I have a machine that can boot a Knoppix CD but it has no other drives. I need to know the instructions for running SETI on it since it is an Athlon 1.33 that can crack a few untis for me. If possible make the instructions for someone who only knows how to boot and launch a web browser. I know this may be asking a lot but all the instructions I have seen assume a certain level of knowledge and while I may be somewhat smart and have a good knowledge of Windows I don't know crap about Linux so these instructions are useless. Thanks in advance.

what do you mean it has no other drives. You don't have a writable filesystem?

By no drives I mean nothing else. I bought all the parts off of a friend for a linux learning box but at the moment the HDD it will be using is tied up with about 25 gigs of video clips I need to finish editing. Knoppix does make a ram drive when it boots which I should be able to use to download and run SETI.

Do you have a floppy drive?

If so, you can download SETI and put it on there, so your work won't be lost after every poweroff.

fdformat /dev/fd0h1440
# if you're using a high density, 1.44mb floppy.
# do a 'cat /dev | grep fd0' to see your options
mke2fs /dev/fd0
mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy

I can put a floppy in this machine but it is not needed since I can just put it in the ram drive. The computer is hooked to a UPS and will not be powered down until the HDD is ready to be put in. My main concern is what file do I need to download and what do I click and/or type in to get it to run.

just go to setiathome.com

get the latest version and install it to the ramdrive.

Thanks for the useless reply. If I knew how to do that don't you think I would have instead of coming here and asking for help?

This is the main reason I still use Windows for everything. My complaint about Linux isn't really the software but the instructions. How do you expect someone who wants to learn Linux to actually do it if said person can't understand the instructions? Linux doesn't need to have ease of use as it's first priority to overthrow the Windows dominance but instead needs to focus on instructions that are easier to understand.

PTBmilo was a little more helpful in trying to give me a way to save the work but he forgot one important step in his instructions, where the hell do I type in those commands. This is why in my first post I asked for a full set of instrucions telling me what to do.

Do some reading. Here's a link to a basic Linux introduction:
http://tille.soti.org/training/tldp/

It doesn't assume any level of knowledge, and when your done you might have figured out where to type those commands.

let us know what you are having trouble with. We usually don't spell out everything from logging into a shell to running your application.


mke2fs /dev/ram1
mkdir /somewhere
mount /dev/ram1 /somewhere

using the ram drives your not already using.

now you have a usable folder to install to named /somewhere

follow instructions for the setiathome install file you have.

tar zxvf filename

Of course everything will need to be done in ramdrives

If you need more space, format and mount another one

I think we were not realizing that you needed full instructions, because it seems too odvious (sp?) for us, but that's just our perspective (because we're used to all this). No need to get harsh, just ask us to elaborate and we will.

Anywase, go to the seti@home site, and download the package (you'll probably want the linux-gnu-gnulibc2.1 one. That will be a tar archive of the software (tar archive: a directory packed up into one file).

when you got the file, go to the directory that you downloaded it to (/home/yakko.... assuming you have enough space on your current ramdrive, if not, do what Dave said and download it there).

tar -xvf setiathome-3.03.i686-pc-linux-gnu-gnulibc2.1.tar
# you'll probably only need to do 'seti' then press <tab> and it'll finish it for you.

then cd into the directory it made.
cd setiathome-3.03.i686-pc-linux-gnu-gnulibc2.1/

Now, all you have to do is type:
./setiathome

and you're off. We can spot this because we know how to find executables. do this from the directory (ls -l):
Se those r&x's? Those are the permissions for each of the files. If there's and 'x' then the file is executable.

you do './setiathome' because you want to run the executable that is in your current directory. the './' means to stay there, rather than search in the usual path for the program.

I hope you have the network up.

good luck

EDIT:

ooh yeah, you type the commands on the 'command line' ..... if you are using a window manager like KDE of GNOME, then the icon probably looks like a shell.

PTBmilo,

That is exactly what I was asking for. Now I just to try it when I get home from work tonight.



bulliver,

Thanks for the link. I will read it when I get a chance. It looks like just the type of resource I have been looking for.




Sorry if I seemed a little harsh but when I tried to send off a Christmas present yet again this week I was in a car accident and I replied right after speaking to the insurance company. I want my car fixed.

PTBmilo,


Thank you very much. Seti is off and running.