On Thu 04 Apr 2019 at 15:50:59 (-0400), Gene Heskett wrote: > On Thursday 04 April 2019 14:56:09 David Wright wrote: > > On Thu 04 Apr 2019 at 13:12:58 (-0400), Felix Miata wrote: > > > Gene Heskett composed on 2019-04-04 10:39 (UTC-0400): > > > > So how _exactly_ do I make the installer take what it finds, > > > > format it, and just get on with it? > > > > > > First select manual partitioning (all these are the same screen): > > > Then select the disk (should resemble one of these): > > > Choose the partition to configure (I think these are actually the > > > same screen as previous group, except with disk's partitions > > > expanded): > > > Here's the screen where the main business gets done, selecting mount > > > point, format type, mount options, volume label: > > > Select mount point detail screen: [links snipped] > > > If I knew how to get my own screencaps from a text install on real > > > hardware (not a virtual machine) I would make my own web page to do > > > what the Debian Handbook seems can't be bothered to do. It would > > > probably be somewhat like > > > https://www.pontikis.net/blog/debian-7-wheezy-rc1-lamp-server-setup- > > >step-by-step except the images would be big enough to see without > > > having to open each in turn. > > > > (I haven't looked at these links yet.) > > > > The way I've always done it is to use script (or cut and paste) while > > installing over ssh. To get the first few screens, you have to go back > > to the beginning (Select a Language) and repeat them. > > > > The trickiest screens are the ones that set up the network itself. > > > That debian finally got right, piece of cake.
It's been working for years. No, my point was that it's difficult to capture the Set Up Network screens over a ssh session because the setup process itself disrupts the network session that you're capturing screens with. A solution might be to install over a serial link, but I don't think you can do that with the d-i itself, only with 3rd-party mangled versions. (Nothing to do with snapshots on a camera or phone either, though these are useful for making personal records of things like CMOS screens which are also awkward/impossible to capture.) Other random points: I'm glad you've got your LABELs sorted. I'm not sure what you would have expected the d-i to do with them (apart from overwrite swap's, unless you take special care). And would you trust it? Yes, installing grub and writing its grub.cfg comes late in the process. If that causes it to be written too far into the disk for the system to boot, then perhaps it's best that it happens now and not months/years later when you're in the midst of some precarious upgrade that shifts it out of reach. Screen blanking: are you sure it hasn't crashed? I have one old Acer that I haven't yet succeeded in installing stretch on. I suspect the video card because even jessie has its problems (mainly confined to exiting X). Cheers, David.