Unrestrained: The Linux Adventure

In search of a NAS OS

2008-05-26T19:32:00.003-04:00

So there's FreeNAS (http://www.freenas.org/). But you need to format the partitions to a BSD format. I'm not comfortable with that. What I was looking for was a Linux or Windows based NAS that I could control via a web interface. Windows Home Server was a no-no coz I didn't want to end up with Trojan infested torrent.

So I decided to give up and install a full blown Ubuntu with Samba and SWAT. Lucky for me, while I filled every geek ear with my NAS woes, a colleague Ryan told me about Webmin. It's got a neat bunch of tools that allow you to administer your OS via a web interface. You can add shares, users, monitor disk usage and a whole lot more!

http://www.webmin.com/

To install on Hardy Heron Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install perl libnet-ssleay-perl openssl libauthen-pam-perl libpam-runtime libio-pty-perl libmd5-perl
wget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin_1.420_all.deb [ change version to newest ]
sudo dpkg -i webmin_1.420_all.deb

Thats it! Now visit https://localhost:10000/

If you have firefox3 beta it will complain about the certificate being invalid. That's coz the beta has a problem with self-signed certificated. Just add the site to your exceptions list and you'll be good to go!

Installing and Configuring the Citrix Client on Ubuntu

2008-04-07T10:32:00.006-04:00

After a long long long time I've finally managed to get the Citrix client working on Ubuntu, Gutsy Gibbon 7.10.

While there are lots of how-tos for i386 machines, there are barely any that mention getting the client to work on the x86 arch.

Follow all the steps here:[ https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CitrixICAClientHowTo ]
In brief:
sudo aptitude install libmotif3
sudo aptitude install libxaw7
sudo tar xvfz en.linuxx86.tar.gz [the linux client from the citrix website]
sudo ./setupwfc
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/ICAClient/wfica /usr/local/bin/wfica
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/ICAClient/wfcmgr /usr/local/bin/wfcmgr

At this point if you run: /usr/lib/ICAClient/wfcmgr &
you might see this error:
wfcmgr: error while loading shared libraries: libXm.so.3: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Try creating a softlink: sudo ln -s /usr/lib/libXm.so.3 /usr/lib32/libXm.so.3

If you still get the error then it due to an architecture conflict.
The tips from this post helps: [ http://backports.ubuntuforums.com/showthread.php?t=39556 ]
- Download the 32 bit libmotif3_2.2.3-2_i386.deb from http://packages.ubuntu.com/gutsy/i386/libmotif3/download
- Install it with: sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture libmotif3_2.2.3-2_i386.deb
- Create a softlink with: sudo ln -s /usr/lib/libXm.so.3 /usr/lib32/libXm.so.3

Now try: /usr/lib/ICAClient/wfcmgr &
It should work!

Now to setup the connection.

When I ran my .ica file:
/usr/lib/ICAClient/wfcmgr ~/Desktop/desktop.ica
I kept getting an error:
Cannot get address for application "Desktop"

After a while of tweaking I managed to get things working by manualy adding settings from my desktop.ica file into /home//.ICAClient/appsrv.ini and changing the settings in the client GUI.. To compare to your situation here's my deskop.ica and my modified appsrv.ini.

Additional Reference:

CTX107102 - ICA Program Neighborhood Client, ini file reference

CTX331178 - Appsrv.ini Parameters Deciphered

CTX145271 - PN.ini Parameters Deciphered

Note: In the course of changing things at one point I managed to get to the login screen but when I tried to login the server would reject me saying that I needed to be added to a group. That was because my #InitialProgram was set to an IP address in the appsrv.ini. When I changed it to #Desktop I managed to get in.

desktop.ica
-----------------
[WFClient]

Version=2
TcpBrowserAddress=123.123.12.12
UseAlternateAddress=1

[ApplicationServers]
Desktop=

[Desktop]
Address=Desktop
InitialProgram=#Desktop
ClientAudio=Off
Compress=Off
ScreenPercent=99
DesiredColor=2
TransportDriver=TCP/IP
WinStationDriver=ICA 3.0

appsrv.ini
-------------------
[WFClient]
Version=1
TcpBrowserAddress=123.123.12.12
UseAlternateAddress=1

[ApplicationServers]
Desktop=

[Desktop]
WinStationDriver=ICA 3.0
TransportDriver=TCP/IP
DisableCtrlAltDel=On
DoNotUseDefaultCSL=On
LocHttpBrowserAddress=123.123.12.12
EncryptionLevelSession=Basic
Compress=Off
TransportReconnectDefault=True
UseAlternateAddress=0
ProxyUseDefault=On
EnableAudioInput=No
AudioBandwidthLimit=1
ClientAudio=On
MouseSendsControlV=Off
CDMAllowed=On
UseDefaultSettingForColormap=Yes
ZLMouseMode=2
ZLKeyboardMode=0
InitialProgram=#Desktop
Address=123.123.12.12
Launcher=Custom

OneAndOneIs2 - Why doesn't Linux need defragmenting?

2008-03-26T14:33:00.000-04:00

Really Simple and easy explanation!!

OneAndOneIs2 - Why doesn't Linux need defragmenting?

Access Samba shares from the Terminal

2008-03-19T09:20:00.001-04:00

Useful when you want to use PuTTy to access your machine at home from work and you want to connect to another machine on your home network!..

To view your Samba Shares:

smbtree

If your share requires authorization: (enter the password when it prompts you)

smbtree -U=administrator

To connect to the share:

smbclient //bastille/ToyBox

If your share requires authorization: (enter the password when it prompts you)

smbclient //bastille/ToyBox -U administrator

Now you can use FTP commands. Some important ones:
Change to a 'local' directory

lcd /home/wraith/temp

Copy a remote file to the 'local' directory

get myremotefile.txt

More commands:
FTP, File Transfer Protocol - Summary of Commands

Parted: How To Resize a Partition

2008-03-09T20:55:00.002-04:00

Usually you'd use GParted Live CD to make life easier, but just incase you ever need to use the command line for partitioning..

If /dev/hda1 is the device on which to resize the partition:
parted /dev/hda1

View the current partition table to determine the minor number of the partition to resize as well as the start and end points for the partition:
print

To resize the partition, use the resize command followed by the minor number for the partition, the starting place in megabytes, and the end place in megabytes. For example:

resize 3 1024 2048

NOTE: Some systems will display the information as :

NUMBER    START         END             AND SO ON...
10        32kB          40GB            HFS+

In this case, (to resize from 40GB to 20GB) type:
resize 10 32kB 20GB

After resizing the partition, use the print command to confirm that the partition has been resized correctly, is the correct partition type, and is the correct file system type.

After rebooting the system into normal mode, use the command df to make sure the partition was mounted and is recognized with the new size.

NOTE: NTFS gives an error message
No Implementation: Support for opening ntfs file systems is not implemented yet.
Sorry, I haven't discovered a solution to this yet.

Ref: http://linuxpoison.blogspot.com/2008/03/howto-resize-partition.html

World Of Warcraft on Ubuntu

2007-12-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

This was much simpler than I anticipated. Much!
I followed some simple steps.

Installing Wine and WoW:

- Ensure that direct rendering: Yes

glxinfo | grep rendering

- Add the WINE Repository (Gutsy Gibbon)

sudo wget http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/sources.list.d/gutsy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list
wget -q http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/387EE263.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install wine

- Install WINE from Synaptic: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WorldofWarcraft

- Run winecfg

Choose ALSA Audio
Choose Emulate Virtual Desktop and specify a size

- Download the WoW Installer and run it

wine path/to/warcraft/installation/Install.exe

- Add these lines to the WoW config.WTF

sudo gedit path/to/warcraft/installation/WTF/config.WTF
Add these lines:

SET SoundOutputSystem “1″
SET SoundBufferSize “100″
SET gxApi “OpenGL”

- Run WoW:

cd path/to/warcraft/installation
wine WoW.exe

Sound Not Working?

I ran around in circles before i figured out the SIMPLE fix. I tried changing audio to OSS. Tried installing the alsa-oss wrapper. But all is was is 'Change Directories to where the executable is located and THEN run the exe'
Sample:
cd path/to/warcraft/installation
wine WoW.exe

Some Resources Used:
http://wiki.winehq.org/UsefulRegistryKeys
http://ubuntu-tutorials.com/2006/12/19/how-to-install-play-world-of-warcraft-ubuntu-510-6061-610/
http://gaming.gwos.org/doku.php/wine:winestuff

Gutsy: Existing RAID Partitions

2007-11-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

As a follow up to : http://tuxgurl.blogspot.com/2007/06/raid-1-setup.html

If you have existing raid partitions. Here's how to set em up.

I messed up again and installed Ubuntu first and then had the partitions detected. On my next install Ill try installing with RAID outright.

- Install mdadm: sudo apt-get install mdadm
- Reboot

Thats it..

- Create mount directories: sudo mkdir audio

- Add the drives to fstab: sudo gedit /etc/fstab

/dev/md0 /home ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md1 /audio ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md2 /neuro ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md3 /video ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md3 /virtuo ext3 defaults 0 0

- Mount the file-systems: sudo mount -a

- Give the directories user privileges (recurses directories): sudo chown -hR wraith /audio

Done!

Ubuntu 7.10: Gutsy Gibbon [Guide]

2007-10-31T23:05:00.000-04:00

Ah, the Guide.. Most of the basics can be found here.
http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Gutsy

Gutsy: NVIDIA GeForce 6600

2007-10-31T22:49:00.000-04:00

With the sorceress spiraling out of control with no attention from me, I finally decided to give it some much deserved attention. With the release of Gutsy Gibbon (Ubuntu 7.10) i ran a distro upgrade and X crashed on the reboot. So i decided to install from scratch.

After the install. I needed to get my DVI working.

sudo apt-get install linux-restricted-modules-generic

After that's done, go to System > Administration > Restricted Drivers Manager and turn on the driver. Restart and that should work.

Yahoo Launch on Linux

2007-08-15T17:50:00.000-04:00

pkLaunch | Codes | Pooya Karimian

Setup Skype on Ubuntu x64

2007-06-17T14:19:00.002-04:00

If you've tried to install the Skype 1.4.0.74 deb package on a 64bit architecture machine you probably got: Error: Wrong Architecture 'i386'

Edit: According to oleg_t this works for Skype 2.0.0.63 too. Change skype-1.4.0.74.deb to the version you are trying to install.

You could try:
sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture skype-1.4.0.74.deb
linux32 skype
but that didnt work for me coz skype was still expecting the i386 libraries of some files.

Finally what did work was a solution from Ubuntu Forums

sudo apt-get install --yes ia32-libs* lib32asound2
cd ~
mkdir skypebetainstall
cd skypebetainstall
wget http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-ubuntu
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/q/qt4-x11/libqt4-core_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/q/qt4-x11/libqt4-gui_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/libs/libsigc++-2.0/libsigc++-2.0-0c2a_2.0.17-2build1_i386.deb
wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/d/dbus/libdbus-1-3_1.0.2-1ubuntu3_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -x libqt4-core_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb libqt
sudo dpkg -x libqt4-gui_4.2.3-0ubuntu3_i386.deb libqt
sudo dpkg -x libsigc++-2.0-0c2a_2.0.17-2build1_i386.deb libqt
sudo dpkg -x libdbus-1-3_1.0.2-1ubuntu3_i386.deb libqt
sudo cp libqt/usr/lib/* /usr/lib32/
sudo ln -s /usr/lib32/libdbus-1.so.3 /usr/lib32/libdbus-1.so.2
sudo ldconfig /usr/lib32
sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture skype-1.4.0.74.deb
sudo rm -rf ~/skypebetainstall

Basically, my understanding is that, it installs the 32bit libraries that skype needs into /usr/lib32/ and then installs skype.

To run skype just go to Menu > Internet > Skype

Ubuntu Zine: Full Circle Magazine

2007-06-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

Check out the Full Circle Magazine and get your dose of Ubuntu...

Remote Desktop Sharing in Ubuntu with Vino

2007-06-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

Ubuntu and Vino setup for Remote Desktop (VNC):
Remote Desktop Sharing in Ubuntu -- Debian Admin

Vibe Streamer

2007-06-07T22:13:00.000-04:00

Something I found for windows while searching for gnump3d stuff...
Vibe Streamer - Free MP3 streaming server - Play your music anywhere!

How to open files as root user via right-click in Nautilus

2007-06-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

Take from Ubuntu:Feisty Wiki:
How to open files as root user via right-click in Nautilus

- In the console type:

gedit $HOME/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts/Open\ as\ root

- Insert the following lines into the new file:

for uri in $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS; do
 gksudo 'gnome-open $uri' &
done

- Save the edited file

chmod +x $HOME/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts/Open\ as\ root

- Open up nautilius and right click on any file -> Scripts -> Open as root

Connect By Phone

2007-06-05T20:15:00.001-04:00

Get jaxtr | Login

Quake 3 - Revisited

2007-06-04T20:32:00.000-04:00

Long ago, when the sorceress ran on SuSe and a 32bit processor, my quake 3 problems were solved with this solution
Now, with a brand spanking new 64bit beast and a sweet OS, the Quake problem was revisited.

Installing Quake wasnt as easy as expected. The Point release wouldnt install since this is a 64bit and the proggy is 32bit. A little googling solved that:

sudo linux32 sh linuxq3apoint-1.32b-3.x86.run

Quake runs smooth, but no audio. A lot of googling and I still haven't found a solution. Guess Ill have to post around to find a solution.

Will update when I find a solution..

Raid 1 Setup

2007-06-03T17:23:00.000-04:00

I've always hated backing up data. YOu make a DVD backup and two days later you have another 2 Gig that you want to backup.. Its impossible to keep upto date with backups if you dont have a sophisticated system.

After my OS course 2 semesters ago I finally decided that RAID could be my solution. Implement RAID 1 which basically mirrors the drives and voilia Backup!

So after my machine died on me I decided to go shopping. Alomg with a snazzy 22" LCD monitor I decided to put in some dollars for 2 320 GB SATA HDDS.

The idea was to keep my old IDE 40GB drive as root (/) and have my /home and other partitions on the SATA RAID drives. This works great coz I hear that setting a RAID drive as the boot drive causes problems with GRUB since it doesnt know how to read RAID since the module isn't loaded at that point.

So heres the map of things:

* hda1 = 40 GB IDE Drive
* sda and sdb = 320 GB (detects 299 GB) SATA Drives

/ - 40GB /dev/hda1
/home - RAID ARRAY 1 [ 60GB /dev/sda1 & 60GB /dev/sdb1 ]
/audio - RAID ARRAY 2 [ 60GB /dev/sda5 & 60GB /dev/sdb5 ]
/neuro - RAID ARRAY 3 [ 60GB /dev/sda6 & 60GB /dev/sdb6 ]
/virtuo - RAID ARRAY 4 [ 60GB /dev/sda7 & 60GB /dev/sdb7 ]
/video - RAID ARRAY 5 [ 59GB /dev/sda8 & 60GB /dev/sdb8 ]

While I went though a slightly messy setup since I didn't really know what I was doing at the time, in retrospect things are a lot clearer now. So here's instruction for setting up RAID POST installation...

IMHO I think a PRE install setup shouldn't be too different. Setup the mdadm arrays and then run the install and ubuntu will detect the partitions or you can modify the fstab to mount the partitions manually. But don't take my word for it, check out the links at the bottom of this post.

---- BOOT FROM LIVE CD ----
We need mdadm to enable RAID. (mdadm -manage MD devices aka Linux Software Raid.) The standard LIVE CD doesnt have mdadm available, so lets install it:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mdadm

During the installation I answered:
mdadm md arrays needed for the root filesystem: none
start MD arrays automatically: yes

NOTE: If you are going to boot from a RAID partition your answers will be different.

---- SETUP PARTITIONS ----
Create identical partitions (ext3) on the individual drives. In my scenario I had 5 partitions of ~60GB on each drive. You can use the GParted GUI tool under System > Administration.

Now to make these partitions RAID. Ensure you know the names of each partition, you can check them in GParted.

What happens now is that we create RAID arrays and tell mdadm which partitions are going to be in each array. Since I planned for 5 partitions I have 5 RAID Arrays which all are RAID-1.

sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sd[ab]1
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md1 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sd[ab]5
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md2 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sd[ab]6
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md3 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sd[ab]7
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md4 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sd[ab]8

A quick explination of the above command: Create /dev/md0 as a RAID1 array consisting of /dev/hda1 and /dev/hdb1.

Now although mdadm will start automatically on boot and detect these arrays we still need to tell fstab to mount these partitions. Since we've booted from a live cd our drives are not mounted.
Mount your / (root) partition with:
sudo mount /dev/hda /somefolderthatexists

Now navigate to and modify your fstab (/somefolderthatexists/etc/fstab) to mount each array. Here's my fstab

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
# /dev/hda1
UUID=f3bbc342-67c3-43f1-adbf-8051783b5972 none swap sw 0 0
# /dev/hda2
UUID=0f193453-21ce-430a-a31e-774750e9043f / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1
/dev/md0 /home ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md1 /audio ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md2 /neuro ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md3 /video ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/md3 /virtuo ext3 defaults 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto 0 0

And we're done!

You can reboot or mount the drives now with: sudo mount -a which mounts all filesystems listed in /etc/fstab.

Also, mdadm is (re)syncing the partitions in the background. You can check the status/progress with: cat /proc/mdstat

You dont have to wait to use your drives, you can use them immediately and mdadm will sync them in the background..

Hope this helps, if not here's what helped me:
http://man-wiki.net/index.php/8:mdadm
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=408461
http://advosys.ca/viewpoints/2007/04/setting-up-software-raid-in-ubuntu-server/

The New et Improved: Sorceress

2007-06-03T17:17:00.001-04:00

Heres the upgrade listing:

OS : Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 2.6.20-16-generic x86_64 GNU/Linux

CPU : AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Socket 939 CPU
MoBo : MachSpeed MSNV-939 NVIDIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / 10/100 Ethernet LAN / USB 2.0 / Serial ATA
Memory : Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
GFX : BFG GeForce 6600 GT OC / 128MB GDDR3 / SLI / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / Video Card
DVD-RW : Lite-On LH-20A1L-06 SuperAllwrite / 20x DVD±R Burn / 16x DVD±R Read / 8x DVD+RW / 6x DVD-RW / 8x DVD±R DL / 12x DVD-RAM / 48x32x CD-R/RW / Black / SATA / DVD Burner with Lightscribe
HDD 1 : Seagate 320GB Serial ATA HD 7200/16MB/SATA-3G
HDD 2 : Seagate 320GB Serial ATA HD 7200/16MB/SATA-3G
SMPS : Ultra / X-Finity / 500-Watt / ATX / 120mm Fan / SATA-Ready / SLI-Ready / Black / Power Supply
LCD : Megavision MV220 / 22" Widescreen / 5ms / 1000:1 / WSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 / DVI·VGA·Component Video / Black / Widescreen / LCD Monitor

rawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!
Beryl.. here i come!!!

Sabayon Linux

2007-03-03T17:10:00.000-05:00

Yeah long time no update on the Linux front. My motherboard is still fried. The Video and Sound port aren't working so for now I play my music over the network from the windows machine. 95% of my work is done on windows now.. Just waiting for another month or so and then i plan to get a new mobo and buy 2 300GB HDD and set them up as RAID disks on the linux machines.. No more DVD backups then!! Raarrr!!

Randa recently send me a link to this new Linux Distro called Sabayon and boy is it yum yum yum!!! Im just dying to try out Sabayon.. Am dying to upgrade the HW so that I can try it out...

Till I do, heres some links for more on Sabayon:

Sabayon on Wikipedia

Sabayon Review

Gallery 2

2006-09-23T20:27:00.000-04:00

Gallery2

Ubuntu Gallery Install Guide

Organize and display your pictures online. Allow ppl to select pix and download them as a zip file..

Totally Rad!

Swarm the dot com

2006-07-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Swarm the dot com: A new way to browse the web.

Swarm is a graphical map of hundreds of websites, all connection to each other. While you're browse the web, Swarm will update itself every second with the sites that other people visiting in. When a site becomes more popular (Google.com, for example), It will move towards the center of the swarm.
Test it out...

eth0: No Such Device

2006-07-20T01:44:00.000-04:00

Todays been a shitty day... 2 days ago I unplugged my 2nd monitor from my ubuntu machine to hook up to the windows machine so pallavi could use it since her laptop's dead.. And what do I get after doing a good deed?? my internal pci port on the mobo shot while trying to re-hook up the monitor back!! Freakin Hell!!! its a brand new mobo!!

So, no more dual screens... and to top that, when I shut down the machine to troubleshoot I didnt realise that I had accepted a kernel update and so when I rebooted.. no internet!! Now that's a kick in the nuts (if i had nut's, im sure thats what it would feel like!)

After and hour of frusterated googling on the windows machine, i finally figured it out... phew! i thought i'd have to reinstall.. hate that!

Problem:
Ubuntu detected the card (sudo lspci | grep -i ethernet) but sudo ifconfig was just showing 'lo' and no 'eth0'.

When I tried a sudo ifconfig eth0 up i would get an error.

SIOCSIFADDR: No such device
eth0: ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device

Solution: Simple..
sudo network-admin OR Click on System-->Administration-->Networking
You will get a window with networking setup options on it..
Click 'Ethernet Connection'
Click 'Properties'
Enable the connection. Save.
Activate the connection!

Phew..... Moral of the Story: Beware the kenel updates! (and Beware the good deeds)

Need to track down Mach Speed Motherboards for warranty.. grrrr...

Hamachi: VPN Application

2006-07-19T02:36:00.000-04:00

I came across a Digg about 10 Unknown Windows Freeware Applications You Should Know About. This was not one of the crappy freebies but some really useful and unknown ones..

Hamachi was one that sounded really interesting to try out..

Hamachi is a zero-configuration virtual private networking application.

In other words Hamachi is a program that allows you to arrange multiple computers into their own secure network just as if they were connected by a physical network cable.

Hamachi is fast, secure and simple. Its core version is also free.

Interested?? I sure am!!

Here's detailed installation instructions. For Ubuntu Dapper dont forget to add sudo in front of commands that need to be run as root...

Note: Make sure make is installed. If it isnt then:
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential

After installing hamachi, download gHamachi a GUI interface to hamachi. (needs hamachi to be installed to work)

Thats It!! Now off to test it with some windows users...

Swiftfox

2006-07-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

Ditch Firefox... Switch to Swiftfox

Trying to install Flash was such a pain in Firefox. I couldn't find 'flashplugin-nonfree' in the repository and there were posts about some problems with 64bit. Then I came across this reccomendation to try Swiftfox. Its built on firefox and tons faster and meant for Linux..

Easy install... and boy, did it ever work! Went to a flash page and it asked to install the plugin.. and zap! flash was installed! google video here i come!!

CD/DVD creation with Nautilus

2006-06-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

Am a lil bored with KDE so Ive switched to Gnome.. So from now on Ill be refering to Gnome apps.. The GNOME Journal: CD/DVD creation with Nautilus

Mixing 2 Screens, 2 OSs, Synergy and a KVM

2006-06-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

Finally got Synergy to work..
My setup, as I mentioned some posts ago, is a lil complicated...

I have 2 Monitors for Ubuntu. One of them is shared with Windows through a KVM.


                      {KVM}  <-- [Keyboard + Mouse]
                        |
 [LCD Monitor]     [CRT Monitor]
     |        __________|
     |        |         |
(Screen1) (Screen2)     |
     |        |         |
     ----------         |
         |              |
     (Ubuntu)      (Windows)

Solution was:
On Ubuntu, Setup the LCD Screen as the primary screen and the CRT as the secondary screen.. In xorg.conf, under the Section "ServerLayout"


Screen          "LCDScreen"
Screen          "CRTScreen" RightOf "LCDScreen"

On Windows, I setup the Synergy Server using the Synergy GUI. (Synergy Manual.) Windows was to the left of Ubuntu and Ubuntu was to the right of Windows.

Ran the server and client (ubuntu: synergyc 192.168.0.123)..

The KVM is still connected. When I switch the KVM to the Windows machine I move the mouse off the right of the screen and get into the LCD on Ubuntu and get back to Windows by moving the mouse off the left of the LCD Ubuntu screen.

The neat part is when I switch the KVM to the Ubuntu machine the keyboard and mouse works normally coz the Synergy server cant detect the kybrd/mouse on the Windows machine since the KVM switched it..

So all is good in geek land! :)
Besides having to study for Abstract Algebra! *headache* *ouch*

Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 Guide

2006-06-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

Oh Yeah! Now THIS is a Guide.. K/Ubuntu sw installation/configuration guide..
Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 Guide - KrazyPenguin.net

Upgrading to Dapper on Ubuntu

2006-06-01T21:22:00.000-04:00

Damnit! Outdated in 30 min!! After I installed Kubuntu v5.10 Codename Breezy I realised that they have a new version that was released today! Kubuntu v6.06 Codename Dapper.

*grumble* *grumble* I hate being left out.. grr..

I really didn't want to start afresh after getting stupid amarok to work.. (it always gives me problems..) I knew there had to be a better way.. so here it is..

Upgrading to Dapper on Ubuntu

Adding Repositories for Kubuntu

2006-06-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

Oh Ho!! new distro!!
Yeah.. SuSE is out.. Kubuntu is in!

What does kubuntu mean?
It means "towards humanity" in Bemba.
Kubuntu is pronounced "koo-boon-too".

Before we go on an apt spree.. add this repository for all those 'non-free' or 'could be illegal in your country' stuff (i.e. mp3 decoders.. bah!)

AddingRepositoriesHowto - Ubuntu Wiki

Installing PHP5 with Apache2

2006-04-26T15:02:00.000-04:00

If, like me, you installed php5 from apt and couldn't get it to work with apache, here's what you might be missing..

1. Enable the PHP5 module from YaST's HTTP Server component.
2. Restart Apache:

# /etc/init.d/apache2 stop
# /etc/init.d/apache2 start

Test it by copying the following script to "/srv/www/htdocs/"

<?php 
phpinfo(); 
?>

Name it "info.php" and run it from your browser..

JpGraph - Installing PHP5 on SuSE 9.2

Playing DVDs on 64 bit Suse

2006-04-18T14:44:00.000-04:00

Reinstalled yet again after upgrade to ou Suse 10.0 x64bit.. Although i expected things to be the same they arent...
One hurdle was the libdvdcss..
There arent any 64 bit versions left i think. everyone seems to be stopping hosting libdvdcss..

The Jem Report - Hacking OpenSUSE: Heres how you can compile and install it. Didnt work for me though. got an error
warning: user sam does not exist - using root

Heres what i did instead..
Googled for libdvdcss2-1.2.8-0.pm.2.x86_64.rpm. Found it on pbone.net

Installed...

{EDIT}
The above actually didnt work... When I tried my brand spanking new U2 Vertigo DVD, Kaffeine kept complaining and VLC would just turn of.. After hours of seaching and relaxing with my guitar on my new bean bag :P... i figured it out and double checked it this time...

The latest version of libdvdcss source can be downloaded from http://download.videolan.org/pub/libdvdcss/

Right now the latest is: libdvdcss-1.2.9.tar.gz

Save. Extract. su to root. run..
./configure
make install

Power up VLC and enjoy!!
Kaffeine had a bright green screen and wont play dvds though.. but thats for another day...

Hello Hello... Can I please go Vertigo?!!!!!

Synergy

2006-04-17T22:28:00.000-04:00

synergy: [noun] a mutually advantageous conjunction of distinct elements

Synergy lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its own display, without special hardware. It's intended for users with multiple computers on their desk since each system uses its own monitor(s).

AwesomeO idea.. Synergy also lets you copy-paste across machines!!!! Just click copy then drag your mouse from one machines monitor to the next and paste! Geek dream come true!!!

Still trying to figure out how to use synergy with my current setup of 2 machines with 2 monitors (one of which is shared through a KVM)

   [LCD]        {KVM}  <-- (Keyboard + Mouse)
     |            |
     |          [CRT]
     |  __________|
     |  |         |
    (SuSE)    (Windows)

While I figure that out, heres some links for those geeks with less complex setups.. Oh... and yeah.. it works on windows and macs too.. check out the synergy website for details on other OSs..

- Ditch your KVM for Synergy
- HowTo: Use Synergy to Control Several Workstations from One Keyboard and Mouse

Merry Christmas to me!!!

2006-04-07T03:36:00.000-04:00

It's coming!!!!!! Should be here by monday.. same time as my finals.. :(

Sheesh.. what bad timing.. but the deal was too good to pass up... got my tax returns, so.... Time to upgrade the dead pc!!! Enter 64bit AMD Athlon 2GHz with 1GB ram!! purrrrrr.....

Along with other goodies.. ordered a 2port KVM coz i lurrrrve my current dual monitor setup, espicially since I can rotate my LCD for a neat coder's delight portrait view of the screen.. more code to see!!!

Muhahhahahah... 2 computers.... *rubs hands in delight*

Plans are to install Windows on rT's box and pump SuSE 64 on the new machine.. As independant as I want to be from windows.. companies like Nokia and RIM make it so hard. What with their development SW being MS only.. bah! and there aint now frigging way im dual booting my new baby.. I love watching the Uptime counter increase.. am at 22days now.. am too scared to push this machine.. one burnt out cpu is scary enuff!! more cooling this time!!!

Portion of the Tiger Direct order.....
- Mach Speed Viper K8M8MS Socket 754 Motherboard
- AMD Athlon 64 3000+ NewCastle Core Socket 754 CPU
- Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz
- Zonet 2 Port KVM Switch- 2 Sets of Cbls Incld/Auto

Hope the KVM plays nice with linux...

Am eXciTEeD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chkrootkit

2006-03-26T05:35:00.000-05:00

A rootkit is a set of software tools frequently used by a third party (usually an intruder) after gaining access to a computer system. These tools are intended to conceal running processes, files or system data, which helps an intruder maintain access to a system without the user's knowledge. Rootkits are known to exist for a variety of operating systems such as Linux, Solaris and versions of Microsoft Windows. A computer with a rootkit on it is called a rooted computer.
- from Wikipedia

So, for the paranoid:
chkrootkit is a tool to locally check for signs of a rootkit.

Installation is a simple
# apt-get install chkrootkit
and then run it with # chkrootkit

Preventing SSH Dictionary Attacks With DenyHosts

2006-03-26T01:44:00.000-05:00

Preventing SSH Dictionary Attacks With DenyHosts | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials: "DenyHosts is a tool that observes login attempts to SSH, and if it finds failed login attempts again and again from the same IP address, DenyHosts blocks further login attempts from that IP address by putting it into /etc/hosts.deny. "

checking and repairing file system with fsck

2006-03-25T23:41:00.000-05:00

fsck is a Unix utility for checking and repairing file system inconsistencies . File system can become inconsistent due to several reasons and the most common is abnormal shutdown due to hardware failure , power failure or switching off the system without proper shutdown . Due to these reasons the superblock in a file system is not updated and has mismatched information relating to system data blocks, free blocks and inodes .

fsck should always be run in a single user mode which ensures proper repair of file system . If it is run in a busy system where the file system is changing constantly fsck may see the changes as inconsistencies and may corrupt the file system .

- from checking and repairing file system with fsck

More Links:
Fsck - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Check Disk
Experts-Exchange Answer

Setting up SSH and FTP with SSH

2006-03-25T23:02:00.000-05:00

The simplest setup i've had so far! Just Install, Configure and Start it!

Get OpenSSH:
http://www.openssh.com/

Install OpenSSH:
# apt-get install openssh

Secure It:
Config file location: /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Change to the more secure SSH Version 2 in the config file.
Protocol 2

Start/Stop/Restart Commands:
# /etc/init.d/sshd start
# /etc/init.d/sshd stop
# /etc/init.d/sshd restart

Test if running:
# pgrep sshd
You should get a response of a process ID

Thats it!
To login from a remote machine you need to use an SSH client like PuTTY.
Here's a list of clients that you could use:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SFTP_clients

To login from a client type ssh followed by the IP of the SSH server.
e.g. ssh 192.168.0.0

What To Expect With Your First Login
The first time you log in, you get a warning message saying that the remote host
doesn't know about your machine and prompting you to store a copy of the remote
host's SSH identification keys on your local machine. It will look something
like this:
[root@bigboy tmp]# ssh smallfry The authenticity of host 'smallfry (smallfry)' can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is 5d:d2:f5:21:fa:07:64:0d:63:1b:3b:ee:a6:58:58:bb. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes Warning: Permanently added 'smallfry' (RSA) to the list of known hosts. root@smallfry's password: Last login: Thu Nov 14 10:18:45 2002 from 192.168.1.98 No mail. [root@smallfry tmp]#
- from: Quick HOWTO: Secure Remote Logins And File Copying

Read up about SSH and Tutorial Links:
http://www.openssh.com/
Quick HOWTO: Secure Remote Logins And File Copying

Syncing an iPaq Pocket PC with SuSE 10

2006-03-14T04:27:00.000-05:00

Ok.. I took the long route.. I got the iPaq to work with synce and then realised that I needed to get it to work with synce-kde and raki. Eitherways Ive documented what I did.. what went wrong and what I did again! Theres a whole load of instructions and how-tos at synce.sourceforge.net that actually work..

PART A: Working with synce
Worked with instructions from here

1. Check Kernel.. Version 2.6 and above is good

# uname -r
2.6.13-15.8-default

2. Before you plugin the iPaq.
# cat /proc/bus/usb/devices > /tmp/before

3. Plugin the iPaq.
# cat /proc/bus/usb/devices > /tmp/after

4. Check USB settings now..

# diff /tmp/before /tmp/after
55a56,63
> T:  Bus=03 Lev=02 Prnt=03 Port=03 Cnt=02 Dev#= 10 Spd=12  MxCh= 0
> D:  Ver= 1.00 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff MxPS=16 #Cfgs=  1
> P:  Vendor=03f0 ProdID=1016 Rev= 0.00
> C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=80 MxPwr= 50mA
> I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff
Driver=ipaq
> E:  Ad=81(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms
> E:  Ad=04(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms
>

If the stuff in bold is different on your machine (besides the vendor and
prodID, refer to this HOWTO...

5. Make sure the iPaq is 'ON'..
# synce-serial-config ttyUSB0

6. You can now start a serial connection.
# synce-serial-start
Works? great.. Terminate it.. (kill it or ctrl+C)

NOTE: SynCE requires the following TCP ports to be open in the firewall between
your PC and the PDA:
From PDA to PC: 5678 & 5679
From PC to PDA: 990

7. Now unplug the PPC, run the next command and plug it back in.
NOTE: The 'dccm' command should be run before the device is pluged in and it should be run as a user NOT root:
~> dccm

8. Now as root:
# synce-serial-start

At first try I got no response since I had run the dccm command while the PPC was plugged in. When i pressed ctrl-c i got..
Connect script failed synce-serial-start was unable to start the PPP daemon!

And in var/logs/messages i found:

Mar 13 19:31:20 sorceress synce-serial-start: Executing '/usr/sbin/pppd call synce-device'
Mar 13 19:31:20 sorceress pppd[6973]: pppd 2.4.3 started by wraith, uid 0
Mar 13 19:31:25 sorceress pppd[6973]: Connect script failed
Mar 13 19:31:25 sorceress pppd[6973]: Exit.

So I closed the connection..
Before you unplug the cable you should do one of these actions, in order of preference:
1. Disconnect with the GNOME Tray Icon or with SynCE-KDE
2. Disconnect with the appropriate action on your PDA
3. Run killall -HUP dccm from the command line
4. Run synce-serial-abort.

I setup ActiveSync on PPC by checking the boxes for syncing with a remote PC.

Did a lil debugging by unplugging the PPC and running (as User)
~> dccm -f -d 4 (this shows whats going on by running dccm in the foreground)

Plugged in PPC.. ran (as root)
# synce-serial-start

Tapped ActiveSync's 'Sync' on PPC.

Got dccm output

dccm[7856]: Talking to 'Solitude', a PocketPC device of type hp iPAQ h1940
dccm[7856]: Running command: /home/wraith/.synce/scripts/dccm.sh connect

This means its connected!! Woo Hoo!

9. To check connection run the pstatus command and it'll print the details of your PPC

~> pstatus

Version
=======
Version:    4.20.1081 (Ozone: Pocket PC 2003 (?))
Platform:   3 (Windows CE)
Details:    ""

System
======
Processor architecture: 5 (ARM)
Processor type:         2577 (StrongARM)
Page size:              0x10000

Power
=====
ACLineStatus: 01 (Online)

Status for main battery
=========================
Flag:          1 (High)
LifePercent:   100%
LifeTime:      Unknown
FullLifeTime:  Unknown

Status for backup battery
=========================
Flag:          1 (High)
LifePercent:   100%
LifeTime:      Unknown
FullLifeTime:  Unknown

Store
=====
Store size: 29630464 bytes (28 megabytes)
Free space: 23082084 bytes (22 megabytes)

Memory for storage: 29704192 bytes (28 megabytes)
Memory for RAM:     29704192 bytes (28 megabytes)

Works: Now to sync data!

10. Create a partnership:
~> synce-matchmaker create

Since i already had 2 partnerships I got an error You can check existing partherships with:

~> synce-matchmaker status
Current partner index: 1
Partner 1 id:    0x3151e3b1
Partner 1 name:  "sorceress"
Partner 2 id:    0x580d0639
Partner 2 name:  "DRUIDESS"

And then replace a partnership

~> synce-matchmaker replace 1
Partnership replacement succeeded.

PART B: Working with synce-kde and raki

The HOW-TO: Installing SynCE for KDE from binary packages

1. Get the synce-kde-pack rpm from the link above and install. Dont forget to uninstall synce-kde since it causes conflicts.

Dependencies:
        kdebase3 >= 3.5 is needed by synce-kde-pack-0.9.1-6
        kdepim3 >= 3.5 is needed by synce-kde-pack-0.9.1-6
        kdepim3-sync >= 3.5 is needed by synce-kde-pack-0.9.1-6

Yeah, had to upgrade KDE and it made a lot of changes on my system.. still climing out of that blast.. but on the bright side i got the syncing to work!

2. The next HOW-TO: Basic configuration of SynCE for KDE

3. Start raki (check the KMenu for it), choose vdccm instead of dccm.

4. As root run
synce-serial-start

5. Your see raki perkup and follow the onscreen instructions... check the HowTo for kewl stuff raki can do for you..

6. About the syncing.. I can sync my contacts into kaddressbook via raki using a .vcf file. Just fish around rakis options and you'll find it.. Im still working on this bit. Evolution looks good for a PIM but theres too many dependancies to get it to work.. So im trying to work with kde's defaults..

Now on to getting my Nokia to sync with suse 10.0.. :)

Linux (washing powder) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-03-11T18:36:00.000-05:00

Linux (washing powder) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Installing Logitech QuickCam Webcam

2006-03-11T18:17:00.000-05:00

I first tried the latest version 1.1 of the qc-usb driver but I kept getting errors. /dev/video0 would not load. I kept getting an error from the ./quickcam.sh line 699 and other such things. After trying various things I deleted the installation folder, restarted the computer and decided to try an older version of the qc-usb driver. I tried qc-usb-0.6.3 and the cam worked on the first try! Heres the walkthrough...

1. Make sure the RIGHT kernel sources are installed.

a. Check the kernel version number.
cat /proc/version
Output on my system:

Linux version 2.6.13-15.8-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.0.2
20050901 (prerelease) (SUSE Linux)) #1 Tue Feb 7 11:07:24 UTC 2006

b. Check if source is installed
rpm -qa kernel*

On my system this returns:

kernel-default-nongpl-2.6.13-15.8
kernel-update-tool-0.9-10
kernel-default-2.6.13-15.8
kernel-source-2.6.13-15.8

Note the line kernel-source.

2. Setup Kernel Sources:

a. Execute the following as root:

cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.13-15.8-obj/i386/default/.config /usr/src/linux/.config
cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.13-15.8-obj/i386/default/scripts/mod/modpost /usr/src/linux/scripts/modpost
cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.13-15.8-obj/i386/default/scripts/genksyms/genksyms /usr/src/linux/scripts/genksyms/genksyms
cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.13-15.8-obj/i386/default/scripts/basic/fixdep /usr/src/linux/scripts/basic/fixdep
cp /usr/src/linux-2.6.13-15.8-obj/i386/default/scripts/mod/modpost /usr/src/linux/scripts/mod/modpost

b. You also need to put Module.symvers into the right place.

cp /boot/symvers-2.6.13-15.8-i386-default.gz /usr/src/linux
mv symvers-2.6.13-15.8-i386-default.gz Module.symvers.gz
gunzip /usr/src/linux/Module.symvers.gz
make modules_prepare

3. You need a working installation of gcc >= 2.95

4. Get qc-usb: Logitech QuickCam USB Video Camera driver

5. Install xawtv - Video4Linux TV application (Athena)

6. Run the installation (not as Root) and follow on screen instruction. Here if I didnt specify the location of my kernel sources the script kept complaining.
./quickcam.sh LINUX_DIR=/usr/src/linux

Thats it...

You can use ./qcset to configure the cam..

Check out this link for more info on the installation on SuSE 10.0:
http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/16340.html
The first section describes how to ready the machine for the installation and the second section is for installation of the Logitech Zoom Cam..

Setup Subversion on the Apache HTTP server

2006-03-08T04:07:00.000-05:00

-EDIT-
For a easy mini how-to for setting up Apache2 with SVNis see /usr/share/doc/packages/subversion for the full documentation. Is easier than what's below, but i'll leave the info below for info sake...
-EDIT-

Setup Subversion on the Apache HTTP server

Changes to http.conf


LoadModule dav_module         /usr/lib/apache2/mod_dav.so
LoadModule dav_svn_module     /usr/lib/apache2/mod_dav_svn.so

#Subversion Repository
< Location /blabbermouth >
 DAV svn
 SVNPath /usr/svnrepos

 # how to authenticate a user
 AuthType Basic
 AuthName "Subversion repository"
 AuthUserFile /etc/svn-auth-file

 # For any operations other than these, require an authenticated user.
 < LimitExcept GET PROPFIND OPTIONS REPORT>
  Require valid-user
 </LimitExcept>
</Location>

Make Changes in subversion's /conf/passwd file to allow read/write/none access..


[/]
* = r
[blabbermouth:/]
user1=rw
user2=rw

Allows anyone to read ALL repositories and user1 and user2 to write to the 'blabbermouth' repository.

Remeber to give the UserID that Apache runs as permission to write to your svn folder. If your svn repos is owned by a user 'svn' and group 'snv' and if Apache runs as 'wwwrun' (check the httpd.conf or uid.conf) then in the console type:
# groups wwwrun to list the groups that wwwrun belongs to.
# usermod -G svn wwwrun will add wwwrun to the svn group. if 'wwwrun' belongs to anyother groups (besides the primary group 'www') then mention them alongside svn.

Subversion

2006-03-07T22:13:00.000-05:00

The goal of the Subversion project is to build a version control system that is a compelling replacement for CVS in the open source community.
Get it here: Subversion

SVNForum.org is a Subversion community help and discussion forum for exchanging information and tips with other users of Subversion

Read The Subversion Book for instrustions.

And if you use windows get TortoiseSVN, a Subversion client, implemented as a windows shell extension. The coolest Interface to (Sub)Version Control.

note to self:
Create SVN repository:
svnadmin create --fs-type fsfs /usr/svnrepos/

Import to SVN:
svn import --message "Initial Import" repos file:///usr/svnrepos/blabbermouth/

Angels and "Daemons"

2006-03-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

While I try and figure out the startup scripts for Slimserver.. here's how to run it as a daemon..
/usr/local/slimserver/slimserver.pl --daemon

ahh!! finally i can close that command prompt... :)

Stream Your Music Collection over the Web Hack

2006-03-01T03:43:00.000-05:00

Amazing what a simple search can lead to!! Out of the blue popped....
Stream Your Music Collection over the Web Hack

Works on Windows, Linux and Mac.
You will need:
The SlimServer: The server.

SoftSqueeze: A Java client.

There are a couple of ways to stream the music to your PC with SlimServer - you can either use SoftSqueeze (the installation of which is nicely documented inside the interface), running either as a standalone Java application, or as a Java Applet (by going to http://your_host_name:9000/html/softsqueeze/applet.html ).

You can use winamp as a client to stream music on if you'd like... Use the URL: http://your_host_name:9000/stream.mp3 If you are using the SlimServer's password security, you'll need to use a slightly modified URL like this: http://username:password@your_host_name:9000/stream.mp3

Muhahahhahahaha!!!!!!

--- Still figuring out the startup script for suse 10.0

MySQL Server over the network - Linux Forums

2006-03-01T00:43:00.000-05:00

MySQL Server over the network - Linux Forums
Error 1130, remote connecting access denied.
MySQL and Linux Tutorial

To allow network access:

GRANT ALL on * TO 'username' IDENTIFIED BY 'user password'
FLUSH PRIVILEGES

Some notes on the MySQL/Java connection with the MySQL® Connector/J (mysql-connector-java).
After installing it you need to change the CLASSPATH or you'l get errors like com.java.driver something not found..
For the bash shell prompt that I use in SuSE 10.0 I created a file in my home dir: .bashrc

~username/.bashrc
---------------------
export CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH:/opt/mysql-connector-java-3.1.12/mysql-connector-java-3.1.12-bin.jar

**make sure its one line, with no line breaks in it!
Info for other Shell prompts

Virtual Threads: Understanding memory usage on Linux

2006-02-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

Virtual Threads: Understanding memory usage on Linux

Setup Temperature Sensors

2006-01-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

My machine keeps overheating and while I hunt for thermal paste my superkaramba wiget Cynapse keeps me upto date on the weather conditions inside the cabinet.
My Mobo: MicroStar International (MSI) KM266
My CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2200

Links to setup the lm_sensors:
Using Torsmo to Monitor Hardware
Getting SuperKaramba Sensors to Work in Fedora Core I

Output of my sensors-detect:



 I will now generate the commands needed to load the I2C modules.
 Sometimes, a chip is available both through the ISA bus and an I2C bus.
 ISA bus access is faster, but you need to load an additional driver module
 for it. If you have the choice, do you want to use the ISA bus or the
 I2C/SMBus (ISA/smbus)?

To make the sensors modules behave correctly, add these lines to
/etc/modprobe.conf:

#----cut here----
# I2C module options
alias char-major-89 i2c-dev
#----cut here----

To load everything that is needed, add this to some /etc/rc* file:

#----cut here----
# I2C adapter drivers
modprobe i2c-viapro
modprobe i2c-isa
# I2C chip drivers
modprobe eeprom
modprobe w83627hf
# sleep 2 # optional
/usr/bin/sensors -s # recommended
#----cut here----

WARNING! If you have some things built into your kernel, the list above
will contain too many modules. Skip the appropriate ones! You really should
try these commands right now to make sure everything is working properly.
Monitoring programs won't work until it's done.

Output of sensors -f:

sorceress:/etc/rc.d # sensors -f
w83697hf-isa-0290
Adapter: ISA adapter
VCore:     +1.55 V  (min =  +1.71 V, max =  +1.89 V)
+3.3V:     +3.09 V  (min =  +3.14 V, max =  +3.47 V)
+5V:       +4.89 V  (min =  +4.76 V, max =  +5.24 V)       ALARM
+12V:     +11.31 V  (min = +10.82 V, max = +13.19 V)       ALARM
-12V:     -11.87 V  (min = -13.18 V, max = -10.80 V)       ALARM
-5V:       -4.85 V  (min =  -5.25 V, max =  -4.75 V)       ALARM
V5SB:      +5.30 V  (min =  +4.76 V, max =  +5.24 V)
VBat:      +2.96 V  (min =  +2.40 V, max =  +3.60 V)       ALARM
fan1:        0 RPM  (min = 3813 RPM, div = 2)
fan2:     3901 RPM  (min = 10384 RPM, div = 2)
temp1:       +86°F  (high =  +104°F, hyst =   +32°F)   sensor = thermistor      
temp2:    +187.7°F  (high =  +248°F, hyst =  +239°F)   sensor = diode
alarms:   Chassis intrusion detection                      ALARM
beep_enable:
          Sound alarm disabled

eeprom-i2c-0-51
Adapter: SMBus Via Pro adapter at 5000
Memory type:            DDR SDRAM DIMM
Memory size (MB):       256

eeprom-i2c-0-50
Adapter: SMBus Via Pro adapter at 5000
Memory type:            DDR SDRAM DIMM
Memory size (MB):       256

"Hello World" for UNIX

2006-01-30T03:09:00.000-05:00

Explination and Semi Solution for the:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError:
"Hello World" for UNIX

Vnc2Swf: Record your vnc sessions

2006-01-30T01:44:00.000-05:00

After my prof. insisted that we use Microsoft Producer to record a video of the screen while we were coding his assignment I had to scour the net for its Linux equivalent.

Vnc2Swf basically records your vnc session. It requires a vnc server et viewer to be installed. The video is saved as a swf file.

Quick Info:
If you wish to create a movie of your complete desktop you can run it as follows:
x11vnc -localhost -viewonly &

If you'd rather share a single window run:
x11vnc -localhost -viewonly -id pick &

This will allow you to click upon the window you wish to share with your mouse - after you have done so your selected window will be shared and made available.

Now that you have a running VNC server upon your local host you can create the movie. To do so execute:
vnc2swf -nowindow -o myoutput.swf localhost

-Taken from: Debian Administration :: Creating training movies with Vnc2Swf

Other Links:
x11vnc
vnc2swf

fstab

2006-01-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

snippet of my /etc/fstab.
Allows users access to my Fat32 windows partitions and allows 'users' to modify the partitions.


/dev/hdb1            /windows/audio       vfat       user,users,gid=users,umask=0002,utf8=true 0 0
/dev/hdb6            /windows/neuro       vfat       user,users,gid=users,umask=0002,utf8=true 0 0
/dev/hdb5            /windows/video       vfat       user,users,gid=users,umask=0002,utf8=true 0 0
/dev/hdb7            /windows/virtuo      vfat       user,users,gid=users,umask=0002,utf8=true 0 0

Alias & httpd.conf

2006-01-29T15:20:00.000-05:00

Snippets to create an Alias in Apache (similar to the IIS Virtual Directory).


# Alias for MaN-aT-aRMz
Alias /MaN-aT-aRMz "/windows/Neuro/MaN-aT-aRMz"
<Directory "/windows/Neuro/MaN-aT-aRMz">
       Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews ExecCGI
       AllowOverride All
       Order allow,deny
       Allow from all
</Directory>

So, basically:

Alias /alias_name "/directory_to_create_an_alias_for"



Xorg.conf
2006-01-29T15:14:00.000-05:00
Since I seem to crash my X server quite often when I swap cards and monitors and am lost about the config's of my monitors and gfx cards... sinppets of the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file

Samsung SyncMaster 151s:
Section "Monitor"
  DisplaySize  300 230
  HorizSync    30-81
  Identifier   "Monitor[0]"
  ModelName    "SYNCMASTER 4S"
  Option       "DPMS"
  VendorName   "SAMSUNG"
  VertRefresh  56-75
  UseModes     "Modes[0]"
EndSection


BeNQ V772:
Section "Monitor"
  DisplaySize  310 230
  HorizSync    28-72
  Identifier   "Monitor[0]"
  ModelName    "BENQ V772"
  Option       "DPMS"
  VendorName   "BNQ"
  VertRefresh  43-120
  UseModes     "Modes[0]"
EndSection


Gfx Onboard MSI KM266-8235
Section "Device"
  BoardName    "ProSavage DDR-K"
  BusID        "1:0:0"
  Driver       "savage"
  Identifier   "Device[0]"
  VendorName   "S3"
EndSection


nVIDIA GeForce2 MX400 32MB:
Section "Device"
  BoardName    "GeForce2 MX/MX 400"
  BusID        "1:0:0"
  Driver       "nvidia"
  Identifier   "Device[0]"
  Option       "alwaysshared"
  #Option       "NvAGP" "2"
  #Option       "NvAGP" "0"
  #Option       "NvAGP" "3"
  #Option       "NvAGP" "1"
  Option       "usevnc" "yes"
  Option       "httpdir" "/usr/share/vnc/classes"
  Option       "httpport" "5800"
  Option       "rfbauth" "/root/.vnc/passwd"
  Screen       0
  VendorName   "NVidia"
EndSection


ATI Radeon 7000 32MB TVO:

**Still figuring it out..


Freaking Amazing!! Apt for Suse
2005-12-29T00:41:00.000-05:00
Ahhhh.... finally!!!
Apt.. no more worrying about dependancies... peace on earth!
Read This and Weep for Joy! 
Wiki: Installing apt4suse
Once thats done, its a simple 
apt-cache search [appName]
to find what you want. Once you do then:
apt-get install [appName]
will install it and it's dependancies for you.. 

Easy!


Mp3s with XMMS in Suse..
2005-12-29T00:07:00.000-05:00
SUSE seems to have left out mp3 support with Suse 10. AmaroK plays mp3s fine but... Im more used to the WinAmp look..
So.. 
I installed Beep Media Player. Dont ask why.. 
Followed instructions from here: http://forums.suselinuxsupport.de/index.php?showtopic=21581
And installed the bmp-plugins-mad: Beep Media Player Plug-Ins from here: http://www.novell.com/linux/download/updates/93_i386.html

Voila! Baby you can sleep while I drive!!!!


Forcing a drive to unmount...
2005-12-04T01:30:00.000-05:00
If  umount /mnt/[driveName]  says that  device is busy  then it means that some process is still accesing the drive.. 



To check what process is accessing the drive, try 

fuser -v /mnt/[driveName]..

In my case, i got 


Sorceress:/windows # fuser -v /windows/audio/



                     USER        PID ACCESS COMMAND

/windows/audio/      wraith     5854 f....  konqueror

                     root     kernel mount  /windows/audio





So all i do is kill the konqueror process with a 

Kill 5854 

and the device umounts successfully



Great source for understanding the /etc/fstab file that has the filesystem configuration information: http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/fstab.html


Changing Permissions With Numbers
2005-11-28T19:33:00.000-05:00
 Each permission setting can be represented by a numerical value:

            r = 4
            w = 2
            x = 1
            - = 0

 When these values are added together, the total is used to set specific permissions.

 For sneakers.txt, here are the numerical permissions settings:


 -  (rw-)   (rw-)  (r--)
      |       |      |
    4+2+0   4+2+0  4+0+0

The total for the user is six, the total for the group is six and the total for others is four. The permissions setting, then, is read as 664.

If you want to change sneakers.txt so those in your group will not have write access, but can still read the file, remove the access by subtracting 2 from that set of numbers.

The numerical values, then, would become six, four, and four — or 644.

So type:

chmod 644 sneakers.txt

--  snapped from Changing permisions with Numbers


Installing RPM packages
2005-11-21T15:14:00.000-05:00
Installing RPM packages: 
# rpm  -ivh  filename.rpm : to install a new package, or
# rpm  -Uvh  filename.rpm  : to upgrade an installed package


Configuring KMLDonkey and mlnet
2005-11-19T20:51:00.000-05:00
I struggled with this for quite a while, not really knowing what to do.. finally figured it out..

SUSE 10.0 came installed with KMLDonkey.. But for it to work the mlnet core is required so i downloaded the latest version from:  
Followed the installation instructions from MLdonkey World
But after running ./mlnet it spewed this

wraith@Sorceress:~/mldonkey-2.7.0> ./mlnet
2005/11/19 20:35:41 Starting MLDonkey 2.7.0 ...
2005/11/19 20:35:41 Language EN, locale UTF-8
2005/11/19 20:35:41 MLDonkey is working in /home/wraith/.mldonkey
2005/11/19 20:35:41 [DNS] Resolving [Sorceress] ...
2005/11/19 20:35:41 [DNS] Resolving [www.mldonkey.net] ...
2005/11/19 20:35:42 Logging in /home/wraith/.mldonkey/mlnet.log

it would shutdown.. I was quite lost till i read the bit that said Logging in /home/wraith/.mldonkey/mlnet.log and checked the log file mentioned and found 

2005/11/19 20:35:42 enabling networks: Exception: bind failed: Address already in use at port 4662
This is normally caused by another application currently using this port.
Close that application and restart MLDonkey, exiting...

so now I had to figure out what was blocking or running on port 4462.. Googled it and seems eMule runs on the same port and eMule was running everytime I tried to start the mlnet core.. So i changed the settings in eMule to use a different port and restarted eMule. 

Tried the code again and it started fine. I ran KMLDonkey and changed the settings to point to the mlnet file for the core and it connected to the servers fine..


Installing Limewire
2005-11-17T20:42:00.000-05:00
The rpm on limewire.com didnt seem to work.. so i followed the instructions at: http://www.susewiki.org/index.php?title=Installing_LimeWire with some changes..

1. i got an error for the gedit line:
 sudo: gedit: command not found 
I guess gedit is some kinda text editor tool.. so i manually went to the folder and created the file and pasted the text in it.. 

2. The instructions seem to be for a Gnome system.. i run KDE.. so instead of creating a .desktop file in the gnome directory.. it created it in the kde directory...

Seems to work now... hmmmm.... DOWNLOAD!!!!!!


Perfecting the Samba!!
2005-11-13T05:02:00.000-05:00
Once again... reinstalled... put Suse 10.0 and learnt more abt configuring my box..
In my previous post abt samba I was unsure abt how I got Samba to start..

... So I guess the key is to coax the smbd, nmbd & winbindd services to run after making all the required changes. 
-from Samba... Lets Dance!!!

Well.. it should have been obvious but being a newbie it didnt strike me... 
When installed, Samba isnt initialized by default.. So basically Samba isnt started when the machine boots.. it needs to be manually started.. 
The way to get it to startup at boot is to go to the Samba Server tool in YaST and choose the 'start-at-boot' option. 
To start SWAT change the line in the file 'swat' located in /etc/xinetd.d/ to
disable = no from the default 'yes'.

And thats it.. Initilize Samba and SWAT.. Configure the (/etc/samba/) smb.conf file... Create a user smbpasswd -a username and you're good to go!


Launch 'em Yahoo!!
2005-06-22T21:50:00.000-04:00
Get Yahoo!'s Launch to work with Firefox. As you know Yahoo! is stuck on making LaunchCast work only with Internet Explorer.. Getting it to work with FireFox on Windows let alone FireFox on Linux seemed daunting.. 

At first I thought that Browser Masquerading was the answer, but that didnt work and even caused FireFox to crash a few times for some reason.. I gave up...

While browsing thru my fav forum linuxforums I stumbled upon a neat workaround.. 


All you have to do is:
1. Install the Grease Monkey extension for FireFox.. and restart FireFox.
2. Click and open the pklaunch.user.js in FireFox.
3. And install it by clicking on Tools / Install User Script...

Check Out Pooyak for more details..

Yahooooooooooo!


Quake 3: Fragg 'em all!!!
2005-06-20T16:41:00.000-04:00
 Finally got down to installing Quake 3 on linux... Installed the RPM and linked the pak0.pak file from my dump of Quake3.
Ran quake3 in the Konsole and.... baM! graphics problems.. 
ERROR: 
You are using software Mesa (no hardware acceleration)!
..... (some more things... can't remember verbatim)
Sys_Error: GLimp_Init() - could not load OpenGL subsystem

Mostly means... No 3D acceleration enabled.. googled a bit.. Downloaded the NVidia Drivers and followed the instruction at LinuQuestions Forum

 QUAKE 3: 3D Acceleration Solution...
1. went to a shell prompt CTL-ALT and F1.
2. Login as Root and enter the password.
3. at the prompt #init 3 which kills the Xserver.
4. go to the directory that has the NVIDIA installer and run the installer.
     sh NVIDIA-Linux-1.0-(number or version).run -q <--this uninstalls previous driver versions and runs the new install
4. after the installer has created the kernel module the next step makes all the difference.
5. modprobe nvidia <--This previous step loads the nvidia driver into memory so sax will run correctly.
6. Then type sax2 -m 0=nvidia (0 is a digit, not a letter!)
7. After sax is done. enter init 5 to restart Xserver.[B]
8. Logout of the Shell and press CTL ALT F7 to be in the Window.
9. Reboot the System. 

At step 7 I tried to make sax2 make my system look pretty by fiddling around.. and when i re-booted X crashed and wouldnt come back up... luckily I had made a copy of xconf (/etc/X11) i overwrote it (the mc editor rox!)... i ran the whole process again from step 1 and this time at step 7 I just went with what sax2 suggested,, and all was fine after a reboot!!.. phew!! 

Tried to run quake3 again and woo hoo it works.. but no SoUNd!!!! bah!! 
ERROR: 
/dev/dsp: Input/output error 
Could not mmap /dev/dsp"

some more googling and using common sense and I came across this: ALSA Wiki and typed in the konsole..

 Quake 3: Sound Solution
(as root)
echo "quake3.x86 0 0 direct" > /proc/asound/card0/pcm0p/oss

echo "quake3.x86 0 0 disable" > /proc/asound/card0/pcm0c/oss 


and with that... strangly.. sound works!! woo hoo.. but it works only in the Introduction Level, if i tried to play any level in Tier 1 or play in an Arena as soon as it said 'wRaiTh has entered game' the sound and video would hang.. so i had to kill the process by Ctrl+Alt+F1 and as root ps -A and kill (quake process number)

after more googling i tried: artsdsp -m quake3
but got..: artsdsp works only for binaries

more googling and forum posting led me to try: artsdsp -m quake3.x86 in the quake3 directory...

and volia!! it works!!! ... dug up some cd keys from google.. and im fraggin butt!!!!!


Apache Virtual Directories
2005-06-12T12:42:00.000-04:00
Struggling for days to try to setup virtual directories.. And no clue what Im doing.. Like playing in the muck.. 
Finally, I beleive what I was doing wrong was that after making changes to httpd.conf (/etc/apache2) & other config files, i didnt restart Apache.. I was under the impression that apache re-reads it's config files every so often.. I just realised that Samba does that..  Finally ive got my website up and I can access my windows mounts.. all is good...

 To Restart Apache:  apache2ctl restart (note: as root)

Changes made to make /windows/ a virtual directory... 
... added to /etc/apache2/default-server.conf

# Aliases: aliases can be added as needed (with no limit). The format is 
# Alias fakename realname
#
# This is an Alias for my /windows dir that has my
# windows drives that i want to be exposed on my site

Alias /windows/ "/windows/"

 Options Indexes MultiViews FollowSymLinks
 AllowOverride None
 Order allow,deny
 Allow from all


Moral of the story: Restart Service after changes..


Replacement  Windows software in Linux.
2005-04-26T00:54:00.000-04:00
Looking for a Linux equivalent of that windows software that you like?? check this out  The table of equivalents / replacements / analogs of Windows software in Linux.

...One of the biggest difficulties in migrating from Windows to Linux is the lack of knowledge about comparable software. Newbies usually search for Linux analogs of Windows software, and advanced Linux-users cannot answer their questions since they often don't know too much about Windows :). This list of Linux equivalents / replacements / analogs of Windows software is based on our own experience and on the information obtained from the visitors of this page (thanks!).
...taken from LinuxShop


Linux Permissions
2005-04-26T00:33:00.000-04:00
Every directory and file has an owner and an owning group. Similarly, each has permissions. These permissions are presented in the following manner:

owner - group - others

Permissions can be represented as numbers or as letters. For numbers, the following key is used:

Readable = 1
Writable = 2
Executable = 4

So to make a file rwx for only the owner, you would do
chmod 700 FILE

If you wanted it rwx by the owner and group, but only rx by others, you would do:
chmod 775 FILE


Permissions are also represented by letters. As such, a permission of 777 corresponds to:

rwxrwxrwx

775 would be

rwxrwxr-x

To change permissions in a letter way, you still use chmod, but you have different symbols:

u = owner (user)
g = group
o = others
r = readable
w = writable
x = executable

So to make a file have 777 permissions, you could do:
chmod uog+rwx 

Or, since you're doing it to everyone, you could just say:
chmod +rwx FILE

But what if you want to do 775?

chmod ug=rwx
chmod o=rx

The = obviously sets the permissions to EQUAL that. The + adds those permissions, and the - removes those permissions.

...taken from post on Linux Forums: Root Prompt Access


Add Installation Sources
2005-04-22T22:13:00.000-04:00
The Suse installation CDs have only so many .rpms. To simplify the search for .rpms you can add the two popular suse rpm websites to your Installation Source. So when you look thru the YaST install and remove packages it will not only scan your installation CD/DVD for the package but also the websites you add.

Go into "Change Source of Installation" in YaST and add the following two entries:

Add > HTTP
Server Name: packman.iu-bremen.de
Directory on Server: suse/9.3

Add > HTTP
Server Name: ftp.gwdg.de
Directory on Server: pub/linux/misc/suser-guru/rpm/9.3

NOTE: change 9.3 to your SUSE version. Also double check at the websites if they support your version. I know that Guru and Packman have sources for 9.1, 2 & 3.. but dont take my word for it.. double check

Yes.. I installed Suse 9.3.. I was thoroughly unsatisfied with 9.2. I installed 9.1 again and then downloaded 9.3 overnight and did a fresh install of it.. so many reinstalls.. so little 'brains'!.. There are a few sites like KNET that have torrents for Suse 9.3.. Run a search... 


Restart Apache
2005-04-18T16:35:00.000-04:00
If you need to restart Apache to have it re-read the httpd.conf configuration file then type this in the consile:
kill -HUP `cat /usr/local/apache2/logs/httpd.pid`

Explination:
HUP Signal: restart now

Sending the HUP signal to the parent causes it to kill off its children like in TERM but the parent doesn't exit. It re-reads its configuration files, and re-opens any log files. Then it spawns a new set of children and continues serving hits.

Users of the status module will notice that the server statistics are set to zero when a HUP is sent.

Note: If your configuration file has errors in it when you issue a restart then your parent will not restart, it will exit with an error. See below for a method of avoiding this.


...taken from  Stopping and Restarting Apache


Stopping Processes
2005-04-17T18:29:00.000-04:00
ps is the shortage for Process Status. The command displays the currently running processes on the system. Quite like the 'Task-Manager' which pops up under Windows NT/2000/XP when you press CTRL+ALT+DEL 'cept here you type 'ps' in a console window and it lists all the processes with their PID (process ID). Why do you need the process id? You can stop the process with the help of the 'kill' command. The kill command needs a process number otherwise it won't know to which process it should send the 'kill' signal.

Typing 'ps' will list only some processes. To list all processes:
ps -A

Sample Output:

14098 ?        00:00:00 httpd
14586 ?        00:00:00 pickup
14638 ?        00:01:46 firefox-bin
14648 ?        00:00:00 gconfd-2
14828 ?        00:00:00 yast2
14845 ?        00:00:09 y2base
15121 ?        00:00:00 kdeinit


Kill a process: kill (PID #)
eg. To kill the firefox browser: kill 14638

Kill em all... 
We're all gonna die!!!


Linux Directory Structure
2005-04-10T21:30:00.000-04:00
 Parts of a Unix directory tree 

/   Root
|---root  The home directory for the root user
|---home  Contains the user's home directories
|    |----ftp  Users include many services as listed here
|    |----httpd
|    |----samba
|    |----user1
|    |----user2
|---bin   Commands needed during bootup that might be needed by normal users
|---sbin  Like bin but commands are not intended for normal users.  Commands run by LINUX.
|---proc  This filesystem is not on a disk.  Exists in the kernels imagination (virtual).  This directory
|    |   Holds information about kernel parameters and system configuration.
|    |----1  A directory with info about process number 1.  Each process
|      has a directory below proc.  
|---usr   Contains all commands, libraries, man pages, games and static files for normal
|    |   operation.
|    |----bin  Almost all user commands.  some commands are in /bin or /usr/local/bin.
|    |----sbin  System admin commands not needed on the root filesystem.  e.g., most server 
|    |   programs.
|    |----include Header files for the C programming language.  Should be below /user/lib for
|    |   consistency.
|    |----lib  Unchanging data files for programs and subsystems
|    |----local  The place for locally installed software and other files.
|    |----man  Manual pages
|    |----info  Info documents
|    |----doc  Documentation for various packages
|    |----tmp
|    |----X11R6  The X windows system files.  There is a directory similar to usr below this 
|    |   directory.
|    |----X386  Like X11R6 but for X11 release 5
|---boot  Files used by the bootstrap loader, LILO.  Kernel images are often kept here.
|---lib   Shared libraries needed by the programs on the root filesystem
|    |----modules  Loadable kernel modules, especially those needed to boot the system after
|      disasters.
|---dev   Device files for devices such as disk drives, serial ports, etc.
|---etc   Configuration files specific to the machine.
|    |----skel  When a home directory is created it is initialized with files from this directory
|    |----sysconfig  Files that configure the linux system for networking, keyboard, time, and more.
|---var   Contains files that change for mail, news, printers log files, man pages, temp files
|    |----file
|    |----lib  Files that change while the system is running normally
|    |----local  Variable data for programs installed in /usr/local.
|    |----lock  Lock files.  Used by a program to indicate it is using a particular device or file
|    |----log  Log files from programs such as login and syslog which logs all logins,
|    |   logouts, and other system messages.
|    |----run  Files that contain information about the system that is valid until the system is
|    |   next booted
|    |----spool  Directories for mail, printer spools, news and other spooled work.
|    |----tmp  Temporary files that are large or need to exist for longer than they should in
|    |   /tmp.
|    |----catman A cache for man pages that are formatted on demand
|---mnt   Mount points for temporary mounts by the system administrator.
|---tmp   Temporary files.  Programs running after bootup should use /var/tmp.


..taken from The Computer Technology Documentation Project


Re-Install again
2005-04-10T19:35:00.000-04:00
..once again.. same story.. reinstall..
tried to upgrade 9.1 to 9.2 and i guess the change to the different X the machine had some problems. 
X wont start: Failed to initialize core devices Tried to reslove the issue by creating a symlink /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xkb/rules/xorg (i think) and ran xorgconfig. It detected the keyboard fine but I couldnt remember my Video settings so it began giving me a display related error when I started startx. 
So i gave up since i had to intall 9.2 anyways. 
Strange thing abt 9.2 is it doesnt have a lot of options that 9.1 has, like Apache and stuff.. I still figuring that one out. 
And the adventure re-re-begins.


Things to Do..
2005-04-08T13:19:00.000-04:00
Vacation in another 5 Hours!! 2 Weeks of Geekdome!! Free from Toshiba & Siemens!! Ah!!!

Things To Do:
- Install Suse 9.2 ...done
- Get Gnome Working ...done
- Convert Drives to FAT from NTFS ...done (used partition magic)

- Get MLDonkey going ...done
- Get Bittorrent GUI working ...done
- Work on Apache website. 
- Work on vsFTP

- Try Sync Pocket PC
- Try Sync iPod

(will add, subtract, update list as I go)


Sticky4Me: Linux E-Books
2005-04-06T17:16:00.000-04:00
LinuxForum.com post on sources from Linux e-Books.
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/topic-37471.html


Very Safe FTP
2005-04-02T21:55:00.000-05:00
Installing was simple.. but setting it up MY way isnt.. I still haven't figured out how to create a Virtual Directory or Alias Directory as I could in Windows' IIS. LinuxForums: Virtual Directory for FTP

- Install vsFTP from YaST.
- Change this value in vsftpd (/etc/xinetd.d/) file to enable the service.
  disable = no
- Run from console:
/etc/init.d/xinetd restart

Thats it. The Server is located on file:/srv/ftp so you can put stuff here to share via FTP. The config file is stored in /etc/vsftpd.conf if you want to muck around with advanced stuff


Ref Link: 
http://www.chinalinuxpub.com/doc/www.siliconvalleyccie.com/linux-hn/ftp-server.htm
http://freshmeat.net/projects/vsftpd/


Installing Firefox with that damned libpopt!
2005-04-02T21:17:00.000-05:00
Somehow I dont like Konqurer too much. Guess I'm too used to Firefox and its IE similar features. While installing Firefox though I had tons of trouble coz it kept popping up an error while installing the RPM that a dependancy libpopt.so.0 was required. I searched high and low for the popt library. Strangly it was already installed when i checked YaST. I downloaded a few RPMs for libpopt but it still kept saying that the dependancy wasn't found. So I installed FireFox from the Mozilla website.. but it didnt seem to work quite right. finally after googling around I came upon a solution that kinda worked.


- Uninstalled/deleted all versions of FireFox or Mozilla. 
- Restarted the system. 
- Installed popt Version: 1.7-176.3
- Installed MozillaFirefox Version: 1.0.2-0.1

Somehow this worked.. dunno what did it.. 
But Firefox v0.08 got installed !??! dont ask how.. but its working. Theres some security warning abt it so I'd better figure out how to upgrade it soon.. but at least I can update my blog from Linux now.. Konqueror wouldnt let me do that! 
FireFoxed!


ReInstall OS !!!!
2005-04-02T13:11:00.000-05:00
Yeah.. I tried to see if i can format the wasting windows partition using YaST to be used by linux and dunno what went wrong but I kept starting in text mode and it wouldnt let me startx...read some posts online abt this problem but i gave up... so.. i reinstalled. 

no more windows partition.. my entire 40gb hdd is now dedicated to linux.. im trying to figure out how to change the format of my 120gig to fat from ntfs without losing data coz writing to ntfs isnt stable in linux and my heart and soul is on that hdd.

im so glad i wrote down the processes for setting up stuff.. its helping tons now that i have to resetup the machine.. ive put updates where im missing better explinations in the posts... 

the adventure re-begins!


Logitech Mx700 Mouse
2005-03-22T08:59:00.000-05:00
Confident after setting up Samba.. Next thing is to get my keyboard and mouse working.. I miss using the thumb buttons to go Back and Forward Webpages when online and using the media buttons.

After googling around heres what I've done. Following instructions on this page  How to set up a Logitech MX500 and this one Getting the most of Microsoft Explorer mouse I got the mouse navigate buttons to work. What I mostly did was..

1. I uninstalled the old version of imwheel from YaST and installed the latest version of imwheel from the imwheel homepage. Check the INSTALL file for installation details
..update you might need to install the X11 Library files from YaST.

2. Changed the 'Xconfig' file (/etc/X11), after making a backup, to look like this:

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver       "mouse"
  Identifier   "Mouse[1]"
  Option       "ButtonNumber" "7"
  Option       "Buttons" "7"     
  Option       "Device" "/dev/mouse"
  Option       "Name" "Automatic"
  Option       "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
  Option       "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

3. Restarted Machine.. The scroll wheel wont work now but the thumb buttons will trigger scrolling. Thats coz programs usually recognise buttons 4 & 5 as scroll buttons and when we change the number of buttons to 7, the thumb buttons become button 4-5 and the scroll wheel become 6 & 7. 
The scroll wheel is counted as 2 buttons that invoke the page up and page down keystrokes. A better explination of all this is in the links above. 
You can use the console command 'xev' that reports mouse events to see what button corresponds to what #. (This should be useful when configuring the Keyboard)

4. Logged in as root and in the console window swapped the 4 & 5 buttons for the 6 & 7 buttons using xmodmap to get the scroll wheel to work correctly. 

  xmodmap -pp
  xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 3 6 7 4 5"
  xmodmap -pp

5. Edited imwheelrc (/etc/X11/imwheel), after making a copy. Added these lines to invoke the Alt+LeftArrow & Alt+RightArrow keystrokes that are shortcuts to move back & forward webpages in most browsers. The .* indicates that this key even should be invoked in and program.

  ".*"
  None,Up,Alt_L|Left
  None,Down,Alt_L|Right

Thats where I stopped last night coz Arati needed me to help her make her scrumptous Prawn Biryani.. yum! 

6. Today I ran these commands in the console. And the navigation buttons work.. 

imwheel -p -b "67"

..update
7. Next created a startup script for X windows that would run two commands at startup so that the changes are permanent. Made changes in /etc/X11/xinit/ to the 'xinitrc' file. Added these lines at the top of the file

  #-----------imwheel mousewheel hack------------
  [ -r /etc/sysconfig/mouse ] && . /etc/sysconfig/mouse
  /usr/X11R6/bin/xmodmap -e "pointer = 1 2 3 6 7 4 5"
  BINARY=$(which imwheel)
  BINARY= $-p -b "67"
  #-----------imwheel mousewheel hack ends -------


Thats It!!

Research Links :
http://linux.netpimpz.com/mx700/
http://www.glaurung.demon.co.uk/info/linux.mx500.howto.html
http://kryz.org/linux.html
http://www.groundhog1.com/mouse/MSExplorer.html
 Discussions about Suse Linux List (suse-linux-e-help@suse.com)


Samba... Lets Dance!!!
2005-03-22T08:06:00.000-05:00
Its Working!!! And plz dont ask how! I have no clue!!
After almost a week of struggle its working. I've tried to recall what i did but i might've missed some important details..

I decided to install Samba 3.0 and see if that helped but 3.0 wasnt installing.. gave some libpopt required error.. so i gave up.. (Actually, I already had 3.0 but at the time I didnt know that! :O I realised it later on)

Then I got fedup.. No one on #samba (irc) was replying so I deleted everything in my (/etc/samba/) smb.conf and just put in the basics:

# Global parameters
[global]
       workgroup = ETERNIA
       server string = Samba Server
       interfaces = 127.0.0.1, eth0, eth1, eth2
       bind interfaces only = Yes

[nuxaudio]
       comment = Audio (D:)
       path = /windows/D/

Tested it in the console at the /etc/samba/ directory with
testparm smbd.conf
And then I opened SWAT from http://localhost:901 and fiddled a bit there. I clearly remeber starting all the services and commiting changes.. and after that... i could connect to the sorceress using:

net use e: \\sorceress\nuxaudio

which basically maps the 'nuxaudio' folder to the 'e:' drive. But I got a password prompt and no matter what I tried wraith or root nothing worked. I tried setting the SHARED instead of USERS but I dont think that quite worked. After a lil research I found out that samba has its own user/passwd list. So I created some users.

smbpasswd -a wraith

and volia!! i could access my shares from NN!!! Neat..

I'll tweak it over the week, but finally this is working!!! woo hoo!!
Heres my current smb.conf (/etc/samba)

# Samba config file created using SWAT
# from 127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1)
# Date: 2005/03/21 14:19:47

# Global parameters
[global]
       workgroup = ETERNIA
       server string = Samba Server
       interfaces = 127.0.0.1, eth0, eth1, eth2
       bind interfaces only = Yes
       local master = No
       ldap suffix = dc=example,dc=com
       valid users = wraith, Wraith

[nuxaudio]
       comment = Audio (D:)
       path = /windows/D/

[nuxneuro]
  comment = Neuro(F)
  path = /windows/F/

[nuxvideo]
  comment = Video(E)
  path = /windows/E/

[nuxvirtuo]
  comment = Virtuo(G)
  path = /windows/G/




..update
Since I needed to reconfigure the system after the reinstall, I think I just realised what it was that I did to make samba work. 
Even after enabling Samba Server & Client from YaST and changing the smb.conf file to look like above the problem is that the samba services aren't running yet. So, SWAT would not start and i could not see my machine in NW Neighbourhood but could access the windows machines. After mucking around and a few restarts (around 3) the services started so SWAT and Samba were working. 
So I guess the key is to coax the smbd, nmbd & winbindd services to run after making all the required changes. 
Cheers!


Samba et Apache: Figuring it out
2005-03-19T08:37:00.000-05:00
After some research last night i figured out that the DNS on samba isnt working. neeed to enable WINs or point samba to a WINS server. something like that.. still need to read up abt that..

I managed to setup the Apache WebServer. Got my website up. 


..update 
I forgot to put details of how i got Apache running. Quite simple actually.
Enable the Apache Server from Yast Network Services> Http Server. 
The Web Server is located on /srv/www/htdocs. Store all the files here. Name the main page 'index.html' and its done. 
The config file is stored in /etc/apache2 httpd.config if you want to muck with advanced settings.

Strange thing is that within the network i can access the website only with the internal 192.168.0.101 IP but not with the hostname or WAN IP (69.*.*.*). Called D-Link and they say thats how the router is.. Hard to believe but i checked online and a number of ppl have had this problem on some routers.. some router work fine. The solution, which really sux, is to edit the LMHOSTS file on the machines and add
192.168.0.101            gwyneth.gotdns.com
to it.. i hate these band-aid solutions. machines should automatically figure these things out.. bah! 

right now the web-server is barely doing what the website indicates. still need to setup an FTP server et al. Linux with it permissions and maha security confuses me.. 

Linux certianly isn't reccomended for novice users.. theres tons of configuration to be done!


Samba!
2005-03-18T12:34:00.000-05:00
The only thing that I miss from windows is the ability to share files and folders across the house. Ive still not figured it out.. 



What I Did:
` Installed Samba from YaST
` Setup Samba Client and Server with Shares
` Install LISa from YaST
-Restarted..

Lisa is a graphical interface for Samba but LISa doesnt work for me.. still have to get that going.

With after logging in as root into the console, I can read network shares by IP Address but not with the NetBIOS name. 

smbclient -L Stripperella -U Arati

Gives me errors that it cant find Stripperella but 

smbclient -L 192.168.0.114 -U Arati

shows me the shares on Stripperella and some wierd error. Using 

smbmount -o username=Arati, password= //192.168.0.114/Kwap /network/Stripperella/Kwap

I can map the 'Kwap' folder on Stripperella to the '/network/Stripperella/Kwap' folder on the linux box. Wierd!

The Sorceress cant be seen on any windows machine.. I can ping it et al but i can't see it. Need to work on this some more.. 

There such little documentation on samba.. The samba site is confusing.. took a lot of searching and struggling to figure these small bits out. Lots of help is available for older windows versions. Havent found much help for working with Win XP/2l

Links: 
Quick HOWTO: Sharing Rescources with Samba
Experts Excahange Query

Oh! Update.. The Samba site does have info here.. going thru it now..


Instant Messenger
2005-03-18T11:30:00.000-05:00
K.. Now I wanna tell some one that ive installed Linux... Time to install the IM software.

MSN Messenger obviously doesnt have a version for Linux but theres a proggy that take care of that.
amsn : Version: 0.94-0.gbv.1

Yahoo has a developed the Linux version for their IM. Installed Yahoo Messenger for RedHat 9.0 rpm from Yahoo.com


Playing DivX Vizions
2005-03-17T13:02:00.000-05:00
So I've installed Suse.. and its lunchtime so i want to watch my divX Xena eps.. and ack! linux wont play divX!!! I could only hear the sound.. no video.

Heres what I installed. Dunno if i installed some unnecessary stuff or if installed it the right way.. but by the end of 2 hrs of struggle I was watching Xena, Season 4 eps nice et clear!

libmp3lame0 : Version: 3.93.1-1mdk
mplayer : Version: 1.0pre6-1
libtheora : Version: 1.0alpha4-0.pm.0
speex: Version: 1.1.7-0.pm.0
w32codecs : Version: 0.90-2 (Dont think this is necessary)
w32codec : Version: 0.90-alt1 (Dont think this is necessary)
w32codec : Version: 0.52-1
libxine1 : Version: 1.0cvs-050101

Voila.. DivX files play... 

Linkz of the day! - rpmfind.net & Pac-Man


Eternia: The Setup
2005-03-17T12:15:00.000-05:00
Workgroup Name: Eternia
Router: D-Link Wifi Router (Connected to Motorola Cable Modem)

[Wired Connection]
Stripperella - Windows XP - Desktop
Sorceress - Suse 9.1 - Desktop

[Wireless Connection]
Druidess - Suse 9.1 & Windows XP - Laptop
Mini Me - Windows Mobile 2003 - Pocket PC


Machine Specs
2005-03-17T09:44:00.000-05:00

OS: Suse 9.1

System Specs for The Sorceress:
Amd Athlon XP 2200
MSI Mboard KM2M Combo KM266 - 8235
Integrated Ethernet & Sound
IGP Video (Integrated) 
2 PCI Ethernet Cards
40 GB HDD Maxtor
120 GB HDD Western Digital
Dvd Writer 
CD Writer
Logitech MX700 Wireless Keyboard & Mouse



System Specs for The Druidess:
HP ZV5030CA
Processor: 2.66 Intel Pentium 4
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 40 GB
Graphics Card: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 4X AGP and 3D architecture
Graphics RAM: 64 MB
LCD Native Resolution: 1280-by-800
Sound Card: Sound Max
Wireless Card: BroadCom 802.11g

(thats most of what i can remmber.)


In the begining...
2005-03-16T08:50:00.000-05:00
In the begining there was windows on my desktop, the Sorceress.. and Suse 91.Prof and Windows XP Prof dual booted on my Laptop, the Druidess. 

The Druidess is a HP zv5030ca with an internal Broadcom wifi card. Used Ndiswrapper and the wifi driver and managed to get it to see Kerberos, my wifi network but couldnt get it to go online. It would show up on the router as connected but i couldnt get on the network. I also couldnt get my SoundMax card to work... And i really wanna learn how to use linux.. so.. I decided to dual boot the Sorceres...

I installed Suse 91.Prof on the Sorceress and something went wrong with Grub and i could nolonger boot in to windows.. so ive decided to give up on windows for a bit and try and survive with linux.. 

This Blog is to journal my efforts and adventures in Tux Land...