Feature Wishlist/YAST related

Add default repositories during installation

I think it'd be very useful for people to have the default installation repositories added during the installation, so that newbies don't have to find out about this after they've nearly installed Windows again because don't know how to deal with a source tarball for package X, and don't know about the big-*** default package repository (inst-source). YaST could also ask the user if he wanted "to add the internet installation sources for easy access to additional software packages", which would be handy for dealing with the issue of the non-oss-inst-source repository, so the free software guys, like myself, don't feel that SUSE tries to jam non-free software down their throat, but asks them nicely if they want it. --Tsuroerusu 18:37, 8 Aug 2006 (MDT)]

Dual boot options during the installation

Right now, when a user installs SUSE Linux, if Windows is already installed, it will automatically assume the user wants to dual boot, but what if the user actually wanted to get rid of Windows? Then he must go in and change the partitioning manually, which I don't believe is something people like my dad knows anything about.
So, how about this, when a user boots off of CD1 and the installer starts, it should check whether Windows is installed or not. If Windows is detected, the installer should tell the user something like this: "We've detected an installation of Microsoft Windows on your computer, you can do the following", " - Install SUSE Linux in addition to Microsoft Windows, so that you can use both", " - Remove Microsoft Windows and install SUSE Linux".
Maybe my example of what to tell the user needs to be polished a little, so that it doesn't confuse people, something that would be crucial to do, would be to have an explanation of it available if the user clicks on the "Help" button. --Tsuroerusu 15:56, 22 Jun 2006 (MDT)]

Packagemanager should use the download channel in full speed

When YAST installs an rpm it is not downloading other rpms. Maybe do something like two (almost) independent process of downloading and installing rpms?

And then it may be faster to download and install first small rpms, then large, or first large, then small. (Needs check by trying first one way, then another.) It depends on how many time will it be not downloading or not installing rpms.

Samba-LDAP-Plugin for YAST User-Module

When I had SUSE 9.2 installed, I somehow (probably by accident) had a Samba-LDAP-Plugin for the YAST User Module installed on my system. I think it is part of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. This plugin was very handy and I whish it was still available for SUSE. With this plugin you could very easily create/edit user accounts and setup their Samba-LDAP attributes. Doing this manually now takes ages and is a bit tricky.

YAST System Backup Tool To Tape Device

With the YAST System Backup Tool unfortunately it is not possible to directly backup to a tape device. The filename of the backup file is automatically amended with a .tar, so that e.g. /dev/nst0 becomes /dev/nst0.tar . It should be possible to backup directly to a device file.

Feature implemented in yast2-backup-2.13.3, see Bugzilla #185042.

YaST Package Manager keeping downloaded rpm's on hd

Well, after installing few packages from ftp sources I noticed, that YaST2 doesn't keep them anywhere on my harddisk. I believe there shall be an option (such in YOU) to keep the downloaded rpm's on hd. Maybe it would be specified for each source in Instalation Source module (in add/edit source menu: option to check that I want to do that and (maybe) field to specify folder, in which I want to keep rpm's). It would be helpful for example for networkless installation including programs not available on installation cd's.

[Comment:This has already been suggested by me under the head "Package Manager" here in above. I am happy to know lot other people feel the same way as I do. Hope the new package manager (I mean, the Red Carpet backend) will solve this problem. They have also mentioned that some repositories would have been enabled (or will be readily available there for us to enable). Great News - G Rajesh}

Improved YaST2 network configuration

A lot of normal features to configure the network can not be used from YaST. IP setup is still complicated compared to MSWin. If you need a static ip for just one of several eth normal users are in trouble with the gateway setup.

OpenVPN Configuration in YaST2

OpenVPN is already shipped, but the configuration tool of choice is still vi. That is ok for tech professionals. OpenVPN has been positively reviewed in the german 'ct magazine. Smooth openVPN integration in Yast would make a difference for "road warriors".

Auto Refresh of Package Repositories in YaST

There should be some option in YaST installation source management for auto periodic refresh of installation source, i.e., update the list of packages from source once everyday. This is different from refresh On option currently available as that tries to refresh everytime I open Software Management to install package, and if number of repositories is large (say 6-7) this takes long time.

[Comment: How about a big button in the YaST package manager itself that says "Refresh all sources" or something? I have all my sources set to not update, because then it takes A WHILE to bring up the package manager, but it's a pain go in and make them update every time I want them updated.

Better handling of multiple harddisks / Installing on LVM by default

On installation YaST2 is able to detect multiple harddisks. What I would like to see is that YaST2 is giving me a good guess on how to handle these disks. --Macmewes 11:47, 14 Aug 2005 (MDT)

Example:

/dev/hda1	/boot
/dev/hda2	/
/dev/hdb1	/home
/dev/hdb2	/var

[Comment: The problem with this is that it's difficult to come up with a general solution for partitioning that works for everybody. The questions are what to do in case of a new installation with unpartitioned disks and what with partitioned ones? If somebody comes up with a verbal algorithm on how to handle the general problem, I'll get our partitioner team on board for discussion. Does anybody have such general algorithm? --A jaeger 05:19, 27 Sep 2005 (MDT)]

• As the proposer of this item I think YaST should indeed come up with "Do the right thing (tm)" ;-). In first instance YaST should know about "Usage-Profiles". The follwing examples are just what they are and subject to talk about. These examples could apply on systems with already partitioned HDDs as well. --Macmewes 07:20, 27 Sep 2005 (MDT)

In general /home should always be mounted on the HDD with the most available disk space to my intention.

a) Standard-Usage (2 HDDs unformatted)

       /dev/hda
               /dev/hda1       /boot   100M
               /dev/hda2       swap    (2 times RAM)
               /dev/hda3       /       (Rest of hda)
       /dev/hdb
               /dev/hdb1       /home   (complete disk space)

b) Advanced-Usage (3 HDDs unformatted)

       /dev/hda
               /dev/hda1       /boot   100M
               /dev/hda2       swap    (2 times RAM)
               /dev/hda3       /       (Rest of hda)
       /dev/hdb
               /dev/hdb1       /home   (complete disk space)
       /dev/hdc
               /dev/hdc1       /opt    (50% of disk space)
               /dev/hdc2       /usr    (Rest of hdc)

c) Server-Usage (4 HDDs unformatted)

       /dev/hda
               /dev/hda1       /boot   100M
               /dev/hda2       swap    (2 times RAM)
               /dev/hda3       /       (Rest of hda)
       /dev/hdb
               /dev/hdb1       /home   (complete disk space)
       /dev/hdc
               /dev/hdc1       /opt    (50% of disk space)
               /dev/hdc2       /usr    (Rest of hdc)
       /dev/hdd
               /dev/hdd1       /var    (complete disk space)

Wouldn't it make more sense to put all the disk space into LVM? --Wmerriam 12:17, 30 Sep 2005 (MDT)

Using LVM instead of plain partitions would be my preference, too - I filed this as an enhancement request in the Novell Bugzilla already -- LenzGr 11:24, 7 Jun 2006 (CET)

Possibility to choose the update source

Since i'm connected with gigabit to a official update source i'd like to choose this one. But YOU chooses one for me. If i don't use the right locale then it chooses a probably very far update source.

Possibility to create a update server

It would be nice for users that have no highspeed internet connection to dedicate a local server as update source. This server would have to work like a caching proxy. The admin could also control the patches that can be installed (example: excluding kernel patches until they are fully tested with local hardware), making automatic installation of patches more controllable.

The Addition of a way to update suse linux distributions from within YAST would be a benefical time saver to all users. Small updates and a new distribution can be a pain to download and burn iso's to disk, only then to process an upgrade.

Packagemanager should give more feedback

Even with the latest packages it sometimes needs long time to start. A splash screen that tells the user what it does (sync repositories, parse, sleep, etc.) would avoid users to click again and again on the packagemanager icon.

YOU should mark already installed patches

At the moment you shows all patches - even if most are already applied. Very unhandy.

Various without description

• Easy VLAN configuration with YaST2. VLAN works great by adding an /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-vlan<n> file. However it' be easier if a new device could be installed from YaST2/Network devices/Network card/Add/Type VLAN.
• Gtk/GNOME-only YaST for users who only install GNOME and no Qt libs! Also non-Qt SuSEplugger/SuSEwatcher.
  • Definately would be nice. Qt looks a little klunky in Gnome.
• Yast modules for configure MySQL and phpMyAdmin so you can setup a LAMP server without using the console.
• Harddrive partitioning on PPC computers (avoid having to use pdisk)

Clean Sweep Function

• Possibility to delete automaticaly library RPM's, for those there is no more requirements by other packages.

System Beep on Disk

• It's not major, but when YAST finishes installing a cd, I would like it if it made a system beep. Sometimes I am in a different room than my computer and will not know if a cd is done.

Keyboard and time zone settings

• The first two questions YaST asks are the main language and the location, but time zone and keyborad mapping are always default to US. If the country selected is Germany, the time zone will most probably be GMT+1, plus daylight savings if summer, and the keyboard be German, or Swiss-German (like mine). A guess list can be easily set-up for this purpose.

OpenAFS and Kerberos configuration (ssh too)

• For schools and other organizations that use OpenAFS/KRB5/KRB4 it would be nice to have configuration via Yast. Kerberos stuff is already there for the most part, however it would be nice to add afs (this depends on AFS packages, which is now in the package wishlist)

YAST support for encrypting the root file system

• For laptop users, data encryption is becoming an important topic. While YAST does support encrypting non-root file systems, it does not have support for encrypting the root file system. The later is an important point because data has a tendency to leak out of the user file system and into root areas such as /tmp, /var and swap. The HOWTO describing one such approach is useful, but it would be more useful if YAST supported this procedure.