If you're anything like me, since you installed SL from a LiveDVD you have installed numerous packages, made changes or additions to configuration files, added daemons to runlevels and so on. It's surprising how many changes you make after installation. If you have to re-install SL or install it on another PC, it can take quite a bit of effort to get the new installation the way you had it before. This is where a checklist comes in handy.
Every checklist is going to look very different to anyone else's, but below I show you mine purely to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Usually it takes me a day or two to get a fresh installation the way I want it, and a checklist comes in handy to help me avoid forgetting something. I have a copy of the checklist on an external USB HDD that I use for backups, so if I do trash my installation then my checklist is still available.
Installation of SL 5.0 x86_64 from LiveDVD onto Acer TravelMate 8215WLMi laptop
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(Last edit: 15 March 2010)
Backup contents of my home directory (including hidden directories and files) to my SEA_DISC first, just in case /home gets overwritten by mistake during installation.
Use KDE Keyboard Tool in Panel and configure the keyboards gb, br and es.
Launch the installer by double-clicking the icon on the Desktop.
Click on Update Installer.
Install SL. Don't forget to specify the hostname as "acertm8215", to specify grub to be installed in the partition /boot rather than the MBR, and to specify a grub boot password.
Kickoff > Computer > System Settings > Regional & Language > Country/Region & Language and set locale and language.
cp /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/London /etc/localtime
Edit /etc/conf.d/hwclock and make sure clock="local" and clock_systohc="YES"
Kickoff > Computer > System Settings > Date & Time, and set the correct time and date if not done automatically (should be).
Edit /etc/entropy/layman.cfg and, if not already done, change "storage : /usr/portage/local/layman" to "storage : /usr/local/portage/layman". (Warning: This is for layman-1.2.*. See further on for when you upgrade to layman-1.3.*)
If /home was overwritten during installation then copy /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/Desktop/* to /home/fitzcarraldo/Desktop/
Update Entropy package database and install latest packages from Entropy repository:
su
equo update
equo install entropy equo sulfur (If it tells you a new version of Entropy is available)
equo world
equo conf update
As layman version is lower than 1.3.0 in SL 5.0, migrate layman storage patch as explained in my SL Forums post.
If desired, remove Entropy completely as explained in my SL Forums post.
Remove Sabayon overlay, update the Portage main tree and re-add the Sabayon and KDE Testing overlays
layman -d sabayon
emerge --sync
emerge -1v portage (Don't do if keeping Entropy).
layman -a sabayon
layman -a kde
Install the eix utility and populate its database
Install eix and do an update-eix
Install slocate and do an updatedb
Edit /etc/samba/smb.conf and change "workgroup = SABAYONDOMAIN" to "workgroup = WORKGROUP" (because "WORKGROUP" is the name of the Windows Workgroup defined on the SA90 PC running Vista on my home network).
Install printer drivers
Use CUPS to install my Epson printer connected via USB.
Install cups-pdf
Use CUPS to install cups-pdf virtual printer (see my HowTo in SL Wiki).
If /home was overwritten during installation then copy the unhidden directories and files (but *NOT* the hidden directories and files) in /SEA_DISC/Backup/ to /home/fitzcarraldo/.
Install Krusader.
Install missing OpenOffice dict-en.oxt, dict-pt.oxt and dict-es.oxt in /opt/openoffice.org3/share/extension/install/dict-en.oxt
Install UK English, Portuguese and Spanish dictionaries for OpenOffice, using Open Office's Extension Manager.
So that Thunderbird displays the date in UK format:
a) Edit /etc/env.d/02locale and change all occurrences of "en_US" to "en_GB" if not already done
b) Add the following lines to the end of /etc/profile:
#Three lines below added by Fitzcarraldo (I changed en_US to en_GB in /etc/env.d/02locale too, but it didn't work):
LANG="en_GB.UTF-8"
LC_ALL="en_GB.UTF-8"
LANGUAGE="en_GB.UTF-8"
Install mozilla-thunderbird
Launch Thunderbird and click on Cancel.
Copy /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/.thunderbird/ to /home/fitzcarraldo/.thunderbird/
Make sure Hotmail/MSN Windows Live access via Thunderbird is configured:
Edit > Account Settings
Server Settings
Server Type: POP Mail Server
Server Name: pop3.live.com
Port: 995
Use secure connection: SSL
Ougoing Server (SMTP)
Server Name: smtp.live.com
Port:587
Use secure connection: TLS
Copy from /SEA_DISC/Backup/usr/share/autostart/ to /usr/share/autostart/ the .desktop files that I want to have on the Panel.
Launch Konqueror, click on Settings > Configure Konqueror... > Java & JavaScript and click on the open file dialog for Path to Java executable, or 'java', and search for /opt/sun-jdk-1.6.0.18/jre/bin/java or whatever the latest installed Java version there is, and click Apply.
Configure desktop wallpaper.
Set up Compiz-Fusion:
Copy /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/.config/compiz/ to /home/fitzcarraldo/.config/compiz/
Set up KDE Desktop Effects shortcuts as per http://www.freetechie.com/blog/switchin ... te-engine/ so that the shortcuts behave in the same way as Compiz (including layout of the 4 desktops on the Panel).
==== Following cannot be done now because latest fglrx driver no longer works with ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 ====
Perform edits to /etc/X11/xorg.conf given in the thread "Setup an ATI card with the new FGLRX drivers for Compiz-Fusion" in the Compiz-Fusion forums.
Also add the following FontPaths to Section Files (or create section Files if it does not exist) so that text is displayed in Google Earth:
Section "Files"
#FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/local/"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc/"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Type1/"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/TTF/"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi/"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/corefonts"
EndSection
(Actually may not need to add the above FontPaths to xorg.conf any more as Google Earth works OK without the declaration.)
Don't forget to run aticonfig after editing xorg.conf.
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If using open-source Radeon or RadeonHD driver then do:
eslect opengl list
eselect opengl set xorg-x11
Install quick-launch icons on the Panel for the following *applications*: Firefox, Thunderbird, KCharSelect, kdict, KCalc, KDiskFree, KWrite.
Install my Firefox bookmarks: Copy /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/.mozilla/firefox/uq3g6doz.default/bookmarks-2009-MM-DD.json to /home/fitzcarraldo/.mozilla/firefox/uq3g6doz.default/bookmarks-2009-MM-DD.json and then in Firefox do: Bookmarks > Organise Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Restore
Install Canon Pixma MP510 driver using local overlay (see my post in thread in SL Forums).
Use CUPS to install the Canon MP510 printer connected to Acer SA90 PC on my home network (see my HowTo in SL Wiki).
Install dia
Intall acroread & acroread-asianfonts
Install Yakuake if not already installed.
Install PulseAudio tools and configure PulseAudio as per my posts in the SL Forums thread Getting PulseAudio to Cooperate.
Install Skype and configure Skype audio.
Make sure gspca and gspcav1 packages are not installed, and that the libv4l-0.5.1 ebuild from Gentoo Bugzilla Report No. 240090 is installed, and add "export LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib32/libv4l/v4l1compat.so" before the exec line in the Bash script /usr/bin/skype
Edit /boot/grub/grub.conf to remove extra boots, if any, leaving just SL 5.0 normal boot, SL 5.0 safe mode boot and Windows XP Professional, and add "nmi_watchdog=0 elevator=as nopat" to the kernel bootline for the normal SL boot. (Note: elevator=as cannot be used from kernel 2.6.33 and onwards.)
Edit /etc/fstab and add "commit=60,noatime,nodiratime" to fstab in fourth column like so: user_xattr,commit=60,noatime,nodiratime
Configure lm_sensors (run sensors-detect) then modprobe coretemp && rc-update add lm_sensors default && /etc/init.d/lm_sensors start
Install hddtemp and configure it (See SL thread with my posts: I need to edit /etc/conf.d/hddtemp and /usr/share/hddtemp/hddtemp.db) and rc-update add hddtemp default
Install gkrellm (USE="hddtemp" emerge -1v gkrellm) and configure it. (No need to install x11-plugins/gkrellm-hddtemp because gkrellm works with hddtemp).
Uninstall nspluginwrapper (because netscape-flash is native 64-bit now and the two cannot coexist).
Uninstall www-plugins/libflashsupport (because that is only for Flash 9, which is not the latest version of flash).
If /home was overwritten during installation then copy /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/.tomboy/ to /home/fitzcarraldo/.tomboy/
Install Gwenview if not already installed.
Install GQview and copy /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/.gqview/ to /home/fitzcarraldo/.gqview/
Install gscan2pdf in local overlay.
Configure Firefox to make it the default browser: Edit > Preferences | General
Configure SL search engine helper for Konqueror (see my post in thread in SL Forums). Also add e.g. IMDB search engine helper etc.
Use about:config to configure Firefox so that links in a Thunderbird mail open a Firefox window (see my post in thread in SL Forums):
network.protocol-handler.app.http to "/usr/bin/firefox"
network.protocol-handler.app.https to "/usr/bin/firefox"
network.protocol-handler.app.ftp to "/usr/bin/firefox"
Add the following Add-ons (Extensions) to Firefox:
Adblock Plus, Favicon Picker 2, Colorful Tabs, Places' Full Titles, Add to Search Bar, User Agent Switcher, Verificação ortogáfica pt-BR
Use Add to Search Bar to add search engine helpers to Firefox for SL Forums, SL Wiki, Gentoo Bugzilla, Gentoo Forums, Gentoo Portage, Gentoo Packages, RottenTomatoes, IMDB, YouTube, Amazon UK etc.
Configure Firefox for mms: and rtsp: links (see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Register_protocol#Linux).
Install Cheese.
Install K3b and configure for default ripping rate for mp3 of 192 kbps (see my post in SL Forums).
Install winki (make sure matroska USE flag is set) and dvd::rip
ln -s /home/fitzcarraldo/.kde4 /home/fitzcarraldo/.kde
Install kbluetooth.
$ cp /usr/share/applications/kde4/kbluetooth.desktop /home/fitzcarraldo/.kde/Autostart/kbluetooth.desktop
Edit /etc/conf.d/local and add the line udevadm trigger --subsystem-match=bluetooth
Install kio-sysinfo
Install fenius' Sabayon Linux 5 Oxygen Splash Screen (see post Sabayon 5 SplashScreens in SL Forums).
Install MSGConvert (.MSG to mime/mbox converter).
Install module-rebuild (emerge -1v module-rebuild, or equo install module-rebuild)
Install latest versions of MySQL and Amarok, and configure them to use an external My SQL database (see my post in SL Forums).
If /home was overwritten during installation then copy directory /media/SEA_DISC/Backup/.kde/share/apps/amarok/ to /home/fitzcarraldo/.kde/share/apps/amarok/ and launch Amarok with my iRiver switched on and mounted, and update Amarok database. N.B. You have to run Amarok first, as it creates this directory in your own home directory.
Install PyKaraoke using local overlay (see my HowTo in SL Wiki).
Select the Lancelot launcher instead of Kickoff (rick-click on Desktop and select Add Widgets...).
Install yaWP (see my post in the SL Forums)
I have found such a checklist to be helpful on several occasions. If you've ever had to reinstall SL, I'm sure you'd find one helpful too. No time like the present to start creating one.
