when the next set of floppies is ready
for testing.
Waiting is,
Dwarf
--
_-_-_-_-_- Author of "The Debian Linux User's Guide" _-_-_-_-_-_-
aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (850) 656-9769
Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road
e-mail: dwarf@polaris.net Tallahassee, FL 32308
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