Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 22:47:08 -0500 (EST) From: "Kenneth R. Westerback" <krw@tcn.net> To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Subject: 2.1.7 Installation Comments/Problems Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.91.970312220245.157C-100000@Pkrw.tcn.net>
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Having given up trying to get the last snapshot of 3.0 to make world without blowing up in fsck I took my newly arrived 2.1.7 CDROM and decided to try and install it. I am running on an ASUS PCI/I-P5SP4 motherboard (CMD640 IDE, aka the bad one), 100MHz Pentium, 32MB of memory, an ATI 3D Xpression video card, an Adaptec 1542 card driving a SCSI tape drive and a Toshiba 3501 CDROM and two IDE disk drives on the first IDE channel. I am installing FreeBSD 2.1.7 on the second drive (wd1). I also have a SB16 card and a 3Com 3C509 NIC. Mouse on COM1, modem on COM2. I boot from the floppy, visually configure the kernel so I have no conflicts (lest my 3C509, inhabiting an unusual IRQ/IOBASE, get confused) and choose novice installation. I create one large partition on the disk (wd1) and create a 100MB /, 200MB swap, 100MB /var and put the rest in /usr. I choose X Developer distribution and start the installation. First comment: <-------------------- On the screen for Basic X configuration the text at the top of the list recommends "..., xicf, xdcf ..." for a minimal configuration but I fail to see these two choices on the list. End comment ------------------------> I choose no DES, install from CDROM and add a PPP interface on COM2 (but don't bring it up right now). Second comment: <------------------------ Why can't I set up my 3C509 at this point? i.e. cycle through interface definitions till I'm done? End comment --------------------> I proceed: no samba, no gateway, no anonymous FTP, no NFS server or client, no WWW server, no customize console settings, YES set timezone (EST), yes COM1 mouse, yes configure XServer. Third comment: <----------------------- Nothing (appears) to happen. Why offer to set up the card if it doesn't do anything? Or rather if it is going to fail. Is this a general fault or just the ATI card? End comment ---------------------------> I choose a whole whack of packages I need/want. Here is where the real problems begin. First the installation hangs on xemacs. Failure #2, apparently after a lot of messages about files that "don't really exist". The information dialog is left on the screen and there seems to be no way to continue without starting the process over again. Which I do, and this time I don't choose to install XEmacs. So it hangs on installing linux_lib, tar complaining about being unable to create symlink to libm.so.4.5.26 because the file exists. Actually it complains about a set of six files twice. Restart process. No linux_lib, and it hangs on fvwm95, no special error messages, just stopping. Fourth comment: <-------------------------- Why isn't there some way to skip a failed package installation and proceed with rest of installation? <ctrl>C just exits entire installation process. End comment: ----------------------------> I restart process and this time choose NO packages to install, just to get installation complete and this works. Once the system is working I try /stand/sysinstall to install those pesky packages. Now everything installs just fine, except XEmacs and Emacs. The former still copies OK but during pkg_add it fails with those darn "don't really exist" file messages. Emacs just does nothing, not even copying. No disk activity, no nothing. Fifth comment: <---------------------- When XEmacs fails the info dialog left on the screen exhorts me to see the debug output. Where is it? Not on another VT that I can find. End comment -----------------------> First Question: <=================== What do I have to do to get XEmacs and/or Emacs installed from 2.1.7 CD? End Question: =====================> Sixth comment: <-------------------------- Why can't the installation process install a somewhat more sophisticated X Windows environment. I would be nice to get to something a little better looking than tvm and have to try to manual patch together a desktop. A series of screen snapshots in a setup utility? XDesktopSetup? Click on the look you like and I'll create the .whatever files and copy the appropriate window manager, etc. Not part of /stand/sysinstall, just pointed to from there! End comment: ----------------------------> Anyway, having just started to play with FreeBSD a few weeks ago with 2.1.5, then 2.1.6, then the HURD (momentary insanity) a short trip to 3.0 and now 2.1.7 I pretty much have the hang of getting a machine set up using FreeBSD. Nice job guys. Keep up the good work! Looking forward to 2.2. ---- Ken
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