Re: SPARC Ultra Creator 30 release install hassles - v30 r5
On Tue, Jul 18, 2006 at 01:33:52PM +1000, Phil Grimshaw wrote:
> The problem I have is (seems) specific to the SPARC v30 r5 port.
>
> The long & the short of it - does not matter what I do, I cannot install
> the complete Debian release from the v30r5 CD's I have built.
>
> Does anyone know for a fact that this release (the full install, not
> just the base) has been test installed on an UltraSPARC Creator 30?
>
> Clearly I am missing something core to the SPARC-specific port. As I
> said - CD's all are ok from a read point of view. As you would expect,
> the apt-cdrom add command permits me to feed all 6 CD's & all is OK
> reading/indexing the CD's.
>
> The install I am talking about is a CD-based install beyond the initial
> boot and base system - ie the complete 'all bells & whistles' install.
>
There is something like 20,000 packages that make up Debian, and many
are exclusive, i.e. sendmail, postfix, exim{3,4}, etc. So there
certainly isn't an "everything" install. Even installing all the
packages that don't conflict with other packages would be a huge amount
of stuff you would never use. 'tasksel' will get you started, as will
looking through the virtual packages in 'aptitude', but in the end the
only way to know what you want is to find it.
'apt-cache search' will help you evaluate your choices, and 'apt-cache
show' will let you read the descriptions (if you're not already using
aptitude). Or, if you want to *try* to install everything, fire up
aptitude, highlight the 'Not Installed Packages' heading, hit '+', and
then either use the resolver, or 'b', to satisfy as many dependancies
as possible. Debian has one of the best sets of package management
tools around, and if you're just looking around for something, either
aptitude or synaptic is your friend.
One last point, you suggest that this seems to be a sparc-specific
issue. I'd be interested to know if/how you managed a large install on a
different arch. Another option, if you have a install you're happy with
(regardless of arch, pretty much), is to do a
dpkg --get-selections >dpkg.selections
on the fully installed machine, copy the file, and run
dpkg --set-selections <dpkg.selections
on the new machine. Then fire up aptitude and tweak it. This is how I
usually install new systems.
HTH
Jacob
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