LBA-Linux R1 beta test programme

Welcome, LBA-Linux R1 beta testers! The Linux Business Alliance appreciates your help in testing the first ever version of LBA-Linux before its public release in April of 2004.

Note: LBA-Linux R1 beta is trial software. It is not intended for use in mission-critical applications or in production systems. LBA-Linux R1 beta is being made available for the purpose of gathering feedback about LBA-Linux software and features as part of the LBA-Linux product development cycle. The Linux Business Alliance cannot guarantee that LBA-Linux R1 beta is fit for any particular purpose. Use at your own risk.

Timeframe & deadlines

• 15 March 2004 - LBA-Linux R1 beta testing begins
• 17 March 2004 - LBA-Linux R1 CDs with additional software released for beta testing
• 16 April 2004 - LBA Linux R1 public release

To participate in the LBA-Linux R1 beta test, you'll need to have:

• An LBA-Linux R1 beta installation CD. This CD is available as an ISO image download from ftp.sot.com. You must have access to a CD-Writer to turn the downloaded ISO image into a working installation CD. Instructions for creating a CD from an ISO image can be found at http://www.sotlinux.org/en/develop/iso.php.
• A spare computer. The hardware specifications recommended for running LBA-Linux R1 beta are listed below:
  • Processor: 400 MHz Pentium II or better
  • RAM: 192MB
  • Hard drive: 1.5GB
  To perform some of the optional LBA-Linux R1 beta hardware tests, you will require two computers with network cards, and a crossover cable or isolated LAN to connect them.

What to do

The LBA-Linux R1 beta test programme has two goals. Like most beta tests, one goal is to uncover any bugs in the beta software. The programme's second goal is to discover how LBA-Linux performs on a range of hardware. To this end, a suite of test programs has been included on the LBA-Linux R1 beta installation CD. Knowing more about the kinds of hardware people are using will help us to select appropriate drivers and software to include in LBA-Linux.

Step-by-step outline of the beta test process:

• Obtain an LBA-Linux R1 beta installation CD (see Requirements, above).
• Install LBA-Linux on your test computer. An installation guide has been included on the LBA-Linux R1 beta installation CD.
• Test and explore the installed LBA-Linux system. Try doing unusual or unexpected things with the software. Report any bugs you discover on LBA-Linux R1 beta programme feedback form.
• To run the hardware tests, go to /opt/lba-hctp-testsuite-1.0/ltp/ directory in your LBA-Linux system and run automation-hctp.sh script. The hardware tests will run 6 hours by default. Submit the results log on LBA-Linux R1 beta programme feedback form. Or email the log to support@sot.com. Full instructions can be found in the hctp-testsuite.README file in the /opt/lba-hctp-testsuite-1.0/ directory.

Good luck!