Fedora 29 was released today, only one week later than the original schedule published last February! For those who are familiar with Fedora release cycles, this counts as being several weeks ahead of the 'anticipated' release date. Congratulations and well done to the Fedora development and testing teams.
Enterprise Software
The Release Announcement gives an overview of the new release, and includes some interesting history of Fedora -- 15 years since Fedora Core 1 was released! Goodness, how time flies when you're having fun.
If you currently have Fedora 28 running, you can simply upgrade to the new release; there are two ways to do this, both are described in a Fedora Magazine article. I still prefer to use the CLI for major upgrades, so that's what I did on my Acer desktop system. The entire upgrade process took less than an hour, and ran without any problems at all.
The Fedora Privacy Policy has been updated. Read the new version on the wiki. Use of Fedora services is subject to these terms starting May 25, 2018. Alternative Downloads. These Fedora downloads are either special-purpose - for testing, for specific architectures - or are more standard versions of Fedora in alternative formats such network installer format or formatted for bittorrent download. This page is meant to serve as a single central resource for locating alternative versions of Fedora. Fedora Linux version 20 (code name “Heisenbug”) has been released and available for download. Fedora Linux is a community-based Linux distribution which is sponsored by Red Hat, Inc. The code name “Heisenbug” is a term for a software bug that seems to disappear or alter its behaviour when. The first release of Fedora Core 1 came out on. Which will really makes life much easier for non-desktop uses of Fedora. Download Fedora 20 DVD ISO.
Note: if you are still running a Fedora version older than 28, it is recommended to upgrade only one step at a time. This can be easily done using the CLI upgrade method as well.
Of course there are all new ISO images available on the Fedora Downloads web page, in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions (1.8GB and 1.3GB respectively). These are actually Live images, so you can boot and run them from a DVD or USB stick, to see how they work with your system before installing.
There are also netinstall versions of each of those, which are under 600MB each. These just boot to a minimum installation environment, and then download the rest of the distribution as you install it.
SEE: How to find files in Linux with grep: 10 examples (free PDF)
In addition to the standard Workstation version, which is based on Gnome 3, there are the usual variety of other Spins, including KDE, Xfce, LXQt, MATE, Cinnamon, LXDE and SoaS (Sugar on a Stick). These are also available in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions, but I don't see any netinstall images for the spins.
If you are interested in ARM technology (as in Raspberry Pi), there is a Fedora ARM page, which includes all the same desktops. In the Raspberry Pi family, these will only work on the Pi 2 and 3 (including the 3+), they do not support the original Pi models or the Pi Zero. I recently wrote about testing various Linux Distributions on the Raspberry Pi, including Fedora 29.
The first system I updated was my Acer AIO desktop. I used the package manager update procedure on this -- basically a series of several dnf commands that made sure the existing system was up to date, then downloaded everything necessary for the upgrade, and then finally one to perform the upgrade.
The actual download might be as much as 1.5GB-2GB, depending on what desktop you are using and how much additional software you have installed; using this procedure has the advantage of letting you continue working while the download is done. After the download is complete you can choose a time to start the upgrade process, which will then reboot to a minimal monitor mode, install the upgrade, and then reboot to the new desktop.
The next system I upgraded was my Acer Aspire V, but this time I made a fresh installation. When the ISO images are booted, they first ask if you want to go directly to installation, or to run a Live desktop. If you choose the Live desktop there is an installer icon on the desktop, so you can start the installation anytime without having to reboot.
The Fedora installer (anaconda) is still my favorite of all Linux installers, and they keep making it better. I know that there are people who dislike it, or claim that it is too complicated, but my take on it is this: anaconda understands every aspect of the installation process, you can do pretty much anything you want with it, and you want or need to with it, and you can handle pretty much any special situation. Some other installers may be superficially 'easier' to use, but I have almost always run into cases they couldn't handle, or special needs or configuration that I couldn't manage with them. For just one example, how many of the supposedly 'easier' installers don't let you specify the EFI boot partition?
SEE: 20 quick tips to make Linux networking easier (free PDF)
Anyway, I only noticed one significant change in anaconda this time. For the past several releases there has been some duplication between the final configuration of root and user accounts made in anaconda, and the configuration process that automatically runs the first time Gnome 3 is started. With this release, the duplication has been removed -- if you are installing the Gnome version, anaconda doesn't ask for the user/root info, so you only enter it once on first boot. If you are installing any other spin (such as the LXDE version below), anaconda still asks you for that info.
I have also installed Fedora 29 on my Samsung N150 Plus netbook. This is a very small and light system, which I bought 8 years ago, and I still use sometimes when I travel. It only has an Intel Atom 450 cpu, 2GB of memory, and a 1024x600 display. I made a bit of a misjudgement at first, and used the same USB stick I had for the Aspire V, which installed the standard Workstation (Gnome) version. Not a good idea.. it worked, of course, but performance was abysmal.
I then came to my senses, and installed the LXDE version, and it performs really well.
Once that was up and running, I added the i3 desktop packages (they're in the Fedora repositories, hooray!). The lxdm desktop manager noticed that right away, so the next time I logged out, I was able to select i3 from the session list and then just login as usual.
This is a really ideal setup for a very small, under-powered system such as a netbook. It uses very, very little resources, so it performs very well. Most of the time when I am using this system I have only one application running, so I am glad to have the window manager out of the way. If I happen to need to have two or more running, I can let i3 tile them, as shown above, or I can just expand whichever one I am actively using to full-screen, and then drop it back to the tiled layout when I am done.
This release also has a new Modularity feature, which decouples the package versions from the Fedora base version. I'm not going to write much about it now, because I am still experimenting and learning about it. It looks like this could be a major advantage to someone who needs to maintain a specific version of a package, rather then having it automatically upgrade to a newer version that they aren't ready to use yet. One good example of this that affects me is using node.js version 8 or 10.
Oh, one last thing that I noticed along the way. One of the first things I have always had to do when installing Fedora is to add third-party software repositories. Fedora itself is strictly FOSS, and there are still some drivers and such (certain WiFi adapters, for example) which include proprietary firmware blobs so they can't be in the base Fedora distribution. With this release, when you start the Software utility the first time, it asks if you want to add third-party repositories -- that's a nice touch.
If you say yes, it adds RPM Fusion (the most obvious one, for me), Google Chrome and the Copr repo for PyCharm. Good stuff, thanks guys. Oh, and if you initially say 'no' to this, you can still add it later by going to the Software utility, then in the options choose Software Repositories.
If you change your mind about third-party repositories, you can go back to this in the Software Repositories screen and there is a Remove All button in the third-party section.
https://thisever354.weebly.com/blog/passmark-burnin-test-download-torrent. There is, of course, a lot more to the Fedora distribution than I have mentioned here. I've only talked about the desktop (Workstation) version, but there are also Server and Atomic versions. So whatever your needs, the latest Fedora distribution is worth a careful look.
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There has been considerable progress made since the last time I tried a variety of Linux distributions other than Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi, so I've given four of them another try.
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I have installed the new Raspbian 2018-10-09 release from scratch on some systems, and upgraded existing installations on others.
The developers at Kali Linux have released a Vagrant distribution of their latest version. Here is a look at that release - and at the Vagrant tool itself.
Related Topics:
Open Source Enterprise Software Developer CloudI was told that Fedora's latest build for the Power ppc64 processor would support SMT=8, if you 'err .. um' have machine with a processor that support that SMT=8 !!! This is not an announcement.
So I gave it ago - here is my report:
Getting Ready
And I can't help thinking PowerVC would remove all this work, once the new version arrives that support my .. umm err! new machine!!
Update
I can tell you know that this was a POWER8 S824 machine as it is now available.
Also Fedora 20 does not install on POWER6 machine :-( The installer crashes to the open firmware prompt.
1) Downloaded the DVD of 4.3 GB from the regular Fedora 20 download sites
- look for Fedora-20-ppc64-DVD.iso
- look for Fedora-20-ppc64-DVD.iso
2) FTPed it to my VIOS virtual optical media library
3) On the HMC created a virtual machine (LPAR)
-With 2 shared uncapped CPU cores, 8 GB RAM added virtual SCSI to the two VIOS and the virtual network
-With 2 shared uncapped CPU cores, 8 GB RAM added virtual SCSI to the two VIOS and the virtual network
4) Allocate and connected 64 GB of VIOS Shared Storage Pool 4 disk space
- Nice as this is dual path to both VIOS
- Nice as VIOS SSP4 does the mirroring at the back end
- Nice as I don't need to learn how to do mirroring at the Linux level
- Nice as it means the I/O is spread across 16 LUNs on my V7000's
- i.e. KISS at the Linux end and low man-power
- Nice as this is dual path to both VIOS
- Nice as VIOS SSP4 does the mirroring at the back end
- Nice as I don't need to learn how to do mirroring at the Linux level
- Nice as it means the I/O is spread across 16 LUNs on my V7000's
- i.e. KISS at the Linux end and low man-power
5) Connected the Fedora 20 virtual DVD to the VM
6) Used putty to the HMC and then ran the vtmenu command and selected the Fedora 20 VM
- Never ever try installing Linux in text mode using VTERM
- Never ever try installing Linux in text mode using VTERM
7) One the HMC Activated the LPAR in stop at SMS mode
8) Checked that it would first try booting the virtual DVD - which was true and as expected to I exited SMS (x1 Return) and let it boot from virtual DVD.
9) Spinning propeller for 2 seconds and wait 20 seconds then we get to the installer.
Then you get to
Installing
10) Now the agro starts - I type Return to select the Install option and get
11) If you select Start VNC it assume your network is running VNC. Well that might work in your bedroom on the home network with your Internet providers router doing DHCP or might be OK if your at work network admin likes DHCP but I find DHCP is fairly rare in a large computer room of servers. We don't have it in my computer room for that reason. Sorry, Fedora 20 development guys but that assumption SUCKS!!
12) I started a text mode based install and you get to a screen with seven questions need answering.
Try as I did it reports 'one of the spokes has not been completed' - I could not work it out. Having completed the VNC install later it might have been some thing to do with having to double confirm the target disks but it was frustrating and a total road block to me. I wasted more than an hour 'banging my head on the wall' - it did not help. So I thought lets revisit the VNC install.
13) Back to a VNC install but with no DHCP.
There is pitiful documentation in this area 95% of examples just say add 'vnc vncpassword=abc1234' to the boot prompt and there you go.
a) what boot prompt?
b) that works only for DHCP as I need to tell it the static IP address, netmask etc.
c) the syntax for other options is well hidden and certainly NOT in the Fedora Install manual pages
Eventually I find the options and syntax here https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Anaconda_Boot_Options?rd=Anaconda/Options
There is pitiful documentation in this area 95% of examples just say add 'vnc vncpassword=abc1234' to the boot prompt and there you go.
a) what boot prompt?
b) that works only for DHCP as I need to tell it the static IP address, netmask etc.
c) the syntax for other options is well hidden and certainly NOT in the Fedora Install manual pages
Eventually I find the options and syntax here https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Anaconda_Boot_Options?rd=Anaconda/Options
14) Back to
![Fedora Fedora](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133944019/254304116.jpg)
I notice the 'e' to EDIT option and for the first 'Install Fedora' entry get to the following screen:
Now it might be obvious to you Linux guru's but this is the new fangled boot option.
You can tell that because ... no clues like 'Boot options' or 'boot:' anywhere but you recall some decade ago typing things like 'vmlinux'! Star wars the old republic download game.
So where do you now add the VNC options - well 15 attempts later this works.
Yep totally unbelievable to me. Use the cursor keys, add a space and bung it in the middle and you don't type that '/' at the end of the line.
To help you get that right you can cut and past this line: vnc vncpassword=abc12345 ip=9.137.62.23 netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=9.137.62.1
Anywhere else just messes up the boot. It is a good job on Power I can force reboot from the HMC and get back to try again in 15 seconds or I would not have the patience to find a combination that works.
You will have to use your IP addresses, of course but a worked example it worth 10,00 pages of manual.
You use the Control+x to start the install and then start your VNC viewer from your workstation to complete the VNC graphical install.
15) VNC Installing is a delight .. after my text mode nightmare.
Oh look!!! We have the seven question to answer again - at lest this time I can answer them all and the install works as expected.
Old Fedora Core 20 Iso Download Full
This sets the virtual DVD - it was defaulted correctly:
Fedora 24 Iso Download
Selected the only disk - if used before you have to fiddle about a but to get it to use the whole disk and destroy old disk partitions:
The default is a GNOME Desktop - NOT GOOD - this is a server machine So I selected a Infrastructure Server.
Not 100% sure what that is but it is much better than a workstation option. I did not go selecting any other fancy options but Basic Web server, MariaDB (MySQL but not from Oracle), Admin tools, C development look useful as a starting point.
And finally the network setting - I hope these will be then used after the install so I will not need to set them by hand.
If you get the network settings badly wrong the installer will dynamically set them and the VNC sessions will fail with errors in the Console putty window. It is a restart from scratch at that point. https://thisever354.weebly.com/blog/sentey-lumenata-pro-software-download.
I set the full hostname = bottom left and then clicked Configure = bottom right to add DNS - not sure if this will get setup on the disk.
Back to the main panel with everything ready:
Next click on the Begin Installation
Fedora Download Iso
What!! More questions while it installs:
Fedora 22 Iso Download
![Fedora Fedora](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133944019/507211841.png)
This time easy ones for root password and to create your first user:
Finally, finally its installed and ready for a reboot:
Now the VNC Viewer session will stop - so close it and back to the putty terminal console.
16) Logon after reboot from the disk
The Virtual Machine will restart, lots of Fedora Linux messages fly up the screen and then you see:
I have seen a number of error messages on this terminal console but just ignored them or used a different direct putty session as it then gets no messages. And I can immediately connect to the server so the network connection setting were saved.
Unfortunately, no VNCserver is installed by default.
17) Update Fedora 20 ready for use
We need to make sure Fedora is now up to date - the DVD may have been release months ago.
This assumes your virtual machine network has direct access to the Internet. Anyone got an idea what to do if that is not available???
Logging as root and type: yum repolist
If this works as below the you have Internet access - if not check network gateways, DNS and a dozen other issues.
The repositories are defined in the files in /etc/yum.repos.d/ xxxx
I get :
So lets start the Update to get .. up to date!
As root: yum update
You will have to confirm to let it go ahead and it has found hundreds of packages the dependencies that nee updating:
601 downloads and updates later I get a nice 'Completed!' message - this was all online and no hints a reboot would be a good idea. I assume no kernel changes where made.
18) VNC Server
Unfortunately, this is not a default install for the Infrastructure Server. But what is the package name?
As root type: yum list *vnc* | grep server
So some '£$%&#@!' on the tiger VNC team decided to hid the vncserver package by adding a hyphen in the middle. Thanks mate!
As root user, type: yum install tigervnc-server
and y to agree the update.
and y to agree the update.
We also need the twm Window manager, so install it now: yum install twm
And I found we need xterm too: yum install xterm
Next stop the firewall with: systemctl stop firewalld.service
Be aware there are risks involved with this disabling but firewall is a difference topic
Be aware there are risks involved with this disabling but firewall is a difference topic
Now run the VNC server
- Set the VNC password for the current user: vncpasswd
- Then run the VNC server: vncserver
- Check it is running with: ps -ef | grep vnc
- The you can connect via your vncviewer as normal
And it all works great:
Notes:
- Not seen this before but the hostname seems to come from /etc/hostname
- yum install nmon works Hurray!! But it is the older version 14h. version 14i has been out a year and very recommended by me as there are loads of fixes and some new functions too.
I hope that helps others get started quickly, cheers Nigel (mr_nmon) Griffiths