Bug#254411: (no subject)
Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version: 11 Jun 2004, http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimage-testing/sarge_d-i/i386/tc1/sarge-i386-netinst.iso
uname -a: Linux hakone 2.4.26-1-386 #2 Sat May 1 16:31:24 EST 2004 i686 GNU/Linux
Date: 11 Jun 2004
Method: CD with Debian-base on it, then network
Machine: 2 Fairly standard PCs
Processor: P4
Memory: 2GB/4GB
Root Device: IDE
Root Size/partition table: No problems with this
Output of lspci:
pcilib: Cannot open /sys/bus/pci/devices
0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82875P Memory Controller Hub (rev 02)
0000:00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82875P Processor to AGP Controller (rev 02)
0000:00:03.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82875P Processor to PCI to CSA Bridge (rev02)
0000:00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI #1 (rev 02)
0000:00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI #2 (rev 02)
0000:00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI #3 (rev 02)
0000:00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI #4 (rev 02)
0000:00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
0000:00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB/EB/ER Hub interface to PCI Bridge (rev c2)
0000:00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) LPC Bridge (rev 02)0000:00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) Ultra ATA 100 Storage Controller (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) Ultra ATA 100 Storage Controller (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) SMBus Controller (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 02)
0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV280 [Radeon 9200] (rev 01)
0000:01:00.1 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV280 [Radeon 9200] (Secondary) (rev 01)
0000:02:01.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82547EI Gigabit Ethernet Controller (LOM)
0000:03:0a.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB23 IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)
[ The other machine is similar ]
Base System Installation Checklist:
Initial boot worked: [O]
Configure network HW: [O]
Config network: [O]
Detect CD: [O]
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:
A reasonably technically competent user, but one who is not particularly
familiar with installing Linux, was doing the install, with me
(experienced at installing/using Debian) babysitting. Some random
observations:
At one point the installer mentioned PCMCIA (I think in the context of
removing PCMCIA support, but I forget). At no point did it mention that
you are unlikely to need it if you don't have a laptop (or that you are
very likely to if you do) - I think this could have saved the blank look I
got from the user at this point!
Something (probably the LVM error below) told him to look at the third
console for an error message. It didn't mention that the way to do this is
to press Alt-F3.
If you type disallowed characters in a logical volume name when
configuring LVM, the installer doesn't notice and you get an unhelpful
error message when it tries to run lvcreate. I think the dodgy character
was '/'.
When entering passwords to set up accounts, you don't get *s as you type.
This is actually fairly standard for Linux, of course, but users tend to
find it disorienting especially when there's an obvious "box" they are
typing into.
In general, dialog box navigation could be explained better. In particular
the user kept having to be prompted to use TAB to move between elements;
quite possibly this is in some help somewhere or there is a better way,
I'm just describing the problems this user had.
Hope this is of some help.
Cheers,
Ganesh
Reply to: