Figure 3.2: dselect Access screen
Here we tell dselect where our packages are. Ignore the order that these appear in. It is very important that you select the proper method for installation. You may have a few more methods listed, or a few less, or you may see them listed in a different order; just don’t worry about it. In the following list, we describe the different methods.
multi_cd. Quite large and powerful, this complex method is the recommended way of installing a recent version of Debian from a set of multiple binary CDs. Each of these CDs should contain information about the packages in itself and all prior CDs (in the file Packages.cd). When you first select this method, be sure the CD-ROM you will be using is not mounted. Place the last binary disk of the set (we don’t need the source CDs) in the drive and answer the questions you are asked:
CD-ROM drive location
Confirmation that you are using a multi-cd set
The location of the Debian distribution on the disk(s)
[ Possibly ] the location(s) of the Packages file(s)
Once you have updated the available list and selected the packages to be installed, the multi_cd method diverges from normal procedure. You will need to run an “install” step for each of the CDs you have, in turn. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of dselect, it will not be able to prompt you for a new disk at each stage; the way to work for each disk is outlined here:
1. Insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive.
2. From the main dselect menu, select “Install.”
3. Wait until dpkg finishes installing from this CD. (It may report installation successful, or possibly installation errors. Don’t worry about these until later.)
4. Press Return to go back to the main dselect menu.
5. Repeat with the next CD in the set.
It may be necessary to run the installation step more than once to cover the order of package installation; some packages installed early may need to have later packages installed before they will configure properly.
Running a “Configure” step is recommended to help fix any packages that may end up in this state.