Re: Linux & MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum (nForce3 Ultra) questions...

From: morningdew (yahooaddyismorning42dew_at_spam.free)
Date: 12/10/04 

Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 19:32:30 -0600

J.O. Aho wrote:
> morningdew wrote:
>
>> Basically what I am asking for is any heads-up or advice before it
>> shows up. I should be getting it in a few days, and would like to be
>> prepared. Nothing worse than getting a new toy and not being able to
>> play with it right away!
>
>
> When it comes to the nVidia drivers, there are those who has problems
> with them and others who has got them work properly. There are support
> for the nForce chipset in the kernel, but theose drivers are "back
> enginered", may not give you 100% preformance all the time, but seems to
> work properly.
>

That is good to hear. Though I still hope someone with direct
experience on this motherboard has some feedback.

>
>> I am presently running Mandrake 10.1 Community but have downloaded
>> Ubuntu for the AMD64. I had requested CDs from them over a month ago
>> but never got any. I will try Ubuntu, but I am open to
>> recommendations... I like Gnome but KDE is a lot prettier.
>> Regardless, I will be installing both on whatever distro so don't even
>> bother trying to convert me one way or the other.
>
>
> I would say that Ubuntu is hip among debian users and even among those
> are people who don't like it. So be prepared to use Mandrake x86_64
> instead.
> I would suggest you use KDE, Gnome2 (which is what you get nowdays on
> the linux distros, Gnome aren't anymore supported, which is quite sad as
> it was a lot more userfriendly) as it's quite bloated and for each
> version it grows a lot (You can compare it to MS-Windows9x, which is a
> Dos addon, Gnome2 is the same thing but for linux). KDE3.2 and later is
> quite fast and allows users their freedom to choose what they want it to
> do and how.
>

The main reason (one of them) for Ubuntu as a choice is because it does
not have everything under the sun installed. On Mandrake I keep getting
Mozilla or Konqueror or Epiphany or whatever to pop up when all I want
is Firefox to load. I know I have to learn more to configure KDE and
GNOME properly for default browser... but SHEESH! Likewise I have
Thunderbird but for the life of me can't get KDE to link mailto:
addresses to it. I tried editing the configuration but it opens TB w/o
passing it the mailto address.

I want to have all the options under the sun, but I want to add them
slowly, so I can understand what is on my system as I go along. I might
go with MEPIS instead of Ubuntu, or maybe even just use Debian
'straight'. The other main appeal of Ubuntu is that it is more
up-to-date than Debian Stable but not quite as rocky as the bleeding
edge of an Unstable release. That, and I have yet to try stuff like
rebuilding a kernel or using CVS yet. But I will get there....

>
>> kicks which other distro in the fanny and all, but I will dare to
>> ask... What are the relative benefits of the Debian and
>> Red-Hat/Fedora models? How does APT and all compare with RPMs?
>
>
> You have apt for both debian and Redhat, both systems has their own
> version of pacakge managers. I wouldn't say there are any major
> differences (maybe in how to make your own pacakges), it's a lot more a
> question about taste, du you like rpm or deb.
>

Okay I didn't know that. I should have asked Deb vs Rpm I guess?

>
>> Mandrake uses RPMs and they are okay... but the tools could be better.
>> There is not always much info about what the install did.
>
>
> Then you have missed to read the rpm man page, there is quite a lot of
> information you can get. During an install you have three things that
> happens (regadles of system), removal of the older version (rm), and
> inserting the new version (cp) and then update the information to the
> "database".
>

I will have to check that out. I guess maybe it's just the Mandrake
package manager that I am really dissatisfied with. 'Cuz that's how I
do my installs. I haven't messed with the command line stuff save to
get the PLF source added.

>> Lots of times I have to go hunting for the software after it
>> installs. All and all a better software manager would help a lot.
>> One that keeps track of where stuff gets put, for instance, and keeps
>> a useful database.
>
>
> This is stored in the RPM database, you get out all the information with
> help of the rpm command (check the man page for all the options). You
> can use rpm to check if someone has installed a "rootkit" on your
> system, as it will have a register of the date/md5sum/size of the files.
>

Again, I'll check the man pages out. By the way, are there better
package manager front-ends I could use than the Mandrake one? Maybe
that would help... thought I fear it will be messy to do the switch...?

>
>> What is the benefit for a home user for Security Enhanced Linux?
>
>
> A more difficult to update system, SELinux isn't really in a stage where
> I would recommend you to use it, if you don't know what you are doing.
> It will be better documented and better supported in the future, but I
> don't think you want to end in a such stage where you have lost all
> control to selinux.
>

Yeah maybe so... I am not afraid of it per se... but I believe that
Fedora is SE Linux, right? Every book under the sun seems to reference
RedHat so I figure Fedora is worth looking in to. In fact, I am giving
serious consideration to running both Fedora AND a Debian based system
just so I can get to know them both. I appreciate Mandrake for being my
first Linux and all, but I don't think I want to stay with them. A
large reason is that so much help and info centers around RedHat/Fedora
and Debian, and another is that so many seem to be derivatives of one of
  those two that moving closer to the 'center of gravity' might be
better for me for the time being. Ubuntu is a variant, but a close one
from what I understand. MEPIS I have not checked out much yet, but will.

>
>> I am also trying to set up a firewall and intrusion detection.
>> Shorewall seems to have done its thing but it sure doesn't give much
>> feedback. For intrusion detection I came across SNORT, but I gotta
>> tell you that it is confusing. Is there anything a little friendlier
>> out there?
>
>
> Those are the best combination, but if you want an easy to use firewall,
> then take a look at Firestarter firestarter.sourceforge.net
> If you want to use snort together, then you have to "hack" it a little
> bit as it don't have direct support for Firestarter (but it does have
> iptables support, so shouldn't be difficult to make it to save data to
> the right config files).
>

SNORT is a lot to take in all at once. It makes my eyes water, and
there is a bad taste in my throat.... :) Seriously thought I think
something easier will be a bit better to get me started. I am pretty
sure that Shorewall is working okay... I have used some programs to test
my vulnerabilities and they are minor. But the Intrusion Detection is
what I want. Not just 'successful' ones like finding out if someone
rooted me or slipped a rootkit in (thought that is REALLY important to
know). I want to know when someone is TRYING to, even if they're
failing. My brother had one on his Windows box and found out that
someone was pounding away at his network from the cable net. I use the
same cable company so it is just as likely some 'tard is trying here. I
heard of Firestarter but thought it was just a firewall, not an IDS. If
it is both then maybe I will go with that.

>
> //Aho

Thank you, Aho.

morningdew

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