Bug#360430: Bugs............what else?

[Zoro <bobt@ispwest.com>]

Hello Frans,
    Thank you for the sudden response!  I must apologize for the ambiguities that I have created with this writing. Apparently I have been away from tech. writing for to long.  Then I was primarily writing (manuals) to support my own designs that I was quite knowlegable on, not yet the case for Linux.
    If this "bug report" attempt is inappropriate to persue with you, please so indicate and I will persue the issue via the forum route.
   

Frans Pop wrote:

On Sunday 02 April 2006 11:29, Zoro wrote:
  

Comments/Problems:
    I must admit that I am a NuB in the Nux world (3 months); however I
finished my first computer design/build 53 years ago and have been at
it ever since.  This is now the stick I shove in my ear to stir with to
prevent cereberal ossification.
    

Nice challenge then, starting with Linux :-)
	I am quite certain that Linux will not become booring and that I will "get my teeth into it".  :))
  

    In each attempted install (total of 5 I think) using and not using
"linux26"  on both target machines resulted in a blue window displaying
    

This sounds like you have been using the Sarge version of the installer 
which has very limited SATA support. This would explain your problems 
with your 2nd machine.
You're probably much better of trying the Etch Beta 2 version of the 
installer, available from [1]. Hopefully that will solve your drive 
detection problems.

	Yes I am using Sarge.  I can't believe I left this out, I'm using 3.1 r1 "Sarge" supplied by a Disk burning outfit "FrozenTech" in the U.S..  The SATA drives and controllers are used exclusively by W98 (BillyBugs) and in no way involved, nor can they be with Linux. Sata for Linux is for my next box build, therefore off in the future (I still have two more boxes to attack before then and a sum of money to acquire).

the appropriate partitions to craeate the mdx with but refused to allow
me to "mark" the chosen ones with anything but a felt tipped marker. 
    

mdx? Do you mean you want to select them for RAID?
I suggest you read the relevant sections of the Installation Guide [2] if 
you've not yet done so.
  

	Yes! This is for box #1(Box #2 has 2 drives and will use raid0).  This refers to a set of 4 (2)IDE drives, all on primary controllers exclusively intended to contain Linux md0 thru mdx, approx, 5GB (7.5GB) partitions one per dtive per Linux distro  created by the concerned distro as raid partitions which are intended to produce 1 raid5 (raid0) with an effective 15GB mdx to mount as "/" for the distro that created and uses them. 
  

On target #1 the installer failed to show any partitions on the fourth
drive for the raid5 set and still refused to let me make a three drive
set.on the others. (I brought up FC4 and with parted verified the
partitions).
    

Note that the installer does not show existing RAID configuration by 
default. I think you get them to be shown by choosing the RAID option at 
the top of the main partitioning menu (after choosing manual 
partitioning) and then returning to the main menu, but the RAID support 
in the installer is mostly geared towards setting up RAID from scratch.

  

       I must disagree on this.  The installer does show the "partitions"  on the drives, just not the "raid configuration" for them.  These partitions must be shown to allow for the addition of the next partition on each drive (to be created by the current install in progress).  On box #1 the installer properly shows the partitions on 3 of the 4 drives and shows the 4th drive as empty, which is not the case.  Further, if I proceed to the "create raid"  process it will not let me "mark" the 3 new partitions even to create a three partition raid.  (THIS IS THE CRUX OF WHAT WAS PERCEIVED BY ME AS A "BUG".)  The "all caps" was not intended to be rude, just the best I can do for high lighting,

       On box #2, the existing partitions are shown and I am allowed to create the new ones for the current install but when I proceed to the "create raid" process it will not allow me to "mark" the appropriate partitions therefore I'm stopped in my tracks.

Cheers,
FJP

[1] http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/
[2] http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.i386/ch06s03.html#di-partition

  

       Have read the cited Doc's and still learning.  No mention there of  "Linux26" that I can find.
      If I am successful in downloading the beta installer, how would I use it in conjunction with the two DVDs of sarge? ( I'm on a rather miserable 56K dial up connection)
 
My hearty thanks for your response,
Bob Trestik