[GLLUG] RHN... the Red Hat Notwork

Edward Glowacki glowack2@msu.edu
01 Aug 2002 16:20:34 -0400


On Thu, 2002-08-01 at 15:22, Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Edward Glowacki <glowack2@msu.edu> writes:
> 
> > OK, IMHO Debian needs to work on slimming it's install setup, or making
> > some nice bootable ISO images (small ones even, like just the base
> > install).
> 
> Um, like these ones?
>         http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/

Debian 3.0 was released 
First link is to images dated July 2 for a pre-release version.  186MB.
Second link is to images dated June 26 for a pre-release version, no
size listed.
Third link has a promising 10MB ISO, but no date listed.


> But it's really easy (and fast) to download a full ISO with
> jigdo, since you can use any ordinary Debian mirror.

>From the link you gave, it's not at all clear that this functionality
exists (though I personally have heard about it before).  This is
somewhat clarified by the FAW, but if I need to read the FAQ to figure
out what a link leads to, there's a problem with the site...

> > *grumble* No support for the built-in network cards (Broadcom gigabit),
> > so now it's asking me for floppies for the base system.  Not gonna do 15
> > floppies or whatever it is.  Guess we try to find a spare network card
> > and reinstall from the beginning.... *grumble*  Did I mention how much I
> > love Linux?
> 
> Use obscure expensive hardware and that's what happens.  Stick
> with something more common and you won't have this problem...

It's a Dell 2650 (fairly new 2U rackmount server) that has built-in dual
gigabit adapters.  Red Hat 7.3 detected them both and was able to talk
on the network just fine.  Debian *asked* me to figure out which driver
I wanted to try to load, but didn't have any driver for the particular
network card the machine has.  Or maybe it did, but if so, I couldn't
find it.  Either way, I couldn't talk on the network.  I put another
network card in (or more accurately, the extra gigabit card I ordered
with the machine because I thought the onboard ethernet ports were only
10/100, stupid dell web configuration tool...), so I'm going to see if
that one has a driver, but I doubt it because it probably uses the Intel
e1000 driver which is not open-source (IIRC).

Not to slight Debian, because its very robust and apt-get rocks, but the
Red Hat 7.3 install was a LOT nicer than Debian 3.0.  It detected
(AFAIK) all my hardware, including the RAID controller and gigabit
ethernet cards, and set up X without a hitch.

-ED

-- 
Edward Glowacki				glowack2@msu.edu
GLLUG Peon  				http://www.gllug.org
Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.
                -- Jules de Gaultier