--- Begin Message ---
- To: submit@bugs.debian.org
- Subject: Debian Installer RC1 - Fails to configure network
- From: Michael Satterwhite <michael@weblore.com>
- Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2004 17:59:51 -0500
- Message-id: <200409191800.02895.michael@weblore.com>
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Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version: Debian NetInstall (same problem w/BusinessCard)
Downloaded 9/19/2004
uname -a: <The result of running uname -a on a shell prompt> Didn't get that
far
Date: 9/19/2004 15:00
Method: <Booted from CDRom. Attempted install with both NetInstall image and
BusinessCard image
Machine: <Dell Dimension XPS B1000.
Processor: Pentium III
Memory: 256M
Root Device: IDE,
Root Size/partition table: Didn't get that far
Output of lspci and lspci -n:
Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it
Initial boot worked: [O]
Configure network HW: [E]
Config network: [E]
Detect CD: [ ]
Load installer modules: [ ]
Detect hard drives: [ ]
Partition hard drives: [ ]
Create file systems: [ ]
Mount partitions: [ ]
Install base system: [ ]
Install boot loader: [ ]
Reboot: [ ]
Comments/Problems:
The system has a 3Com 3C905C-TX network card, which is well supported by
Linux. Apparently it isn't detected or the driver module is not part of the
Debian installer. I looked at the Debian Installer Manual to find a way to
manually configure the card as part of the install process, but didn't see an
entry for this. It may be there - but it isn't obvious from the contents. As
I did not want to reach a point that I had an unusable system with no way to
continue, I aborted the install at that point.
This highlights what is (I believe) a serious flaw in the installation
process. You do *NOT* want someone to repartition their system if it is
already known that they cannot complete the installation process. It is not a
serious flaw if you don't detect the hardware (other distributions detect
this card, but that's still not a serious flaw in the Installer). It *IS* a
serious flaw if you don't let the user know about this before he destroys
what is probably a currently working system. If you don't detect any network
devices on the system, you should tell us that before asking us to
repartition the system. Ideally, you should allow us to tell you what network
card we have and even provide a driver if you don't have it available. At the
very least, we should be told *HOW* to handle this later in the process. As
it is, after we reach the point that we know you can't configure the
hardware, you ask us to repartition our hard drives. A user would have to
have the IQ of an avocado to continue on faith that at some point we're going
to fix this. You very well may have a downstream way to fix it - for the most
part your installer is EXCELLENT, so I'm betting you *DO* have a way to fix
it - but looking at the documentation you give us no reason to believe you
do.
The new installer is very good. I'm very impressed with it's handling of most
hardware - even wireless NICs. The developers are definitely to be
congratulated. It's not quite ready yet, though. Right now, it is possible to
spend a lot of time, destroy a working system, and end up with a computer
that is unusable even though it *WAS* usable before we started installation.
Even a simple "We didn't detect any network hardware. Is a network card
installed?" could solve this. If you can help us install it, great! If not,
allow us to gracefully abort the installation before partitioning. Also, the
documentation should clearly let us know how to recover from this so that we
can run apt when the time comes.
You're developing a good system. It's almost there.
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
We are closing this installation report for one of the following
reasons:
- it was reported with a pre-lenny version of Debian
Installer.
- indications in the installation report give the feeling that
the reported problem waslying in another software, unrelated to
D-I, which we can't easily identify.
- indications in the installation report suggest that it may have been
fixed in a more recent version of a D-I component
- it was successful and we forgot closing it..:-)
- it has no information we consider useful
The D-I team is currently in the process of cleaning out the old spool
of installation reports that haven't bene processed yet.
In case you think that the problem you reported has chances to be
still present, please reiterate your installation test with
a more recent image of D-I, if you're in position of doing this.
You'll find daily builds at
http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer. We recommend you choose
the netboot image, in the "daily builds section", then choose to
install "squeeze" when prompted.
If some problems are found, please report them with a new bug sent
against installation-reports.
Many thanks for your understanding and your help improving Debian,
past and present.
--- End Message ---