From 1ea73eea5ecc6a8ed901316049259aee737ee554 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Joey Hess Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2005 19:51:38 +0000 Subject: move manual to top-level directory, split out of debian-installer package --- en/using-d-i/using-d-i.xml | 378 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 378 insertions(+) create mode 100644 en/using-d-i/using-d-i.xml (limited to 'en/using-d-i/using-d-i.xml') diff --git a/en/using-d-i/using-d-i.xml b/en/using-d-i/using-d-i.xml new file mode 100644 index 000000000..95fa6b10f --- /dev/null +++ b/en/using-d-i/using-d-i.xml @@ -0,0 +1,378 @@ + + + + + Using the Debian Installer + + How the Installer Works + + +The Debian Installer consists of a number of special-purpose +components to perform each installation task. Each component performs +its task, asking the user questions as necessary to do its job. +The questions themselves are given priorities, and the priority +of questions to be asked is set when the installer is started. + + + +When a default installation is performed, only essential (high priority) +questions will be asked. This results in a highly automated installation +process with little user interaction. Components are automatically run +in sequence; which components are run depends mainly on the installation +method you use and on your hardware. The installer will use default values +for questions that are not asked. + + + +If there is a problem, the user will see an error screen, and the +installer menu may be shown in order to select some alternative +action. If there are no problems, the user will never see the +installer menu, but will simply answer questions for each component +in turn. Serious error notifications are set to priority +critical so the user will always be notified. + + + +Some of the defaults that the installer uses can be influenced by passing +boot arguments when &d-i; is started. If, for example, you wish to +force static network configuration (DHCP is used by default if available), +you could add the boot parameter netcfg/disable_dhcp=true. +See for available options. + + + +Power users may be more comfortable with a menu-driven interface, +where each step is controlled by the user rather than the installer +performing each step automatically in sequence. To use the installer +in a manual, menu-driven way, add the boot argument +debconf/priority=medium. + + + +If your hardware requires you to pass options to kernel modules as +they are installed, you will need to start the installer in +expert mode. This can be done by either using the +expert command to start the installer or by adding +the boot argument debconf/priority=low. +Expert mode gives you full control over &d-i;. + + + +The normal installer display is character-based (as opposed to the now +more familiar graphical interface). The mouse is not operational in +this environment. Here are the keys you can use to navigate within the +various dialogs. The Tab or right +arrow keys move forward, and the Shift +Tab or left arrow keys +move backward between displayed buttons and selections. +The up and down arrow select +different items within a scrollable list, and also scroll the list +itself. In addition, in long lists, you can type a letter to cause the +list to scroll directly to the section with items starting with the +letter you typed and use Pg-Up and +Pg-Down to scroll the list in sections. The +space bar selects an item such as a checkbox. Use +&enterkey; to activate choices. + + + +S/390 does not support virtual consoles. You may open a second and third +ssh session to view the logs described below. + + + +Error messages are redirected to the third console. +You can access this console by +pressing Left AltF3 +(hold the left Alt key while pressing the +F3 function key); get back to +the main installer process with +Left AltF1. + + + +These messages can also be found in +/var/log/messages. After installation, this log +is copied to /var/log/debian-installer/messages on your +new system. Other installation messages may be found in +/var/log/ during the +installation, and /var/log/debian-installer/ +after the computer has been booted into the installed system. + + + + + + Components Introduction + + +Here is a list of installer components with a brief description +of each component's purpose. Details you might need to know about +using a particular component are in . + + + + + + +main-menu + +Shows the list of components to the user during installer operation, +and starts a component when it is selected. Main-menu's +questions are set to priority medium, so if your priority is set to +high or critical (high is the default), you will not see the menu. On +the other hand, if there is an error which requires your intervention, +the question priority may be downgraded temporarily to allow you +to resolve the problem, and in that case the menu may appear. + + + +You can get to the main menu by selecting the Back button +repeatedly to back all the way out of the currently running component. + + + + + +languagechooser + +Shows a list of languages and language variants. The installer will +display messages in the chosen language, unless the translation for +that language is not complete. When a translation is not complete, +English messages are shown. + + + + + +countrychooser + +Shows a list of countries. The user may choose the country he lives +in. + + + + + +localechooser + +Allows the user to select localization options for the installation and +the installed system: language, country and locales. The installer will +display messages in the selected language, unless the translation for +that language is not complete in which case some messages may be shown +in English. + + + + + +kbd-chooser + +Shows a list of keyboards, from which the user chooses the model which +matches his own. + + + + + +hw-detect + +Automatically detects most of the system's hardware, including network +cards, disk drives, and PCMCIA. + + + + + +cdrom-detect + +Looks for and mounts a Debian installation CD. + + + + + +netcfg + +Configures the computer's network connections so it can communicate +over the internet. + + + + + +iso-scan + +Looks for ISO file systems, which may be on a CD-ROM or on the +hard drive. + + + + + +choose-mirror + +Presents a list of Debian archive mirrors. The user may choose +the source of his installation packages. + + + + + +cdrom-checker + +Checks integrity of a CD-ROM. This way the user may assure him/herself +that the installation CD-ROM was not corrupted. + + + + + +lowmem + +Lowmem tries to detect systems with low memory and then does various +tricks to remove unnecessary parts of &d-i; from the memory (at the +cost of some features). + + + + + +anna + +Anna's Not Nearly APT. Installs packages which have been retrieved +from the chosen mirror or CD. + + + + + +partman + +Allows the user to partition disks attached to the system, create file +systems on the selected partitions, and attach them to the +mountpoints. Included are also interesting features like a fully +automatic mode or LVM support. This is the preferred partitioning tool +in Debian. + + + + + +autopartkit + +Automatically partitions an entire disk according to preset +user preferences. + + + + + +partitioner + +Allows the user to partition disks attached to the system. A +partitioning program appropriate to your computer's architecture +is chosen. + + + + + +partconf + +Displays a list of partitions, and creates file systems on +the selected partitions according to user instructions. + + + + + +lvmcfg + +Helps the user with the configuration of the +LVM (Logical Volume Manager). + + + + + +mdcfg + +Allows the user to setup Software RAID +(Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). This Software RAID is usually +superior to the cheap IDE (pseudo hardware) RAID controllers found on +newer motherboards. + + + + + +base-installer + +Installs the most basic set of packages which would allow +the computer to operate under Linux when rebooted. + + + + + +os-prober + +Detects currently installed operating systems on the computer and +passes this information to the bootloader-installer, which may offer +you an ability to add discovered operating systems to the bootloader's +start menu. This way the user could easily choose at the boot time +which operating system to start. + + + + + +bootloader-installer + +Installs a boot loader program on the hard disk, which is necessary +for the computer to start up using Linux without using a floppy or +CD-ROM. Many boot loaders allow the user to choose an alternate +operating system each time the computer boots. + + + + + +base-config + +Provides dialogs for setting up the base system packages according +to user preferences. This is normally done after rebooting the +computer; it is the first run of the new Debian system. + + + + + +shell + +Allows the user to execute a shell from the menu, or in the second +console. + + + + + +bugreportersave-logs + +Provides a way for the user to record information on a floppy +disk, network, hard disk, or other media +when trouble is encountered, in order to accurately report installer +software problems to Debian developers later. + + + + + + + + +&using-d-i-components.xml; + + + -- cgit v1.2.3