Shawnhcorey
Mr. Shawn H. Corey, B.Sc.
Email: MailTo(shawnhcorey AT SPAMFREE magma DOT ca)
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Table of Contents
- [#20060321 2006-03-21 Introduction to Installing Ubuntu]
- [#20060322 2006-03-22 Detailed Plans for Install]
- [#20060323 2006-03-23 After Install: What Happened]
- [#20060324 2006-03-24 Install Sucks!]
- [#20060325 2006-03-25 Once More into the Breach]
- [#20060326 2006-03-26 On-line at Last]
My Adventure in Ubuntu
2006-03-21 Introduction to Installing Ubuntu
Today I decided to install Breezy on my old PowerBook G4. After much internal debate, I decided that I shall partition my disk as follows:
Ubuntu: 6GB
swap: 4GB
Originally, I wanted to convert the whole thing to Unbuntu but I can't seem to get PPPoE to work under the Live CD.
So I decided that create a dual boot system and eventually convert the old Mac OS X partition into a data only. This will give some protection when I install applications since they will be separated from the data.
I have read [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=89960 HOWTO: Resize your HFS+ partition for free] and hopefully I can get it right the first time. Wish me luck.
Update
It has been suggested that 4GB is too large for a swap partition. Since 2GB is the recommended minimum, I'm not sure what to make of this. Now, I'll have to rethink what I'm doing. Installation is delayed 
2006-03-22 Detailed Plans for Install
OK, after thinking this out, 2GB should be more than enough for a swap. Also, 6GB is too much for my applications. I'll step that down to 4GB.
The Procedure
This is my step-by-step plan for creating a dual-boot system on my PowerBook G4:
1. Disable journaling on Apple_HFS
This can be done with the command:
sudo diskutil disableJournal /
And to verify that journaling is off:
diskutil info /
2. Load the Install CD and reboot.
3. Following the instructions until the partitioner. Then click, "Go Back", "Go to Shell", and then "parted"
I have found the parted manual at [http://www.gnu.org/software/parted/manual/html_mono/parted.html the GNU Parted Manual]. It should make things a little easier.
4. Now type:
and I should see a line:
5 0.344 38154.263
5. To resize the partition:
resize 5 0.344 32010.263
6. Verify with another print:
I should now have a 6GB hole in my partition table. No partitions for it yet; they will be created later in the install process. After all, that should be the next step.
7. Exit parted:
quit
8. Exit the shell:
exit
9. Continue with the install.
2006-03-23 After Install: What Happened
Well, it's done. It when exactly as planned except for one thing; I set the swap partition to the default value, about 302 MB. I tired to change it by freeing up some space in the Ubuntu partition but the was no command to set the swap space to free space. I would have to enter values by hand. Possible but I would have to do a binary search to find a value to not leave too much free space unaccessible. So I took the easy way out.
I had to skip the network configuration part. The Install detect both the ethernet and the wireless and insists that one of them must be connected to a network. Unfortunately, my modem is not configured for PPP and the only way to continue was to go back to the menu and start at the next item.
So I have to do the following:
- Get the clock to display the local time. It's showing UTC even tho I changed it during install.
- Configure the modem for PPP.
- Configure the DHCP and network.
- Mount the Mac OS X partition so I can access my data files.
2006-03-24 Install Sucks!
I have just made an interesting discovery: I can't sudo !!!
When I try to sudo it looks in /etc/hostname for the name of my machine and then in /etc/hosts for it. Since it's not here, sudo fails. Of course, I can't use sudo to edit this file to make it work. I can't even activate the root account since I need sudo to do it!
Now I have no choice but to re-install. It's a good thing I didn't plan to use Ubuntu for real work any time soon. I would be losing real money if I was.
Also, it is a very good thing I decided to install for dual boot. If I hadn't, I would have to re-install Mac OS X to get back on-line to figure what's going wrong. That would mean, of course, that the Ubuntu discs would be broken in two and trashed! The is no excuse for this type of behaviour!
Of course, all this could have resulted because I had to skip the network configuration. The Install detected both my ethernet and airport and insists that the machine absolutely must be connect to a network. It then insists that you must have a static IP address or be using DHCP. I am using DHCP thru my ISP which needs PPPoE configured; something Install does not do! It assumes that I have a DSL modem with a router/bridge and I have already configured it!!!
If you have just gotten lost reading the above, I don't blame you. It's only because I have many years experience with computers that I can even begin to guess where things when wrong (and I may be wrong with my guesses). Base on my experience so far:
Ubuntu is NOT for home users!!!!!
Plans
Re-install Ubuntu. Just before it configures the network, I'll break out to the shell and try to run pppoeconf. That way I can configure the network to use DHCP. If this fails, I will have to go and buy a DSL modem with router/bridge. If other words it may be Monday before I can even start to use Ubuntu.
Update
I re-installed Ubuntu.
This time I changed two things:
- I chose to configure the network later. Last time I when looking for a PPPoE configuration tool.
I chose ubuntu (the default) as my host name.
Note while re-installing: Delete all the partitions you created during the first install. Otherwise the partitioner will try to squeeze everything into the Ubuntu partition and ignore the rest. This could give you multiple boot and swap partitions.
I tried to run pppoeconf from the shell but it was 'not found'. Other than that, everything went smoothly.
So, I don't know what caused my problem but I narrowed it down to two things:
- Attempting to do anything during the network configuration, other than deferring it to later, screwed things up.
Choosing a host name other than ubuntu broke sudo.
So now I have a Ubuntu system that works, kind of. sudo works but when I tired sudo pppoeconf so I can get on the Internet (I'm writing this from Mac OS X) it didn't work. I guess I'm going to have to buy myself a DSL modem with a router/bridge. I wonder how many home users would know what one of these is?
2006-03-25 Once More into the Breach
Early this morning I decided to re-install Ubuntu one more time, just to see where I went wrong. When it got to the part:
Configuring the network using DHCP
it fails since the PPPoE is not configured.
It then comes up with a menu with:
Manually configure the network
selected as the default. This is where I went wrong. I should have chosen:
Do not configure the network at this time
By trying to configure the network manually, I was looking for a way to configure the PPPoE. But there isn't any. This left it in a loop, waiting for the right parameters, which I didn't have, and retrying the network. The only way out was to go back to the main menu and skip the network configuration. This leaves corrupted network files behind, especially /etc/hosts which is need for sudo.
I wonder how many people decide the Ubuntu is not for home users because they can't get their network to work properly and mess up the install since it does work the way they expect? In both Windows and MacOSX, the PPPoE is configured on the computer, but in Ubuntu, it is configured on the bridge and must be done before the install.
What's Next
Configure the network. This means getting PPPoE and DHCP to work. I tried pppoeconf but it doesn't work. I have to find another tool.
- Download the developer's packages.
- Mount the MacOSX partition so I can access my data.
2006-03-26 On-line at Last
I got sudo pppoeconf to work. All I had to do was enter the correct username! It is in the form username@ISPdomain.name I forgot to add the @domain.name
The next step is to load the developer's packages. This can be done with sudo get-apt install build-essential but I'm going to do that later. My ISP offers unlimited downloads between midnite and 7 am. So tonite, I'm burning the midnite oil.