source: introduction/welcome/askhelp.xml@ cf4aab7

<sect1 id="intro-welcome-askhelp">
<?dbhtml filename="askhelp.html" dir="introduction"?>
<title>Asking for help and the FAQ</title>

<para>If you encounter a problem while using this book, and your problem
is not listed in the FAQ (<ulink
url="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/faq"/>), you will find that most
of the people on Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and
on the mailing lists are willing to help you. An
overview of the LFS mailing lists can be found in
<xref linkend="intro-welcome-maillists"/>. To assist us in diagnosing and solving
your problem, include as much relevant information as possible in your
request for help.</para>

<sect2>
<title>Things to check prior to asking</title>

<para>Before asking for help, you should review the following
items:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>Is the hardware support compiled into the kernel or
available as a module to the kernel.  If it is a module, is it configured
properly in <filename>modules.conf</filename> and has it been loaded.  You
should use <userinput>lsmod</userinput> to see if it's loaded. Check the
<filename>sys.log</filename> or run <userinput>modprobe
&lt;driver&gt;</userinput>
to review any error message.  If it loads properly, you may need to add
the <userinput>modprobe</userinput> to your boot scripts.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Are your permissions properly set, especially for
devices.  LFS uses groups to make these settings easier, but it also
adds the step of adding users to groups to allow access. A simple
<userinput>moduser -G audio &lt;user&gt;</userinput> may be all that's
necessary for that user to have access to the sound
system.  Any question that starts out with "It works as root, but not as
..." should review permissions throughly prior to asking.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>BLFS liberally uses <filename>/opt/&lt;package&gt;</filename>. The main objection to this centers around the need to
expand your environment variables for each package placed there (e.g.
PATH=$PATH:/opt/kde/bin).  In some cases, the package will walk you
through the changes, but some will not.  <xref linkend="appendices-generic"/> is available to
help you check.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist></sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Things to mention</title>

<para>Apart from a brief explanation of the problem you're having, the
essential things to include in your request are:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>the version of the book you are using (being
&version;),</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>the package or section giving you
problems,</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>the exact error message or symptom you are
receiving,</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>whether you have deviated from the book or LFS at
all.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>(Note that saying that you've deviated from the book doesn't mean
that we won't help you. It'll just help us to see other possible causes of your problem.)</para>

<para>Expect guidance instead of specific instructions. If you are
instructed to read something, please do so, it generally implies that
the answer was way too obvious and that the question would not have been asked if a little
research was done prior to asking. The volunteers in the mailing list
prefer not to be used as an alternative to doing reasonable research on
your end.  In addition, the quality of your experience with BLFS is also greatly
enhanced by this research, and the quality of volunteers is enhanced
because they don't feel that their time has been abused, so they are
far more likely to participate.</para>

<para>An excellent article on asking for help on the Internet in general
has been written by Eric S. Raymond. It is available online at <ulink
url="http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html"/>.
Read and follow the hints in that document and you are much more likely
to get a response to start with and also to get the help you actually
need.</para>
</sect2>

</sect1>