Initial Linux Configuration - After Install
Updated September 21, 2001
Created September 20, 2001

Setting the Time

Run the date command to make sure you have the correct time:


[root@server /root]# date
Thu Sep 20 11:00:06 CDT 2001
[root@server /root]#

If you have the wrong timezone set, use "timeconfig" or "linuxconf" to set the correct timezone.

If your timezone is correct but the date and/or time needs updating, the following commands will update the date and time. The second command is needed in order to push the date and time into the PC clock.


[root@server /root]# date 092011082001
Thu Sep 20 11:08:00 CDT 2001
[root@server /root]# hwclock --utc --systohc
[root@server /root]#

For more information see date.html.

TIME MEMORY CDRW SOUND

Verifying Usable Memory

You should verify that all your memory is detected. Use the "free" command or do a "cat /proc/meminfo" to see how much memory is detected.


[root@server /root]# free
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:        126260     124072       2188          0      11432      53528
-/+ buffers/cache:      59112      67148
Swap:       265176         92     265084
[root@server /root]# cat /proc/meminfo
        total:    used:    free:  shared: buffers:  cached:
Mem:  129290240 127053824  2236416        0 11706368 54812672
Swap: 271540224    94208 271446016
MemTotal:       126260 kB
MemFree:          2184 kB
MemShared:           0 kB
Buffers:         11432 kB
Cached:          53528 kB
Active:          62736 kB
Inact_dirty:       268 kB
Inact_clean:      1956 kB
Inact_target:      288 kB
HighTotal:           0 kB
HighFree:            0 kB
LowTotal:       126260 kB
LowFree:          2184 kB
SwapTotal:      265176 kB
SwapFree:       265084 kB
[root@server /root]#

You may need to add an "append=" line to the global section of /etc/lilo.conf if you have memory that is not being detected. For instructions on getting Linux to use all your memory see memory.html.

TIME MEMORY CDRW SOUND

Setting up your CD-R/CDRW Drive

Add the following line to the global section of your /etc/lilo.conf file:


append="hda=ide-scsi"

Run /sbin/lilo and then reboot


[root@server /root]# /sbin/lilo
[root@server /root]# shutdown -r now

After rebooting, /dev/cdrom should now automatically be pointing to /dev/scd0.


[root@server /root]# ls -ltra /dev/cdrom
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            9 Sep 14 16:09 /dev/cdrom -> /dev/scd0
[root@server /root]#

If it wasn't automatically set up, then let's do that now:


[root@server /root]# rm /dev/cdrom
[root@server /root]# ln -s /dev/scd0 /dev/cdrom
[root@server /root]# ls -ltra /dev/cdrom
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            9 Sep 14 16:09 /dev/cdrom -> /dev/scd0
[root@server /root]#

After your system reboots, see if it shows up as a SCSI device:


[root@server /root]# cdrecord -scanbus
Cdrecord 1.9 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2000 Jörg Schilling
Linux sg driver version: 3.1.17
Using libscg version 'schily-0.1'
scsibus0:
	0,0,0	  0) 'COMPAQ  ' 'CD-224E         ' '9.0B' Removable CD-ROM
	0,1,0	  1) *
	0,2,0	  2) *
	0,3,0	  3) *
	0,4,0	  4) *
	0,5,0	  5) *
	0,6,0	  6) *
	0,7,0	  7) *
[root@server /root]#

Note: The above drive is not a CD-R nor CDRW drive; however, if it was, I would now be ready to create CD's using mkisofs and cdrecord.

lsmod should also show the following modules:


[root@server /root]# lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
sr_mod                 15456   0  (autoclean)
...
ide-scsi                8544   0 
ide-cd                 26944   0 
cdrom                  27392   0  [sr_mod ide-cd]
sd_mod                 11744   0  (unused)
scsi_mod               98624   3  [sr_mod ide-scsi sd_mod]
[root@server /root]#

For more information on CDRW in linux see: cdrw.html

TIME MEMORY CDRW SOUND

Setting up your sound card [ Sound Blaster PnP AWE 32 ]

All I had to do for RH70 was to run "sndconfig":


[root@server /root]# sndconfig

After I upgraded to RH71 my sound didn't work anymore. I took some of the following steps to get it working again:


[root@server /root]# pnpdump >/etc/isapnp.conf
[root@server /root]# vi /etc/isapnp.conf

Uncomment the directive lines in the first configuration of each component (audio, game, wavetable). A configuration section goes from:


# Multiple choice time, choose one only !
#     Start dependent functions: priority preferred

to the start of the next configuration section (sample shown here):


#       Start dependent functions: priority acceptable

A directive will mostly be the lines that begin and end with parenthesis. Here are the directives I uncommented for audio (note that these are the only lines I uncommented, I did not uncomment any descriptor lines inbetween each of these directives:


#     Start dependent functions: priority preferred
 (INT 0 (IRQ 5 (MODE +E)))
 (DMA 0 (CHANNEL 1))
 (DMA 1 (CHANNEL 5))
 (IO 0 (SIZE 16) (BASE 0x0220))
 (IO 1 (SIZE 2) (BASE 0x0330))
 (IO 2 (SIZE 4) (BASE 0x0388))

Note: There are about 5 descriptor lines inbetween each of these directives, those descriptors are left commented out. I didn't bother to put them here to save space on this page.

Here are the directives I uncommented for game:


#     Start dependent functions: priority preferred
 (IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x0200))

Here are the directives I uncommented for wavetable:


#     Start dependent functions: priority preferred
 (IO 0 (SIZE 4) (BASE 0x0620))

I also uncommented the 3 "(ACT Y)" entries, each one corresponds with one of the 3 components (audio, game, wavetable).


(ACT Y)
(ACT Y)
(ACT Y)

After editing /etc/isapnp.conf, you can try running isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf and you should get confirmation back that all 3 pieces are enabled. Their resourses must show in the listing as well.

Note: I was receiving the result that the components were enabled, not realizing that I must see the resources; otherwise, I can't use the card.


[root@server /root]# isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf
Board 1 has Identity 40 07 a1 68 0f 9a 00 8c 0e: CTL009a Serial No    \
               128018447 [checksum 40]
CTL009a/128018447[0]{Audio               }: Ports 0x220 0x330 0x388;  \
               IRQ5 DMA1 DMA5 --- Enabled OK
CTL009a/128018447[1]{Game                }: Port 0x200; --- Enabled OK
CTL009a/128018447[2]{WaveTable           }: Port 0x620; --- Enabled OK

Note: I wrapped the first two lines for you so they wouldn't flow off the page.

If you get a listing like shown above then we are well on our way to getting sound working (again). I made the following additions to my /etc/modules.conf. I feel that there are probable extra stuff in here that doesn't really need to be to get it to work; however, when I got to this point it was really late and it finally started functioning. Also, this listing in /etc/modules.conf is what allows me to start using the sound card whenever I want instead of having to manually load modules myself.


alias sound-slot-0 sb
options sound dmabuf=1
options opl3 io=0x388
alias synth0 awe_wave
post-install awe_wave /bin/sfxload /etc/midi/GU11-ROM.SF2
options sb io=0x220 irq=5 dma=1 dma16=5 mpu_io=0x620
options sb_audio io=0x220 irq=5 dma=1 dma16=5 mpu_io=0x620
below sb awe_wave
below awe_wave soundcore sound uart401 
pre-install awe_wave isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf

Note: I added the "below" and "pre-install" lines which is what did the magic for me to have it automatically load for me. I probably don't need all the entries on the "below awe_wave" line, I just threw each of the modules on there that necessary, I haven't tested to see which ones are required.

Note: Probably one of either "options sb" or "options sb_audio" can be deleted. For now it's working for as is, it will be a while before I go playing with it some more. Note the wise saying my grandpa gave me: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Now, after a reboot, I can go straight to "cdplay" or "play mywav.wav" and it works.

Here's an lsmod listing, you probably don't need it, but I grabbed it anyway:


Module                  Size  Used by
sr_mod                 13216   0  (autoclean)
cdrom                  29088   0  (autoclean) [sr_mod]
parport_pc             16816   1  (autoclean)
lp                      5776   1  (autoclean)
parport                23520   1  (autoclean) [parport_pc lp]
ne                      6336   1  (autoclean)
8390                    5632   0  (autoclean) [ne]
ipchains               27648   0  (unused)
nls_iso8859-1           2848   1  (autoclean)
loop                    8112   2  (autoclean)
sb                      7120   0 
awe_wave              155520   0 
sb_lib                 31792   0  [sb]
uart401                 5936   0  [sb_lib]
sound                  53568   0  [awe_wave sb_lib uart401]
soundcore               3408   5  [sb_lib sound]
ncr53c8xx              49232   0 
cpqarray               16208   7 
sd_mod                 11104   0  (unused)
scsi_mod               84416   3  [sr_mod ncr53c8xx sd_mod]

For more information see sound.html.

Homepage: http://www.cpqlinux.com
Site Map: http://www.cpqlinux.com/datesort.html

Initial Linux Configuration - After Install Updated September 21, 2001 Created September 20, 2001

Setting the Time

Verifying Usable Memory

Setting up your CD-R/CDRW Drive

Setting up your sound card [ Sound Blaster PnP AWE 32 ]

Initial Linux Configuration - After Install
Updated September 21, 2001
Created September 20, 2001