Re: [DNG] Install experiments with FAT partition sda1

[dan pridgeon]

  

The following are some notes from my install experiences.
(Thanks to Katolaz and Golinux for your help.)
I downloaded a fresh copy of netinstall to do a fresh install on bare
metal to an SSD on which I had Devuan working before; an upgrade from
Jessie.  I started from scratch.  I had previously set the drive up like
this:(below) During the Netinstall using Graphical Mode, I found some
interesting behavior and I thought I would try and document it. I had
the hard drive (250GB SSD) set up for some possible experimentation
with dual booting DOS/Windows later and to create a possible corner case for
the install. 

(BTW, the Screenshot captures during Graphical Install
mode do not appear to be preserved.)


Here's the drive: 


/dev/sda12GB  /dosFAT16  (first partition  – previously formatted)
/dev/sda22GB  /boot   ext2
/dev/sda3Extended Partition
/dev/sda42GB  /   ext2
/dev/sda5   40GB  /usrext3
/dev/sda6  150GB  /home   ext3 
/dev/sda75GB  /varext3 
/dev/sda85GB  /optext3
/dev/sda95GB  /usr/local ext3



The installation got to some point in the "Select and Install software" step 
and stopped with a failure to mount on one of the ext3 drives.  Continue, took 
me back to the "Select and Install software" list.  I tried 2-3 times with the 
same result: back to the list on the same step. So I backed up to partition the 
drives step and selected each partition in order to re-format them.  There is 
no option to force a format of FAT partitions so I let it go.  After continue, 
I got a "found uncorrected errors" on the FAT16 partition. Since I didn't have 
a format option, I decided to change it to FAT32 to force a format.  This got 
past that error.  As I recall, the install got back to about the same point 
deep in the Select and Install step and produced the same mount error.  
Continue, took me back to the list.  So I backed up to the partitioning step 
again and went through and selected the "erase all data" option to clear the 
data fields on all partitions.  This did not change the failure, so I went back 
to the partition step. Next time through the partitioning step, I got the 
"found uncorrected errors" message but on the FAT32 partition. Upon changing it 
to back to FAT16, I could get past this error.  

Then I got an "unable to mount" failure on the ext3 partition.  Since there is 
no way to force a re-format option on that failing drive (the option is missing 
from the menu at that point --and I didn't change the fs type), the only way I 
could figure out to reformat that partition was to change the file system type 
so I changed it to ext4.  This solved the error on that partition,  but the 
problem immediatly moved to another ext3 partition. This kept happening on each 
install pass until I had visited all but one of the ext3 partitions.

This looks like reusing stale data without properly re-intializing the 
variable(s). I suspected the graphical presentation software at the time but I 
have no hard evidence. 

[At the point of install mount failure, it indicates that there is more 
information in  /var/log/syslog  and/or  Terminal4. (I think that's alt-F4?)  
Of course, not having finished the install, i don't think there is enough 
functionality to get to those. I'm thinking I should be able to live-boot 
Knoppix (is that a bad word?) and maybe mount the /var partition and look at 
the syslog if I knew what to grep for in the log.]
So I  left the Graphical Mode and started using the "Install" option.  
Installation went through to completion. 
Booted and logged in. Everything is so slow. Don't know who is sucking up 
the cpu. Also there is no wireless connection to the internet even though it 
just finished installing via the internet. Launching wicd does not find 
anything.  I don't know how to use the ip commands to debug that or get the 
status of the adapter. 

Continuing the next day I did some testing. I could not induce a mounting 
error, so

that's a different problem. The question is:

“Does the Graphical Install option recover correctly from a “failure to

mount” condition?" 

  Here's the pattern I've discovered. If I have the partitions set up as 
described above, and I go through the manual setup process I can consistently 
reproduce the "uncorrected errors" error found on the FAT partitions.


IIRC, I formated the drive earlier using the GParted (gksu) option found in my 
Refracta fall-back setup that's on a different SSD. So I assume its standard 
bios/FAT partitions.   The 'partman'  partitioner does not complain that the 
first partition on the drive is a 2GB FAT partition. However, I did reduce the 
size to 200 MB and that was accepted.  2GB was now rejected.  268 MB works but 
269 does not.  If you attempt 269MB or greater, partman will  ask if you want 
to change a FAT16 to a FAT32 partition, and if so, it warns that any installed 
windows OS will be destroyed. 

With 'no format F' option scheduled for the FAT 

Re: [DNG] printing in a D-Bus free system

[Dave Turner]

On 13/03/18 20:09, Menelaos Maglis wrote:

Hi,

I tried to print from a D-Bus free system to a HP DeskJet, WiFi connected, 
printer.
CUPS is installed but complained about missing back-end.

/var/log/cups/error.log:
Stopping job because the scheduler could not execute the backend.
File \"/usr/lib/cups/backend/hp\" not available: No such file or directory

hplip, which I know works with the printer, depends on D-Bus and is currently 
not installed.
What "backend" am I missing?
Can I print without D-Bus?

Regards,
Menelaos

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I use hplip and yes dbus is installed.

I run a very minimal ascii/ceres system and following the trail of 
things dependent on dbus - well, unless somebody knows better it looks 
like we are stuck with it.


Apart from being unable to print, what happens in your system without 
elogind or the various 'pam' things that need dbus?


What are you using instead of them?

I just might be about to learn something new!

DaveT

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[DNG] printing in a D-Bus free system

[Menelaos Maglis]

Hi,

I tried to print from a D-Bus free system to a HP DeskJet, WiFi connected, 
printer.
CUPS is installed but complained about missing back-end.

/var/log/cups/error.log:
Stopping job because the scheduler could not execute the backend.
File \"/usr/lib/cups/backend/hp\" not available: No such file or directory

hplip, which I know works with the printer, depends on D-Bus and is currently 
not installed.
What "backend" am I missing?
Can I print without D-Bus?

Regards,
Menelaos

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Re: [DNG] Used *and* free hardware

[dan pridgeon]

  From: Didier Kryn 
 To: dng@lists.dyne.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2018 5:03 AM
 Subject: Re: [DNG] Used *and* free hardware
   
Le 13/03/2018 à 07:46, taii...@gmx.com a écrit :
> That PowerPC laptop project is never going to happen because they have 
> no money for it and it shouldn't happen because PowerPC is old and 
> dead - the new hotness is POWER and making a POWER laptop is entirely 
> achievable you can downclock one of the (4 threads/core) SMT4 4 core 
> CPU's to a mobile workstation level of for instance 50W of course 
> allowing users to re-clock to max on AC power.

     I think there's a question of wording here. AFAIK, POWER is the 
name of an evolution of the Powerpc achitecture. And, after POWER, there 
have been POWER followed by a serial number. But I think the fundamental 
design principle are the same and they all still belong to the family of 
Powerpc.

         Didier


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Does ths help?
POWER9 - Microarchitectures - IBM
  
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POWER9 - Microarchitectures - IBM
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 https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/ibm/microarchitectures/power9#SMT4_core   ___
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Re: [DNG] Please, provide a means to remove the default wallpapers.

[fsmithred]

On 03/12/2018 06:34 PM, KatolaZ wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 05:44:07PM -0400, fsmithred wrote:
> 
> [cut]
> 
>>
>> Adding it as a dep is a good idea. Once it's installed, it can be found in
>> the menu under "Other" in xfce. I'm not sure where it shows up in other
>> menus. The user can dig through the menu and find it once, then copy the
>> .desktop files to their desktop. They're in /usr/share/applications/
>> LARGER_FONTS.desktop and SMALLER_FONTS.desktop
>>
>> Getting the icons on the desktop in the live iso is easy - I just put a
>> copy in the rootfs_overlay and it gets copied to the target. I'm not sure
>> what the best way would be to do this automatically.
>>
>> OK, this works, too. It copies the .desktop files to the current user's
>> desktop.
>>
>> xdg-desktop-icon install --novendor LARGER_FONTS.desktop
>>
>> xdg-desktop-icon install --novendor SMALLER_FONTS.desktop
>>
>>
> 
> 
> Hi fsmithred,
> 
> I was thinking more to an incantation, in the same style of those made
> by desktop-base ;)
> 
> HND
> 
> KatolaZ
> 

I tried thinking of that, but it made my head hurt. I don't know of a
config file in xfce that says what icons are on the desktop. Somewhere,
there's something for the Home, Trash, Filesystem and Removable drives
that you can select in a settings checkbox, but I suspect that's not a
plain text config file that can be replaced with an edited version.

Put the files in /etc/skel? That would be easy, but it would only work for
new users. Does d-i create the user before or after desktop-base is installed?

fsr



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Re: [DNG] Used *and* free hardware (was: Re: The FSF seems to have finally sold out)

[Luciano Mannucci]

On Mon, 12 Mar 2018 17:37:56 -0700
Rick Moen  wrote:

> Personally, I think it makes a lot more sense to let this stuff go.
> IMO, Devuan has enough to handle without delving into specialty hardware.
Well, Yes you're right on the G3 (Mine is running freebsd; I use it as
a tty for telnet && ssh :). The apple G4 and G5 are still around, many
are even servers. Being orphaned by Apple makes them available for a
supported OS; as far as I know the only de-systemd-ized for them now
is freebsd.
And of course adding a supported CPU adds visibility ;-)

Just my 2 cents.

Luciano.
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Re: [DNG] Used *and* free hardware

[Didier Kryn]

Le 13/03/2018 à 07:46, taii...@gmx.com a écrit :
That PowerPC laptop project is never going to happen because they have 
no money for it and it shouldn't happen because PowerPC is old and 
dead - the new hotness is POWER and making a POWER laptop is entirely 
achievable you can downclock one of the (4 threads/core) SMT4 4 core 
CPU's to a mobile workstation level of for instance 50W of course 
allowing users to re-clock to max on AC power.


    I think there's a question of wording here. AFAIK, POWER is the 
name of an evolution of the Powerpc achitecture. And, after POWER, there 
have been POWER followed by a serial number. But I think the fundamental 
design principle are the same and they all still belong to the family of 
Powerpc.


        Didier


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Re: [DNG] Used *and* free hardware

[Didier Kryn]

Le 13/03/2018 à 02:29, Steve Litt a écrit :

On Mon, 12 Mar 2018 17:37:56 -0700
Rick Moen  wrote:


Quoting Luciano Mannucci (luci...@vespaperitivo.it):


Hmm, I guess that a couple of virtual machines under KVM/Qemu on an
IBM S802L Power8 are'nt enough... (I could provide them :)
I have an old G4 MacBook that I should check to see if it is still
working...

I have an antique G3 Macbook, so I'm one up on you, there.  ;->  It
still functions, for long-ago values of 'function'.

Sometimes, people ask me what it runs, and the usual answer is 'It
doesn't run anything, exactly; it walks Debian briskly.'

Personally, I think it makes a lot more sense to let this stuff go.
IMO, Devuan has enough to handle without delving into specialty
hardware. (Just my two zorkmids and change.  Your Views May
Differ.{tm})

There are a couple kinds of specialty hardware:

1) Antiquated stuff

2) Newish stuff that just might make it

Examples of #1 are VAX, PowerPC, Sun hardware. Examples of #2 are
various Raspberry Pi's, Beaglebone, various modern SOC's.

IMHO #1 is a waste of time, just like Rick said. #2 might be a good
thing, so as to get a sans-systemd distro onto tiny computers and not
forfeit to Debian's specialty OS.


    Powerpc isn't antique at all. The architecture is extremely modern, 
compared to Intel's and its clones'. It's a RISC architecture, with all 
instructions the same length. The problem, on the contrary, is that they 
are developping this architecture too actively and going in different 
directions, making it difficult for the software to follow. For me, the 
option of running Powerpc in LE mode is an answer to software written by 
loose programmers who assume, even unconciously, that the arch is LE. 
Following the Debian-Powerpc mailing list, one can read of  lot of 
examples of this.


    Didier

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Re: [DNG] Used *and* free hardware

[taii...@gmx.com]

That PowerPC laptop project is never going to happen because they have 
no money for it and it shouldn't happen because PowerPC is old and dead 
- the new hotness is POWER and making a POWER laptop is entirely 
achievable you can downclock one of the (4 threads/core) SMT4 4 core 
CPU's to a mobile workstation level of for instance 50W of course 
allowing users to re-clock to max on AC power.


To make a custom laptop you need millions in cash, it might as well be 
something good.

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