Linux on paapereira.xyz

Scripting sending messages with SimpleX Chat CLI

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 09:30:00 +0100

SimpleX Chat as a CLI version. You can read more about it in my last post.

You can pass commands to simplex-chat, so… I finally can send myself messages from my shell scripts in my server when something goes wrong.

Something like: simplex-chat -e "@username A message"

It supports markdown so I can send it in red: simplex-chat -e "@username !1 A message!"

Inside simplex-chat you can list the options for markdown:

Activate WebDAV in Seafile

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 14:00:00 +0000

I turned off WebDAV in Seafile some time ago because it wasn’t working.

Can’t remember the issue itself, but I wasn’t actively using it so…

I’m now in version 9.0.13. Here’s how I enable it.

Make sure you have pycryptodome installed.

1sudo pip install pycryptodome==3.12.0

Activate WebDAV in seafdav.conf

1[WEBDAV]
2enabled = true
3port = 8888
4share_name = /seafdav
5show_repo_id = true

Configure ProxyPassReverse in Apache. In my case /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

Upgrading Seafile from 7.1.x to 8.0.x

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 14:17:46 +0000

The new 9.0 Seafile version is out. Time to upgrade. I’m currently running 8.0.16.

Don’t forget to read the release notes from Seafile.

Before upgrading

Reading the release notes, this version needs python modules. I also upgraded pip

1sudo /usr/bin/python -m pip install --upgrade pip
2
3sudo /usr/bin/python -m pip install pycryptodome==3.12.0
4sudo /usr/bin/python -m pip install cffi==1.14.0

I had cffi 1.15 in my system, I had to downgrade:

Seafile log4j vulnerability fix

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 19:57:31 +0000

There is a recent log4j vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) affecting a ton or services and servers.

Specifically for Seafile, you can read this post in the forum to know more about this issue and how to fix it.

Here are my notes about it.

Scan for vulnerable log4j classes

1sudo -u seafile_user -s /bin/sh
2mkdir /tmp/log4jscan/
3cd /tmp/log4jscan/
4wget https://github.com/lunasec-io/lunasec/releases/download/v1.3.1-log4shell/log4shell_1.3.1-log4shell_Linux_x86_64
5chmod +x log4shell_1.3.1-log4shell_Linux_x86_64
6./log4shell_1.3.1-log4shell_Linux_x86_64 scan $HOME/seafile/seafile-server-latest/

You will see something like this:

Fixing Seafile

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Similarly to the beginning of the year, I had a problem with Seafile. It was crashing and I couldn’t start it with systemd.

Here’s my notes/steps/fixes for the issue.

I stopped the services:

1sudo systemctl stop seahub
2sudo systemctl stop seafile

Sudo into the seafile user:

1sudo -u seafileuser -s /bin/sh

Disabled the daemon mode and manually started seafile to see the output errors:

Fix theme option after upgrading rofi to 1.7.1

Sun, 28 Nov 2021 11:59:57 +0000

Following the latest 1.7.0 rofi update, the latest 1.7.1 version all “broke” my theming.

Basically the theme option changed.

To fix I just add to my ~/.config/rofi/config.rasi file:

Before:

1configuration {
2 (...)
3 theme: "~/.config/rofi/themes/dmenu.rasi";
4 (...)
5}

After:

1configuration {
2 (...)
3}
4
5@theme "~/.config/rofi/themes/dmenu.rasi"

Theme fix after upgrading rofi to 1.7.0

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 15:31:55 +0100

After upgrading to rofi 1.7.0 my themes where broken and weird.

To fix I just add to my theme.rasi files:

1element-text, element-icon {
2 background-color: inherit;
3 text-color: inherit;
4}

Before the fix:

After the fix (all normal again):

Improve pacman performance and add some flare

Sat, 05 Jun 2021 15:12:45 +0100

Want to improve pacman performance and add some flare to it?

Add Color, ILoveCandy and ParallelDownloads options in pacman.conf.

1sudo vi /etc/pacman.conf

Here’s my ‘Misc options’ section:

1# Misc options
2#UseSyslog
3Color
4#TotalDownload
5CheckSpace
6VerbosePkgLists
7ILoveCandy
8ParallelDownloads = 5

Reviewed bookmarks script

Sat, 10 Apr 2021 15:32:24 +0100

Following my previous post I kept improving my bookmarks script.

I simplified the script to use only one bookmark file and defined a structure to help me while searching.

The bookmarks.txt file

It has two sections (just for organization sake), a Quickmarks section for common urls and a Bookmarks section for everything else.

Each line is divided in three parts. A category/name, tags and the url.

 1cat ~/.local/bin/bookmarks.txt
 2
 3>> Quickmarks
 4#
 5#---
 6📚books/Goodreads ...... (reviews) ......... https://www.goodreads.com/
 7📚books/Audible ........ (audiobook) ....... https://www.audible.com/
 8📚books/Kindle_Deals ... (kindle,ebooks) ... https://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=UTF8&node=11552285011&ref_=sv_kstore_5
 9#---
10🟠headspace ............ (meditation) ...... https://www.headspace.com/login
11📶reddit ............... (news,forum) ...... https://www.reddit.com/
12📺youtube .............. (video,stream) .... https://www.youtube.com/
13⭐paapereira.xyz ....... (blog) ............ https://paapereira.xyz/
14#
15-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16#
17>> Bookmarks
18#
19🏦banking/cgd.pt ..................... (bank) ............ https://www.cgd.pt/
20🏦banking/big.pt ..................... (bank) ............ https://big.pt/
21🏦banking/sodexo ..................... (bank) ............ https://www.sodexobeneficios.pt/
22#---
23#eof

The bookmarks script

With this reviewed script you can also quickly edit the bookmarks.txt file.

Web searching and bookmarks using Rofi

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:58:21 +0100

Inspired in a recent DT video and his Gitlab repository, I revamped my websearch shell script I’ve been using with Rofi.

I already had something very similar to this, but I took this opportunity to review the code and to separate my old websearch script into two scripts:

websearch: web searching in an handful of sites
bookmarks: quickly open bookmarks

websearch

This script allows for searching in a number of sites.

You can add your own sites by adding a new ‘options’ line.

betterlockscreen: a simple, minimal lockscreen

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 17:13:39 +0000

betterlockscreen is a simple and minimal lockscreen.

I have been using i3lock, witch conflicts with betterlockscreen, so it will be uninstalled.

To install:

1paru -S betterlockscreen
2cp /usr/share/doc/betterlockscreen/examples/betterlockscreenrc ~/.config

In my case, using i3-gaps, I added to ~/.config/i3/config:

1exec --no-startup-id betterlockscreen -w dim
2exec --no-startup-id xautolock -time 10 -corners 000- -locker "betterlockscreen -l dim"

And reviewed my session key bindings:

Using Epiphany to create applications from webpages

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 14:27:08 +0000

Using Gnome Web (aka Epiphany), your can create ‘applications’ from webpages.

Using Plex as an example, this means that you can ‘install’ Plex from https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/.

First, install epiphany and enable hardware acceleration.

1paru -S epiphany gstreamer
2gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always'

Open epiphany and go to https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/.

“Install” as an application.

Plex will appear as an app.

Rofi: a window switcher, application launcher and dmenu replacement

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 14:27:52 +0000

Rofi is a window switcher, application launcher and dmenu replacement.

I’ve been using rofi with i3-gaps since early 2019. I had played with it before, but I’ve been using it daily the last couple of years.

I use it to launch applications, open ssh sessions, with pass and with a set of useful custom scripts.

Installation

You need to install the rofi package. I also installed rofi-dmenu for dmenu compatibility, rofi-pass to use with pass and the extra rofi-emoji and rofi-calc.

Upgrading Seafile from 7.1.x to 8.0.x

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 14:08:33 +0000

The new 8.0.0 Seafile version is out. Time to upgrade. I’m currently running 7.1.14.

Don’t forget to read the release notes from Seafile.

Before upgrading

Reading the release notes, this version needs the libmysqlclient-dev (I’m using mariadb-libs) package and new python modules.

I just upgraded pip, installed the new python modules and upgraded others.

1sudo /usr/bin/python -m pip install --upgrade pip
2
3sudo pip3 install --timeout=3600 future mysqlclient
4
5sudo pip3 install --timeout=3600 Pillow pylibmc captcha jinja2 \
6	sqlalchemy django-pylibmc django-simple-captcha python3-ldap

Upgrading

I started by stopping the services:

Moving my dotfiles repository to Gitlab

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 17:19:31 +0000

I’ve been using Keybase to manage my dotfiles with git. Do give it a read to learn how I’m doing it.

This is just how I moved the git server-side from Keybase to Gitlab.

First of all create a new empty repository in Gitlab. I’ve created a ‘dotfiles’ repository.

 1cd ~
 2alias dotfiles='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME'
 3dotfiles fetch origin
 4dotfiles remote add new-origin git@gitlab.com:your_username/dotfiles.git
 5dotfiles push --all new-origin
 6dotfiles remote rm origin
 7dotfiles remote rename new-origin origin
 8dotfiles add your_dotfile
 9dotfiles commit -m "Updated configs"
10dotfiles push --set-upstream origin master

✉️ Setting up a personal email server

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 16:27:48 +0000

I’ve been using my own personal email server for the last week.

These are my notes, inspired by Luke’s Smith emailwiz script.

Requirements

To setup your own email server you need to:

Investigate first to know what your getting into. See my research references ¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵
A domain name
A server to host your mail

Server setup

I’ll be using Vultr to setup my email server.

You can get 100$ credit by using Luke Smith’s reference link. You can find it in his video description.

Using profile-sync-daemon in LibreWolf

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 14:14:08 +0000

I talked about LibreWolf last month, and how I made profile-sync-daemon work.

The way I did made Firefox stop working, so this is the better way.

Fixing what I did and set it correctly:

1sudo mv /usr/share/psd/browsers/firefox_bck /usr/share/psd/browsers/firefox
2sudo cp /usr/share/psd/browsers/firefox /usr/share/psd/browsers/librewolf

Replacing .mozilla/firefox with .librewolf in /usr/share/psd/browsers/librewolf and restart psd.

1sudo vi /usr/share/psd/browsers/librewolf
2systemctl --user stop psd.service
3systemctl --user start psd.service
4
5psd p

Synchronizing the system clock across the network

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 14:41:57 +0000

systemd-timesyncd is a daemon that has been added for synchronizing the system clock across the network. (…)

Basically it makes sure your system clock is in sync in you network. In my home network I set this up to make sure my desktop, server and laptop are in sync.

I added NTP servers in the timesyncd configuration file, before enabling and starting the service:

1sudo vi /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf

1[Time]
2NTP=0.arch.pool.ntp.org 1.arch.pool.ntp.org 2.arch.pool.ntp.org 3.arch.pool.ntp.org
3FallbackNTP=0.pt.pool.ntp.org 1.europe.pool.ntp.org 2.europe.pool.ntp.org

1sudo systemctl enable systemd-timesyncd
2sudo systemctl start systemd-timesyncd
3sudo systemctl status systemd-timesyncd
4timedatectl status
5timedatectl timesync-status

Fixing Seafile

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 16:28:27 +0000

Yesterday I woke up without access to my Seafile instance.

Here’s my notes/steps/fixes for the issue.

Restart Seafile and check for errors:

1sudo systemctl restart seafile
2sudo systemctl status seafile
3sudo systemctl restart seahub
4sudo systemctl status seahub

No errors here.

Check Seafile logs:

1sudo -u seafile -s /bin/sh
2cd /srv/seafile/logs

I found the following in elasticsearch.log:

LibreWolf - A fork of Firefox

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 18:33:53 +0000

LibreWolf is a fork of Firefox, focused on privacy, security and freedom.

I’ve been trying it out and so far so good. It’s basically Firefox, but with out of the box enhanced security and without Mozilla telemetries, Pockets and stuffs.

Installing

1paru -S librewolf-bin

Set LibreWolf as the default browser

I’m using i3-gaps.

I need to change my .profile.

1vi .profile

1export BROWSER="/usr/bin/librewolf"

And replace firefox with librewolf in the mimeapps.list file.

Improving my Boot Time in Arch Linux (part 2)

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 16:38:55 +0000

After improving my boot time the last time, some (not all) boots were still taking time. It seemed to pause somewhere before the login screen.

Analyzing the systemd critical chain, looking for errors in journalctl and some web searching, I found an issue in systemd that matched my problem.

In the issue there is the suggestion to install dbus-broker. I did it and haven’t had any issue since.

Looking for the boot time issue

1sudo systemd-analyze critical-chain
2sudo journalctl -b -p err..alert

The journal from the issue (matched mine):

Starship - A cross-shell prompt

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 14:54:55 +0000

Starship is a minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell.

You can see different options for the installation in the Starship site.

In my case, in Arch Linux:

1paru starship-bin

After installing starship you need to tell you shell to use it.

In my case I’m using zsh and added the following to my .zshrc file:

1# starship shell
2eval "$(starship init zsh)"

You can add customizations by creating a ~/.config/starship.toml file.

Paru - An AUR helper and pacman wrapper

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 15:26:57 +0000

Paru is an AUR helper and pacman wrapper written in Rust and based on the design of yay.

I’ve been using yay for about a year now and I’ll be playing around with paru for the next weeks. I still have yay installed and yes, I used yay to install paru.

1yay -S paru-bin

Installing and upgrading packages from the Arch repositories or from the AUR it’s just like yay.

Calibre 5 is out

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 15:22:57 +0100

Calibre 5 is out.

I had installed the python3 version. No need now, just install the calibre package.

1sudo pacman -S calibre

Calibre ebook management

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 11:17:31 +0100

I’ve been playing around and migrating my book library to Calibre.

Installing

I installed the python3 version.

1yay -S calibre-common calibre-python3

Goodreads plugin

I installed the Goodreads plugin to connect to my account and sync my ratings and read dates (for this I created a ‘read_date’ column.

I also sync my top 100 books. For that I created a ’top_100’ column in Calibre and when syncing my ‘Top 100’ shelf from Goodreads I update this column.

System backups with BorgBackup and BorgBase

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 17:46:20 +0100

Since my last post on BorgBackup and BorgBase, I have subscribed to a 1 TB annual plan and have my daily and weekly /home backups running.

The next thing to setup is my system backups. For this (for now) I’m using a more weekly manually approach.

Installation

1sudo pacman -S borg

Setup

Create a new key to use in your backups (leave the password blank, I couldn’t get it to work witch a password)

1sudo ssh-keygen -o -a 100 -t ed25519

Add your key to BorgBase (Account > SSH Keys)

1sudo cat /root/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Create a new ‘desktop-system’ Repository in BorgBase and associate your SSH Key

Listening to podcast using gpodder, gpodder.net and AntennaPod

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 11:43:13 +0100

I’ve been using PocketCasts to listen to my podcasts for quite some time. In Android using with the app and in Linux in the website (using MellowPlayer).

But I’ve also been looking to a more open source way to listen to my podcasts.

I’m using for two weeks now AntennaPod in Android, gpodder.net to manage my subscriptions and gpodder in Arch Linux.

Installation and Setup

Install AntennaPod on F-Droid or Google Play
Install gpodder (in my case in Arch Linux yay -S gpodder)
Create an account at gpodder.net
Configure in AntennaPod and gpodder your new gpodder.net account

Managing Subscriptions

I exported my subscriptions in PocketCasts.

Remote backups using BorgBackup, Vorta and BorgBase

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 20:11:14 +0100

I’ve been using a mix of my own scripts with tar/gpg and duplicity to manage my backups (local and remote).

For some time now duplicity has been my choice, but lately it seems that every time a backup is interrupted it doesn’t restart at the archive it was at, but it starts from the beginning.

Since I have many GB to backup, every time duplicity performs a full backup this is a problem because I have to leave my desktop on for many hours. Also the fans start doing overtime and my little nuc starts heating up.

Improving my Boot Time in Arch Linux

Sat, 22 Aug 2020 17:16:32 +0100

I was investigating and issue with duplicity when I stumbled with systemd-analyze.

So I started to see what was contributing for my boot time and after that I started too see how to improved.

This is by no means a guide, but just what I changed to improve.

You can use sudo systemd-analyze blame to see load time for every programs that loads at boot time and sudo systemd-analyze critical-chain to basically see the critical programs that you could focus on.

Manage your Arch Linux mirrors with Reflector

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 15:08:17 +0100

From the Arch Wiki:

Reflector is a script which can retrieve the latest mirror list from the MirrorStatus page, filter the most up-to-date mirrors, sort them by speed and overwrite the file /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.

Instalation

Install reflector

1yay -S reflector

Create the systemd service

1sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/reflector.service

 1[Unit]
 2Description=Pacman mirrorlist update
 3Wants=network-online.target
 4After=network-online.target nss-lookup.target
 5
 6[Service]
 7Type=oneshot
 8ExecStart=/usr/bin/reflector --verbose --protocol https --country 'Portugal' --latest 30 --number 20 --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
 9
10[Install]
11WantedBy=multi-user.target

1sudo systemctl daemon-reload
2sudo systemctl start reflector.service
3sudo systemctl status reflector.service

You can enable the service. I prefer to control when the scripts executes.

Upgrading Seafile from 7.0.x to 7.1.x

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 14:24:44 +0100

I’ve waiting to upgrade to Seafile 7.1 because I keep my installation manually and I wasn’t finding the *x86-64.tar.gz option to download. After asking in the forums, I discovered it’s just a change of name.

Don’t forget to read the release notes from Seafile.

Before upgrading

Reading the release notes, this version needs Python 3 and a set of modules.

Python 3

1yay -S python python-setuptools python-pip
2
3sudo pip3 install --timeout=3600 wheel Pillow pylibmc captcha jinja2 \
4	sqlalchemy django-pylibmc django-simple-captcha python3-ldap \
5	django-recaptcha django-ranged-response

Memcached

The Memcached configuration also changed in this version. I wasn’t using Memcached, so I took the opportunity to set it up.

🖥️ 🐧 Installing Arch Linux in my new NUC7i3BNH

Sat, 09 May 2020 10:40:10 +0100

Time to setup my new NUC7i3BNH.

I will install Arch Linux with no window manager and it will act as my home server with Seafile, Plex, Sickchill, sabnzbd, etc..

Preparation

Upgrade BIOS Firmware

Download the latest BIOS
Copy the .bios file to a USB drive
Boot and enter the upgrade page with F7

Burn ISO to USB pen drive

Download the Arch Linux ISO
Burn the iso in the usb pen drive.

1lsblk
2cd Downloads
3sudo dd bs=4M if=archlinux-2020.05.01-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdc status=progress oflag=sync

Installation

Boot from the usb pen drive (setup the boot sequence entering the BIOS with F2).

Manage dotfiles using a git bare repository

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 18:33:15 +0000

I’ve been searching the best way to manage my dotfiles using git.

After seeing this video and checking this tutorial I decided to give it a go.

I will be using keybase as my (private) git repository.

Create and setup repository

Create a repository in keybase using the application
Create a bare repository

1mkdir -p $HOME/.dotfiles
2git init --bare $HOME/.dotfiles
3alias dotfiles='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME'
4dotfiles config --local status.showUntrackedFiles no
5echo "alias dotfiles='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME'" >> $HOME/.zshrc

Adding files

Add a first file to test if everything is OK

1dotfiles status
2dotfiles add .vimrc
3dotfiles commit -m "Add vimrc"
4dotfiles remote add origin keybase://private/your_username/dotfiles
5dotfiles push -u origin master

Every time you want to add a new file

1dotfiles add .bashrc
2dotfiles commit -m "Add bashrc"
3dotfiles add .zshrc
4dotfiles commit -m "Add zshrc"
5dotfiles push

Dotfiles in a new system

In a new system, you can get your dotfiles by:

 1alias dotfiles='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME'
 2echo ".dotfiles" >> .gitignore
 3git clone --bare keybase://private/your_username/dotfiles $HOME/.dotfiles
 4dotfiles config --local status.showUntrackedFiles no
 5mkdir -p $HOME/.dotfiles-backup
 6dotfiles checkout
 7if [ $? = 0 ]; then
 8 echo "Checked out config.";
 9else
10 echo "Backing up pre-existing dot files.";
11 dotfiles checkout 2>&1 | egrep "\s+\." | awk {'print $1'} | xargs -I{} mv {} $HOME/.dotfiles-backup/{}
12fi;
13dotfiles checkout

Then, every time you want to refresh your dotfiles

1dotfiles pull

🖥️ 🐧 Installing Arch Linux in my new Surface Go

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 18:01:16 +0000

Surface Go

Surface Go (10’’ - Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y - RAM: 8 GB - 128 GB SSD - Intel HD 615)
Surface Go Black Type Cover

Final setup

Run only Linux
Arch Linux
Gnome

Preparation

Needed hardware

Surface Go
Surface Go Keyboard or USB keyboard/mouse
USB pen drive
USB Ethernet adapter
USB-C to USB adapter + USB Hub or USB-C hub

Burn ISO to USB pen drive

Download the Arch Linux ISO.
Burn the iso in the pen drive.

1sudo dd bs=4M if=archlinux-2019.10.01-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdc status=progress oflag=sync

Connect the dongles

Depending on your setup make sure you have the USB pen drive with the Arch Linux ISO burned and a Ehternet cable connected.

Folder thumbnails in Thunar

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 21:12:35 +0000

My favorite file manager is Thunar, but it hasn’t folder thumbnails by default.

Here’s how to enable it.

Install tumbler and imagemagick

1yay -S tumbler imagemagick

Create the following a folder.thumbnailer file and add the following

1sudo vi /usr/share/thumbnailers/folder.thumbnailer

1[Thumbnailer Entry]
2Version=1.0
3Encoding=UTF-8
4Type=X-Thumbnailer
5Name=Folder Thumbnailer
6MimeType=inode/directory;
7Exec=/usr/bin/folder-thumbnailer %s %i %o %u

Create the folder-thumbnailer script

1sudo vi /usr/bin/folder-thumbnailer

 1#!/bin/bash
 2
 3convert -thumbnail "$1" "$2/folder.jpg" "$3" 1>/dev/null 2>&1 ||\
 4convert -thumbnail "$1" "$2/.folder.jpg" "$3" 1>/dev/null 2>&1 ||\
 5convert -thumbnail "$1" "$2/folder.png" "$3" 1>/dev/null 2>&1 ||\
 6convert -thumbnail "$1" "$2/cover.jpg" "$3" 1>/dev/null 2>&1 ||\
 7rm -f "$HOME/.cache/thumbnails/normal/$(echo -n "$4" | md5sum | cut -d " " -f1).png" ||\
 8rm -f "$HOME/.thumbnails/normal/$(echo -n "$4" | md5sum | cut -d " " -f1).png" ||\
 9rm -f "$HOME/.cache/thumbnails/large/$(echo -n "$4" | md5sum | cut -d " " -f1).png" ||\
10rm -f "$HOME/.thumbnails/large/$(echo -n "$4" | md5sum | cut -d " " -f1).png" ||\
11exit 1

1sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/folder-thumbnailer

To add a thumbnail to a folder you just need to add a .folder.jpg file and your set. You can decide to use different names in the /usr/bin/folder-thumbnailer script.

pass - the standard unix password manager

Sat, 22 Jun 2019 18:31:17 +0100

I’ve been using pass as my password manager for the last months.

In Linux, Android and Windows.

Here’s how I set it up and the apps that can be used.

Installation

Arch Linux

I installed pass, pass-otp for one time password support, dmenu for an easy way to copy your passwords to the clipboard and if you prefer qtpass foi a gui application.

1sudo pacman -S pass pass-otp dmenu qtpass

You can use the command passmenu to open a list of your passwords using dmenu. For convenience you can assign it to a keyboard shortcut.

How to Make Qt Apps Match Dark Themes on Xfce

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 18:40:14 +0000

In summary, I prefer dark themes and my QT based applications weren’t matching this preference. I’m using Xfce.

After some digging around, and this video, here’s what I did.

1$ nano ~/.config/Trolltech.conf

[Qt] style=GTK+

1$ sudo pacman -S qt5-styleplugins

1$ sudo nano /etc/environment

QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME=gtk2 QT_STYLE_OVERRIDE=gtk2

Connecting to ProtonVPN in Arch Linux

Sat, 14 Apr 2018 18:35:36 +0100

I recently signed up with ProtonVPN.

Here’s how I connect in Arch Linux.

1sudo pacman -S openvpn
2
3sudo wget -O protonvpn-cli.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ProtonVPN/protonvpn-cli/master/protonvpn-cli.sh
4
5sudo chmod +x protonvpn-cli.sh
6sudo ./protonvpn-cli.sh --install
7sudo protonvpn-cli -init
8sudo protonvpn-cli -connect
9sudo protonvpn-cli -disconnect

Disable the touchpad while typing

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:45:22 +0000

Here’s how I set things up to automatically disable the touchpad while typing in my laptop, using the driver’s automatic palm detection.

These are just my notes. Check the entire Arch Wiki entry on Touchpad Synaptics.

First of all you should test if it works properly for your touchpad and if the settings are accurate. Enable palm detection with synclient PalmDetect=1.

Then test the typing. You can tweak the detection by setting the minimum width for the touch to be considered a palm, for example synclient PalmMinWidth=8.

Seafile Installation Notes in Arch Linux

Sun, 28 May 2017 18:23:43 +0100

These are my notes about installing Seafile in my Arch Linux home server.

Note: I have reviewed and added to these notes several times.

I’m using:

Seafile
A NUC with Arch Linux as my home server
A WD My Cloud NAS

Create a new share seafile
Create a new directory in the server

1sudo mkdir /home/nas/seafile
2sudo chmod 750 /home/nas/seafile
3sudo chown seafile:seafile /home/nas/seafile

Setup a mountpoint in the server

1sudo vi /etc/fstab

1nas:/nfs/seafile /home/nas/seafile nfs users,noauto,x-systemd.automount,x-systemd.device-timeout=10,timeo=14,soft,intr,noatime,file_mode=0640,dir_mode=0750 0 0

Set NO_ROOT_SWASH in the WD My Cloud NFS exports configuration (when I restart my NAS I have to do this again…)

1ssh -oHostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-dss sshd@192.168.0.99

1vi /etc/exports

1"/nfs/seafile" *(rw,no_root_squash,sync,no_wdelay,insecure_locks,insecure,no_subtree_check,anonuid=501,anongid=1000)

1exportfs -r

Server installation

Pre-requisites

 1sudo pacman -S python-imaging mysql-python
 2
 3mkdir /tmp/cower
 4cd /tmp/cower
 5cower -d libsearpc
 6cd /tmp/cower/libsearpc
 7makepkg -sri
 8cower -d libsepol
 9cd /tmp/cower/libsepol
10makepkg -sri
11cower -d libselinux
12cd /tmp/cower/libselinux
13makepkg -sri

Download Seafile

https://www.seafile.com/en/download/

Install TagSpaces on Linux

Wed, 14 Dec 2016 21:02:24 +0000

I’ve been using TagSpaces from some time now, and I ended up to buy a Pro version.

You get the Pro version by receiving a download link by email. I’m on Arch Linux and the pro versions provided are not for Arch, but it has a .deb version.

Here’s how to install it on Arch. Updating is basically the same.

 1yaourt -S xarchiver electron libgcrypt15
 2
 3cd ~/Downloads
 4mv tagspaces-pro-2.5.0-amd64.deb tagspaces-pro-2.5.0-amd64.ar
 5xarchiver -x ./tagspaces tagspaces-pro-2.5.0-amd64.ar
 6xarchiver -x . data.tar.xz
 7rm -f control.tar.gz
 8rm -f debian-binary
 9rm -f data.tar.xz
10
11sudo cp -R opt/ /
12rm -rf opt
13sudo cp -R usr/ /
14rm -rf usr/
15rm -f ~/Downloads/tagspaces-pro-2.5.0-amd64.ar
16
17vi ~/.local/share/applications/tagspaces.desktop

1[Desktop Entry]
2Name=tagspaces
3Comment=Offline document organizer and browser for your local files, supporting easy file tagging and document editing.
4Exec=/opt/tagspaces/tagspaces
5Terminal=false
6Type=Application
7Icon=/usr/share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps/tagspaces.png

Gnome Touchpad Issue

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 22:54:32 +0000

In Gnome 3.20 (I think) Gnome switched to use libinput over synaptic for the touchpad lib.

You need to remove xf86-input-synaptic and install xf86-input-libinput. You’ll also need to remove the synaptic config file.

Use Reflector to update your pacman mirror list

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 20:22:12 +0000

1sudo pacman -S reflector
2
3sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/reflector.service

1[Unit]
2Description=Pacman mirrorlist update
3
4[Service]
5Type=oneshot
6ExecStart=/usr/bin/reflector --verbose --country 'Portugal' -l 5 -p http --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

1sudo systemctl start reflector

GPG encrypted backups to rsync.net

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 21:02:25 +0000

I use rsync.net for my cloud/offline backups.

Here’s how to do gpg encrypted backups.

Mount rsync.net using sshfs and create a backup folder

1mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/
2sshfs 99999@server.rsync.net: /home/your_user/rsync.net/
3mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/backups/

Create and encript a directory

1tar --xattrs -czpvf /tmp/2016-11-28_my_dir.tgz -C /home/your_user/my_dir .
2gpg --cipher-algo aes256 -c -o /home/your_user/rsync.net/backups/2016-11-28_my_dir.tgz.gpg /tmp/2016-11-28_my_dir.tgz

Restore and decrypt a directory

1mkdir -p /tmp/extract
2cd /tmp/extract
3gpg -o- /tmp/2016-11-28_my_dir.tgz.gpg | tar zxvf -

Unmount rsync.net

1fusermount -u /home/your_user/rsync.net/

Backups using ecryptfs and rsync.net

Sun, 27 Nov 2016 21:12:33 +0000

I use rsync.net for my cloud/offline backups.

Here’s how to do encrypted backups using ecryptfs.

Install ecryptfs-utils

1sudo pacman -S ecryptfs-utils

Generate a passphrase

1ecryptfs-setup-private --nopwcheck --noautomount

Mount rsync.net using sshfs and create a backup folder

1mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/
2sshfs 99999@server.rsync.net: /home/your_user/rsync.net/
3mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/backups/

Mount the backups folder as an encrypted filesystem and copy some files

1sudo mount -t ecryptfs ~/.Private /home/your_user/rsync.net/backups -o key=passphrase,ecryptfs_cipher=aes,ecryptfs_key_bytes=24,ecryptfs_passthrough=n,ecryptfs_enable_filename_crypto=n

Unmount rsync.net and the encrypted filesystem mount

1sudo umount ~/Private
2fusermount -u /home/your_user/rsync.net/

Remove pacman cache

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:33:11 +0000

pacman keeps a cache of package versions it installs in /var/cache/pacman/pkg/.

As you install and upgrade more packages, the more it grows.

So, it’s a good ideia to clean it from time to time.

If you want to keep the last 2 versions of each package as an example, just execute the following.

1sudo paccache -rk 2
2
3==> finished: 2670 packages removed (disk space saved: 8.49 GiB)

Nextcloud Arch Linux installation

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 22:44:10 +0000

There are my notes for installing Nextcloud in Arch Linux in my home server.

Server installation

1sudo pacman -Syu apache php php-apache mariadb
2cower -d nextcloud
3sudo pacman -Syu php-gd php-intl php-mcrypt php-apcu

PHP configuration

1sudo nano /etc/php/php.ini

Uncomment the following modules:

gd.so
iconv.so
xmlrpc.so
zip.so
extension=pdo_mysql.so
bz2.so
curl.so
intl.so
mcrypt.so

Add the following to open_basedir:

/tmp:/usr/share/webapps/nextcloud:/dev/urandom

MariaDB setup

1sudo mysql_install_db -–user=mysql -–basedir=/usr -–datadir=/var/lib/mysql
2sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service
3sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
4sudo systemctl status mariadb.service
5sudo mysql_secure_installation

Create Nextcloud database

1mysql -u root -p
2 CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS nextcloud;
3 CREATE USER ‘username’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘password’;
4 GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO ‘username’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘password’;
5 quit

Apache setup

1sudo cp /etc/webapps/nextcloud/apache.example.conf /etc/httpd/conf/extra/nextcloud.conf
2sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Comment the line:

Fixing Google with 2-Step Verification Online Account in Gnome 3.8

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:03:00 +0100

In my Arch adventures I added my Google account in the Online Accounts.

Having the 2-Step Verification activated, after I logged in with my password, and entered the token, the account the credentials expired.

After trying again, same thing.

I’m in Arch with GNOME 3.8.3.

So, after some googling I found a solution in the Arch forum.

Generate a Google Application-specific password;
Go to Passwords and Keys (seahorse);
Find your Google credentials (something like “GOA google credentials…”);
Right click > Properties;
Click on Show password;
Replace your password with the application-specific password you generated:

{‘authorization_code’: (……), ‘password’: <’YOUR_APPLIC_SPECIFIC_PASS’>}

Adventures in Arch (Part IV): Install extra programs

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:47:00 +0100

In this part I will show the extra programs I installed.

I will keep updating this post in the next weeks, to add more programs installed.

This is the list of programs I have installed:

Chrome (download from AUR)

1mkdir builds
2cd builds
3tar -xzf google-chrome-beta.tar.gz
4cd google-chrome-beta
5makepkg -s
6sudo pacman -U google-chrome-beta-28.0.1500.36-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz

GNOME Tweak Tool

1sudo pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool

Tomboy

1sudo pacman -S tomboy

To get my notes I recovered the following folders from my /home backup:

Adventures in Arch (Part III): Customizing

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:20:00 +0100

In this part I will show the customizations I made in the desktop environment.

I will keep updating this post in the next weeks, in case I have other tips.

Fonts

I like Ubuntu fonts so:

1sudo pacman -S ttf-ubuntu-font-family

GNOME Shell tweaks

Install GNOME Tweak Tool:

1sudo pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool

Some changes I made:

Files Menu: activated the option to always use the location entry.
Fonts: I changed all the fonts to Ubuntu.
Shell: activated Show Date in clock; chose All in the arrangement of buttons on the titlebar.
Theme: enabled dark theme.
Typing: chose Control + Alt + Backspace to kill the X Server.

GNOME extensions

Using GNOME’s Web browser go to: https://extensions.gnome.org/

Adventures in Arch (Part II): Fine Tuning

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:31:00 +0100

In this part I will show the fine tuning I made in the system. I will keep updating this post in the next weeks, in case I have other tips.

fstab

Since I have the system installed in a SSD drive, I changed the mount flags in fstab to trim the drive:

1sudo nano /etc/fstab

1UUID=aee33023-2254-42fc-94ac-612314eeb332 / ext4 noatime,discard,data=ordered,errors=remount-ro 0 1
2UUID=114aaab1-1cb8-4853-bacc-819237d2d063 /boot ext4 noatime,discard,data=ordered,errors=remount-ro 0 2

I also mounted /tmp in memory:

Adventures in Arch (Part I): Installing

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:59:00 +0100

Inspired by the recent Linux Action Show experience with Arch, I decided to give it a try.

I have now completely changed from Ubuntu to Arch.

Any tips or advises please let me know.

Resources

Backups

Since I will format and install Arch I need to backup my /home partition.

I created a Ubuntu USB Live Disk, rebooted into the live environment and backed up all my files.

Upgrading to Ubuntu 13.04

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:57:00 +0100

It’s that time of the year! Well, the first one… A new Ubuntu version comes out every April and October.

Ubuntu 13.04, Raring Ringtail, has been released.

Time to do a direct upgrade from my 12.10 installation.

The upgrade process was quite simple. I upgraded some packages normally using Update Manager, and when everything was up to date:

After rebooting, the only thing I had to do was going to “Software & Updates” and in the “Other Software” tab re-add my 3rd party PPAs.

Moving your /home partition to a new disk

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:47:00 +0100

A couple of weeks ago my hard drive started to fail. The boot time started degrading and a scan to the /home partition would run in every boot. Also sometimes it would return i/o errors.

A look at the disk’s SMART data confirmed a number of bad sectors.

So I bought a new disk and migrated my /home partition.

The setup

I have a SSD drive with my root (/) partition and a HDD drive with my /home partition. I bought a new HDD drive to replace the old one and connected both at the same time for the migration process.

sshfsmount update: Desktop notifications

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

I’ve updated sshfsmount to include desktop notifications.

You can install it the same way already described in the previous post.

Mount remote directories in your local machine

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:57:00 +0000

I have my Music and Video directories in my B3 Server. To access them locally I mount them using sshfs.

In order to not think about it, I created a script that runs at boot time to take care of that for me.

The script is available at my github account in a repository called sshfsmount.

Installing sshfs

First of all you need to install sshfs:

1sudo apt-get install sshfs

Get the code

Get the code from my sshfsmount github repository:

Upgrading to Ubuntu 12.10

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 21:41:00 +0000

The current Ubuntu version, 12.10 Quantal Quetzal, was released passed October, and I’ve been running it since that time.

I hadn’t made a direct upgrade at quite some time. Normally I use the alternate iso (see my 11.10 upgrade post, but this time I chose to upgrade directly through Updater Manager from my 12.04 installation.

Backup

Your first step should always be backing up your files.

You can use an external drive, CDs or DVD, offline locations (like rsync.net), Dropbox… Take your pick, but do it. Really, you should.

Install Spotify in Ubuntu

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:49:00 +0000

Spotify is finally available in Portugal!

Here’s how you install the preview build of Spotify for Linux in Ubuntu.

Installation

Add the following into your Software Sources:

1deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free

Add Spotify public key into your trusted software provider keys;

1sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 94558F59

Update apt-get

1sudo apt-get update

Install Spotify

1sudo apt-get install spotify-client

Install a specific package version

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:11:00 +0000

Yesterday, after a partial upgrade in my Ubuntu 12.10 installation, git was uninstalled.

After the upgrade I tried to re-install it and got the following error:

1sudo apt-get install git

 1Reading package lists... Done
 2Building dependency tree 
 3Reading state information... Done
 4Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
 5requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
 6distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
 7or been moved out of Incoming.
 8The following information may help to resolve the situation:
 9The following packages have unmet dependencies:
10**git : Depends: git-man (< 1:1.8.0.3-.) but 1:1.8.1.1-1~ppa0~quantal2 is to be installed**
11E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Basically git depended on git-man version 1.8.0.3, but the APT package handling utility was trying to install the newer version 1.8.1.1.

Install Evernote in Ubuntu

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 22:14:00 +0000

Evernote doesn’t have a Linux client :( (not cool)

Still, it is a great service and I use it every day both for personal and professional ends. I use it in my work Windows based laptop and in my Android devices.

I use Everpad and it’s a really great alternative to a proper client and it as Unity integration. Great!

Still a client is very handy, and with Wine you can use the Windows client in your Linux machine.

Find the UUID of a partition

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 08:30:00 +0000

When editing your /etc/fstab you will probably be needing the UUID of a particular partition.

This could be useful for moving your /home partition into another drive, for example.

In Ubuntu, you can get the UUID for the a partition running:

1$ sudo blkid

You will get something like:

1/dev/sda1: SEC_TYPE="msdos" UUID="2058-0A61" TYPE="vfat"
2/dev/sda2: UUID="3870ca15-f7ca-4e16-9743-5cafbe224530" TYPE="ext4"
3/dev/sdb1: UUID="220ff146-211d-498f-bbaa-013df1fd1479" TYPE="swap"
4/dev/sdb5: UUID="7f083aa6-bee0-af57-b715-5306865ecf2c" TYPE="ext4"
5/dev/sdc5: LABEL="BACKUP" UUID="ad4eafgb-1a05-432b-aa04-2277a04c1ga1" TYPE="ext4"

Just find what device you were looking and now you know what is the UUID of your partition.

Mounting Chrome cache in memory

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0000

As seen in my Ubuntu 12.04 installation post, I use a script to keep the Chrome cache in RAM.

I found this tip somewhere (don’t recall where) and have been using it for some time now.

Mounting Chrome cache in memory will give you the speed of RAM vs. the speed of an hard drive.

Do you have any more tips like this?

Script

Create the script:

1vi ~/bin/chrome_tmp_cache.sh

Add the following to the script:

1#!/bin/bash
2if test -d /tmp/chrome; then
3 exit 0
4else
5 rm -r ~/.cache/google-chrome
6 mkdir /tmp/chrome
7 ln -s /tmp/chrome ~/.cache/google-chrome
8fi

Change the script permissions:

1chmod +x bin/chrome_tmp_cache.sh

Add the script to the Startup Applications:

1Name: Chrome Cache
2Command: /home/<user>/bin/chrome_tmp_cache.sh
3Comment: Move Chrome cache to /tmp

Installing Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:08:00 +0000

Although Ubuntu 12.10 had already came out, since 12.04 is a LTS release and I didn’t post my installation guide at the time, I decided to document my take on it.

Also, I had bought a new computer at the time (Asus M5A99X board) and had to consider EFI and my new SSD drive.

Hardware considerations

Comparing this install with my previous ones, I had two new things to consider: a EFI motherboard and a SSD drive.

B3 Server 2.5.1.2 Upgrade

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:39:00 +0000

New B3 Server version is out: 2.5.1.2.

Upgrade to 2.5.1.2

Connect to your b3 server

1ssh user@b3server

Become root

1su

Upgrade instructions

1DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
2DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get dist-upgrade

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

Official Excito Forum Notes (2.5.1.2)

Fix a check for easyfind reading config file to detect correctly if easyfind is enabled or not.

B3 Server 2.5.1.1 Upgrade

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:49:00 +0000

New B3 Server versions are out, 2.5.1 and 2.5.1.1.

Upgrade to 2.5.1.1

Connect to your b3 server

1ssh user@b3server

Become root

1su

Upgrade instructions

1DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
2DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get dist-upgrade

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

Official Excito Forum Notes (2.5.1)

New Easyfind system on B3, now handling IP updates even if behind another router
Print server updated to support even more printers
Updated minidlna server (minidlna) to latest
Some minor bug fixes

Official Excito Forum Notes (2.5.1.1)

One bug fix regarding the updater

rsync.net mysqlbackup.sh

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:39:00 +0100

Following up on my post about backing up mysql using rsync.net, I created a github repository to keep and improve the script.

It uses mysqlhotcopy and duplicity to backup mysql databases to rsync.net.

Stay tuned for the first milestone release.

First Milestone of b3caster

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:23:00 +0100

You can grab the first Milestone of b3caster here.

Also check the wiki for install instructions.

Podcast Server

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:31:00 +0100

Inspired by Farhad’s approach of bashpodder, as featured in a Linux Action Show episode about bash scripts, I decided to create a Podcast Server of my own.

b3caster, as I’m calling it is a podcast server based on dircaster and bashpodder.

The idea is to have a podcast server that downloads and feeds my favorite podcasts.

Components

b3caster needs the following components to work:

Linux
Web Server
PHP
cron

I’m using my B3 Server for this.

B3 Server 2.5.0.2 Upgrade

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:19:00 +0100

New B3 Server version is out, with minor updates.

Upgrade to 2.5.0.2

Connect to your b3 server

1ssh user@b3server

Become root

1su

Upgrade instructions

1DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
2DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get dist-upgrade

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

Official Excito Forum Notes

Fixed another backup regression.

Creating a subversion server in B3 Server

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:37:00 +0100

In order to keep a version control of my home projects, I decided to set up a subversion server in my B3 Server.

I will be using subversion an Apache.

B3 Server Installation

Become root

1su

Install subversion and support for Apache

1apt-get install subversion libapache2-svn

Create a base directory for your subversion projects

1mkdir /var/svn

Give permissions for Apache

1chown -R www-data:www-data /var/svn

Configure Apache svn module

1vi /etc/apache2/mods-available/dav_svn.conf

Here’s my dav_svn.conf. Be sure to alter SVNParentPath to your subversion projects base directory.

 1 <Location /svn>
 2
 3 # Uncomment this to enable the repository
 4 DAV svn
 5
 6 SVNParentPath /var/svn
 7 SVNListParentPath on
 8 AuthType Basic
 9 AuthName "Subversion Repository"
10 AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/dav_svn.passwd
11
12 # The following three lines allow anonymous read, but make
13 # committers authenticate themselves. It requires the 'authz_user'
14 # module (enable it with 'a2enmod').
15 #<LimitExcept GET PROPFIND OPTIONS REPORT>
16 Require valid-user
17 SSLRequireSSL
18 #</LimitExcept>
19
20</Location>

Restart Apache

1/etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Create users for subversion

1htpasswd -cm /etc/apache2/dav_svn.passwd *yourusername*

Create your projects with the right permissions

1svnadmin create /var/svn/yourproject
2chown -R www-data:www-data /var/svn/yourproject

To remove projects

1cd /var/svn
2rm yourproject -R

Client Installation

Install subversion

1sudo apt-get install subversion

Connect and sync your projects. This will create a new directory yourproject in your home folder.

1svn co https://b3server/svn/yourproject

Optionally you can install a graphical tool like rabbitvcs, with nautilus integration

1sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rabbitvcs/ppa
2sudo apt-get update
3sudo apt-get install rabbitvcs-nautilus3
4killall nautilus

You can check out the excito wiki for further details.

B3 Server 2.5 Upgrade

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 22:14:00 +0100

New B3 Server version is out (2.5 & 2.5.0.1).

Upgrade to 2.5

Connect to your b3 server

1ssh user@b3server

Become root

1su

Upgrade instructions

1DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
2DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get dist-upgrade

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

Official Excito Forum Notes

1New features and major changes
2* Added support for Apple TimeMachine
3* Added support for Apple AirPrint
4* Showing HD temperature on b3/admin page
5* Allowing special characters in passwords
6* Improved translations for German and Swedish
7* Added ecryptfs support to kernel
8* Ssl security fix
9* 10+ minor bug fixes

Installing Linux Mint 12

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:06:00 +0000

I’ve been running Linux Mint 12 for the past three months (since December). I wasn’t really happy with Unity, and Mint was getting nice reviews so… I decided to jump in and tried it myself.

Being based on Ubuntu, it was nice to see that it felt faster in my machine than Ubuntu 11.10.

I went with the gnome 3 route, but since then I change to openbox. Yes, openbox.

I’m leaving the openbox part to another post, so here’s the Mint installation part.

B3 Server 2.4 Upgrade

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

New B3 Server version is out.

Upgrade to 2.4

Connect to your b3 server

1ssh user@b3server

Become root

1su

Upgrade instructions

1DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update
2DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get dist-upgrade

Turn off B3 Server after the upgrade
Power cycle by removing the power cord and waiting for 5 seconds before reconnecting and start B3 Server

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

B3 Server 2.3.2 Update

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:51:00 +0000

Minor update.

Upgrading to 2.3.2

Become root

1su

Do an upgrade

1apt-get update
2apt-get upgrade

Left beyond packages

1apt-get install bubba-album bubba-backend libdbix-class-perl libsql-abstract-perl squeezecenter

A little cleansing

1apt-get autoremove

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

Official Excito forum notes

1New features and major changes
2* Fixed issue in ftd causing upload via file manager to fail after 256 files
3* Fixed memory leak issue in disk manager, causing UI to behave strange and some operations to fail
4* Fixed memory leak issue in photo album generation

Backing up MySQL in B3 Server to rsync.net

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:27:00 +0000

In a previous post I talked about how to backup to rsync.net using duplicity.

I will now show how to backup your B3 Server Mysql databases using the same method.

Installation

Be sure duplicity is installed:

1su
2apt-get install duplicity

Generate an ssh key to connect to rsync.net

Generate the ssh key using the defaults (don’t use a password when asked):

1ssh-keygen -t rsa

Copy your key to rsync.net (if you don’t have no one there):

1scp ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub user@server.rsync.net:.ssh/authorized_keys

If you already have a key from another machine or user in rsyn.net, you need to add a new one:

1cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh user@server.rsync.net 'dd of=.ssh/authorized_keys oflag=append conv=notrunc'

Generate a gpg public and private key to encrypt your backups

Generate the gpg keys (get down your private key, example: 123AbcH123BB4321):

1gpg --gen-key

You can check the keys in your system:

1gpg --list-keys

Look in the output something like this. Look for the public key (in this example your public key is 1AAB123A)

1pub 1239A/**1AAB123A** 2011-10-09 [expires: 2012-10-08]
2uid Your Name (name) <mail@mail.com>
3sub 54321/1234BBCC 2011-10-09 [expires: 2012-10-08]

Backup/restore your databases

I have MyISAM tables, so I will be using the mysqlhotcopy command. You can also use mysqldump.

B3 Server 2.3.1 Update

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:27:00 +0000

Minor update released last week.

Upgrading to 2.3.1

Become root

1su

Do an upgrade

1apt-get update
2apt-get upgrade

Upgrade b3 backend

1apt-get install bubba-backend

You can confirm the software version going into b3 web administration page, then Settings and Software update.

Official Excito forum notes

A major part of this update is a new software update service. When updating the update service, strange things can happen, so:

Installing Ubuntu 11.10

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:34:00 +0100

Since upgrading didn’t work on my machine, I went ahead and did a fresh install.

As I keep my /home partition separated from my / partition (they’re in fact in different drives), I can install without much worries. I have to reinstall a bunch of things, but I was in need of a clean up anyway.

Installing

Backup your data!
Be sure you have the latest updates prior to this new release:

1sudo apt-get update
2sudo apt-get upgrade

Download Ubuntu. In my case was the 64bit version (ubuntu-11.10-desktop-amd64.iso).
Check the hash of the downloaded file:

1md5sum ubuntu-11.10-alternate-amd64.iso

Compare the output with the Ubuntu hash list:

62fb5d750c30a27a26d01c5f3d8df459 ubuntu-11.10-desktop-amd64.iso

Offsite backups with rsync.net

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:21:00 +0100

If you don’t do backups… well, you should.

An example of a good backup system could be:

External drive backups: your computer is backed up at an external drive;
CD/DVD backups: burn your backups to a CD or DVD;
Offsite backups: your backups are located at a different site, ie, another place other than your home or office.

A good idea is to have all three backup systems in place. External drivers can brake and DVDs are misplaced, so a offsite location for your backups are a good idea.

Moving /home to another disk

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:48:00 +0100

I have two hard drives in my computer: one with the / partition and the swap partition, and another with the /home partition.

The hard drive with the /home partition was getting full, so I bought another one.

Here’s what I did to move the /home partition to the new hard drive:

Replace the old drive for the new one.
Connect the old drive to another sata port. This way the new drive is in the right place and after moving the /home partition I just have to remove the old drive.
Boot computer.
Create a new Extended Partition in the new drive (I used GParted) with a primary partition inside. At this point there is no mount point to this new partition. The new partition in this case is /dev/sdb5.

B3 Server 2.3 Upgrade

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:06:00 +0100

B3 Server 2.3 version come out a couple of months ago.

Normally the upgrade is easy and done via the web interface, but since I changed the mysql root default password, I need to upgrade manually.

Upgrade to 2.3

Connect to your b3 server

1ssh user@b3server

Become root

1su

Upgrade instructions

1change_distribution elvin
2apt-get -c /etc/apt/bubba-apt.conf -y update
3apt-get -c /etc/apt/bubba-apt.conf -y dist-upgrade

Keep in mind the configuration files you want to keep during the upgrade. It will ask you. Example: samba.conf

Reinstall B3 Server default system

Sun, 08 May 2011 12:19:00 +0100

B3 Server comes with a custom Debian (Squeeze) install.

In order to reinstall the all system you will need an USB stick and the latest install image from http://update.excito.net/install/latest/b3/.

Creating the usb recovery disk

You’ll need an empty usb stick (it will be formatted)
Find out the device reference of your usb stick (check the LABEL in the output)

1sudo blkid

or use gparted (sudo apt-get gparted) to find out

B3 online again

Sun, 08 May 2011 11:59:00 +0100

So, my B3 is online again. After is breakdown last week I can finally rest (and reinstall/reconfigure everything again).

The problem was the hard drive. I never seen a hard drive so damaged. Luckily I managed to backup all my data. Check my previous post on how to create an usb recovery disk for booting b3 server so you can move your files elsewhere.

Create an usb recovery disk for booting b3 server

Sun, 01 May 2011 16:08:00 +0100

I can’t access my B3 Server and I don’t know why… :( I was away for a week and in between I couldn’t access my server.

Now, after locally rebooting it, still no joy…

I will show how to create an usb recovery disk to boot the B3 Server and how to backup your B3 storage to your local computer. After this you can do a full recovery, formating and reinstalling your B3 Server.

Install Chromium with Lucid looks

Sat, 29 May 2010 17:26:00 +0100

I’ve been using Firefox for years, but I’m trying out Chromium and so far it’s been great and fast.

Install

You can just go to Ubuntu Software Center and type Chromium to install, or install via Terminal:

1sudo apt-get install chromium-browser

Daily Builds

If you want to get the latests versions of Chromium add to your Software Sources:

1deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/chromium-daily/ppa/ubuntu lucid main

Customize to look like Lucid

You can install the Ambiance theme from Google Chrome Extensions.

Oracle VM VirtualBox 3.2

Wed, 19 May 2010 22:44:00 +0100

After the acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle Corporation VirtualBox is now called Oracle VM VirtualBox.

If you have a previous version already installed you need to manually install the new one. This is the 3.2.0 version.

Install

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources and Third-Party Software.
Add the following sources for Lucid (check your distribution here)
Download and register Oracle authentication key

1wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Be sure your source list is updated

1sudo apt-get update

Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel)

1sudo apt-get install dkms

Install Virtualbox 3.2

1sudo apt-get install virtualbox-3.2

Logoff and login again
Start Virtualbox at Applications > System Tools > Sun VirtualBox
Don’t forget to install/reinstall the Guest Additions in all your virtual machines (after starting the virtual machine go to Devices > Install Guest Additions)

Installing Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx (on the Desktop)

Thu, 06 May 2010 09:12:00 +0100

Last week Ubuntu 10.04, codename Lucid Lynx, was released.This is a Long Time Support (LTS) release and will be supported until 2013.

After installing Lucid in my desktop my motherboard died, so I had to do a fresh install in a new computer.

I will be the using the 64 bit desktop cd (ubuntu-10.04-desktop-amd64.iso).

Before you start

Backup your data
Make a list of software you want to recover after the clean install and all the preferences/options you use. This will make you post install easier and you can start working faster.
Make a list of the extra Software Sources you use
Check the Release Notes
Download Ubuntu
Check the file hash (example: md5sum ubuntu-10.04-desktop-amd64.iso) and compare it to UbuntuHashes
Burn a cd (you can use Brasero, for example, if you already use Ubuntu).

Running the live cd

Boot from the cd.

Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Remix (Asus Eee 1000HE)

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:33:00 +0000

After installing Karmic in my desktop and laptop, its time for my Asus Eee 1000HE.

The eee don’t have an optical drive, so we need to install it using an usb drive.

I will keep the dual booting with Windows XP and Ubuntu. The Eee is my only Windows machine right now.

Download and “Burn” a USB Drive

Go to Ubuntu Netbook Remix Download Page and download Ubuntu.
Check the downloaded file hash. The output must be the same as you see in the Ubuntu Hashes Page.

1md5sum ubuntu-9.10-netbook-remix-i386.img

Create a bootable usb drive from the downloaded image. I used the USB Startup Disk Creator (System > Administration > USB Startup Disk Creator) in my karmic desktop.

Install from usb

It’s easy. Boot from the usb drive (check the BIOS) and install like any other Ubuntu release.

Virtualbox 3.1

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:47:00 +0000

Following previous posts about installing Virtualbox, here’s the 3.1 update (currently 3.1.2).

If you have a previous version already installed you need to manually install the new one.

Install

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources and Third-Party Software.
Add the following sources for Intrepid (check your distribution here)
Download and register Sun authentication key

1wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Be sure your source list is updated

1sudo apt-get update

Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel)

1sudo apt-get install dkms

Install Virtualbox 3.1

1sudo apt-get install virtualbox-3.1

Logoff and login again
Start Virtualbox at Applications > System Tools > Sun VirtualBox
If you want you can optionally register your VirtualBox installation
If you have a Windows Virtual Machine don’t forget to install the Guest Additions (after starting the virtual machine go to Devices > Install Guest Additions)

GCstar Personal Collections Manager

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:26:00 +0000

I use GCStar to keep track of my Movie collection. It’s great!

GCstar is an application for managing your collections. It supports many types of collections, including movies, books, games, comics, stamps, coins, and many more. You can even create your own collection type for whatever unique thing it is that you collect! Detailed information on each item can be automatically retrieved from the internet and you can store additional data, such as the location or who you’ve lent it to. You may also search and filter your collections by many criteria.

Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala (on the Desktop)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:18:00 +0000

After installing Ubuntu 9.10, codename Karmic Koala, in my laptop it’s time for the desktop.

I’m also doing a clean install because I want to use ext4 as my filesystem and I’m gonna lose the Windows partitions. Yes, 100% Ubuntu.

It’s possible to convert ext3 to ext4, but I prefer a clean install.

I will be the using the 32 bit desktop cd (ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso).

Before you start

Backup your data
Make a list of software you want to recover after the clean install and all the preferences/options you use. This will make you post install easier and you can start working faster. Make a list of the extra Software Sources you use Check the Release Notes Download Ubuntu Check the file hash (example: md5sum ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso) and compare it to UbuntuHashes Burn a cd (you can use Brasero, for example, if you already use Ubuntu)

Running the live cd

Boot from the cd.
After booting it’s important to check the integrity of the cd. Burning cds also fails.

Hardware to check (during the live cd session)

Graphics (bad resolution, but the proprietarie drivers aren’t installed)
Sound (check)
Cable network (check)
Wireless network (not tested)

Hard Drive Partition Layout

I will keep my storage area as an ext3 filesystem.

Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala 64 bits (HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Last week Ubuntu 9.10, codename Karmic Koala, was released.

I’m doing a clean install because I want to use ext4 as my filesystem. It’s possible to convert ext3 to ext4, but I prefer a clean install.

First my laptop. I will be the using the 64 bit desktop cd (ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso).

Before you start

Backup your data
Make a list of software you want to recover after the clean install and all the preferences/options you use. This will make you post install easier and you can start working faster.
Make a list of the extra Software Sources you use
Check the Release Notes
Download Ubuntu
Check the file hash (example: md5sum ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso) and compare it to UbuntuHashes
Burn a cd (you can use Brasero, for example, if you already use Ubuntu)

Running the live cd

Boot from the cd.
After booting it’s important to check the integrity of the cd. Burning cds also fails.

Hardware to check (during the live cd session)

Graphics (check)
Sound (check)
Media buttons (check)
Cable network (check)
Wireless network (not tested)
HP media command (it mutes the sound, more tests needed)
Integrated Webcam (checked using Cheese)

Hard Drive Partition Layout

I will keep my storage area as an ext3 filesystem.

Virtualbox 3.0

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0100

Following previous posts about installing Virtualbox, here’s the 3.0 update (currently 3.0.8).

If you have a previous version already installed you need to manually install the new one.

Install

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources and Third-Party Software.
Add the following sources for Intrepid (check your distribution here)
Download and register Sun authentication key

1wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Be sure your source list is updated

1sudo apt-get update

Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel)

1sudo apt-get install dkms

Install Virtualbox 3.0

1sudo apt-get install virtualbox-3.0

Logoff and login again
Start Virtualbox at Applications > System Tools > Sun xVM VirtualBox
If you want you can optionally register your VirtualBox installation
If you have a Windows Virtual Machine don’t forget to install the Guest Additions (after starting the virtual machine go to Devices > Install Guest Additions).

VirtualBox Kernel driver not installed

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:08:00 +0100

After installing the new 2.6.28-13 kernel yesterday, running a virtual machine in VirtualBox aborts with the following error:

As the message says, the VirtualBox Linux kernel driver for the running Linux kernel isn’t installed.

To re-setup the kernel module you just need to:

1sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup

Add a new partition to your system

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:26:00 +0100

Imagine you buy a new hard drive. Here’s a few easy steps to create a partition in that drive, and a mount point, so you can have that partition available to you at boot time.

If you have an easy way to add a new partition in your system, let me know.

I usually use GParted to create the partition.

Add a partition

Just follow the following screenshots to create a partition in GParted. Make sure you choose a Label for your partition. In this example is Storage.

Filesystem check in your USB external hard drives

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:28:00 +0100

Typically, every number of mounts, your partitions are automatically checked (e2fsck) at boot time. This will check and repair your hard drives.

But, if you have external hard drives connected only when needed, this automatic checks aren’t performed.

I recommend you to check your hard drive after like 30 mounts. See what is the maximum mount count in your internal system hard drive and use that count as reference.

I will list a number of useful commands to gather information about your drives and to check and repair them.

Sync any folder outside your Dropbox folder

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:24:00 +0100

If you don’t know Dropbox, try it. Basically you can sync your files between computers and OS’s.

You define in each computer you install Dropbox a “Dropbox folder” (it doesn’t need to be the same in every computer) and every file and folder inside the folder will be synced.

Example - Computer A - Linux

1/home/youruser/Dropbox/folderA/
2/home/youruser/Dropbox/fileA.txt

Example - Computer B - Windows

1C:\My Dropbox\folderA\
2C:\My Dropbox\fileA.txt

In this examples, the folder folderA and every file and folder inside, and the file fileA.txt, are synced between both computers.

Recovering the update-notifier icon in Ubuntu 9.04

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:03:00 +0100

If you have installed Ubuntu 9.04 you probably noticed by now that the update-notifier icon no longer appears when there are new updates available. Instead the Update Manager window opens.

This may be a problem if you don’t notice that window and shutdown your system. After that you have to wait for new updates (and notice the Update Manager window that time) or manually look for updates.

To get the update-notifier icon just run the following:

GNOME Do 0.8.1

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:40:00 +0100

It’s been almost a year when I last talked about GNOME Do.

GNOME Do is basically a keystroke launcher. This means you can start typing the name of a program or a location and GNOME Do will launch it.

There are also a ton of plugins that allows you to do many other things, like quickly access your bookmarks, run terminal commands, post to twitter, use the calculator, control the sound in your system… Well, your have to see it to believe it.

Installing Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix (Asus Eee 1000HE)

Tue, 05 May 2009 20:24:00 +0100

I have a new Asus Eee 1000HE. It came with Windows XP, but I want to try out Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

The eee don’t have an optical drive, so we need to install it using an usb drive.

The goal is dual booting Windows XP and Ubuntu. I want Eee to become my main Windows machine; this will allow me to format my Desktop machine to have only have Ubuntu (next release with default ext4 filesystem). I use Windows only to sync my iPod Touch so, this is a great solution.

Upgrading to Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope (on the Desktop)

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:01:00 +0100

After my laptop, is time to upgrade my main machine whith Ubuntu 9.04, codename Jaunty Jackalope.

I will be the using the 32 bit alternate cd to upgrade. This means that the upgrade will have a cd image as his source, and not the Internet. This way it’s much faster, I think.

I shouldn’t do this during the week, but… oh well…

Before you start

Check for updates using Update Manager (be sure to have all the available upgrades done)
Backup your data
Check the Release Notes
Download Ubuntu (I used the Text based “alternate installer” installation disk link to get the alternate image)
Check the file hash (example: md5sum ubuntu-9.04-alternate-i386.iso) and compare it to UbuntuHashes
Be sure to upgrade from Ubuntu 8.10.
Have a burned Live CD laying around, just in case.
Use Gmount-iso to mount the iso file. This way cd could be mounted without having to burn a cd.

Install

In the Terminal, go to the cd mount point (example: /media/cdrom) and type:

Upgrading to Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:29:00 +0100

Yesterday Ubuntu 9.04, codename Jaunty Jackalope, was released.

Time to upgrade :-) First in my laptop.

I will be the using the 64 bit alternate cd to upgrade. This means that the upgrade will have a cd image as his source, and not the Internet. This way it’s much faster, I think.

I considered a clean install in order to create ext4 partitions, but after reading around I decided not to, because I saw some “your data may be lost” comments.

Virtualbox 2.2

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:07:00 +0100

Following previous posts about installing Virtualbox, here’s the 2.2 update (currently 2.2.0).

If you have a previous version already installed you need to manually install the new one.

The most exciting addition is 3D acceleration for Linux guests, ie, Compiz. Yes sir :-)

Install

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources and Third-Party Software.
Add the following sources for Intrepid (check your distribution here)
Download and register Sun authentication key

1wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Be sure your source list is updated

1sudo apt-get update

Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel)

1sudo apt-get install dkms

Install Virtualbox 2.2

1sudo apt-get install virtualbox-2.2

Logoff and login again
Start Virtualbox at Applications > System Tools > Sun xVM VirtualBox
If you have a Windows Virtual Machine don’t forget to install the Guest Additions (after starting the virtual machine go to Devices > Install Guest Additions).

Ubuntu Certificate of Authenticity

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Get your copy… today!

Formating a partition in NTFS

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:30:00 +0000

If you need to format a partition in NTFS and you are using GParted, just install ntfsprogs.

Go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager
Search for ntfsprogs
Rigth click and Mark for Installation

That’s it. You should see only greens in the NTFS line in GParted > Show Features.

Get files and control your machine with Dropbox

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:21:00 +0000

After talking with a friend about how he was using Dropbox to add new torrent files in is home computer, from work, I got excited with the potential of the idea.

Dropbox, is a multiplatform tool that allows you to sync and share files online across computers. If you save a file in your home computer, when you turn on your computer at work, for example, that file will be automatically synced if you have Dropbox installed. It also have a web interface, so you don’t even need to install it.

Virtualbox 2.1

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Following previous posts about installing Virtualbox, here’s the 2.1 update (currently 2.1.2).

If you have 2.0 already installed you need to manually install the new version.

Install

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources and Third-Party Software.
Add the following sources for Intrepid (check your distribution here)
Download and register Sun authentication key

1wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Be sure your source list is updated

1sudo apt-get update

Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel)

1sudo apt-get install dkms

Install Virtualbox 2.1

1sudo apt-get install virtualbox-2.1

Logoff and login again
Start Virtualbox at Applications > System Tools > Sun xVM VirtualBox
If you have a Windows Virtual Machine don’t forget to install the Guest Additions (after starting the virtual machine go to Devices > Install Guest Additions).

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Great book about Ubuntu. Ideal if you are new to Linux and Ubuntu.

http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/

You can download the PDF version for free or buy it online.

Reduce brightness on HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep (Ubuntu 8.10 64 bits)

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:37:00 +0000

My brightness function keys always worked, but suddenly they stopped working as well as the “Reduce backlight brightness” option in Power Management Preferences :( Every time I unplugged my power cord the monitor dimmed automatically. Now not even with the function keys I get my brightness down.

This happened in my HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep running Ubuntu 8.10 64 bits.

Here some additional info after searching in the Ubuntu forums and Google:

Syncing Windows Mobile 5/6 with Synce (Ubuntu 8.10 version)

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:10:00 +0000

One of my “to achieve” points was syncing my calendar and contact information from my Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone (Qtek 9100).

This post is an update from my previous one, after my Ubuntu 8.10 upgrade. Please refer to that first post if you’re using previous versions of Ubuntu. I upgraded Ubuntu and Synce, so if you are installing it from scratch and you’re having problems please let me know. I’ll try and help you.

Upgrading to Ubuntu 8.10 The Intrepid Ibex

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:03:00 +0000

Last week Ubuntu 8.10, aka The Intrepid Ibex, was released.

Time to updgrade :-) First in my laptop.

I will be the using the 64 bit alternate cd to upgrade. This means that the upgrade will have a cd image as his source, and not the Internet. This way it’s much faster.

Before you start

Check for updates using Update Manager
Backup your data
Check the Release Notes
Download Ubuntu (I recommend using Torrents)
Check the file hash (example: md5sum ubuntu-8.10-alternate-amd64.iso)
Be sure to upgrade from Ubuntu 8.04.
Use Gmount-iso to mount the iso file. This way cd could be mounted without having to burn a cd.

In the Terminal, go to the cd mount point (example: /media/cdrom) and type:

HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep (Ubuntu 64 bits)

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:49:00 +0100

My old laptop’s battery is dying, and I used that as an excuse to buy myself a new on :-)

I had a HP Pavilion zt3240EA, and have been very happy with it. Nice machine. Still, age weights on every one.

I’m gonna be installing Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS Desktop Edition, 64 bits version, on my new HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep.

Download and Burn a CD

Go to Ubuntu Download Page and download Ubuntu.
Check the downloaded file hash. The output must be the same as you see in the Ubuntu Hashes Page.

1md5sum ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso

Burn a cd (you can use Brasero, for example, if you already use Ubuntu).

Running the live cd

Boot from the cd.
After booting it’s important to check the integrity of the cd. Burning cds also fails.

Hardware to check (during the live cd session)

Graphics (only 1024x768, but check)
Sound (check)
Media buttons (check)
Cable network (check)
Wireless network (the proprietary Atheros wireless card was found, not tested)
HP media command (not working)
Integrated Webcam (check)

Hard Drive Partition Layout

1/dev/sda
2 /dev/sda1 ntfs Vista 		36002 MB
3 /dev/sda ntfs Vista Recover 8450 MB
4 /dev/sda3 ext3 / 	 10240 MB
5 /dev/sda5 ext3 /home 	10240 MB
6 /dev/sda6 ext3 /storage 	94072 MB
7 /dev/sda7 swap 1028 MB

Post-install: Graphics Card

I installed EnvyNG using the Synaptic Package Manager (look for envyng-gtk) and just had to run it (Applications > System Tools > EnvyNG), after closing Synaptic (important), and choose to “Install the ATI driver (Automatic Hardware Detection)” option.

Virtualbox 2.0

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:57:00 +0100

Virtualbox 2.0 is out and now it’s easier to install and maintain.

Install

Download and register Sun authentication key

1wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources and Third-Party Software.
Add the following sources for Hardy (check your distibution here)

1deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian hardy non-free

Now you can go to Synaptic Package Manager and look for virtualbox. This way you can uninstall previous Virtualbox installations (Synaptic Package Manager will do that for you).
Don’t forget to install the new Guest Additions if you’re using a Windows Virtual Machine.
Now you’ll receive updated through Update Manager.

Also check my previous posts about Virtualbox for more info and tips:

Anatomy of the Linux kernel

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:55:00 +0100

If you want to know more about the Anatomy of the Linux kernel, here’s a nice article.

Sun Virtualbox

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:03:00 +0100

I have Virtualbox OSE (Open Source Edition) installed. I use it basically to use Office, when needed.

Currently I only restart to Windows to sync my iPod Touch, and that’s because Virtualbox OSE doesn’t support USB.

But there’s a version, provided by Sun, that supports USB devices.

Uninstall Virtualbox OSE

If you already have Virtualbox installed go to Applications > Add/Remove… and look for virtualbox to uninstall your current version.

I also went to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager and also looked for virtualbox to remove every trace of it.

Syncing Windows Mobile 5/6 with Synce (updated)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:07:00 +0100

One of my “to achieve” points was syncing my calendar and contact information from my Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone (Qtek 9100).

After trying for some time, I used a tip from Synce mailing lists. This tip was great for me because the author was also having troubles and started from scratch.

I think my problem was the config.xml file. I believe that if I just followed the instructions from the good folks from Synce, as I first did, but changed the config.xml, as in the mailing list, I wouldn’t have needed to clean my system.

GnomeDo 0.5

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:13:00 +0100

A friend of mine asked me about a Linux equivalent to Launchy, a keystroke launcher for Windows.

And that is GnomeDo.

Install

If you have an older version of GnomeDo start by removing it and deleting is plugins:

1sudo aptitude purge gnome-do gnome-do-plugins gnome-do-plugin-rhythmbox
2rm -rf ~/.local/share/gnome-do/plugins/

Then add the following software sources (System > Administration > Software Sources):

1deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/do-core/ubuntu hardy main
2deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/do-core/ubuntu hardy main

Install GnomeDo (currently v0.5.97):

1sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install gnome-do

Using GnomeDo

Go to Application > Accessories > GNOME Do to start the application (it will also appear in your notification area).

Cleaning your system from outdated software

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:06:00 +0100

As you install, uninstall and update applications there are some garbage left behind.

Autoremove

When you run autoremove, packages that have been installed but are no longer in use, are removed.

1sudo apt-get autoremove

Autoclean

Autoclean removes .deb files from packages no longer installed on your system.

1sudo apt-get autoclean

Do you have other cleaning tips? Send me an email or post a comment.

SynCE 0.12 is out

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:19:00 +0100

Yesterday SynCE 0.12 was released.

As soon as I test it I’ll update this post.

You can check the announcement at SynCE mailing lists.

Synergy

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:53:00 +0100

Synergy is a great piece of software. It allows you to, and I quote, “easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its own display, without special hardware”. Yes, your could use Linux, Windows or Mac OS. I’m only using it between to Ubuntu machines, so share your eXPerience if your using Linux and Windows for example.

Check here a little animation.

After you install and setup Synergy you only need to move your mouse to the right, left, up or down of your monitor (according to your setup) and your automatically gain control of the other machine. Now your mouse and keyboard will work there. To return to the main machine do the opposite.

Firefox 3.0 is out

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:17:00 +0100

Firefox 3.0 is out !!! :)

Download now.

Firefox Download Day is June 17, 2008

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:25:00 +0100

It’s annouced!! Firefox 3.0 will be released in June 17, it’s a Tuesday.

Firefox is trying to set a Guinness World Record, so don’t forget, pledge now and download Firefox 3.0 next Tuesday.

ufw - Ucomplicated Firewall

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:49:00 +0100

I’m starting to play around with ufw (Ucomplicated Firewall), a firewall for Linux.

It’s command line based, but simple enough.

I’ll update this post as I play along.

Enable/disable ufw

1sudo ufw enable
2sudo ufw disable

Default policy

mostly open ports

1sudo ufw default allow

mostly closed ports

1sudo ufw default deny

Allow/deny services syntax

1sudo ufw allow|deny <service>

Add rules syntax

1sudo ufw allow|deny [proto <protocol>] [from <address> [port <port>]] [to <address> [port <port>]]

Delete rules syntax

1sudo ufw delete <rule type> from <ip address> to any port <port number>

Firewall status

1sudo ufw status

1Firewall loaded
2To Action From
3-- ------ ----
424800:tcp ALLOW 100.000.1.1

Examples

1sudo ufw allow proto tcp from 100.000.1.1 to any port 24800
2sudo ufw delete allow proto tcp from 100.000.1.1 to any port 24800
3sudo ufw allow ssh
4sudo ufw delete allow ssh

Removing old kernels from your system

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:20:00 +0100

After a while you’re starting to collect kernel versions on your system.

Since Hardy came out, with kernel 2.6.24-16, we had two kernel updates, so, in grub we have now entries to kernels 2.6.24-16, 2.6.24-17 and 2.6.24-18.

We just need one to boot in, and we and the most recent one of course. Still, when deciding to remove an old kernel be aware of possible problems.

Virtualbox for instance, needs a module to the specific kernel you’re running. Every time a new kernel is released your Virtualbox setup will not work until your upgrade the said module. So, if you need to use Virtualbox and you don’t yet have the new module, you could just restart into the old kernel.

NFS file sharing

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:59:00 +0100

Here’s how you share files between two Linux machines, using NFS.

Installation

Go to the Synaptic Package Manager
Find nfs-kernel-server and install

Configuration in machine 1 (where the shared folder is)

Define the shares you want to provide

1sudo vi /etc/exports

Add your shares to the file

1/home/mach1user/Public *(ro,sync)
2/home/mach1user/Documents 100.000.00.01(ro,sync,no_subtree_check)
3/home/mach1user/Share 100.000.00.01/20(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

Make your changes be known

1sudo exportfs -a

Configuration in machine 2 (where the shared folder are going to be accessed)

Create a folder, where the share will be mounted

1mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public
2mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents
3mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share

Mount the shares (the IP is from machine 1)

1sudo mount 100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Public /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public
2sudo mount 100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Documents /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents
3sudo mount 100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Share /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share

Make the shares available after rebooting

1sudo vi /etc/fstab

Add to the file (the IP is from machine 1)

1100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Public /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public nfs ro,hard,intr 0 0
2100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Documents /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents nfs ro,hard,intr 0 0
3100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Share /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share nfs ro,hard,intr 0 0

And that should do it.

Windows under Linux

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:22:00 +0100

Ok, some things I may need to do in Windows (for now).

So I will install a virtual Windows machine using VirtualBox.

Install

Applications > Add/Remove Applications
Show: All available applications
Search: virtualbox
Check VirtualBox OSE and Apply Changes
Run VirtualBox (Applications > System Tools > VirtualBox OSE)

Creating a new Virtual Machine

Click New and follow the instructions (a virtual hard disk is needed, but you’ll be easily guided through the installer)
Go to Synaptic Package Manager
Search for virtualbox
Install virtualbox-ose module for your kernel (like linux-image-2.6.24-16-generic)
Install virtualbox-ose-guest module for your kernel (like linux-image-2.6.24-16-generic)
Go to System > Administration > Users and Groups
In Manage Groups find vboxusers, click Properties and add your user to this Group
Logout from Ubuntu
Back to VirtualBox
Go to Settings > CD/DVD-ROM and mount your Windows CD or iso Windows file
Start the Virtual Machine and install Windows
Tip: Click in the VirtualBox window to get the mouse pointer into Windows and click Alt+Ctrl to get the mouse pointer back to Ubuntu
Note: I used Brasero to create a ISO image of Windows XP

In the VirtualBox window go to Devices > Install Guest Additions
This will download an iso image file, mounting it in Windows and install Guest Additions for Windows
Shutdown Windows
Go to Settings > Shared Folder and add the folders you want to share
Start Windows and map a Network Drive to:

1\\vboxsvr\yoursharedfolder

VirtualBox running modes

Windowed: in this case Windows will be displayed in a window
Fullscreen: in this case Windows will be displayed in full screen
Seemless mode: in this case Windows will be integrated into Gnome

Ubuntu in my desktop (installation)

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:35:00 +0100

Tomorrow (01/05) is an holiday in Portugal and today it was a nice day to start installing Ubuntu in my Desktop :-)

The first reference for my eXPerience is my own post where I address several important points to check before installing and to achieve.

Running the live cd

So, the first thing was downloading Ubuntu 32 bits, checking the downloaded file hash (look for more info here and burning the cd.

After booting from the cd is important to check the integrity of the cd. Burning cds also fails.

Ubuntu in my desktop (status)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:45:00 +0100

I’m preparing to install Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” in my desktop machine.

Before starting

Try, using the Ubuntu live-cd, at least graphics, sound and cable network access (done)
Backup important data (done)
Decide the partition layout for all my hard drives (example (done)
Rethink my home network (IPs, Windows workgroup names…)
Decide between Ubuntu 32 bits and Ubuntu 64 bits for my AMD Athlon 64BIT X2 DUAL-CORE 4200+ SKAM2 2.20 GB
- I’ve decided to go with Ubuntu 32 bits (done)
- Check if both cores are beeing used (done)

I will be dual-booting (for now) with Windows XP, and in order to release myself from Windows completely, here’s a “to achieve” list.

Upgrading to Hardy

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:56:00 +0100

And I’m set. I’m now officially running Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.

The recommended (and easier) way to upgrade from Ubuntu 7.10 is to use Update Manager. But the servers are clotted (April 25th)… I tried it two times and it just isn’t possible at this moment (yes, I want Hardy).

So I downloaded the alternate version of Ubuntu (check bellow the “Start Download” button). This version isn’t a live cd, and it can be used to upgrade Ubuntu.

Hardy is out

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:36:00 +0100

Here it his. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, codename Hardy Heron, is out.

This is the second Long Time Support (LTS) release from Ubuntu and it will be supported for 3 years (instead of the normal 18 months).

For those who don’t want to install a new OS every 6 to 18 months this is a great chance to do a fresh install and keep your desktop up and running, with full support, for a long time.

Firefox Tip: Opening Search results in a new tab

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:11:00 +0100

Here’s a useful tip to always open your Firefox search results in a new tab:

In the address bar type about:config
Look for browser.search.openintab
Double click the False value (in the Value column) to change it to True
Now try to search something in your favorite search engine

PS: this works in every OS (at least Linux and Windows).

Conky

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:31:00 +0100

Conky (1.5.1) is an application that posts system monitoring info onto your Desktop. It is very light-weighted and very cool to play with.

Steps to install

In the Terminal:

install conky

1sudo apt-get install conky

get a configuration example file (check a nicer one bellow)

1zcat /usr/share/doc/conky/examples/conkyrc.sample.gz > ~/.conkyrc

Run conky in the Terminal

To have conky automatically start when you boot Ubuntu, do the following:

Firefox Widgets

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:58:00 +0100

Firefox widgets (buttons, radio buttons, drop down menus, text fields and checkboxes) in Ubuntu don’t look so good. I don’t like it. And I’m not the only one. So, we can change the images and CSS code for the widgets so Firefox will look really nice :)

Here’s a tip from Ubuntu Forums.

Steps to make Firefox widgets look good

Download the Firefox Widget Installer
available at the end of the first post (direct link)

Elisa Media Center

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:03:00 +0100

Today I was talking with a friend of mine about Media Centers. A little by change I found a great Open Source solution.

It’s called Elisa.

Here’s a little demo:

https://youtu.be/n_Hkr5GyrA0

I had to try it. It is super simple to install.

It all happens in the Terminal:

First import the GPG key

1wget http://elisa.fluendo.com/packages/philn.asc -O - | sudo apt-key add -

Then add the Elisa package source to your sources list

Error while starting Ubuntu

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:45:00 +0100

Yesterday, when I was starting up my Ubuntu machine, the screen went white and I had to manually turn off the laptop.

When I started it again the file system checkup (fsck) started. I got a lot of yes or no questions about fixing several problems. Near the end fsck aborted and I was left in the terminal to try and fix the problem.

I rebooted the system, but there was a X server error and it went to the terminal again.

Sharing Files with Windows

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:15:00 +0000

For sharing files with Windows you just have to follow this steps:

Got to System > Administration > Shared Folders

in the Shared Folders tab add the folders you wish to share
in the General Properties tab type the Workgroup of your Network (as in Windows)

In the Terminal add yourself as a Samba user:

1sudo smbpasswd -a yourusername

That’s it. You can now access your shared folder using you Linux user.

Apache, PHP and MySQL

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Ok, setting up Apache, PHP and MySQL is super easy. I used this tip from Ubuntu Forum.

I also want to import my site and database from Windows.

Install

Go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager
Now go to Edit > Mark Packages by Task
Choose LAMP Server (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP server)

In my case, the Ultimate Edition already had this installed :-)

I just updated Apache, MySQL and PHP using System > Administration > Update Manager.

Automatix

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Now a great piece of software to help you install a bunch of stuff: Automatix

I started with an update (Automatix already installed) using Update Manager.

I then installed:

Codecs and Plugins
- MPlayer Plugin for Firefox
- Ubuntu Restricted Extras and Multimedia Codecs
- W32-DVD Codecs
Email Clients
- CheckGmail
Miscellaneous
- Extra Fonts
- Nautilus Scripts (open as root option)
Office
- Acrobat Reader
- Google Earth

Check for other useful software yourself :-)

Desktop customization

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:21:00 +0000

So far I only changed the clock type to 24 hour.

Administration tasks

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:02:00 +0000

So far I’ve pass through:

System > Administration >

BootUp-Manager: I disabled “Common files for NVIDIA video cards” (ATI on my laptop) and “Bluetooth services”. Something to investigate a little more though.
Login Window: Changed the Theme to “Human” and disabled the login screen sound
Network: Already manually configured my IP
Time and Date: I like to keep my OS clock using a NTP server (ntp02.oal.ul.pt)

Changing preferences

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:41:00 +0000

So far I’ve changed:

System > Preferences >

Appearance: I don’t really like the default Ultimate Edition theme, so I chose the Human theme and changed the Background
Keyboard: I had the EuroSign to the E key
Keyboard Shortcuts: Now the “Windows key” shows the panel menu (it’s the Start Menu in Windows) and the “Menu key” activates the window menu (right mouse button)
Mouse: I never liked the “Tap to Click” option
Power Management: Changed some timeout options and had the Notification icon always on
Screensaver
Sessions: I disable the Bluetooth Manager
Sound: I like it quiet

Hardware: first impression

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Uppon first boot all my hardware seems to be working, including my graphics card, the mute sound button and even the SD Card Reader (this one doesn’t work out of the box in Windows).

So far I only had to manually config my wired connection (I have DHCP turned off) and restart the network service.

1sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

Partition Map

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:13:00 +0000

First thing to decide is how will I partition my hard drive.

1/dev/sda
2 /dev/sda1 ext3 / 10240 MB
3 /dev/sda5 ext3 /home 10240 MB
4 /dev/sda6 ext3 /data 58547 MB
5 /dev/sda7 swap 1028 MB

I used some useful resources to decide:

Ubuntu Ultimate Edition

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:06:00 +0000

I chose Ubuntu Ultime Edition, based on Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibson because it added a lot of useful software and configuration out of the box.

Having tried it on my laptop I saw everything I needed to get me started, from hardware to software, was already there. So I backup all my data and started my eXPerience.

PS: I had Windows XP Professional Edition installed…

Linux on paapereira.xyz

Scripting sending messages with SimpleX Chat CLI

Activate WebDAV in Seafile

Upgrading Seafile from 7.1.x to 8.0.x

Before upgrading

Seafile log4j vulnerability fix

Scan for vulnerable log4j classes

Fixing Seafile

Fix theme option after upgrading rofi to 1.7.1

Theme fix after upgrading rofi to 1.7.0

Improve pacman performance and add some flare

Reviewed bookmarks script

The bookmarks.txt file

The bookmarks script

Web searching and bookmarks using Rofi

websearch

betterlockscreen: a simple, minimal lockscreen

Using Epiphany to create applications from webpages

Rofi: a window switcher, application launcher and dmenu replacement

Installation

Upgrading Seafile from 7.1.x to 8.0.x

Before upgrading

Upgrading

Moving my dotfiles repository to Gitlab

✉️ Setting up a personal email server

Requirements

Server setup

Using profile-sync-daemon in LibreWolf

Synchronizing the system clock across the network

Fixing Seafile

LibreWolf - A fork of Firefox

Installing

Set LibreWolf as the default browser

Improving my Boot Time in Arch Linux (part 2)

Looking for the boot time issue

Starship - A cross-shell prompt

Paru - An AUR helper and pacman wrapper

Calibre 5 is out

Calibre ebook management

Installing

Goodreads plugin

System backups with BorgBackup and BorgBase

Installation

Setup

Listening to podcast using gpodder, gpodder.net and AntennaPod

Installation and Setup

Managing Subscriptions

Remote backups using BorgBackup, Vorta and BorgBase

Improving my Boot Time in Arch Linux

Manage your Arch Linux mirrors with Reflector

Instalation

Upgrading Seafile from 7.0.x to 7.1.x

Before upgrading

Python 3

Memcached

🖥️ 🐧 Installing Arch Linux in my new NUC7i3BNH

Preparation

Upgrade BIOS Firmware

Burn ISO to USB pen drive

Installation

Manage dotfiles using a git bare repository

Create and setup repository

Adding files

Dotfiles in a new system

🖥️ 🐧 Installing Arch Linux in my new Surface Go

Surface Go

Final setup

Preparation

Needed hardware

Burn ISO to USB pen drive

Connect the dongles

Folder thumbnails in Thunar

pass - the standard unix password manager

Installation

Arch Linux

How to Make Qt Apps Match Dark Themes on Xfce

Connecting to ProtonVPN in Arch Linux

Disable the touchpad while typing

Seafile Installation Notes in Arch Linux

Setup a NAS share