Arch Linux

[viking60]

Here is a review for Sound Berserks:

I've installed development environments capable enough to build Ardour3 (GTK2), AVSynthesis (Java/Eclipse), Csound 5.13 (C/C++, Java, Python),and SuperCollider 3.5 (Qt), but I haven't been shy about using pacman. Up-to-date versions of QJackCtl, QSynth, JACK-Rack, Audacity, and mhWaveEdit are all here too, thanks to the repositories and Arch's "rolling release" policy of updates.

He gave up Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora and landed on Arch.

[rolf]

Some encouraging news for those of us not knowing if the Mandriva/Sputnik mothership will come for us.

[viking60]

Yeah we don't have to give up to "phone home"

I sure hope the mother ship will come. We all need it. Linux without Mandriva will get "smaller". So even if I prefer Arch; I would want Mandriva to stay -strong.

[dedanna1029]

Here is a review for Sound Berserks:

I've installed development environments capable enough to build Ardour3 (GTK2), AVSynthesis (Java/Eclipse), Csound 5.13 (C/C++, Java, Python),and SuperCollider 3.5 (Qt), but I haven't been shy about using pacman. Up-to-date versions of QJackCtl, QSynth, JACK-Rack, Audacity, and mhWaveEdit are all here too, thanks to the repositories and Arch's "rolling release" policy of updates.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[viking60]

It has been quiet from me here lately because i have had trouble with wifi/NetworkManager. After an update it was impossible to connect to wifi,
I use the ath9k driver and I have wpa2 encryption so I use the wpa_supplicant and netcfg. In addition I have ArchAssistant.
NetworkManager? I can't use it! it freezes my system the moment my network cable is unplugged.
I had a functioning /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf and after an update my WPA:GUI complained about Authentication that it could not get from the wpa-supplicant. Since I had changed nothing I blame the update - well it is the easy way out

My wpa_supplicant.conf

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network={
        ctrl_interface=DIR=/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=network
        ssid="cultofthedeadcow"
        proto=RSN
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        pairwise=CCMP TKIP
        #psk="7894561230"
        group=CCMP TKIP
        psk=d995334e223b10224aeb3a2120a965c728ff4a67184624ed135ea5b38e91eb84
        update_config=1
        fast_reauth=1
}


But that does not give me the wifi connection back.
So I put this line in rc.local

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wpa_supplicant -B -D wext -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

And since

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dhcpd wlan0

gives me no carrier and timeout I added a manual IP in my router and in /etc/rc.conf

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wlan0="wlan0 10.0.0.10 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 10.0.0.255"


And I disabled the NetworkManager daemon! I cannot remove it since it is a dependency of gnome3-shell (My suspicion is that the problem lies here )
I let ArchAssistant create a new (additional) network profile.
And now it works.
This is one of those times where you scratch your head a lot and find a solution, alltough without a clue why it is working
But it is better than the absolute certainty of NetworkMangaer not working.....

[rolf]

Andrej Borsenkov, Mandrake contributor for as long as I can remember, was working on the newer protocol, networkmanager, then went elsewhere, afaict.

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$ rpm -q --changelog networkmanager |head -n 30
* Fri Nov 11 2011 Oden Eriksson <oeriksson@mandriva.com> 0.8.6.0-0.1
- 0.8.6.0

* Fri Nov 11 2011 Oden Eriksson <oeriksson@mandriva.com> 0.8.4.0-1.1
- P51: security fix for CVE-2011-2176 (redhat)
- P52: security fix for CVE-2011-3364 (redhat)

* Thu Apr 21 2011 Funda Wang <fwang@mandriva.org> 0.8.4.0-1mdv2011.0
+ Revision: 656387
- do not promoteall the warnings
- new version 0.8.4.0

* Tue Apr 05 2011 Funda Wang <fwang@mandriva.org> 0.8.3.999-1
+ Revision: 650535
- new version 0.8.3.999

  + Eugeni Dodonov <eugeni@mandriva.com>
    - Enable keyfile plugin as well for now (#62909).

* Sat Mar 19 2011 Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@mandriva.org> 0.8.3.998-1
+ Revision: 647050
- 0.8.4-rc1
- own /var/lib/NetworkManager and state files inside

* Sat Mar 05 2011 Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@mandriva.org> 0.8.3.997-1
+ Revision: 642099
- update to 0.8.4-beta3
- P1: update. Mention ifcfg-mdv in manual, order networkmanager after
  resolvconf, watch wpa_supplicant.conf for changes
- P100,101,102: remove, integrated upstream


Now, with 2011, I am running into loss of function with my setup: the applet reports "not connected" while network is, actually, functioning. I've as much as I care to and workaround by removing the applet from the desktop.

Just a simple post of commiseration, no shining lights of Arch wisdom, this sort of pitfall of software development seems par for the course.

[viking60]

Yeah it seems to be more of NetworkManager wisdom. It is nice when it works - and when it doesn't it really sux. I thought It might be my Atheros ?
And there goes my Gnome3 dependency theory too, since you only use KDE?
I have had all those problems as you have described. In fact I could write a book about it so naturally my post are just bits and pieces of what I have been through the last days.
NetworkManager needs a good brush up!
It is deadly for Linux if people cannot connect to the internet in these (overly) social times.

[rolf]

Well the board is Asus P5Q Deluxe, mostly Inhell chips, and, if it is a factor, the onboard nics are Marvell:

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$ lspci|grep Ether
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8056 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 12)
05:02.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8001 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 14)


[viking60]

Yeah I saw that I was tired after fixing this stuff so I mixed in Graphics above (edited it) You see I was thinking about the strange graphics after suspend when I wrote it
Here is mine:

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[thomas@heidi-lap ~]$ lspci|grep Ether
06:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications AR8152 v2.0 Fast Ethernet (rev c1)

And I use the ath9k driver.

[rolf]

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[root@archlinux rolf]# cat /etc/arch-release
[root@archlinux rolf]#
[rolf@archlinux ~]$ ls -l /etc/arch-release
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Feb 18 10:22 /etc/arch-release

guess it doesn't work the same as Mandriva.

Last week, or so, I got a recent x86_64 net-install type of iso for Arch and let 'er rip!

I had skimmed the verbose online arch documentation, then went with Build a Killer Customized Arch Linux Installation as a recipe for the installer.

At first reboot, I couldn't start X. There were many errors from the x-server, including something about a missing xterm. When I installed that, there was a sort of vesa terminal and I was able to move forward.

It seems pacman is very quick. I don't think it has all the functionality of urpm*, such as urpmf, but I am still learning.

[viking60]

Hey! Is that KDE on Arch? If so Congratulations!

Arch is a rolling release so that command will work and not be useful Every update is a new release at least the ones with kernel updates.

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[thomas@heidi-lap ~]$ pacman -Qi linux
Navn           : linux
Versjon        : 3.2.6-2
URL            : http://www.kernel.org/
Lisenser       : GPL2
Grupper        : base
Inneholder     : kernel26
Avhenger av    : coreutils  linux-firmware  module-init-tools>=3.16  mkinitcpio>=0.7
Valgfrie avhengigheter : crda: to set the correct wireless channels ohf your country
Behøves av     : compat-wireless-patched
I konflikt med : kernel26
Erstatter      : kernel26
Installert størrelse : 58232,00 KiBlations
Innpakker         : Tobias Powalowski <tpowa@archlinux.org>
Arkitektur        : i686
Pakkedato         : to. 16. feb. 2012 kl. 11.26 +0100
Installasjonsdato : to. 16. feb. 2012 kl. 22.58 +0100
Installasjonsgrunn : Manuelt installert
Installeringsskript : Ja
Beskrivelse    : The Linux Kernel and modules


Pacman is very quick if the mirror is OK (they always are).

Some urpmi/e translations:
List orphans= pacman -Qtdq
urpme --auto-orphans = pacman -Rs $(pacman -Qqdt)
urpmf could be pacman -Ss [part of package name] (fuzzy)

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[thomas@heidi-lap etc]$ pacman -Ss seamonk
extra/seamonkey 2.7.2-1 [installert]


When you feel advanced you can install yaourt and install archey from AUR:

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               +                OS: Arch Linux i686
               #                Hostname: heidi-lap
              ###               Kernel Release: 3.2.6-2-ARCH
             #####              Uptime: 5:53
             ######             WM: KWin
            ; #####;            DE: KDE
           +##.#####            Packages: 1242
          +##########           RAM: 778 MB / 1743 MB
         #############;         Processor Type: AMD C-50 Processor
        ###############+        $EDITOR: None
       #######   #######        Root: 13G / 18G (72%) (ext4)
     .######;     ;###;`".     
    .#######;     ;#####.       
    #########.   .########`     
   ######'           '######   
  ;####                 ####;   
  ##'                     '##   
 #'                         `# 



PS:
If you have trouble with KDE i would uncomment this in /etc/inittab

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#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon

and put a ! in front of kdm in the DAEMONS in /etc/rc.conf
The instructions you follow are not the best on that poiny IMO.
Also I am very skeptic about the sudo setup there.
This is better (but if you have it working -leave it).

[dedanna1029]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!! Da man dun it!

Rolf, you will find as time goes on, actually more functionality with pacman than urpm*, and with a whole LOT less hassle!

Remember, I did warn you on the learning curve (did you read the Beginner's Guide and Installation Manual?) But it is ssoooo worth it, for in the long haul, that is one system you will never have to redo again!

Congrats. You have just done the smartest and best thing you can possibly do for your system. It will always be very fast, and stable. I have caught a kernel bug and one other, but they are easy to work around by booting into fallback mode until there's a fix. Welcome to my favorite distro, other than FreeBSD!