HowTo make a Pro out of SuSE 9.1 Personal or 9.2 EVAL
 

As a SuSE 9.1 Personal user, you may have recognised that the available software is very limited on your CD (to a lesser extend this is also the case for the 9.2 EVAL-DVD). Here I would like to show you how to get easy access to all the missing packages that make the difference between Pro and Personal (kernel sources, compiler, devel packages, gnome, etc.).

• - First, find a close server that mirrors the main SuSE server (ftp.suse.com) at http://www.suse.com/en/private/downl...t_mirrors.html
  
  - Open Yast -> Software -> Change Source of Installation
  
  - Click 'Add'
  
  - Now select the protocol the mirror uses (most use FTP, some are HTTP)
  
  - Enter the server: ftp.suse.com (replace this with an appropriate mirror)
  
  - Enter ther directory: pub/suse/i386/9.1
  
  Note: There is no slash at the beginning of the path! You also need to adjust the path to the structure of your mirror. Change the red entry to your architecture. Available are i386 and x86_64. Change the blue entry to your version. Available for i386 are 8.1/8.2/9.0/9.1/9.2.
  
  - Confirm and press 'Finish'
  
  Note: If you are using online-sources together with your CD/DVD, make sure that the online-source is the first entry in the sources list. Otherwise you will be asked for the CD, even if the package is available online.

Now you are able to use the specified server as if you had a CD in your drive.
Simply use Yast -> Software -> Install and Remove Software to install the required programs.

Most excellent!!:study:

Most excellent, Indeed!

Does the Pro version allow GUI chioce at login? If so what login manager is used?

Dave

_______________________
So much information, not enough brain cells.

I had a host of conflicts ... is this normal?

If you have alot of conflicts then you probably added a yast installation source that did not match the version of Suse that you are running.

Make sure if you are running 9.1, that you are using 9.1 yast sources.

Bill

Good question. Since I never used 9.1 Personal, I have no idea if there are more differences than just the login manager. In 9.1 Pro, kdm is used per default and changes are possible. But somehow they managed to make 9.1 Personal exclusive for KDE. Even if you install the gnome packages, it seems you do not get an option to change in your loginmanager.

A few weeks back while putting 9.1 Personal to the test I encountered the same thing. Here is what a Novell engineer told me to do:

Unfortunately, the KDM in SUSE Linux 9.1 Personal does not have a sessions menu option. The best way to get around this is to use gdm instead. You can easily change this in YaST...

1. In YaST, select System, /etc/sysconfig editor

2. Choose Desktop, Display manager, DISPLAYMANAGER

3. From the dropdown box, select gdm - then click on Finish, and OK to accept changes

4. Restart your X system. A reboot will do this. Or you can swicth to an alternate console (ctrl-alt-F2), login as root, and then init 3, followed by init 5.

The gdm that installs for 9.1 by default has a sessions option to allow you to switch back and forth.

Novell, Inc.
Category Specialist - Network & Systems Management
Midwest Region

I was able to login using a Gnome desktop, more or less just to prove to myself that it was possible - I've stuck to using mainly KDE. I've only just now started the ... ummm ... 5 hour download for the Personal to Pro update, there are alot of installs for Gnome, I'll take another look at it after I complete the update. After which ... I'll probably just do a clean install of 9.1 Pro for grins and giggles ... toy with that ... then move on to 9.2 Pro (I hope to have the bucks for the DVD after Christmas).

:study:

Im sorry but im still confused about adding repositories to yast,I tried to follow the first post from Abisko00. it says to add server from site closest to me in Australia , but he also says to add server ftp. suse.com and then add the directory pub/suse/i386/9.1, but how can you add 2 servers to source of installation. I tried adding pub/suse/i386/9.1 to directory and then tried both those servers on different occasions and got errors no matter which server I tried. can someone explain how to add server thats closest to yast .I know where to find the server thats closest to me ,but how do you add it . also I read somewhere in forum that you only use 1 server 4 all which doesnt make sense as I have seen in sticky where it shows a list of repositories to add and they all have different servers. so what are they talking about when they say you have to use the same server 4 all but then add different server in change source of installation, why is it not explained somwhere that explains this confusion or is there.. anyway if i havnt confused someone myself trying to explain this then could you give me atleast an sxample of adding server from ftp.suse.com International mirrors as that might at least make me understand how it works adding sources to Change source of installation. I really dont know why im stuck on this issue but i cant find any where that gives a proper under standing of adding sources 4 beginners.

I tried to make it more clear now. You certainly should enter only one server.

I try to give an example for two Australian server on the list:

EDIT: I forgot about that second issue, how to use the supplemenary sources:

So you may always use the server of example 1, but change the directory path according to your installation source (KDE/GNOME/MISC or even 9.0/9.1/9.2). This will work since all these sources are on that one server.

Hope this helps!

awesome resource! was having a hell of a time getting gcc for Suse. I'll be using this method for most/all of my future software library needs. now I know why everyone sings the praises of YAST.

Just FYI: This does NOT give you Suse Professional. It just gives you the optional components for Personal -- that's it/that's all. You're still missing out on the commercial packages which come with Suse Pro.

You are right! The commercial packages are not available for free (that's why they are called commercial ;) )
But could you please do me a favour to list the packages that you cannot get from FTP? I think this is just a few and I am really curious about this.

I don't know all of them off the top of my head but two are:

Textmaker (a decent cross-platform word processor
Planmaker (a decent cross-platform spreadsheet)

I don't remember the rest of the differences off the top of my head.

Hey, I seem to run into a problem. I did this and now whenever I click install software or whatever it wont move from the "Reading packet info. Please wait one moment" Please help?

Depending on your connection speed, this might take a while. The installation of the new source did not return an error? Maybe you just need to be patient ;)

KimVette: Thanks! It's a start. The question has been asked so many times and I don't have the answer (yes, I am one of those tightfisted FTP installers ;) )