This is a compendium of problems frequently encountered by new installers of Red Hat Linux, and their solutions. This, however is not intended to be a replacement for Reading The Fine Manual, and many solutions here will refer to the appropriate manual entry. But, alas, some things are not covered by the manual.
If you see any items that need to be corrected, or for which there is a better solution, please email me.
How do I use the mailing list?
I burned the CDs from ISO files, but they won't boot.
The installation stalls or crashes partway through the installation.
The Security setting is stuck on "High".
I can't get the X Window system to come up.
PHP no longer works on my web site since I upgraded to RedHat 8.0.
I can't get X up on my Intel i845G video.
How can I check my system memory or RAM?
Getting text login instead of GUI
For Easy CD Creator 4.02d: On the File menu, click "Create CD from CD Image". On the dialog that pops up, change the file type to "ISO".
For Nero 5, it is: File->Burn image-> (select the source file). A wizard pops up with burn selected.
In KonCD, click on "Data CD". In the next screen, select the "Images" tab. In the top window, you specify where the ISO images are located.
(More software examples wanted. Please submit what you know about.)
Also, be sure to use 700MB media or better.
(Thanks to ABrady, for that clue.)
If that option is not available to you or doesn't work, see if you have a USB-to-PS/2 adapter, and use it to plug into the PS/2 keyboard jack. If you don't, beg, borrow, or buy a PS/2 keyboard for the install. After installation, you will be able to go back to your USB keyboard.
I've had this problem so many times with RedHat that I've found a site dedicated to it. For me, this only occurs when installing RedHat - Mandrake installs fine. I have SCSI. My solution was to disable external cache in the BIOS during install. Once install is finished, I reenabled it and RedHat has been running fine since.Thanks, Guy.
One of the possibilities listed is bad or mis-configured memory. Go to the memtest86 site and download and run their tool.
linux text
at the boot: prompt. All that deprives you of is a little eye candy. It is just as functional as the GUI.
(Thanks to Rick Stevens, for answering it the gazillionth time, and to Jeff Kinz, for kicking Rick's latest reply into my FAQ in-box.)
If unable to get anything satisfactory that way, run "xf86config" and configure it manually, but have your video and monitor manuals handy.
When you get a workable setting, you can reverse the steps shown here to return to GUI login mode.
<? phpinfo(); ?>but doesn't any more, try this:
<?php phpinfo(); ?>If that works, then edit /etc/php.ini, and change short_open_tag=Off to short_open_tag=On. Then restart Apache (service httpd restart) en voila, PHP runs. RedHat disabled the short open tag (<? and ?> ) by default, but 99% of the php programmers use it.
(Thanks to Michel van Deventer for that note.)
These devices rely on special device driver software which "borrow" your computer's CPU to do the encoding/decoding for the "modem". The result under the MS-Win Operating System has been spotty and defective performance when compared to real modems. Yes - they do function, but not always as well as they should. Unless you don't mind dropped connections or more error re-tries in your telephone connections you should avoid these devices.
How well do they work under Linux?
The problem with these devices on Linux is that most of the modem manufacturers don't provide Linux device drivers for them. They do provide MS-Win drivers but only a few are actively supporting these devices under Linux. Because these devices need driver software which explicitly moves data back and forth between the CPU and the chips on the modem, only the manufacturers posess the knowledge which is needed in order to build the device driver. The result is that many WinModems cannot be used with Linux.
There is a Web page: http://www.linmodems.org which has a collection of drivers and advice for people using winmodems on Linux. If you have a winmodem this is the best spot for getting info and help on how to get it working under Linux. Many people are using them with Linux.
Drivers for Lucent chipsets can be found at the Agere web site. Conexant drivers can be found here.
Until the modem manufacturers commit themselves to providing drivers for Linux just as they do MS-Win the use of these devices should be avoided in favor of their slightly more expensive cousins, "real" modems.
Spending $20 more for a real modem is worth the trouble it can save you.
Despite the excellent work done by the Linux community to try to support WinModems, the responsibility for that support ultimately lies with their respective manufacturers.
(See http;//linmodems.org for excellent Linux support for some winmodems.)
Some people think that Linux is to blame for the manufacturer's behavior. (huh?, since when is "Linux" an organization? Linux is a "thing" folks)
Note the name "WinModem" is a trademark of 3com corporation but has been adopted by the telecomm industry to indicate telephone interface cards which lack a DSP chip and therefore cannot actually do ANY MOdulation/DEModulation and so are not really modems at all. These devices rely on the CPU to perform the DSP portion of the modern modulation process which today requires much more than a simple analog/digital conversion as in times gone by.
Most USB modems (if not all ) function as "WinModems". For a List of Non-WinModem Modems (i.e. "real Modems"), please see: http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html, from which we copied the following text: (But there is tons more info on that page, and it is updated there so go to that page for the latest and best info!)
Winmodem Mini-FAQ
It all comes down to cost. First, a winmodem lacks parts found in regular modems -- these parts are "emulated" by software running on your CPU. This lowers the unit cost to manufacture them. Second, most consumers using Microsoft Windows will never realize that their "56K Modem" is actually a winmodem, so the OEMs are happy.
Not without some effort. A Winmodem requires software to emulate the hardware missing from the modem card. For some winmodems, such as the 3Com/US Robotics Winmodems, this software is only available for Microsoft Windows. For most others, there are groups adapting proprietary drivers to function as "Linmodem" drivers.
Sorry, the whole idea of using binary drivers in a Free operating system is an ugly hack. Consider this an opportunity to learn more about your computer :) Honestly, you must know which of several types of winmodem you have in order to pick the right driver.
Please remember: if you have a choice, a hardware modem is always the best choice for Linux users. If you have a laptop with a built-in winmodem, though, you'll need a "linmodem" driver.
Standard serial port (RS-232) external modems are usually fine, no matter what make or model.
Many USB external modems are winmodems and should be avoided. If you are interested in the status of USB support in Linux, please follow the link to the Linux-USB uusbd development page: http://www.linux-usb.org/.
The are a lot of different variations of the i845 chipset. The i845G, GE, GV all have integrated video. The i845E, PE do not have integrated video.
You need to edit your /etc/X11/XF86Config to use the "vesa" driver. In the "Device" section set the line...
Driver "vesa"You can set the screen resolution and color depth in the "Screen" section, similar to....
DefaultDepth 16
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
It should be noted, how well these VESA modes are supported can vary
widely between video cards. The vesa driver may or may not work very
well or not at all for you.
(Thanks to Jeff Kinz, )
Q. I installed and forgot to check the text only login box. I prefer to use the text only login. Is there a way to do this without reinstalling?
A.
Edit the file /etc/inittab and change the line that reads:
id:5:initdefault:
to read
id:3:initdefault:
and save it. The machine will stay in text mode on the next reboot.
To immediately go to text mode, from an xterm as root, enter
telinit 3
If you are booting to text mode login and would prefer a GUI login screen, reverse the above editing instructions, and use telinit 5 to go immediately to a GUI login mode.
(Thanks to Rick Stevens for answering it most recently, again, and thanks to Jeff Kinz, ) for suggesting that it go into the FAQ.
Q. I can't telnet or ftp to my Linux machine from another machine.
A. That is a Good Thing(tm). See the discussion of security.
Q. What should I back up, and how?
A. I recommend backing up /etc/ (your configuration files), /root/ (if you have anything important in there), /var/ (spools and other configuration things), and /home/ (arguably the most important). I use cpio using this script
#!/bin/sh TAPE=/dev/nftape mt rewind mt reten cd / find etc home root var | cpio -oBc >$TAPE mt rewindI consider the system stuff restorable from the distribution disks. I also have a /u partition, but I consider everything in there as replaceable or expendable.
I put this script in /etc/cron.weekly. If you don't want to lose more than a day's work, consider doing incremental backups every day to diskette or another disk drive. If you want anything more sophisticated, I recommend Amanda.