Q: How do I install Debathena on my personal computer?
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Context
You want to install one of the Debathena metapackages on your personal computer. The current version of Debathena is [Debathena Trusty (14.04) Release Notes].
Answer
- Make sure that your personal computer is running a supported Ubuntu or Debian distribution. Debathena is not a stand-alone operating system: it is a suite of packages designed to install on top of a current release of Ubuntu or Debian Linux. You should already have Ubuntu or Debian configured, and connected to MITnet before you attempt to install Debathena.
- Currently supported versions:
- Ubuntu: 14.04, 12.04, 10.04
- Debian: 6.0 ("squeeze"), 7.0 ("wheezy")
- Note: Not sure what to install? We recommend starting with the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS: Check the system requirements and download it.
- Note: Not sure what version of Ubuntu or Debian you're running? See How can I tell which version of Ubuntu I'm running? or Check Debian Version from the Command Line .
- Currently supported versions:
- Choose a Debathena-metapackage. Debathena provides various levels of Athena functionality through different metapackages, and each metapackage comes with different levels of support. Choose a metapackage that suits your needs from Which Debathena metapackage should I install?.
- Double check the system requirements.
- Make sure you have enough free disk space. If you have less than 20GB of free disk space available, please check the metapackage information page for disk-space requirements.
- Make sure you have an uninterrupted Ethernet connection. The bulk of the installation is done over the network, and we recommend a wired Ethernet connection to MITnet when possible. If possible, use an Ethernet cable during the installation.
- Installing Debathena inside a virtual machine (e.g. VMWare, Parallels)? See What do I need to know about installing Debathena in a virtual machine?
- Select a mode of installation.
- Interactive command-line installer (recommended)
Debathena has an interactive command-line installer that should be easier to use than the manual installation instructions. Choose the Debathena-metapackage that you wish to install from the list below:
- How do I install the Debathena-standard metapackage?
- How do I install the Debathena-login metapackage?
- How do I install the Debathena-login-graphical metapackage?
- How do I install the Debathena-workstation metapackage?
Unfortunately, the command-line installer does not support installation for Debathena-cluster. See How do I install Debathena manually? for more information.
- Manual installation
If you wish to install Debathena manually, see How do I install Debathena manually?. - PXE
For computers connected directly to MITnet, it may be possible to use MIT's PXE server to install Debathena. For more information, see How do I install Debathena via PXE?.
- Interactive command-line installer (recommended)
Find out more about Debathena
If you have any questions regarding the above steps, you may find the articles Troubleshooting Debathena installation or How can I get help with Debathena issues? helpful.
Subscribe to the mailing list
Please subscribe to our announcement list, debathena-announce@mit.edu, so that we can send you announcements about changes in the project and important security upgrades. This list is very low-traffic, receiving 2-3 messages per semester at most. You can subscribe in two easy ways:
- using WebMoira (authentication required)
- logging into Athena and typing the following command:
blanche debathena-announce -a $USER
To learn more about Debathena, see [hdarchive:Debathena Landing Page].