On Mon, 2005-01-31 at 22:34 -0700, Dennis Kibbe wrote: > On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 02:08:12 -0700 (MST) > > If this weekend's InstallFest is any example of things to come, we'll > get a wide variety of requests. Everything from simple installs to > hardware RAID to Gentoo. ---- Gentoo seems to be an odd choice when you consider the limited time frame for an installfest ---- > > So, here's where we need triage. > > Is it a simple install for a newbie who will dual boot? Then we need > a safe choice and an experienced installer. FC3, Mandrake, Ubuntu, Mepis > look like safe bets here. ---- seems reasonable ---- > Is the box being dedicated to Linux, then we can widen the choices a > bit. Maybe even be adventurous and install Debian or Slackware > depending on how much the user wants to learn. And some do! We've had > people that have gone from newbie to Gentoo in a week! > > A dedicated box is something a new installer-person can handle > without fearing they wll trash any data. Good way to learn and get more > people experinced in installing! > > It's not unusal for someone to go through 3 or 4 distros in the first > month or two. Trying different ones to see what they like. So what we > install may get replaced within a week. ---- I can only think that unless the person is the adventurous sort and somewhat computer savvy - that semi-weekly distribution changes are only going to confuse people. ---- > The more difficult installs are an opportunity for all to learn, so > we don't want to turn them away, I think. *Unless* there is the risk of > doing real damage. One InstallFest someone brought a laptop with all > the company financial records and mentioned that he had to meet with the > auditors on Monday! > > Even if we can't do a Gentoo install or hardware RAID. We can still > be of service by pointing them to the issues they will face and maybe > some places online to look for help. ---- Hardware raid should simply appear as a single SCSI hard drive. It shouldn't be a problem at all UNLESS - the raid controller isn't supported by kernel modules which might require a driver disk - which would place it in the category of more challenging to be sure. I would suspect that many times these old servers with hardware RAID are probably being considered for migration from WinNT to Linux and a debian 'stable' or RHEL 3 clone distribution would likely have the modules necessary to make it work. Having done this several times with Dell and Micron servers, I know they can present challenges and I'm seeing that the 2.6 kernel drivers are not always including support for the older SCSI controllers and ISA stuff. ---- > I know der.hans would like to see a totally automatic > over-the-network install, but I think that is some ways done the road > and in fact may not be desirable since going though an install is an > important learning experience for all. The key is preparation to make > the install process as smooth as possible and be able to deal with > problems that come up in a professional manner. Even if we can't solve > a problem, as long as it's not a show-stopper we can always come back to > it or, at least, explain what needs to be done. > > How about an IRC channel during the InstallFest? Might be an easy way > to ask everyone for help without leaving the install you're working on. > I know a question came up Saturday about hardware RAID on Dell 620 > Precision Workstations that I could have answered (and saved a couple of > hours frustration) except I was in another room doing an install. > > Again, the goal we should focus on in these discussions is that we want > the person to walk out with a Linux box they can really use. That means > the printer is setup, Internet and mail work, music plays, etc. and > we've spent a minute showing them some of the features and where the > config tools are. > > To make this happen we need to learn with each InstallFest so any > problem we run into we follow up and solve and have the solution > available for the next InstallFest. > > An example of this is Fedora Core 3 doesn't play MP3s out of the box. > Playing MP3s is something that most people want to do with a computer > and the solution isn't hard[1], but we need to know the solution and > make it one of the standard things we do each time Fedora is installed. ---- http://www.fedorafaq.org a shortcut on the desktop or adding it to the 'bookmarks' would be good or more specifically http://www.fedorafaq.org/#xmms-mp3 ---- > This means creating a follow up sheet for each install and creating a > checklist for that distro. ---- good idea ---- > > Yes, it means chasing a lot of details, but the payoff is that the > InstallFest will be a fun learning experience for all. > > Anyway, my 2 cents worth and hope it didn't sound too much like a rant. ---- good points Craig --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss