Bug#238335: Package: installation-reports
Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version: 2004.03.16 local mirror (beta3)
uname -a: Linux bus 2.4.25-1-386 #1 Tue Feb 24 08:11:13 EST 2004 i686
GNU/Linux
Date: 2004.03.16
Method: images on hard disk partition; grub on a floppy. Then network
from my local mirror, which mirrors ftp.at.debian.org. No proxy.
Machine: PC system with 10 harddisks
Processor: Duron stepping 1, 1200MHz, 64 KB cache
Memory: 256 MB
Root Device: IDE hda3
Root Size/partition table:
Device Boot Start End #cyls #blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 0+ 5 6- 48163+ 83 Linux ext2 /boot
/dev/hda2 6 127 122 979965 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda3 * 128 1372 1245 10000462+ 83 Linux reiserfs /
/dev/hda4 1373 15016 13644 109595430 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 1373+ 2567 1195- 9598806 83 Linux reiserfs
/dev/hda6 2568+ 15016 12449- 99996561 83 Linux reiserfs
Output of lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8377 [KT400 AGP] Host Bridge
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8235 PCI Bridge
00:09.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4401 100Base-T (rev 01)
00:0c.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
00:0d.0 RAID bus controller: CMD Technology Inc PCI0649 (rev 02)
00:0e.0 RAID bus controller: CMD Technology Inc PCI0649 (rev 02)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8235 ISA Bridge
00:11.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc.
VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT8233/A/C/VT8235 PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV5M64 [RIVA TNT2
Model 64/Model 64 Pro] (rev 15)
Base System Installation Checklist:
Initial boot worked: [e]
Configure network HW: [o]
Config network: [ ]
Detect CD: [ ]
Load installer modules: [o]
Detect hard drives: [o]
Partition hard drives: [o]
Create file systems: [o]
Mount partitions: [o]
Install base system: [o]
Install boot loader: [o]
Reboot: [o]
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it
Comments/Problems:
I'm not familiar with grub. Why don't you mention the possibility to
install grub on a floppy in the doc/INSTALLATION-HOWTO ? I stumbled over
the possibility and thankfully tried it. I would have been in deep shit
otherwise, as I had to boot the old system once again ...
grub: some directions on how to identify partitions would be nice. The
example you give (hd0,0) prevents the partition /dev/hda1 to be changed
/ formatted etc, as you state in doc/INSTALLATION-HOWTO. So, I put
vmlinuz on another partition. *But how to identify it?* A short table
would do: "/dev/hdb2 ----> (hd1,1)"
Why didn't I have a chance to configure a static IP address? DHCP is
nice in many cases, but not in all. After reboot, only one of the two
NICs was setup, and alas, it was the wrong one. So, I had to manually
set up eth1 (which *I* know how to do, but not everyone does).
Partitioning:
I was installing onto a system that had been in use. Many of the
partitions were carrying data I didn't want to loose. I did not have the
chance to backup the data, because the system was f**ked up. The
partitioning part made me really, really nervous. I wish partitioning
were separated from formatting partitions. I wish you had asked: "Do you
want me to do things with your hard drives, or will you do everything by
hand?". I was scared to go into "partitioning" when all I wanted was to
format /dev/hda3 and /dev/hda1.
BUT NOTHING EVIL HAPPENED. So either your work is better than it looks,
or I was lucky. In any case, the user interface is not exactly
intuitive. In contrast, I felt at home at once with the old woody installer.
Bootloader installation:
Somewhere in the process I saw that you provide for the possibility to
install lilo instead of grub. But when reboot approached, the lilo
option was nowhere to be seen. Users ought to be presented a choice.
Another place where I flunked was choosing the install .iso image that
should go onto the hard drive together with vmlinuz and inird.gz. Of
course, I mistook
sarge/main/installer-i386/20040315/images/hd-media/boot.img.gz to be a
compressed install .iso and wondered why the installer didn't do
anything with it. After I realized, I got the businesscard.iso and
everything worked like a charm.
CONCLUSIO
(a) Being able to use the hd-media method saved me a lot of hassle and
time. Thanks for providing it!
(b) the setup procedure is a bit cloudy. It tries to make decisions for
you but then requires your manual intervention when it gets stuck. I'd
rather make my own decisions, others would rather have setup make the
decisions, but then it ought to work, also in cases when you have more
than one NIC and the first isn't connected.
(c) the system is up and running, so I guess the installation system
can't be all bad ;-)
Regards, Erwin
--
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Erwin Rennert, IT Services
Center for Social Innovation
A-1150 Wien, Linke Wienzeile 246
Austria, Europe
Phone: ++43-1-495 04 42 - 61
Facsimile: ++43-1-495 04 42 - 40
http://www.zsi.at/
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