Keith writes:
 > System:
 > Compaq Presario 915US
 > AMD
 > Mandrake 9.1
 > 
 > I am trying to get access rights to the Apache www folder, but I cannot. 
 >   How can I give my user write access to this folder?  Apache server 
 > installed and working succesfully (on localhost)

I'm assuming the Apache www folder is /var/www.  On my (Mandrake 8.2)
machine, there's no group assigned to this.  I would try

Choice A:

[as root:]

1.  Create group webdesigner (or whatever) and add user to that group:
I'm a slug and always use kuser.  Note that you have to log out to
have any group membership changes effective.

2.  Make the directory group be the new group:

chgrp --recursive webdesigner /var/www

3.  Change directory permissions:

This could be yucky.  I'm not dead sure what you want to be able to
write.  If it's just html, I would do

chmod --recursive g+w /var/www/html

Choice B:

I'm not sure what you want to do, but I believe that apache comes by
default with each user able to create his/her own web page.  So if
your user is flash_gordon, you would just create a directory
/home/flash_gordon/public_html with an index.html, which should be
accessible as 

http://localhost/~flash_gordon/

Depending on your needs, this would be easier to accomplish, less
fraught with security issues, etc.

 > 
 > How can I get the 'suspend' command installed?  I think I'm gonna need 
 > an installfest help with this one.

I found that acpi (the new, zippy power-saving stuff) was by default
OFF in Mandrake 9.1.  Their boot configuration stuff didn't seem to
change this properly.  I use lilo, so what I did was:

1.  copy the entry called 'linux' in /etc/lilo.conf;

2.  modify it by adding acpi=on to the line that starts append=;

3.  modify it by renaming the copy to 'linux-acpi'

4.  change the default line in lilo.conf to be linux-acpi instead of
linux.

This seems to work and start up acpi.  BUT....

1.  I had to install the acpi and acpid rpms by hand.  Check to make
sure they're there.

2.  I checked to make sure that the acpid was started up on boot
(check using chkconfig --list).

3.  I have not extensively tested ACPI.  Let me be more blunt --- I
haven't used it at all and don't have the foggiest idea if it works
and can successfully do neat stuff like hybernation....

 > 
 > How can I have it stop trying to connnect to a DHCP server on bootup if 
 > it doesn't find one in say, 10 seconds, or else have a menu on wether or 
 > not to load it right away?  Again, probable installfest problem.

1.  Easy solution:  change /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0
(or whatever is the name of the interface) to be ONBOOT=no and then
just use

ifcfg eth0 up
(as root) when you're ready to bring up the connection

2.  More tricky (suggested by Jon Schewe): modify the kernel load
parameters to add an argument saying whether or not the interface
should be up on boot, and modify Mandrake's /etc/rc.d/init.d/network
to check /proc/cmdline and start or not start the interface based on
that argument.

 > 
 > Next: I want to get a MSQL database up and running (for a web-based 
 > intranet helpdesk system)

Here I confess complete ignorance.

Hope that helps,
R

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