Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Wed, 18 Dec 1996 17:25:22 +0000 (GMT)
From:      Mr D Whitehead <davew@sees.bangor.ac.uk>
To:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Installation a suggestion
Message-ID:  <199612181725.RAA19050@davewpc.sees.bangor.ac.uk>

next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Hi,
	Just a thought. As there seem to be quite a lot of people
who have installation/update problems from either tape or dos partitions 
how about adding the following to both the ftp servers and the CD.
1) A Dos (shudder) batch file to check the subdirectory structure on a
   dos partition from which FreeBSD will be installed.  Not difficult,
   just a large collection of 'if exist ...'.
2) A *nix script to ftp the distribution to a tape in the right order
   and form.  This should be written very generally so that it could
   be run on non-FreeBSD machines.

	I personally do buy the CD and use it without problems at
work, however upgrading machines at other locations without either/both 
an Internet connection and/or CD drive and (maybe) with a shortage of memory
usually means a juggling act.  Granted this task is straight forward but it 
is (often) done late at night when human frailty caused lots of mistakes 
which can be very time consuming.  I suspect that an inexperienced (first 
time) installer can get into serious trouble under these circumstances we
may even be loosing users/converts at this stage, not everyone will send
an Email to say 'help I got into trouble', many people walk away 
muttering 'it does not work'.
	Some small assistance as outined above may well pay rewards well
in excess of the effort needed to create the scripts.  Unfortunatly to 
perform optimally the scripts would have to be adjusted for each release
and would therefore have to be prepared by the kind, generous, hardworking
people at the heart of things.

	As I said, just a thought, please do'nt shoot if you dissagree.

	Dave Whitehead
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL:-                                 | TELEPHONE (work):-
(work) davew@sees.bangor.ac.uk          | +44 1248 382703 (Direct line)
(home) 100023.1076@compuserve.com       | +44 1248 351151 ext 2703
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SNAIL MAIL:-
Dave Whitehead
School of Electronic Engineering & Computer Systems,
University College of North Wales,
Dean Street,
Bangor  LL57 1UT
------------------------------------------------------------------------




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199612181725.RAA19050>