source: introduction/welcome/askhelp.xml@ 4afc2603

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<sect1 id="askhelp">
  <?dbhtml filename="askhelp.html"?>

  <sect1info>
    <othername>$LastChangedBy$</othername>
    <date>$Date$</date>
  </sect1info>

  <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="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 <command>lsmod</command> as the
        <systemitem class='username'>root</systemitem> user to see if it's
        loaded. Check the <filename>syslog.log</filename> file or run
        <command>modprobe <replaceable>[driver]</replaceable></command> to
        review any error message. If it loads properly, you may need to add
        the <command>modprobe</command> command 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 <command>moduser
        -G audio <replaceable>[user]</replaceable></command> may be all that's
        necessary for that user to have access to the sound system. Any question
        that starts out with <quote>It works as root, but not as ...</quote>
        requires a thorough review of permissions prior to asking.</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>BLFS liberally uses <filename
        class='directory'>/opt/<replaceable>[package]</replaceable></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 most cases, the package instructions will
        walk you through the changes, but some will not. The section called
        <quote><xref linkend="beyond"/></quote> 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>