Why might I be experiencing continuous failure downloading both Ubuntu 18.04 and CentOS Stream 8?

burtpaulie

I have attempted to download both platforms onto a flashdrive as instructed, but my computer has not yet succeeded in downloading either file on any attempt whatsoever. Is there something I am missing with respect to achieving a successful download?

coop

Where are you trying to download from? What is your platform? OS, version etc? Without any info it is impossible to help your cry for help

burtpaulie

I have a Pixelbook:

Google Chrome: Version 101.0.4951.72 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Platform: 14588.123.0 (Official Build) stable-channel eve
Channel: stable-channel
Firmware Version: Google_Eve.9584.230.0
ARC Enabled: true
ARC: 8603969
Enterprise Enrolled: false
Developer Mode: true

And I've been using the official CentOS Stream 8 and Ubuntu sites. It's been the download process. I've allocated plenty of memory, and run through all the backend selectors I can find, but every time I start the download process, I get get a failure notice about halfway through...

If you need any other details, let me know...

coop

while you did not say if it was a Linux, Microsoft, or Apple system, we don't run CentOS or Ubuntu etc, and cannot provide any tech support. Same if your local network is having problems, or your ISP.

By the way I would not recommend Ubuntu 18.04; use Ubuntu 20.04 as that is what is used on our certification exams, or Ubuntu 22.04 if you want to be up to date. 18.04 is still maintained but getting quite old.

I would suggest using a different mirror site for download. One that is almost always rather stable is the one run by kernel.org: https://mirrors.kernel.org/ and go to "ubuntu-releases" and "centos"

http://centos.mirrors.tds.net/centos/ is also a good source I have used with a similar URL for ubuntu.

Personally I would never download directly to a USB stick. Write speeds can be slow depending on the device and the controller. I would download the file to the computer and then if on linux do something like "dd if=ubuntu*.iso of=/dev/sd? bs=4M" (be careful with the /dev/sdc or /dev/sdd etc designation!) or use some GUI burning tool if you can't do the easier command line one liner with dd.

burtpaulie

Thanks for the suggestions, and yes, my Pixelbook is running Linux. The LFX docs listed Ubuntu 18.04 last time I checked, but maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. 20.04 and 22.04 will be fine (I thought so at least). I'll try your suggestions and lateralize away from burning straight to the stick. Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes...

burtpaulie

Oh yeah. Debian. My Pixelbook distro is Debian...

burtpaulie

Okay. So I looked over the PSI Bridge docs. It says that Chromebooks are not supported, which means I will need to borrow or buy a Mac or Windows machine. It also says that Ubuntu 20.04 is required along with a Firefox browser. Does all that check out? Or am I missing something important in the list of requirements?

ANFSCD: If I am training on a Chromebook, is there such a thing as an x86_64 version of Ubuntu 20.04? And if so, where is a good place to find one? Everything at the mirror sites you offered was amd64. Also, another technical question: In training on a Chromebook, are the manuals (man command) for CentOS Stream 8 and Ubuntu 20.04 comparable in their content (i.e. with respect to their sectioning, lexical organization, command content, etc.)? I'd like to be sure that the manual I study covers the same material that is available in the machine I use for the test. Thanky...

fcioanca

Hi @burtpaulie

All exam-related questions must be directed to our Customer Support team. You can open a ticket at trainingsupport.linuxfoundation.org. The forum is used exclusively for course content-related questions.

Best,

Flavia

coop

please note that x86_64 and amd64 are different names for the same thing (RH-based used x86_64, Debian-based amd64 for historical reasons.) LFS201 is designed and tested so that it works on both Ubuntu and CentOS-Stream equally well, although there are sections which say if you are on Ubuntu or Red Hat do such and such, usually with respect to packaging commands as they have different systems.

As far as running the class and native Linux on a chromebook it can be less than perfect: I haven't tried for a long time so maybe it is better now. If you don't have a native Linux machine you can run VirtualBox, VMware Player, etc on a Windows or Mac Machine. If your platform is not supported on the test (and you have to ask the certification people as Flavia pointed out) maybe it is not the best choice.

burtpaulie

In looking over the PSI Bridge requirements, I found the following documentation for which I have provided a screenshot. After reading it, I feel like I am having mild difficulty understanding the requirements in fact...

To keep it simple, it says that a Windows or Mac with the indicated operating system is adequate according to Operating System Requirements as well as a computer running Ubuntu 20.04. So okay, I'll leave that there...

At the bottom it says that Chromebooks are not supported devices. So in that case, I assume that I cannot use my computer brand of choice, which means I necessarily need a Windows or Mac machine. They have been indicated as feasible, so I'd just need to arrange access to an appropriate machine as indicated...

Now assuming that I use either a Mac or Windows machine of the appropriate type, do I also need the indicated Linux distribution (in this case Ubuntu 20.04) as the operating system I employ from the machine I have chosen to take my exam with. I personally would assume that this is in fact the case, that I will need a Windows or a Mac with Ubuntu 20.04 installed, and that I will also need to use Firefox as my browser at that time (and not Chrome)...

Is this an accurate assessment of the requirements, or am I applying too many conditions?

PS: I have included a segment from the FAQs at the Linux Foundation that suggest a Chrome browser as the only requirements for whatever machine is supplied by the student at the time of the test. This does not correlate exactly with the suggestion that Firefox is required as a complement to Ubuntu 20.04 (although it may be adequate with respect to Windows and Mac applications). If you can offer any suggestions as to the exact nature of the rules, I would appreciate it greatly. Thanky kindly...

From the Linux Foundation FAQS:

For the LFCS or LFCE exams, do I need to take the exam from a Linux machine?
Candidates must provide their own computer with a current version of Chrome or Chromium browser.

You don’t need to install a virtual machine, use a client machine, or anything beyond a Chrome or Chromium browser

Please review the System Requirements published in our Candidate handbook If you already purchased the exam, please run the compatibility check tool >provided by the Exam Proctoring Partner to verify that their hardware meets the minimum requirements. The tool is located at >https://www.examslocal.com/ScheduleExam/Home/CompatibilityCheck.

fcioanca

The exam itself will provide a terminal with the exam distribution of your choice. Please direct exam related questions to LF Customer Support, as advised before, and they will help you clarify your doubts.