Re: tlug: 3Com 589 PC Card

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "Frank" == Frank Bennett <bennett@example.com> writes:

    Frank> On Tue, Feb 09, 1999 at 04:02:01PM +0900, Stephen
    Frank> J. Turnbull wrote:

    >> You may also be able to insmod 3c589_cs.o by hand, but I doubt
    >> the TL installer can grok that it's OK to continue from there.
    >> An error is an error, and TL customers are presumed not to be
    >> able to handle them.

    Frank> This ain't a problem with TL; the card manager docs
    Frank> themselves tell you never to do this, and always to load
    Frank> modules through config.  Just for the record.

I beg to differ, specifically and generally.  Specifically, I've done
this several times, for one reason or another.  Usually a newly broken
TL beta.  This is Linux; the user is always right.  If he, she, or it
wants to risk the acrid smell of boiling solder, it's their lookout.

Generally, installers should not assume that they know everything;
they should provide hooks for the user to adapt the install process to
their custom setup.  This includes graceful recovery from error.  What
I like about Debian is that its "user hook" is "Debian GNU/Linux."

>>>>> "jb" == Jonathan Byrne <jq@example.com> writes:

    jb> On Tue, 9 Feb 1999, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:

    >> No?  OK.  Hit random combinations of shift keys and function
    >> keys until the installer drops you into a shell.  See if you've
    >> got an

    jb> The troubles is that this happens fairly early in the install
    jb> process and I can't get a shell (unless I have some busted
    jb> function keys, but I don't think so) yet.  If I remember
    jb> correctly from my last install, it won't give a shell until
    jb> you get to the second stage installer.

I think you're right, and you're probably hosed.  If you were really
ambitious, you could mount the various floppies on another machine and
loopback mount the initrds (probably have to gunzip them first) and
then deal with the /etc/pcmcia/config that you'll surely find in
there.

If this sounds like a massive PITB, it is.  That's why I was
hand-loading PCMCIA modules.

    >> (Hmm.  Wonder what would happen if you call "signal
    >> (SIG_INSTALL_ERROR, (sig_handler_t) &user)".  giggle.)

    jb> What will that do?

Nothing.  SIG_INSTALL_ERROR is a bogus signal, and &user is where
_you_ sit.  ;-)  This was a rather opaque way (mostly aimed at JWT and
WileyC)of saying "the user says he wants to handle the error
condition."

    >> This is why I dislike TL/RedHat-style "who needs a boot floppy
    >> anyway" installs.

    jb> I am doing this from a boot floppy . . .  ?

In the technical sense, yes, but you don't have a functioning system
until you connect to an archive and install.  I misspoke, I meant a
boot/root floppy aka rescue disk.

-- 
University of Tsukuba                Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences       Tel/fax: +81 (298) 53-5091
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
What are those two straight lines for?  "Free software rules."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Next Technical Meeting: February 13 (Sat), 12:30 place: Temple Univ.
** presentation: XEmacs, by Steven Baur and Martin Buchholz
Next Nomikai: March 19 (Fri), 19:30   Tengu TokyoEkiMae 03-3275-3691
-------------------------------------------------------------------
more info: http://tlug.linux.or.jp                     Sponsor: PHT