Re: [tlug] Good binary distribution

[Jake Morrison <jake_morrison@example.com>]

--- Botond Botyanszki <tlug@example.com> wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 19:19:31 -0700 (PDT)
> Jake Morrison <jake_morrison@example.com> wrote:
> 
> > I have found Debian to be a real pain to install due
> > to its excessively long release cycles.
> rant: you just need to install it once.

rant :-)

Yes, but it annoys me that I have to jump through so many
hoops. Debian is nice, but the install process is so 
lame that I am not sure it is worth the trouble. 

Gentoo is easy to install, and very pleasant to run
and keep updated after it is up. But it takes too long to 
install in the beginning due to all the compiles. 

> 
> > A few days ago
> > I tried to install it on a new box but gave up in the
> > end because the 2.2 kernel didn't support any of the four
> > LAN cards I had handy (onboard Intel EEPRO, another recent 
> > Intel EEPRO, EEPRO 1000, tulip clone).
>
> The old kernels we pretty bad with eepro in my experience 
> too. Is there a reason why you don't use 2.4?

Because that's what is on the Debian install disks (3.0r1 CDs). 

> BTW, intel has a driver for it afaik. You could use that and compile
> a new kernel (the latter is obligatory anyway...).
> 
> > But I would like to run Debian if I could find a good way to 
> > install it and get it updated.
> Are you trying to install it from FTP, thus the eepro is stopping
> you?

No, I am installing from a set of CDs. I can get a kernel onto 
the system (e.g. by putting the HD on another box or burning a CD) 
and compile it, then finish the install, but why? And with 2.2
it only supports ext2, so I have to fix the disks later too. 

The first time I tried to install Debian, the machine was using
mirrored disks on an ATA RAID controller which the kernel 
on the install floppies didn't understand. So I could give up
on RAID (and my existing Linux install) or hack the install
floppies.... so I bailed on Debian.

So far I am 2 for 4 on Debian installs. On ancient hardware, it
went pretty well. Guess I just need to be more patient when
I am installing and I will gain enlightenment :-). 

> 
> > Knoppix seems like an interesting 
> > way to get Debian  installed, but I understand that the HD
> > install is too big and messy for a firewall. 
> For a firewall you can install it in less than 400 megs. 
> Why is that big and messy?

From what I understand from some web searches, Knoppix
installs things in strange locations and uses the "knoppix"
user to own files. People were recommending against using
the disk install.

For a firewall, I prefer a minimal base install, with everything
disabled out of the box. OpenBSD, NetBSD, Debian or Gentoo are
quite good from that respect. It sounds like auditing/cleaning
up the Knoppix install would be a pain. But if I could just
boot from the Knoppix CD and run the normal text-based Debian
install, that would be good. Is that possible?

As far as size goes, the real issue is whether the system
can be backed up to a single CD. So 400 MB is not really a
problem. But programs you don't have on the disk can't 
hurt you :-)

> 
> -- 
> B0Ti.
> 

Jake