Jul
4
TCP: Treason Uncloaked?
Filed Under Linux | Leave a Comment
Today, considering it is a holiday here in the US, I figured I’d take a day off from the tutorials and ask a question of you.
All of my servers run logwatch (which will make for a great tutorial coming up soon), and I pretty regularly see something like this in the daily output:
--------------------- Kernel Begin ------------------------1 Time(s): TCP: Treason uncloaked! Peer XXX.XX.XX.XXX:XXXX/XX shrinks window 1898670412:1898670413. Repaired.
1 Time(s): TCP: Treason uncloaked! Peer XXX.XX.XX.XXX:XXXX/XX shrinks window 1911943385:1911943386. Repaired.
1 Time(s): TCP: Treason uncloaked! Peer XXX.XX.XX.XXX:XXXX/XX shrinks window 1922304386:1922304387. Repaired.
1 Time(s): TCP: Treason uncloaked! Peer XXX.XX.XX.XXX:XXXX/XX shrinks window 1922444120:1922444121. Repaired.
1 Time(s): TCP: Treason uncloaked! Peer XXX.XX.XX.XXX:XXXX/XX shrinks window 1949802160:1949802161. Repaired.———————- Kernel End ————————-
I’m not really sure what that means, but if anyone can offer me some feedback I’d appreciate it. So far I’ve seen conflicting answers from basic Googling.
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Jul
3
Print Directly To PDF in Ubuntu 8.04
Filed Under GNOME | 10 Comments
In a release long, long ago and in a galaxy far, far away I blogged about how to configure Ubuntu to print directly to a .pdf file. Looking back to this article it appears to be outdated an in need of some corrections. This tutorial will outline how to use and, if needed, configure your Ubuntu 8.04 machine to print directly to a .pdf file.
Verifying Setup or Print to PDF Configuration
My Ubuntu 8.04 installation was already configured, out of the box, to print to .pdf. This means, without any additional configuration I could select “Print” from an application and the output would be generated into a .pdf file and saved to disk. You can verify whether or not your machine is configured the same way by Navigating to:
System > Administration > Printing
If you already see a Local Printer listed as “PDF” then your machine is already configured as well. If, for whatever reason, this is not the case for you this can be configured as follows.
- Install the cups-pdf package using:
sudo aptitude install cups-pdf - Select “New Printer”
- Select “Print into PDF file” with the device URI of “cups-pdf:/”
- Select “Generic”
- Select “PDF file generator”
- Assign a name. “PDF” should be sufficient.
- Select “Apply”
Again, I would be surprised if this is not configured on your machine by default, but I never can tell what some of you have done to your machines 
Printing Directly to PDF
Once you have verified your machine is configured properly you should now be able to print documents directly to a .pdf file. This should include text documents, web pages, etc. Simply select “PDF” as the printer when you want to print a document.
After a print job has been sent you can find the generated .pdf file in your users Home folder within a new directory called “PDF”.
Jul
2
I’ve blogged about this in the past but it seemed to be overlooked. I blame the poor choice of title. In any event, I figure it would be worth revisiting as I’ve had a few suggestions on it being a good topic.
note: Your mileage may vary. I’ve seen these steps suggest a much faster repository and in other cases they can end up being slower. Perhaps try two or three until you find a good one.
Updating Your Repository Server
Software packages and security updates are made available in Ubuntu by way of a software repository. These repositories are mirrored all over the world, many times very close to where you live. I, for example, have three mirrors within 50 miles of my house. These are generally much faster than the core Ubuntu repositories.
To find a repository near you, or have your system scan for the fastest (which may or may not be local to you), you will need to launch the Software Sources tool. This can be found in:
System > Administration > Software Sources
This administrative menu will allow you to change the location of your repository, and which items within the repository you want to subscribe to. You will have the most software available if all boxes are checked.
From here we’ll want to select “Other” from the drop-down menu and we’ll be provided with a list of available servers.
To have your system try and find the fastest server you can select the “Select Best Server” option, which will try to connect to each repository mirror and track the fastest responses. The location selected when this process is done should be the fastest available mirror at that time.
Remember, repository mirror speeds can fluctuate based on traffic and other factors. For best results you might try this scan periodically and find which mirrors are consistently the best for your location. Enjoy!
Jul
1
Enable Commercial DVD Playback on Ubuntu 8.04
Filed Under Ubuntu | 11 Comments
I realize it has been ages since I first wrote on this topic so I figured I’d revisit it again. If you’ve ever found yourself unable to playback a DVD on your Ubuntu system, this post will outline the reason and the fix.
The Reason
At first you might wonder why this bug hasn’t been fixed. If, as I say, I wrote about this long ago why hasn’t it been fixed? The problem is not in the code, but in the software patents involved. For the same reason mp3 support is not enabled out-of-the-box, neither is DVD playback.
I should give the obligatory disclaimer about checking your local law and all that jazz.. but I wont. Just know that you can blame the DCMA and ridiculous US patent law for this restriction. If you are outside the US you are likely fine.. lucky bastards.
The Fix
As I mentioned above, Ubuntu can’t include the code for DVD playback by default, but it is very simple to add after-the-fact. It takes all of one command to get it working (and will generally require a reboot), but afterwards you’re set. I’ll outline two methods you can use to enable DVD playback on your Ubuntu system.
Method #1:
The first method toward enabling DVD playback on Ubuntu 8.04 is to simply run an included script that will automagically fetch, configure and install the appropriate code for you. This can be done by issuing the command below:
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh
Method #2:
The second method (both are not required) toward enabling DVD playback on Ubuntu 8.04 is to install it in its packaged form, which is available from Medibuntu. The following three commands will add the Medibuntu repository, install the security key and then add DVD playback support.
sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2
Either of these methods will likely require a reboot. From here on out DVD playback should work just fine on your machine.
You may be interested in the No Software Patents website, which is an advocacy group with the goal of removing or at least improving the ridiculous, out of control software patent system. Remember, this doesn’t only affect the US. It could happen in your country too!
Jun
30
Install SecondLife 1.19.1.4 on Ubuntu 8.04
Filed Under Games | 2 Comments
Its been ages since I played with SecondLife but I was reminded about it this evening and thought I would put something together regarding how to install it. There are not any packages for it in the Ubuntu repositories, but it is pretty simple to get running.
For those that currently use SecondLife maybe you can comment on places to hang out and things to go see for anyone just joining in.
Requirements for SecondLife 1.19.1.4
The first requirement is that your machine passes the minimum system requirements. On Linux this generally means 3D rendering ability. Here are the official requirements, for your information:
- Internet Connection: Cable or DSL
- 800MHz Pentium III or Athlon or better (recommended: 1.5GHz or more)
- 512MB (recommended: 768MB or more)
- nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better (recommend one of the following: 6700, 6800, 7600, 7800, 7900, 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800, Go 7400, Go 7600, Go 7800, Go 7900)
- ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better
I should note that SecondLife seems to run just fine on my onboard intel 915 video card. As long as you can run Compiz effects you should probably be OK.
The following commands will walk you through installing SecondLife system-wide. This will make it available for any user on the machine, and may be different than other methods you may have seen.
Installing SecondLife 1.19.1.4
First off we’ll need to manually download the archive, which we’ll unpack into /opt.
wget -c http://download-secondlife-com.s3.amazonaws.com/SecondLife_i686_1_19_1_4.tar.bz2
sudo tar -C /opt/ -xf Desktop/SecondLife_i686_1_19_1_4.tar.bz2
sudo ln -s /opt/SecondLife_i686_1_19_1_4/secondlife /usr/local/bin/
You’ll now be able to launch SecondLife with:
secondlife
Jun
29
I want to thank everyone for the great feedback that I got on the poll regarding what you’d like to see on this site. I think the results are pretty clear, although some of them did surprise me. For those that haven’t taken a look at the results they are as follows:
Gnome Desktop Tips : 221 votes
Virtualization Topics : 163 votes
Installation & Upgrade : 163 votes
Security Related :152 votes
Ubuntu Server : 152 votes
3D Effects : 117 votes
Getting Involved : 69 votes
KDE Stuff : 65 votes
If you’d still like to voice your opinion the poll is still up for another day. You can also comment on this post if you’d like to see topics not listed in the current poll.
I will try to keep these results in mind going forward. I have seen website traffic go up recently, and I’m glad to see people are interested and coming to read the site.
A new poll will be starting July 1 so please come and give me your feedback at that point.
Jun
29
Last week Aaron asked me if I knew the reason behind the latest kernel update, or if I knew where to find the changelog. I poked around a bit and found that Aptitude, the command-line package management tool, has a changelog option. If you’d like to see the changelog for a package before you update, or even after you’ve updated, you can do so with Aptitude.
Viewing the Changelog From The Terminal
Taking a look at the changelog for a package can be done at the command line by using:
aptitude changelog <packagename>
This only works for officially supported packages, so it’ll complain if you try it against something from a PPA, but this still covers quite a few packages. So, if you’ve ever wondered the reason behind the update, you can check out the changelog and take a look!
Viewing the Changelog From Synaptic
The same functionality is available within Synaptic as well. Navigate to:
“System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager”
Find the package you’re interested in using the “Search” button and then select “Package > Download Changelog” from the Synaptic File menu.
Jun
28
Install Xubuntu Desktop alongside Ubuntu
Filed Under Ubuntu | 9 Comments
If you’re new to Ubuntu you may or may not be aware of the fact that we like our choices here. One of the big choices is the desktop environment that you work in. The big two are Gnome and KDE, but there are quite a few more. Xubuntu, or Ubuntu using the XFCE desktop environment, is another official release variant from the Ubuntu community. If you’ve never tried it out I’ve got instructions below on how to install it in parallel to your existing desktop, giving you the option of selecting one at login.
Installing the Xubuntu Desktop
Installing the XFCE desktop environment can be done by way of the Ubuntu package repositories. It has been simplified with the creation of a meta-package, which is a simple package containing a longer list of required packages. To install the XFCE environment is done with the following:
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
When this is finished you’ll need to logout of your current session and select XFCE as the next session you’d like to use. This option is found on the login screen. Look for “Sessions” and select XFCE. This can be made the default or just a temporary change.
Being able to select the session, or the environment that we’re going to use gives us the opportunity to try out multiple desktop environments without needing to reinstall or affect our current system much. If you don’t like one, simply install and select a different session.
If you’d like to remove the XFCE environment at some point you can use:
sudo apt-get remove xubuntu-desktopsudo apt-get autoremove
Jun
27
Some of you might remember, long ag, that I asked for some feedback regarding a presentation at Ubuntu Live 2008. Well, as it turns out the Ubuntu Live conference was cancelled by my presentation was migrated to OSCON instead. I’m pretty excited to be going to OSCON this year, especially as a speaker. I went last year, but just to work in a booth as a volunteer. This year will be a much more fun!
If you’re going to be at OSCON come and say hello. I’ll be presenting:
LTS Tutorials : Using Ubuntu in the Enterprise - 10:45 on 23 Jul 2008
I’ll be covering things like automated installations with kickstart and preseed, automated “stack” setup with the server installer (LAMP, etc), basic security with ufw, and more. I think it’ll be a lot of fun and I hope to be able to show how Ubuntu Server can make Enterprise Linux simpler while remaining just as stable and secure as anything else.
If you haven’t yet registered I’ve outlined some of the available discount codes below. If you can get the time, and if the discount help, OSCON is *really* a lot of fun and the education you get is worth every penny.
OSCON Registration Discount Codes
os08fts -65% off with proof of full-time student status: a copy of ID & class schedule demonstrating enrollment in 12 or more units per semester/quarter. Fax to (707) 829-1342. Please use os08fts in the discount field.
os08team -10% off per person if you register 3 or more people from one company. Please use os08team in discount field. Proof of status of employment (copy of business card) for each attendee must be faxed to (707) 829-1342.
os08np -40% off with proof of full time employment at a non-profit organization and verification of non-profit status (501 c3 or equivalent). Fax to (707) 829-1342. Please use os08np in the discount field.
os08gov -10% off with proof of full-time employment with a government agency. Use discount code os08gov, and fax proof to (707) 829-1342.
os08as -25% off with proof of full time academic employment status on organization letterhead. Fax to (707) 829-1342. Please use os08as in discount field.
Jun
27
Gnome and Nautilus Keyboard Shortcut Keys
Filed Under GNOME | 4 Comments
Some time ago I blogged about keyboard shortcuts for the Gnome Desktop. I figure its time to revisit some of these. If I’ve missed any that you find helpful as usual drop a comment. I am unaware of any definitive list of Gnome shortcuts. Could this be a start?
Gnome Desktop Keyboard Shortcuts
Alt-F2 : Run Application Dialog
Alt-F1 : Open Applications Menu
Alt-F9 : Minimize Active Window
Alt-Tab : Rotate Current Window Focus
Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow : Move Virtual Desktop Left
Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow : Move Virtual Desktop Right
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left Arrow : Move Current Application Left
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Right Arrow : Move Current Application Right
Ctrl+Alt+L : Lock Screen
Ctrl+Alt+Del : Log Out
Ctrl+Alt+Backspace : Restart Gnome (careful)
Nautilus File Management
Shift+Ctrl+N : Create New Folder
Ctrl+T : Delete (to Trash)
Alt+ENTER : File/Folder Properties
Ctrl+1 : Toggle View As Icons
Ctrl+2 : Toggle View As List
Shift+Right Arrow : Open Directory (List View)
Shift+Left Arrow : Close Directory (List View)
Ctrl+S : Select Pattern [enter pattern]
F2 : Rename File
Ctrl+A : Select All
Nautilus Navigation Shortcuts
Ctrl+W : Close Window
Ctrl+Shift+W : Close All Nautilus Windows
Ctrl+R : Reload Nautilus Window
Alt+Up Arrow : Open Parent
Alt+Left Arrow : Back
Alt+Right Arrow : Forward
Alt+Home : Home Folder
Ctrl+L : Location Bar
F9 : Toggle Sidepane
Ctrl+H : Show Hidden Files
Ctrl++ : Zoom In
Ctrl+- : Zoom Out
Ctrl+0 : Normal Size
I know this is a bit of a long list, but I find that using keyboard shortcuts allows me to get more done than reaching for a mouse to navigate around my Desktop. I know many are much more comfortable with the mouse, but learning a few of these shortcuts can’t hurt either. Please comment if I’ve missed any shortcuts.
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