some more advice for linux newbie....???

[mathewjn]

:confused:

 
I'm a newbie - trying to download redhat from http://www.linuxiso.org/finddistro.php.

Ok - back up here - trying to install linux (from the download above) to a PC - without a partition - is it possible or not

And trying to use this as a database and application server for a pilot of a portal product.

Any advice on the pro-cons of the install (linux) will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Calum]

i don't think you can install from ISO images without burning them to CDs first, if you don't have a *IX system installed already, what's the current thinking on this guys?

either way, my opinion is it'd be much easier to burn the CDs and install that way.

[mathewjn]

I actually did end up burning the CD (all three disks) and am currently in the process of installation. Will come back after my install is over (succesfull or not)
Thanks

[mathewjn]

back.....after a succesfull install but stil having problems seeing the maching on the windows network. Anyone got some pointers as to why this is happening?
 
Also am looking for what the command is to 'unpackage' a file before installing on the LInux installed PC.
 
Any help is appreciated.
 
Thanks

[Calum]

the answer to the second is: it depends.

different systems use different package formats, you have chosen... red hat? this (and SuSE, Mandrake, Fedora and many others) use the  RPM package manager, although the rpms are slightly different for each system, so try to use either red hat rpms or generic rpms. a good place to find these rpms is http://rpm.pbone.net or an even better package management solution is apt-get see here: http://voidmain.kicks-ass.net/redhat/redhat_9_apt-get_must_have.html

that's for red hat 9, if you are using a different version, please see http://voidmain.kicks-ass.net/redhat/ for other VERY useful documentation.

apt-get (and its graphical frontend, synaptic) allows you to pick a piece of software, and then it will be installed automatically over the internet, along with all other programs, libraries etc that need to be installed to make that package work. This is a considerable timesaver!

so, use apt, or to install rpm packages use the "rpm" command. Usually to install a package called "ymessenger-rh9.rpm" you would change to being the root user ( see http://docs.rinet.ru:8083/UNIXy/unx05.htm#I13 ***) and then do:

Code: [Select]

rpm -Uvh ymessenger-rh9.rpm the U means "upgrade" (you could use "i" instead, but this means "install" and will not work if you have a different version of this package already installed. "U" will work either way), the v means "verbose", meaning tells you what's happening, and the "h" means "hash marks". it prints fifty hash marks as a progress bar.

re: your windows network, this is more thorny. windows networking is a little hairy, because windows networks are a bit sloppy. There are a number of approaches to windows networking in linux, and usually they involve using a package called "samba" (so called because it adds support for microsoft's SMB protocol), there are a number of graphical frontends to this, like LinNeighborhood, and some versions of konqueror have some sort of windows network stuff in them, your mileage may vary, i generally try not to use the windows networking, preferring NFS instead (which you may not be able to use, as i am not sure there is support for it on windows systems). here's a helpful looking howto i found, that i haven't tried, but i hope it will be what you're after.




*** and you would do yourself a real favour to familiarise yourself with *IX systems using this free online book: http://docs.rinet.ru:8083/UNIXy/

[Aloone_Jonez]

What do you think of compiling software from source?

I think it's ok for small programs but for large programs it's a pain, especially when you need more that one library that needs to be compiled separately.

[Calum]

i think that sometimes it's necessary, like often for mplayer, but usually there's a package (rpm, slackpack) or whatever of the thing you want. even if there's not i think it's a good idea to use checkinstall to make the program install through your package manager even if you are installing from source. but i do think installing from source should be a last ditch thing for people who do not want to spend their lives installing from source as and when updates come out.

But if your system doesn't have a lot of stuff installed on it, and you want to optimise it then there's nothing stopping you from installing everything from source. there are a whole little community of peopl;e doing just that, their "distro" is called "linux from scratch" and it just means they compiled everything from scratch themselves. i often wanted to try it out but never had the time or diskspace, yet.

[mathewjn]

Thanks for all the information. Was able to unpackage the file using the 'run' utility that came installed with my version of Red Hat(shrike)
 
Up until now things are going smoothly. Just downloaded a patch (patch-2.6-11) and running through the process of installing this. Seems that several versions of my packages are below the requirement for installation of Oracle's 10G database. So I trying to get to a point where I am able to run the Oracle Install.
 
Still have not configured the Windows networking problem. I can ping other machines on the network from the linux installed PC - can also ping the Linux PC from my Windows based PC - but cannot physically see the Linux installed PC on the network. Weird...huh.....but I can access the internet from the linux PC. So while the network connection is working there is something incomplete configured with the windows networking.

[WMD]

Just downloaded a patch (patch-2.6-11) and running through the process of installing this.

You can't do that.  Don't try.

Seems that several versions of my packages are below the requirement for installation of Oracle's 10G database.

I can't say if Red Hat 9 runs Oracle.  Red Hat Enterprise does (along with its free clones, White Box and CentOS).  Perhaps someone else here knows more for sure.

I can ping other machines on the network from the linux installed PC - can also ping the Linux PC from my Windows based PC - but cannot physically see the Linux installed PC on the network.

I think Red Hat has a utility in System Settings > Servers that lets you set up Windows Networking.  Otherwise, look through /etc/samba/smb.conf (more difficult).

[Orethrius]

I ... can ping the Linux PC from my Windows based PC - but cannot physically see the Linux installed PC on the network.

Kinda reminds me of the guy who can't find his server.  He can ping it, access it just fine - he just doesn't know where in hell and his apartment he put the damn thing.  

[Calum]

i would recommend using the latest fedora rather than a red hat if you want to install very recent applications right enough

[Master of Reality]

i would recommend using the latest fedora rather than a red hat if you want to install very recent applications right enough

i concur .... apparently messages have to be at least 10 characters these days.

[Refalm]

apparently messages have to be at least 10 characters these days.

OK, I'll try to turn it off.

[Master of Reality]

your much too nice, i was simply going to accept it.

Does Fedora come with an rpm apt-get program? That would really make it easy to install any applications you want to put on. It is easy enough to install rpm apt-get afterwards though.

.... by the way... apt-get will download the RPM (program package for Fedora/redhat) and install it for you. Its quite handy.

[Refalm]

your much too nice, i was simply going to accept it.

Does Fedora come with an rpm apt-get program? That would really make it easy to install any applications you want to put on. It is easy enough to install rpm apt-get afterwards though.

.... by the way... apt-get will download the RPM (program package for Fedora/redhat) and install it for you. Its quite handy.

What distribution does actually include apt-get or something simular?
It takes away the pain that most newcomers to Linux have when it comes to installing programs.