Don Gould wrote:
> 4. Evolution & root & performance
>
> I didn't find an option to install this during the os install.
>
> I have yet to workout how to log on as root.
>
> I found 2 different places to install packages from.  One worked and one
> didn't... thou I'm not sure if adding my user to the 'root' group gave
> me enough rights to do the package install.
>
> The only logon I've found so far seems to present an XP style screen
> where I have to select a user (of which root is not an option).  How do
> I log on as root?
>
> So far performance seems to be beter than rh9.  Thou I also didn't set
> up a heap of services this time...  as I'm getting to know what things
> are I'm getting beter at not including unrequired things.

Ok then time for a Quick intro to Mandrake hope it doesn't bore you to much :)

First Mandrake for security reasons does not easily allow Graphial login as 
root.

Every thing you need to do should be do able via console and su or running the 
appropriate program as a normal user. You will then be asked for your root 
password and the program will load as though you where root once the 
passwords been entered.

First thing you want to do now you've installed it is install the updates. 
This can be done several ways. Here are to two easiest.
As a normal user go.
Start menu > System > configuration > Packaging > Mandrake update.
It'll ask you for your root password. It'll then spit out a Welcome Message I 
think etc After that it will ask you to choose an update Server from the list 
it presents. Once it's done that it will download the current package list 
and work out which updates you need (there will be some 10.0OE's been 
avaliable to club members for a month now). It'll ask you to select the 
updates you want then just click install and it will install them. Something 
like that any way as I do my updates another way.
The second method is this CLI version.
Open a console and run su to login as root.
Then run this command.

urpmi.addmedia --update updates 
ftp://ftp2.jetstreamgames.co.nz/pub/dist/mandrake/official/updates/10.0/RPMS/ 
with ../base/hdlist.cz

(type that all out should be one line).
It'll download the update list. Then run.

urpmi --update --auto-select

urpmi Will wok out what updates you need to install then show you a list of 
them and ask if you want to install them. Answer y and urpmi will download 
the updates and install them for you.
Next time you want to update you simply login as root and use these two 
commands.

urpmi.update --update
urpmi --update --auto-select


Software Installation.

Urpmi/RPMDrake are also used to install new software on Mandrake.
Again theres a GUI method and a CLI Method.

GUI
Menu > System > Configuration > Packaging > Software Media Manager.
Allows you to add software sources from the GUI. The Two main one you want to 
add are the Mandrake 10.0 OE Main a contrib sources. These are the details 
for the local mirror. Fill out the appropriate fields it asks for using them.
Contrib

ftp://ftp2.jetstreamgames.co.nz/pub/dist/mandrake/official/10.0/contrib/i586/
with ../../i586/Mandrake/base/hdlist2.cz

and
Main
ftp://ftp2.jetstreamgames.co.nz/pub/dist/mandrake/official/10.0/i586/Mandrake/RPMS/
with ../base/hdlist.cz

Warning both of the File lists way in a ~20MB's. If you want to use a smaller 
list that doesn't have the packages descriptions so all you'll see in the 
software installer is the name you'll need to use.
./synthesis.hdlist.cz instead of ../../i586/Mandrake/base/hdlist2.cz
and
../base/synthesis.hdlist.cz instead of ../base/hdlist.cz

Once these have been added via Software Media manager (they only ever need to 
be added once and never updated) run
Menu > System > Configuration > Packaging > Install Software.
It'll ask you for your root password then offer you a list of all the Software 
you can install from the Proper Mandrake software trees (Thousands just about 
every linux program that is in any way usefull or fun). It allows you to 
search through all the software and if you added the hdlists it'll tell you 
abit about what each program is and does.

CLI

The command line method is similar to the updates method.
Open a console use su to login as root then run these commands.

urpmi.addmedia main 
ftp://ftp2.jetstreamgames.co.nz/pub/dist/mandrake/official/10.0/i586/Mandrake/RPMS/ 
with ../base/hdlist.cz

(one line) and

urpmi.addmedia contrib 
ftp://ftp2.jetstreamgames.co.nz/pub/dist/mandrake/official/10.0/contrib/i586/ 
with ../../i586/Mandrake/base/hdlist2.cz

(one line) As before you can replace the hdlist bits with the 
synthesis.hdlist.cz bits above if 20MB's is to big at the cost of the package 
descriptions.

To install software from the command line use (must be root/su).

urpmi packagename

Package name is usually the software name but not allways to find packages.

urpmq -yif programname

-y tells it to do a fuzzy search
i and f tell it to print out the packages descritpions not just the package 
name.

If you want a specific file but are not sure what package it's in then.

urpmf filename

Will list nay packages that contain a file that has that name IF you used the 
hdlists rather than the synthesis.hdlists.


Apart from that you can find all sorts of usefull tools if you run Mandrake 
Control centre.
Menu > System > Configuration > Mandrake Control Centre.

Chad




> 5. Hardware problems...
>
> When ever I do a warm boot I loose the onboard lan card.  The only way
> to get the network card back is to cold boot.
>
> How do I fix this problem or at least track down what's causing the
> problem?
>
> When I boot up without the PCMICA DVD/CD pluged in MDK doesn't seem to
> recognise it if I plug it in warm.
>
> Cheers Don

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