[ale] More Red Hat Config Questions

[Vernard Martin]

> First off, I like the basic install set-up...*if* you have a normal 
> machine.  I am currently strugling with a flacky CD-ROM.  If the install 
> routine has trouble reading the CD-ROM it just reboots.  After the 
> re-boot, you have to go thru *all* the steps again.  There is also no 
> easy way to install componets *outside* of X.  At least with Slackware, 
> you have disk sets.  Install enough to get the machine up, then install 
> each set till the CD bombs out again.  I didn't find a listing of the 
> various RPM's anywhere.  Maybe there is one. And the basic set-up 
> installs a number of components that I didn't need.  Do I really need *3* 
> web browsers?  Also being tight on space, I like the finer grained 
> control available with Slackware.  I realize that most will not be 
> running under the particular set of problems I have, but the philosophy 
> seems to be leaning toward the "mass market protect the user" mentality.  
> The thing I liked about Linux is the power to control what goes on on my 
> machine.  Oh well, enough ranting.  I can certainly agree that for most 
> comman installs on most computers, Red Hat will *greatly* simplify 
> things.  And from the demo's at the meetings, the tools seem much easier 
> to work with.  I hope I get to use them soon :)

Hmm. I'll have to double check but I was under the impression that you
*can* use a non-Xwindows interface to chose components. I know that Red Hat
4.0 for the alpha has this and I seem to remember doing this on the Intel
4.0 release as well.

> On to my questions.
> 1)on boot-up I get a new message:
> ide0: buggy cmd640b interface on PCI (type1), config=0x1e
> cmd640:drive0 timings/prefetch(off) preserved, clocks=4,16,17
> Who is giving me this info?  The newer kernels, or some Red Hat program?  
> What does it mean?

The kernel is giving you this. Its detecting that you have a buggy IDE
controller chipset on your motherboard and that it is going to use the
workarounds that have been compiled into the kernel. There are at least 3
such buggy chipsets that are commonly used nowadays and RedHat just goes
ahead and puts that into their boot kernel to make life easier for them.

> 2)MetroX is not coming up.  I am not getting the cross-hatch and 
> switching modes does nothing.  configX *does* come up and it *seems* to 
[lindes deleted for brevity]
> there are 3 Mach64 to choose from, none of which match the name mine was 
> sold under (WinTurbo/WinBoost)) (none of the 3 work yet).  After I 
> Ctrl_Alt_bs out, the screen is about 1/3 as bright as it should be.

The ATI WinTurbo/WinBoost may not be supported by MetroX at all. If this is
the case then you will have to load the XFree86 package on your machine and
use it. Explicit Instructions on how to put a new server on your machine
are actually given in manual that came with Red Hat 4.0. (at least
instructions for an S3 chipset based card). I tried MetroX and decided that
it wasn't all that great since it wouldnt' let me do the 1152x900x16bpp on
my Diamond Stealth like XFree86 lets me do. 

hope this helps

-V
-- 
Vernard Martin (vernard at cc.gatech.edu) www.cc.gatech.edu/people/home/vernard/