Debian is widely considered the Linux distribution with the best package management tool, APT and one of the largest software bases (>13,000). However, the installation horror stories kept me away. Nevertheless, eager to try it out, I failed to install various other Debian GNU/Linux based distributions. Some failed to boot even after I tried to reinstall for the fourth time, and others just couldn’t detect my hardware. While Knoppix is highly recommended, I decided to stick with hard-drive based distros (Although it is the distribution of choice for LiveCDs). Then came Libranet.
Libranet allows the great flexibility and easy package management of Debian with a smooth, painless installation. But, oh woe, it does not have a free downloadable version! I’m a proponent of free speech and free beer, so I decided to stay away from Libranet for a while.
My yearning for a trouble-free installation coupled with rock-solid Debian was finally fulfilled when the gentle folks at Libranet decided to release Libranet 2.7 Classic, essentially Libranet 2.8 with an older kernel (2.4.19 instead of 2.4.21 in Libranet 2.8.1) and a smaller selection of packages; but with APT the system can easily be extended and upgraded.
The ISO was downloaded, burned, and ready to go in no time thanks to a speedy broadband connection. I proceeded to my test machine; running Windows XP sprawled over the full capacity of the 80 GB drive.
As Libranet does not support NTFS partitioning, Partition Magic quickly and painlessly created a 256 MB Swap partition, using the good ol’ RAM x 2 rule of thumb, and a 25 GB ext3 partition.
Test System:
* AMD K7-2 750 MHz
* Asus K7-2 Mainboard
* IBM DeskStar 120 80GB HD
* SiS 6326 4MB AGP Video Card
* Creative Ensoniq Vibra 128 Sound Card
* AOpen 52x CD-ROM
* Linksys LEN100XT
* Gateway EV700 Monitor
Installation
Libranet booted off the CD without a hitch. I was greeted by a classic text-based (CURSES, not console) installation, which might scare some people, but the menus are very simple, and the explanations are excellent. I then proceeded to select my partitions, set the time zone, language and install the base system. Everything went smoothly and with the least amount of user intervention possible without throwing configurability to the wind. No choice of partition type is provided, ReiserFS is always used. It set up GRUB (There is no option to install LILO) flawlessly, detecting Windows, and asking me whether to add it to the boot menu. There was the option of putting GRUB in the Master Boot Record (overwriting any other boot managers I might have), in the first sector of the partition, or on a boot diskette. I chose to put it in the MBR and crossed my fingers that everything would work fine.
For stage two, I remove the CD and rebooted. It loaded smooth as butter. I set up the root account and any other users (only one in my case). Unlike 2.8.1 this Classic version of Libranet does not give automatic access to the Windows partitions (Later, you can mount FAT partitions manually).
Next I was prompted to insert the CD back into the drive, and proceeded with package selection. There were several categories such as Windows Managers, Samba, Internet, etc. I decided to choose everything except the PCMCIA drivers.
The scroll-fest began, displayed no warning messages for most packages, and even those that didn’t install it just skipped and went on, as they were of no import. I suggest getting up, having a stretch and drinking a cup or six of your beverage of choice.
After the packages were installed it launched the sound configuration utility, which correctly detected my sound card, but failed to load the correct module, loading ‘disabled’ instead. I decided to fix that later so I continued to the network configuration which I chose to skip as well. I painlessly set up the X-Windows system the script having detected my video card, my monitor, and loaded the correct modules.
This is where the installation ended so I turned the machine off and went to sleep.
Libranet 2.7 At Work
The computer booted into a familiar GRUB screen. Three options: The regular install, a “failsafe” option, and windows (indicated by nothing more than /dev/hda1). I waited out the allotted 3 seconds and GRUB went on to boot my Linux partition.
It went through the usual kernel messages and loaded X, displaying the Gnome login screen. I logged in using the user name and password I created during installation.
The default desktop is IceWM. Although it is fast and compact, I wanted the greater functionality of KDE, so I used the KDE 3.0.3 which comes with the distribution.
I played around with Libranet for a little while, and found it to be a solid distribution, indeed doing justice to the Debian name.
The major difference I found is the “Xadminmenu” (there’s also a text-based alternative creatively named “adminmenu”) application supplied with the distribution. A link to it sits on the desktop, and it allows you to access various important configuration options. However, it not only let’s access scripts such as a simplified XFree86 configuration, or sound card set up, but also automated installation of Microsoft TrueType fonts (anti-aliased), Flash Player, and PCMCIA cards. Although I have not tested that function out, a tab dedicated to recompiling the kernel is also available.
As mentioned previously, I left the sound and network set up for later, and this is where “adminmenu” came in to play. Through it, I accessed the simple sound card module selection script, which detected my card by did load the correct module, so I chose on manually. After putting in the internal and external IP addresses (I use a router to share my cable connection), DHCP server addresses, DNS server, and WINS server address, the network worked flawlessly. It is worth to mention that these scripts are the same ones used during installation.
I fired up Konqueror, Mozilla, and Galeon, and all three performed without a hitch.
Libranet and APT
Now, the moment truth has arrived. I now intended to commence using APT for the first time under Libranet.
I did an apt-get update and got the latest package listings. To test things out, I tried apt-get install bittorrent, which failed miserably. I girded my loins and sallied forth to find a solution; RTFM is my motto, I prefer not to contact support, especially since it isn’t included with the free Libranet 2.7. Meanwhile, an apt-get upgrade updated all my packages. After a little running around the Debian site I decided to use the US mirrors of the Testing package tree, so I added those to /etc/apt/sources.list. Next, came the apt-get dist-upgrade. I left that running for a while. When it was done, I had a new distribution, the Debian Testing tree (“sarge”) running!
At this point I restarted.
More Libranet
After the distribution upgrade, I was deposited at the console, but not losing my cool, I logged in, and used startx, to make everything work. In fact, I appreciate being able to arrive at a pure text prompt before loading the GUI.
Everything worked. Frozen-Bubble, which refused to run, even after being installed before, now worked flawlessly.
Libranet comes with a plethora of packages, from graphic editors, to games. It includes several Window and Desktop managers, including IceWM, KDE, Gnome, Blackbox, Fluxbox, Window Maker, Enlightenment, and others. And any package required can easily be located in the enormous (13,000+) Debian package repository. To find the package name for SCHEME, for example, all one needs is to apt-cache search scheme and a list of packages whose description contains the word scheme is displayed. A list of shooting games is just as easily located using apt-cache search shooter.
This, in fact, is the essence of Libranet. This one CD is nothing but a door to the vast world of Debian GNU/Linux. I highly recommend Libranet 2.7 to anyone who wants a great Debian-based distribution that makes it easy, but still has the power tools a true Linux power-user might require.
Scorecard:
Installation 9/10
Ease of use 6/10
Fun factor 8/10
Functionality 9/10
Completeness (Refers to the comprehensiveness of software provided)
With APT 10/10
Without APT 6.5/10
Geek factor 6/10
Final Verdict 8/10
Conclusion: This is a superb distribution. Libranet 2.7 puts the power, flexibility, and versatility of Debian in everyone’s hands. One to try for both experienced users (whose job will be made easier) and newbies (who will be spared a harsh introduction, but will not be spoon-fed). This, however, is a desktop Linux distribution, those looking for servers, routers, etc. are better off with another more lean flavor.
About the Author:
Michael Katsevman resides most comfortably in the Metro-Boston area of Massachusetts, and intends to stay there for a little while. He enjoys long walks on the beach and an extra dose of computers, preferably intravenously. Network Security to 3D Modeling, all is within his reach, but his future is yet to come. Soon in a college or university near you.
I’m curious — what Debian-based distros did you try that gave you install problems? I just tried a Morphix install for a friend, and it was easy as pie. Literally there are just 7 steps — basically point it at a partition and let it go.
Its odd, though. I’ve installed Linux on some weird hardware (SiS chipsets — they’re shit, don’t buy them) and none have had install problems like that. Maybe its just the hardware I run — tend to stick to Intel more than AMD.
[quote]
…and none have had install problems like that. Maybe its just the hardware I run — tend to stick to Intel more than AMD.
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And by that you are implying…
Trolls, jeesh.
– j
I tried installing “Sarge” this past week, and throughout the initial net installation, everything worked fine. As soon as it rebooted for downloading the rest of the packages, it would no longer see my USB keyboard. Odder still, is that it had no trouble seeing my USB mouse which was connected through my keyboard. I tried again with a PS/2 mouse to see if it was hiding the keyboard from it, but same result. I finished the third attempt with a PS/2 keyboard borrowed from my wife’s computer, but even after reconfiguring X to see my USB keyboard after a reboot, it just could never see it.
I gave up, (probably a little early), and went to Fedora Core 1.
I am interested in trying Libranet someday, however.
Easy as pie indeed. I’ve been running Knoppix, Morphix (Light, Gnome & KDE), and DSL. All Debian based distros that are live CDs but I installed to harddrive. I’ve ran them all on 4 different PCs, with little or no install problems. All these distros use the excellent Knoppix hardware detect/install script. The only problem I have is using two sources, testing & unstable. I just remove the unstable source and been running fine with pure testing and apt.
would be a tough install on recent hardware.
i just started running debian (because of the redhat/fedora news) in preparation to migrate my servers.
i had to find an older machine to install on, but it went smoothly. upgraded to testing(sarge?) and all is good.
but newer systems, i have no idea how anyone installs it on newer chipsets
promise controllers, via and nvidia chipsets, etc etc etc….you’d be toast.
The Morphix site http://morphix.sourceforge.net/modules/news/ recently announced that they are currently porting some RedHat/Fedora’s config tools to Morphix/Debian. Morphix has several advantages over Libranet: it is free as beer, the live-CD can be used as a rescue disc, and it’s 100% Debian sid compatible so that there are no difficulties in updating software via apt-get. The only minus is that at the moment Morphix is still under heavy development and the parts that are not directly from Debian are likely to be buggy.
Relax, I’ve got a couple of AMD machines at home. Its just that AMD supporting chipsets tend to be a little flaky. An Intel CPU is usually paired with an Intel chipset. Intel chipsets have granitic stability. AMD stuff often uses a VIA or SiS chipset. There are a lot of chipsets from both companies that have had issues to say the least. I remember that the VIA chipsets needed special drivers in Windows (4-in-1 was it?) and that SiS had irritating issues with UDMA on some hard drives.
Please get on topic, AMD Vs Intel is not our topic today. Thank you.
libranet sounds quite good, i’d like to check out debian but does anyone know why xfree 4.3.0 is not in unstable yet its been out for a while now
Considering that it failed to recognize his sound card without manual intervention, some programs were broken “straight out of the box” (based on his statement that Bubbles failed to run w/o apt-upgrading), and it came with older versions programs (KDE and the kernel were mentioned in specific) I think this score is a bit high.
Also, it’s not much of a review of Libranet 2.7 if you’re doing an apt-get dist-upgrade after installation.
If anyone is looking for an easy way to install Debian, I’d still recommend Knoppix. It comes with an GUI installation program and its hardware autodetection is top notch. Plus it’s reasonably up-to-date as far as packages go.
Just my $0.02.
there’s stiff competition from:
yum
http://linux.duke.edu/projects/yum/
and portage
http://google.ca/search?q=cache:3X8Z4-VK73cJ:www.gentoo.org/main/en…
once you use these, apt doesn’t look like the mind-blowing-saviour-of-package-management any more.
I use Knoppix regularly and I adore it. However, this was a Libranet review, and not a Knoppix one. I did not have quite as much experience with Morphix, which is based on Knoppix (I don’t really know what the difference is). Libranet 2.7 is, again, their old version that was released for free. Their Flagship Edition (2.8.1) is much more complete and up-to-date.
However, for a simple Debian install, Libranet 2.7 is perfect! It doesn’t come with all the bloat that Knoppix does! Personally, as long as it fast, bloat’s my best friend, but not always. If you want to run a server, and you are dead-set on using Debian, I would suggest Libranet instead of regular Debian. Why? Because you don’t have to muck around as much!
And about APT: It is not the start-all-end-all of package management. But it does seem to be the “standard”. Sure, there’s yum, and portage, and urpmi, but they are not quite as comprehensive (not even close) as Debian repository.
APT might not be the ultimate but it amazingly convenient and accessible, and with synaptic (whom I do *not* like as much as consoe) it becomes much more powerful.
Yum has indeed intrigued me, and I intend to have a serious go at Fedora Core 1 when I’m done with other things I’m doing (I did have a quintuple booting machine once, and I did not enjoy the experience much… Windows didn’t like it… *sigh*).
–Mike.
“I use Knoppix regularly and I adore it. However, this was a Libranet review, and not a Knoppix one. I did not have quite as much experience with Morphix, which is based on Knoppix (I don’t really know what the difference is).
Morphix has more versions and is more easily customized to tastes. You can download a GNOME only version, a KDE only version, an XFCE version, a gaming version (with nvidia drivers and some games included).
Libranet 2.7 is, again, their old version that was released for free. Their Flagship Edition (2.8.1) is much more complete and up-to-date.”
You have to pay for the flagship edition, though, right? Knoppix and Morphix are both free.
However, for a simple Debian install, Libranet 2.7 is perfect! It doesn’t come with all the bloat that Knoppix does! Personally, as long as it fast, bloat’s my best friend, but not always.
Knoppix is just under 3gigs installed. You can trim that down if you want using apt or dselect to remove packages you don’t need.
Morphix can be waaay smaller depending on which version you choose to install.
Just out of curiousity, what is the size of a full Libranet 2.7 and 2.8 installation?
A bit offtopic, but the idea of Morphix is modularity – you can choose from ready-made modules and ‘morph’ your own live-CD that contains only software that you need and no bloat. Morphix also offers tools that enable you to build your own modules. Or you can just choose from a couple of different already ‘morphed’ iso-images and maybe ‘throw in’ some additional Debian packages that you want. Morphix also has an easy installer that basically just installs the live-CD to hard drive. Oh, and Morphix uses Knoppix’s automatic hardware detection. So Morphix adds modularity and choice to Knoppix. Choice is good.
free Loader, thanks for pointing out the Morphix project. That was the first time I had ever heard of it. Since I’ve been looking to get my feet wet with linux for a while this looked like a good place to start. I downloaded the light ISO and had it booted in VMware in less the thirty mins. Its pretty cool. I’m posting this message from the copy of fire bird that comes on the CD. Fantastic. It was so easy I’m about to give it a shot om real hardware.
You know what? The idea is great, and freedom is awesome, but there’s a catch for me (in specific). I don’t like to muck around. I want it to be out of the box, which I’m sure Morphix is, but it distinguishes itself from very similiar alternatives by what seems to be only that freedom. I want my LiveCD to be downloaded, burnt and ready to go! That’s why Knoppix bloat is good, it has anything I might ever want on it.
Libranet is the same thing for Debian. You can get whatever you want, but more easily, and it works out of the box. You can add more things, or remove, if you want.
Also, I did not express it clearly, Frozen Bubble did not come with the system, I APTed it, and apparently the woody system 2.7 is didn’t quite support it, but sarge did.
Another comment: Yeah, now that I think about it, the scores are indeed a lil bit bloated, I would just decrease everything by one point to put it more in perspective.
Libranet 2.7 is a small Debian that works right away with lots of hardware. I was not comparing it to Knoppix or Morphix, which should not be done as 2.7 isn’t a LiveCD distro, which is what K and M are their core.
In fact, I am in the process of writing about Vector Linux, and I think that accomplishes what 2.7 does even better.
Also, it seems to me that Libranet 2.8.1 is superb. Just not free. It makes Debian easy, easy, easy! If I was in the market of buying Linux-based distros, 2.8.1 would most definetely be on my list to get.
–Mike.
For those of us with DVD burners, any of these distros allow you to download a DVD ISO with everything but the kitchen sink ?
Darius do you mean a Live ISO or a regualar installation iso? Debian has that Jigdo tool with at least one ready made DVD template.
I’ve installed Linux on some weird hardware (SiS chipsets — they’re shit, don’t buy them)
I’d hardly make SiS sound quite so esoteric. Quite apart from the fact that a modern OS like linux shouldn’t make you limit your hardware choices, you really are going over the top in slagging SiS off. I can think of ‘bad’ chipsets from every company (except maybe Intel) but SiS are quite fine these days.
For the record, Linux actually supports SiS chipsets rather well. DRI and everything. They’ve just been the source of the only real problems I’ve ever had with PC motherboards.
Which way was this article heading:
Debian or Libranet???
Shortly after installing libranet he went and upgraded?? Sorry??
Is it me… or am i missing something???
Sorry, but you are indeed missing the point.
Libranet IS Debian.
Even if you buy the latest Libranet version on the same day of its release, you can already upgrade it.
It is the nature of Debian (except of course if you run Woody/stable): there are people who started years ago with a now obsolete release and kept upgrading it all the time.
Today they have a beautiful Sid/unstable system.
I tend to think that people who are claiming that Yum/urpmi are as good as apt are missing a fundamental point. The great thing about apt is that you can update your entire system to more or less the latest packages forever(relatively speaking
). Where as urpmi and yum (I assume) work well when you have a current version of the distro but as soon as a new version is released everyone starts making packages for the new version and you are then forced to either upgrade your entire distro every 6 months or not able to update your packages.
Don’t get me wrong here I find urpmi a very useful tool, but I don’t want to have to go through the pain of having to try and upgrade my distro every six months, which is why apt is so good. When I can install Fedora or Mandrake once and then keep it upgraded for at least two years before doing a new install I’ll be a very happy punter.
I find those comparisons between Knoppix/Morphix at the one side and Libranet on the other side a bit out of place.
I absolutely love all of them, but they have different purposes: Knoppix/Morphix are absolutely BEAUTIFUL as live CDs, but they don’t have a terribly good HD installer.
Besides they miss many of the configuration tools, support for commercial packages, etc that make Libranet an excellent Desktop OS installer. (and BTW I mean Libranet 2.8.1)
After doing the upgrade to sarge, were all the special Libranet tools still there and functioning?
I’ve had problems in the past with upgrades removing extra functionality applications and even core packages from other Debian based distros.
Thanks,
Mutiny
Sorry, your post is not addressed to me, but I know the answer. The ‘special Libranet tools’ are in fact debs.
Therefore if apt doesn’t find a newer version and if there aren’t dependency issues (very unlike) they are left well alone.
There is nothing wrong with reviewing Libranet after upgrading to the latest sarge.
Libranet is a 100% compatible Debian distro; what you pay for is:
a) 2 CDs with the best packages selected from Debian repositories (sarge in 2.8) so that you don’t have to download them.
b) Custom-compiled applications for desktop users… for example, XFree86 is custom-compiled to 4.3, whereas Debian is still running 4.2.1, even in unstable. Evolution and Galeon are also custom-compiled, among others.
c) Access to the Libranet repository, where new sarge-compatible, higher version Debian packages show up often.
d) Better hardware detection, Nvidia support out of the box, etc.
e) Graphical installation program that’s a lot better than boot-floppies (not tough to beat).
f) Up-and-running e-mail support.
g) XAdminmenu and adminmenu, for access to lots of useful scripts (some of which were talked about in this review).
The fact that you can upgrade to Debian from Libranet is a FEATURE, not a disadvantage. A Debian-based distro that can’t be upgraded to a different Debian branch is _NOT_ really Debian-based. With Libranet, if you upgrade properly, things don’t break. I upgraded to sid recently without problems… before that I was pinning sid and running sarge.
IMO, Libranet is last _real_ commercial Debian that has been worth it since Progeny Enhanced.
If anaconda Debian CDs start surfacing, Libranet may be less necessary (X 4.3 can be found from unofficial repositories, along with other “bleeding-edge” packages) but it is still a great distro.
“I proceeded to my test machine; running Windows XP sprawled over the full capacity of the 80 GB drive…Partition Magic quickly and painlessly created a 256 MB Swap partition, using the good ol? RAM x 2 rule of thumb, and a 25 GB ext3 partition.”
Is (has) this guy (been) running WindowsXP on a machine with 128 MB RAM? He’s braver than I thought…
Thanks for your interesting comment. Now i know how i can recommend ”user-friendly” Debian GNU/Linux to a friend who wants to start with GNU/Linux
You are wrong on one point, though. It isn’t ”Debian” the name is ”Debian GNU/Linux”. There is also ”Debian GNU/Hurd” and ”Debian GNU/NetBSD”, for example.
I’m wondering, are there also alternatives for Libranet, which are based on Debian GNU/Linux (or APT, or use .deb)? If so, can someone sum these up?
Yes, there are plenty of distros that are based on Debian GNU/Linux. Some of these are:
– Debian
– Knoppix
– Damn Small Linux
– Mepis
– Morphix
– Gnoppix
– Bonzai
You can check out short descriptions of each distro, plus a list of what software versions they currently have, in
http://www.distrowatch.com/
Libranet is good, but choice is also good. :^)
I use (or have used) all of the distributions that people have mentioned here (and more). I have Corel Linux, Knoppix, Libranet, LindowsOS, Mepis, Morphix, and Xandros. I have not yet had a chance to try out Gnoppix though.
I find Libranet, without a doubt, to be the most complete distribution of any of the ones I’ve mentioned. If completeness is important, give Libranet an A. I also find Libranet to be the most improved of the Debian distributions, and perhaps of any distribution. I first tried using the Libranet 1.9.1 release. It was excellent, but it was not very well documented, nor did it have a disk partition tool that was accessible during installation. By the 2.7 release, both of these issues had been resolved.
The 2.8 and 2.8.1 releases are incredible. The Web site and other information that’s available to support the installation and configuration of Libranet is excellent. Out of all of the Debian based distributions I can think of, only LindowsOS and Xandros can compare. LindowsOS is even easier to install, but it’s neither as complete nor does it address as broad a market – LindowsOS is very nicely geared to the consumer but definitely not to the geek. Xandros is the best documented of any Debian distro and one of the best documented of any Linux distro, but it’s conservative, older software, best suited to stable environments that interact with Windows systems.
Mepis is an excellent LiveCD distribution. I recommend it for anyone who wants to start out with a LiveCD that can later be installed on the hard disk. It comes with plenty of software. Even so, Libranet still reigns as the most complete distro. Mepis and Libranet are my two Debian favorites, without a doubt – at least for my hobbyist interests.
For my 3 older pcs, Libranet 2.7, would not install without a lot of handhammering..Sound and NIC just wouldnt come together without work. Libranet 2.0 installed fine on one of them… Knoppix installed flawlessly on all 3..For the newbie.. get Knoppix.. It will tell you in 10 minutes if you have ANY hardware issues. It will install to harddrive in probably less than 30 minutes.. and it’s reasonablely loaded with software,., and it s Debian.. Hardware incompatibility will make you believe in free downloads… There’s nothing like paying $50 for a distro and then having to spend 12 hours making it work, changing cards, settings and so on..
In my experience, Knoppix has been much more installable than ANY of the store-bought distros that I’ve tried. (6+). And when somebody brings over a Dell Optiplex g1 and wants Windows installed, instead of chasing drivers all over the place, I suggest Knoppix which installs rapidly, I can install Knoppix faster than I can even identify the missing drivers for Windows. (Ok so I am not very smart, but Knoppix works..) Knoppix can be, and is, easier to install on a windows computer than windows..
Knoppix isn’t perfect.. I still like Slackware better.. but Knoppix installs faster and gives a most adequate distribution. The other note mentioned the bloat, and I cant argue with that.. Ifn you aint got 3 gig of harddrive space, Knoppix is too big…
Did the author check his facts carefully?
The following comments apply to the paid-for versions of Libranet which I have owned since 1.9.1. It would surprise me if the developers took features out of the 2.7 Classic downloadable version.
There _are_ filesystem choices: ext2, ext3 and ReiserFS are all user-selectable. This has been available since at least v2.0
ntfsresize is certainly included in v2.8.x and, to the best of my recall, it was also in 2.7. This is the product of a SourceForge project whose rewritten NTFS drivers are also in the 2.5/2.6 series kernel.
These days, most people talk about Libranet as if they were sucking a lollipop.
Libranet is basically fine, but:
1)It depends very much on your hardware. Whilst my laptop seemed to like Libranet most, my new desktop seems to prefer Suse.
2) Upgrading Debian is becoming more and more difficult, and it is happening often to me that an upgrade, or even installing new programs crashes my system
3) Libranet badly needs some more advanced features. Suse beats Libranet hands down. Even Mepis is better from this point of view.
4) Upgrading the kernel should be made easier.
At the moment there are only two ways: downloading a new kernel from kernel.org or wait (and pay) for the next release (of Libranet)
Unfortunately the first option is not feasible for many users
Upgrading the kernel is actually pretty easy in Debian if you use GRUB as your bootloader. What you need to do is, first, make sure that you have a file called ‘kernel-img.conf’ in /etc directory and that it has these two lines:
postinst_hook=/sbin/update-grub
postrm_hook=/sbin/update-grub
If you don’t have this file, create it. Next, install the latest kernel-image from Debian’s repository and that’s about it. After this ‘apt-get dist-upgrade’ updates your kernel automatically every time a new Debian kernel-image is released. Enjoy! :^)
Thanks! 🙂
Hi,
I am a new convert to Debian and love it but the install is definitely a pain. I now want to configure a second machine which will have a permanent connection to the internet so it should be very secure. Is running woody is the only way I can be sure of getting all the security updates or will something like libranet give me patches even if it sarge/sid based ?
The second pc is actually a notebook which does not have a CD so some sort of diskette booting scheme will be needed.
If anyone has a better idea than plain old woody I would be very grateful.
Thanks,
Richard
Yes, you’ll get the following security patches: from stable/Woody, from Sarge and from Libranet itself. You might also want the the ordinary updates from Libranet.
All you have to do is to run Synaptic and uncheck what you don’t want in the repositories list.
All this assuming that you are using 2.8 or 2.8.1 (because I have never seen 2.7-but it should be similar anyway)