Re: migration to wheezy and disaster recovery
On 04/13/2013 04:50 PM, Joe wrote: On Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:19:18 -0600 Paul Condonpecond...@gmail.com wrote: Last week I decided to dist-upgrade from Squeeze to Wheezy, thinking I would get in ahead of the rush of stragglers. I found a nice document with lots of step-by-step instruction, and particularly how to create a log file of the steps that I actually performed. I thought I was following it but I will never know because something went wrong and my failed attempts at recovery have lost the log file. Nothing was working. I found a 'business card' CD for Squeeze 6.0.5, that installed Squeeze 6.0.7, which is to be expected. But all sorts of features haven't been configured to my habits. I am just now able to email this list, but via gmail, and I am quite new at using gmail. I think I know how to reply-to-list, but I really need help and apologize in advance for violations of Debian etiquette. In particular, this is being composed in Icedove, and I don't know how to limit the line length. Please, someone, tell me. I had been running Gnome/Squeeze before the disaster. At one point I caught a glimpse of the new Gnome3 that comes with Wheezy. I don't want to install it and then figure out how to remove it. I think I won't be finnished with my recovery until I get Xfce installed in its place in Wheezy, and to do that is to install Xfce in Squeeze and then do a dist-upgrade to get to Wheezy. But ... I don't know how and can't find instructions. When I search with Google I find lots of hits to pages that say it can be done and most also say it is easy, but *how* ? What CDs do I need? What packages do I install under Squeeze? I am at a loss. To me, it is important that I keep my computer bootable at every step of the way. It is my only link for getting useful help. Suggestions for alternative plans are welcome, but please don't suggest switching to a different distribution that is more forgiving of user error. I don't believe there is one, do you? My first firm question(s): What packages should I install from a Debian repository to get a working installation of Xfce that come up when the computer boots? What substeps are there to making this happen? A url that I can read? As far as I recall, if you already have X working, just the xfce4 metapackage should do the job. If you have a working graphical login already, you should be able to reboot then select an xfce session before logging in. If it doesn't work, you will be returned to the login and can try a different kind of session, then track down the error log to see what went wrong. To have a go at the larger question: while you have a working installation, get hold of Knoppix and burn it to a disc. There are many live distributions, but Knoppix is probably still the best for hardware driving. You don't want to mess about with trying to add drivers to a live distribution. The Knoppix DVD obviously contains more software than the CD, but the CD should be enough to deal with most problems. I'm assuming you don't currently have a live CD as you are emphasising the need to maintain a working machine. If you can borrow any live CD, or get one on a magazine cover, omit this step, but if you have to download one, make it Knoppix. Check that it does indeed boot up. Now you have a guaranteed working Internet machine, whatever mess you make of the hard drive, and also a reference hardware driver set if Wheezy gives you any trouble. You probably won't need it, but now you have a bit more confidence and will be willing to kick the machine a bit harder when it defies you, as it will. Now to work... You haven't made it completely clear where you are now: it appears you have a Squeeze with a graphical desktop running, probably on Gnome. If so, I think it will be difficult to move to Wheezy and completely avoid unwanted Gnome-ness. The best you can do is to install the xfce4 metapackage and then try to remove the big bits of Gnome. I have an ex-Gnome Sid/LXDE installation, and I think purging gnome-core and gnome-panel (which will kill the gnome metapackage) will discourage any attempt to upgrade the full Gnome system. You might try cleaning up a bit more with deborphan and related tools, and maybe aptitude why, and then try the dist-upgrade. You say that you don't fancy picking bits of Gnome out of your system, and I thoroughly agree, I'd start again from scratch. This time it will be quicker... I haven't ever installed xfce4 from scratch, so I can't be definitive here, but this is how I'd do it: make the smallest usable installation of Squeeze, nothing but the base system (some would say not even that), and do the dist-upgrade to Wheezy immediately. Any DE, even one of the lighter ones, is quite bulky and there is no point in downloading it all twice. Also, the less there is to begin with, the less chance a dist-upgrade will cause trouble. Moving from a brand new bare-bones Squeeze should present no problems, but read through the upgrade notes again,
Re: migration to wheezy and disaster recovery
Hi Paul, Paul Condon wrote: Last week I decided to dist-upgrade from Squeeze to Wheezy, thinking I would get in ahead of the rush of stragglers. I found a nice document with lots of step-by-step instruction, and particularly how to create a log file of the steps that I actually performed. Reference URL please? So that we can critique it and at least know what you were trying to be doing. I thought I was following it but I will never know because something went wrong and my failed attempts at recovery have lost the log file. Nothing was working. So sad. Sympathies. I found a 'business card' CD for Squeeze 6.0.5, that installed Squeeze 6.0.7, which is to be expected. What did you do? Did you throw away your damaged upgraded system and then start from scratch with a business card install of Squeeze 6? But all sorts of features haven't been configured to my habits. But you said you were using Squeeze 6 before. And from what you say above you smashed over your system with a fresh install of Squeeze 6 again now. It should all be the same packages. Of course if you smashed over your system with a pristine install then there won't be any customizations left from before. But you could reconfigure it the same as before and have just what you had before. I am just now able to email this list, but via gmail, and I am quite new at using gmail. Gmail is not a good mail user interface for mailing lists. It has several misfeatures for them. I think I know how to reply-to-list, but I really need help and apologize in advance for violations of Debian etiquette. In particular, this is being composed in Icedove, and I don't know how to limit the line length. Please, someone, tell me. So you aren't using Gmail. You are using Icedove. Or perhaps Icedove using IMAP through Gmail? Or Icedove through your system? Oh my gosh this is so confusing! You could be doing almost anything! I had been running Gnome/Squeeze before the disaster. At one point I caught a glimpse of the new Gnome3 that comes with Wheezy. I don't want to install it and then figure out how to remove it. I think I won't be finnished with my recovery until I get Xfce installed in its place in Wheezy, There are a *lot* of GNOME 2 refugees who fled to XFCE after seeing GNOME 3. You will be in good company there. and to do that is to install Xfce in Squeeze and then do a dist-upgrade to get to Wheezy. That will work. But that isn't the only way. I would probably suggest following the documented upgrade procedures to get from Squeeze 6 to Wheezy 7. Then install XFCE and use it. That would be the least number of steps. But if you have installed Squeeze 6 and want to install XFCE then that is no problem either. But ... I don't know how and can't find instructions. When I search with Google I find lots of hits to pages that say it can be done and most also say it is easy, but *how* ? Are you asking at installation time? Or after the system is installed? At system installation time boot the boot media. That would be any of CD#1, netinst, businesscard, whatever. At the installer screen it says Advanced options . Cursor down to it and press Enter. Cursor down to Alternative desktop environments and press Enter. Cursor down to Xfce and press Enter. That will take you back to the Install prompt setting you up for an xfce installation. Press enter on the Install prompt after having selected the Xfce option. There is another way too. You can type in install desktop=xfce at the install boot command line too. Either by reading the online help that describes it or by hitting TAB and editing the existing command line. But selecting it from the menu seems the easiest. What CDs do I need? If you are installing from scratch then you can use any of the CD images. CD#1, netinst or business card. Or probably any of the other available installation media. What packages do I install under Squeeze? If you have an already running system and want to install XFCE 4 then just install xfce4. # apt-get install xfce4 That will do it! That is a meta package and it will pull in all of the expected XFCE packages. It will be installed along side whatever else you had before. On Squeeze that is probably GNOME 2. You can then select it and log in using it. I am at a loss. To me, it is important that I keep my computer bootable at every step of the way. It is my only link for getting useful help. Suggestions for alternative plans are welcome, but please don't suggest switching to a different distribution that is more forgiving of user error. I don't believe there is one, do you? I would never suggest it. I believe Debian to be very forgiving of user error. And just look at the great help you are receiving from the mailing list! :-) My first firm question(s): What packages should I install from a Debian repository to get a working installation of Xfce The package name is xfce4. Install it. #
migration to wheezy and disaster recovery
Last week I decided to dist-upgrade from Squeeze to Wheezy, thinking I would get in ahead of the rush of stragglers. I found a nice document with lots of step-by-step instruction, and particularly how to create a log file of the steps that I actually performed. I thought I was following it but I will never know because something went wrong and my failed attempts at recovery have lost the log file. Nothing was working. I found a 'business card' CD for Squeeze 6.0.5, that installed Squeeze 6.0.7, which is to be expected. But all sorts of features haven't been configured to my habits. I am just now able to email this list, but via gmail, and I am quite new at using gmail. I think I know how to reply-to-list, but I really need help and apologize in advance for violations of Debian etiquette. In particular, this is being composed in Icedove, and I don't know how to limit the line length. Please, someone, tell me. I had been running Gnome/Squeeze before the disaster. At one point I caught a glimpse of the new Gnome3 that comes with Wheezy. I don't want to install it and then figure out how to remove it. I think I won't be finnished with my recovery until I get Xfce installed in its place in Wheezy, and to do that is to install Xfce in Squeeze and then do a dist-upgrade to get to Wheezy. But ... I don't know how and can't find instructions. When I search with Google I find lots of hits to pages that say it can be done and most also say it is easy, but *how* ? What CDs do I need? What packages do I install under Squeeze? I am at a loss. To me, it is important that I keep my computer bootable at every step of the way. It is my only link for getting useful help. Suggestions for alternative plans are welcome, but please don't suggest switching to a different distribution that is more forgiving of user error. I don't believe there is one, do you? My first firm question(s): What packages should I install from a Debian repository to get a working installation of Xfce that come up when the computer boots? What substeps are there to making this happen? A url that I can read? Thanks for reading and for whatever suggestions you can make. Paul -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/5169afb6.4030...@gmail.com
Re: migration to wheezy and disaster recovery
On Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:19:18 -0600 Paul Condon pecond...@gmail.com wrote: Last week I decided to dist-upgrade from Squeeze to Wheezy, thinking I would get in ahead of the rush of stragglers. I found a nice document with lots of step-by-step instruction, and particularly how to create a log file of the steps that I actually performed. I thought I was following it but I will never know because something went wrong and my failed attempts at recovery have lost the log file. Nothing was working. I found a 'business card' CD for Squeeze 6.0.5, that installed Squeeze 6.0.7, which is to be expected. But all sorts of features haven't been configured to my habits. I am just now able to email this list, but via gmail, and I am quite new at using gmail. I think I know how to reply-to-list, but I really need help and apologize in advance for violations of Debian etiquette. In particular, this is being composed in Icedove, and I don't know how to limit the line length. Please, someone, tell me. I had been running Gnome/Squeeze before the disaster. At one point I caught a glimpse of the new Gnome3 that comes with Wheezy. I don't want to install it and then figure out how to remove it. I think I won't be finnished with my recovery until I get Xfce installed in its place in Wheezy, and to do that is to install Xfce in Squeeze and then do a dist-upgrade to get to Wheezy. But ... I don't know how and can't find instructions. When I search with Google I find lots of hits to pages that say it can be done and most also say it is easy, but *how* ? What CDs do I need? What packages do I install under Squeeze? I am at a loss. To me, it is important that I keep my computer bootable at every step of the way. It is my only link for getting useful help. Suggestions for alternative plans are welcome, but please don't suggest switching to a different distribution that is more forgiving of user error. I don't believe there is one, do you? My first firm question(s): What packages should I install from a Debian repository to get a working installation of Xfce that come up when the computer boots? What substeps are there to making this happen? A url that I can read? As far as I recall, if you already have X working, just the xfce4 metapackage should do the job. If you have a working graphical login already, you should be able to reboot then select an xfce session before logging in. If it doesn't work, you will be returned to the login and can try a different kind of session, then track down the error log to see what went wrong. To have a go at the larger question: while you have a working installation, get hold of Knoppix and burn it to a disc. There are many live distributions, but Knoppix is probably still the best for hardware driving. You don't want to mess about with trying to add drivers to a live distribution. The Knoppix DVD obviously contains more software than the CD, but the CD should be enough to deal with most problems. I'm assuming you don't currently have a live CD as you are emphasising the need to maintain a working machine. If you can borrow any live CD, or get one on a magazine cover, omit this step, but if you have to download one, make it Knoppix. Check that it does indeed boot up. Now you have a guaranteed working Internet machine, whatever mess you make of the hard drive, and also a reference hardware driver set if Wheezy gives you any trouble. You probably won't need it, but now you have a bit more confidence and will be willing to kick the machine a bit harder when it defies you, as it will. Now to work... You haven't made it completely clear where you are now: it appears you have a Squeeze with a graphical desktop running, probably on Gnome. If so, I think it will be difficult to move to Wheezy and completely avoid unwanted Gnome-ness. The best you can do is to install the xfce4 metapackage and then try to remove the big bits of Gnome. I have an ex-Gnome Sid/LXDE installation, and I think purging gnome-core and gnome-panel (which will kill the gnome metapackage) will discourage any attempt to upgrade the full Gnome system. You might try cleaning up a bit more with deborphan and related tools, and maybe aptitude why, and then try the dist-upgrade. You say that you don't fancy picking bits of Gnome out of your system, and I thoroughly agree, I'd start again from scratch. This time it will be quicker... I haven't ever installed xfce4 from scratch, so I can't be definitive here, but this is how I'd do it: make the smallest usable installation of Squeeze, nothing but the base system (some would say not even that), and do the dist-upgrade to Wheezy immediately. Any DE, even one of the lighter ones, is quite bulky and there is no point in downloading it all twice. Also, the less there is to begin with, the less chance a dist-upgrade will cause trouble. Moving from a brand new bare-bones Squeeze should present no problems, but read through the upgrade notes again, just to be
