Mandrake 10.0 Community Edition installation
As I subscribed to MandrakeClub as a Silver member, I could download the 5 ISO images of the Mandrake Linux 10.0 Community Powerpack Edition, which comes with all commercial and contributed packages, via BitTorrent.
Once burned the 5 CDs, I rebooted with the first CD inserted, pressed F1 and passed "vgahi expert" at the "boot:" prompt.
vgahi enables a nice 1024x768 framebuffer console, and with expert it is possible to change the keyboard layout used in the installation process, and even select the available CDs to get the corresponding package list.
HINT:Parameters' order is important to use all of them.
In the packages selection, I use to deselect all package groups and check "Individual package selection".
Then I check "With basic documentation (recommended!)" and "With X", toggle to "flat" packages view, leave "Show automatically selected packages" checked and check all the packages I want to use.
Additional steps
After packages installation, I follow these additional steps in the "Summary" screen:
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System
- Keyboard: Italian
- Country: Italy
- Timezone: Europe/Rome
- Mouse:Any PS/2 or USB Mouse (auto-detected)
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Hardware
- Printer: I use to start the configuration, as it installs required packages, without adding any printer. (Answer "Yes" to "Do you really want to configure printing on this secure installation?")
- Sound card: The soundcard is detected as "[SiS]|SiS7012 PCI Audio Accelerator", and it works (using ALSA) with the auto-selected snd-intel8x0 driver
- Graphical interface: Select "Flat Panel 1400x1050". Don't enable 3D acceleration on the autodetected "Radeon (fglrx)" card, because it will freeze the notebook (see here for further details). I also use to boot in non-graphical mode and start X if needed.
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Network & Internet
- Network: Configuration correctly detects the network card, using sis900 module. After setting up the network, firewall configuration starts.
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Security
- Security level: Check "Use libsafe for servers"
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Boot
- Bootloader: Configure LILO enabling ACPI, forcing no APIC and checking "clean /tmp at each boot".
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Services
- Services: I use to start all servers (sshd, httpd2, mysqld, netfs, samba, proftpd) only when I need them.
First boot
I reboot and kernel 2.6.3-4mdk loads without big problems (see dmesg).
Wireless networking
The wireless card works perfectly using the drivers built with ndiswrapper project.
Once downloaded ndiswrapper-0.4.tar.gz (released 2004-01-06), do the following (as root):
[worm:~] # tar zxf ndiswrapper-0.4.tar.gz
[worm:~] # cd ndiswrapper
[worm:~/ndiswrapper] # sh install.sh (*)
and give the parameters to the device with a script like this.
(*) this script asks for the full path of the windows xp driver, which is (in my case) /data/Software/Linux/ndiswrapper/bcmwl5.inf
XFree86
For the moment, I could only get the X Window System work with the autodetected "Radeon (fglrx)" driver, but WITHOUT 3D acceleration.
Enabling 3D acceleration causes the X server to freeze, and it's impossible to go back to a working situation without turning off the system.
This is the auto-generated XF86Config-4 configuration file.
Note that the unique mouse entry (using device /dev/mouse) works for both the touchpad and the USB Mouse.
The only way to left-click using the touchpad is (at this very moment) using left clic button, I still have to try if synaptics driver can make it work properly.
TODO list
I still have to make ATI drivers and touchpad work properly, and post information about asus_acpi (to use leds and quick launch buttons), firewire and modem.
I hope you will find some of these information useful.
If you have any suggestion for helping me to get everything to work, please email me.
bibe at atworkonline dot it
