12.04 mini.iso USB install - hung? or not? How to monitor progress?

[Buhweat]

Trying to install from a USB stick dd'd with 32-bit 12.04 LTS mini.iso to a desktop with a sloww network link.

USB boots fine. Manually configuring network with identical settings that work when booting from 64-bit 12.04 CDROM.
In fact, can Ctrl-Alt-F2 to get a console and ping the named mirror just fine.

I can see the scrolled contents of /var/log/syslog (I believe they are) in Ctrl-Alt-F4's window. However, they had stopped by the time I found them.

However, the behavior I experience is what others have reported; namely, that after "Downloading release packages" is shown, the display goes to "blank purple" with a white/gray border along the bottom.

Is it working? Has it frozen? Lack of feedback regarding the progress of an install is taking "mini" a shade too far, imo.

I thought I could use the Ctrl-Alt-F2 console window to hunt for indications of progress, but I don't know where best to look.

'ps' suggests that root is actually running something. Somewhere else I got a glimpse of network-retriever, and found network-retriever files in /tmp.

'df' doesn't seem to show anything changing.

And by the way, I was not thus far asked about where I'd like the install to be located.

I apologize for being a dunderhead if it so be the case.

I'm happy to wait for the months or years it's going to take to finish the downloads, but even a dunderhead likes to know he's not going to have to wait FOREVER.

Q. What's the best way to monitor ubuntu's installation progress from a console terminal window?

[Buhweat]

While this thread could still benefit from a Good Solid Answer to the Question of the best way to monitor installation progress via a console, I'm right back here to report that,

"After using Ctrl-Alt-F4 to verify the installation has begun, and using Ctrl-Alt-F2 to verify that the mirror name can actually be resolved and pung (pinged), the next step is to read War and Peace, or make a cup of coffee--after flying to Colombia to hand-pick some beans, or take a nap--like Rip van Winkle."

After posting--after waiting an interminable and frustrating amount of time already--I returned to the machine to find the display un-blanked and waiting, impatiently I thought, on my input. The Ctrl-Alt-F4 window log showed progress.

Once you get to the point where you are being prompted to identify the name of the principal user and of the machine, you're on your way, and will shortly be asked about where to install.

Afterwards, you'll see on the original window (Ctrol-Alt-F1) progress in the form of packages being downloaded "adduser", "apt," and then "base".

You can go back to the F2 window to observe (with the 'mount' command) that your election of the install location is now mounted as '/target' and that it features a structure (necessarily) quite similar to '/'.

[mörgæs]

Good that there is progress but why are you installing 12.04?

[Buhweat]

Good that there is progress but why are you installing 12.04?

Why, indeed!

Because I need a more modern version than 10.04 LTS which is out-of-support. :grin:

I can't go too far however because the application-of-criticality, LinuxCNC, needs a real-time kernel, maintenance of which characteristically lags well behind os development.

http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/getting-started/getting-linuxcnc.html#_installing_on_ubuntu_precise

Thanks!