Subject: install/18192: various sysinst issues
To: None <gnats-bugs@gnats.netbsd.org>
From: None <reed@reedmedia.net>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 09/05/2002 19:49:28
>Number:         18192
>Category:       install
>Synopsis:       various sysinst issues
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    install-manager
>State:          open
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Thu Sep 05 19:50:01 PDT 2002
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     
>Release:        NetBSD 1.6_RC3
>Organization:
http://bsd.reedmedia.net/
>Environment:
	
	
From NetBSD-daily/200209040000/i386
>Description:
I reviewed latest 1.6_RC3 systinst. And I carefully took notes.
I posted my findings to tech-install. See discussion via
http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-install/2002/09/ (when it is available).
G. Beattie asked me to send-pr.

This covers several topics. Maybe I should use different send-pr's?
>How-To-Repeat:
sysinst from 1.6_RC3/i386.
>Fix:
* fdisk doesn't show extended partitions. I guess this doesn't matter
much. You can (try) after it is installed.

* It is unclear why fdisk showing in cylinder mode and megabytes mode
shows start before a previous partition's end:

* fdisk shows types like "Linux extended", but if you choose to change,
there is no option to save current partition ID type. So you lose it.

* Please clearly show "active" fdisk partition with an asterisk
or say "active" by it. (It currently says active is highlighted,
but edit mode shows reverse video too.)

* The boot selector, should use partition ID names as the default boot
selector labels.

* There was no way to exit fdisk to go back (for example to tell it to
use whole disk). CTRL-C works then type "./sysinst".

* After choosing "Standard w/ X" and 64 MB ram and I didn't have
enough disk space for that, disklabel reverted me back to custom
setup, but defaulted to 500MB disklabel partition when I only
had 143 MB fdisk partition. (By the way, my non-X and non-text install 
only took 140MB so it would have fit.)

* It asks about normal versus serial bootblocks. But sysinst never tells
the user what that means. (sysinst is usually good at briefly explaining
strengths and weaknesses of other tasks though.) 

* When it showed the time (in the timezone setup), the screen flickered
a lot. Maybe don't show seconds and only update once per minute.

* When sysinst is "now complete", you press enter. But then you are back
at "Welcome to sysinst". This is confusing. It should have option to  
"reboot". (Because exit gives a shell prompt and a person installing could
be really lost.)

>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: