Users Manual 20160701

[Spartak77]

Ok Jerry, I was going to correct my post adding this:“But I want to underline that the manual is a great work, done very well, and it is obvious that something needs to be perfected gradually”
However I think I can say that I haven't forget to inform of things to tweak, and about a month ago I sent Gordon a file with several suggestions on how to further clarify some points
Perhaps it can be misunderstood, but I send the reports not to criticize but in the spirit of improving toghether this great work, but this does not mean that I would not serve 3 hands to press all those keys

[skidoo]

eek! {deleted} posted to wrong thread

[Jerry3904]

Ok Jerry, I was going to correct my post adding this:“But I want to underline that the manual is a great work, done very well, and it is obvious that something needs to be perfected gradually”
However I think I can say that I haven't forget to inform of things to tweak, and about a month ago I sent Gordon a file with several suggestions on how to further clarify some points
Perhaps it can be misunderstood, but I send the reports not to criticize but in the spirit of improving toghether this great work, but this does not mean that I would not serve 3 hands to press all those keys

Sorry that I gave the wrong impression! I just meant that we would be happy to have less work to do, and that people who have a better idea are invited to post the actual text they would like to see instead.

[Jerry3904]

To make this more explicit:

I would really appreciate it if one of you would post a complete improved description of the REISUB procedure sometime during the next week.

Then all I would have to do is test it and edit the text, saving a lot of time. TIA.

[Spartak77]

Ok Jerry, soon I will send you the text, with a few little changes that I think makes it easier to execute those commands. Your text is fine, it is enough for me to delete a couple of keys and specify one or two things. However I am not an expert and I could be wrong, so I would send a suggestion which then must be controlled. For example I would remove the Ctrl key because it seems not essential and there is a practical problem to simultaneously press several keys with two hands, but I don't know if in some computer Ctrl is essential. However I will make a search before sending the text (I had already searched something before I write you). In addition there is a problem because I cannot write properly in English. My English is a school English and Google-Translate English, so I can send a text that then must be controlled and improved grammar and syntax. However in this case you may not control a lot, because I think to change only a few words in your text.


Another feedback

In section 4.8 Backup
at the end, before 4.8.1 Data
you write: "See also Section 6.6.2 Save system to live ISO".
There is a little wrong in the link. It is correct so:
See also Section 6.6.3 Save system to live ISO

[Jerry3904]

Grazie!

[Spartak77]

I would really appreciate it if one of you would post a complete improved description of the REISUB procedure sometime during the next week.

here is my suggestion for that point in “4.7.5 Kill runaway programs”:

Use magic SysRq key (REISUB). Hold down Alt key along with the SysRq (or PrtScrn) key with another hand, then slowly, without release Alt-SysRq, press the keys R-E-I-S-U-B one after the other. Hold pressed each key of REISUB sequence for about 1 or 2 second before moving on to the next key in the sequence; your system should shut down correctly and reboot. The purpose of this magic key is to go through several stages that nurse your system safely out of a failure of some sort.
Going to press E key, you should see the graphical display disappear, but if nothing happens becouse this combination of keys don't work, you can try so:
In your computer the Alt key in the left might not work, in this eventuality try using the contralateral Alt Gr key. Often the entire sequence Alt-SysRq + REISU works fine, but B key don't run the reboot, then you try to hold B key along with Alt Gr instead of Alt, that means type Alt Gr-SysRq + B. If it don't work again you try to replace O instead of B, the computer should shut down instead of reboot.
On laptops that use Fn key to differentiate SysRq from PrtScrn, it may not actually be necessary to use the Fn key (i.e., Alt-PrtSc+letter could work).
In some computer you may need to press Ctrl along with Alt. So for example, full key shortcut would be Ctrl-Alt-SysRq+R.


I haven't included this part:

often only the first 2 letters are sufficient. Example, Ctrl-Alt-SysRq + R, then E, then try what you were attempting to do before the failure, if the system is still unresponsive, continue with the I, try again and if you still have no joy, you may as well finish the sequence and the machine will usually reboot.

because by doing tests on two computers it isn't as simple to follow the steps.
In fact, typing Alt + SysRq + R then E, the graphical display disappear and then you will have some difficulty to appear again the display. You must log in, then give startx. Or give Ctrl Alt F1, then login and startx. But when the display environment appears it is not the same as you left it. It almost seems "safe mode" of windows.
Then with Alt + SysRq + I, I cannot appear the display, I can only continue the sequence.
Maybe you know an easy way to do it, I do not know.

As I said I am not able to write well in English so I think you will have to adjust and make the sentences more concise. I tried to give my contribution to what I can.

Another thing, these phrases:

On laptops that use Fn key to differentiate SysRq from PrtScrn, it may not actually be necessary to use the Fn key (i.e., Alt-PrtSc+letter could work).
You may need to press Ctrl along with Alt. So for example, full key shortcut would be Ctrl-Alt-SysRq+R.

I copied them from the Arch wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_shortcuts
I do not know if it's a good thing that they remain exactly that. Think you about it.

Ciao and thanks for your hard work.

[Jerry3904]

That's a great help--thanks very much!

(I wish I could write in Italian as *poorly* as you do in English)

[Spartak77]

Hi Jerry. Another small reporting and one or two things that I'm not clear.
In: 3.4 Network
you write:

Internet connections are handled by Network Manager; click the applet in the Notification Area to see status, connect and explore options.
Right-click the applet > Edit Connections to open up a Settings box with five tabs.

Following update, the Settings box no longer contains 5 tabs. My Network Manager applet (MX linux 15; network-manager version 0.9.10.0-7) contains 3 main types: Hardware, Virtual, VPN.
Perhaps the last sentence could be corrected with something like this:
Right-click the applet > Edit Connections to open up a Settings box with some type of connection; the main ones are: (or those which be needed a normal user are: ...or something similar)


In 3.4.2 Wireless access - Basic Wireless Steps
you write:

Code: Select all

2 The found network does not function after the completion of Step 1. 
Find out basic information by opening a terminal and entering one at a time:
 lspci 
 lsusb 
Become root in that open terminal and enter:
 iwconfig -a 
The output from the first commands (example below) will give you the exact name, model and version (if any) of your wireless chipset, as well as the associated driver and the mac address; from the second, the name of the access point (AP) you are linked to and other connection information. 
 Network
 Card-2: Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 driver: iwlwifi 
 IF: wlan0 state: up mac: 00:21:6a:81:8c:5a 
Use the information you have gathered in one of the following ways:
Do a web search using that information. Some examples using the above lspci output.
1) linux Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 (rev 03)
2) debian stable 00:21:6a:81:8c:5a 
Consult the Linux Wireless site below to find out which driver your chipset needs, what conflicts might exist, and whether it needs firmware installed separately. 
Post your information on the Forum and ask for help.

The first two commands: lspci and lsusb, presented like this, in my opinion are not comfortable.
They are more practical so:
$ lsusb | grep -i net
lspci | grep -i net

Ok, for a newbby it is more reassuring give the terminal a single word command (there is also less risk of errors writing command) but then the output that comes out is very uncomfortable and difficult to understand.

The third command:

iwconfig -a

returns me this output : -a No such device
instead

iwconfig

works.

You write:

The output from the first commands (example below) will give you the exact name, model and version (if any) of your wireless chipset, as well as the associated driver and the mac address; from the second, the name of the access point (AP) you are linked to and other connection information.
 Network
 Card-2: Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 driver: iwlwifi
 IF: wlan0 state: up mac: 00:21:6a:81:8c:5a

This type of output is not returned by the first two commands, but by:

inxi -n

Instead this is the type of output of lspci | grep -i net
03:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR9462 Wireless Network Adapter (rev 01)

ok, it is not much different but it isn't correct to write that the output will give you “as well as the associated driver and the mac address” (in inxi -n yes, in lspci no)

When you write:

the first commands (example below) will give you the exact name, model and version (if any) of your wireless chipset

are you sure it is correct chipset rather than wireless card? I don't know, I'm no expert, it's just a question, it is probably correct as you have written, however the information that I have are that the exact name, model and version of wireless chipset, in my case they are defined as :
[168c:0034]
I can graphically see this through MX Broadcom Manager where, after the hardware scan, shows me this:
03:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR9462 Wireless Network Adapter [168c:0034] (rev 01)

I can have the same output, via cli, typing this :
lspci | grep -i net
and then, using the output I got, I write this command:
lspci -n | grep xx:xx.x

example:
lspci | grep -i net
03:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Ather.................
lspci -n | grep 03:00.0
03:00.0 0280: 168c:0034 (rev 01)

then, to see which driver I need, I do a web search using something like this:

Linux 0x168c 0x0034
or debian stable 0x168c 0x0034


You write:

Do a web search using that information. Some examples using the above lspci output.
 2) debian stable 00:21:6a:81:8c:5a

Why should I do a web search using the access point mac?
Did you mean that you could try to do ping and traceroute to check if there is a problem in the intermediate routers a connection must pass through to get to its destination?

I do not know if something is wrong in this sub-paragraph or if I didn't understand something. Or may be that I didn't understand something and something is wrong. I hope not to be too annoying with my small details, in any case I hope that my questions and my doubts are useful to improve the manual.

[Jerry3904]

Great detailed feedback, thanks a lot.

I just hope that I will not have to test all that myself, but that some Community members will step up and look at it.