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Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
How to install non-free drivers during Debian Installation
As you might know from my previous post, I am a new Debian user. This is the first (and only, actually) "problem" I encountered installing Debian.
I was installing on an amd64 architecture, from a live install on a bootable usb. The install required a network connection and I was using my wireless when I saw this notice:
This error describes that the wireless card cannot be installed because some of the drivers used to install it are non-free (which means non-open source), and not present in the installer in order to keep it open-source. This is because my card is an Intel of 5000-series. What to do in this situation? There are two solutions. I would reccomend the first (like many other users), but if you want to play with your installation, give the second option a try.
i. Use ethernet instead! You will still need an internet connection to install your Debian system from a live bootable usb/cd, but it is reccomended to use the cable during the installation. In this scenario, the wireless card will not be installed at first, but you will be able to install it later in an easier way, following the instructions: here. (ask in the comments if there are unclear steps)
ii. You will need to load the firmware files thorugh a media (usb or floppy). You will need to find the required files from a non-free repository and then put it in your usb drive (FAT filesystems preferred) in the main directory or a directory called /firmware, as described here. You can do this by switching workspace on the very same computer on which you are installing Debian.
The Problem
I was installing on an amd64 architecture, from a live install on a bootable usb. The install required a network connection and I was using my wireless when I saw this notice:
Detect network hardware
Some of your hardware needs non-free firmware files to operate. The firmware can be loaded from removable media, such as a USB stick or floppy.
The missing firmware are: iwlwifi-5000-2.ucode iwlwifi-5000-1.ucode
If you have such media available now, insert it, and continue.
This error describes that the wireless card cannot be installed because some of the drivers used to install it are non-free (which means non-open source), and not present in the installer in order to keep it open-source. This is because my card is an Intel of 5000-series. What to do in this situation? There are two solutions. I would reccomend the first (like many other users), but if you want to play with your installation, give the second option a try.
The Solution
i. Use ethernet instead! You will still need an internet connection to install your Debian system from a live bootable usb/cd, but it is reccomended to use the cable during the installation. In this scenario, the wireless card will not be installed at first, but you will be able to install it later in an easier way, following the instructions: here. (ask in the comments if there are unclear steps)
ii. You will need to load the firmware files thorugh a media (usb or floppy). You will need to find the required files from a non-free repository and then put it in your usb drive (FAT filesystems preferred) in the main directory or a directory called /firmware, as described here. You can do this by switching workspace on the very same computer on which you are installing Debian.
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Fedora -> Debian
After having used Fedora for the past 3 years, I finally decided to change distribution. And the decision pointed to Debian!
I wanted to move to a long-cycle release and more stable distribution and I found perfect ground in one of the oldest and most-established distributions based on the Linux kernel.
My following posts will naturally include more Debian-related problems, but I think that it is even better for my audience, as there are literally infinite sources of help for beginners for distributions such as Ubuntu and Fedora (their forums would be enough already).
In the case of Debian (which is known to be a distribution for the intermediate-expert users) there is still an extensive source of help, but it usually requires some deeper knowledge of Linux topics.
Despite I would not recommend Debian as first distro, I can assure that - being a beginner myself - you can do pretty well on Debian even if you are relatively new to Linux, and I will try to help, writing here in easy jargon about it!
Welcome, Debian (Squeeze)!
I wanted to move to a long-cycle release and more stable distribution and I found perfect ground in one of the oldest and most-established distributions based on the Linux kernel.
My following posts will naturally include more Debian-related problems, but I think that it is even better for my audience, as there are literally infinite sources of help for beginners for distributions such as Ubuntu and Fedora (their forums would be enough already).
In the case of Debian (which is known to be a distribution for the intermediate-expert users) there is still an extensive source of help, but it usually requires some deeper knowledge of Linux topics.
Despite I would not recommend Debian as first distro, I can assure that - being a beginner myself - you can do pretty well on Debian even if you are relatively new to Linux, and I will try to help, writing here in easy jargon about it!
Welcome, Debian (Squeeze)!
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