Re: [TCLUG:23152] Installing Red Hat

[Andy Zbikowski <andyzb@ltiflex.com>]

My general plug, if you have a fast net connection, check out Debian's
Network install. Debian's package managment and Redhat's package managment
aren't much alike in reality. With Debain, you should be able to, in theory,
install every package [except for those that conflict, exim and sendmail
can't be installed at the same time for example] and everything you install
will work, and will work to the extent the package maintainer has configured
it to work out fo the box. Try that with Red Hat. =)

Alien, well, it works. Alien can actually create rpm, debs, or tgz. By
default on Debian, it creates debs. On RedHat, RPMs. See the docs. I would
recomment agnist using it unless you're dealing  with some biniary only
redhat package. If there is no package but you can get the source, compile
it. First check debian unstable, if there is a source package there, things
are easy.

apt-get source package (add source URIs  for unstable to
/etc/apt/sources.list, deb-src http://http.us.debian.org/debian unstable
main contrib non-free, don't do just a strait deb http://whatever, or you
will upgrade to unstable. If you really want to, that's an option as well.)

Then cd to the directory you want to compile in, and type apt-get source
packagename. 
apt will download the source code and extract it, and apply the patches to
create a debian packages. cd to where it extracted it, make any changes or
extra patches, then type debian/rules binary and it will build a debian
biniary package. When it's finished, cd .., dpkg -i package-name*.deb.
Slick.

If there are no source packages, I recomend getting stow. (Search freshmeat
for stow, stow is a potato and woody package.) Stow is really simple. Get a
source archive, extract, and compile with
prefix=/usr/local/stow/package-name-version. then do make and make install
as normal. When it's done, cd to user local stow and type stow
package-name-version. Stow will automatically create symlinks in
/usr/local/. To remove the package, stow -D
/usr/local/stow/package-name-version; rm -rf
/usr/local/stow/package-name-version.

The package is removed, and you still have a nice clean system. How great is
that?

I'm installing RedHat right now (just for kicks...hehe) under VMware. I'm
actually rather impressed with the installer for 6.1. I do wish that their
ftp install was a bit more obviously documented. (I admit that I haven't
look very hard.) Anyone want to point me for the docs for RedHat 7 ftp
install? =)

-- 
Andy Zbikowski, Sys Admin   | (PH)  763-428-9119 (EX:132)
LTI Flexible Products, Inc. | (FAX)  763-428-9126
21801 Industrial Blvd       | (PCS) 612-306-6055
Rogers, MN  55374           | (WEB) http://www.ltiflex.com
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