Homepage of Markus Fichtenbauer

SpareMiNT

How to install SpareMiNT's RPM-packages very easy

Note that I only started this project for my personal use, and i
stopped the further development as EasyMiNT was available for
download on Marc-Antón Kehr's Homepage...

If you try to install SpareMiNT on your favorite computer system then you should start with Marc-Antón Kehr's MiNT-Net für Dummies or MiNT-Net for Lamers.

MiNT-Net für Dummies III: erstens.zip (496k), Teil 1 (992k), Teil 2 (1366k)
MiNT-Net for Lamers III first.zip (496k), Part 1 (992k), Part 2 (1366k)

With this MiNT-Net package you have a working base system. Now you have to download the necessary files from the RPM-Bootstrapping Archive. Additionally to the documentation files in the bootstrapping archive Marc-Antón Kehr additionally offers a good german description how to prepare your system and install the bootstrap archive: SpareMiNT für Dummies. After that your system is fit to install all the rpm packages you can find on the SpareMiNT server. During installation of the packages you will find out, that many packages depend on others. Additionally RPM claims about missing directories and others...

Example: If you try to install package X and the package depends on package Y then you have to install package Y at first. Maybe package Y depends on other packages you didn't install too. That's really annoying.

So what's the best sequence to install all those packages in a faster way than trying whether an other package should installed before? My solution: I sorted the packages and split it into several groups. I used the installation model of SuSE Linux 7.0 as a good example for my little project:

Base-System
Software without X-Windows
Network
Security related Software
Graphics
Base X-Window System
3D-stuff for X11

And here I am, with my installation groups and a number of RPM-packages in every group. The depencies of the packages deviate a little bit from the SuSE-packages I examined. So I have to rework the sequence now. These days I write a little bash-script that creates the missing directories and gives you the possibility to install the packages in an easier way as it is now.

TInA 1.0 is now available here.

Extract the LZH-archive to a blank floppy disk. This bootdisk is prepared for Hades. So if you use it for other systems please remove set_mmu.prg from auto-folder.

How to start TiNA:

Be sure you have copied the following packages to your harddisk
- Marc-Antón Kehr's MiNT-Net packages
- SpareMiNT bootstrapping archive
- SpareMiNT's RPM-archives
You can boot now from the floppy to install SpareMiNT
TiNA will lead you through the installation

Note that this is only a first step to a more comfortable installation procedure for SpareMiNT. Much more have to be done...
I recommend you using the test-features of TiNA before you start the real installation. A more detailed description of TiNA and it's possibilities to create your own installion scripts can be found in the near future on this page...