Where do I put it???

[WJWheels]

I've decided to jump into Linux and am downloading the Mandrake 8.0 .iso files as I type. My question is the best place to install it. I'm putting it in a box that presently has 2-20.5 gig drives striped raid 0. Will the install proggie let me specify a set amount (say 5gb) of this space (part of the 40+gig) for Linux? -or- would I be MUCH better off adding another hdd exclusively for the Linux install?

-- the "other" os is winMe

[lil Jimmie]

WJWheels, you should be able to set it up how ever you choose during the install it let you choose the manner in which you want to install. As far as what it best for a raid system I don't have a clue. But will run fine on a five gig partition.

[WJWheels]

Thanks for the reply LJ.. I'll go for it then and no doubt have lots of questions here.

[reboot]

The following will work, if you have already partitioned your HD.
In the MDK8 install procedure, choose Expert mode.
The defaults will do, until you get to the partition/format screen.
There, select which HD, and which partition you want linux on, click to highlight the partition, REMOVE it, then hit the Auto button. The installer will repartition within the partition you selected, to a root, home, and swap partitions, leaving the remainder of the drive untouched.
This means you can install Linux anywhere, on any partition, on any drive, without losing any Windows info, EXCEPT...any windows partitions after the Linux one(s), will jump UP one drive letter.
eg. If you install linux to the second partition of the secondary master hd, (formerly drive E: ) hdc1, that partition will become invisible to Windows, and if you HAD an F: and G: they will become E: and F:
The following will happen if you HAVE NOT already partitioned a drive.
Choose Expert mode, defaults until you get to the partitioning section.
Choose the HD you want to install Linux on, REMOVE any partition, and hit the Auto button. This will COMPLETELY remove any FAT or FAT32 info on that drive!
Resize as you see fit.
You must now select the REMAINDER of the drive to partition, and you can select what filesystem you want to use, linux, fat, fat32...(the joys of linux, read/write to (almost) any type of filesystem!)
Random advice: Partition the drive BEFORE running the install, and set aside your 5 gig for linux (no need to format it). Partition magic is your friend.
Ideally, your second drive is empty, partitioned into 2, 3, or 4 partitions, and you install linux to the first partition, leaving the rest as fat32 (you can change later, if you want a second partition for Linux).

[WJWheels]

OK.. I'm going to put Linux on the 2nd (D partition of the array. It's 7 gigabytes of nekkid space. I think with the instructions above - Thanks Jim - I can get it there. I'm going to give it the whole 7gig. Are there any changes to what you've already posted?

At this point, I'm a little worried about printing. I have an old HP 5P laser printer and a 952C Deskjet on an HP DirectJet print server. I hope I can get this to work with Linux.

btw: the download (both disk .iso's at the same time) went as smooth as I could expect... about 6 hours using the program "Download Mage", which I switched to from Gozilla about a month ago. I love it.

[reboot]

To avoid having to burn any CD's (install from HD) go back to the FTP site, and into the /dosutils folder, and get rawritewin.exe and go to the /images folder, and get hd.img
Use rawritewin.exe (in windows) to create the bootdisk, using the hd.img file.
Boot to the startup disk you just made, and you'll have to select the drive and partition you have the .iso's in
Remember that Primary master is HDA, primary slave is HDB and so on.
OK, when you get to the formatting screen, just select the D: partition (in this case it will be called HDA1, HDA0 being your windows boot partition, you'll see it on the screen). REMOVE the partition by clicking on it, and select remove, then click on the (now removed, white) partition, and then AUTO.
Resize as needed before proceeding. It's all done in the install GUI.
Leave the swap at whatever it sizes to automatically, usually around 200k.
Your printer(s) will work. There's TONS of support for all kinds of HP's.
Just make sure you install in EXPERT mode, and when you get to the "choose packages" screen, go through each and EVERY package (there's short descriptions for all of them).
I'd suggest installing KDE, Gnome, and Blackbox (at least), and make sure you install the "sawfish theme manager". This gives you OVER 100 different themes for Gnome (which I prefer), and look for the corresponding (KDE themes, Blackbox themes) as well. It's just no fun with the default (boring) screen (kinda like the old Win95 faded green, yecch).
KDE is most like Win95/98 (single click desktop icons) but Gnome gives you more stuff (IMHO).
You'll probably do at least 3 complete format/reinstalls, before you get all the packages you want, and eliminate the ones you don't (streamline it), but the end result is YOURS, completely user configured.
If you're on the @home service (or any DHCP internet service) DO NOT choose the default (LAN) in the internet section, choose "cable", DHCP, and Autodetect.
99% of all NIC's are auto detected (I have yet to find only 1 that wasn't, an old NC100 10bt).

[WJWheels]

Well, I burned the cd's - piece of cake from the iso files. But I think I'm going to try what you describe anyway - FOR MY FIRST INSTALL To run the printers via the printserver in windows (9x or 2k), it requires a special program. Each printer has its own ip# on the network.

I'm on DSL, not cable... so don't know what that'll change when I set up the network stuff.

Keep the info coming.... thanks.

[Statica]

First things first .. have you ensured hardware compatibility?

[WJWheels]

Originally posted by Statica First things first .. have you ensured hardware compatibility?

Huh? Are you trying to start trouble Static???? What you be tryin' to tell me?

[reboot]

DSL is only slightly diff than Cable. You have a static IP, but if your access is through a NIC, then it's all the same. You MAY have to specify the IP, DNS, and such in the networking setup, check with the way Windows does it first. If you open Networking Properties, TCP/IP properties, does it use DHCP? Is your computer assigned an IP manually? Just copy down ALL the info you can find there (on all 6 tabs), and transfer it to the networking setup in Linux.
If your printer switch is accessed via IP, that will be easy to set up. You just have to specify the port type (serial, parallel, USB) and assign the IP to the port. MDK should find the hardware, just not sure if it will set it all up correctly. You might have to do a bit of console work for that.

[Statica]

Originally posted by WJWheels Huh? Are you trying to start trouble Static???? What you be tryin' to tell me?

Yeah I know the first things first was delayed (the summer has my hours crazy), but have you really ensured that each component on your computer is going to be compatible with whatever distrib you are using? From the IDE controller/RAID controller to the modem, you need to ensure compatibility if you want your installation to be painless.

[WJWheels]

Yes, static ip on my computer, as it connects through a DHCP router. I guess I can fiddle with that. Speaking of hardware.... I'll probably have to just see what happens.

As far as hardware goes, I'm using an Iwill board; KK266-R.
AMI MegaRaid IDE 100 Controller (onboard)
Elsa Gladiac GeForce 2MX 400 (I could switch this to Radeon LE if Nvidia poses problems)
CMI onboard sound (I'm not worried about this not working)
Old IBM ISA Nic (which I can change out to 3com PCI)
Pioneer DVD-Rom
Plextor PX-W1210A

All else is common stuff... I'm reading the manual as time allows, psyching myself up..

[WJWheels]

Originally posted by reboot Use rawritewin.exe (in windows) to create the bootdisk, using the hd.img file. Boot to the startup disk you just made, and you'll have to select the drive and partition you have the .iso's in Remember that Primary master is HDA, primary slave is HDB and so on. OK, when you get to the formatting screen, just select the D: partition (in this case it will be called HDA1, HDA0 being your windows boot partition, you'll see it on the screen).

I have a problem here. Remember my drives are striped. When I boot from floppy using hd.img it goes through the checking procedure and then asks me where the .iso files are. The only choices I get are the individual drives (HDx's). The .iso files are NOT on any drive... they're on the array.

When I boot with floppy using the cdrom.img I get to the question where it asks about SCSI... I answer 'YES' and select "AMI MegaRaid". At that point setup fails to load the driver. ???? any suggestions?

-----------------------------

OK, I found this.. http://uwsg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/k...05.0/0524.html - now it's off to look for update firmware.

[WJWheels]

OK, I found what I think is a newer driver for Linux on the AMI site, but how or where do I put it so Mandrake8 can find it when installing. Being the partition is on the array that is on the AmiMegaRaid controllers, I has to be installed first. Following the regular "Expert" installation, as I mentioned previously, install asks about SCSI - I answer yes - it gives me a list to choose from - I select "AMI MegaRaid" from the list, but then it fails. It does give me a box to enter "WHATEVER" in. I guess my question is, "what do I enter?", and if it's a path of sorts to my new driver, where and how do I "untar" the .tar file?

TIA

[reboot]

Winzip will "untar" the file, do it to a floppy.
When prompted, type in /mnt/fda/{filename}
Failing that, you may want to consider burning the CD's and install from there...
I'm sure that Startica has a better answer, so wait until he see's this.

[WJWheels]

I have burnt the cds. That seems to be the only way I can install as the startup disk hd.img first must find the install files. It gives me the choice ONLY of my 2 hard drives to locate the install files. They are not on "a drive".. they are on the array.

[Statica]

OK firstly, your MegaRaid is not a SCSI controller its an IDE RAID device right?
Its an IDE device.

Unified patches for the device are already on your Kernel 2.4.xx

Where are you downloading the drivers for? Are they newer than the with Mandrake? If so they should come with their own boot images.

[WJWheels]

Well, if I answer "NO" to the SCSI question and continue on I get "DiskDrake failed to read correctly the partition table. Continue at your own risk!" If I continue will it recognize my stiped drives? .... from what I see, the answer is NO. My next screen would have me dividing up my first drive (hde). I don't want to do this. I want to install within a 7gigabyte partition already defined on the array. Maybe it's not possible to install on striped drives...???

[WJWheels]

OK.. I gave up/chickened out on installing Linux to my existing Raid array. I did however install it on another pc on it's own disk. (I'm typing on it right now).

New question: is there a way to "clone" a linux install to another disk or partition? Maybe I can do it that way, if possible.

TIA

.... also, can anyone tell me how I can "SEE" the other pc's on my network? I'm through the router and online, but I cannot seem to browse the lan. ???

[Floppyman]

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?threadid=14843

Hope this helps.

[WJWheels]

Thanks Floppy. Right now I feel like a complete idiot. Folders?? where are folders? I even lost the floppy icon off my desktop and have no vugging idea how to get it back on.

I'll figure it out, but probably not tonight.

[Floppyman]

It's easy to find all your drives, they should be in the /mnt (?) or something similar folder, just create a shortcut to the desktop and you should be set. I guess you could access your drives from the command prompt too with something like /mnt (if that's where they're at)/(name of device).