Installed linux successfully !!

Finally, i was able to install the ubuntu version of linux on my laptop successfully. Now, i've a dual boot system (linux and windows).

Below are the steps i've followed for creating this dual boot system.

1. Installed partition magic
2. Resized my 60GB NTFS hard disk to 39GB, created a 16GB ext3 format partition, a 3GB FAT32 format partition, and a 1GB linux swap partition. I've created the FAT32 partition 'cos this format allows both linux and windows to read/write onto this file system and files on this mount point can be accessed in both OS.
3. Then i've downloaded ubuntu 5.10 (first the live cd and then the direct install cd). You can download it from here.
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/
4. You can try out the live cd to see how it looks (it doesn't do anything except that it lets you to try it out)
5. Once i've downloaded the direct install cd, i've booted my laptop from that cd and it was a pretty straight forward install from there.
6. Just be careful when creating the mountpoints. I've assinged the 16GB ext3 format for my root (/) partition and named 3GB partition as /windows, 1GB linux swap partion for swap. The remaining mount points are left as it is (the default file system given by the partitioner. It shows the 39GB windows ntfs and the other ones. Just leave them as it is).
7. Now, when i asked it to install them i've asked the partitioner to format those /root and /windows partitions and clicked Install.
8. After sometime, BOOM !! got the message "Linux installed successfully".
9. During the install, it was configuring my DHCP client and it asked me to choose my internal network card or the internal wireless card, i chose internal network card and then once it is installed i've configured my wireless card.

Thats it. Now i've a dual boot system, everything working.

PS : I've tried the ubuntu draper drake 6.06, which is still in the beta version and it said "Installer crashed" a couple of times. I've stopped trying it out 'cos i did not want to screw up existing windows OS. Lets try and install it once the final version is released.

Lets install oracle on linux next week.

Now i wonder, why do i want to pay a 100 bucks for windows professional when i'm getting ev. thing here through linux for FREE ?? Lets get used to LINUX !!

-- Vish.

virtual indexes

I was goin' through one of the blogs (forgot which one it was), but it mentioned that we can create virtual indexes. Basically, what it does is that -- it doesn't create the index physically, but acts as a index virtually.

Sometimes you might be wondering wether creating index on a certain column is goin' to decrease the cost of the execution plan. Then this might be of great help.

Will post the exact syntax next time. Just got reminded of it and wanted to mention it here.

-- Vish.

Installing unix...not quite successful !

Its been quite sometime i'm here. Well, moved on to a new job -- Fannie Mae, VA as a production suport DBA. But, here we go.

I was trying to install solaris on my laptop to make it a dual boot system (windows and solaris), but i was not quite successful.

After 15 hrs of work on it, i could install it, but still can't connected to the internet. Not sure if i don't have the drivers for my network card or something like that.(I have a new dell xps M140 laotop). Went through a lot of threads but could not really get the solution. It really sucked !!

Now, planning to move to ubuntu flavor of unix. Just went through some blogs and it has some excellent reviews. The new version, drapper drape is still in the beta stage, but the best thing with this is that you can have a "LIVE CD", which means that you can just try out your install on your windows machine without really installing it. May be -- u can call it a virtual install. You can even connect to internet through this live cd. If it goes fine and if you like it, then you can go ahead with the acutual install. What else do you need ? You can check out an OS even without installing it ? Amazing !!

You don't even need partition magic to format your drivers. ubuntu does that. Also, i've read somewhere that it even recognises your USB flash drivers ( I think its an NTFS format). Amazing once again (if thats true .. :) !!

I haven't tried it out yet, but i'm goin' to. By this weekend, i should have it ready (hopefully...ev. thing working).

Lets find out how amazing it is by the end of the week.