openSUSE Forums - Unreviewed How To and FAQ

How To: Install opensuse 11.2 on a mid 2009 Macbook Pro

koen_dewitte — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:37:21 GMT

Hi,

Quick HowTo that helps to install opensuse 11.2 final on a MacbookPro5,3.
This is a mid 2009 machine that did not have full linux support when it was launched.
Now, just a few months later, everything works and I just wanted to share the information...(how very community-minded about me >:))

General

Default Installation from Opensuse x86_64 DVD.
Choose KDE as window Manager
The kernel installed is default-desktop
During the first part of the installation, the touchpad does not work so use an external mouse!

Wireless Support

The b43-driver does not support the bcm4322 card in the machine.

Switch to broadcom driver and blacklist b43 and ssb

add "packman" repository from the community repositories
install package "broadcom-wl-kmp-desktop"
edit /etc/modprobe.d/50-blacklist.conf and add
blacklist b43
blacklist ssb
rmmod b43
rmmod ssb
modprobe wl
rcnetwork restart

Audio

Works out of the box but you have to unmute the front speakers channel
Click on the speaker in the taskbar and choose mixer.
Go to settings, configure channels
Activate the Front Speaker channel and unmute it
Done...

NVidia

Add the NVIDIA repository. ftp://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/11.2/
install x11-video-NVIDIAG02 (will normally be automatically selected...)
logout and login

Pommed

This package is necessary for keyboard and screen brightness hotkey support.
You need at least version 1.28 for the MBP5,3
I installed http://download.opensuse.org/reposit...8.1.x86_64.rpm
make sure it starts every time "chkconfig pommed on"
in /etc/pommed.conf set the option fnmode=2 (I prefer to use the function keys as default and the hotkeys with the fn-key)

Synaptics Touchpad

install http://download.opensuse.org/reposit...1.2.x86_64.rpm
Configure the dual finger scrolling in KDE control panel - touchpad
You can also disable the tapping functionality there so that typing goes better.

Works out of the box:
SD Card Reader
Webcam (install cheese)
Wired NIC
Keyboard
But you need to set the keyboard type to Macbook Pro (and in my case, the language to French) to get the Belgian keyboard layout working.
Do this in the "Regional and Language" options, Keyboard Layout
/etc/sysconfig set hardware-keyboard to mac-fr

After this step, all the hardware is configured.
Suspend to disk, RAM should also work.

How To: Nautilus Super User Mode in Gnome

Wilson_Phillips — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:17:35 GMT

For us KDE users, when we go to Gnome, there is nothing to compare with KDE's File Manager - Super User Mode. Well, that is not exactly true. You can create a Nautilus SU icon that works just the same way.

RightClick Desktop
Click Create Launcher
Type: Application
Name: Nautilus SU
Command: gnomesu nautilus
Comment:
Click OK

Once the icon is on the desktop, you will want to change the icon.
RightClick Nautilus SU icon
Click Properties
Click the springpad icon
Browse to /usr/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/
Select Nautilus.svg
Click Open and it will take you back to the properties
Click Close

Test your icon
It should ask for the root password when you open Nautilus and you should have root access to the file system.
You can now copy the icon and place it anywhere you want it.

Enjoy :)

How to: Nautilus Super User Mode in KDE

Wilson_Phillips — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:07:35 GMT

I frequently use KDE's File Manager: Super User Mode, but I hate that it does not support my Forward and Back mouse buttons. The other day, I was playing around in Gnome and found that Nautilus supports my mouse buttons quite nicely. How do I get Nautilus to run in KDE? Since I have both KDE and Gnome installed, this is easy.

RightClick the Kicker button on the task bar
Click Menu Editor
Click the + by System to expand it
RightClick File Manager
Click New Item
Type in Nautilus SU and the new item will appear under File Manager

Under General
Name: Nautilus SU
Description:
Comment:
Command: gnomesu nautilus
Put a check by Enable Launch Feedback
Click the ICON button and sellect the Nautilus shell photo for the icon.

Under Advanced
Work Path: /usr/bin/
Put a check by Run As A Different User
Leave the Username box empty
Click the SAVE button on the menu bar

You will now have a working Nautilus icon that will bring up the password window when you click it just like File Manager Super User Mode.:)

Upgrade Linux versions: /home

techwiz03 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:39:41 GMT

data on the home partition safe during new install of 11.2?
openSUSE Forums > Install/Boot/Login

Quote:

#1 Q data on the home partition safe during new install of 11.2?
Hi!
11.1 was my first linux experience (using linux as my main system) and it' been a great one.
now it's time for my first upgrade!
I would prefer a clean install of opensuse 11.2
I have three partitions on my HD. The OS partition, the data partition and the swap.
1)If i understand correctly, i should just format and install on the OS partition, whereas documents, pictures and program data (eg thunderbird emails or tomboy notes) are stored safe in the data partition, so i will find them there after installing 11.2, without the need to backup?
2) After installing 11.2 will i have to reinstall thunderbird, tomboy and any other third program i am using, or 11,2 will find them sitting in the data partition? (that is to say, only program data are preserved there, or the programs themselves?

A1. Always backup important files because Murphy and his whole ratbag family are waiting in the dark corners to get you!

A2. When I do an update, I ALWAYS back up my /home before hand, and keep a separate backup of my /etc directory, and a copy of my /boot/grub/menu.lst. I also check my /home backup to ensure it really DID backup. Including checking the hidden files/directories (such as .thunderbird) to ensure they were COMPLETELY copied. That is 100% essential. CHECK your BACKUP !!

I then do a clean install. My experience, since I have multiple partitions (Free Dos or WinXP, / , /home , swap ) of varying sizes that the openSUSE installer invariably guesses WRONG as to what I wish to do.

Hence BEFORE installing, I make a note exactly what each partition is allocated to do functionally. ie I type:
Code:

df -Th

and keep a record of that. If I do not mount all partitions under Linux, I also run with root permissions:
Code:

fdisk -l

again to keep a record.

Then when the openSUSE installer makes its proposal, I go to advanced and study carefully the WRONG recommendation it is giving, and then I tell the installer to rescan the drive, and I go and do a hand edit, telling the installer to put an EXT4 " / " on top of the old EXT " / " (and to reformat the EXT4 and mount it again as " / " ) . And I tell the openSUSE installer to mount the old EXT3 /home, and do NOT reformat but keep the /home as EXT3 format.

Also important is whether your old desktop was KDE3 or Gnome, and what you plan for your new desktop. In my case, since I moved from KDE3 to KDE4, I did not want to risk having a KDE4 desktop in the same /home/oldcpu directory as my KDE3, so when installing I created a new user "oldercpu" and did NOT create a user "oldcpu".

After the install was complete, and I was logged in as oldercpu, I noted the old /home/oldcpu was still present, and I copied my .thunderbird directory from /home/oldcpu to /home/oldercpu, and I copied my .mozilla book marks from /home/oldcpu to /home/oldercpu and moved all my relevant folders etc ....

I then install all necessary programs again. If you have a high speed connection, and are familiar with setting up repositories, and know how to keep your repositories at a clean and mean trim, this is a breeeze. (I recommend ONLY OSS, Non_OSS, Update and Packman repos).

Then I re-installed thunderbird (this time a beta of version 3) and it was able to read the version 2 thunderbird files (on /home/oldercpu with no problem, and it was all setup. Note I still had my old .thunderbird under /home/oldcpu directory.

Now if I was moving from KDE4 (in 11.1) to KDE4 (in 11.2) I would have kept the same username and it wouldhave been easier (no need to copy .config files nor any need to create a new user).

Now if I have trouble configuring, note I have my old /etc backed up, and I can open the config files in the /etc backup, and compare that to the config files in my new install, to help me figure out what is different and maybe get some ideas as to what is wrong.

As they say, different strokes for different folks, ... but I tend to be VERY conservative. So I backed up first, and I did my installation as a new user name, and DID NOT recreate the old username account.

A3. There should be no data in your OS(/root) partition. A backup of your home partition would be a good idea (I confess I did not do that, but was lucky). You will have to reinstall the programms though.

My first linux distro was SuSe 10.3 and I updated both times by clean install (skipped 11.1) with no problems.

A4. Data on the /home partition should be safe as long as you don't accidentally format it

But keep in mind that a lot of valuable data lives elsewhere. Data for MySQL is under /var/lib/mysql, other apps like mailman keep their stuff under /var as well. You may (or may not) have websites under /srv/www or some extensive DNS configurations under /etc and /var again. It depends a lot on what applications you are running but a good backup is a must. At least for /boot /srv /etc /var and /home. I keep /root as well, because that's where my crontab files are.

R1. thanks for your answers.
So i should generally backup
/etc ...just in case
/boot/grub/menu.lst ...the same
/var/lib/mysql, ....seems empty on my root folder. What should it contain?
/var extensive DNS configurations?i haven't done any
/srv/www empty

Backing up my home partition at the moment...
Important programs with lots of data are firefox, thunderbird, tomboy, digikam, amarok as far as i can think, they should all have their data in the /home partition i think

Quote:

#2 Q data on the home partition safe during new install of 11.2?
What is the philosophy behind it? Should they theoritically be preserved? Back in the windows days i spent a whole day each time i did a format, searching for various important program data either in each program's folder, or in documents and settings or in AppData or in various other locations, and i always missed something.
I thought that the idea in linux was that all programs should store their data in the home partition and not in the OS, so that they should be fine during update? Or should i also search for data in the OS partition?

A1.

Quote:

Should they theoritically be preserved?

yes. theoretically all things you have in /home will be untouched and safe..

however!

you do need to pay attention during the install because the script is supposed to 'see' the existing openSUSE install and as part of this step
offer to keep the existing home and use it and its user on the new install..

however! if you get confused and *tell* it to format your /home, it will..

or, if it gets confused and in the top part of that screen suggests that it should format three partitions, /swap, /root, and /home and you click "Next" it will do what it suggested and you accepted (and format /home)

therefore, the reason growbag rightly suggested a backup..
but, many folks don't, and are lucky...some folks don't and then come crying here that openSUSE *destroyed* all their photos, music etc etc etc...when we all know they pressed "Next" on that page and pressed "Install" on this page which shows exactly what partitions will be created/formatted..

THEN they pressed "Install" on this page
after being warned that your hard disk will be modified according to the previous settings....

A2.

Quote:

/var/lib/mysql, ....seems empty on my root folder. What should it contain?

It would contain your database files. As it seems, you did not create any databases with mysql. I tried to give you some examples of applications storing data outside /home.

A3.

Quote:

I thought that the idea in linux was that all programs should store their data in the home partition and not in the OS, so that they should be fine during update? Or should i also search for data in the OS partition?

It's more complicated than that. There isn't "one user partition and one OS partition". On Linux there are various directories all of which could be made separate partitions. This flexibility is part of the Unix philosophy. However the /home and / separation is the recommended and most common for openSUSE. As others point out, you may have configuration information and other data elsewhere on the system and it's your responsibility to ensure they are taken care of.

You should have a normal backup regime that covers /home anyway. I backup to a removable disk once a week and to a DVD also once a week. So my $HOME isn't at risk for more than a few days. Also I have RAID.

A4.
/var/mysql and /srv/www and others do hold data that you want to keep. My preferred solution is to symlink these into /preserve/ROOT/var/mysql and /preserve/ROOT/srv/www, to let /preserve be a separate file system and leave /home part of the root ("/") file system. Why? Because every new system has new desktop stuff that does not upgrade smoothly.
So, I keep my home directory stuff in /preserve, too. Then, a new install with new and better config files
do not misinterpret the bad old configury and do bad things. It's a pain, but less so than finding my
browser not working because it tried and failed to reconfigure my config files.

Oh, do not forget to have spare partitions. Install to a spare and if all goes well, then make the old
installation the spare. So, you should have at least four partitions:

1. swap
2. known-good install
3. test installation
4. preserved data (that is backed up, too!)

A5.
The openSUSE installer has never suggested doing, or done, anything amiss to my /home partition when I have let it have its way.

The data most likely to be on / is mysql databases for which I always use mysqldump to make a backup to /home; then a single command to mysql on the new installation restores everything.

I do always backup everything beforehand anyway.

A6.

Quote:

The openSUSE installer has never suggested doing, or done, anything amiss to my /home partition when I have let it have its way.

The data most likely to be on / is mysql databases for which I always use mysqldump to make a backup to /home; then a single command to mysql on the new installation restores everything.

I do always backup everything beforehand anyway.

Usually I would say your right until I installed upgrades to 3 systems. All were done the same way but hardware was slightly different between the systems. All three installs worked great except.... one system decided it was going to replace my /home partition with a newly formated one. Thank g** for back-ups!

All of this was contributed by openSUSE members in the install forum and condensed by me

Installing and Configuring Compiz

ijbreakey — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:12:59 GMT

1.) Go to Compiz Fusion - openSUSE

2.) Use the one-click installer for your version of openSUSE and your Desktop Environment (usually one-click installers are not recommended as they can add unnecessary repositories and clutter your repository list. Only one repository is added with this and you have a step by step guide to using it ;)).

3.) If you're using Firefox tell it to Open with Yast Meta Package Handler (default). Konqueror opens the installer, and if your browser does not do this or have the option, save the file then run it from the saved location.

4.) The installer appears and gives you a short description of what's going to be installed.

5.) Click next and verify that the right repositories are being added.
=> If you're using openSUSE 11.2 it should be
Index of /repositories/X11:/XGL/openSUSE_11.2
=> If you're using openSUSE 11.1 and KDE you should follow the instructions from here:
Compiz Fusion on 4.3 X - openSUSE Forums
Otherwise Gnome users can still use the one-click installers from the site.
Click next.

6.)These files will be installed
compiz
compiz-emerald
compiz-emerald-themes
compiz-fusion-plugins-extra
compiz-fusion-plugins-main
compiz-kde4
compiz-manager
compizconfig-settings-manager
libcompizconfig
python-compizconfig
simple-ccsm-kde

(for KDE4 users. Gnome users will have compiz-gnome and simple-ccsm-gnome)

7.) Click next, it will warn you about reviewing the changes being made to your computer. Click Yes.

8.) At this point it will ask you for your root password to start the software installation. Enter your password and hit enter.

9.) It will then ask you to import a GnuPG Key for the X11 repository. Import it.

10.) Let the installer run. When it's done you should be left with a window saying installation was successful.

11.) Click finish.

12.)If you want to use emerald as the decoration manager when compiz starts up, open the CompizConfig Settings Manager (CCSM), go to the Effects Category
and make sure Window Decoration plugin is checked. Click into the plugin and find "Command".
If it's not in there already replace whatever's in there with

Code:

emerald --replace

13.) For KDE4 users, To set compiz as the default window manager open Configure Desktop (Personal Settings). Then click Default Applications. Click Window Manager and choose Use a different window manager. Use the drop down menu to choose Compiz (not Compiz custom).

14.) For KDE4 users, if Print Screen and/or Krunner do not work (prntscrn button and alt+f2, respectively) then you'll need to use this workaround. Open the CCSM then make sure the Commands Plugin is enabled under the General Category. Click the Commands tab. For Command line 0 type

Code:

ksnapshot --current

For Command line 1 type

Code:

krunner

Then click the Key Bindings tab and for Run Command 0 enabled it, click grab key combination, and press your Prnt Scrn button. Then for Run Command 1 enable it, click grab key combination, and then press and hold down your alt then f2 keys at the same time.

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the forums.

Take Care,

Ian

Note: I'm a KDE4 user, hence the screen shots from KDE4. If a gnome user wants to post screenshots from Gnome, feel free (as there's a limit to how many pictures are allowed on posts).

Making a Bootable USB from Windows

hence_persson — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:35:32 GMT

Mandriva has created an easy tool for writing hybrid isos to USB stick -- Mandriva-seed

link: http://staff.telkomsa.net/pub/linux/...ed-windows.zip

Ive tried it and it works flawless for openSuse 11.2 KDE-live cd also..

If one have a netbook with no cd-drive and no experience with command line tools one could use this tool..

Maybe if its opensource the openSuse devs just can rebrand it and use it to make the transition for windows users even more easy..

NVIDIA and ATI graphics driver options with OS 11.2

deano_ferrari — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:32:01 GMT

This article may offer clarity to those with NVIDIA or ATI graphics hardware:

Nvidia and ATI Proprietary Graphics Drivers support in OpenSuSe 11.2 Linux | Linux Poison

11.2 Install Slideshow with Tips

caf4926 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:06:45 GMT

I have put together a slideshow of a 11.2 Install done in Virtual Box. This is intended as a Guide, particularly for New Users. The file is a Open Office Presentation file and will download zipped.

Here it is:
http://files.myopera.com/carl4926/bl...deshow.odp.zip