Re: Possible convert to Debian
On Mon, Jun 07, 2004 at 10:10:18PM -0500, John Fleming wrote:
> Consider me a newbie, but with enough experience to be dangerous. I started
> learning Linux with RH8.0 about a year ago. I later installed Fedora Core 1
> and have upgraded to FC2, but I'm not happy with the upgrade process (they
> recommend a fresh install of each upgrade, and of course, Fedora has a
> relatively frequent planned upgrade cycle). For my intended uses, I don't
> care about support for the latest whiz-bang USB devices, cameras,
> Centrino/ProWireless etc - I just want easy to install and maintain basic
> server functions with decent security. With my FC2 server (Dell 600SC), I
> have these things going: pop and imap mail, Squirrelmail, Mailman,
> SpamAssassin, Webmin, and Apache with several virtual hosts.
>
Most if not all of these should be easy with debian.
> I've toyed with Debian and Knoppix a bit, but haven't tried to fully
> implement the above services yet and have a few questions.
>
> 1. It sounds like Sid is actually pretty stable, I'm guessing especially
> for the basic mail and webserving things I use. Would you recommend I go
> with Sid, or with testing or stable?
>
Personally, sid for the desktop and stable for most dedicated servers
(if its a combination server/workstation I would also go with sid).
> 2. It seems that installing from the Knoppix CD might be a bit easier for a
Knoppix is easier for the initial startup but may cause some problems
later on due to some settings differences. The new installer is quite
easy to use, and apart from possible hardship with X I would recommend
installing using the new installer (you could take the XF86Config-4
file from knoppix to save you some time).
> newbie? I've never tried something like woody 3.0r2 on new technology -
Installing woody 3.0r2 can be a bit more daunting, especially when
trying to get X to work.
> only on an older limited computer, and I had problems with NIC being
> recognized and others. I have installed Sid using the Knoppix CD on my Dell
> laptop after first partitioning with Partition Magic and have a dual boot
> going with Sid and that other OS. I have done some preliminary
> experimenting using apt-get to install Squirrelmail and Webmin, tinkering
> with the sources list and so forth, so I'm a little familiar with how that
> works.
>
> 3. If I start with the Knoppix CD, I really do end up with the same Debian
> Sid distro as if I started with the unstable CDs themselves?
>
Not exactly like I said before, there are some settings differences and
its a testing/unstable mix with some outside packages.
> 4. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, if I use Sid and keep it
> updated, I should never have to do a complete reinstall of the OS as
> recommended for Fedora upgrades. And if I use the stable version, I can do
> an apt-get dist upgrade and upgrade to the new version(s) as available
> without a complete reinstall, right?
>
That should be right. Up to my laptop which I installed fresh from the
new installer I had a system which was upgraded from debian version 1.3
(bo) up to sid (what version is that now?) over the course of about 6
years, three hard disks (or was it four?) and two computers without
re-installations. Try claiming that with any other system ;-)
> 5. I am interested in software RAID 1 and have 2 identical HDDs. Is there
> an option during the install from Debian CDs (didn't see it in the Knoppix
> HD install) to setup RAID? If not, any recs on the easiest way to get RAID
> 1 going after the initial installation?
>
> Any other comments for this relative newbie that's old (>50) and not a
> sysadmin by trade? Thanks a bunch for your time!
> -John
>
>
>
>
>
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