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Include HDD install details and related changes
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kanoi committed Jan 21, 2012
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100 changes: 99 additions & 1 deletion linux-usb-cgminer
Expand Up @@ -12,14 +12,25 @@ The copy in cgminer (check to make sure it isn't older) is:
The original old verion on bitcointalk is:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=28402.msg426741#msg426741

========

I have said to select English for the install process for 2 reasons:
1) I don't know any other spoken language very well
and
2) I'm not sure what problems installing under a different language
might cause (it will probably cause no problems but I don't know)

Software
========
Short hardware comment:
Your mining computer doesn't need any HDD or CD/DVD/BD as long as it has at
least 2GB of RAM, can boot USB, has some network connection to the internet
and of course a reasonable mining ATI graphics card
... Or you can boot a windows PC with the USB to only do mining ... and ignore
the system HDD ... wasting energy running the HDD :)
the system HDD ... wasting energy running the HDD (roughly 10 Watts per HDD) :)

If you wish to install to an HDD instead of a USB,
see the changes to the instructions at the end

To create the USB, you need of course a 4GB USB and temporarily need a PC
with a CD (or DVD/BD) writer, a USB port and of course an internet
Expand All @@ -30,6 +41,9 @@ connection to the PC

2) Burn it to CD then boot that temporarily on any PC with a CD/DVD/BD and
a USB port (this and the next 2 step won't effect that PC)
Select "English" then select "Try Xubuntu without installing"
and wait for the desktop to appear
(this happens by default if you wait for the timeouts)

3) Plug in your 4GB USB device and it should appear on the desktop - you can
leave it's contents as long as there is at least 2.8GB free
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -205,3 +219,87 @@ The fix is to simply link the old curses library to the new name e.g.:

cd /lib64/
sudo ln -s libncurses.so.5 libtinfo.so.5

========

If you wish to install to an HDD instead of a USB:
--------------------------------------------------

As per before:

1) Download the xubuntu 11.04 desktop live CD iso for amd64
( look here for mirrors: http://www.xubuntu.org/getubuntu )

Then:

2) Burn it to CD then boot that on your new mining PC
Select "English" then select "Install Xubuntu"
(you have 30 seconds to do this)

3) When the Install window comes up - again select "English" and click "Forward"

4) The next page will show you if you meet certain install requirements
(make sure you do meet them all)
Don't select the download option
The 3rd party option isn't needed for mining so ignore that also

Click "Forward"

5) With "Allocate drive space" it's probably easiest to say to use the
"Erase" option.

This is just for mining right? :)

However, if you have anything on the HDD that you want to keep - the
"Erase" install process will delete it - so back it up (quit the install)
Also make sure there are no OTHER HDD attached that it may erase also
i.e. only have attached the one HDD that you want to install onto unless
you know exactly what you are doing

If you see the "Install Xubuntu 11.04 alongside 'something'" then that
just means that the HDD wasn't blank.
If you want to try this option - do that yourself and then skip to step
7) below when you get to that.

There are plenty of other options available if you select "Something else"
but I'm not going to go into all the details here other than to say that
my preferred partioning is: /boot = 1GB = ext2, swap = twice memory size,
/ = 100GB = ext3 and the rest: /extra = ext3

Click "Forward"

6) If you selected "Erase" then it allows you to choose the drive to install to
Then click "Install Now"

7) "Where are you?" sort that out then click "Forward"

8) "Keyboard layout" sort that out (use the default) then click "Forward"

9) "Who are you?" The important one here is "Pick a username:" coz that's
the name you will need to ssh into, to access it remotely (and of course
the "Choose a Password" you set)

If you set the "username" to anything but "ubuntu" then: wherever in this
document I have mentioned the username "ubuntu" you must of course use the
username you chose here instead of "ubuntu"

Important: set it to "log in automatically" if you ever want to be able
to start cgminer without being in front of the computer since 'X' must
be running to use cgminer properly
That does of course mean that the computer isn't secure from anyone who
has access to it - but then again no computer that can automatically
reboot is secure from anyone who has access to the actual computer itself

Then click "Forward"

10) Of course when it completes click on "Restart Now"
... and remove the Xubuntu CD when it asks you

11) Wait for it to finish rebooting ... and it will auto login
(unless you didn't do step 9) "Important:")

12) After it logs in, an upgrade popup for 11.10 (or later) will appear
Select "Don't Upgrade"

13) Now go to step 6) of the USB script above for what to do next and that
covers everything else needed

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