Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

On Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 12:49 PM, Always Learning <centos@g7.u22.net> wrote:
>
> I persuaded a reluctant friend to buy a new computer. I enthusiastically
> extolled the joys and benefits of Centos and promised to install it on
> his new machine - dual booting with Micro$oft Windoze 7.
>
> His super-duper new laptop arrived. Acer, AMD 4 core, fast etc. but not
> as nice looking as my impressive HP DV5. The wireless refused to
> connect.
>
> After 8 hours on Saturday I could sometimes see hubs in the
> neighbourhood but could not connect to my own hub using WPA2.
>
> * * * *iwlist wlan0 scan
>
> produced technical details of local hubs - but still could not connect.
> NetworkManager sometimes froze.
>
> Spent many hours Googling for his wifi adaptor Altheros AR928K which
> uses a driver known as ATH9K. *Many others have had a similar problem.
> Kernel 2.6.27 apparently includes this driver but Centos 5.5 is 2.6.18.
>
> On my Sony Vaio netbook I abandoned XP and installed Centos 5.5. No wifi
> (yet XP had) but luckily for me I eventually discovered the Altheros
> AR8132 needed ATL1E which, for Centos 5.5, means a kernel modification.
> Luckily it is on Elrepo as kmod-atl1e. A quick Yum and I was connected.
> Many thanks to Elrepo. *The netbook comes to life with Centos. Its now a
> really usable machine. XP on a netbook was pure crap.
>
> However ATH9K for Centos 5.5 does not exist.
>
> This afternoon I had to tell my friend his brand new computer is
> incompatible with Centos and wifi.
>
> Please can anyone recommend a suitable Linux variant with a kernel >=
> 2.6.27 that is a bit like Centos ?
>
> Does anyone know if Centos 5.6 will be on 2.6.18 and whether it will
> have drivers like ATH9K ?
>
> Anyone any idea what kernel version Centos 6 will have ?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Paul
> GB


CentOS is great for servers, but absolutely not for a new person
you're trying to get to try Linux. This approach actually hurts Linux
since people think "oh I tried Linux and it sucked".

Ubuntu is the way to go for this, and I would at least start from a
LiveCD (though it is slow) and work from there. VirtualBox is a good
next step from the LiveCD, as almost no one wants to be dual-booting.
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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

At Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:49:39 +0000 CentOS mailing list <centos@centos.org> wrote:

>
>
> I persuaded a reluctant friend to buy a new computer. I enthusiastically
> extolled the joys and benefits of Centos and promised to install it on
> his new machine - dual booting with Micro$oft Windoze 7.
>
> His super-duper new laptop arrived. Acer, AMD 4 core, fast etc. but not
> as nice looking as my impressive HP DV5. The wireless refused to
> connect.
>
> After 8 hours on Saturday I could sometimes see hubs in the
> neighbourhood but could not connect to my own hub using WPA2.
>
> iwlist wlan0 scan
>
> produced technical details of local hubs - but still could not connect.
> NetworkManager sometimes froze.
>
> Spent many hours Googling for his wifi adaptor Altheros AR928K which
> uses a driver known as ATH9K. Many others have had a similar problem.
> Kernel 2.6.27 apparently includes this driver but Centos 5.5 is 2.6.18.
>
> On my Sony Vaio netbook I abandoned XP and installed Centos 5.5. No wifi
> (yet XP had) but luckily for me I eventually discovered the Altheros
> AR8132 needed ATL1E which, for Centos 5.5, means a kernel modification.
> Luckily it is on Elrepo as kmod-atl1e. A quick Yum and I was connected.
> Many thanks to Elrepo. The netbook comes to life with Centos. Its now a
> really usable machine. XP on a netbook was pure crap.
>
> However ATH9K for Centos 5.5 does not exist.
>
> This afternoon I had to tell my friend his brand new computer is
> incompatible with Centos and wifi.
>
> Please can anyone recommend a suitable Linux variant with a kernel >=
> 2.6.27 that is a bit like Centos ?

Hmm... For a hot new laptop, you are pretty much out-of-luck for
something like CentOS. FC14 *might* work, but I don't know how stable
or end-user friendly FC14 is. A current release of Ubuntu will likely
work, but Ubuntu is not like CentOS -- its admin 'style' is a bit
different -- things are in different places and the admin tools are
different -- as a CentOS user / admin, you'll find them 'strange. OTOH,
it is likely to be more newbie / end-user friendly and likely will work
better with hot new hardware.

>
> Does anyone know if Centos 5.6 will be on 2.6.18 and whether it will
> have drivers like ATH9K ?

CentOS 5.x will always have a 2.6.18 base kernel, but will have
backported drivers and security fixes, etc. But probably not drivers
for bleeding edge WiFi.

>
> Anyone any idea what kernel version Centos 6 will have ?

Probably whatever Fedora Core 12 (?) has. Whether this will work on
your friend's laptop is uncertain.

>
> Thank you.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Paul
> GB
>
> Centos on 2 VPS, 2 desktops, 1 laptop and 1 netbook.
> Going cheap : genuine Windoze 95 and 98 installation disks :-)
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS@centos.org
> http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
>
>

--
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Deepwoods Software -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

Always Learning wrote:
> Mark wrote:-
>
>> About 5 years ago, I had to install a wireless card in my tower, and
>> it's an ATH9xx, I *think* - I can check this evening, if that's
relevant. I
>> was running SuSE, and had to find drivers from madwifi. A few minutes of
>> googling found...
>> <http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/ath9k/RHEL5>, where the
>> module's been backported to RHEL5.
>
> Golly !
>
> I'm a Linux novice (started last June). Can I literally install one of
> those rpm on the laptop and that should, hopefully, cure everything ?
>
One should hope. An rpm - R(edhat)P(ackage)M(anager) are packages of
files, with configuration, etc, run during the install, meaning you should
only need minor tweaks, if at all, to the configuration files to have them
go. Kernel modules, AFAIK, during the install, are usually autoconfigured
to load.

> Thank you very much. I would prefer a Centos solution and then
> everything is the same O/S and simpler to maintain.

You do understand the relationship of CentOS to RHEL, right?

mark

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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

Always Learning wrote:
<snip>
> Thanks for the Ubuntu recommendation. I tend to buy the DVD's and
> install from them. I have VBox running Win98SE on a Centos desktop
> because I want to run software and applications from 1992 (my own DOS
> Cobol database) which also runs in DosBox, 1993 (my customised Ami Pro

Why not install gcc, and recompile your COBOL for Linux? <g>
<snip>

mark, pulling a brown paper bag over his head before admitting
to having written a *lot* of COBOL back before I got to
Unix


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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

For years, I've been using Fedora Core for my desktop/laptop systems and
CentOS for my servers. It's a good balance, because upgrading Fedora Core
takes about an hour or so, plus a day or two of occasional interruptions to
shake out various drivers and stuff. Also, I don't have to keep two different
Operating Systems sorted out

On my hard disk, I have my /home, /boot, and / directories each on their own
partitions, and when I'm upgrading my Fedora, I just format / and /boot, and
leave /home alone. Although I've transfered it a few times between hard disk
and computer upgrades, I've been using the same /home directory for well over
10 years now, with nary a hitch!

Make sure you have backups, etc., especially when upgrading versions, though
I've not had much problem.

Fedora Core is "cutting edge" and had no particular trouble shaking out
drivers on my recent Dell Precision M4500.

-Ben

On Tuesday, January 25, 2011 09:49:39 am Always Learning wrote:
> I persuaded a reluctant friend to buy a new computer. I enthusiastically
> extolled the joys and benefits of Centos and promised to install it on
> his new machine - dual booting with Micro$oft Windoze 7.
>
> His super-duper new laptop arrived. Acer, AMD 4 core, fast etc. but not
> as nice looking as my impressive HP DV5. The wireless refused to
> connect.
>
> After 8 hours on Saturday I could sometimes see hubs in the
> neighbourhood but could not connect to my own hub using WPA2.
>
> iwlist wlan0 scan
>
> produced technical details of local hubs - but still could not connect.
> NetworkManager sometimes froze.
>
> Spent many hours Googling for his wifi adaptor Altheros AR928K which
> uses a driver known as ATH9K. Many others have had a similar problem.
> Kernel 2.6.27 apparently includes this driver but Centos 5.5 is 2.6.18.
>
> On my Sony Vaio netbook I abandoned XP and installed Centos 5.5. No wifi
> (yet XP had) but luckily for me I eventually discovered the Altheros
> AR8132 needed ATL1E which, for Centos 5.5, means a kernel modification.
> Luckily it is on Elrepo as kmod-atl1e. A quick Yum and I was connected.
> Many thanks to Elrepo. The netbook comes to life with Centos. Its now a
> really usable machine. XP on a netbook was pure crap.
>
> However ATH9K for Centos 5.5 does not exist.
>
> This afternoon I had to tell my friend his brand new computer is
> incompatible with Centos and wifi.
>
> Please can anyone recommend a suitable Linux variant with a kernel >=
> 2.6.27 that is a bit like Centos ?
>
> Does anyone know if Centos 5.6 will be on 2.6.18 and whether it will
> have drivers like ATH9K ?
>
> Anyone any idea what kernel version Centos 6 will have ?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Paul
> GB
>
> Centos on 2 VPS, 2 desktops, 1 laptop and 1 netbook.
> Going cheap : genuine Windoze 95 and 98 installation disks :-)
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS@centos.org
> http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos

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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

On Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 2:27 PM, Gene Brandt <brandtg@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> Chiming in I find CentOs VERY stable. I need this for my User community (Wife and Daughter) It has to look and work the same always. For the new people to Linux I've noted that NT admins can very easily install ubuntu and get it running (for awhile). From what I remember it had a Windozie feel. Coming from the Solaris, AIX, and HP world I prefer stability.
> --
> Thanks,
> Gene Brandt SCSA


I need to call you on this one. "Windozie" (implying some kind of
decent user interface) and "stability" are not mutually exclusive, as
your comment suggests. In the old days you may have had to choose,
but that's long past. Windows 7 is very stable, as is Mac OS X.

This is the type of false dichotomy that a certain US-based news
network (rhymes with Blox Fews) uses to misinform a naive public.
Please don't bring that kind of "logic" into tech discussions.
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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

Gene Brandt wrote:
> On Tue, 2011-01-25 at 15:04 -0500, Brian Mathis wrote:
>> On Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 2:27 PM, Gene Brandt <brandtg@bellsouth.net>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > Chiming in I find CentOs VERY stable. I need this for my User
>> community (Wife and Daughter) It has to look and work the same always.
>> For the new people to Linux I've noted that NT admins can very easily
>> install ubuntu and get it running (for awhile). From what I remember
>> it had a Windozie feel. Coming from the Solaris, AIX, and HP world I
>> prefer stability.
>>
>> I need to call you on this one. "Windozie" (implying some kind of
>> decent user interface) and "stability" are not mutually exclusive, as
>> your comment suggests. In the old days you may have had to choose,
>> but that's long past. Windows 7 is very stable, as is Mac OS X.
>>
>> This is the type of false dichotomy that a certain US-based news
>> network (rhymes with Blox Fews) uses to misinform a naive public.
>> Please don't bring that kind of "logic" into tech discussions.

> Where did I say that!
> "From what I remember it had a Windozie feel"
> In MY opinion ( only an opinion) Winblows will never be stable.

I've got 7 on my work laptop, and my lady's got Vista at home. I *despise*
both of them: they do their best to hide what you need to do, if it's
anything other than looking at pictures, playing music, email, and web.
And, IMO, part of the time they have problems with that.

We won't even *begin* to talk about how the work laptop is so locked down
that even wtih a local admin account, I can't do almost anything....

mark, yes, I do loathe WinDoze

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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

compdoc wrote:
> Any version of Windows is stable - its only when ppl start adding the
> pretty
> butterfly screen savers, or open email attachments that things go wrong.
>
> It is very vulnerable, especially IE, but with a little education,
> preventive steps, and decent backups, the majority of businesses in the
> world that use it manage fine..

Hah. Hah. And hah. Feel free to talk to me offlist about what I went
through, for example, to use a barcode scanner, or to install
ocsinventory.

mark

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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

On 01/25/2011 03:04 PM, Brian Mathis wrote:

> I need to call you on this one. "Windozie" (implying some kind of
> decent user interface) and "stability" are not mutually exclusive, as
> your comment suggests. In the old days you may have had to choose,
> but that's long past. Windows 7 is very stable, as is Mac OS X.
>
> This is the type of false dichotomy that a certain US-based news
> network (rhymes with Blox Fews) uses to misinform a naive public.
> Please don't bring that kind of "logic" into tech discussions.

I have to agree here as well. Too many times do I see people just
blasting other operating systems for these reasons. I'd even go as far
as argue that Windows XP is stable too, so long as it's managed,
administered, and setup securely and correctly.

I don't notice any more crashes on the Ubuntu systems I have set up,
compared to those of CentOS/RHEL, or to even Windows XP and 7 systems.
And I administer all of the above in the same network. People mix these
perceptions up all to frequently, or personally because I simply believe
they like to bash other operating systems that they don't like or want
to use.

Just my 0.02 cents.

Regards,
Max
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Recommendation for a Linux alternative to Centos - ATH9K disaster
 

On Tuesday, January 25, 2011 12:21:35 pm m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
> I've got 7 on my work laptop, and my lady's got Vista at home. I *despise*
> both of them: they do their best to hide what you need to do, if it's
> anything other than looking at pictures, playing music, email, and web.
> And, IMO, part of the time they have problems with that.
>
> We won't even *begin* to talk about how the work laptop is so locked down
> that even wtih a local admin account, I can't do almost anything....
>
> mark, yes, I do loathe WinDoze

When did this become a Windows discussion list?

Sure, I loathe Windows, too. (until I want to play a game!) But I'm not here
to read about Windows' many faults....

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