SuSE Install Probs!

[Taishi]

1st. i do manual install

2nd. i tell it 2 load my eepro100 card (It wants parameters but i just hit enter and it works)

3rd. i try to do FTP but i dont know SuSE's FTP IP Address, is there an easier way? Plz help

[brockmasterflex]

yeah use red hat 8 :D

[Taishi]

Well i just wanna try SuSE, plz help me someone

[joesbox]

here is an ip that you can us to install in about 2 hours with cable (that is what i have and the time it took for me)
140.221.9.138

when it asks for the files to use put in:
/pub/ftp.suse.com/i386/8.1/

and that should work for you

the name for the site is:
ftp://mirror.mcs.anl.gov/pub/ftp.suse.com/i386/8.1/.
hope this helps

[DoctorKaos]

Hello JOES_BOX.

I too am struggling to get suse installed via ftp.

Could you elaborate a bit on this:

"when it asks for the files to use put in"

What is "it" ?
How will "it" ask ? A prompt ?



This is my setup:
I'm running mandrake,
I'm installing a new hd, and I would like to install suse on that new hd.

I don't know how to get the install going.

[joesbox]

go here (ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/current/README.FTP)
and read up on how to install. you will have to get the floppy install file or you can download the iso for the install disc. from there you reboot your computer and follow the instructions. the only thing that you will need to really know is what i gave you in my last post. you will get prompts for what you need to input. as far as installing onto a seperate partition or hdd then i am not really sure. i haven't had to do that. i keep everything on one drive. hope that helps

[DoctorKaos]

Thanks.

Let's just hope I won't be required to enter obscure and cryptic commands at some wretched prompt, otherwise I'm fried!

[DoctorKaos]

I did the boot floppy;

(dd if=etc... of=etc...)

I boot from the floppy, get the suse install interface, write in the ftp address (suse's ftp site)

I get the progress bar
I put in the modules1 floppy when instructed to do so
then, when the progress bar reaches the end, the screen goes black, and THAT'S IT !

So what's the secret of your success?

[kjbetz]

I don't know about the screen going black...

also, you shouldn't really have to do the manual install thingy... unless your net-card isn't detected.

One of the lines in the install guide / file says at the very first screen for install... in the box on the bottom, enter a command... it's a full line, this includes the url of the ftp site you are going to use.

That will tell the installer to detect your net-card, and then proceed from there.

[joesbox]

this is what i did.
--d/l the iso disc
--let it got to regular install instead of following the instructions an inputting the install command.
--it then says something to the fact that it could not find the next disc or something like that then takes me back to manual install.
--before i actually install i make sure that the kernel module for my ethernet card is installed by going to the kernel module install selection. you will have to know the name of your cards name.(if you read everything as it goes it will make sense)
--now you can go back and do the install. when it asks for what kind of install (choices are ftp, http, cdrom, harddisc) choose ftp. at this point (i think) it will ask you if you want to use dhcp for your nic. i use static ip so i choose no and go thru the setup. then it will ask for the ftp's ip address. us the one in the above reply from me. (the faster one) you can then go thru the install.

[DoctorKaos]

I'm missing something here.

The instructions (README.FTP) say to create 3 floppies;
1 - create the boot floppy from the bootdisk file using the dd if=etc...etc... command. I did that.
2 - create a modules1 floppy from the modules1 file in the same way the boot floppy was made (ie: dd if=etc...). I did that.
3 - create a modules3 floppy from the modules3 file the same way the modules1 floppy was made. Apparently, the moddules3 floppy has to do with the network(?), whatever that means. I did that.

Now, the install.

1 - I start the computer with the boot floppy in.
2 - I get a "real mode" type of graphical interface giving me a few choices of install methods which I leave on the default install choice.
3 - In the appropriate line, I write the ftp address (suse's ftp install site), then punch "enter"
4 - Stuff begin to happen; a progress bar appears and about 30 seconds later I am instructed to put in the modules1 floppy.
5 - After putting in the modules1 floppy, the progress bar continues, saying that it is installing the kernel (?!?!?!?!? - I thought a kernel was about 25MB, but what the hell do I know), and after about one minute of that, the progress bar reaches the end and my screen goes black, and that's it! It just stays that way.

What I don't understand is, at that stage, there has been no ISP configured since the os is not installed, so what difference does it make whether it detects my nic or not?
How can it contact the ftp site to start the actual install process if it doesn't even have an ISP/DNS to connect to?
Wouldn't that explain the black screen?

On the other hand, maybe at that point it is supposed to ask me to put the modules3 floppy in so that I can enter an ISP ip number, but it doesn't. The screen just stays black, and I can only get out of it by pressing the reset button.

By now I'm super careful, and I double- and triple-check all of my entries and actions to make sure I'm not being sloppy.

Doesn't make sense.

[joesbox]

i don't know what it is that is going wrong. you may want to try using the install cd instead of the floppy. i know that it may be longer to d/l the iso but it has worked for me with the only problem being that it took too long to install from the suse.com ftp server. i have listed the ftp site that i used above if you want to use it instead of suse.com

[DoctorKaos]

Don't have the cd. That's why I'm trying the FTP install.

What about my previous question.
How can there be an FTP install if there is no ISP configured?

[joesbox]

if you read the README (ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/current/README.FTP) there is a section on where to d/l the iso. i understand that you don't have the disc. i am suggesting to you to download the disc. then burn the disc from the iso. that way i can help you if you run into a problem and you are using a way that i have used then i could help you. if you can't d/l and burn the disc then i don't think that i can help you and you will have to try something else. i personally don't like the idea of the ftp install cause you have to rely on the speed of two servers (your isp's and the ftp that you are d/l'ing from) i would prefer to have the disc's but i don't think that i will buy the disc's when i am still exploring distros. if you have the money or are set on using SuSE then i would suggest to buy the OS from the company.
i am sorry if i am no help but remember that i am still a newbie too.
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edit
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you can still do the ftp install with the d/l'ed iso disc

[elderdays]

I've installed Suse 8.1 over FTP twice and it was a pain both times.

Ping the names of the FTP servers to get their IP address if you want, but I think I tried most of them near me and the only one that worked ever was the mirror.mcs.anl.gov one.

I made a boot disk on CD. They have an image to download for that.

Their instructions on suse.com worked for me, but it was really quirky. I had to try several times before it finally worked.

Be patient. When you get it, it really is a nice distro.

[DoctorKaos]

Hi elderdays and JOES_BOX,

I have no cd burner.
That's why all this silly bs with the floppies.

Today I worked like a madman trying every conceivable way to get this FTP install going, and it looks like it just won't happen.

I must be missing some little detail somewhere.

Anyhoo, I'll wait 'till I get the cd set.

Thanks for all your kind efforts at helping me.

[jegs2]

I installed SuSE Linux 8.1 on my Sony Viao F-430 without too much difficulty. Still have to configure a few odds and ends, and I did leave 3 gigs of space for Win 98, making it a split-OS system. Got help from this:
http://www.de-srv.com/linux/sonyF450.html

[DoctorKaos]

Thanks. That's good info.