New tutorials for installing and configuring Slack
SlackwareThis Forum is for the discussion of Slackware Linux.
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I've read through the first and found that you are referencing 'IDE'. I do suggest that you look at 'libata_switchover HOWTO' with potential inclusion, to understand and be aware of the changes when using Slackware 13.0 & Slackware 13.1. Especially when performing upgrades or introduction to Slackware 13/13.1. This is a gotcha for a lot of new users. You say;
Quote:
enter cfdisk /dev/sda at the prompt, or if it's IDE enter cfdisk /dev/hda
BTW, You don't need to login as root, just press return at the prompt.
Another potential improvement would be to include reference to the available text docs on the install media. A new user can and should read these docs to prevent potential problems or aid in solutions for problems with their hardware. By reading before hand a user should prevent problems or hopefully have an idea as to what is necessary to get things installed.
I've read through the first and found that you are referencing 'IDE'. I do suggest that you look at 'libata_switchover HOWTO' with potential inclusion, to understand and be aware of the changes when using Slackware 13.0 & Slackware 13.1. Especially when performing upgrades or introduction to Slackware 13/13.1. This is a gotcha for a lot of new users. You say;
BTW, You don't need to login as root, just press return at the prompt.
Another potential improvement would be to include reference to the available text docs on the install media. A new user can and should read these docs to prevent potential problems or aid in solutions for problems with their hardware. By reading before hand a user should prevent problems or hopefully have an idea as to what is necessary to get things installed.
So all devices will now be sd*... I did not know that. I'll fix the problem at once. Referencing the docs is probably a good idea.
On another note, the installation I did for the purpose of this tutorial was obviously performed using cfdisk to write the partition table, and it's the first time I've looked at cfdisk in quite awhile. It's a lot clunkier than I remembered it! I'm seriously considering rewriting that part of the tutorial... just cutting the foreplay and teaching new users to use fdisk right off the bat. Thoughts?
On another note, the installation I did for the purpose of this tutorial was obviously performed using cfdisk to write the partition table, and it's the first time I've looked at cfdisk in quite awhile. It's a lot clunkier than I remembered it! I'm seriously considering rewriting that part of the tutorial... just cutting the foreplay and teaching new users to use fdisk right off the bat. Thoughts?
From `man fdisk`:
Quote:
There are several *fdisk programs around. Each has its problems and strengths. Try them in the order cfdisk, fdisk, sfdisk. (Indeed, cfdisk is a beautiful program that has strict requirements on the partition tables it accepts, and produces high quality partition tables. Use it if you can. fdisk is a buggy program that does fuzzy things - usually it happens to produce reasonable results. Its single advantage is that it has some support for BSD disk labels and other non-DOS partition tables. Avoid it if you can. sfdisk is for hackers only - the user interface is terrible, but it is more correct than fdisk and more powerful than both fdisk and cfdisk. Moreover, it can be used noninteractively.)
I preferred fdisk myself but I've used cfdisk for a while now.
On another note, the installation I did for the purpose of this tutorial was obviously performed using cfdisk to write the partition table, and it's the first time I've looked at cfdisk in quite awhile. It's a lot clunkier than I remembered it! I'm seriously considering rewriting that part of the tutorial... just cutting the foreplay and teaching new users to use fdisk right off the bat. Thoughts?
I prefer cfdisk (because it is easier to use) despite having used fdisk for years before finding cfdisk
I've always used cfdisk, because I haven't got round to learning how to use fdisk yet.
I've always used nano, because I haven't got round to learning how to use vi\vim\elvis yet.
I've got a lot to learn...
I've always used cfdisk, because I haven't got round to learning how to use fdisk yet.
I've always used nano, because I haven't got round to learning how to use vi\vim\elvis yet.
I've got a lot to learn...
We all do... Starting work on this website early this year hilighted for me how much I don't know yet. I'd be typing along, reach a point at which I needed to clarify something or explain it thoroughly... and wind up having to do a Google search.
Back to the SATA/IDE thing for a moment... I realized looking at the tutorial last night that I've kind of left those who are dual-booting with multiple hard drives hanging. I did that back when I first ran Linux in late 2006, but it was on IDE hard drives for which the naming convention is very clear (primary master=hda, primary slave=hdb, etc), but I've just realized that I haven't a clue how it's done with multiple SATA. I spent about 30 minutes with my old friend Google last night and what I got out of it is that everybody is as confused on the subject as I am. So hypothetical situation: I've got a SATA hard drive with Windoze installed connected to the SATA port labeled #1 on the motherboard. Now I add a second drive connected to port #2 and boot from my Slackware disk. Which of these drives is going to be labeled sda and which will be sdb, and why? Or is it lottery? Do I have to just inspect the contents of both drives to figure it out? And what about IDE? Assuming an older computer with IDE drives, will the old naming conventions still hold, only with sd* instead of hd*?
I've always used cfdisk, because I haven't got round to learning how to use fdisk yet.
I've always used nano, because I haven't got round to learning how to use vi\vim\elvis yet.
I've got a lot to learn...
I've never used cfdisk, and I don't use fdisk enough to remember how to use it without pulling up the command list.
I've always used emacs only because its the first editor I was told to use on a forum long, long, ago. But that's strictly at the cli. In a GUI, its Kate all the way.
I will never know what a lot Slackers know. I don't have the background for it. Then again, I've always wanted to go back to college and take some programming and networking courses. I'm just getting to be a lazy old fart. I'll just go buy the books somewhere used and see what happens. Its not like I'm going to change careers 6 years from retirement.
You only have to figure out how Slackware does it for your tutorial. It seems that each distro can be a bit different about this naming convention. Some go by uuid only, which could change the naming convention from what would be considered logical. Since ide devices have been forced to become scsi devices, the allocations (naming) can be somewhat strange. Even if all drives are sata, it could also depend upon how the distro and its kernel allocates them. Port 1 could be sdb.
<snip>
I will never know what a lot Slackers know. I don't have the background for it. Then again, I've always wanted to go back to college and take some programming and networking courses. I'm just getting to be a lazy old fart. I'll just go buy the books somewhere used and see what happens. Its not like I'm going to change careers 6 years from retirement.
Then go back to college if that's what you want after retirement. I've been retired for years, if that's what you call retirement. I've been busier than ever. I really don't understand how I managed to get this much done when I was 'actively or gainfully employed'.
No, but you can prepare yourself for that new career in six years. Heck you could have a PHD in that time if your aggressive.
Going back to college may be the thing to do. I finally graduated in 1999 with a BS in Business, so I was a late bloomer. I just have to get it fitted in my work schedule.
If you have multiple SATA devices, and especially if you have some of
both hd* and sd* devices present already, then you're basically going
to be playing a guessing game right now, and you probably want to
consider using some of the persistent symlinks in the /dev/disk/by-*/
directories instead of raw device nodes -- for example, the links in
/dev/disk/by-id/ should always point to the same device, even if its
raw device node changes from e.g. sda1 to sdc1 or some such across
reboots.
* If you are using one of the generic kernels (requiring an initrd),
then use the sd* name for the root device when creating the image.
* You will almost surely want to remove the udev rules file for cdrom
devices (it will be regenerated on the next boot with correct
information reflecting the new libata stuff):
# rm -f /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-cd.rules
* Speaking of optical devices, if you have multiple disk drives and an
optical drive using the old ide subsystem, then be aware that the
optical drive will get a /dev/sr* name instead of /dev/sd* -- this is
relevant because you might see something like this (if your optical
drive is currently /dev/hdb):
Old Name --> New Name
/dev/hda /dev/sda
/dev/hdb /dev/sr0
/dev/hdc /dev/sdb
You can't get it explained any better than the above. Read the whole link: 'libata_switchover HOWTO'
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