Well, bonus points are awarded! At least the first compile is done when I got back. On to configuration!
Just did the standard /etc/fstab and network files, and now I get to do my next emerge. Need to make those PCMCIA slots work!
OK, did that, now setting up passwords and such like.
Installing the “must have” tools now. Syslog etc.
Watching compiles is mind numbing. I’ve been working with scripting languages to long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like.
Completely unrelated note. The Darling Wife made Cherry tarts. Very nummy (and, so far) I’m keeping them down. More than a bit messy however.
As expected, networking failed. Off to do the genkernel thing now.
[approx 7:30PM]The only thing more brain numbing than watching a compile go zipping by is watching one that doesn’t puke to the screen as you do it. I don’t like that sort of compile…
[Approx 8:50PM] It’s still going. It’s been doing modules for the last 30 or so minutes. I’m not going to do this very often, once I get it up and running, at least I hope I don’t have to.
[9:15] OK. We have penguin-lust which means I’m up and have a booting system that has a network. I’m hyper!
Starting to install vi/vim now. That’s a 7 step operation, it seems. At least it’s a puke to the screen type of compile so I know it’s not dead.
[9:28] I’ve got vi installed and I’m got the frame buffer working. Woot! Screen looks good. Added my day to day user account. Starting to add mc, ssh and ncftp, which will make it a functioning work machine, less web-browser.
[10:13] got outbound ssh working, need to find the magic tweak for inbound. Dur. Need to start the server…
[10:38] I’ve been poking about a bit, I’ve got what I think are the bare mininamum text based things installed and I’m trying to clean up the install just a hair.
119 items to install X11? I’ll be back in a while. Going to go else where for a while. See y’all later.
AKA a WinBookJ1. This machine is needs to do two wildly separate things. One is to be my work machine, which basically means I need an SSH client, an FTP client and web browser, ideally Firefox 3.x The other is to act as my GM machine in the upcoming Traveller game I’m going to be running. That needs a web server that can support PHP5 and MySQL, plus I need the ability to read a modern PDF file. Printing would be nice, plus the ability to make either an PDF or RTF file, but this is not a requirement. I also need, in general, an editor (vi is my editor of choice) and Midnight Commander (aka mc) installed. Running GIMP would also be nice.
This isn’t that big of a deal, except that the machine has only 256 Megs of memory and “only” a 10 Gig hard drive. After much dinking around I’ve decided that I’m going to go whole geek on this project and use Gentoo. I know that Damn Small Linux will more or less work, as will etch debian, but both of those have weird dependency issues, hence the Gentoo experiment.
This is sort of a live blog of this. And just to make things fun, I’ve got a stomake bug, which means I have to run to the bathroom and talk to Ralph on the BWP ever so often. The anti Ralph stuff I’ve taken, on top of my normal meds is making me very freaking dizzy.
So far, I’ve followed the steps in the Gentoo manual up to step 6. So far, so good, the basic mini-install CD has “just worked”. I suspect that is going to end when soon, because my “network card” is a USB thing, which may or may not be directly supported right out of the box. To make things more fun, the next step will be making this work with a USB wireless thing, but that’s for later.
General comment. Why did they provide “Nano” not VI? I’ve put way to many :wq at the end of files today. Plus random x’s where I wanted a character to go away, etc. To add to the fun, the CTRL key is in the wrong place on this machine.
Standard issue with living in the middle of the country. CST isn’t a default time zone in the “easy to get to” spot. It’s there, but you have to go looking for it. Oddly Mountain time is. In fact all 3 of the timezones other than central are in the basic zoneinfo directory, but CST is in the US sub directory.
Opps. Need to “emerge portage” first. Why would there be a new version when I downloaded the “current” version 30 minutes ago? Got to love cutting edge retro-computing.
I’m now watching it patch the kernel source. It’s as much fun as it sounds like. After this, I’ve got to find out what modules I need, which, if I understand the manual means I need to emerge pciutils and run lsmod
Just a personal note, the OTC anti-nausea pills are working, however I’m wired and feel more than a little dizzy. I can feel my fingernails, which is a strange feeling. Lots of rushing sounds in my ears as well. Not driving today!
lspci reports I have <long list of stuff>
Well, shit. Need to start the SSH server at the start, other wise you have issues, and it fucking reboots. Damn. I hope I can just start the SSH server up, then skip ahead.
(I’ve got the SSH server up, changed root’s password and have attached to if via smallbox).
Looks like I don’t have to redo the longer steps I’ve already taken. Will see in a few here.
OK, we’re back. I’m dumping out the results of those test just so I’ll have a record if and when I need to redo something.
lsmod
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8601 [Apollo ProMedia] (rev 05)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8601 [Apollo ProMedia AGP]
00:05.0 Modem: PCTel Inc HSP MicroModem 56 (rev 02)
00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super South] (rev 22)
00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 10)
00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 10)
00:07.4 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] (rev 30)
00:07.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 20)
00:0a.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1410 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Trident Microsystems CyberBlade i1 (rev 6a)
OK. That was fun. I don’t think that configuring a Linux kernel while on medication that makes you dizzy is a good idea. If this machine boots and has networking on the first pass I’m going to to be surprised. If it doesn’t well, they supply the auto-detect genkernel tool as well, which is what I’ll do if this fails, and to be honest about it, what I should have done from the start, but I’m going for geek points here.
I’ve just launched the compile a kernel stage. This is going to take a while, so I’m going to publish this post and go take a bath. Bonus points if it finishes before I get out!
It’s really a craptop. 1Ghz PIII with 256meg of memory. To make it worse, the video card eats some of that memory, and it doesn’t seem like I can add more memory.
So, a Linux box it is. But which flavor? Damn Small linux and Puppy Linux both seem like a good idea, but I want to have a fighting chance at getting WiFi on the machine, so Debian Etch ended up being my target install. Important safety note. Don’t go in and change the /etc/apt/sources.list file to ‘testing’ until you get X11 working, unless you just feel like doing another install. I’m sure I could have beaten on the various X11 config files and gotten it running on this box with out doing that, but I would rather not. X11 config files make me break out in hives. Plus even a net install isn’t all that long of process.
Well, it might not be, based on what I have to do to the xserve down town, but in general, yeah, those 3 of you that reading about this can rest assured that no more posts about how much OS X 10.5 blows goats. Something that blows goat is only a good thing if your a goat. I’m not, so, well, there you go.
Due to several factors some what beyond my control, it took a little longer than I thought to get my iMac G5 upgraded to 10.4.11 server from 10.5.5 server. However, as of this morning, it’s up and running fully the way I want it, which is to say with KDE 3.5 desktop and the Apple dock at the same time. I’m currently moving via FireWire ® the current layout etc over to the G4 laptop (yeah, that one Art Dude). I’m going to need to do a bit of tweaking once it’s moved over (like, for example, changing the IP address etc.) I suspect I’m going to need to nuke and reinstall the whole fink tree (given that it compiled for a G5 and that might, just might, have issues on a G4, duh). If it does, well, I’ve got my traveling AppleBox ®
Any rate, I “won” the WinBook on eBay as well, which mean I have another Intel based crap top. Going to be a Linux box, and it’s primary function in life is going to be my Mongoose Traveller Game master box. Happy Happy!
Migraines. They are the suck. Had one yesterday. It responded well to my standard drugs, but those make me much like a lizard with out a hot rock to lay on. I spent most of yesterday in a dark room with minimal contact with the outside world.
Depending on your status as a normal this may or may not be scary.
You go to a mainstream church if the words in your head start with “What Child is this”.
You’re in or were in the SCA if the phrase “is all you know” goes through your head while you listen to this.
I keep planning on renting Henry V (Kenneth Branaugh version) and watching it on St. Crispins day, but, as per normal, I missed it.
Quite a few important (and in their each way, one sided) battles took place on this day. Battle of Agincourt, Battle of Balaklava, Battle of Leyte Gulf. While the Light Brigade didn’t do as well as Henry’s troops, one can not but marvel at their moral. On the other hand the ‘Taffy’ task forces are unquestionably the spiritual heirs of the English at Agincourt. Having light destroyers and escort carriers charge battleships in surface melee and winning defines “Warriors of the working day”.
Why do I say that? Because I know that this is a Textron Marine and Land Systems Division [formerly Cadillac Gage] “Stingray” light tank, being delivered to it’s only user, Thailand. It weights about a third of what a M1A1 tank weighs (22 vs 67 tons, depending on the breaks). And I knew this before I started using Google. Yeah, pretty much “geek with no life”, that would be me.
