Installing and maintaining LINUX
Although installing and maintaining is not that hard, it is not for the
faint of heart. Here are
some of my experiences, some tips what to do
and not to do. There is
a lot of documentation on LINUX, I've written down my experiences
in short notes, and are probably only useful for those who know a
little bit of UNIX already. Also, you're supposed to have some other
form of documentation at hand (HOWTOs, the Linux Bible etc.). I will
give many examples that contain device names and numbers that are unique
to my machine.
the bright sides
- slackware: . This installation (linux
contains many installation methods) allows you,
with a minimum of 3 floppies at hand, to install LINUX on most PCs.
- loadlin: After you've installed LINUX,
the loadlin program, similar to BOOTLIN, runs under DOS, and allows
you to boot to LINUX without the need for a floppy. Disadvantage:
you need a copy of the (compressed) kernel, and the loader of course,
in a DOS directory. This takes up a bit of space (500k???)
- term: Connecting to work, and setting up
a multiplexing connection where you run ftp/rsh/netscape from home,
and display remote X programs at home without the need to become
superuser at work!
- X11R6: Yes, LINUX comes with a fully working X11R6
version. I've seen and tried out 3 window managers: fvwm (the default),
twm and olwm (and some of them have virtual counterparts). Setting up
X and getting that middle mouse button to work isn't always that
easy...
- networking It is easy to add a Linux box to an
existing network, and a bit tricky but equally easy to hook two
machines together.
the dark sides
- an amusing (?) story from somebody who
decided to (MSDOS) reformat a partition on a disk that also cointained
(past tense) linux.... a lesson to be learned.
darkstar?
Why darkstar you might ask. Well, darkstar is the default
hostname when you install the Slackware distribution.
Last updated on 15-aug-95 by PJT.
teuben@astro.umd.edu