Oooook.

I'm looking in to linux, to install on a computer that I'm going to be using as a server only. However, I've been on the linux website, looking at the various builds. Debian GNU/Linux seems to be the one for me.

But It kinda throws you in and says "download these... " *about 8 million files* and burn them to CD's *about 8 million cd's*

Now, I don't want to buy linux and/or a magasine, as I am stuck for cash untill the end of this month.

So, can someone point me to a "this is exactly, step by step, how to get linux" guide? Or even tell me if you know.

Thanks.

Be glad to.

For a server I recommend using Cent OS. Cent OS is a community run linux thats a knock off of Red Hat. A lot of dedicated servers are running Cent OS as their OS because its stable and its free. The community support is good (and nice!)

http://www.centos.org/

To download and install cent os linux what youll have to do is download the ISO files then burn the ISO's to cd. Make the first cd bootable and install from the cd's.

Linux is build around different architecture's.



Im going to foolishly assume your running this server off a normal pc so you will need the i386 files. This is a bit of a walk through so you'll know what your looking at.

Here is a list of mirrors to download the need files
http://www.centos.org/modules/tinyconte ... .php?id=13

Since you live in the UK I picked a UK server for you.
http://anorien.csc.warwick.ac.uk/mirrors/centos/

The latest version of Cent OS is 4.2.
http://anorien.csc.warwick.ac.uk/mirrors/centos/4.2/

Since you'll need to download the ISO's we click on the ISO folder.
http://anorien.csc.warwick.ac.uk/mirror ... /4.2/isos/

And (assuming) you'll need the i386 ISO's
http://anorien.csc.warwick.ac.uk/mirror ... isos/i386/

Now from here you can download the 4 ISO's (cd images) separately or you can grab a torrent file and it will download all 4 ISO's for you. I recommend the torrent but download whats ever easiest.

Then you'll need to burn the ISO's images onto a cd, make the first cd bootable then install linux.

As far as the actual install, thats another beast of a topic

Thanks muchly for the help here. I just couldn't find anything online about what each build was for, but I can find installation tips allover town... hehe.

I'ma have a look in to the one you recommended too.

I've never heard of Cent. However, I would highly recommend you NOT use Debian as your first foray into Linux. It's not exactly the most user friendly build of Linux. Personally I'd probably push you toward Mandrake or something. Probably doesn't matter. Red Hat was good stuff till they decided to discontinue their desktop-line.

I assume the self-booting CD has the graphical installer than Red Hat was using before they stopped...in that, it's not that hard. Of course, choosing what to install is another think altogether. If you know what you want to run, then choose those options...if you don't...well....shit. It's not like Windows...it comes with a TON of options, most of which you'll never use.

I had a stab at Linux some time back. Didnt get anywhere. Ill cast a spell on the thread i started.

haha thanks

Right, I went with mandrake. Mandrake is installed, and I'm using the GNOME 2 environment.

I've connect the rig to the router, (linksys) and I can access it through the browser, at 192.168.1.1 just fine.

I can't however, connect to the net. I hit http://www.google.co.uk and it just says not found. (and on all other URL's)

I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I've been going through setting up a net connection again and again and nothing is working :S

Any tips? links? anything?

What is it with me and networks?

EDIT: Solved that. On to the next issue.

I'm trying to run an md5sum on a file, but when I do, it just does nothing and dissapears. What am I doing wrong? How should I do this?

Double post, but fuck it

Right, Ignore the previous post. here's my current situation.

I'm running Mandrake 10.1
I have Apache installed
I have MySQL installed

I am trying to install PHP 5.

It doesn't install, because of no output from "lex"

I researched in to this, and found out I need to install "flex" so, I try this, but this comes up with errors. After installing via this method

http://www.faqs.org/docs/linux_scratch/ ... /flex.html

I get this error

make: *** [parse.c] error 127

So, I sniff about, and also find, I cannot install PHP without a program called "bison" so I download and install that, via these instructions

http://www.faqs.org/docs/linux_scratch/ ... bison.html

and get the error
configure: error: GNU M4 1.4 is required

Now go, my minions, outstand me with your knowledge.

you didn't have an option to install php with apache/mysql?

Anyway...welcome to the wonderful world of Linux. It has, and will probably continue to be, a pain the fucking ass. The things you mentioned are the reasons that Linux frustrates many users, myself included.

I don't know the answer to your problems, I'm afraid. Unless 11b is on it, you may want to search around online.

well, I think I fixed that problem.

My next is this

I need to install libxml2 and libxml2-devel

However, earlier I could find the RPM and download it no trouble. But things went wrong, so I formatted and reinstalled. I've gotten to the same stage, but for some reason can not find a working scource to download it from. I tried alsorts of place, non of the mandrake links work. Don't know why.

Any ideas?

Doesn't Mandrake have a packet manager?

No, but there is a port available, but the only instructions to installing it I could find were for version 10.2 and I'm on 10.1 with no obvious way to upgrade without redownloading the disks.

do you have to get the rpms? Why not just download hte binaries, or if you installed make and all that, the source code and compile it yourself?

Of course, this may break your rpm management, since without installing the rpm the package manager has no way of knowing it's already installed...leading to possibly complications.

Well Apahce and MySQL are already installed now, there is no RPM for php5. So I have to compile it.

Gah

heh....I sure hope you installed all the Make and compiler options when you installed.

I installed everything that I could install