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.
✉️ Setting up a personal email server
I’ve been using my own personal email server for the last week.
These are my notes, inspired by Luke’s Smith emailwiz script.
curl -LO lukesmith.xyz/emailwiz.sh
🐧 Using profile-sync-daemon in LibreWolf
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.
🐧 Synchronizing the system clock across the network
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.
🐧 Fixing Seafile
Yesterday I woke up without access to my Seafile instance.
Here’s my notes/steps/fixes for the issue.
🐧 LibreWolf - A fork of Firefox
LibreWolf is a fork of Firefox, focused on privacy, security and freedom.
paru -S librewolf-bin
🐧 Improving my Boot Time in Arch Linux (part 2)
🐧 Starship - A cross-shell prompt
Starship is a minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell.
paru starship-bin
🐧 Paru - An AUR helper and pacman wrapper
🐧 Calibre ebook management
I’ve been playing around and migrating my book library to Calibre.
🐧 System backups with BorgBackup and BorgBase
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.
sudo pacman -S borgsudo pacman -S borg
🐧 Listening to podcast using gpodder, gpodder.net and AntennaPod
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.
🐧 Remote backups using BorgBackup, Vorta and BorgBase
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.
🐧 Improving my Boot Time in Arch Linux
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.
🐧 Manage your Arch Linux mirrors with Reflector
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.
yay -S reflector
🐧 Upgrading Seafile from 7.0.x to 7.1.x
I’ve waiting to upgrade to Seafile 7.1 because I keep my installation mannually 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.
🖥️ 🐧 Installing Arch Linux in my new NUC7i3BNH
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..
🖥️ My CPU Fan is starting to die - I need a new server
So, my NUC server CPU fan is starting to go.
It has been making a lot of noise. I already tried to clean it and turn off the server overnight. It’s better, but it’s starting to die.
Jabber/XMPP Instant Messaging
XMPP is the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, a set of open technologies for instant messaging, presence, multi-party chat, voice and video calls, collaboration, lightweight middleware, content syndication, and generalized routing of XML data.
Manage dotfiles using a git bare repository
I’ve been searching the best way to manage my dotfiles using git.
🖥️ 🐧 Installing Arch Linux in my new Surface Go
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.
🐧 Folder thumbnails in Thunar
My favorite file manager is Thunar, but it hasn’t folder thumbnails by default.
Here’s how to enable it.
Install tumbler and imagemagick yay -S tumbler imagemagick Create the following a folder.thumbnailer file and add the following sudo vi /usr/share/thumbnailers/folder.thumbnailer [Thumbnailer Entry] Version=1.0 Encoding=UTF-8 Type=X-Thumbnailer Name=Folder Thumbnailer MimeType=inode/directory; Exec=/usr/bin/folder-thumbnailer %s %i %o %u Create the folder-thumbnailer script sudo vi /usr/bin/folder-thumbnailer #!/bin/bash convert -thumbnail "$1" "$2/folder.jpg" "$3" 1>/dev/null 2>&1 ||\ convert -thumbnail "$1" "$2/.
🐧 pass - the standard unix password manager
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.
sudo pacman -S pass pass-otp dmenu qtpass You can use the command passmenu to open a list of your passwords using dmenu.
🐧 Disable the touchpad while typing
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
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 Setup a NAS share Create a new share seafile
Create a new directory in the server
sudo mkdir /home/nas/seafile sudo chmod 750 /home/nas/seafile sudo chown seafile:seafile /home/nas/seafile Setup a mountpoint in the server sudo vi /etc/fstab nas:/nfs/seafile /home/nas/seafile nfs users,noauto,x-systemd.
🐧 Install TagSpaces on Linux
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.
yaourt -S xarchiver electron libgcrypt15 cd ~/Downloads mv tagspaces-pro-2.5.0-amd64.deb tagspaces-pro-2.5.0-amd64.ar xarchiver -x .
🐧 GPG encrypted backups to rsync.net
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 mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/ sshfs 99999@server.rsync.net: /home/your_user/rsync.net/ mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/backups/ Create and encript a directory tar –xattrs -czpvf /tmp/2016-11-28_my_dir.tgz -C /home/your_user/my_dir . gpg –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 mkdir -p /tmp/extract cd /tmp/extract gpg -o- /tmp/2016-11-28_my_dir.tgz.gpg | tar zxvf - Unmount rsync.
🐧 Backups using ecryptfs and rsync.net
I use rsync.net for my cloud/offline backups.
Here’s how to do encrypted backups using ecryptfs.
Install ecryptfs-utils sudo pacman -S ecryptfs-utils Generate a passphrase ecryptfs-setup-private –nopwcheck –noautomount Mount rsync.net using sshfs and create a backup folder mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/ sshfs 99999@server.rsync.net: /home/your_user/rsync.net/ mkdir -p /home/your_user/rsync.net/backups/ Mount the backups folder as an encrypted filesystem and copy some files sudo mount -t ecryptfs ~/.Private /home/your_user/rsync.
🐧 Nextcloud Arch Linux installation
There are my notes for installing Nextcloud in Arch Linux in my home server.
Server installation sudo pacman -Syu apache php php-apache mariadb cower -d nextcloud sudo pacman -Syu php-gd php-intl php-mcrypt php-apcu PHP configuration sudo 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 sudo mysql_install_db -–user=mysql -–basedir=/usr -–datadir=/var/lib/mysql sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service sudo systemctl start mariadb.
Fixing Google with 2-Step Verification Online Account in Gnome 3.8
In my Arch adventures I added my Google account in the Online Accounts.
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
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) mkdir builds cd builds tar -xzf google-chrome-beta.tar.gz cd google-chrome-beta makepkg -s sudo pacman -U google-chrome-beta-28.0.1500.36-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz GNOME Tweak Tool sudo pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool Tomboy sudo pacman -S tomboy To get my notes I recovered the following folders from my /home backup:
Adventures in Arch (Part III): Customizing
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:
sudo pacman -S ttf-ubuntu-font-family GNOME Shell tweaks Install GNOME Tweak Tool:
sudo 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.
Adventures in Arch (Part II): Fine Tuning
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:
sudo nano /etc/fstab UUID=aee33023-2254-42fc-94ac-612314eeb332 / ext4 noatime,discard,data=ordered,errors=remount-ro 0 1 UUID=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
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
Arch home page Read the Arch Way Arch Wiki Arch Beginners Guide Arch Forums 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
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.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is finally available in Portugal!
I will show how to set up upload your music in Ubuntu using the Google Music Manager.
Installing Google Play Music Manager in Ubuntu wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | \ sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://dl.google.com/linux/musicmanager/deb/ stable \ main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-musicmanager-beta I had trouble with the version installed via ppa, it was always crashing after opening up.
Moving your /home partition to a new disk
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.
FavApps: FileZilla
FileZilla is a full-featured FTP client with an easy-to-use GUI. It is written in C++ and uses the wxWidgets library. FileZilla includes the following features:
Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) IPv6 support Available in more than 40 languages Supports resume and transfer of large files >4GB Easy to use Site Manager and transfer queue Bookmarks Drag & drop support Speed limits Filename filters Directory comparison Network configuration wizard Remote file editing Keep-alive HTTP/1.
Mount remote directories in your local machine
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:
sudo apt-get install sshfs Get the code Get the code from my sshfsmount github repository:
Upgrading to Ubuntu 12.10
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.
Install a specific package version
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:
sudo apt-get install git Reading package lists… Done Building dependency tree Reading state information… Done Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable distribution that some required packages have not yet been created or been moved out of Incoming.
FavApps: GCstar Collections Manager
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 collection by many criteria.
Install Evernote in Ubuntu
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
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: $ sudo blkid You will get something like: /dev/sda1: SEC_TYPE="msdos" UUID="2058-0A61" TYPE="vfat" /dev/sda2: UUID="3870ca15-f7ca-4e16-9743-5cafbe224530" TYPE="ext4" /dev/sdb1: UUID="220ff146-211d-498f-bbaa-013df1fd1479" TYPE="swap" /dev/sdb5: UUID="7f083aa6-bee0-af57-b715-5306865ecf2c" TYPE="ext4" /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.
FavApps: syncBackup
Ubuntu Software Center
It takes advantage of the delta-transfer algorithm, which reduces the amount of data sent over the network by sending only the differences between the source files and the existing files in the destination. Create custom profiles and save each configuration independently. Simple control of source and destination rules, register directories or files to be skipped, access remote location using SSH protocol and more.
I’ve been using syncBackup basically since it was the app pick in The Linux Action Show.
Install AOKP in Galaxy Nexus
This is how I install a new ROM in my Galaxy Nexus, backing up all my apps and settings, and allowing a recover to my current state in case of something goes wrong.
I have root and have been using XenonHD (Android 4.2.1).
I’m going back to AOKP, so I decided to post how I prepare my phone for a new ROM.
Backing up your device Backup using Titanium Backup Backup Nova Launcher settings Backup SMS using SMS Backup & Restore Reboot into recovery (I have ClockworkMod Recovery v6.
Mounting Chrome cache in memory
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: vi ~/bin/chrome_tmp_cache.
Installing Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
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
New B3 Server version is out: 2.5.1.2.
Upgrade to 2.5.1.2 Connect to your b3 server ssh user@b3server Become root su Upgrade instructions DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update DEBIAN_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
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 ssh user@b3server Become root su Upgrade instructions DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update DEBIAN_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.
Podcast Server
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.
FavApps: Terminator
Ubuntu Software Center
Terminator is a little project to produce an efficient way of filling a large area of screen space with terminals. The user can have multiple terminals in one window and use key bindings to switch between them.
Terminator is more than an alternative to the regular default terminal application. It allows you to split the terminal window in two or more terminals.
Installing Terminator You can install Terminator via the Ubuntu Software Center.
Creating a subversion server in B3 Server
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 su Install subversion and support for Apache apt-get install subversion libapache2-svn Create a base directory for your subversion projects mkdir /var/svn Give permissions for Apache chown -R www-data:www-data /var/svn Configure Apache svn module vi /etc/apache2/mods-available/dav_svn.
FavApps: Chromium Browser
Ubuntu Software Center
Chromium is an open-source browser project that aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all Internet users to experience the web. Chromium serves as a base for Google Chrome, which is Chromium rebranded (name and logo) with very few additions such as usage tracking and an auto-updater system.
I’ve been using Chrome and Chromium for quite some time. Probably since Google launched Chrome.
Installing Linux Mint 12
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.
B3 Server 2.4 Upgrade
New B3 Server version is out.
Upgrade to 2.4 Connect to your b3 server ssh user@b3server Become root su Upgrade instructions DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get update DEBIAN_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.
Backing up MySQL in B3 Server to rsync.net
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:
su apt-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): ssh-keygen -t rsa Copy your key to rsync.
B3 Server 2.3.1 Update
Minor update released last week.
Upgrading to 2.3.1 Become root su Do an upgrade apt-get update apt-get upgrade Upgrade b3 backend apt-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
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: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade Download Ubuntu.
Upgrading to Ubuntu 11.10
Ubuntu 11.10 came out last Thursday. Codename: Oneiric Ocelot.
I will be upgrading using the “Alternate CD/DVD upgrade”. This way I don’t depend on Ubuntu servers during the upgrade.
Upgrading Backup, backup! Be sure you have the latest updates prior to this new release: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade Download the alternate iso image. In my case was the 64bit version (ubuntu-11.10-alternate-amd64.iso). Check the hash of the downloaded file: md5sum ubuntu-11.
Offsite backups with rsync.net
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.
Moving /home to another disk
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.
B3 Server 2.3 Upgrade
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 ssh user@b3server Become root su Upgrade instructions change_distribution elvin apt-get -c /etc/apt/bubba-apt.conf -y update apt-get -c /etc/apt/bubba-apt.conf -y dist-upgrade Keep in mind the configuration files you want to keep during the upgrade.
Reinstall B3 Server default system
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) sudo blkid or use gparted (sudo apt-get gparted) to find out
Create an usb recovery disk for booting b3 server
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
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:
sudo apt-get install chromium-browser Daily Builds If you want to get the latests versions of Chromium add to your Software Sources:
deb 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
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 wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add - Be sure your source list is updated sudo apt-get update Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel) sudo apt-get install dkms Install Virtualbox 3.
Installing Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx (on the Desktop)
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.
Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Remix (Asus Eee 1000HE)
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.
Virtualbox 3.1
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 wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add - Be sure your source list is updated sudo apt-get update Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel) sudo apt-get install dkms Install Virtualbox 3.
GCstar Personal Collections Manager
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.
Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala (on the Desktop)
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.
Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala 64 bits (HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep)
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.
Virtualbox 3.0
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 wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add - Be sure your source list is updated sudo apt-get update Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel) sudo apt-get install dkms Install Virtualbox 3.
Add a new partition to your system
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.
Filesystem check in your USB external hard drives
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
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 /home/youruser/Dropbox/folderA/ /home/youruser/Dropbox/fileA.txt Example - Computer B - Windows C:\My Dropbox\folderA\ C:\My Dropbox\fileA.txt In this examples, the folder folderA and every file and folder inside, and the file fileA.
Recovering the update-notifier icon in Ubuntu 9.04
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
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)
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).
Upgrading to Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope (on the Desktop)
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.
Upgrading to Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope
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
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 wget -q http://download.
Get files and control your machine with Dropbox
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.
Virtualbox 2.1
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 wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add - Be sure your source list is updated sudo apt-get update Be sure you have dkms installed (so Virtualbox host kernel is automatically updated as you update your system kernel) sudo apt-get install dkms Install Virtualbox 2.
Reduce brightness on HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep (Ubuntu 8.10 64 bits)
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)
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
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.
HP Pavilion dv5-1020ep (Ubuntu 64 bits)
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.
Virtualbox 2.0
Virtualbox 2.0 is out and now it’s easier to install and maintain.
Install Download and register Sun authentication key wget -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) deb 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).
Sun Virtualbox
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.
Syncing Windows Mobile 5/6 with Synce (updated)
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.
GnomeDo 0.5
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: sudo aptitude purge gnome-do gnome-do-plugins gnome-do-plugin-rhythmbox rm -rf ~/.local/share/gnome-do/plugins/ Then add the following software sources (System > Administration > Software Sources): deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/do-core/ubuntu hardy main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/do-core/ubuntu hardy main Install GnomeDo (currently v0.
Synergy
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.
ufw - Ucomplicated Firewall
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 sudo ufw enable sudo ufw disable Default policy mostly open ports sudo ufw default allow mostly closed ports sudo ufw default deny Allow/deny services syntax sudo ufw allow|deny <service> Add rules syntax sudo ufw allow|deny [proto <protocol>] [from <address> [port <port>]] [to <address> [port <port>]] Delete rules syntax sudo ufw delete <rule type> from <ip address> to any port <port number> Firewall status sudo ufw status Firewall loaded To Action From – —— —- 24800:tcp ALLOW 100.
Removing old kernels from your system
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.
NFS file sharing
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 sudo vi /etc/exports Add your shares to the file /home/mach1user/Public *(ro,sync) /home/mach1user/Documents 100.000.00.01(ro,sync,no_subtree_check) /home/mach1user/Share 100.000.00.01/20(rw,sync,no_subtree_check) Make your changes be known sudo exportfs -a Configuration in machine 2 (where the shared folder are going to be accessed) Create a folder, where the share will be mounted mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share Mount the shares (the IP is from machine 1) sudo mount 100.
Windows under Linux
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.
Ubuntu in my desktop (installation)
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.
Ubuntu in my desktop (status)
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.
Upgrading to Hardy
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
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.
Conky
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 sudo apt-get install conky get a configuration example file (check a nicer one bellow) zcat /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
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
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 wget 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
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
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:
sudo smbpasswd -a yourusername That’s it. You can now access your shared folder using you Linux user.
Apache, PHP and MySQL
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
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