Re: network install via dialup?

From: Karsten M. Self (kmself_at_ix.netcom.com)
Date: 12/21/03

  • Next message: Paul Johnson: "Re: OS emulation question (was: question)" 
    Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 18:59:49 -0800
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org

    on Thu, Dec 18, 2003 at 11:26:37AM -0600, James Miller (jamtat@mailsnare.net) wrote:
    > I'm thinking of recommending Debian to someone who has only a dialin
    > connection to the 'net. For various reasons, a network install would be
    > the best option for them.

    You don't get into the "whys", but I'd be interested.

    A CD-based install, an installation from a local apt cache, or an
    install from a site with broadband access, would all be significantly
    faster.

    I'm speaking as someone who runs multiple systems behind a 56k dialup.
    However I have a full apt-proxy cache of potato + woody distros, and can
    run a local installation in a matter of minutes.

    Install via dialup is going to take on the order of 8-16 hours for
    pulls. Figure 4800 Bps effective for a 56k connection, and 250 MiB for
    a relatively minimal install. That's 15 hours of download.

    Once you're over the initial hump, installing (and maintaining) packages
    isn't too bad -- figure a few hours of connect time nightly. Again,
    apt-proxy is a major lifesaver if you've got multiple systems to
    maintain.

    > Is it reasonable to expect them to be able to do a network install
    > over dialup? I should also explain that this will be a fairly minimal
    > system. What I would recommend them to do is to install the base
    > system, then XFree (using tasksel) and a lightweight window mgr and
    > maybe browser (e.g., Links - maybe Dillo). That's the way the initial
    > install would look, in my thinking. Other programs could be added as
    > needed, via apt-get. Would this be feasible to do over dialup?

    Depends on your phone costs and contention for phone line (family,
    roommates, etc.).

    > Oh, and I should ask whether the install-base routine can resume
    > broken downloads (in case the modem drops the connection or the ISP
    > kicks them offline or something)?

    Yes, it can. In this regard, apt-get is very nice.

    Peace. 

    -- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com>        http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What Part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
   Geek for hire:  http://kmself.home.netcom.com/resume.html



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