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Locals Only

One of the things our volunteers do, is maintain an installation station for the most popular versions of Linux, out on the market today. We keep an FTP server, and CD media, handily housed at our roost, HAL-PC. This is convenient, since you don't have to suffer the downloading of iso's. Also, if you don't have high speed Internet, having access to the fruits of it's technology only make your Linux transition all that less painful. We have RedHat, ManDrake, KnoppiX, SuSE, and Debian available at all times.

If you are wondering which version you should use, there are some simple guidelines. Mandrake is recommended to anyone, regardless of skill level, that would like to run a machine from a graphical interface.

If you would like to have the most advanced driver support, SuSE is typically the most current.

For users more concerned with advanced learning path toward enterprise computing, RedHat is a good pick, here in the states.

Debian is a good pick for tinkerers, and those interested in running servers, with remote access, only.

For those completely new to Linux, we recommend KnoppiX, as it is fully functional, without any installation requirements. In addtion ManDrake offers 'MandrakeMove', a Knoppix-like CD, that provides extended multimedia functionality, and the benefit of it's parent distro's nuances.

At any rate, to use HULG's software installation resources, you need only do two things: Check the comapatability of your host computer's hardware, againt the Linux hardware compatibility list, and once you're sure you have good guts, bring the box down. If your machine doesn't have a NIC, or if you'd prefer local installation, we provide the CD's need to complete an installation. Otherwise, you'll get pointed to the appropriate FTP location, and proceed to reboot using an appropriate network install boot disk. Though you can access the FTP server (ftp1.hal-pc.org), at any time, we encourage people to perform assisted installs, so when an issue crops up, a volunteer can help.

Things are especially easy, for those trying out KnoppiX, and 'MandrakeMove.' Simply bring a blank CDR, and have one of happy chefs bake one up for you. Stick it in your machine, reboot and enjoy.

Linux is a great tool for general purpose computing, and computer science education, more so when it's deployment tools are readily available, with an enthusiastic local support group. HLUG strives for this, so take advantage of our service, and join in the fun of computing, with us.

Presentation Update

Thanks to all who attended the "Getting the Goods" presentation. Here are some notable highlights:

Local downloading of a 650 MB iso image clocked in at 15 minutes, easily allowing one to grab a couple of distros, in under an hour.

FTP installation of SuSE 9.0 was the meeting's demonstration, and took 30 minutes for the default setup on a Pentuim II box, with 256 MB of RAM. There was one hang-up though; SuSE's installer required the ftp server's IP address to initiate the process, not just it's server name. Not a big deal, but it could present an obstacle for an unsuspecting network install client. I'll be posting the relevent info, to avoid this issue in the future.

Last, I'd like to thank our FTP admin John Gilstrap, all the support staff, and our host organization, HAL-PC.

-- AaronEstrada - 10 Feb 2004