[NTLUG:Discuss] Suse Latest Version

[Mark Bickel]

> From: Pervaz Allaudin <pervaz at att.net>
> To: discuss at ntlug.org
> Subject: [NTLUG:Discuss] Suse Latest Version
> Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 11:43:39 -0600

Pervaz Allaudin wrote:
> I was told that I could get the latest Suse Linux (8.0) from Ntlug at 
> very discounted prices - paying only for the CDs.
> 
> Who do I contact  (I was given a couple of names) and can I get these 
> for this saturdays LUG meeting. 

The latest SuSE release is version 8.1, not 8.0.
Current SuSE licenses prohibits reselling their binary distribution CDs.
That means that one is NOT permitted to copy their CDs and then charge
for them. One IS permitted to make copies and then GIVE them away.
That is however labor intensive, and then there is the question of trying
to recover costs for the blank CDR media.

SuSE also no longer makes their binary distribution available for download 
in the form of .iso ISO-9660 image files. One result of all this is that
one can't buy cheap CD sets of the new SuSE from cheapbytes.com or lsl.com.
NTLUG usually orders the linux distro sets we resell at our meetings from LSL.
This all means that NTLUG no longer sells SuSE CDs at meetings.

I did make a set of SuSE 8.1 Professional for the Linux Installation Project
(LIP). I GAVE Rick Cook the SuSE 8.1 Pro copies at the Linux Fair, so they
should be available if you want to USE them to install at the LIP meetings.

> And also;  Does anybody know whether there is any problem of installing 
> this over a RH 7.3 with the newer (2.4.18-10) kernel downloaded and 
> installed.

Depends by what you mean by "install over". If you mean overwrite existing
files while preserving the partition and directory structures and permissions
and links created by the Red Hat installation, then I think the answer is NO.
One cannot in the strict sense of the word perform an "upgrade" or "update"
from Red Hat to SuSE. There are too many differences! That is not to say 
that one can't re-use or copy certain partitions, files, directories and
configuration info over to a new/different distribution, but that depends on
one knowing what one is doing...

In general I recommend that newbies and less experienced users always install
a new version in parallel with the old; that means on a new partition, perhaps
even on a new/separate drive, THEN when everything is stable and configured
the way one likes it, one can delete/reuse the old partitions for additional 
drive space. 

One thing I strongly reccommend is the practice of keeping one /home on a
separate partition, or at least make a backup copy before installing the new
OS. The swap partition can be safely re-used between multiple Linux OS installs.
Note that some of the stuff I said about separate partitions may not apply if
you use a logical volume manager. Read the Linux File System Standard (fsstd)
for a good explanation of the significance and proper use of the various
directories and what can be shared between multiple machines and/or OS installs.

Hope this helps,
Mark Bickel