Fedora Core 2 : Tips & Tricks

[Didou]

Having tried out that distribution myself, I must admit it's quite far from being an easy ride out of the box.

As usual, the first thing to do before installing it is doing a backup of all your important data ( especially if this is your first jump in the Linux world ).

Fedora Core 2 ships with the 2.6 kernel ( 2.6.5 ) which seems to boot a bit differently then the 2.4 kernel. The direct consequence is that it could render your Windows impossible to boot.

There is a simple work-around for this problem consisting of going into your BIOS & setting HDD transfer mode to LBA & not leaving it on AUTO.

Another "bug" out of the box, is an issue with the nVidia drivers ( 5336 ). The default Fedora kernel comes with an option that the nVidia drivers do not really like & if you try to install & run them you'll have a black screen & a system not responding. It's an issue with the kernel's 4k / 8k kernel stack.

It's epsecially ridiculous considering Fedora will boot by default in runlevel 5 ( graphical ) even if you tell it you're installing a server. If you have this problem, when you get to grub, edit the Linux boot line & add single at the end of the line. It'll boot in single mode which is kind of a safe mode. Edit /etc/inittab & replace the default run-level to 3.

Another thing I noticed is when rebooting, Fedora thinks it might be a good idea to turn off the HDDs. Once you reboot & you get to the POST screen, they are turned on again. I'm sure HDDs love getting turned on & off all the time for no reason.

I'm very disappointed with this distribution, it's so unpolished it feels like a test-release.

 

[Phantasm66]

Originally posted by Didou

Another "bug" out of the box, is an issue with the nVidia drivers ( 5336 ). The default Fedora kernel comes with an option that the nVidia drivers do not really like & if you try to install & run them you'll have a black screen & a system not responding. It's an issue with the kernel's 4k / 8k kernel stack.

I recompiled with new kernel sources (2.6.6 from www.kernel.org) and it was fine. You need to remember NOT to set "Y" or "M" for the following:

CONFIG_4STACKS = n ( no )
and
CONFIG_REGPARMS = n ( no )

Its VERY important that these components are not build as modules or compiled into your kernel.

Once you do that, boot to Runlevel 3 (i.e. no xwindows, just text) and re-run your nVidia drivers installer. Once a driver is build and installed for your new kernel, everything will be fine.

 

[Phantasm66]

Aside from that, everything is fine with me. But I am running it on a dedicated linux box, no dual boot this time.

I am getting SICK of dual boot. Just buy another friggin machine!

 

[Didou]

I have a dedicated Linux box but with a happy / stable / tweaked RHL9. I was trying out Fedora Core 2 & it certainly won't be the distro to replace my happy Shrike install.

 

[Phantasm66]

Well, as I said, I've found it just fine. It looks A LOT better and the new 2.6 kernel makes things work a lot faster 90% of the time.

 

[Didou]

I have yet to successfully install webmin on it. The install progress goes to 100% & then I get a verbal diarhea about RPM DB errors. That is on a fresh FC2 install mind you.

BTW does anyone know why it keeps turning off my HDDs on reboot ? Is it something the 2.6 kernel does or is it Fedora ?

 

[jlem]

XP on my laptop and my RH9 installs both died at the same time about 2 months ago. I reinstalled XP and downloaded Fedora core 2 but haven't installed it yet. Any problems associated with Fedora on an old Compaq Armada e500 I should know about before dual booting it on here?

 

[Didou]

If you properly set the HDDs to LBA in the BIOS you should not have any troubles.

During the Fedora install, when you come to the partitioning setup, you might get an error message saying Fedora does not recognize the partition table as it has been done by some other utility, click on Ignore & then create your partitions the way you're used to.

Do not install the nVidia drivers (if you have an nVidia card) without installing a non-fedora kernel (one without the 4k-kernel-stack). That'll save you from having a black screen & a non-responsive laptop.