[gentoo-dev] thanks

[massimiliano meschia]

thank you very much for your good work on Gentoo Linux!

I'm a "self-made" sys-admin and web developer.
I'm from Italy and my job is servers administration and php/mysql based web
development at Interzone srl - Milan - Italy, where Linux-based solutions are
growing day by day.

tired of Mandrake's gadgets (and RedHat before), last June I tried Gentoo 
Linux
because I had to install two Compaq Rack servers and I didn't want another rpm
installation...
so I tried Gentoo on my home-use-server and I was so satisfied that few days
later I switched to Gentoo even on my Compaq Presario 716EA laptop.
With your detailed installation guide there wasn't any problem to setup the
machine and after two days compiling the new system was up and running faster
than before and also more stable.
So I decided to setup the two servers with Gentoo Linux... and they are 
running
fine.
After that I set up another machine for my friend... and another one for my
girlfriend...
then also the office file server switched to gentoo linux (from mandrake),
then another one became an office print server, gentoo of course and then...
I'm setting up a gentoo linux client at my office and the next will be a
firewall/proxy server... at my office.

Gentoo Linux is very fast and stable althought I'm an upgrade maniac.
I think it is much easier to use and configure than MDK or RH if you are not
afraid of command line.
"emerge", "etc-update", "rc-scripts" and /etc/conf.d are very simple and 
usefull
/etc is not full of unusefull scripts.
all the system is very clean and well organized, I like it.
I've been using Linux since 1997 (my first was RH 5.1) but I've learned a lot 
of
things since I use Gentoo, because I have to understand better what I'm doing.

well, I'm without doubt an entusiastic gentoo linux user!

At the end, I hope to please you with my letter... I don't know how to give 
you
much more help to keep on going on this way (now I'm not a software 
developer),
may be my testing and experience is usefull.

I've made just a little experience with Gentoo Linux...
I've not found any relevant bug, just some little problems during the install
process:

this is my installation report:

home-server:
gentoo-1.2 upgraded to 1.4rc_1
amd k6-2 350
160 MB ram
HDD 5GB, 40GB, 60GB
2 isa network cards 3com etherlinkIII
SVGA MGA G100
SB16
canon bjc4550
kernel-2.4.18
services: iptables, ipmasq, bind, sendmail, vsftpd, cupsd, apache, php, mysql,
sshd, webmin, samba... and kde-3.0.3

with 1.2 the install process stopped during 1st stage, failed to compile 
glibc,
so I re-run scripts/bootstrap.sh and all things went well.
during the upgrade to 1.4rc_1 the update-step3.sh failed to start compiling 
anything (didn't find any compiler), so I manually re-merged gcc and then
(after 3 days working) the system was up and totally upgraded.
gcc: -march=k6-2 -03 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer
mysql must recompile without -fomit-frame-pointer

my laptop:
gentoo-1.2
Compaq Presario 716EA
AMD Athlon 1200
256MB ram
HDD 20GB
DVD-CDRW
kernel-2.4.18
services: apache, php, mysql, webmin, vsftpd, samba, kde
install 1.2: nothing to say... perfect!
gcc: -march=i686 -03 -pipe

my girlfriend's:
gentoo-1.2
Celeron 333
192MB ram
HDD 4GB
MGA G200
AWE32
well... samba & kde!
kernel-2.4.19
install 1.2: slow & good
gcc: -march=i686 -03 -pipe

my friend's
gentoo-1.2
Duron 700
256MB ram
HDD 10GB
Riva TNT2
Via audio
AHA2910 pci
CDRW scsi
samba & kde
kernel-2.4.18
install 1.2: without problems
gcc: -march=i686 -03 -pipe

office file server:
gentoo-1.4rc_1
PIII 733
512MB ram
RAID adaptec 2100s
2HDD IBM 9GB raid 1
2HDD Quantum 36GB raid 1
services: bind, sendmail, apache, php, mysql, webmin, samba, cupsd, vsftpd,
sshd, netatalk
kernel-2.4.19
install 1.4rc_1: failed compiling glibc, re-run scripts/bootstrap.sh and all 
ok
gcc: -march=i686 -03 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer

office print server:
gentoo-1.4rc_1
pentium 133
128MB ram
2HDD 2G
additional printer port card
modem
services: cupsd, hylafax (not yet set up), sshd
kernel-2.4.19
install 1.2: failed compiling glibc, then I got 1.4rc_1
nothing to say: slow :)
gcc: -march=pentium -O3 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer


office client:
gentoo-1.4rc_1
AMD k6-2 400
128MB ram
HDD 20GB
RIVA tnt2
als120
CDRW
kde, samba
kernel-2.4.19
install 1.4rc_1: very difficult! 1.2 failed during bootstrap, 1.4 stage3
precompiled failed compiling everything, then I changed the DIMM...
gcc: -march=k6-2 -03 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer

1st rack:
gentoo-1.2
Compaq DL360
2 PIII 800
512MB ram
2 HDD 36GB raid 1
kernel-2.4.18-smp with quota patch
services: apache, mysql, php, webmin, vsftpd, sshd
install 1.2: very fast
gcc: -march=i686 -03 -pipe

2nd rack:
gentoo-1.2
Compaq DL 360
1 PIII 800
512MB ram
2 HDD 18GB raid 1
kernel-2.4.18 with quota patch
services: bind (more than 110 domain names), sendmail (primary MX for those
domain names), majordomo, webmin
install 1.2: very fast
gcc: -march=i686 -03 -pipe
"quota" should work with sendmail and procmail spool, but it doesn't well when
the server load and mail spool grows

and the next one will be:

firewall, proxy, local nameserver, mail smart host...
gentoo-1.4rc_1
celeron 700
128MB ram
HDD 10GB


best regards


-- 
 _ ___
| |_  | massimiliano meschia
| |/ /| m.meschia@×××××××××.it
|_|___| responsabile sistemi - web development
interzone srl - via torino 51 - 20123 milano
tel. [phone] - fax [phone]