Re: Problems with Install of Woody from CD (and Network)
Hal Vaughan, 2002-Dec-24 23:06 -0500:
> 1) Not once was I able to do a complete install. Even when I was ONLY
> installing the base system, I always got messages that not all packages
> could be installed. Even if I went back and re-selected packages, I still
> had this problem. This happened when I installed from the CDs, or when I
> started with floppies and tried a network install.
This isn't that uncommon. There are various reasons why a selected
package couldn't be installed. The specific error messages will tell
what the problem is. Usually, doing a 'apt-get -f install' will clear
things up but not always. The error messages will determine the
course of action to take.
> 2) When I used the CDs, if the install asked for Disc 1 and I accidently put
> in Disc 2 and received the error message (or the insert disk message
> again), and put in the correct Disc, the install program continued asking
> for the right disc in an endless loop -- in other words, if, after asking
> once for a disc, it didn't find the right disc, it was unable to find it
> anytime afterward (is it possible an error flag was set in the loop and not
> cleared when the install program checked again?).
I haven't seen this one. However, I would try to break out of the
process (cntrl-c) and restart it. You wouldn't have to reload the
packages that were already retrieved either.
> 3) When I installed using the rescue and root floppies, it still required
> the 1st CD (the website implies if you start with floppies the entire
> install is network based -- if this is wrong, it needs to be clarified).
> Is it possible to install w/ the floppies and NO CD and do a complete
> network install? If so, why did install refuse to go on until I provided
> the first CD?
It is absolutely possible to do a complete network install starting
with the floppies. However, if you don't get the network successfully
configured using the floppies, the installer will resort to the CD's
as sources.
> 4) I am using an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon. If I select ATI as the video
> card, do I still need to download the drivers from GATOS, or is that what
> Debian is using?
XFree86 4.1.0-16 (stable release of Debian) does support the Radeon
series chipset. However, there could be limited support for
it...i.e. some of the advanced features may not be supported. You
should check the Xfree86 website for details and you may need to
install the XFree packages from testing or unstable...or the drivers
provided at GATOS. You'll need to do some research since I don't know
off the top of my head.
> 5) Not once could I get the X server up and running -- it always said there
> was a problem with a port not being available -- and this is immediately
> after the install completed.
The xfree86 package installation does provide a means to build it's
config file, but you need to know the technical details of the card.
However, if you install read-edid, discover and mdetect, and then run
'XFree86 -configure', this will detect the card and other resources
and create a file which should work. The mouse detection doesn't
alway hit the mark, so you may need to edit the XF86config file that
was created.
> 6) After installing Knoppix instead, there was no indication it recognized
> my firewire card or my USB mass storage device (a ramdisk). (I never got
> that far w/ the regular install.) What needs to be done to get Debian (or
> Knoppix/Debian) to see these devices and use them?
I don't know about installing Knoppix. As for debian, the USB modules
are included in the 2.4 kernel version. If you install by booting
from CD #5, it will install the 2.4.18 kernel, as opposed to the 2.2.?
kernel used when booting from CD #1. Then, 'modprobe usb-storage'
should load everything you need.
> 7) I added Demudi as a debs source. According to the documention, Demudi
> includes Cinelerra as a package. I think (but don't remember for sure)
> that one time I was able to install Cinelerra, but all the other times,
> even after I hand edited the debs file (and did apt-get update) to include
> Demudi as a source, whenever I did apt-get cinelerra, I got a "not
> available" error message. How do I fix this?
Make sure you do 'apt-get update' first. This will retrieve the
package list from all you sources. Then you can apt-get it. This is
a fundamental part of the package management system that is apt. You
should spend some serious time reading up on it before diving in too deep.
> 8) Is it possible, under Debian, to capture incoming video on an ATI
> All-In-Wonder Radeon card, can I play back video through the video out port
> on this card, and is it possible to capture and playback video through a
> firewire card w/ Debian?
Yes it is possible. As long as you have the right package, the right
device files and the right permissions, you should be golden. There
are some howtos out there that go over setting it up.
> Is there anyone else out there using Debian on a video workstation? I'd be
> interested in hearing how it was set up and what needs to be done.
I haven't started this project yet, but it's on my list. I know all
the pieces are there because I've seen discussions on them on
debian-user and other distribution lists. I have not yet seen a
complete howto doc on it yet, but then I haven't looked either.
> I've been hearing from so many people how great Debian is, and it turns out
> most of them have not installed it in a year or two, since they've just
> kept updating it. I am not a newbie, but I am not a professional
> programmer or sys admin. I feel I need to say the Debian install is very
> frustrating for someone (like me) who wants to set up a system that "just
> works" so they can use the computer and software as a productivity tool,
> instead of spending time making tools to write programs to do other Linux
> stuff. I don't care about a GUI, or point and click, but it would be nice
> if I could get the system to just install.
The debian installer is not designed with the masses in mind. It
doesn't figure everything out for you, as you found out. It is
designed with many different architectures in mind, and with
flexibility in mind. So, you need to really understand your system,
your purpose for the system, and the requirements your applications
pose on the system. As you've heard for yourself, once the system is
installed you'll never have to install it again (if it was design
properly from the start). The package management system is only one
piece that makes debian so wonderful.
>
> Thanks for any help or suggestions.
>
> (Yes, I've been reading docs and FAQs on the site.)
That's great! Read the installation pages and the doc's on APT to
understand it.
Just to let you know, the first time I went to install Debian, it took
seven attempts to get it totally right and where I wanted it. Every
install since then has been flawless, barring a few hardware support
issues.
My number one suggestion is to be patient. This is not Redhat or
Mandrake and there's a reason you are giving Debian a try. You need
to put some real thought into the system design because there are so
many different ways to install a system (unlike what the other
distributions as well and the folks in Redmond would have you think)
and the installer can do any variation.
I don't know that I answered your questions the way you'd liked. If
you post error messages we can tackle those problems specifically.
jc
--
Jeff Coppock Systems Engineer
Diggin' Debian Admin and User
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