Upgrading to LINUX Mageia 2

=== Archived Version. I no longer use Mageia 1 ===


Compiled by: Waldis Jirgens. Latest update: 7th April 2013.

Latest status: Most things work with Mageia 2, still have to find and fix the odd ones, that don't. I also fixed up several issues with the Blag system

 
Here are links to my other Linux pages:

Linux Mageia 1 Archived Version
Amateur Radio with Mageia 1.0 Mageia 1.0 on a separate PC and Mandriva 2009.0 on my ASUS eee PC netbook
Mandriva 2008.0 On an old PC I had this system installed for a while - no longer in use
Upgrade from 2008.0 to 2010.1 Shows how I upgraded from 2008.0 to 2010.1
Mageia 2 with KDE and Fluxbox My wife's PC
OpenSuse 10.3 On a very old PC - used as backup
Soniq Cinavision Android This smart TV is also an Android 2.2.1 computer

As such the upgrade seemed to be a simple process - Boot the Mageia 2 DVD and do an Upgrade to the existing system. Little did I know that the upgrade process would be initiated and after a while the Mageia 2 system realised that there was not enough space in the /usr partition and left the system in an unusable state.

Therefore I did a back-up of the /home partition, re-partitioned the HDD and did a fresh install of Mageia 2.

This took a reasonably long time, particularly because there were many updates to be applied online.

Problems in the process:
  1. IceWm is not a standard Window-manager in Mageia, but it's available via the software repository. KDM is the standard and seems reasonably sluggish and pompous - starting with music and visual effects, who do they want to impress?
  2. Idesk is not in the software repository. I installed idesk-0.7.5-8.fc11
  3. Xdialog which I need for my Idesk scripts is not automatically installed, but it's in the repository. I installed  Xdialog-2.3.1-2.mga2.
  4. Vsftpd refused steadfastly to work, even after stopping shorewall in MCC. The only way out was to disable /etc/rc.d/init.d/Shorewall.
  5. Rosegarden would have required 1.5 GB of software to be installed, which seemed  like heavy overkill, so I installed muse instead - musescore-1.1-3.mga2. It needs the jack server (available as jackit-1.9.8-3.mga2 and starts it automatically itself, The combination does NOT work with pulseaudio)
  6. Xpaint is no longer available, older versions cannot be tricked by symlinks on libraries - trying kolourpaint instead.
  7. Bluetooth has changed a lot - a real pain - still not working. OK on Blag.
  8. Streaming radio stations pose sometimes a problem. For instance those who submit an .m3u file which contains a URL. To handle these I wrote a helper TCL program, which works in most cases:
  9. #!/usr/bin/tclsh
    set finp [open $argv r]
    gets $finp urlrec
    exec seamonkey $urlrec &
    close $finp
    exit
  10. My Canon iP1300 printer thought that it needed still several software packets to make it work - but it does NOT - here's what happened:
[root@localhost linsoft]# rpm -i cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
        gtk+ is needed by cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386 ----> MG2 repository has gtk+2.0 and it is installed
        libxml is needed by cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386 === Resolved by installing libxml1 via MCC
[root@localhost linsoft]# rpm -i  cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
        cnijfilter-common = 2.60 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
        libgdk-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 ----> There is no libgdk in MG2 repository. in linsoft is libgdkimlib, fails with similar dependencies
        libglib-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 ----> libglib2.0_0 has a file libglib-2.0.so.0 that could be symlinked
        libgmodule-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 ----> Not in repository nor in linsoft. Installed  libgmodule-2_0-0-2.36.0-1.1.i586.rpm  /usr/lib/libgmodule-2.0.so.0 symlinkable
        libgtk-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 ----> Not in repository nor in linsoft, libgtk+2.0_0 is not symlinkable
        libpng.so.3 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 ----> Not in repository nor in linsoft libpng15_15 could be symlinked - file libpng15.so.15
        libtiff.so.3 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 ----> Not in repository nor in linsoft libtiff5 could be symlinked - file  /usr/lib/libtiff.so.5
        libxml.so.1 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386 === Resolved by installing libxml1 via MCC
[root@localhost linsoft]#

BTW Canon has an archive with the following rpms, the one for ip2200 is not part of it:
tar -zxvf '/home/waldis/linsoft/Canon/Linux_Print_Filterv270.tgz'
cnijfilter-mp510-2.70-2.i386.rpm
cnijfilter-mp600-2.70-2.i386.rpm
cnijfilter-common-2.70-2.src.rpm
cnijfilter-ip3300-2.70-2.i386.rpm
cnijfilter-ip430
... needs to be investigated if any of those could be used for the iP1300 printer...

[waldis@localhost ~]$ su
Password:
[root@localhost waldis]# cd /usr/lib
[root@localhost lib]# ls libpng*
libpng15.so.15@  libpng15.so.15.10.0*
[root@localhost lib]# ln -s libpng15.so.15.10.0  libpng.so.3
[root@localhost lib]# ls libpng*
libpng15.so.15@  libpng15.so.15.10.0*  libpng.so.3@
[root@localhost lib]# ls libtiff*
libtiff.so.5@  libtiff.so.5.0.6*  libtiffxx.so.5@  libtiffxx.so.5.0.6*
[root@localhost lib]# ln -s libtiffxx.so.5.0.6 libtiff.so.3
[root@localhost lib]#


[root@localhost linsoft]# rpm -i cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
        gtk+ is needed by cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386
[root@localhost linsoft]# rpm -i cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386.rpm --nodeps
[root@localhost linsoft]# rpm -i cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
        libgdk-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
        libglib-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
        libgmodule-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
        libgtk-1.2.so.0 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
        libpng.so.3 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
        libtiff.so.3 is needed by cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386
[root@localhost linsoft]# rpm -i cnijfilter-ip2200-2.60-1.i386.rpm --nodeps
[root@localhost linsoft]# /etc/init.d/cups restart
Restarting cups (via systemctl):                                [  OK  ]
[root@localhost linsoft]# lpadmin -p IP2200 -m canonip2200.ppd -v usb://Canon/iP1300?serial=26CB84 -E
[root@localhost linsoft]# lpadmin -d IP2200
[root@localhost linsoft]#

.....In spite of the missed dependencies it WORKS!!! .....

Fstab on Mageia

# Entry for /dev/sdb1 :
UUID=98d6e79d-40f7-4a13-98a3-1095b3216c33 / ext4 acl,relatime 1 1
/dev/sdb6 /home ext4 acl,relatime 1 2
/dev/sda3 /media/blaghome ext4 acl,relatime 1 2
# Entry for /dev/sda1
/dev/sda1 /media/blagsys ext4 acl,relatime 1 2
/dev/sr0 /media/cdrom auto umask=0,users,iocharset=utf8,noauto,ro,exec 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy auto umask=0,users,iocharset=utf8,noauto,exec,flush 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /tmp tmpfs defaults 0 0
# Entry for /dev/sda2 :
UUID=6abe7e58-2eed-4549-a2f0-e50de5b0ca93 swap swap defaults 0 0
# Entry for /dev/sdb5 :
UUID=6da82e3f-7005-4b5b-b856-79a2b324936c swap swap defaults 0 0

Fstab on Blag

#
# /etc/fstab
# Created by anaconda on Wed Jun 15 21:20:21 2011
#
# Accessible filesystems, by reference, are maintained under '/dev/disk'
# See man pages fstab(5), findfs(8), mount(8) and/or blkid(8) for more info
#
UUID=9d6584fb-0657-4015-9409-74d9d7d42ea5 /                       ext4    defaults        1 1
UUID=393a2eab-8140-4282-983b-b4dbc8f07b56 /home                   ext4    defaults        1 2
UUID=6abe7e58-2eed-4549-a2f0-e50de5b0ca93 swap                    swap    defaults        0 0
UUID=0180f966-a27b-40f6-8bc7-effbf44a8b10 swap                    swap    defaults        0 0
tmpfs                   /dev/shm                tmpfs   defaults        0 0
devpts                  /dev/pts                devpts  gid=5,mode=620  0 0
sysfs                   /sys                    sysfs   defaults        0 0
proc                    /proc                   proc    defaults        0 0
/dev/sdb1 /media/sdb1 ext4
/dev/sdb6 /media/sdb6 ext4

Grub bootloader

My idea was to be able to boot from either disk into either system. This is possible with Grub and the following menu.lst files.

1. On the Mageia system /boot/grub/menu.lst:

timeout 10
default 0

title linux
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUID=98d6e79d-40f7-4a13-98a3-1095b3216c33 splash quiet resume=UUID=6da82e3f-7005-4b5b-b856-79a2b324936c vga=788
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title linux-nonfb
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux-nonfb root=UUID=98d6e79d-40f7-4a13-98a3-1095b3216c33 resume=UUID=6da82e3f-7005-4b5b-b856-79a2b324936c
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title failsafe
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=failsafe root=UUID=98d6e79d-40f7-4a13-98a3-1095b3216c33 failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title Blag
kernel (hd1,0)/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35.10-libre.74.fc14.1.i686 ro root=UUID=9d6584fb-0657-4015-9409-74d9d7d42ea5 rd_NO_LUKS rd_NO_LVM rd_NO_MD rd_NO_DM LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us rhgb quiet
initrd (hd1,0)/boot/initramfs-2.6.35.10-libre.74.fc14.1.i686.img

2. On the Blag system /boot/grub/menu.lst:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You do not have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/sda1
#          initrd /boot/initrd-[generic-]version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title BLAG (2.6.35.10-libre.74.fc14.1.i686)
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35.10-libre.74.fc14.1.i686 ro root=UUID=9d6584fb-0657-4015-9409-74d9d7d42ea5 rd_NO_LUKS rd_NO_LVM rd_NO_MD rd_NO_DM LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us rhgb quiet
        initrd /boot/initramfs-2.6.35.10-libre.74.fc14.1.i686.img
title Mageia
        root (hd1,0)
        kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUID=98d6e79d-40f7-4a13-98a3-1095b3216c33
        initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

Music files
Mageia: ogg, mp2 and 3 files can be played with mpg123, Blag needs mplayer to do the same. Midi files can be played with timidity on either system. Audacity works on both systems, but the  Blag version does not support import/export of mp2 or 3 files.

Web browsing (Seamonkey, Firefox), E-mail (Seamonkey), Office Suite (Libre Office), File managers, Graphics editor (Gimp), Basic editors all work nicely on both systems.

Tips
To transfer e-mails from one PC to another do the following:
On the "Sender" PC highlight the messages to be transferred. Select to "Save As" files - multiple messages can be saved by specifying a directory name as target.
On the receiver PC start an old version of Seamonkey (like 2.0,14), open each mail and select "Copy to" and specify the mail folder where you want the message. Regrettably this feature is unavailable (greyed out) with newer versions of Seamonkey.




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