[PLUG] Need a new laptop
Hey Pluggers, I find myself suddenly in need of a new laptop. My requirements are: - Runs Linux well (including Wi-Fi) - Light weight - my current netbook is 3 pounds - Long battery life (8-10 hours) I don't need much horsepower. I just need to take notes, browse the web, and run OpenVPN occasionally. Does anyone have any recommendations for systems I should consider, or ones I should nix? Thanks in advance. -Brian --- Brian P. Martin Martin Consulting Services, Inc. UNIX & Linux System Administration, Training, and Programming Telephone: 503 617-4500 E-mail: br...@martinconsulting.com Web-site: www.martinconsulting.com ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] PLUG JOBS PRE-APPLICATION COMPLETE -> GOLDEN RULE
> I apologize that a few folks were subject to my wrath but I wish to > address the golden rule of open source: > >Do not criticize a volunteer effort unless it is explicitly harmful [snip] > Or I am completely and utterly missing something. > >Michael I don't think you were out of line at all. The PLUG-JOBS mailing definitely took a big uptick in spam with the transition to the new server. Not sure what got lost in translation, but it was dramatic. I recall that Wil set some very aggressive anti-spam goals for himself in the past (no spam, but no false positives either), so perhaps we were benefiting as a by-product of living in his server world. That technical issue aside, though, I think the complainer was out of line in tone and attitude. More importantly, they failed to recognize the amazing amount of effort you and others contribute to PLUG, and how much is required to make it all happen. I think you were right to speak up. I had a lead role in a similar organization a few years ago (and did miserably), so I speak from experience. I appreciate everything you do for us. PLUG just keeps getting better, and these days I attribute that directly to you. Thank you, Michael. -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Linux(ubuntu) Motherboard
> The fact remains that electrolytic caps are very good electronic noise filters, and I would bet that nearly every power supply in all of our houses and data centers employs them. I will bow to those more knowledgeable than I regarding the current status of electrolytic capacitors. I understand that even good electrolytic capacitors degrade with normal use - but that might just be misinformation. Somebody please set me straight if I'm wrong about that. The two things I do know in this regards are: 1) Well respected brands of motherboards are available that don't use electrolytics; 2) Since I started avoiding boards with electrolytic capacitors, I haven't had a board fail. Given that, I choose to avoid electrolytic capacitors when I can. -Brian M. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Linux(ubuntu) Motherboard (Chaz Sliger)
> Looking for motherboard recommendations and a good place to buy. Don't > care about gaming or whizzy graphics. This will be used for financial > analysis and database operations. Need connections for 6 disks (3 sets of > mirrors). Need at least 16 Gb of ram. Mostly interested in getting a > solid reliable board. I recommend boards *without* electrolytic capacitors. In my experience those have been the parts that are most prone to fail. Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague. Asus and Gigabyte manufacture such boards, though I don't know if *all* their boards meet that threshold. I usually have to resort to examining a picture of the board to determine whether electrolytics are being used. They're pretty obvious, taller than most components, and typically black with a blue stripe on them, and silver on top. (Galen or Keith can correct me on that.) More generally, I've never had a problem with any general purpose board and Linux. -Brian M. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Need to prevent accidental data destruction
Hey Pluggers, The only think I hate worse than unscheduled downtime is data loss, and I have a situation where it would be very easy to accidentally destroy a lot of data very quickly. I'd like to see if anyone has a clever idea about preventing this from happening. Here's the situation: 1) I have a current Linux system running as a host to virtual machines. 2) I have a hardware RAID (call it /dev/sdb) holding many terabytes of data. 3) /dev/sdb has no partition table, and is formatted as an entire-disk file system, if that matters 4) /dev/sdb is attached to one of the virtual machines (also current Linux), which reads and writes files on /dev/sdb regularly So far, so good, and everything works. Here's the scenario I'm worried about: an accidental mount of /dev/sdb on the host system, either via typing in the wrong window or during some maintenance task when the virtual machine is thought to be shut down but isn't, will corrupt that file system and lead to the possible loss of all those terabytes of data. Yes, I have backups (which might take days to restore), and yes there's a chance I could recover some or all of the data with various tools, but those are fixing a problem. I want to avoid the problem altogether. Can any of you think of a clever way to provide a layer of protection around opening the device from the host level? SELinux, perhaps? -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] LVM-induced hosage
Russell: > Just to follow up, some combination of updating lvm2 to something more > recent: > > root@iris russell # pvmove --version > LVM version: 2.02.97(2) (2012-08-07) > Library version: 1.02.76 (2012-08-07) > Driver version: 4.14.0 > > and running pvmove on individual logical volumes allowed me to move > them off of the degraded physical volume with no further > freezes/deadlocks. Yay! Hey, Russell. Sorry to hear you had problems. I was off the net or I would have gotten back to you sooner. As I think I mentioned in my talk, I never put / or /var on anything fancy (RAID1 at most, no LVM, etc.) so I never run into this. I want my minimal boot environment as simple as possible because everything is so much easier to fix if the box can at least boot. I inherit systems with /var in LVM under a variety of distros though and I've never had any problem. PVmove is probably the most challenging operation, but it uses a very reliable and interruptible approach. It mirrors the logical volume to the new destination, then shifts the pointers over to the new destination and drops the old one. If it gets interrupted anywhere along the way, the pointers are always left pointing at a valid copy. A "pvmove" command with no options will resume a previously interrupted pvmove. I'd be interested in knowing if you tried that to get it unstuck. In any case, glad you got it resolved. -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Reminder: September PLUG Meeting: The Joy of Logical Volumes
> Will Brian be able to explain how to shrink a partition inside a > logical volume? I'd be happy to talk about that. The answer is that it's either pretty easy or usually impossible, depending on what file system you're using. -B. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Virus-scan software for Linux? (Richard C. Steffens)
Dick, > As part of a Security Standards and Practices requirement for some > contract work I'm about to take on the company wants me to assure them > that I have virus-scan software installed. I discovered that AVG does > have a version that will run on Linux. We use AVG software on our > Windows machines and are satisfied with it. Does anyone have experience > with AVG on Linux? ClamAV is available on most distributions. http://www.clamav.net/lang/en/ -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Last Call! The PLUG AT speaker can't make it. Options?
> I haven't heard any feedback about Tuesday's meeting for which the > speaker has cancelled. I am happy to go down there even if only for an > open discussion but I would like to hear at least one vote in favor or > suggestion of an alternative topic. > > Options: > > 1. Does someone else have something they would like to talk about? > > 2. Is there a hot roundtable free-for-all topic? > > 3. May I bore you with my BSD Virtualization presentation? > > 4. Cancel it? I would be in favor of an open discussion. In particular, I'd be interested in anybody's experience with the systemd initiator/start-up daemon and any of the Zabbix/Monit/OpenNMS monitoring systems. If people want, I can also give the previously failed demo of LXC (about 15 minutes). -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Free distros! - PXE Booting & Beyond
> If there is interest I can give an actual talk. I never got around to PXE ... so I'm interested. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Linux Containers - the MOVIE!
Those of you that attended the PLUG Advanced Topics presentation on Linux Containers earlier this week know that I wasn't able to give the promised demo. To satisfy that need I've recorded a video of the demonstration, which you can find at http://youtu.be/N7GkNs2wQt4. I spent a huge amount of time figuring out how to record that demo. I tried the Istanbul and recordmydesktop apps before falling back to ffmpeg. For others that might want to create a similar demo, the incantation that works for me is: ffmpeg -f x11grab -s 1024x768 -r 30 -i :0.0 -f alsa -ac 2 -i hw:0,0 -sameq -async 4 -map 0,0 -map 1 ~/output.mpeg The "-map" options are particularly important to keep the audio and video in sync. If any ffmpeg gurus can tell me how to improve this, particularly regarding the audio quality, I'd love to hear about it. Finally, I converted the mpeg file to AVI for purpose of uploading to YouTube. The AVI file looks fine on my PC, but is much poorer quality (though still readable) when presented by YouTube. If anyone has tips in that regards, please pass them on. Thanks, everyone. It's Friday afternoon. Better find some suitable containers to empty this weekend. -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] ANNOUNCEMENT: March PLUG Advanced Topics Meeting, Second Announcement
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT The Portland Linux/Unix Group Advanced Topics Faction will meet 7 PM Tuesday March 20th, 2012 at Free Geek in the Conference Room Free Geek, 1731 SE 10th Avenue far left entrance *** PRESENTATION Introduction to Linux Containers (LXC) by Brian Martin Brian has been using native Linux Containers (aka LXC) to solve a need for increased security and isolation while avoiding the overhead of virtualization. In this talk Brian will discuss: * Where containers surpass virtualization * What containers cannot do * Why he selected LXC instead of OpenVZ or similar products * Network configuration choices * Setting up a Linux container * A demonstration After the main meeting a subcommittee will convene to study the best application of containers (holding beer) at the Lucky Lab. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Once again Linux has proven to me it is only good
> #1 What line to a I add/change/delete in the config file to make GRUB pause > for say 10 seconds? > #2 Do I just remove the 2 sections referencing the .39 and .39 Recovery > from the config file to get past this error for now? #1 My grub configuration is in /boot/grub/menu.lst. Yours might be named differently, but it should be similar and obvious. Set the "timeout" value to 10. #2 You apparently have several stanzas for different boot options. You'll also have a "default" parameter, which identifies which stanza to use by default. The stanzas are counted starting at zero, so if you want the first stanza enter 0, second stanza enter 1, etc. You may also have a "fallback" parameter, which tells grub what to boot if it can't boot the default (e.g. kernel not found). If you choose to delete a stanza, you may need to renumber your default and fallback values. For example, if your default is set to 4 and your fallback is set to 6 and you delete stanza 2, you need to change those values to 3 and 5 respectively. So delete a stanza if you wish, or just change the default to be the one you want. Good luck. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Blog software
At the risk of unleashing a fire hose of responses, what do people recommend for blogging software? My requirements: - I'll be running on a current Linux system (OpenSUSE 12.1). - I don't need a lot of fancy bells and whistles - I'll be running on a fairly lightweight machine (32 bit, dual core hyper-threaded, 1.5Ghz, 2G memory) - I expect light traffic. If I get 30 hits a day other than spiders I'll be pleased. - I want something that's not too bleeding edge. Reliability is important. - Reasonably secure -- at least not a long history of exposures. Recommendations? -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Re Cheap asterisk hardware
> I would like to test them out on it first, so before I go and drop $600 on > a PCI line card or analog gateways, any ideas on cheap or loaner options? You might check out Rowetel.com (http://www.rowetel.com/blog/?page_id=445). I have one of their IP0X embedded systems. It was much less expensive than the Digium solution. It will support up to 8 POTS connectors, split between FXO and FXS on even-numbered boundaries. My only mistake: I blew over any consideration of upgrading the firmware first. The supplied version of Asterisk is pretty old and the shell is quirky if you need to do scripting. The site discusses flashing the device with newer software, and I probably should have done that before I went into production. Still, I'm happy with the box. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] lxc containers
I'm playing with Linux lxc containers, and for the most part liking what I see. I'm hoping someone with more experience can verify my understanding on two points: 1) In a conventional system, if I mount the same file system read/write on two different mount points, I will most likely corrupt the file system. I gather however that the host system can manipulate the container's file systems freely while the container is operating, even though both have it mounted, because those container mounts don't really exist. Can someone confirm/deny/explain that? 2) The container needs a root file system in order to see all those important files it needs day-to-day. If I'm using the container for security/isolation purposes, that rootfs is separate from the host's rootfs (don't want them to see /etc/shadow, for example). In the case that each container has its own rootfs, don't I need to apply patches to all those containers each time I patch the host or risk lots of obscure errors due to the mismatch? -Brian Martin --- Brian P. Martin Martin Consulting Services, Inc. UNIX & Linux System Administration, Training, and Programming Telephone: 503 617-4500 E-mail: br...@martinconsulting.com Web-site: www.martinconsulting.com ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] System Administrator freelancers
Jeff: > I'm looking for system administrators who work freelance, and I wonder > whether you or anyone you know is in that boat? I regularly get > requests for deeper system administration than I really want to do, or > system administration after I'm done developing an application, and > I'd really like to have people to recommend to my clients to talk to. > Right now I'm especially looking for anyone who still knows (the > modern) RedHat. I've been a contract sys admin in the Portland area for 15 years, focusing primarily on Linux and Unix. I target clients that are looking for part time or occasional work. My clients show a high degree of satisfaction, keeping me onboard for years (>10 years in two cases) or bringing me back for project after project. I'd be happy to meet some time to get to know you. 503-617-4500, www.martinconsulting.com. -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Amavis wants...
Michael, > # cat /var/log/maillog|grep 'No decoder for ' > Sep 7 06:52:49 web amavis[12457]: No decoder for .lzo tried: lzop -d > Sep 7 06:52:49 web amavis[12457]: No decoder for .arc tried: nomarch, arc > Sep 7 06:52:49 web amavis[12457]: No decoder for .zoo tried: zoo, unzoo > > I'm on a CentOS 5.6 system, how do I resolve these dependencies? I'm not sure if I understand your question, but I'll give it a shot. If you're asking why those messages come up, it's because amavis will make use of external (de)compression packages like gunzip, bunzip2, etc. if they're available.The ones listed above are kinds of compression/decompression packages that amavis understands, but aren't present on your system. They're not dependencies in the classic sense. Amavis will work fine without them, and mine has run for years without some packages similar to these. It just means that if someone sends you an e-mail with, say, a .zoo attachment, Amavis can't decompress it to scan the contents. The solution is either to not worry about .zoo attachments and the other ones listed, or to install the external packages that know how to compress/decompress these kinds of files. You'll have to look to your distro to find out which packages are needed to support those kinds of files. I hope that helps. -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] VoIP group?
Michael, > I need help with a Digium TDM410P analog card configured with 2 FXS and > 2 FXO ports. I have the O'Reilly book on Asterisk 1.8, but I don't know > where to look in the book for how to configure outbound calling from an > FXS connected handset. I haven't tackled 1.8, but it's probably the same as 1.6. The short answer is probably "extensions.conf". If you get stuck, send me that file off-list and I can probably get you unstuck. -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Preferred rackmount server brands?
I need to buy a new rackmount server to run Linux. I want to stay away from vendors who use proprietary hardware with difficult-to-find Linux drivers (e.g. Dell, at least in the past). What brands do the fine folks at PLUG think I should consider? -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] OSCON 20% discount
I just searched the main mailing list, and I didn't find anything about an OSCON discount this year. Not to worry, though. At my request OSCON gave me my very own discount code to share with my several hundred closest friends. They tell me that the discount code of "Martin" (no really -- they said it was simpler just to use my name) will get you 20% off any of the packages. Registration at: https://en.oreilly.com/oscon2011/public/register. Have fun. Hope to see you there. -Brian --- Brian P. Martin Martin Consulting Services, Inc. UNIX & Linux System Administration, Training, and Programming Web-site: www.martinconsulting.com ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Resolved: Hardware failure
>> percussive maintenance >i nominate "percussive maintenance" for euphemism of the year. Along a similar vein ... Alan Olsen has claimed to be in favor of phrenotherapy. Phrenology is a pseudoscientific study of bumps on the skull as a way to understand various derangements. Alan suggested jokingly that phrenotherapy, the application of additional bumps to the skull, might correct misguided ideas in some individuals. -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Hardware failure
Dick, > When I got up this morning and went to check my e-mail, I moved the mouse to wake up the screen, but nothing happened. The fan on my desktop machine > was still running, but the machine otherwise appeared dead. I tried holding the power button in, but nothing changed -- the fan kept running. I pulled the > power cord from the back of the machine and the fan stopped (of course). After several seconds, I plugged the power cord back in and tried holding in the > power button. Nothing happened. > Obviously, something about the hardware has failed. I'll open the box later and look inside, but I doubt that will enlighten me very much. Any ideas on what to > poke at? Caveat: I have essentially no training in electronics, but lots of experience in resolving failing hardware. There may be some witch-doctoring nonsense in my notes below, but it works for me. 1) I'm suspicious of the power supply. I've never heard of a recent (last decade) power supply that wouldn't power down if you held the power button down for 10 seconds. 2) While you've got the case open, check for bad electrolytic capacitors. This is a 5-second check (once you know what to look for) that can save hours of diagnostics. Here's a reasonably good article on that: http://www.capacitorlab.com/visible-failures/. In the first picture, I count three good electrolytics, in the upper left, center, and bottom. The rest are all bad. This is an extreme case, as I usually only find one or two bad. It doesn't matter where you find the capacitors (anywhere on the motherboard, on a PCI board, etc.). If they bulge, they're bad. They might still work for a while, but they're failing. 3) I once spent two hours trying to diagnose hardware problems before taking a machine into the shop where it worked fine, and continued to work fine for a couple of years after that. The tech recommended for next time: "Before you get too involved, turn it off, unplug every wire, leave it for about 20 minutes, and try it again. Sometimes electronics can get in an incorrect state, and a complete power-down and discharge will allow them to reset." 4) If all that fails, unplug every component you can do without temporarily (every PCI board, all USB devices, extra hard drives, DVD drive), then see how it does. Devices can fail in ways that cause them to flood a machine with meaningless signals (at least that's my theory). I have a machine right now that will take way too long to run its POST memory check if a particular external USB hub is plugged in. Once the machine is up, plugging in the USB hub is fine. I think the hub must be slamming the bus with noise until the O/S gets far enough up to reset it somehow. Good luck. -Brian ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Asterisk hardware
Fellow PLUGgers, I'm using Asterisk, essentially as an intelligent voicemail system (time-based outgoing messages, blacklists, text message alerts, etc.). I see that my TDM400 card is going to fail -- the electrolytic capacitors are starting to bulge. A replacement card from Digium is going for about $700, which is more than I want to pay. The motherboard on the host system also looks like it's having trouble, so I have an opportunity to completely change hardware. My requirements are: - two Telco lines, currently POTS, but they arrive via FIOS if that provides any additional options - roughly eight analog phone handsets that do not need to be handled individually (they currently all share the same TDM400 port, which is fine) - ability to customize the Asterisk configuration files as normal. - fax support is a plus, but not required Obviously I can replace the Digium card and motherboard. What other choices should I consider? -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] Ethernet patch cable alarm...
> Wouldn't it suffice, and perhaps be easier, to "cap" the end of the > cable in such as way as to make non-un-pluggable without some sort of "key"? If they're not *too* motivated, you can cut the narrow part of the release tab off of the cable head. That's the part that sticks out when a cable is plugged in, that you press on to release the cable. Without that, you have to use a small tool (small screwdriver, nail file, etc.) to reach the remaining part of the release tab. It's more "security theater" than security, but it's quick, cheap, and might meet your needs. If your cables have non-snag boots on them, it'll be even less obvious what you've done. > Out of curiosity, how do I program a Linux server to beep when a patch > cable is disconnected from it? I don't know, but at least some distros show an entry in the syslog when an Ethernet cable is plugged or unplugged. Linux has a configurable hardware event notification system. Someone on the list probably already knows a lot about it. I believe this is the mechanism that also responds to CDs being loaded, USB devices being plugged and unplugged, etc. If the external server OS is trusted, you could probably use this to just have it turn off the network interface in response to an unplug until someone (you) comes and fixes it. One or two cycles of that and people will learn that moving the network cable breaks the server and doesn't get them what they want. The bigger issue is "why are they doing this". If it's porn, downloading pirated movies, etc., that's a firing offense at most companies. A memo from the manager reminding them of that keeps you out of the policeman role. If it's a legitimate work-related need, then you need to find a way to help them meet their job needs without circumventing the content filter. Technology is often not the right solution to people problems. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
[PLUG] SCO Rescue diskettes/CDs, fixing vxfs file systems
OK, so there are a lot of solutions for SCO in general, but those won't help my situation. I'm looking for anyone that has some old SCO rescue diskettes or CDs they can lend me. Here are the details... I have a new client with an old SCO system (Open Server 6 according to the splash screen) that is in trouble -- root file system full, some file systems corrupted. All should be easy to fix once I log on as root, but the system has a preinstalled menu that pops up for root logins (including single user mode and file system recovery logins). The menu includes an item to go to the shell prompt, but it doesn't work, presumably because of the various system problems. The other menu items are similarly useless. ^C, ^Z, and ^\ won't get me out. I can't log into other accounts due to the system problems, so su is out. Possible solutions I can see are: 1) Think of some clever way to escape or avoid the menu 2) Bring up a rescue system to resolve the various file system errors (and maybe kill the stupid menu). The root file system is vxfs. Research indicates that Knoppix and most Linux systems don't understand vxfs, though I didn't have the media with me when I was there to try it. So, my questions are: 1) Does anyone have any clever ideas about escaping the menu? 2) Does anybody have a bootable media that will allow me to reliably work on a vxfs file system? The hardware is a Xeon, and supports CD, floppies, and perhaps USB for booting. The disks are SCSI. -Brian Martin ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
