Re: diald - we don't need no steenkin' diald!

["Steve Poling" <sdp@xxxxxxxxx>]

bruce,

i got PPP running on my system last night. it had been totally frustrating
as i found everything i did not working. and i had actually RTFM (Read The
Fine Manual). i eventually learned to look at /var/log/messages for status.
(did you teach me that?) and found the ppp software was getting io errors
from the hardware.

so i built a test floppy with nothing but MSDOS & a teeny terminal program
on it. i used that to determine that the modem that had been working the
last time i'd tried it a year back was hosed. (vague memories of a plug and
play modem came to mind.)

anyhow, i recommend that every serious Linux installer guy build a floppy to
test whatever bit of hardware is nettling him.

i suggest using MSDOS since it is too simple to screw up. my trials and
tribulations with installing Linux give me an appreciation for the critical
necessity of knowing *exactly* what hardware is under the hood. i've made a
notebook where i store the exact model number and manufacturer along with
whatever resources (io addresses, irq, dma, etc.) it requires. since i buy
generic junk, it also means i have to figure out what exactly is the main
chip at the heart of my lash-up.

after you prove that the hardware is working as you expect. THEN it makes
sense to run whatever configuration software the manual, FAQ, HOWTO or
whatever recommends to tell Linux what you have just verified.

In my case, that seems to be what it takes to get things working. (i also
lost a lot of sleep getting X configured and now it is running pretty
sweet.)

another general principle that i am on the verge of believing is that one
ought to start out thinking about trouble shooting and gaining visibility
into the problem *before* one embarks on a Linux-install crusade. for
example, i'm about to rebuild the kernel. i've never done so before. how
will i prove its stable? how will i prove that my goal (getting
ip_masquerade working) has been achieved? the most valuable section of my
SAMBA book has been the section entitled "troubleshooting"

smiles and cheers,

steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Smith <bruce@armintl.com>
To: klug@klug.armintl.com <klug@klug.armintl.com>
Date: Friday, January 08, 1999 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: diald - we don't need no steenkin' diald!


>> >>If there is interest from anyone else, I can post these notes
>> >>when I get them done.  Let me know . . .
>> >
>> >I, for one, am interested.  Post it, maybe even on the web site for
>> >others to seek & find...
>>
>> Yeah...what he said. :)
>
>Okay, my mini-howto can be found at    http://klug.armintl.com/tech/
>Feedback appreciated!
>
>--------------------------------------------
>Bruce Smith                bruce@armintl.com
>System Administrator / Network Administrator
>Armstrong International, Inc.
>Three Rivers, Michigan  49093  USA
>http://www.armstrong-intl.com/
>--------------------------------------------
>
>