> My apologies for not responding more promptly to Lynn's > original posting of the draft. > > I think it is too long. > > If you want everyone to read something *before* posting > questions to the > list, that something needs to be VERY concise, well written, > and to the > point, so newcomers are willing to take the time to read it. > We can't compel > them to read and follow this advice, after all (except by > flaming people who > don't follow it -- a practice I DO NOT ADVOCATE -- or by > ignoring posts that > depart too far from what we want -- something I do do personally). > > What follows is a DRASTIC rewrite, intended mainly to make > the document > short enough that people will actually read it (and perhaps > even follow its > guidance). It probably still is too long, so I'd encourage > others to find > additional stuff to remove, not more to add.
I've edited it for brevity. My suggestions begin with the "#" character. Most are slight, but the overall reduction may be worthwhile. > > ############ start of FAQ ################################## > > Q. If I want help troubleshooting a connectivity failure with my LEAF # Q. If I want help troubleshooting a problem with my LEAF > router, what information you you need from me? # router, what information should I send? > > A. The exact information needed will vary by what trouble > needs shooting. > > Before you post, you should check the LEAF FAQs to see if > your question has > a stock answer. Check it at URL > http://sourceforge.net/docman/?group_id=13751 > > You should also be subscribing to the leaf-users mailing # You should subscribe to the leaf-users mailing > list, since some > people with helpful knowledge will reply *only* to the list. > Join it at URL > http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/leaf-user > > You may also want to search the list archives, to see if your # Search the list archives, to see if your > question has > already been asked and answered (the FAQs are not always as > up-to-date as we > wish they were). Do this at URL > http://www.mail-archive.com/leaf-user@lists.sourceforge.net/ > > When posting, please remember that we know only the things about your # Please remember we only know what you > system, and about you, that you tell us in your message. If you leave # tell us in your message. If you leave > something out because it is "obvious" or because you already > checked it (or > because you mentioned it in a message you sent a month ago), > *we* don't know > (or remember) that. And we have seen enough postings by > people who were > "sure" some part of their configuration was okay, and were > wrong in that > certainty, that we tend to be skeptics where detail is lacking. > > When you are ready to post, please keep in mind that you're # Please keep in mind that you're > asking for *free* > technical support. Any help we offer you is an act of # technical support. Any help we offer is an act of > generosity, not an > obligation. So try to make it as easy as you can for us to # obligation. Try to make it easy for us to > help you. Follow good, courteous practices in writing and > formatting your e-mail. And provide the details we need to # formatting your e-mail. Provide details > be able to give you good answers. # if you expect good answers. > As a general matter, exact quoting of error messages, log entries, # Exact quoting of error messages, log entries > command output, and such, is better than your trying to paraphrase # and other output is better than a paraphrase > or summarize them. # or summary. > > When asking for help with routing or firewalling questions, you should # When asking for help with routing or firewalling questions, > ALWAYS include this information: > > the exact name of the LEAF distribution and version > you are running. > the exact kernel version you are running ("uname -a"). > the complete, exact output of "ip addr show". > the complete, exact output of "netstat -nr". > the exact wording of any "ping" failure responses > (there are some FAQ entries to help you here). > > Depending on the specific problem, you may want to include # Depending on the specific problem, include > some or all of the following: # some or all of: > > the exact output of "lsmod" [typically for > NIC-related problems]. > the exact output of "ipchains -nvL" [typically for > firewall-related problems]. > any messages from dhclient in your logs [typically for > setup of DHCP-dynamic external connections]. > any messages from ppp or pppoe in your logs [typically > for setup of PPPoE-dynamic external connections]. > > This is not an exhaustive list; we've tried here to cover only the # This is not an exhaustive list; we've covered only the > most common sorts of troubleshooting problems that we see. If you have > a less common problem, or if you use an ISP that does something # a less common problem, or you use an ISP that does something > unusual, you may need to provide other specifics to get good help. > > As a general matter, please don't edit the diagnostic > information in an attempt to conceal your IP address, netmask, > a less common problem, or if you use an ISP that does something > nameserver addresses, domain name, etc. These things aren't # nameserver addresses, domain name, etc. These aren't > secrets, and > sometimes concealing them prevents us from spotting the problem. # concealing them often misleads us. > > The one exception to this guideline is any file that includes > a password. In these cases, please replace all password characters > with the letter "x" (so it is clear that you made this change). (the following replaces the preceding 3 lines) # Passwords are exceptions to the rule: replace each password # with the letter "x". > > Assuming you are posting your message from a PC other than > your LEAF system, you will need an easy way to get diagnostic > information to the workstation you are using. The simplest way, > usually, is via a floppy transfer. Here is how you do this. (the following paragraph replaces the preceding one, though I'm not real happy with either one) # It isn't easy to post messages directly from a LEAF system, but it # is easy to transfer diagnostic information to a floppy: > > 1.Format a spare 1440K MSDOS floppy as you normally > would under > DOS, Windows, or Linux. (Your floppies are > probably already > formatted this way.) > 2.Remove the LEAF floppy and insert the new floppy in > its place. > 3.Mount the floppy on the LEAF system by running this command: > # mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt > 4.Use the appropriate command(s) from the list above to copy > information to text files on the floppy. > Examples: > # cp /var/log/messages /mnt/messages.txt > # ip addr show > /mnt/address.txt > # ipchains -nvL > /mnt/filter.txt > 5.Unmount the floppy by running this command: > # umount /mnt > 6. Remove the floppy from your LEAF system. > > You should be able to take the files you have just put on your floppy # At your workstation, open the files you have just put on your floppy > and cut-and-paste them into a mailing-list e-mail. The > details depend on the > operating system and e-mail software you are using on your workstation, but # operating system and e-mail software you use, but > we assume you are familiar with them. > > Acknowledgements > > Many people have contributed to the current or earlier > versions of this > answer, including: > Ray Olszewski, Mike Noyes, Rick Onanian, Lynn Avants, Charles > Steinkuehler, > Jeff Newmiller, Gary Shea, Michelle Konzack, Wayne Fool, > Jonathan French, > Michael Leone, Dave Emmons, Bill Pierce, Chris Hill, and Paul > Batozech. > Apologies to anybody we missed. > > ############# end of FAQ ################################## _______________________________________________ Leaf-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/leaf-devel
