Bug#90204: installation process unclear when network card not found
Package: boot-floppies
Version: 2.2.17
Using the vanilla installation, it didn't have my network card (3c905), so
it didn't offer the network setup options on installation. Since the system
is already running Red Hat, I compiled a fresh 2.2.19pre kernel and set a
Debian lilo option. Booting into Debian with it I looked around with the
question "Okay, what's the efficient Debian way to set up the network
options?" If there's a clue I can't find it. (On Red Hat this is the one
thing I usually use linuxconf for - after carefully disabling all its other
buggy functions - glad to see that shoddy utility's not in your base
install.)
There should also be an obvious way to go back to a bypassed network setup
once a proper kernel or module is in place. This should be mentioned in the
installation manual, or at the least the manual should reference whatever
the most convenient included utilities are that can be used in place of
various stages of the 'straightforward' process when things go deviant.
Why not have an option to go ahead and set up the networking options on the
first pass _even if the network card isn't recognized yet_? Does the user
really need to be protected from the possibility of doing this? Software
that tries to out think the user by removing options is often too clever by
half. The useful thing would be "If you have a NIC, I can't see it yet.
Would you like to make the network settings anyway?"
What I'm primarily asking for is an installation process and instructions
that make allowance for users who will compile their own kernels. Maybe
another of your kernels has 3c905 support - if I wanted to back out and
repeat everything I've done so far to get back on track that way, which I
don't - but there will always be hardware that no distro kernel will be
right for, and just 'cause someone wants to do the kernel 'the hard way'
shouldn't obligate them to forego modern conveniences in other stages of the
process.
I've found "dpkg-reconfigure base-config", which looks like it will complete
at least part of the installation once I have the network settings in place.
It should be simple to just copy them across from the Red Hat installation
...
\/\/ I-I I T
Blauvelt
whit@transpect.com
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