Thank you for the info. This is indeed what I was looking for. I do have another small question. I downloaded the i386 version to a windows 95 VFAT partition. Do I need to worry about name mangling from within dselect? Do I have to download the msdos-i386 version? I certainly hope not.
Tom Veldhouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Mon, 6 Jan 1997, Dale Scheetz wrote: > On Mon, 6 Jan 1997, Thomas Veldhouse wrote: > > > Will this be a problem if I downloaded all the packages and the install > > directly to my hard drive? I install from a DOS partition. I should then > > get the new FTP and telnet packages, correct? I can use dselect to choose > > these off of my hard drive DOS partition. I just recently put debian on > > my system, but I don't have any packages installed yet. I have been > > toying with RedHat, but I can't get the boot disk to be created, but > > Debian worked great in that respect. So I am going to use Debian. To > > reiterate, my question is, will I have telnet and ftp capability when I > > install all of the packages from my hard drive. > > > Sounds like a little general information would be useful here: > > When you install a new Debian system (rather than upgrade an old one) you > typically start with a boot/root disk and several base disks (currently > 4). When you are done with this "base" installation, you will have a boot > floppy that can boot your new system, and a root file system that contains > the bare minimum of utility to continue with the "larger" installation. > At this point your options are varied. Dselect is the most comprehensive > installation tool currently available. Because of it's comprehensive > nature, new users can find it very daunting, but if you are careful, and > read all the screens fully, take things slow, and be willing to quit and > start over whenever you get tangled or confused, dselect can deliver a > complete Debian installation in a reliable, repeatable fashion. I > typically don't install the "whole thing" so I tend to use dpkg more often > than dselect. Dpkg is the work horse for dselect. It is the package that > actually does the installation for the collection that dselect manages. > So, if you only need to add/upgrade a few packages at a time, dpkg is the > best choice for the job. > > This brings us to: "What about all the other packages, where are they, how > do I get them?" > You have already (apparently) downloaded the archive to your msdos > partition. To properly get unmangled file names you should have gotten > them from debian/rex/msdos-i386, rather than the binary-i386 path. If you > have also gotten a valid Packages file with that path, you are all set for > installing the rest of Debian from your dos partition. You should be able > to mount your dos partition with a command like: mount -t msdos /dev/hda1 > /mnt, or you can let dselect do so when you choose the hard disk method > from the installation choices. > > You will notice, if you look at the contents of debian/rex/msdos-i386 (or > binary-i386 for that matter), that there are a number of subdirectories to > be found. The subdirectory base, contains all the packages (well, almost) > that you will find on a set of base disks. If you are upgrading from a > previous Debian system, it is advisable to upgrade from this directory > first. The other directories (also known as sections) are pretty much > organized around functional class, so you will find tools like cron in > admin, as it is viewed as an administrative tool. > > What you take from this collection of packages is entirely up to you, and > is based on your needs and interests. If you are not sure where a > particular program might reside (which package has xxx?) you can grep the > Contents file. This is a listing of the contents of all the packages in > the distribution (assuming it is up to date). You can then find out more > about that package from the Packages file (like what section it is in, > what other packages it depends on, even a description of the packages > intended use) > > As to the question of where to get it: If you did the above archival > correctly on your dos partition, you already have it all! (with the > exception of source) If you do a complete installation of those packages > you will certainly have ftp, telnet, and a host of other things as well > (both of those are found in the netstd package, in section net), and, > although your will certainly find use for your new ftp you will not need > it to install the full Debian system. > > In general you should be able to obtain a complete install with the ftp > method in dselect. The primary source for the distribution is > ftp.debian.org, and if that site is snowed under, it will give you a list > of the known mirrors that you can use as alternatives. > > Once you have a reasonable system going, you can use mirror to maintain > your own personal archive and keep it up-to-date with current development. > This does, of course, require that you have sufficient disk space. > > You can also purchase gold CDs from either myself or I-Connect, or the > several other producers listed at www.debian.org. Other useful info found > on this site are the bug reports, the faqs, and, under ideal > circumstances, actual ftp access to the archive. > > I am sure I have told you more than you wished/needed to know, so I hope > there is something helpful in all this drool ;-) > > Luck, > > Dwarf > > ------------ -------------- > > aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (904) 656-9769 > Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tallahassee, FL 32308 > > ------------ If you don't see what you want, just ask -------------- > > -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]