Package: installation-reports
Priority: normal
INSTALL REPORT
Debian-installer-version: Netinst CD Beta 3 (i386 100MB CD image)
uname -a: Linux sauron 2.4.25-1-386 #1 Tue Feb 24 08:11:13 EST 2004 i686 GNU/Linux
Date: March 22, 2004
Method: Boot from Debian Installer CD; DEBCONF_PRIORITY=medium; Testing
Machine: NEC Direction
Processor: Pentium III (Coppermine)
Memory: 256 MB
Root Device: I installed spare IDE disk as hdb and used that for install
Root Size/partition table:
hda: QUANTUM FIREBALLlct10 20 (unused for this install)
hdb: Maxtor 90430D3
hdc: Hewlett-Packard CD-Writer Plus 8100
hdd: PIONEER DVD-ROM DVD-114
Disk /dev/hdb: 4311 MB, 4311982080 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 524 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System Mounted as
/dev/hdb1 1 135 1084356 b W95 FAT32
/dev/hdb2 136 524 3124642+ 5 Extended
/dev/hdb5 136 176 329301 6 FAT16
/dev/hdb6 177 480 2441848+ 83 Linux /
/dev/hdb7 481 500 160618+ 83 Linux /home
/dev/hdb8 501 524 192748+ 82 Linux swap swap
Output of lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C693A/694x [Apollo PRO133x] (rev c4)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C598/694x [Apollo MVP3/Pro133x AGP]
00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super South] (rev 22)
00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc.
VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT8233/A/C/VT8235 PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 10)
00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB (rev 10)
00:07.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB (rev 10)
00:07.4 SMBus: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] (rev 30)
00:0e.0 Network controller: Eicon Technology Corporation Diva 2.01 S/T PCI (rev 01)
00:0f.0 Ethernet controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6102 [Rhine-II] (rev 43)
00:11.0 Multimedia audio controller: Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 07)
00:11.1 Input device controller: Creative Labs SB Live! MIDI/Game Port (rev 07)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Rage 128 RF/SG AGP
Base System Installation Checklist:
Initial boot worked: [O]
Configure network HW: [O]
Config network: [O]
Detect CD: [!]
Load installer modules: [O]
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [!]
Create file systems: [!]
Mount partitions: [O]
Install base system: [E]
Install boot loader: [O]
Reboot: [O]
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it
[!] = OK, see remarks below
Comments/Problems:
Installation generally went very well. I ended up with a working system.
There were no entries in fstab for cdrom and floppy, but that is known error.
ISSUE 1 - base-installer
Main problem is wrong selection of kernel.
Install base system selected 2.4.25-1-386, this should be 2.4.25-1-686.
From 'cat /proc/cpuinfo':
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 8
model name : Pentium III (Coppermine)
stepping : 6
cpu MHz : 1000.037
ISSUE 2 - kbd-chooser
What is the sort order in the list for Keyboard selection? I could detect
no logic at all.
ISSUE 3 - Hardware detection
After Detect and mount CDROM I was given a list of modules that would be tested.
As I knew a lot of them were irrelevant for my system, I deselected them.
This had the unexpected effect that during subsequent Hardware detections, I
got 'red screens' with the message "Error while running 'modprobe -v <module>'".
I think manually deselected modules should not be probed in later detections.
If I do not deselect any modules, these errors do not appear.
ISSUE 4 - Partition disks (partman)
I have a swap partition on both my harddisks. By default they are both selected.
This is apparently shown by the smiley, but I think it would be a lot clearer if
also 'SWAP' would be shown as mountpoint (at the end of the line).
Maybe there could be a summary of just partitions to be formatted/mounted
before the final confirmation.
(We also need to list the meaning of the smileys in the manual.)
ISSUE 5 - 2nd stage apt configuration: choose mirror country
As default the country United states was shown (probably based on en_US), but I
chose Netherlands as country in 1st stage. Can't the installation process
'remember' this?
ISSUE 6 - Default packages
Why are pppoe, pppoeconfig and ipchains selected by default? The first two I can
somewhat understand, but ipchains is obsolete.
Also, in Woody the installer would detect that my box did not have PCMCIA and offer
to remove the packages. I'd like this back! I hate stupid errors during boot.
ISSUE 7 - Errors during installation of console packages
I got the following errors during the installation of console-common and -data.
I have no idea where the come from. I selected PC-style/American English in
kbd-chooser.
< SNIP from package installation START >
Setting up console-common (0.7.37)
Looking for keymap to install:
speakup
KDSKBENT: Invalid argument
Failed to bind key 55 to value 1030
Loading /etc/console/boottime.keymap.gz
Loadkeys: warning: this map uses Unicode symbols
(perhaps you want to do 'kbd_mode -u'?)
Loading /etc/console/boottime.keymap.gz
Loadkeys: warning: this map uses Unicode symbols
(perhaps you want to do 'kbd_mode -u'?)
Setting up console-data (2002.12.04dbs-33)
Looking for keymap to install:
speakup
KDSKBENT: Invalid argument
Failed to bind key 55 to value 1030
Loading /etc/console/boottime.keymap.gz
Loadkeys: warning: this map uses Unicode symbols
(perhaps you want to do 'kbd_mode -u'?)
< SNIP from package installation END >
ISSUE 8 - Exim4 configuration: no mailalias for root
I set up Exim4 for "local delivery only".
Exim configuration for Woody used to ask if you wanted to setup an
alias for root (so mail for root would be forwarded to a normal user).
In exim4, if no alias is created, mail for root gets routed to
/var/mail/mail and so will never be seen by a normal user.
Not even root cat read his own mail!!!! There is even a warning about
this in /usr/share/doc/exim4/README.Debian.gz.
Setting up a mail-alias for root should be included in debconf with
priority HIGH. Currently (for both testing and unstable) this is not
supported.
