RAID arays can be a source of trouble depending on the card and distro, but
even if that is not an issue, your newbie insatller may not even understand
Raid enough to ask the question requierd to find out which raid level the user
should use. Their is a huge difrance between levels and traid offs for
each. I still think this sort of this should be left to a more experanced
person... IMHO...
<Snip>
> 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.
<End Snip>
On Mon, 31 Jan 2005, Craig White wrote:
> 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
>
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