Topic: Install howto or quickstart guide?

[Dale]

Is there a "quick start" guide or a how to for basic installation?

I have run through the installation on a spare box several times, and I can't figure out how to control the RAID volume creation during the install, and after every boot the system sits at "creating disk quota".

I have an IDE drive that I'd like to have the OS and boot information installed on and have additional SATAII drives installed that I want used for raid 5 volume for user data. 
I can't seem to get the install to do anything but chop the larger SATA drives up into some crazy RAID with LVM on top with the IDE drive as part of the raid volume. 

Also, a way around the 7 character password is needed.

Is any of this possible?

[cactus]

Is there a "quick start" guide or a how to for basic installation?

I have run through the installation on a spare box several times, and I can't figure out how to control the RAID volume creation during the install, and after every boot the system sits at "creating disk quota".

Which is perfectly normal AFAIK. Besides what do you want to control on the RAID set?

I have an IDE drive that I'd like to have the OS and boot information installed on and have additional SATAII drives installed that I want used for raid 5 volume for user data. 
I can't seem to get the install to do anything but chop the larger SATA drives up into some crazy RAID with LVM on top with the IDE drive as part of the raid volume. 

Perhaps install with parameter noraid and manually configure your raid array afterwards.

Also, a way around the 7 character password is needed.

There ain't as there are programs and fucntions on SME Server that require a minimum length.

[Dale]

I booted the install with "sme noraid nospare nolvm" and I think I have what I wanted to begin with -- the base OS on just the IDE drive.  It's an old, slow IDE drive and why would I want to put that drive in an array with SATA II drives?  If it does what I need of it, I'll migrate from and IDE drive to mirrored CF on the IDE channel.

I just found the the thread about about the password length. 
I see a bug is opened for that. 
That's a jaw dropper for me. 

All I can say is "Why?"

[Dale]

And after review of the last install, even specifying "noraid" a raid volume is still built.

It may be stupid of me, but I know what I want to do with my hardware and I have my reasons for not wanting the raid built across non-alike volumes and short passwords in a secure environment.

Maybe I'll look at this distribution again some day.

[Stefano]

it does what I need of it, I'll migrate from and IDE drive to mirrored CF on the IDE channel.

not a good idea if you leave /tmp and /var on CF

All I can say is "Why?"

why what? whay do you need password of 5 o 6 chars when, setting passwordstrength to "none" you can have password like "0000000"? what's the matter?

Stefano

[Stefano]

And after review of the last install, even specifying "noraid" a raid volume is still built.

if so, please raise a bug in bugzilla, because it should work.. if not, maybe is a bug and must be investigated

It may be stupid of me, but I know what I want to do with my hardware and I have my reasons for not wanting the raid built across non-alike volumes and short passwords in a secure environment.

Maybe I'll look at this distribution again some day.

I hope I will not be misunderstood but: you came here saying (in simple words) that SME doesn't work for you and that some policies are simply stupid..

well, you have, IMO, 4  options:
- contribute with code (for bug fixing or new features development)
- contribute with money/hw/sw (for example, if you have a spare M$ Vista business license for testing)
- adapt your behaviour and your needs to what SME can do for you
- use another distro.. if so, all I can say to you is "addio", "adios", "adieu"

coming in this forums saying "WTF","are you kidding me" and so on is not a good attitude.. I will survive without you, and, if you don't change it, this will be my last answer to you

have a nice day
Stefano

[Dale]

You are absolutely right - I had a long day and took out my frustrations in an inappropriate place.
I guess that's what happens when you are a crotchety old man - the equivalent of yelling at the kids to get off the lawn

SME doesn't meet my needs, in part because of the two issues I uncovered during the install.  I will perhaps come back to revisit it again some day. 

I would like to thank all of the people who are MUCH smarter than me, that can do the actual code and scripts for this sort of thing - my hat is off to you and you have no idea how much I appreciate what you do.

You guys that do the work make everyone's life easier -- just not mine in this instance, but that's OK.

[christian]

Dale,
I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for but assuming you do want SME capabilities but you are just concerned about the disk configuration then perhaps you could do the following:
1) install with only the disk(s) you want and leave off the one you want to add later
2) Use the http://wiki.contribs.org/AddExtraHardDisk  How-to to add your disks in.

This is how quite a few people have done it here when they want a modified disk solution.

Christian

p.s. we have lots of crabby people here (even Stefano has had his days ) so feel free to come back

[janet]

Dale

Perhaps you have discovered the method by now, but just in case you have not.
Only have the one IDE drive connected and install sme to that. Then manually add the other drives and manually configure RAID using other standard Linux Howtos. Search these forums as this has been answered before or search google for RAID howtos. Use the advanced search for best results ie click on the magnifying glass at top of forums without typing any search criteria, and then enter the search criteria in the next screen (advanced search).