[Bio-Linux] Re: (no subject) (Siddharth Ray)

[Milo Thurston]

In message <1046172940.4480.6393.camel at nema> you wrote:
>Would it be possible to have a script run at inititialisation which asks
>the user (or queries the system) for information on the hardware (Video,
>Extra Disks etc) 

At present, anyone installing on non-standard hardware will encounter
kudzu - Red Hat's hardware detection system. Assuming that one answers
yes to each question (I didn't find this, shall I remove the config.?, and
I found this, shall I configure it?) then all the changes in hardware
will be dealt with efficiently.
Kudzu won't: 
1. Write a new XF86Config file.
2. Run fdisk/mkfs/vi fstab for you.

>which if non-standard drops the user into single user
>non-graphics mode so that the appropriate configuration executables can
>be run. 

By default, the machine boots to run level 3, so X will not run. One
can then log in as manager and run xfree86 --configure as well as
the usual setup script, fdisk etc.

>As it stands at the moment, it is very difficult to get to
>single-user mode, 

By design, because it is not necessary to do so in order to set the machine
up.

>which means you get stuck with an unconfigured blank
>screen.

In some of the older releases this may have been the case, but before
handing it all over to Dan I changed things so that run level 3 is the
default. Thus, the machine will always be usable no matter how odd
the hardware you install it on.

>Before this happens the installation can tell the user what they need to
>do and if this fails then point the user to the appropriate Linux forum.

What the user needs to do is install on appropriate hardware ;-)
'bye,
Milo.

--
Milo Thurston, CEH Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR.
'phone 01865 281658,  fax 01865 281696.
http://www.bioinf.ceh.ac.uk/lab/