Lawrence "The Dreamer" Chen's Blog

While at work this morning, I tried to ssh into 'box'....mainly to make it see the changed ssh host keys. But, turned out it was a test to see that it was working correctly.

I couldn't get to the second ip on 'box'. All my linux servers have 2 IPs, so from the outside they can be hit by either gateway. Using ip route/ip rule, it makes the packets go back out to the correct default gateway for the IP.

Well, turns out the second IP doesn't show up after a boot. If I do '/etc/init.d/networking restart', it appears. But, reboot...and its gone.

After much fiddling, searching, trial and error....I eventually stumbled on it.

The configs were basically the same as my ubuntu 8.04LTS server. Three 'auto' lines for each of the 'iface's. I had tried combining the eth0 entries to 'auto eth0 eth0:0', but that didn't work.

On a whim, I finally tried having only a single 'auto' line -- 'auto lo eth0 eth0:0' in /etc/network/interfaces. That finally made it have both eth0 and eht0:0 after a reboot.

Now I can ssh into 'box' via either of my gateways.

I got the new-ish computer out and started looking at what I could change in it....while digging into it, I discovered it has a SATA drive. So, that meant no moving the old 'box' harddrive into the new 'box' hardware. So, that narrowed the return options to one.

I transplanted the CD burner in the old 'box' into the new 'box' and then set out to get ubuntu-9.04-server-i386.iso. First tried downloading via OSL....that was going slowly. Noticed there was a .torrent file available, so I decided to get it that way. That went much faster.

But, then I got distracted...ferret, supper...but eventually got around to burning the image and starting the install process.

After remembering the desired sequence of answers that would result in something that I would like (and having it set itself up with out DHCP)...I had ubuntu server with DNS-server, SSH-server, and Mail-server. I set out to work on being able to access the old drive on the 'box', after some thought, I decided to load on 'ubuntu-desktop' I like have lots of windows, and which a much faster system there's other things I'll probably be doing on here now/in future. 'box' started as a Pentium-75, and is now a Pentium 4 3.2Ghz w/HT. I also discovered that the machine has a GigE NIC (it didn't mention this on the website....)

I let 'ubuntu-desktop' install overnight, and found it didn't work in the morning. Had to introduce another 'sudo apt-get update' to get things along. I threw some other stuff I was starting to find that I wanted/needed like, binutils, ncftp, ntp, boinc... and then bounced the box.

Got a USB adapter for the old drive, but 'box' wouldn't see it automatically. It doesn't seem to load usb stuff on boot, looked around but decided that might be a good thing....for now. Doing 'lsusb' would make the drive appear....

I continued to setup the environment, decided to leave it using bash...even though my other home linux servers use tcsh. I also installed GKrellm and worked on getting postfix to talk to relay through my outbound.mailhop.org account. Found that I had to use smtp_tls_CAfile=/etc/ssl/certs/Equ....pem instead of smtp_tls_CApath=/etc/ssl/certs. And, then I messed up resolv.conf (I had installed and tested vpnc, its not quite working right...but its probably a K-State thing than the client....I knew it was working on my other ubuntu systems and I used the same config file, but didn't check if it still worked on those other systems). Then I discovered that my local DNS was kind of confused. Because 'box' was back on the network, but not configured as the master or knowing of my local domain....it was getting things wrong. Using my dyndns domain name is internal and external probably compounded things.

So, that moved up getting DNS configured. Continuing my environment setup, I remembered that I hadn't updated my border routers for IVS without 'box'.....since 'box' has cron jobs to check that I'm my IVS is working....so I went off and did that...and while I was on the computer that I also do my boinc managing from...I worked on getting BOINC running on 'box'.

I opted to use the apt-get install of it, and let it run a system service (instead of out of my local account and the keep it current to the latest stable version...which is newer than the ubuntu one?) Attached to a bunch of projects, discovered new 'box' is much noisier with its CPU running full tilt all the time....though P4-3.2GHz CPUs run hot...I forget what I had now in 'box'....Cele2.2??? Got all the usual projects attached, except Spinhenge...maybe it won't be bad if its not. Not all boxes run all projects that are available, aside from some projects not support Linux. There are differences based the resources of the minion. New 'box' being faster and doing HT, I have it doing more than what old 'box' did.

Now off to do morning stuff and run some errands before diving back into finishing new 'box'.

I think when I return, I'm going to work on dhcp server peering. So that should I ever lose 'box' again, I won't be with out DHCP.....though 'orac' is not the kind of box I hope to ever have to rebuild (another 'lhaven' )

Link: http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2009/06/11/microsoft_money_cancelled/

Its personal finance and small business software package.

The software will no longer be available to buy after 30 June and anyone who has bought MS Money needs to activate it before 31 January 2011.

My copy expires in March 2010. Hopefully Intuit will have a painless way for us to migrate to the Mac version

Though there are other reasons to still run Windows at home....Money was always on the top of the list for reasons why I was hesitant to make the full leap to running something other than Windows as my main desktop system. I have been playing with some of the stuff that needs windows with XP installed in VirtualBox. Like while EncoreViewer will run in the VM, it can take up to 5 tries to successfully read the smartcard. While I've almost never had trouble reading the card into my circa 1993 Windows XP Desktop.

Wonder when I'll get serious about making the switch. I suppose one option would be to start new in 2010. But, there have been many times that I've searched all the way back to 1998 when I first started using Money.

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There was griping today at work about how long it takes to load a page in a blog....~15 seconds is too long.

So, I got home and wondered how long does it take to fully load my site? ~30 seconds.

Though I thought that was a reasonable amount of time. Most of the page is fully rendered, its just some strange bits doing stuff behind the scenes.

I knocked out the Twitter widget...that shaved off ~10 seconds.

I then kept poking around....finally I knocked out the Technorati embedded code that I put to claim ownership of my own blog. Now it only takes 3-5 seconds for the main page to load.

Makes me think that maybe I could put the Twitter widget back, to see if the Technorati embed was making the Twitter widget code slow (since part a loaded before and part b loaded after). If only I had kept a copy of the code before I mercilessly hacked it out of my blog.

Wait...I blogged about adding the widget, so that might lead me to where the code is. Except that I tweaked the original code, and okay...I've figured out what quick kluge to make it mostly work again.

Hmm, ~5 seconds for the main page to load. Guess Technorati is out

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Worked when I immediately forced the pending notifcation to run, how about if I don't?

Seems it only worked immediate, not asynchronously.

This is a test, and only a test....

Now the reason I was on TigerDirect in the first place. I was ordering upgrade memory to take the Lenovo 3000 v200 that I had gotten from them from its stock 2GB to 4GB (max).

It had said that the 32-bit Vista on the machine wasn't going to see it all, but I blew that away immediately...so I didn't care.

I probably should've shutdown down (turned off) laptop before I swapped the memory...instead of doing it while it was in its suspended state. But, I had a brain fart.

Booting up, I saw that it was 4GB in the BIOS...but then only 3GB in Ubuntu. After a quick search, I found that the desktop kernel is config'd that way. And, the solution was to install the server kernel.

I did that, and now it sees all 4GB. I had gone 32-bit because of certain repos...namely Boxee....didn't support 64-bit.

After booting up, I tested a few key apps to make sure there wasn't any issue in the installing the server kernel. Namely, VirtualBox (booting my XP VM), Boxee (clicked the wrong shortcut), Skype+Webcam (sudo modprobe gspca_m5602 and then starting skype with the v4lcompat1.so PRELOAD). And, then confirm that it'll suspend when I close the lid, and resume when I open it.

Now off to stir up some other trouble....

I was about to activate the Windows XP VM I got running on my new laptop...but something wasn't working right. Apparently K-State screwed up again, and is distributing the Managed OfficeScan client as the Unmanaged one. And, somehow it was interfering with my network connection....but it wouldn't let me unload it temporarily.

I tried removing it, but it also wanted a password... I tried the remove procedure I found on Trend Micro web site, which was to stop services, remove files and remove registry entries by hand. It stopped the AV software, but it made my network problems even worse.

I tried a repair install of Windows XP, but that didn't do anything. So, I reinstalled the alledgedly Unmanaged version again (still Managed ) And, then ran its uninstaller.... Didn't help. So, I tried going through register some more purging more registry entries. Removed some stuff I shouldn't have....in order to rid of stuff that might be in the way.

Did another repair install of Windows XP...and network came back. I got things recustomized and then I opted to install Free AVG this time around. It did warn that it thought there was another AntiVirus program already installed. But, went ahead. Things seem to work now, and then I went ahead and activated.

Now I can do windows updates.... Not sure what else I actually need to run in the VM...I suppose the next thing I want to do is install Eye-Fi manager. One of the few programs that I missed when traveling with a Linux only laptop.

Couldn't add my parents wireless network to my Eye-Fi card....(there's a linux program that claims to do it, but it only does unsecure or WPA networks...my parents run WEP. Actually, retired the WDS bridge to connect rooms in my condo...I was also running WEP. Couldn't do WDS and WPA...just WDS and WEP.

This morning, there was a loud beep along with a variety of other strange sounds that woke me. The power had gone out. I could still breath, so my PowerSource400 was doing its job.

I don't yet have the humidifier plugged into the PowerSource400, but I was only using it in passive mode last night. Though I was told in chat that it'll work on an inverter, so it would work on the PowerSource400. The brochure even touts it as a feature of benefit to truck drivers and campers.... Didn't occur to me to find out. Though biggest problem is forgetting to turn it on at night, and/or turning it off in the morning.

Almost as soon as I was fully aware that the power was out and that I was still getting air....there was another beep, and power was back on. I went back to sleep for a little while longer....

Later I saw the clean air filter light was on the air purifier in the room next to my bedroom, so wondered if the air cell would fit in my ultrasonic cleaner. So, first I cleaned my cushions using it....and then found the air cell was too big. But, also time to replace white filter....or rather swap a white filter in for the grey filter....gonna say it picked up a long more funk because I traveled last weekend....

Also in between cushion cleaning and air purifier cleaning...I decided that it was time to try my hand at modifying my ComfortLite II mask. Guess we'll find out how that works tonight.

Finally, I was looking at my data...and decided I should see if I can get EncoreViewer & USB reader working on my new laptop...where its running Ubuntu...with Windows XP in a VirtualBox VM.

Had lots of fun trying to get USB working, but basically it was combine various information found online on the subject...until I got it to work. There was a bit of VirtualBox/USB and Intrepid. udev file didn't quite match, since there was already a vbox one that did the same thing that it described. Another forum post had a different method, but talked of creating a separate group...make the device nodes in that group...and adding vbox & user to the group....while the 'VirtualBox/USB' method said add user to vboxusers group.

What I went back and did was have it make the /proc/bus/usb device nodes for the vboxusers group...and then finally the devices showed up (after a reboot).

The XP VM detected the USB devices, installed drivers and the light turned green....EncoreViewer started reading the smartcard, but then it failed. I fiddled some more...eventually rebooted the XP VM, it did a bunch of stuff (some 33 updates?)...and trying again, I was able to successfully read the smartcard.

Then it was a matter of copying some files from my desktop to the VM, so I could have the historical data. Laptop way will just be so I know it would work rather than use it regularly....of course, that might change if I make it the bedroom computer after the rearrangement. Though I'm thinking a whole new computer would go there....perhaps one of those ASUS atom based all in ones.

Hmmm....

What kind of trouble can I get myself into next.