New to arch

ihavenoidea · 2007-02-23 14:51:49

I have been using linux for a few years now (mostly debian and gentoo) and decided to dual boot arch with my debian installation at the moment, to try it out and see how much i like it . I loved the fact gentoo was about "choice" but i had to do some things to get my wireless to work, that werent choice freindly. I also hated all that compiling, i dont mind it once in a while, so thats why i usually stick with debian, until maybe arch. Arch to me looks like a fusion of the two, so thats what interested me.

Alright now to the good stuff, as am used to using Debian distros, i am a little uncomfortable in arch enviorment, i was wondering how i could install packages to arch if I downloaded them onto my debian system first, like mounting my filesystem. I was also looking for the best way to use my wireless card (bcm4318) so i can get x running, i currently use ndiswrapper but i was wondering if should switch to bcm43xx module? I am mainly looking for the one easiest to install, as i have no internet connection on arch and i would hate switching back and forth from os's all the time. Thanks for reading my long post, overall suggestions about arch welcome too .

lucke · 2007-02-23 15:35:01

One way to install Arch package(s) from within Debian would be: mount Arch's root partition, copy package(s) there, chroot to that partition (chroot /mnt/arch, e.g.), then run pacman -U /path/to/package(s).

ihavenoidea · 2007-02-23 15:58:28

ok thanks very much, thats a lot easier than booting into arch again and again and again.

pelle.k · 2007-02-23 16:15:51

i currently use ndiswrapper but i was wondering if should switch to bcm43xx module? I am mainly looking for the one easiest to install, as i have no internet connection on arch and i would hate switching back and forth from os's all the time

That statement is confusing. You are currently using ndiswrapper, but you have no internet connection from arch? Can i assume you are using ndiswrapper in _debian_?
I can't help you with setting up internet with the bcm43xx module, but it should be pretty easy to do with ndiswrapper. You might have to blacklist bcm43xx module first though.
To do this, you have to make sure the ndiswrapper version you are using is compiled with the kernel you are using.

If you chose to install with the old 0.7.2 iso, download ndiswrapper src and just "make & make install". From there you can update system, and before you reboot with a new kernel, install ndiswrapper + ndiswrapper-utils with pacman. The 0.7.2 is _NOT_ recommended because you'll have to do a few adjustments to make the system work when you update it to current repos. Consider the 0.8 bets iso.

If you chose to use the 0.8 install cd, you could download ndiswrapper 1.34 and ndiswrapper-utils 1.34 from repos (that version was used with kernel 2.6.19 used in the install cd) _if_ it's still availiable from this repo ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/extra/os/i686, and use "pacman -A" to install them locally. (like "dpkg -i" instead of apt-get install)

If you're smart, you'll save these packages so you can do this the next time you install arch. (those ndiswrapper packages will eventually disappear from repo since this is rolling release...)
You could make a new set, by changing _KERNVERS in a PKGBUILD to match kernel 2.6.19 (which is on the install cd) though...

Do you know how to; mount your debian /home? set up ndiswrapper from command line? blacklist a module?

lilsirecho · 2007-02-23 18:05:25

Look into Klik which provides debian pkgs in any Linux computer...without installing!!

ihavenoidea · 2007-02-23 18:46:57

yes i am using debian with ndiswrapper, and i did the 7.2 iso because for some reason i couldnt get the 8 downloaded right. And i do know how to mount my debian /home, and blacklist, as well as compile from source. And the adjustments to update to beta iso? I was planning on upgrading once i have internet.

pelle.k · 2007-02-23 21:51:04

Well, you'll have to rememeber to switch to mkinitpcio. That is just a matter of editing /boot/grub/menu.lst and renaming the initrd image to kernel26.img so that line looks something like this;

initrd /boot/kernel26.img

For some strange reason, you'll have to grub-install XXX (XXX as in your label) before you reboot with the new kernel. might be because i have grub installed on my root partition. This is the only time i have had to do that.

Edit /etc/locale.gen and uncomment your locales, and run locale-gen. This is done interactively in the 0.8 install cd.

There might be a couple of more quirks. can't remember really.
Even if you may not feel like a newbie, this is a good read. http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_Guide

ihavenoidea · 2007-02-24 00:13:25

Heh I actually did read that guide, and plan to use it soon to get my wireless on arch, been playing around with beta software on my debian system-linux is fun- but yeah i just kept grub on my debian / partition, so ill just make sure when i do the upgrade everything is pointed where its supposed to.

Stalwart · 2007-02-24 14:03:45

Move packages to /var/cache/pacman/pkg

ihavenoidea · 2007-02-26 05:17:28

ok i managed to install ndiswrapper from source, and i upgraded to .8, and sure enough there was a kernel panic, it couldnt find my root filesystem and i think its because i have reiserfs. the pacman -Su did install the 2.6.20-1 kernel, and i think it might not have been compiled with reierfs support, or maybe (just thinking of this now) grub.conf wasn't configured right. Another problem i have is getting x to work. I installed xorg, gnome, gnome-extra, and gdm. I did an nvidia-xconfig yet x breaks on the error that no usable screens can be found. I think these are just minor little tweaks i need to do, but i need some help as i am unfamiliar with arch's configuration. Thanks everybody.

pelle.k · 2007-02-27 20:14:01

post the arch linux entry from menu.lst

xorg is a dummy package, (http://www.archlinux.org/packages/4329/) so you might have to install you video driver as well.
check xf86-video-??? or nvidia out.
It might be that xorg-fonts-misc or xorg-fonts-100dpi/xorg-fonts-75dpi is missing.
I would also check /var/log/Xorg.0.log out since the error will most probably be somewhere at the bottom of the log file...
btw, try regular xorgconfig with vesa as driver. if that works out for ya - replace vesa driver in xorg.conf with <your video driver>. nvidia or nv I presume?

ihavenoidea · 2007-02-28 00:21:28

O sorry forgot to say i fixed it, the problem was just as pelle.k suggested, so that fixed up ok, and then i just had to reboot to load the new kernel, nvidia was trying to load the new kernel while i was in the old one. Everything seems to be smooth sailing from here now.

Arch Linux

#1 2007-02-23 14:51:49

New to arch

#2 2007-02-23 15:35:01

Re: New to arch

#3 2007-02-23 15:58:28

Re: New to arch

#4 2007-02-23 16:15:51

Re: New to arch

#5 2007-02-23 18:05:25

Re: New to arch

#6 2007-02-23 18:46:57

Re: New to arch

#7 2007-02-23 21:51:04

Re: New to arch

#8 2007-02-24 00:13:25

Re: New to arch

#9 2007-02-24 14:03:45

Re: New to arch

#10 2007-02-26 05:17:28

Re: New to arch

#11 2007-02-27 20:14:01

Re: New to arch

#12 2007-02-28 00:21:28

Re: New to arch

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