alpha current

Building a Current Alpha Linux System

Install a lenny system from a CD

Setup sources to use a intermediate snapshot by adding the file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sid.list with the following:

  deb     http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian-ports/20120101T142548Z/ sid main
  deb-src http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian-ports/20120101T142548Z/ sid main

Install the ports archive keyring

 aptitude install debian-ports-archive-keyring

Install newest version of apt, aptitude, and ar.
```
 apt-get install apt aptitude ar
```

Update the package list

 apt-get -o Acquire::Check-Valid-Until=false update

Add qlogic firmware repository by creating the file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qla.list with the following:
```
 deb http://ftp.ca-zephyr.org/debian/ sid main
```

Install new kernel.

 apt-get install linux-image-3.0.0-1-alpha-generic

Install the qlogic drivers
```
 apt-cache policy firmware-qlogic
```
Reboot
Install udev. This will remove the lenny kernel.
```
 apt-get install udev
```
Upgrade all packages.
```
 apt-get dist-upgrade
```
Update is probably broken at this point because the version of tar is too old for the version of apt. Download the new tar package, take it apart with ar, pull data.tar.gz apart, and move the new tart into /bin.
```
 apt-get down tar
 ar x tar_1.26-4_alpha.deb
 tar xfz data.tar.gz
 mv /bin/tar /bin/tar_old
 mv bin/tar /bin/ar
```