I have just installed a copy of Mandrake 9.2 Discovery that I had. I am trying to figure out if I can install apache since I want to use DansGuardian and this needs apache. So far, I have not had any luck - and I understand that the distribution did not come equiped with server. Is there a way around this that does not require downloading and installing a whole new system?

Download and Install a whole new system :-P. Mandrake 9.2 is no longer going to receive security updates pretty quick here. Running Apache on an unpatched system is stupid.

You can download and install the apache rpm from a mirror found on their canonical site: http://ftp.pucpr.br/apache/httpd/binaries/rpm/i386/

Solve the dependencies using rpmfind / urpmi.

But I concor that you should download the latest mandrake if you want more then just play around with that Apache.

I appreciate the advice, and will be upgrading. The question is whether I should upgrade to Man 10.2 or LE2005. I haven't had much luck searching the Mandriva website to learn what the hardware requirements are for LE2005, and did not want to enter each piece of hardware into their "hardware compatibility" tool.

I am running a PII, at 400 MHz, with two hard drives (8 and 6 Gb) and 384 Mb of ram. Can I run a newer Mandrake (Mandriva) with KDE, and as a limited server, with that setup? If I have to, I can upgrade the hard-drive, but I am not in a position to go out and buy a new computer right now.

Something like Slackware might make a better server for that gear? How much traffic do you think you'll be getting?

Mandrake 10.2 is is actually 2005LE.

Hi linux-rulz: I am not actually expecting any significant traffic. I essentially have a work station, with a simple home lan, and my young son's computer accesses the internet via my squid proxy. When I was running FC3, I used DansGuardian as parental-control software - and it requires Apache to be running. I have always heard about the ease of use with Mandrake, and decided to give 9.2 Discovery a try. I had bought the OS previously (before I had a CD burner) but hadn't used it. So I decided to use it, and lost Apache.

Before I go through the process of installing Man 10.2, I want to make sure that it will run adequately on my system. I looked into FC4 - but that is too "bleeding edge" for me, and my system would definitely be pushing the limits to run it (with graphical interface and server options). If the same is true for Man 10.2, then I will either stick with 9.2 or go back to FC3 - both of which will easily run on my system.

Eventually, I will have to get a new computer, but I would rather keep the one I have running as long as possible, as long as it does the job adequately. Its a pride thing - even my 28 year old lawnmower purrs like a kitten!

Well if you are going to go back to FC3, you might want to consider CentOS 4.1. It is a rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 1, with all Red Had trademarks removed. So it is very similar to Fedora Core 3 but will be supported for much longer. (7 years as opposed to 10 months). That will keep your computer in commision for a while

You will notice that installing software with Mandriva is a piece of cake. Just click: Menu >> System >> Configure >> Software >> Install.

You can also do Menu >> System >> Configure >> Software >> Upgrade

Make sure that you take a look at "Easy Urpmi". Google that and also look for it in this site. After you configure your urpmi you will have lot's of packages available :^)

Avoid compiling stuff from source because this a big source of problems, except perhaps the Kernel.

Mandriva 2005 out of the box will be to slow for your PC. It can, how, be configured to have excelent speed. Here are my hints:

1 - Download the 3 ISOs, burn them all and start installing

2 - Upon installation choose "FLUXBOX" as your Windowing Environment or Desktop Manager or another light desktop instead of Gnome or KDE.

3 - Recompile your kernel. Look at Linux Questions wiki for doing that and follow all instructions precisely. Be carefull in the configuration screen. Take your time to correctly configure your kernel. You will be amazed by how much speed you can gain doing that.

You PC is veery slow, but you have lot's and lot's of RAM what makes everything easier. I bet that if you do this thinks you will have a good speed =)

Thank you all for your helpful responses. I was concerned about whether or not Man 10.2 would run adequately - FC4 would be a little difficult. I ended up making a new install with Ubuntu Hoary - and absolutely love it! By far, it was the most straight forward install I have ever done, and the only time when every program and piece of hardware ran properly the first time (even my Palm device).

Awesome! Ubuntu is one of the easier and faster distros I find. I am running it too. Hope it keeps working well for you. ttyl