Network problem not-so-solved!

My network problem being "solved" was more luck than skill. In fact, it isn't really, properly solved. I'm still not sure, but it seems that while I was fiddling about with the inner networkings, I caused a kernel fault that subsequently allowed me to connect to the Internet. I've been able to duplicate this fault enough times to upgrade the system, and download the Install CD's via BitTorrent. I'm still trying to figure out the actual problem, and it's solution.

In the meantime, I'm having lots of fun poking around the new OS. It really rocks! I've got a weather report that updates every 15 minutes right on my top Panel. There's an applet that will chart stocks. Right now, I'm downloading the Open Source files to play DOOM! DOOM, man! Fucking DOOM!!!! That's just so cool, that if you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't know what you missed about 16 years ago.

Upgrading to Fedora 10 is a combination of Retro and Neo that's awe-inspiring. New stuff: It's got a built-in firewall and SeLinux for security. I can encrypt my HD. Firefox has a plethora of new features, and I've only been playing with this for a couple of hours. Yet, I can still read the comforting words of Wanda the Fish telling me that "Today is Prickle-Prickle, the 6th day of Discord in the YOLD 3175." It brings back memories of all-nighters trying to get the damn 386 motherboard to run Slackware 1.9, and the first time Jim and I wired our two computers together via the serial port and looked at each other on our respective screens, a second before he shot me dead.

Network problem solved!

I'm currently typing this post from FC10 live CD (x86_64). It took a lot of hunting, but I plowed ahead with my usual brute force methodology. That means I tried every permutation and combination of configuration changes until I stumbled upon the right one. I had already disabled the firewall, and set SeLinux to Permissive, but I still couldn't get out. I finally found another configuration tool that allowed me to start/stop and enable/disable different processes, called the Service Configuration tool. Turns out the iptables firewall was the problem. Now I'm not sure how to fix it properly yet. I'm sure I'll have to enter a record to allow my computer to talk to the modem or something, but for now, it's disabled, and I'm up and running again. Once I figure out how to make that work, I can move ahead.

Next step is to install FC10 to the hard drive. That'll require a bit of thought first, because I want to set up the /home directory on a separate hard drive, so that next time I upgrade, I can wipe hda to install FC11, but keep hdb intact, preserving all my data (pictures, music, movie clips).

I may not be as smart as I once was, but I'm twice as stubborn!

Oh yeah, I'm taking copious notes.

I must be getting dumber as I get older

I used to know computers inside and out. I could program in assembler language in high school. I would order individual pieces, like the motherboard, drives, video card, networking card, etc and put them together to build the ultimate gaming machine. Now, I'm a computer idiot.

This weekend, I decided to upgrade from Fedora Core 4 to Fedora 9. I did all the important backup work, then started with my Fedora 9 LIVE CD. That seemed to work, so I installed it. Unfortunately, for some reason I can't access the internet. After hours of trying, I finally pulled out this old PCLinuxOS CD I had that I've used before as a Live CD. It does enable me to log on, but I can't download the files I need to reinstall Fedora 9, or 10, for that matter. Even this program unexpectedly crashes often. Gah, I'd hate to have to install WinXP on this computer, just so I could download Fedora 10 for a new install....

OTOH, it was an awesome day today, and I got most of the outside yard work done.