Eco2Geek, thanks...

[Cuddles]

As subject suggests, thank you Eco2Geek...

I got the CD-ROM of Knoppix v3.4 just before going on vacation, and couldn't resist popping it in, before shutting down the system for 2.5 weeks...

I am seriously impressed with the new version :!:

It is slick, quick, and even though I need to "examine" what I need to "carry over" from my v3.3 configs, and set up my partitions better, before I "gut and install" this new version, I can't wait to get running v3.4 now.

Now that I am back from vacation, ( I bought a Linux Sys Admin for beginners book, over vacation ), I have some ideas on my new system configuration. Even though the book details administration for a Red Hat system, most of the information is "transferable" to a Knoppix install. Suggestions (from the book) are to break a partition scheme down to usr, home, tmp, swap, etc... but never mentions the sizes for them, I guess you just take how many partitions you need, devide your total size of the drive by that, and make your partitions that size?? Oh well, I guess I'll just go with the "whole drive in one partition again..."

Thanks again Eco2Geek, ( your package should be in the mail in a few days ), for your help, again,
Ms. Cuddles

[eco2geek]

It was my pleasure. (Glad to see you back; was beginning to wonder how it worked out. Sometimes home-burned CDs can be cantankerous on other "CD players." Boy, two and a half weeks is an awfully long time to be without your computer! :wink: )

Hopefully Kanotix BH6 will be out soon, and then we'll see how well keeping a separate /home partition between versions works.

[Cuddles]

Eco2Geek,

I was going through some major computer withdrawl symptoms, hence, why I got the Sys Admin book - The location for vacation was without computer resources, either a physical computer or a connection, so the book kept me "thinking" about Linux, at least. BTW, the CD appears to be perfect; I booted it off a DVD player, which is my "first" CD-ROM device in the cable chain.

I've done a "file" backup of my /etc, /bin, /sbin, /usr, /var, /home, and /root folders to my "backup" hard drive - I have also "exported" my address book and bookmarks - hoping to "migrate" to v3.4 in the next few days. I have taken note of all the packages I have installed, and will have to re-install after the migration. Having about twenty "postie-notes" of "chicken scribbles" on them, of settings and configurations, I hope that I have "everything" I need for the "gut 'n' install" ready. ( ? )

I would still like to break up my partitions on this install, but, don't have sizing down for them, or the how to of doing it. The Admin book suggests this breaking up, and many here have suggested the same thing, but, I don't have enough information on the subject, yet, to do it, so I think I am going to be forced to just do a single partition install again. Not sure if I want to go with the "experimental" kernel 2.6, running off the CD for testing, it didn't seem to be a problem, other than "XBoing" appeared to run "way" too fast, for some odd reason, (this being the only issue I could find in the new kernel).

I think I am ready for the install, just getting "cold" feet in the actual "doing it" phase; thinking of all the apt-get updates, and apt-get installs, I am going to need to do, afterwords, sheesh...

Good luck with your "upgrade", and thanks again for the new version CD,
Ms. Cuddles

[j.drake]

I really think that Qtparted is a very simple to use partitioning program -very intuitive. I found partitioning to be one of the least scary aspects of a HD install. I figure that if I'm going to do an HD install ( and, BTW, I'm working up MY courage also), might as well do it right. Besides, sounds like you have everything backed up, and you already have one of the best rescue utilities around.

I love 2.6. I wish Knoppix would just standardize on it and get rid of all this dual kernel nonsense. It's more than proven itself in my book. The only problems I've had with 2.6 came as a direct result of this dual kernel crud (e.g., modprobe isn't finding wifi driver because they jacked around with the directories to accommodate the dual kernels, and didn't change the directory names in the script to match). The 2.4 kernel gives me more problems and less functionality.

Personally, I'm going to wait for the next version, at least, in hopes that they will standardize on the most recent kernel. Besides, news.com reported that previous kernels have a hole that was repaired with the release of the 2.7 kernel (a very minor hole that is not directly exploitable by outsiders, but it carries the possibility that a user might run malicious code and cause problems. Given your expressed concerns about stability and security, this might be very important to you, though). Nevertheless, installing 3.4 would not be a mistake, as it is by far the best release I've seen in the last year, particularly with the newer kernel.

jd

[Cuddles]

j.drake,

I'm sold :!:

Can you provide an easy explaination on partitioning the install?

Given a hard drive of, say, 41 gb - of this, 500 mb is taken for SWAP, what would be a given structure for division? ( in either gb or mb )

Is it possible to break a smaller drive, as this is, into chunks, and would it be advantageous to do this?

I already know that ext3 has a little overhead, since I have a complete 41 gb hard drive for v3.3 installed - 500 mb given for swap, I should have 40.5 gb left for my ext3 partition, but KDiskFree reports that the partition is only 37.3 gb - so thats 3.2 gb of "overhead" not being accounted for...

I would think this "overhead" will come into play if a partition is then devided even further into more partitions - i.e. 1 partition of ext3 = 3.2 gb overhead, 2 partitions of ext3 = 6.4 gb overhead, 3 partitions = 9.6 gb, etc... This breaking a drive up can cost in overhead if it goes too far, I would guess ?????

One of my "main" hold-backs for going to the install, is seeing if I can get this partition thing done at the same time, from what I hear, it should make the next "upgrade" easier.

Thanks for any, and all, assistance,
Ms. Cuddles

[j.drake]

Personally, I would follow THIS advice:

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15492#15492

He's saved my sorry butt quite a few times here. For some reason, he's not posting that much any more.

The only thing I might want to look at further, and it may not be an issue for you, is that I would like to have a large vfat data partition that is sharable betweek linux and WinXP. If memory serves, someone said that Windows won't read more than one primary partition, so I might be inclined to set it up as a logical partition, to ensure that I can access it from either OS. From reading your posts in the past, it sounds like you're fairly comfortable in linux, and you may not be interested in a dual boot. If you are, is your 41 gig drive a second drive, and is sharing data even an issue? Does the 41 gig include Windows? If your 41 gig is reserved for linux only, I would follow Rickenbacherus' advice as is.

jd

[j.drake]

Funny how the same people have the right answers . . . here's a post from your buddy eco2geek (who has been a tremendous help to me in the past also), talking about that Windows one primary partition thing:

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=50314#50314

Note that his post also has a link to a guide on partitioning. Haven't had time to read it, but on first glance, it looks pretty comprehensive.

jd

[Cuddles]

j.drake,

The drive in question, is stricly used for Knoppix, the whole 41 gb, I do have an 80 gb second hard drive, which has my Win98 install - only for Wine support, and a "huge" -=- backup -=- ext3 partition. Dual Boot is not needed, or of a concern, I am only "running" Knoppix...

I will look at the post you suggested, and I would say, it will be perfect for my situation. ( knowing Rickenbacherus' responses, it should work for what I am thinking :) )

Buddy, huh, LOL, is that what "we've" become now ???? Anyway, Eco2Geek is a good friend, as many are in this site, I appreciate the help from those who helped me, and only hope, that when they need help, I can provide it, as well. Some I trust, enough to "gut" my system with good advice, some, maybe not so trusting, but all, worth suggestions.

HMMMMMM, reminds me, Eco2Geek, that WMF compiled source you got me a way back, can I just install the executable you gave me into the kernel 2.6 as is, or do I need to recompile from the source?

Thanks J.Drake, and to you too Eco2Geek for the help,
Ms. Cuddles

[j.drake]

I also had this bookmarked (from RedHat):

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/install-guide/s1-diskpartitioning.html#S2-DISKPARTRECOMMEND

It gives their recommendations for partitions. Subsequent pages give advice on bootloaders and networking.

And even though you say you aren't dual booting, they had this also:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/install-guide/ch-x86-dualboot.html

Which looks really useful. Even if you don't use it, maybe it will help someone searching the forum for help.

Oh, and I KNEW I had this somewhere, Rickenbacherus weighs in again on partitioning, this time with a 40 gig NTFS HD shared with WindowsXP on a laptop:

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16689#16689

And HERE, with a dual boot, allocating 20 gig to Knoppix:

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/templates/fiplain/images/icon_minipost.gif

HTH

jd

[Cuddles]

Not sure of this, but I definatelly know Eco2Geek has been at least ONE of the people who have been "sponsoring" this package... So...

Thank you to any, and all, who have been stating to use kaffeine instead of Xine - I didn't even try Xine in the new kernel 2.6.6 from v3.4 - I went straight for kaffeine after getting my apt-get install stuff out of the way...

Very Nice interface, I like it for the DVD playing... I did have a problem with the "libdvdnav" from watching a konsole run of kaffeine, it would die, apparently on "RCE encryption" something or other... Then I realized that this was pointing to a libdvdcss problem, which in turn, came down to the "same old" Xine dvd lib problem, documented many times in these forums - the "standard" Xine DVD lib that you need to acquire to even get Xine to play a dvd... "libdvdcss2" - I then pulled out my Documentation ( provided by Stephen a while back ), did the dpkg install of the already downloaded lib, and PRESTO - Kaffeine played beautifully.

I have to admit that kaffeine isn't as "polished" as Xine, but, considering the reason for a "player" in the first place... ( 1 ) it needs to have controls that allow the "player" to navigate, and, ( 2 ) the main reason for the "player's" existance is not to look pretty, but get the required "job" done - i.e. play whatever it is that you wanted to "play" - that should be the "focus" of the player, what you are playing. As for kaffeine it does these things very nicely, and for Xine, the "polished" and "pretty" is nice, but if it gets in the way of the reason for the player, it doesn't live up to usage.

Xine is flashy, where as, kaffeine is functional -=- I'm sold :!:

Ms. Cuddles

[champagnemojo]

Kaffeine is really just a different gui for Xine right? I like Xine fine myself. I found it to be the easiest to figure out dvd's with. Personally I like KPlayer for watching all the other types of media. :D

[Cuddles]

Not really sure, but, if I was pressed to say something, I would say yes...

To get DVD playing, did require loading and installing a LIB that was used by Xine - and even the apt-get install for kaffeine just required the kaffeine program itself - from what I could see, no libs or support files were downloaded or installed during the apt-get of it.

Ms. Cuddles