new to netinstall

On Sun, Dec 29, 2013 at 08:11:16PM +0100, name at domain wrote:

> I'm thinking of using it to run a server. I have some (probably
> very basic) questions before I give it a try.

Good plan, using netinst will significantly reduce cruft.

> Net-install is terminal-only, right? The whole screen is that text
> interface?

Yes, it's terminal only. As it should be.

> What are some important commands? Like how to:
>
> -install an application (the same as installing from desktop terminal?)

apt-get or aptitude

> -run an application (I assume that I just enter its name)

yes, bash-completion ftw.

> -exit an application

application specific

> -shut down computer

"sudo shutdown -h now" should work.

> Is multi-tasking possible or necessary for a server? Like what if I
> want to run an email server and a file server at the same time?

Yes, many services/programs can run at the same time.

Best of luck!

To install a program with apt-get, use the command sudo apt-get install programnamehere.

>Could you help me understand what netinstall is like?
Ctrl+Alt+F1, you get back with Ctrl+Alt+F7

>The whole screen is that text interface?
Correct. You can try running alsamixer to see a "text GUI". Escape exits it. Some programs have such user interfaces (ncurses) but many don't.

Often one just gives commands and observes output, if any. Usually lack of output means the command was successfully carried out.

Most commands have manual pages which try to explain to you what the command does and any parameters you can give to it.

man command

Some commands however lack manual pages (notably apt-get) but you can get a terse info with

command --help

>Is multi-tasking possible or necessary for a server? Like what if I want to run an email server and a file server at the same time?
Multitasking is a requirement for all modern computing: there usually is only one processor but many processes. Open a terminal and take a look at the top command to get an idea. You get out of top with the q key. Usually it's q or escape.

You can run "several servers" (daemon processes listening on different ports) on "one server" (the physical computer). There are default ports for applications, e.g. 80 is for http (web servers) and 22 for ssh (secure shell). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_number

>To install a program with apt-get, use the command sudo apt-get install programnamehere.
To be precise, one runs commands and installs packages. I guess either of those could be called programs. Often one package contains several related commands.

Just complementing the previous answers:

• 'sudo halt' can be used to shutdown the computer (however, if it is a server, you probably do not want to shutdown!);
• Ctrl+C aborts the running command (see the manual of 'kill' to abort another process, e.g., that runs in the background).
• A command is stopped (so that you are back to the prompt) with Ctrl+Z. You can run it back in the foreground with the 'fg' command (followed by the number output by Ctrl+Z; use 'jobs' to have the ids of every task that was stopped or runs in the background), in the background with 'bg';
• By default, six text sessions are available. You can switch between them with Ctrl+Alt+F1, Ctrl+Alt+F2, Ctrl+Alt+F3, etc.

You may like to read this free documentation for useful commands: http://en.flossmanuals.net/command-line/

Thanks! I'll try "Ctrl+Alt+F1" on my desktop computer to get used to the environment. I'll use the commands that you guys posted, and maybe try and use some applications like emacs in text mode. Then I'll give NetInstall a go.

GNU Screen is a very useful program in console environments. You can also exit a program with: pkill -KILL program_name (though that command should be a last resort(as the program will not be able to exit normally), for instance if it stops responding to your input).