Author Topic: Instant dummy: RedHat 9 (Read 858 times)

LePaul · « **on:** August 25, 2003, 11:16:30 AM »

Yes, I'm a Windows guy. I like my GUI, I like clicking things of and on, enabling, disabling, etc. I like knowing that if there is something I do not know how to...a trip to Border's reveals MANY titles of books that document how to make things work.

Enter Linux

I've had a few Linux machines for a few years, largely running my DNS functions for my little webhosting company. Verions 5,6 and 7 have all been fairly painless to implement. Awkward for a WinDweeb to manage, but still getting buy. Webmin, a web-based GUI, surely makes working with Linux vastly easier.

Enter Redhat 9.

Any backpadding I've done to myself on learning a new OS is completely out the window. In previous Redhat installs, after you've entered in all the stuff you want, after reboot, you are all up and running. Not anymore. With this one, I'm dead in the water faster. Everythng installed, but nothing responds. Try bringing up the machine on the web, it pings fine...telnet to it via SSH...nobody home. How about that cute "You did it" default page from Apache showing the webserver is working? Nada.

Wiped, tried a fresh install. Same.

Go on IRC and ask a few of the linux heads. Nope. Their too busy bashing anyone that runs Windows...try some other online means...well, which flavor of linux do you need help with? Nope, no luck there. Try Redhat...equally cryptic.

So this is better, eh?

I havent quite given up on it yet but it certainly is maddening. Amongst the drumming of being better, cheaper and more powerful...I can't even get the box to accept a telnet connection, much less display a webpage. I wish I could think of something obscenely stupid...but I'm quickly becoming a Bill Gates fan.

Ok, so whose running RH9 and what, oh what, have I done obscenely stupid

SunKing · « **Reply #1 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:02:39 PM »

*raises his hand slowly.*

Jumping to linux on my 2nd box. It's fun, like the old dos days when I 1st got a pc. Didn't know any command line input. All trial and error. You'll get it . Redhat is the way to start. Mandrake is for the experienced.

DmdMac · « **Reply #2 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:10:21 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SunKing
*raises his hand slowly.*

Mandrake is for the experienced.

LOL!!

LePaul · « **Reply #3 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:13:11 PM »

I had install errors galore with Mandrake reading from their own CDs...packages were missing dependancies and such...I finally got an install to take, but lots of weird XML Parser issues.

DmdMac · « **Reply #4 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:14:22 PM »

Try looking at SuSE or one of the non-gui orientated distros like Slackware or Debian.

I've played with SuSE and it is good. I liked it, but if it doesn't need to hog memory I wont have it. SuSE is very GUI orientated. Decent, a little on the pricey side, but no more than RH.

Slackware has yet to go above $49 for the complete set of CDs.

Debian is a beast I've not played with, but I hear it is good.

Mandrake I hear otherwise. Something more on the order of a newbies distro. Lots of candy.

dfl8rms · « **Reply #5 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:14:53 PM »

LePaul,

Send me an email at _at_332nd.org [callsign=forhim] to see if I can answer any of your questions.

Regarding the ssh / telnet issue, most likely the xinetd process is set to block telnet and ssh or you've installed the iptables package and chose the high security option. [Likely the later, since you are getting problems with both ssh and web ports].

If this is a box connected to the external world, I would recommend asking someone more knowledgeable then me about the setup of IPtables.

LePaul · « **Reply #6 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:17:43 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by dfl8rms
LePaul,

Send me an email at _at_332nd.org [callsign=forhim] to see if I can answer any of your questions.

Regarding the ssh / telnet issue, most likely the xinetd process is set to block telnet and ssh or you've installed the iptables package and chose the high security option. [Likely the later, since you are getting problems with both ssh and web ports].

If this is a box connected to the external world, I would recommend asking someone more knowledgeable then me about the setup of IPtables.

Firewall options are off [none], xinetd is running...I installed KDE and via the desktop found the services tab. When I check on telnet,it says xinetd has to be running...umm, it is

Me thinks I shoulda stayed at RH7...this all worked under 7.2

Skuzzy · « **Reply #7 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:18:08 PM »

Never messed with Red Hat. Windows made me afraid of GUI's.

Slackware is the only Linux I have ever used. It's simple, straight forward, cheap, and it works. Not for the GUI oriented however.

DmdMac · « **Reply #8 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:27:19 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Skuzzy
Never messed with Red Hat. Windows made me afraid of GUI's.

Slackware is the only Linux I have ever used. It's simple, straight forward, cheap, and it works. Not for the GUI oriented however.

No, but it has some good tools. There have been two hurdles with Slack though:

1. I was never able to print from X. I could send ASCII text to the printer, but nothing graphical. A real disappointment. The printer program they included(forgot it's name) never worked for me.

2. There is a program called OpenRPG I wanted to investigate. It only had, I think, only one dependency, wxPython. wxPython had a branching tree of about 20 dependencies. One of the dependencies would never compile. The whole project, and 5 days of work was stymied on this one third party package for which the developer would not account:(

dfl8rms · « **Reply #9 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:28:26 PM »

From the command / terminal window:

Type:
runlevel

ps -ef | grep xinet

netstat -an | grep "LISTEN "

iptables -L

For the last one you will need to be root or root equivalent. Let me know what the output is. Also you may want to run
"tail -100 /var/log/messages" to see if there are any clues there as to what's happening.

dfl8rms · « **Reply #10 on:** August 25, 2003, 12:30:41 PM »

Question I should have asked: Can you make connections out from the system? ie ssh other_linux_system

LePaul · « **Reply #11 on:** August 25, 2003, 02:47:30 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by dfl8rms
Question I should have asked: Can you make connections out from the system? ie ssh other_linux_system

Neg..will try from console tonight your other idea

*Thank You *

Skuzzy · « **Reply #12 on:** August 25, 2003, 02:50:09 PM »

Yeah Mac, Slackware is GUI-challenged, which is fine by me. I prefer a CLI over a GUI anyday of the week. Immediately after installing I;

cd /usr
rm -fr X11R6 openwin

No sense in wasting disk space.

Nilsen · « **Reply #13 on:** August 25, 2003, 03:10:42 PM »

Anyone tried freebsd and are happy with it?

My fav os is OSX... flame away

Skuzzy · « **Reply #14 on:** August 25, 2003, 03:14:18 PM »

I use FreeBSD. I like it.

Every UNIX has its strengths and weaknesses. You pick the one that fits the job and run with it. There is not one Operating system on the market that does everything great. Not one.