SemiPainless Installation and Troubleshooting guide for SuSE 10.1

(Note 1: The Guide is available at szornes4.blogspot.com if you would
like to see it formatted correctly.)
(Note 2: This Guide was written with the intention of helping people
new to linux to install what is, in my opinion, one of the best linux
flavors available-- OpenSuSE 10.1)
(Note 3: Feel free to reply with corrections, advice, alternate methods
or general flaming.)


Installing openSuSE 10.1
A SemiPainless guide by S. Z. Boardstretcher
This Manual was written on Aug 3, 2006

!!!SuSE 10.1 is not complete and will not work completely without
further software.!!!

--Translation - No support for mp3's, dvd's, mpeg's and the like,which
is actually a
very stand-up thing for Novell to do, as these packages come with
binding
and constrictive licenses.

Hope that got your attention.

In fact, the first time you boot SuSE on a clean install, it will take
at least 10 minutes for the broken ZENupdater to download all of it's
package information - before you can continue. Sorry, thats just the
way it is.

Also SuSE 10.1 is packaged with no MP3 support, DVD Playback, A broken
version of YaST and Online update, A broken ZENworks installer, No
Virus Protection Enabled(shh I know),..

This is a guide to avoid the many, many, many hours of headaches, that
I experienced, that might accompany the installation of SuSE 10.1. It
is broken into these sections;


* If you don't find it in this guide Try These Links to SuSE
Specific Help
* Disclaimer and Warning
* First thing's First
* YaST,SMART and Online Update
* Add further repositories to SMART
* Packages to Search for and Add with SMART
* Packages you might want to delete from SuSE
* Packages and Things to Install From Elsewhere
* Error Messages you might see and what to do
* Questions you might ask and answers to them


If you don't find it in this guide Try These Links to SuSE Specific
Help:
http://forums.suselinuxsupport.de/
http://www.suseforums.net/
**Remember, forums are your friends. If you ask a question, then figure
out the answer yourself, be sure to post your findings on the forum to
help other people along.

Disclaimer and Warning:
I did all these things in this order to my computer and it works fine
now. It may not work for you which is a
whole lot of not my problem. So use your brain, conatined in the thing
above your shoulders, and think before you act. My most valuable
suggestion to you is *Make a system Backup.* Proof of the procedures
listed here are easily found by Googling them. I got most of my
information for this guide from scouring through Google results to fix
my broken SuSE 10.1. I just felt the need to put them
all in one easy to get to place in case my system fails and I have to
reinstall from scratch.

First thing's First:
Add System Monitor to one of your panels and minimize it. This way you
can visually monitor your machine's Cpu Load and know for sure that the
computer is in fact doing 'something.'

YaST, SMART and System Update:
This has the most potential to be unbearably irritating if not fixed
first.


1. In YaST > Software Management search for SMART and install
'SMART' , 'SMART-ADDONS', AND 'SMARTGUI'
2. Disable Novell-ZMD in YaST > System > System Services and save by
pressing Finish
3. Reboot now.
4. Start SMART Package Manager
5. Edit > Channels > New > Provide channel information > RPM
MetaData and enter the following; Alias: Suse Update, Name: Suse Online
Updates, Base URL: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/update/10.1/
6. Now File > Update Channels
7. Then Edit > Upgrade All (*This will take a long time, so take a
break!*)
8. Reboot and hope


Add further repositories to SMART:

1. http://ftp4.gwdg.de/pub/linux/suse/apt/SuSE10.1-i386
2. File > Update Selected Channels > gwdg
3. View > Hide Non-upgrades
4. View > Tree Style > None
5. Edit > Find > type smart and install the highest version number
of these packages: smart, smart-addons, smart-gui then Apply marked
changes
6. Close SMART and restart SMART and click Yes to add more "SuSE
repositories"
7. File > Update Channels (!this will take a few minutes!)


Packages to Search for and Add with SMART:
compat-expat1 - XML Parser
d4x - Download manager for Web
ethereal - Advanced network diagnostic tool
expat - XML Parser
fiefox - Mozilla Firefox Web Browser
flash-player - Macromedia flash player plugin
gcc - GNU Compiler Collection
java-1_4_2 - Java 2 Runtime Environment
kdeadmin3 - programs for KDE system administration
kernel-source - Linux Kernel Sources
kernel-syms - Linux Kernel Symbols
realplayer - Realmedia Realplayer
w32codec-all - win32 DLL's for decoding movies

Packages you might want to delete from SuSE:
Beagle - imitation of Google Desktop Search (uses a lot of resources
and it's still buggy look for future releases to be better)
NetworkManager - RedHat, the authors, admit that it's extremely buggy
(See Error Messages)
ZenUpdater, Rug, ZMD, libzypp-zmd-backend Parts of the ZenWorks system
that you do not necessarily need if you are using SMART Package Manager
Bluetooth - removed all traces of this because I do not use anything
BlueTooth
Television - removed all traces of Television software because I do not
haveve a tv tuner

***Guide Update note***
Aug 24, 2006: Thanks to a fellow alt.linux.os.suse user named
'Bearitall' I am now inclined to believe that Novel Apparmor is a
worthwhile and powerful program to keep on the system.

Packages and Things to Install From Elsewhere:
MUST HAVE: These things aren't included in SuSE 10.1
OPTIONAL: Better software than what is provided in SuSE 10.1
*'s: Rating(more the better)
Note: This list contains RPM's that can be installed using the 'rpm'
command in terminal and Tarballs that must be untarred, set up,
compiled and installed. For information regarding these Tarballs refer
to the Author's Installation notes and website.

MUST HAVE:
DVD Playback Codec or Decoder thing:
http://download.videolan.org/pub/libdvdcss/1.2.9/rpm/libdvdcss2-1.2.9-1.i386.rpm

MP3 to WAV conversion for making Audio CD's:
http://www.fluendo.com/resources/fluendo_mp3.php

Adblock Plus, Adblock Plus Updater for Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1865/
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1136/

DownThemAll for Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/201/

OPTIONAL:
Graphics viewer most like IrfanView: ***..
http://www.xnview.com

Picasa Photo Organizing Software: *****
http://picasa.google.com/linux

Transparent Terminal: **...
http://www.afterstep.org/aterm.php

LimeWire File Sharing: ****.
http://www.limewire.com

Bittorrent:*****
http://www.bittorrent.com

Azureus Bittorrent Client: *****
http://azureus.sourceforge.net

Error Messages you might see and what to do:
NetworkManager missing resources-
This particular message references the Redhat Network Management Daemon
called NetworkManager. I suggested removing it earlier. If you didn't
you will eventually get this message.

What you are most likely going to try is to fix it. You will look it up
on Google and Yahoo and message boards and such. This is what
information you will come up with A) This problem is caused by an
Icon Cache B) There is no proper documentation for this product C)
There are no logs created by this product and D) Out of 6 billion pages
on the internet 60 of them have the word "NetworkManager"
on them.

So do yourself a favor and read this:
http://www.redhat.com/magazine/003jan05/features/networkmanager/
then delete NetworkManager from your system.

Zmd Does not appear to be running -
This message comes from your system trying to use Online Updating at
boot up or when trying to install an RPM using zmd. Since you stopped
the Novell ZMD service in "System Services"... Online Update
cannot connect to Novell to be able to suck up 100% of your processor
and provide 190 updates that will not install.

My advice is look into removing Zmd and Rug from your system. You can
always re-install later when SuSE fixes them. It's purely up to you.

Questions you might ask and answers to them
Q: Is there an easy way, or a program, to edit the Gnome menu?

A: There are a number of programs to do this. They are called SMEG and
Alacarte -- but, they are both obsolete for Gnome 2.12 and SuSE 10.1.
The developer homepage says that Alacarte will be included by default
with Gnome 2.16. But that doesn't do you any good does it?

If it is absolutely necessary for you to edit the Gnome menu, then go
to http://yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/GNOME.html and read up on it. Then you
can make and edit a .desktop file in /opt/gnome/share/applications to
put your program into the Gnome menu.

Q: I have a mouse with two buttons on the side that don't work in SuSE
10.1 what do I do?

A: This answer is tested only on a ((Microsoft 5-Button Mouse with
IntelliEye)). Go to a terminal window and type:

xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 6 7 10 11"

If that works for you, (*be sure to test the buttons*), then go to your
home directory and create a file named .Xmodmap with the line:

pointer = 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 6 7 10 11

in it. Save it. The next time you start Gnome it will ask if you want
to load that Modmap file. Choose Yes.

.