[TriLUG] And here's more on installing Knoppix from another source: Lockergnome's Penguin Shell Newsletter

[al johson]

The following text was taken from the latest Penguin Shell Newsletter from
the Lockergnome folks. This newsletter has just recently changed writers and
so the writing may still seem a little rough.---Al Johnson.
=================================

Graeme Dixon was just dying to share his experiences on Knoppix (a Linux
distribution you can run straight from CD) with you. I'm going to be
covering this later in the distro series, but it doesn't hurt to have more
than one perspective, so here goes!
"Linux on ATARI? Yes, well, that's where I started... slow, but unbreakable.
I have sinced looked at RedHat, SuSE, and lately, Knoppix on a P2/350MHz and
would like to share a few tips with beginners who are envisaging meddling
with Knoppix CD installation (or non-installation, in fact).
"First - visit the Knoppix site, and check out your hardware compatibility.
No use spending hours partitioning and installing only to find the modem and
the printer and the webcam and, and, and... are not supported. My box is
going on four years old, and most of it is well supported, but the newer USB
modem is not (maybe in kernel 2.5.x?) and the Tekram SCSI card only 'just'
works after much patching.

"Second, at current prices, a 2nd HD is an excellent investment and will
allow you a completely autonomous definitive installation if you are going
down that road, and avoid all the worrying LILO stuff and possible inherent
MBR damage. You should boot from a floppy - it's a little longer, but if you
need/want to keep your Windows environment, it's the safest method. I
recommend 'Partition Magic' for pre-installation partition creation. It
handles Linux partitions just fine. You'll need about 4Go for the principal
partition and a second 'swap' partition of 400Ko (ample). [Note from
Dee-Ann: I believe that translates to 4GB and 400Kb.] P.M. runs under M$_DOS
with a clear graphic interface, so it's an easy and effective program and
the task will be much easier than under the Knoppix installation procedures.

"An error in my doc. The command for the hard disk installation is NOT
knx-install, but knx-hdinstall. You'll be asked to perform this command from
a 'root' shell, but when using the CD, you don't really have 'root'
privileges. :) This can be circumvented by going to the 'K' (in KDE window
environment) menu, then 'knoppix', then 'Root shell'.

"Once your HD installation is finished, re-boot from the floppy. You may
have to change your BIOS settings to "see" the floppy before the C:\
partition or CD-ROM. Then to kppp, the Internet Dialing program (or DSL
equivalent, if you're so lucky), and configure your modem. If it's plugged
into COM1, then you'll need to access it under ttys0 under Knoppix. The KDE
documentation, or the 'Lea Book' if it's included in the /home/knoppix
folder, are good information centres for setting up your Internet
connection. Once you're connected, things get better - you can try the
Mozilla browser, mailer, etc., chat on Kirc. and set up your mail accounts.
Have fun.

"DO NOT DO ANYTHING AS ROOT. If you are just starting out in Linux in
general and Knoppix in particular, you have some long nights ahead reading
HOWTOs, MAN(ual) pages, and posting questions in the Knoppix forum (a good,
quick, reliable source of information, and they don't shout at newbies like
on some chat channels).

"Once you've had a look at most of the software, and have got your hardware
up and running, you'll probably need to go for a kernel upgrade. Knoppix is
a Debian-based distribution, which is a little weird if you are new to
Linux, or have only used other distributions before. The Debian package
utilities handle most upgrades and installations perfectly, but are somewhat
devoid of real-time information when they're doing their thing. A good
Debian-Linux starter manual would be a blessing if one could be found.

"You may have better luck than I have had. This is where a DSL/Broadband
internet connection comes in handy - some programs are massive.

"May the force be with you."

Thanks, Graeme!