Re: Draft Installation Chapter
At 04:07 PM 4/21/00, Adam Di Carlo wrote:
"Ross Boylan" <rboylan@mindspring.com> writes:
> I've started revising the install docs, and thought it was a good time
> to put out some of my work in progress. The portion below is a new chapter
> start.
Its really only useful if you post the 'diff -u' or 'cvs diff -u'
output. It doesn't matter if diff output is bigger than the file
itself.
The post was just for comments, and was just a new start. I'll try to
stick with diff -u. In this case it would just show a new start..
> One concern I have is that the presence of multiple kernels may only be
> an issue for i386.
How so?
For i386 there are several kernels which might work for a given
system. I'm not sure if that's true for others. That is, though there are
several subarchitectures for many platforms, for a given machine there is
only right subarch, and one right kernel. So there is only minimal need
for guidance in those cases. Your comments seem to confirm this view.
> If so, appropriate guards should go around some of the following
> discussion. I know other architectures have sub-arch's, but perhaps
> the only issue there is picking the one that matches your hardware?
Yes, the only arch with flavors is i386. The reason to choose a
subarch is if you have a subarch, i.e., I have a powermac rather than
an prep box, or whatever.
> Also, I put in a reference to an item in an enumerated list. I'm not sure
> if that will work.
>
> I've adopted "sources" as the generic term for the varieties of media and
> over-the-wire
> installation methods. This is consistent with with apt.
>
> The draft appears immediately below.
>
> <!-- id for an easier reference for translators: $Id: inst-methods.sgml,v
> 1.23 2000/03/28 15:30:45 dhd Exp $ -->
Not the newest version.
> <chapt id="install-methods">Methods for Installing Debian
> <p>
> You can install Debian from a variety of sources, both local (CD, hard
> disk, floppies) and remote (ftp, NFS, ppp, the web).
I don't know if it's appropriate to say PPP because you can't install
base that way.
What would be best would be an example of a network, not file-system,
module which could be used to install base, but which is not loaded unless
you load it. I know PPP doesn't qualify, and I think IP is already
there. NFS is borderline between network and file system. So I'm open to
suggestions.
The other thing is that, from the users point of view, much of the
installation happens after the base system is installed--namely the
selection, installation, and configuration of packages. And PPP is
relevant there.
Protocol names such as "PPP" and "FTP" should be all caps, generally.
Yes.
> But wait, there's more!
This might alreayd be in there but I don't really like such chatty
nonsense.
It's my doing. It's a spoof of US advertising, so it may not travel well.
> You can actually make different choices for
> different steps in the installation. For example, you may start the
> installation by booting off diskettes, but then feed later steps in
> the install process files from your hard disk.
> <p>
> As the installation progresses you will move from a scrawny, incapable
> system which lives only in RAM to a full-featured &debian
> system installed on the hard disk. One of the key goals of the early
> installation steps is to provide stronger support for hardware (e.g.,
> interface cards) and software (e.g., network protocols and file system
> drivers) so that later steps have a richer choice of installation
> sources than the earlier steps.
Not badly put, but "stronger support" isn't really the right phrase I
don't think.
Agreed.
> <![ %supports-bootable-cd [
> <p>
> The easiest route for most people will be to use a set of Debian
> CD's. If you have such a set, and if your machine supports booting
> directly off the CD, you are set. Simply
> <![ %i386 [
> configure your system to boot off the CD as described in <ref
> id="boot-dev-select">,
> ]]>
Um, each arch should have a switch on a reference to a section
describing how to boot from CD. Isn't this in there now?
Yes. But the issue above is simply whether any special system
configuration is
necessary to boot from CD. The previous chapter (on preparing the
hardware) only
discusses the issue for i386, so I mirrored that in this comment.
> insert your CD, reboot, and proceed to the next chapter. If it turns
> out the standard installation doesn't work for your hardware, you can
> come back here to see about alternate kernels and installation methods
> which may work for you. In particular, note that some CD sets provide
> different kernels on different CD's, so that by booting off some CD
Say "CDs" not "CD's" since the CD isn't contracting or possessing
anything.
A minor point, but CD's seems a more conventional usage to me. Apostrophes
have uses beyond the possessive. Harbrace College Handbook, 10th edition,
pp. 145-146 (Use the apostrophe and s to form certain plurals) indicates
either CD or CD's is appropriate. If one used periods, only C.D.'s would do.
Otherwise, looks pretty good, clear and succinct.
Thanks. Glad to hear it.
Are you working out of CVS? Are you doing commits? Are you expecting
us to commit it?
I'm using anonymous CVS and expecting others to commit. I am reluctant to
commit
myself, since I'm not sure if what I'm saying is right. Also, I don't have
the necessary
authorization.
My plan is to work over the docs and then emit a cvs diff -u with one
message per chapter. If I have a reasonable chunk, as above, I may post it
earllier for comments and for the info of anyone else working on the
docs--but not for commit.
I anticipate most of the changes will be in chapter 5 (Installation
Methods) with a few changes to 4 and 6.
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