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1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
2 <rss version='2.0' xmlns:lj='http://www.livejournal.org/rss/lj/1.0/'>
3 <channel>
4 <title>Petter Reinholdtsen - Entries tagged debian</title>
5 <description>Entries tagged debian</description>
6 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/</link>
7
8
9 <item>
10 <title>Quicker Debian installations using eatmydata</title>
11 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Quicker_Debian_installations_using_eatmydata.html</link>
12 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Quicker_Debian_installations_using_eatmydata.html</guid>
13 <pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2016 14:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
14 <description>&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, I did some experiments with eatmydata and the Debian
15 installation system, observing how using
16 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Speeding_up_the_Debian_installer_using_eatmydata_and_dpkg_divert.html&quot;&gt;eatmydata
17 could speed up the installation&lt;/a&gt; quite a bit. My testing measured
18 speedup around 20-40 percent for Debian Edu, where we install around
19 1000 packages from within the installer. The eatmydata package
20 provide a way to disable/delay file system flushing. This is a bit
21 risky in the general case, as files that should be stored on disk will
22 stay only in memory a bit longer than expected, causing problems if a
23 machine crashes at an inconvenient time. But for an installation, if
24 the machine crashes during installation the process is normally
25 restarted, and avoiding disk operations as much as possible to speed
26 up the process make perfect sense.
27
28 &lt;p&gt;I added code in the Debian Edu specific installation code to enable
29 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/libeatmydata&quot;&gt;eatmydata&lt;/a&gt;,
30 but did not have time to push it any further. But a few months ago I
31 picked it up again and worked with the libeatmydata package maintainer
32 Mattia Rizzolo to make it easier for everyone to get this installation
33 speedup in Debian. Thanks to our cooperation There is now an
34 eatmydata-udeb package in Debian testing and unstable, and simply
35 enabling/installing it in debian-installer (d-i) is enough to get the
36 quicker installations. It can be enabled using preseeding. The
37 following untested kernel argument should do the trick:&lt;/p&gt;
38
39 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
40 preseed/early_command=&quot;anna-install eatmydata-udeb&quot;
41 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
42
43 &lt;p&gt;This should ask d-i to install the package inside the d-i
44 environment early in the installation sequence. Having it installed
45 in d-i in turn will make sure the relevant scripts are called just
46 after debootstrap filled /target/ with the freshly installed Debian
47 system to configure apt to run dpkg with eatmydata. This is enough to
48 speed up the installation process. There is a proposal to
49 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/841153&quot;&gt;extend the idea a bit further
50 by using /etc/ld.so.preload instead of apt.conf&lt;/a&gt;, but I have not
51 tested its impact.&lt;/p&gt;
52
53 </description>
54 </item>
55
56 <item>
57 <title>Oversette bokmål til nynorsk, enklere enn du tror takket være Apertium</title>
58 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Oversette_bokm_l_til_nynorsk__enklere_enn_du_tror_takket_v_re_Apertium.html</link>
59 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Oversette_bokm_l_til_nynorsk__enklere_enn_du_tror_takket_v_re_Apertium.html</guid>
60 <pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 2016 10:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
61 <description>&lt;p&gt;I Norge er det mange som trenger å skrive både bokmål og nynorsk.
62 Eksamensoppgaver, offentlige brev og nyheter er eksempler på tekster
63 der det er krav om skriftspråk. I tillegg til alle skoleoppgavene som
64 elever over det ganske land skal levere inn hvert år. Det mange ikke
65 vet er at selv om de kommersielle alternativene
66 &lt;a href=&quot;https://translate.google.com/&quot;&gt;Google Translate&lt;/a&gt; og
67 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bing.com/translator/&quot;&gt;Bing Translator&lt;/a&gt; ikke kan
68 bidra med å oversette mellom bokmål og nynorsk, så finnes det et
69 utmerket fri programvarealternativ som kan. Oversetterverktøyet
70 Apertium har støtte for en rekke språkkombinasjoner, og takket være
71 den utrettelige innsatsen til blant annet Kevin Brubeck Unhammer, kan
72 en bruke webtjenesten til å fylle inn en tekst på bokmål eller
73 nynorsk, og få den automatoversatt til det andre skriftspråket.
74 Resultatet er ikke perfekt, men et svært godt utgangspunkt. Av og til
75 er resultatet så bra at det kan benyttes uten endringer. Jeg vet
76 f.eks. at store deler av Joomla ble oversatt til nynorsk ved hjelp
77 Apertium. Høres det ut som noe du kan ha bruk for? Besøk i så fall
78 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.apertium.org/&quot;&gt;Apertium.org&lt;/a&gt; og fyll inn
79 teksten din i webskjemaet der.
80
81 &lt;p&gt;Hvis du trenger maskinell tilgang til den bakenforliggende
82 teknologien kan du enten installere pakken
83 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/apertium-nno-nob&quot;&gt;apertium-nno-nob&lt;/a&gt;
84 på en Debian-maskin eller bruke web-API-et tilgjengelig fra
85 api.apertium.org. Se
86 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Apertium-apy&quot;&gt;API-dokumentasjonen&lt;/a&gt;
87 for detaljer om web-API-et. Her kan du se hvordan resultatet blir for
88 denne teksten som ble skrevet på bokmål over maskinoversatt til
89 nynorsk.&lt;/p&gt;
90
91 &lt;hr/&gt;
92
93 &lt;p&gt;I Noreg er det mange som treng å skriva både bokmål og nynorsk.
94 Eksamensoppgåver, offentlege brev og nyhende er døme på tekster der
95 det er krav om skriftspråk. I tillegg til alle skuleoppgåvene som
96 elevar over det ganske land skal levera inn kvart år. Det mange ikkje
97 veit er at sjølv om dei kommersielle alternativa
98 &lt;a href=&quot;https://translate.google.com/&quot;&gt;Google *Translate&lt;/a&gt; og
99 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bing.com/translator/&quot;&gt;Bing *Translator&lt;/a&gt; ikkje
100 kan bidra med å omsetja mellom bokmål og nynorsk, så finst det eit
101 utmerka fri programvarealternativ som kan. Omsetjarverktøyet
102 *Apertium har støtte for ei rekkje språkkombinasjonar, og takka vera
103 den utrøyttelege innsatsen til blant anna Kevin Brubeck Unhammer, kan
104 ein bruka *webtjenesten til å fylla inn ei tekst på bokmål eller
105 nynorsk, og få den *automatoversatt til det andre skriftspråket.
106 Resultatet er ikkje perfekt, men eit svært godt utgangspunkt. Av og
107 til er resultatet så bra at det kan nyttast utan endringar. Eg veit
108 t.d. at store delar av *Joomla vart omsett til nynorsk ved hjelp
109 *Apertium. Høyrast det ut som noko du kan ha bruk for? Besøk i så
110 fall &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.apertium.org/&quot;&gt;*Apertium.org&lt;/a&gt; og fyll inn
111 teksta di i *webskjemaet der.
112
113 &lt;p&gt;Viss du treng *maskinell tilgjenge til den *bakenforliggende
114 teknologien kan du anten installera pakken
115 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/apertium-nno-nob&quot;&gt;*apertium-*nno-*nob&lt;/a&gt;
116 på ein *Debian-maskin eller bruka *web-*API-eit tilgjengeleg frå
117 *api.*apertium.org. Sjå
118 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Apertium-apy&quot;&gt;*API-dokumentasjonen&lt;/a&gt;
119 for detaljar om *web-*API-eit. Her kan du sjå korleis resultatet vert
120 for denne teksta som vart skreva på bokmål over *maskinoversatt til
121 nynorsk.&lt;/p&gt;
122 </description>
123 </item>
124
125 <item>
126 <title>Coz profiler for multi-threaded software is now in Debian</title>
127 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Coz_profiler_for_multi_threaded_software_is_now_in_Debian.html</link>
128 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Coz_profiler_for_multi_threaded_software_is_now_in_Debian.html</guid>
129 <pubDate>Sun, 13 Nov 2016 12:30:00 +0100</pubDate>
130 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://coz-profiler.org/&quot;&gt;The Coz profiler&lt;/a&gt;, a nice
131 profiler able to run benchmarking experiments on the instrumented
132 multi-threaded program, finally
133 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/coz-profiler&quot;&gt;made it into
134 Debian unstable yesterday&lt;/A&gt;. Lluís Vilanova and I have spent many
135 months since
136 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Coz_can_help_you_find_bottlenecks_in_multi_threaded_software___nice_free_software.html&quot;&gt;I
137 blogged about the coz tool&lt;/a&gt; in August working with upstream to make
138 it suitable for Debian. There are still issues with clang
139 compatibility, inline assembly only working x86 and minimized
140 JavaScript libraries.&lt;/p&gt;
141
142 &lt;p&gt;To test it, install &#39;coz-profiler&#39; using apt and run it like this:&lt;/p&gt;
143
144 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
145 &lt;tt&gt;coz run --- /path/to/binary-with-debug-info&lt;/tt&gt;
146 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
147
148 &lt;p&gt;This will produce a profile.coz file in the current working
149 directory with the profiling information. This is then given to a
150 JavaScript application provided in the package and available from
151 &lt;a href=&quot;http://plasma-umass.github.io/coz/&quot;&gt;a project web page&lt;/a&gt;.
152 To start the local copy, invoke it in a browser like this:&lt;/p&gt;
153
154 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
155 &lt;tt&gt;sensible-browser /usr/share/coz-profiler/viewer/index.htm&lt;/tt&gt;
156 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
157
158 &lt;p&gt;See the project home page and the
159 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.usenix.org/publications/login/summer2016/curtsinger&quot;&gt;USENIX
160 ;login: article on Coz&lt;/a&gt; for more information on how it is
161 working.&lt;/p&gt;
162 </description>
163 </item>
164
165 <item>
166 <title>My own self balancing Lego Segway</title>
167 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/My_own_self_balancing_Lego_Segway.html</link>
168 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/My_own_self_balancing_Lego_Segway.html</guid>
169 <pubDate>Fri, 4 Nov 2016 10:15:00 +0100</pubDate>
170 <description>&lt;p&gt;A while back I received a Gyro sensor for the NXT
171 &lt;a href=&quot;mindstorms.lego.com&quot;&gt;Mindstorms&lt;/a&gt; controller as a birthday
172 present. It had been on my wishlist for a while, because I wanted to
173 build a Segway like balancing lego robot. I had already built
174 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nxtprograms.com/NXT2/segway/&quot;&gt;a simple balancing
175 robot&lt;/a&gt; with the kids, using the light/color sensor included in the
176 NXT kit as the balance sensor, but it was not working very well. It
177 could balance for a while, but was very sensitive to the light
178 condition in the room and the reflective properties of the surface and
179 would fall over after a short while. I wanted something more robust,
180 and had
181 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hitechnic.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&amp;key=NGY1044&quot;&gt;the
182 gyro sensor from HiTechnic&lt;/a&gt; I believed would solve it on my
183 wishlist for some years before it suddenly showed up as a gift from my
184 loved ones. :)&lt;/p&gt;
185
186 &lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I have not had time to sit down and play with it
187 since then. But that changed some days ago, when I was searching for
188 lego segway information and came across a recipe from HiTechnic for
189 building
190 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hitechnic.com/blog/gyro-sensor/htway/&quot;&gt;the
191 HTWay&lt;/a&gt;, a segway like balancing robot. Build instructions and
192 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hitechnic.com/upload/786-HTWayC.nxc&quot;&gt;source
193 code&lt;/a&gt; was included, so it was just a question of putting it all
194 together. And thanks to the great work of many Debian developers, the
195 compiler needed to build the source for the NXT is already included in
196 Debian, so I was read to go in less than an hour. The resulting robot
197 do not look very impressive in its simplicity:&lt;/p&gt;
198
199 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;70%&quot; src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2016-11-04-lego-htway-robot.jpeg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
200
201 &lt;p&gt;Because I lack the infrared sensor used to control the robot in the
202 design from HiTechnic, I had to comment out the last task
203 (taskControl). I simply placed /* and */ around it get the program
204 working without that sensor present. Now it balances just fine until
205 the battery status run low:&lt;/p&gt;
206
207 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;video width=&quot;70%&quot; controls=&quot;true&quot;&gt;
208 &lt;source src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2016-11-04-lego-htway-balancing.ogv&quot; type=&quot;video/ogg&quot;&gt;
209 &lt;/video&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
210
211 &lt;p&gt;Now we would like to teach it how to follow a line and take remote
212 control instructions using the included Bluetooth receiver in the NXT.&lt;/p&gt;
213
214 &lt;p&gt;If you, like me, love LEGO and want to make sure we find the tools
215 they need to work with LEGO in Debian and all our derivative
216 distributions like Ubuntu, check out
217 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/LegoDesigners&quot;&gt;the LEGO designers
218 project page&lt;/a&gt; and join the Debian LEGO team. Personally I own a
219 RCX and NXT controller (no EV3), and would like to make sure the
220 Debian tools needed to program the systems I own work as they
221 should.&lt;/p&gt;
222 </description>
223 </item>
224
225 <item>
226 <title>Experience and updated recipe for using the Signal app without a mobile phone</title>
227 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Experience_and_updated_recipe_for_using_the_Signal_app_without_a_mobile_phone.html</link>
228 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Experience_and_updated_recipe_for_using_the_Signal_app_without_a_mobile_phone.html</guid>
229 <pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2016 11:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
230 <description>&lt;p&gt;In July
231 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_use_the_Signal_app_if_you_only_have_a_land_line__ie_no_mobile_phone_.html&quot;&gt;I
232 wrote how to get the Signal Chrome/Chromium app working&lt;/a&gt; without
233 the ability to receive SMS messages (aka without a cell phone). It is
234 time to share some experiences and provide an updated setup.&lt;/p&gt;
235
236 &lt;p&gt;The Signal app have worked fine for several months now, and I use
237 it regularly to chat with my loved ones. I had a major snag at the
238 end of my summer vacation, when the the app completely forgot my
239 setup, identity and keys. The reason behind this major mess was
240 running out of disk space. To avoid that ever happening again I have
241 started storing everything in &lt;tt&gt;userdata/&lt;/tt&gt; in git, to be able to
242 roll back to an earlier version if the files are wiped by mistake. I
243 had to use it once after introducing the git backup. When rolling
244 back to an earlier version, one need to use the &#39;reset session&#39; option
245 in Signal to get going, and notify the people you talk with about the
246 problem. I assume there is some sequence number tracking in the
247 protocol to detect rollback attacks. The git repository is rather big
248 (674 MiB so far), but I have not tried to figure out if some of the
249 content can be added to a .gitignore file due to lack of spare
250 time.&lt;/p&gt;
251
252 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve also hit the 90 days timeout blocking, and noticed that this
253 make it impossible to send messages using Signal. I could still
254 receive them, but had to patch the code with a new timestamp to send.
255 I believe the timeout is added by the developers to force people to
256 upgrade to the latest version of the app, even when there is no
257 protocol changes, to reduce the version skew among the user base and
258 thus try to keep the number of support requests down.&lt;/p&gt;
259
260 &lt;p&gt;Since my original recipe, the Signal source code changed slightly,
261 making the old patch fail to apply cleanly. Below is an updated
262 patch, including the shell wrapper I use to start Signal. The
263 original version required a new user to locate the JavaScript console
264 and call a function from there. I got help from a friend with more
265 JavaScript knowledge than me to modify the code to provide a GUI
266 button instead. This mean that to get started you just need to run
267 the wrapper and click the &#39;Register without mobile phone&#39; to get going
268 now. I&#39;ve also modified the timeout code to always set it to 90 days
269 in the future, to avoid having to patch the code regularly.&lt;/p&gt;
270
271 &lt;p&gt;So, the updated recipe for Debian Jessie:&lt;/p&gt;
272
273 &lt;ol&gt;
274
275 &lt;li&gt;First, install required packages to get the source code and the
276 browser you need. Signal only work with Chrome/Chromium, as far as I
277 know, so you need to install it.
278
279 &lt;pre&gt;
280 apt install git tor chromium
281 git clone https://github.com/WhisperSystems/Signal-Desktop.git
282 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
283
284 &lt;li&gt;Modify the source code using command listed in the the patch
285 block below.&lt;/li&gt;
286
287 &lt;li&gt;Start Signal using the run-signal-app wrapper (for example using
288 &lt;tt&gt;`pwd`/run-signal-app&lt;/tt&gt;).
289
290 &lt;li&gt;Click on the &#39;Register without mobile phone&#39;, will in a phone
291 number you can receive calls to the next minute, receive the
292 verification code and enter it into the form field and press
293 &#39;Register&#39;. Note, the phone number you use will be user Signal
294 username, ie the way others can find you on Signal.&lt;/li&gt;
295
296 &lt;li&gt;You can now use Signal to contact others. Note, new contacts do
297 not show up in the contact list until you restart Signal, and there is
298 no way to assign names to Contacts. There is also no way to create or
299 update chat groups. I suspect this is because the web app do not have
300 a associated contact database.&lt;/li&gt;
301
302 &lt;/ol&gt;
303
304 &lt;p&gt;I am still a bit uneasy about using Signal, because of the way its
305 main author moxie0 reject federation and accept dependencies to major
306 corporations like Google (part of the code is fetched from Google) and
307 Amazon (the central coordination point is owned by Amazon). See for
308 example
309 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/LibreSignal/LibreSignal/issues/37&quot;&gt;the
310 LibreSignal issue tracker&lt;/a&gt; for a thread documenting the authors
311 view on these issues. But the network effect is strong in this case,
312 and several of the people I want to communicate with already use
313 Signal. Perhaps we can all move to &lt;a href=&quot;https://ring.cx/&quot;&gt;Ring&lt;/a&gt;
314 once it &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/830265&quot;&gt;work on my
315 laptop&lt;/a&gt;? It already work on Windows and Android, and is included
316 in &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/ring&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt; and
317 &lt;a href=&quot;https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ring&quot;&gt;Ubuntu&lt;/a&gt;, but not
318 working on Debian Stable.&lt;/p&gt;
319
320 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, this is the patch I apply to the Signal code to get it
321 working. It switch to the production servers, disable to timeout,
322 make registration easier and add the shell wrapper:&lt;/p&gt;
323
324 &lt;pre&gt;
325 cd Signal-Desktop; cat &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF | patch -p1
326 diff --git a/js/background.js b/js/background.js
327 index 24b4c1d..579345f 100644
328 --- a/js/background.js
329 +++ b/js/background.js
330 @@ -33,9 +33,9 @@
331 });
332 });
333
334 - var SERVER_URL = &#39;https://textsecure-service-staging.whispersystems.org&#39;;
335 + var SERVER_URL = &#39;https://textsecure-service-ca.whispersystems.org&#39;;
336 var SERVER_PORTS = [80, 4433, 8443];
337 - var ATTACHMENT_SERVER_URL = &#39;https://whispersystems-textsecure-attachments-staging.s3.amazonaws.com&#39;;
338 + var ATTACHMENT_SERVER_URL = &#39;https://whispersystems-textsecure-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com&#39;;
339 var messageReceiver;
340 window.getSocketStatus = function() {
341 if (messageReceiver) {
342 diff --git a/js/expire.js b/js/expire.js
343 index 639aeae..beb91c3 100644
344 --- a/js/expire.js
345 +++ b/js/expire.js
346 @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
347 ;(function() {
348 &#39;use strict&#39;;
349 - var BUILD_EXPIRATION = 0;
350 + var BUILD_EXPIRATION = Date.now() + (90 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
351
352 window.extension = window.extension || {};
353
354 diff --git a/js/views/install_view.js b/js/views/install_view.js
355 index 7816f4f..1d6233b 100644
356 --- a/js/views/install_view.js
357 +++ b/js/views/install_view.js
358 @@ -38,7 +38,8 @@
359 return {
360 &#39;click .step1&#39;: this.selectStep.bind(this, 1),
361 &#39;click .step2&#39;: this.selectStep.bind(this, 2),
362 - &#39;click .step3&#39;: this.selectStep.bind(this, 3)
363 + &#39;click .step3&#39;: this.selectStep.bind(this, 3),
364 + &#39;click .callreg&#39;: function() { extension.install(&#39;standalone&#39;) },
365 };
366 },
367 clearQR: function() {
368 diff --git a/options.html b/options.html
369 index dc0f28e..8d709f6 100644
370 --- a/options.html
371 +++ b/options.html
372 @@ -14,7 +14,10 @@
373 &amp;lt;div class=&#39;nav&#39;&gt;
374 &amp;lt;h1&gt;{{ installWelcome }}&amp;lt;/h1&gt;
375 &amp;lt;p&gt;{{ installTagline }}&amp;lt;/p&gt;
376 - &amp;lt;div&gt; &amp;lt;a class=&#39;button step2&#39;&gt;{{ installGetStartedButton }}&amp;lt;/a&gt; &amp;lt;/div&gt;
377 + &amp;lt;div&gt; &amp;lt;a class=&#39;button step2&#39;&gt;{{ installGetStartedButton }}&amp;lt;/a&gt;
378 + &amp;lt;br&gt; &amp;lt;a class=&quot;button callreg&quot;&gt;Register without mobile phone&amp;lt;/a&gt;
379 +
380 + &amp;lt;/div&gt;
381 &amp;lt;span class=&#39;dot step1 selected&#39;&gt;&amp;lt;/span&gt;
382 &amp;lt;span class=&#39;dot step2&#39;&gt;&amp;lt;/span&gt;
383 &amp;lt;span class=&#39;dot step3&#39;&gt;&amp;lt;/span&gt;
384 --- /dev/null 2016-10-07 09:55:13.730181472 +0200
385 +++ b/run-signal-app 2016-10-10 08:54:09.434172391 +0200
386 @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
387 +#!/bin/sh
388 +set -e
389 +cd $(dirname $0)
390 +mkdir -p userdata
391 +userdata=&quot;`pwd`/userdata&quot;
392 +if [ -d &quot;$userdata&quot; ] &amp;&amp; [ ! -d &quot;$userdata/.git&quot; ] ; then
393 + (cd $userdata &amp;&amp; git init)
394 +fi
395 +(cd $userdata &amp;&amp; git add . &amp;&amp; git commit -m &quot;Current status.&quot; || true)
396 +exec chromium \
397 + --proxy-server=&quot;socks://localhost:9050&quot; \
398 + --user-data-dir=$userdata --load-and-launch-app=`pwd`
399 EOF
400 chmod a+rx run-signal-app
401 &lt;/pre&gt;
402
403 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
404 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
405 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
406 </description>
407 </item>
408
409 <item>
410 <title>Isenkram, Appstream and udev make life as a LEGO builder easier</title>
411 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Isenkram__Appstream_and_udev_make_life_as_a_LEGO_builder_easier.html</link>
412 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Isenkram__Appstream_and_udev_make_life_as_a_LEGO_builder_easier.html</guid>
413 <pubDate>Fri, 7 Oct 2016 09:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
414 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/isenkram&quot;&gt;The Isenkram
415 system&lt;/a&gt; provide a practical and easy way to figure out which
416 packages support the hardware in a given machine. The command line
417 tool &lt;tt&gt;isenkram-lookup&lt;/tt&gt; and the tasksel options provide a
418 convenient way to list and install packages relevant for the current
419 hardware during system installation, both user space packages and
420 firmware packages. The GUI background daemon on the other hand provide
421 a pop-up proposing to install packages when a new dongle is inserted
422 while using the computer. For example, if you plug in a smart card
423 reader, the system will ask if you want to install &lt;tt&gt;pcscd&lt;/tt&gt; if
424 that package isn&#39;t already installed, and if you plug in a USB video
425 camera the system will ask if you want to install &lt;tt&gt;cheese&lt;/tt&gt; if
426 cheese is currently missing. This already work just fine.&lt;/p&gt;
427
428 &lt;p&gt;But Isenkram depend on a database mapping from hardware IDs to
429 package names. When I started no such database existed in Debian, so
430 I made my own data set and included it with the isenkram package and
431 made isenkram fetch the latest version of this database from git using
432 http. This way the isenkram users would get updated package proposals
433 as soon as I learned more about hardware related packages.&lt;/p&gt;
434
435 &lt;p&gt;The hardware is identified using modalias strings. The modalias
436 design is from the Linux kernel where most hardware descriptors are
437 made available as a strings that can be matched using filename style
438 globbing. It handle USB, PCI, DMI and a lot of other hardware related
439 identifiers.&lt;/p&gt;
440
441 &lt;p&gt;The downside to the Isenkram specific database is that there is no
442 information about relevant distribution / Debian version, making
443 isenkram propose obsolete packages too. But along came AppStream, a
444 cross distribution mechanism to store and collect metadata about
445 software packages. When I heard about the proposal, I contacted the
446 people involved and suggested to add a hardware matching rule using
447 modalias strings in the specification, to be able to use AppStream for
448 mapping hardware to packages. This idea was accepted and AppStream is
449 now a great way for a package to announce the hardware it support in a
450 distribution neutral way. I wrote
451 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_appstream_with_isenkram_to_install_hardware_related_packages_in_Debian.html&quot;&gt;a
452 recipe on how to add such meta-information&lt;/a&gt; in a blog post last
453 December. If you have a hardware related package in Debian, please
454 announce the relevant hardware IDs using AppStream.&lt;/p&gt;
455
456 &lt;p&gt;In Debian, almost all packages that can talk to a LEGO Mindestorms
457 RCX or NXT unit, announce this support using AppStream. The effect is
458 that when you insert such LEGO robot controller into your Debian
459 machine, Isenkram will propose to install the packages needed to get
460 it working. The intention is that this should allow the local user to
461 start programming his robot controller right away without having to
462 guess what packages to use or which permissions to fix.&lt;/p&gt;
463
464 &lt;p&gt;But when I sat down with my son the other day to program our NXT
465 unit using his Debian Stretch computer, I discovered something
466 annoying. The local console user (ie my son) did not get access to
467 the USB device for programming the unit. This used to work, but no
468 longer in Jessie and Stretch. After some investigation and asking
469 around on #debian-devel, I discovered that this was because udev had
470 changed the mechanism used to grant access to local devices. The
471 ConsoleKit mechanism from &lt;tt&gt;/lib/udev/rules.d/70-udev-acl.rules&lt;/tt&gt;
472 no longer applied, because LDAP users no longer was added to the
473 plugdev group during login. Michael Biebl told me that this method
474 was obsolete and the new method used ACLs instead. This was good
475 news, as the plugdev mechanism is a mess when using a remote user
476 directory like LDAP. Using ACLs would make sure a user lost device
477 access when she logged out, even if the user left behind a background
478 process which would retain the plugdev membership with the ConsoleKit
479 setup. Armed with this knowledge I moved on to fix the access problem
480 for the LEGO Mindstorms related packages.&lt;/p&gt;
481
482 &lt;p&gt;The new system uses a udev tag, &#39;uaccess&#39;. It can either be
483 applied directly for a device, or is applied in
484 /lib/udev/rules.d/70-uaccess.rules for classes of devices. As the
485 LEGO Mindstorms udev rules did not have a class, I decided to add the
486 tag directly in the udev rules files included in the packages. Here
487 is one example. For the nqc C compiler for the RCX, the
488 &lt;tt&gt;/lib/udev/rules.d/60-nqc.rules&lt;/tt&gt; file now look like this:
489
490 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
491 SUBSYSTEM==&quot;usb&quot;, ACTION==&quot;add&quot;, ATTR{idVendor}==&quot;0694&quot;, ATTR{idProduct}==&quot;0001&quot;, \
492 SYMLINK+=&quot;rcx-%k&quot;, TAG+=&quot;uaccess&quot;
493 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
494
495 &lt;p&gt;The key part is the &#39;TAG+=&quot;uaccess&quot;&#39; at the end. I suspect all
496 packages using plugdev in their /lib/udev/rules.d/ files should be
497 changed to use this tag (either directly or indirectly via
498 &lt;tt&gt;70-uaccess.rules&lt;/tt&gt;). Perhaps a lintian check should be created
499 to detect this?&lt;/p&gt;
500
501 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve been unable to find good documentation on the uaccess feature.
502 It is unclear to me if the uaccess tag is an internal implementation
503 detail like the udev-acl tag used by
504 &lt;tt&gt;/lib/udev/rules.d/70-udev-acl.rules&lt;/tt&gt;. If it is, I guess the
505 indirect method is the preferred way. Michael
506 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/4288&quot;&gt;asked for more
507 documentation from the systemd project&lt;/a&gt; and I hope it will make
508 this clearer. For now I use the generic classes when they exist and
509 is already handled by &lt;tt&gt;70-uaccess.rules&lt;/tt&gt;, and add the tag
510 directly if no such class exist.&lt;/p&gt;
511
512 &lt;p&gt;To learn more about the isenkram system, please check out
513 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/isenkram/&quot;&gt;my
514 blog posts tagged isenkram&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
515
516 &lt;p&gt;To help out making life for LEGO constructors in Debian easier,
517 please join us on our IRC channel
518 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org/%23debian-lego&quot;&gt;#debian-lego&lt;/a&gt; and join
519 the &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/projects/debian-lego/&quot;&gt;Debian
520 LEGO team&lt;/a&gt; in the Alioth project we created yesterday. A mailing
521 list is not yet created, but we are working on it. :)&lt;/p&gt;
522
523 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
524 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
525 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
526 </description>
527 </item>
528
529 <item>
530 <title>First draft Norwegian Bokmål edition of The Debian Administrator&#39;s Handbook now public</title>
531 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_draft_Norwegian_Bokm_l_edition_of_The_Debian_Administrator_s_Handbook_now_public.html</link>
532 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_draft_Norwegian_Bokm_l_edition_of_The_Debian_Administrator_s_Handbook_now_public.html</guid>
533 <pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2016 10:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
534 <description>&lt;p&gt;In April we
535 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_a_Norwegian_Bokm_l_edition_of_The_Debian_Administrator_s_Handbook.html&quot;&gt;started
536 to work&lt;/a&gt; on a Norwegian Bokmål edition of the &quot;open access&quot; book on
537 how to set up and administrate a Debian system. Today I am happy to
538 report that the first draft is now publicly available. You can find
539 it on &lt;a href=&quot;https://debian-handbook.info/get/&quot;&gt;get the Debian
540 Administrator&#39;s Handbook page&lt;/a&gt; (under Other languages). The first
541 eight chapters have a first draft translation, and we are working on
542 proofreading the content. If you want to help out, please start
543 contributing using
544 &lt;a href=&quot;https://hosted.weblate.org/projects/debian-handbook/&quot;&gt;the
545 hosted weblate project page&lt;/a&gt;, and get in touch using
546 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/debian-handbook-translators&quot;&gt;the
547 translators mailing list&lt;/a&gt;. Please also check out
548 &lt;a href=&quot;https://debian-handbook.info/contribute/&quot;&gt;the instructions for
549 contributors&lt;/a&gt;. A good way to contribute is to proofread the text
550 and update weblate if you find errors.&lt;/p&gt;
551
552 &lt;p&gt;Our goal is still to make the Norwegian book available on paper as well as
553 electronic form.&lt;/p&gt;
554 </description>
555 </item>
556
557 <item>
558 <title>Coz can help you find bottlenecks in multi-threaded software - nice free software</title>
559 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Coz_can_help_you_find_bottlenecks_in_multi_threaded_software___nice_free_software.html</link>
560 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Coz_can_help_you_find_bottlenecks_in_multi_threaded_software___nice_free_software.html</guid>
561 <pubDate>Thu, 11 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
562 <description>&lt;p&gt;This summer, I read a great article
563 &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.usenix.org/publications/login/summer2016/curtsinger&quot;&gt;coz:
564 This Is the Profiler You&#39;re Looking For&lt;/a&gt;&quot; in USENIX ;login: about
565 how to profile multi-threaded programs. It presented a system for
566 profiling software by running experiences in the running program,
567 testing how run time performance is affected by &quot;speeding up&quot; parts of
568 the code to various degrees compared to a normal run. It does this by
569 slowing down parallel threads while the &quot;faster up&quot; code is running
570 and measure how this affect processing time. The processing time is
571 measured using probes inserted into the code, either using progress
572 counters (COZ_PROGRESS) or as latency meters (COZ_BEGIN/COZ_END). It
573 can also measure unmodified code by measuring complete the program
574 runtime and running the program several times instead.&lt;/p&gt;
575
576 &lt;p&gt;The project and presentation was so inspiring that I would like to
577 get the system into Debian. I
578 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=830708&quot;&gt;created
579 a WNPP request for it&lt;/a&gt; and contacted upstream to try to make the
580 system ready for Debian by sending patches. The build process need to
581 be changed a bit to avoid running &#39;git clone&#39; to get dependencies, and
582 to include the JavaScript web page used to visualize the collected
583 profiling information included in the source package.
584 But I expect that should work out fairly soon.&lt;/p&gt;
585
586 &lt;p&gt;The way the system work is fairly simple. To run an coz experiment
587 on a binary with debug symbols available, start the program like this:
588
589 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
590 coz run --- program-to-run
591 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
592
593 &lt;p&gt;This will create a text file profile.coz with the instrumentation
594 information. To show what part of the code affect the performance
595 most, use a web browser and either point it to
596 &lt;a href=&quot;http://plasma-umass.github.io/coz/&quot;&gt;http://plasma-umass.github.io/coz/&lt;/a&gt;
597 or use the copy from git (in the gh-pages branch). Check out this web
598 site to have a look at several example profiling runs and get an idea what the end result from the profile runs look like. To make the
599 profiling more useful you include &amp;lt;coz.h&amp;gt; and insert the
600 COZ_PROGRESS or COZ_BEGIN and COZ_END at appropriate places in the
601 code, rebuild and run the profiler. This allow coz to do more
602 targeted experiments.&lt;/p&gt;
603
604 &lt;p&gt;A video published by ACM
605 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE0V-p1odPg&quot;&gt;presenting the
606 Coz profiler&lt;/a&gt; is available from Youtube. There is also a paper
607 from the 25th Symposium on Operating Systems Principles available
608 titled
609 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.usenix.org/conference/atc16/technical-sessions/presentation/curtsinger&quot;&gt;Coz:
610 finding code that counts with causal profiling&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
611
612 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/plasma-umass/coz&quot;&gt;The source code&lt;/a&gt;
613 for Coz is available from github. It will only build with clang
614 because it uses a
615 &lt;a href=&quot;https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=55606&quot;&gt;C++
616 feature missing in GCC&lt;/a&gt;, but I&#39;ve submitted
617 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/plasma-umass/coz/pull/67&quot;&gt;a patch to solve
618 it&lt;/a&gt; and hope it will be included in the upstream source soon.&lt;/p&gt;
619
620 &lt;p&gt;Please get in touch if you, like me, would like to see this piece
621 of software in Debian. I would very much like some help with the
622 packaging effort, as I lack the in depth knowledge on how to package
623 C++ libraries.&lt;/p&gt;
624 </description>
625 </item>
626
627 <item>
628 <title>Unlocking HTC Desire HD on Linux using unruu and fastboot</title>
629 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Unlocking_HTC_Desire_HD_on_Linux_using_unruu_and_fastboot.html</link>
630 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Unlocking_HTC_Desire_HD_on_Linux_using_unruu_and_fastboot.html</guid>
631 <pubDate>Thu, 7 Jul 2016 11:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
632 <description>&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I tried to unlock a HTC Desire HD phone, and it proved
633 to be a slight challenge. Here is the recipe if I ever need to do it
634 again. It all started by me wanting to try the recipe to set up
635 &lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.torproject.org/blog/mission-impossible-hardening-android-security-and-privacy&quot;&gt;an
636 hardened Android installation&lt;/a&gt; from the Tor project blog on a
637 device I had access to. It is a old mobile phone with a broken
638 microphone The initial idea had been to just
639 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_ace&quot;&gt;install
640 CyanogenMod on it&lt;/a&gt;, but did not quite find time to start on it
641 until a few days ago.&lt;/p&gt;
642
643 &lt;p&gt;The unlock process is supposed to be simple: (1) Boot into the boot
644 loader (press volume down and power at the same time), (2) select
645 &#39;fastboot&#39; before (3) connecting the device via USB to a Linux
646 machine, (4) request the device identifier token by running &#39;fastboot
647 oem get_identifier_token&#39;, (5) request the device unlocking key using
648 the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.htcdev.com/bootloader/&quot;&gt;HTC developer web
649 site&lt;/a&gt; and unlock the phone using the key file emailed to you.&lt;/p&gt;
650
651 &lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, this only work fi you have hboot version 2.00.0029
652 or newer, and the device I was working on had 2.00.0027. This
653 apparently can be easily fixed by downloading a Windows program and
654 running it on your Windows machine, if you accept the terms Microsoft
655 require you to accept to use Windows - which I do not. So I had to
656 come up with a different approach. I got a lot of help from AndyCap
657 on #nuug, and would not have been able to get this working without
658 him.&lt;/p&gt;
659
660 &lt;p&gt;First I needed to extract the hboot firmware from
661 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.htcdev.com/ruu/PD9810000_Ace_Sense30_S_hboot_2.00.0029.exe&quot;&gt;the
662 windows binary for HTC Desire HD&lt;/a&gt; downloaded as &#39;the RUU&#39; from HTC.
663 For this there is is &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/kmdm/unruu/&quot;&gt;a github
664 project named unruu&lt;/a&gt; using libunshield. The unshield tool did not
665 recognise the file format, but unruu worked and extracted rom.zip,
666 containing the new hboot firmware and a text file describing which
667 devices it would work for.&lt;/p&gt;
668
669 &lt;p&gt;Next, I needed to get the new firmware into the device. For this I
670 followed some instructions
671 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.htc1guru.com/2013/09/new-ruu-zips-posted/&quot;&gt;available
672 from HTC1Guru.com&lt;/a&gt;, and ran these commands as root on a Linux
673 machine with Debian testing:&lt;/p&gt;
674
675 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
676 adb reboot-bootloader
677 fastboot oem rebootRUU
678 fastboot flash zip rom.zip
679 fastboot flash zip rom.zip
680 fastboot reboot
681 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
682
683 &lt;p&gt;The flash command apparently need to be done twice to take effect,
684 as the first is just preparations and the second one do the flashing.
685 The adb command is just to get to the boot loader menu, so turning the
686 device on while holding volume down and the power button should work
687 too.&lt;/p&gt;
688
689 &lt;p&gt;With the new hboot version in place I could start following the
690 instructions on the HTC developer web site. I got the device token
691 like this:&lt;/p&gt;
692
693 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
694 fastboot oem get_identifier_token 2&gt;&amp;1 | sed &#39;s/(bootloader) //&#39;
695 &lt;/pre&gt;
696
697 &lt;p&gt;And once I got the unlock code via email, I could use it like
698 this:&lt;/p&gt;
699
700 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
701 fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin
702 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
703
704 &lt;p&gt;And with that final step in place, the phone was unlocked and I
705 could start stuffing the software of my own choosing into the device.
706 So far I only inserted a replacement recovery image to wipe the phone
707 before I start. We will see what happen next. Perhaps I should
708 install &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.debian.org/&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt; on it. :)&lt;/p&gt;
709 </description>
710 </item>
711
712 <item>
713 <title>How to use the Signal app if you only have a land line (ie no mobile phone)</title>
714 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_use_the_Signal_app_if_you_only_have_a_land_line__ie_no_mobile_phone_.html</link>
715 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_use_the_Signal_app_if_you_only_have_a_land_line__ie_no_mobile_phone_.html</guid>
716 <pubDate>Sun, 3 Jul 2016 14:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
717 <description>&lt;p&gt;For a while now, I have wanted to test
718 &lt;a href=&quot;https://whispersystems.org/&quot;&gt;the Signal app&lt;/a&gt;, as it is
719 said to provide end to end encrypted communication and several of my
720 friends and family are already using it. As I by choice do not own a
721 mobile phone, this proved to be harder than expected. And I wanted to
722 have the source of the client and know that it was the code used on my
723 machine. But yesterday I managed to get it working. I used the
724 Github source, compared it to the source in
725 &lt;a href=&quot;https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/signal-private-messenger/bikioccmkafdpakkkcpdbppfkghcmihk?hl=en-US&quot;&gt;the
726 Signal Chrome app&lt;/a&gt; available from the Chrome web store, applied
727 patches to use the production Signal servers, started the app and
728 asked for the hidden &quot;register without a smart phone&quot; form. Here is
729 the recipe how I did it.&lt;/p&gt;
730
731 &lt;p&gt;First, I fetched the Signal desktop source from Github, using
732
733 &lt;pre&gt;
734 git clone https://github.com/WhisperSystems/Signal-Desktop.git
735 &lt;/pre&gt;
736
737 &lt;p&gt;Next, I patched the source to use the production servers, to be
738 able to talk to other Signal users:&lt;/p&gt;
739
740 &lt;pre&gt;
741 cat &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF | patch -p0
742 diff -ur ./js/background.js userdata/Default/Extensions/bikioccmkafdpakkkcpdbppfkghcmihk/0.15.0_0/js/background.js
743 --- ./js/background.js 2016-06-29 13:43:15.630344628 +0200
744 +++ userdata/Default/Extensions/bikioccmkafdpakkkcpdbppfkghcmihk/0.15.0_0/js/background.js 2016-06-29 14:06:29.530300934 +0200
745 @@ -47,8 +47,8 @@
746 });
747 });
748
749 - var SERVER_URL = &#39;https://textsecure-service-staging.whispersystems.org&#39;;
750 - var ATTACHMENT_SERVER_URL = &#39;https://whispersystems-textsecure-attachments-staging.s3.amazonaws.com&#39;;
751 + var SERVER_URL = &#39;https://textsecure-service-ca.whispersystems.org:4433&#39;;
752 + var ATTACHMENT_SERVER_URL = &#39;https://whispersystems-textsecure-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com&#39;;
753 var messageReceiver;
754 window.getSocketStatus = function() {
755 if (messageReceiver) {
756 diff -ur ./js/expire.js userdata/Default/Extensions/bikioccmkafdpakkkcpdbppfkghcmihk/0.15.0_0/js/expire.js
757 --- ./js/expire.js 2016-06-29 13:43:15.630344628 +0200
758 +++ userdata/Default/Extensions/bikioccmkafdpakkkcpdbppfkghcmihk/0.15.0_0/js/expire.js2016-06-29 14:06:29.530300934 +0200
759 @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
760 ;(function() {
761 &#39;use strict&#39;;
762 - var BUILD_EXPIRATION = 0;
763 + var BUILD_EXPIRATION = 1474492690000;
764
765 window.extension = window.extension || {};
766
767 EOF
768 &lt;/pre&gt;
769
770 &lt;p&gt;The first part is changing the servers, and the second is updating
771 an expiration timestamp. This timestamp need to be updated regularly.
772 It is set 90 days in the future by the build process (Gruntfile.js).
773 The value is seconds since 1970 times 1000, as far as I can tell.&lt;/p&gt;
774
775 &lt;p&gt;Based on a tip and good help from the #nuug IRC channel, I wrote a
776 script to launch Signal in Chromium.&lt;/p&gt;
777
778 &lt;pre&gt;
779 #!/bin/sh
780 cd $(dirname $0)
781 mkdir -p userdata
782 exec chromium \
783 --proxy-server=&quot;socks://localhost:9050&quot; \
784 --user-data-dir=`pwd`/userdata --load-and-launch-app=`pwd`
785 &lt;/pre&gt;
786
787 &lt;p&gt; The script start the app and configure Chromium to use the Tor
788 SOCKS5 proxy to make sure those controlling the Signal servers (today
789 Amazon and Whisper Systems) as well as those listening on the lines
790 will have a harder time location my laptop based on the Signal
791 connections if they use source IP address.&lt;/p&gt;
792
793 &lt;p&gt;When the script starts, one need to follow the instructions under
794 &quot;Standalone Registration&quot; in the CONTRIBUTING.md file in the git
795 repository. I right clicked on the Signal window to get up the
796 Chromium debugging tool, visited the &#39;Console&#39; tab and wrote
797 &#39;extension.install(&quot;standalone&quot;)&#39; on the console prompt to get the
798 registration form. Then I entered by land line phone number and
799 pressed &#39;Call&#39;. 5 seconds later the phone rang and a robot voice
800 repeated the verification code three times. After entering the number
801 into the verification code field in the form, I could start using
802 Signal from my laptop.
803
804 &lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, The Signal app will leak who is talking to
805 whom and thus who know who to those controlling the central server,
806 but such leakage is hard to avoid with a centrally controlled server
807 setup. It is something to keep in mind when using Signal - the
808 content of your chats are harder to intercept, but the meta data
809 exposing your contact network is available to people you do not know.
810 So better than many options, but not great. And sadly the usage is
811 connected to my land line, thus allowing those controlling the server
812 to associate it to my home and person. I would prefer it if only
813 those I knew could tell who I was on Signal. There are options
814 avoiding such information leakage, but most of my friends are not
815 using them, so I am stuck with Signal for now.&lt;/p&gt;
816 </description>
817 </item>
818
819 <item>
820 <title>The new &quot;best&quot; multimedia player in Debian?</title>
821 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_new__best__multimedia_player_in_Debian_.html</link>
822 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_new__best__multimedia_player_in_Debian_.html</guid>
823 <pubDate>Mon, 6 Jun 2016 12:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
824 <description>&lt;p&gt;When I set out a few weeks ago to figure out
825 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_the_best_multimedia_player_in_Debian_.html&quot;&gt;which
826 multimedia player in Debian claimed to support most file formats /
827 MIME types&lt;/a&gt;, I was a bit surprised how varied the sets of MIME types
828 the various players claimed support for. The range was from 55 to 130
829 MIME types. I suspect most media formats are supported by all
830 players, but this is not really reflected in the MimeTypes values in
831 their desktop files. There are probably also some bogus MIME types
832 listed, but it is hard to identify which one this is.&lt;/p&gt;
833
834 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, in the mean time I got in touch with upstream for some of
835 the players suggesting to add more MIME types to their desktop files,
836 and decided to spend some time myself improving the situation for my
837 favorite media player VLC. The fixes for VLC entered Debian unstable
838 yesterday. The complete list of MIME types can be seen on the
839 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianMultimedia/PlayerSupport&quot;&gt;Multimedia
840 player MIME type support status&lt;/a&gt; Debian wiki page.&lt;/p&gt;
841
842 &lt;p&gt;The new &quot;best&quot; multimedia player in Debian? It is VLC, followed by
843 totem, parole, kplayer, gnome-mpv, mpv, smplayer, mplayer-gui and
844 kmplayer. I am sure some of the other players desktop files support
845 several of the formats currently listed as working only with vlc,
846 toten and parole.&lt;/p&gt;
847
848 &lt;p&gt;A sad observation is that only 14 MIME types are listed as
849 supported by all the tested multimedia players in Debian in their
850 desktop files: audio/mpeg, audio/vnd.rn-realaudio, audio/x-mpegurl,
851 audio/x-ms-wma, audio/x-scpls, audio/x-wav, video/mp4, video/mpeg,
852 video/quicktime, video/vnd.rn-realvideo, video/x-matroska,
853 video/x-ms-asf, video/x-ms-wmv and video/x-msvideo. Personally I find
854 it sad that video/ogg and video/webm is not supported by all the media
855 players in Debian. As far as I can tell, all of them can handle both
856 formats.&lt;/p&gt;
857 </description>
858 </item>
859
860 <item>
861 <title>A program should be able to open its own files on Linux</title>
862 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_program_should_be_able_to_open_its_own_files_on_Linux.html</link>
863 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_program_should_be_able_to_open_its_own_files_on_Linux.html</guid>
864 <pubDate>Sun, 5 Jun 2016 08:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
865 <description>&lt;p&gt;Many years ago, when koffice was fresh and with few users, I
866 decided to test its presentation tool when making the slides for a
867 talk I was giving for NUUG on Japhar, a free Java virtual machine. I
868 wrote the first draft of the slides, saved the result and went to bed
869 the day before I would give the talk. The next day I took a plane to
870 the location where the meeting should take place, and on the plane I
871 started up koffice again to polish the talk a bit, only to discover
872 that kpresenter refused to load its own data file. I cursed a bit and
873 started making the slides again from memory, to have something to
874 present when I arrived. I tested that the saved files could be
875 loaded, and the day seemed to be rescued. I continued to polish the
876 slides until I suddenly discovered that the saved file could no longer
877 be loaded into kpresenter. In the end I had to rewrite the slides
878 three times, condensing the content until the talk became shorter and
879 shorter. After the talk I was able to pinpoint the problem &amp;ndash;
880 kpresenter wrote inline images in a way itself could not understand.
881 Eventually that bug was fixed and kpresenter ended up being a great
882 program to make slides. The point I&#39;m trying to make is that we
883 expect a program to be able to load its own data files, and it is
884 embarrassing to its developers if it can&#39;t.&lt;/p&gt;
885
886 &lt;p&gt;Did you ever experience a program failing to load its own data
887 files from the desktop file browser? It is not a uncommon problem. A
888 while back I discovered that the screencast recorder
889 gtk-recordmydesktop would save an Ogg Theora video file the KDE file
890 browser would refuse to open. No video player claimed to understand
891 such file. I tracked down the cause being &lt;tt&gt;file --mime-type&lt;/tt&gt;
892 returning the application/ogg MIME type, which no video player I had
893 installed listed as a MIME type they would understand. I asked for
894 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.gw.com/view.php?id=382&quot;&gt;file to change its
895 behavour&lt;/a&gt; and use the MIME type video/ogg instead. I also asked
896 several video players to add video/ogg to their desktop files, to give
897 the file browser an idea what to do about Ogg Theora files. After a
898 while, the desktop file browsers in Debian started to handle the
899 output from gtk-recordmydesktop properly.&lt;/p&gt;
900
901 &lt;p&gt;But history repeats itself. A few days ago I tested the music
902 system Rosegarden again, and I discovered that the KDE and xfce file
903 browsers did not know what to do with the Rosegarden project files
904 (*.rg). I&#39;ve reported &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/825993&quot;&gt;the
905 rosegarden problem to BTS&lt;/a&gt; and a fix is commited to git and will be
906 included in the next upload. To increase the chance of me remembering
907 how to fix the problem next time some program fail to load its files
908 from the file browser, here are some notes on how to fix it.&lt;/p&gt;
909
910 &lt;p&gt;The file browsers in Debian in general operates on MIME types.
911 There are two sources for the MIME type of a given file. The output from
912 &lt;tt&gt;file --mime-type&lt;/tt&gt; mentioned above, and the content of the
913 shared MIME type registry (under /usr/share/mime/). The file MIME
914 type is mapped to programs supporting the MIME type, and this
915 information is collected from
916 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/desktop-entry-spec/&quot;&gt;the
917 desktop files&lt;/a&gt; available in /usr/share/applications/. If there is
918 one desktop file claiming support for the MIME type of the file, it is
919 activated when asking to open a given file. If there are more, one
920 can normally select which one to use by right-clicking on the file and
921 selecting the wanted one using &#39;Open with&#39; or similar. In general
922 this work well. But it depend on each program picking a good MIME
923 type (preferably
924 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/media-types.xhtml&quot;&gt;a
925 MIME type registered with IANA&lt;/a&gt;), file and/or the shared MIME
926 registry recognizing the file and the desktop file to list the MIME
927 type in its list of supported MIME types.&lt;/p&gt;
928
929 &lt;p&gt;The &lt;tt&gt;/usr/share/mime/packages/rosegarden.xml&lt;/tt&gt; entry for
930 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/shared-mime-info-spec&quot;&gt;the
931 Shared MIME database&lt;/a&gt; look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
932
933 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
934 &amp;lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&amp;gt;
935 &amp;lt;mime-info xmlns=&quot;http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/shared-mime-info&quot;&amp;gt;
936 &amp;lt;mime-type type=&quot;audio/x-rosegarden&quot;&amp;gt;
937 &amp;lt;sub-class-of type=&quot;application/x-gzip&quot;/&amp;gt;
938 &amp;lt;comment&amp;gt;Rosegarden project file&amp;lt;/comment&amp;gt;
939 &amp;lt;glob pattern=&quot;*.rg&quot;/&amp;gt;
940 &amp;lt;/mime-type&amp;gt;
941 &amp;lt;/mime-info&amp;gt;
942 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
943
944 &lt;p&gt;This states that audio/x-rosegarden is a kind of application/x-gzip
945 (it is a gzipped XML file). Note, it is much better to use an
946 official MIME type registered with IANA than it is to make up ones own
947 unofficial ones like the x-rosegarden type used by rosegarden.&lt;/p&gt;
948
949 &lt;p&gt;The desktop file of the rosegarden program failed to list
950 audio/x-rosegarden in its list of supported MIME types, causing the
951 file browsers to have no idea what to do with *.rg files:&lt;/p&gt;
952
953 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
954 % grep Mime /usr/share/applications/rosegarden.desktop
955 MimeType=audio/x-rosegarden-composition;audio/x-rosegarden-device;audio/x-rosegarden-project;audio/x-rosegarden-template;audio/midi;
956 X-KDE-NativeMimeType=audio/x-rosegarden-composition
957 %
958 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
959
960 &lt;p&gt;The fix was to add &quot;audio/x-rosegarden;&quot; at the end of the
961 MimeType= line.&lt;/p&gt;
962
963 &lt;p&gt;If you run into a file which fail to open the correct program when
964 selected from the file browser, please check out the output from
965 &lt;tt&gt;file --mime-type&lt;/tt&gt; for the file, ensure the file ending and
966 MIME type is registered somewhere under /usr/share/mime/ and check
967 that some desktop file under /usr/share/applications/ is claiming
968 support for this MIME type. If not, please report a bug to have it
969 fixed. :)&lt;/p&gt;
970 </description>
971 </item>
972
973 <item>
974 <title>Isenkram with PackageKit support - new version 0.23 available in Debian unstable</title>
975 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Isenkram_with_PackageKit_support___new_version_0_23_available_in_Debian_unstable.html</link>
976 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Isenkram_with_PackageKit_support___new_version_0_23_available_in_Debian_unstable.html</guid>
977 <pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2016 10:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
978 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/isenkram&quot;&gt;The isenkram
979 system&lt;/a&gt; is a user-focused solution in Debian for handling hardware
980 related packages. The idea is to have a database of mappings between
981 hardware and packages, and pop up a dialog suggesting for the user to
982 install the packages to use a given hardware dongle. Some use cases
983 are when you insert a Yubikey, it proposes to install the software
984 needed to control it; when you insert a braille reader list it
985 proposes to install the packages needed to send text to the reader;
986 and when you insert a ColorHug screen calibrator it suggests to
987 install the driver for it. The system work well, and even have a few
988 command line tools to install firmware packages and packages for the
989 hardware already in the machine (as opposed to hotpluggable hardware).&lt;/p&gt;
990
991 &lt;p&gt;The system was initially written using aptdaemon, because I found
992 good documentation and example code on how to use it. But aptdaemon
993 is going away and is generally being replaced by
994 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freedesktop.org/software/PackageKit/&quot;&gt;PackageKit&lt;/a&gt;,
995 so Isenkram needed a rewrite. And today, thanks to the great patch
996 from my college Sunil Mohan Adapa in the FreedomBox project, the
997 rewrite finally took place. I&#39;ve just uploaded a new version of
998 Isenkram into Debian Unstable with the patch included, and the default
999 for the background daemon is now to use PackageKit. To check it out,
1000 install the &lt;tt&gt;isenkram&lt;/tt&gt; package and insert some hardware dongle
1001 and see if it is recognised.&lt;/p&gt;
1002
1003 &lt;p&gt;If you want to know what kind of packages isenkram would propose for
1004 the machine it is running on, you can check out the isenkram-lookup
1005 program. This is what it look like on a Thinkpad X230:&lt;/p&gt;
1006
1007 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1008 % isenkram-lookup
1009 bluez
1010 cheese
1011 fprintd
1012 fprintd-demo
1013 gkrellm-thinkbat
1014 hdapsd
1015 libpam-fprintd
1016 pidgin-blinklight
1017 thinkfan
1018 tleds
1019 tp-smapi-dkms
1020 tp-smapi-source
1021 tpb
1022 %p
1023 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1024
1025 &lt;p&gt;The hardware mappings come from several places. The preferred way
1026 is for packages to announce their hardware support using
1027 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.freedesktop.org/software/appstream/docs/&quot;&gt;the
1028 cross distribution appstream system&lt;/a&gt;.
1029 See
1030 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/isenkram/&quot;&gt;previous
1031 blog posts about isenkram&lt;/a&gt; to learn how to do that.&lt;/p&gt;
1032 </description>
1033 </item>
1034
1035 <item>
1036 <title>Discharge rate estimate in new battery statistics collector for Debian</title>
1037 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Discharge_rate_estimate_in_new_battery_statistics_collector_for_Debian.html</link>
1038 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Discharge_rate_estimate_in_new_battery_statistics_collector_for_Debian.html</guid>
1039 <pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2016 09:35:00 +0200</pubDate>
1040 <description>&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I updated the
1041 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/battery-stats&quot;&gt;battery-stats
1042 package in Debian&lt;/a&gt; with a few patches sent to me by skilled and
1043 enterprising users. There were some nice user and visible changes.
1044 First of all, both desktop menu entries now work. A design flaw in
1045 one of the script made the history graph fail to show up (its PNG was
1046 dumped in ~/.xsession-errors) if no controlling TTY was available.
1047 The script worked when called from the command line, but not when
1048 called from the desktop menu. I changed this to look for a DISPLAY
1049 variable or a TTY before deciding where to draw the graph, and now the
1050 graph window pop up as expected.&lt;/p&gt;
1051
1052 &lt;p&gt;The next new feature is a discharge rate estimator in one of the
1053 graphs (the one showing the last few hours). New is also the user of
1054 colours showing charging in blue and discharge in red. The percentages
1055 of this graph is relative to last full charge, not battery design
1056 capacity.&lt;/p&gt;
1057
1058 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2016-05-23-battery-stats-rate.png&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1059
1060 &lt;p&gt;The other graph show the entire history of the collected battery
1061 statistics, comparing it to the design capacity of the battery to
1062 visualise how the battery life time get shorter over time. The red
1063 line in this graph is what the previous graph considers 100 percent:
1064
1065 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2016-05-23-battery-stats-history.png&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1066
1067 &lt;p&gt;In this graph you can see that I only charge the battery to 80
1068 percent of last full capacity, and how the capacity of the battery is
1069 shrinking. :(&lt;/p&gt;
1070
1071 &lt;p&gt;The last new feature is in the collector, which now will handle
1072 more hardware models. On some hardware, Linux power supply
1073 information is stored in /sys/class/power_supply/ACAD/, while the
1074 collector previously only looked in /sys/class/power_supply/AC/. Now
1075 both are checked to figure if there is power connected to the
1076 machine.&lt;/p&gt;
1077
1078 &lt;p&gt;If you are interested in how your laptop battery is doing, please
1079 check out the
1080 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/battery-stats&quot;&gt;battery-stats&lt;/a&gt;
1081 in Debian unstable, or rebuild it on Jessie to get it working on
1082 Debian stable. :) The upstream source is available from &lt;a
1083 href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/battery-stats&quot;&gt;github&lt;/a&gt;.
1084 Patches are very welcome.&lt;/p&gt;
1085
1086 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
1087 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
1088 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
1089 </description>
1090 </item>
1091
1092 <item>
1093 <title>Debian now with ZFS on Linux included</title>
1094 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_now_with_ZFS_on_Linux_included.html</link>
1095 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_now_with_ZFS_on_Linux_included.html</guid>
1096 <pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2016 07:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
1097 <description>&lt;p&gt;Today, after many years of hard work from many people,
1098 &lt;a href=&quot;http://zfsonlinux.org/&quot;&gt;ZFS for Linux&lt;/a&gt; finally entered
1099 Debian. The package status can be seen on
1100 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/zfs-linux&quot;&gt;the package tracker
1101 for zfs-linux&lt;/a&gt;. and
1102 &lt;a href=&quot;https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=pkg-zfsonlinux-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org&quot;&gt;the
1103 team status page&lt;/a&gt;. If you want to help out, please join us.
1104 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=pkg-zfsonlinux/zfs.git&quot;&gt;The
1105 source code&lt;/a&gt; is available via git on Alioth. It would also be
1106 great if you could help out with
1107 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/dkms&quot;&gt;the dkms package&lt;/a&gt;, as
1108 it is an important piece of the puzzle to get ZFS working.&lt;/p&gt;
1109 </description>
1110 </item>
1111
1112 <item>
1113 <title>What is the best multimedia player in Debian?</title>
1114 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_the_best_multimedia_player_in_Debian_.html</link>
1115 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_the_best_multimedia_player_in_Debian_.html</guid>
1116 <pubDate>Sun, 8 May 2016 09:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
1117 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where I set out to figure out which multimedia player in
1118 Debian claim support for most file formats.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1119
1120 &lt;p&gt;A few years ago, I had a look at the media support for Browser
1121 plugins in Debian, to get an idea which plugins to include in Debian
1122 Edu. I created a script to extract the set of supported MIME types
1123 for each plugin, and used this to find out which multimedia browser
1124 plugin supported most file formats / media types.
1125 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/BrowserMultimedia&quot;&gt;The
1126 result&lt;/a&gt; can still be seen on the Debian wiki, even though it have
1127 not been updated for a while. But browser plugins are less relevant
1128 these days, so I thought it was time to look at standalone
1129 players.&lt;/p&gt;
1130
1131 &lt;p&gt;A few days ago I was tired of VLC not being listed as a viable
1132 player when I wanted to play videos from the Norwegian National
1133 Broadcasting Company, and decided to investigate why. The cause is a
1134 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/822245&quot;&gt;missing MIME type in the VLC
1135 desktop file&lt;/a&gt;. In the process I wrote a script to compare the set
1136 of MIME types announced in the desktop file and the browser plugin,
1137 only to discover that there is quite a large difference between the
1138 two for VLC. This discovery made me dig up the script I used to
1139 compare browser plugins, and adjust it to compare desktop files
1140 instead, to try to figure out which multimedia player in Debian
1141 support most file formats.&lt;/p&gt;
1142
1143 &lt;p&gt;The result can be seen on the Debian Wiki, as
1144 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianMultimedia/PlayerSupport&quot;&gt;a
1145 table listing all MIME types supported by one of the packages included
1146 in the table&lt;/a&gt;, with the package supporting most MIME types being
1147 listed first in the table.&lt;/p&gt;
1148
1149 &lt;/p&gt;The best multimedia player in Debian? It is totem, followed by
1150 parole, kplayer, mpv, vlc, smplayer mplayer-gui gnome-mpv and
1151 kmplayer. Time for the other players to update their announced MIME
1152 support?&lt;/p&gt;
1153 </description>
1154 </item>
1155
1156 <item>
1157 <title>The Pyra - handheld computer with Debian preinstalled</title>
1158 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Pyra___handheld_computer_with_Debian_preinstalled.html</link>
1159 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Pyra___handheld_computer_with_Debian_preinstalled.html</guid>
1160 <pubDate>Wed, 4 May 2016 10:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
1161 <description>A friend of mine made me aware of
1162 &lt;a href=&quot;https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/&quot;&gt;The Pyra&lt;/a&gt;, a
1163 handheld computer which will be delivered with Debian preinstalled. I
1164 would love to get one of those for my birthday. :)&lt;/p&gt;
1165
1166 &lt;p&gt;The machine is a complete ARM-based PC with micro HDMI, SATA, USB
1167 plugs and many others connectors, and include a full keyboard and a 5&quot;
1168 LCD touch screen. The 6000mAh battery is claimed to provide a whole
1169 day of battery life time, but I have not seen any independent tests
1170 confirming this. The vendor is still collecting preorders, and the
1171 last I heard last night was that 22 more orders were needed before
1172 production started.&lt;/p&gt;
1173
1174 &lt;p&gt;As far as I know, this is the first handheld preinstalled with
1175 Debian. Please let me know if you know of any others. Is it the
1176 first computer being sold with Debian preinstalled?&lt;/p&gt;
1177 </description>
1178 </item>
1179
1180 <item>
1181 <title>Lets make a Norwegian Bokmål edition of The Debian Administrator&#39;s Handbook</title>
1182 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_a_Norwegian_Bokm_l_edition_of_The_Debian_Administrator_s_Handbook.html</link>
1183 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_a_Norwegian_Bokm_l_edition_of_The_Debian_Administrator_s_Handbook.html</guid>
1184 <pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2016 23:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
1185 <description>&lt;p&gt;During this weekends
1186 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuug.no/news/Oslo__Takk_for_feilfiksingsfesten.shtml&quot;&gt;bug
1187 squashing party and developer gathering&lt;/a&gt;, we decided to do our part
1188 to make sure there are good books about Debian available in Norwegian
1189 Bokmål, and got in touch with the people behind the
1190 &lt;a href=&quot;http://debian-handbook.info/&quot;&gt;Debian Administrator&#39;s Handbook
1191 project&lt;/a&gt; to get started. If you want to help out, please start
1192 contributing using
1193 &lt;a href=&quot;https://hosted.weblate.org/projects/debian-handbook/&quot;&gt;the
1194 hosted weblate project page&lt;/a&gt;, and get in touch using
1195 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/debian-handbook-translators&quot;&gt;the
1196 translators mailing list&lt;/a&gt;. Please also check out
1197 &lt;a href=&quot;https://debian-handbook.info/contribute/&quot;&gt;the instructions for
1198 contributors&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
1199
1200 &lt;p&gt;The book is already available on paper in English, French and
1201 Japanese, and our goal is to get it available on paper in Norwegian
1202 Bokmål too. In addition to the paper edition, there are also EPUB and
1203 Mobi versions available. And there are incomplete translations
1204 available for many more languages.&lt;/p&gt;
1205 </description>
1206 </item>
1207
1208 <item>
1209 <title>One in two hundred Debian users using ZFS on Linux?</title>
1210 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/One_in_two_hundred_Debian_users_using_ZFS_on_Linux_.html</link>
1211 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/One_in_two_hundred_Debian_users_using_ZFS_on_Linux_.html</guid>
1212 <pubDate>Thu, 7 Apr 2016 22:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
1213 <description>&lt;p&gt;Just for fun I had a look at the popcon number of ZFS related
1214 packages in Debian, and was quite surprised with what I found. I use
1215 ZFS myself at home, but did not really expect many others to do so.
1216 But I might be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;
1217
1218 &lt;p&gt;According to
1219 &lt;a href=&quot;https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=spl-linux&quot;&gt;the popcon
1220 results for spl-linux&lt;/a&gt;, there are 1019 Debian installations, or
1221 0.53% of the population, with the package installed. As far as I know
1222 the only use of the spl-linux package is as a support library for ZFS
1223 on Linux, so I use it here as proxy for measuring the number of ZFS
1224 installation on Linux in Debian. In the kFreeBSD variant of Debian
1225 the ZFS feature is already available, and there
1226 &lt;a href=&quot;https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=zfsutils&quot;&gt;the popcon
1227 results for zfsutils&lt;/a&gt; show 1625 Debian installations or 0.84% of
1228 the population. So I guess I am not alone in using ZFS on Debian.&lt;/p&gt;
1229
1230 &lt;p&gt;But even though the Debian project leader Lucas Nussbaum
1231 &lt;a href=&quot;https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2015/04/msg00006.html&quot;&gt;announced
1232 in April 2015&lt;/a&gt; that the legal obstacles blocking ZFS on Debian were
1233 cleared, the package is still not in Debian. The package is again in
1234 the NEW queue. Several uploads have been rejected so far because the
1235 debian/copyright file was incomplete or wrong, but there is no reason
1236 to give up. The current status can be seen on
1237 &lt;a href=&quot;https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=pkg-zfsonlinux-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org&quot;&gt;the
1238 team status page&lt;/a&gt;, and
1239 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=pkg-zfsonlinux/zfs.git&quot;&gt;the
1240 source code&lt;/a&gt; is available on Alioth.&lt;/p&gt;
1241
1242 &lt;p&gt;As I want ZFS to be included in next version of Debian to make sure
1243 my home server can function in the future using only official Debian
1244 packages, and the current blocker is to get the debian/copyright file
1245 accepted by the FTP masters in Debian, I decided a while back to try
1246 to help out the team. This was the background for my blog post about
1247 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Creating__updating_and_checking_debian_copyright_semi_automatically.html&quot;&gt;creating,
1248 updating and checking debian/copyright semi-automatically&lt;/a&gt;, and I
1249 used the techniques I explored there to try to find any errors in the
1250 copyright file. It is not very easy to check every one of the around
1251 2000 files in the source package, but I hope we this time got it
1252 right. If you want to help out, check out the git source and try to
1253 find missing entries in the debian/copyright file.&lt;/p&gt;
1254 </description>
1255 </item>
1256
1257 <item>
1258 <title>Full battery stats collector is now available in Debian</title>
1259 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Full_battery_stats_collector_is_now_available_in_Debian.html</link>
1260 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Full_battery_stats_collector_is_now_available_in_Debian.html</guid>
1261 <pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2016 22:10:00 +0100</pubDate>
1262 <description>&lt;p&gt;Since this morning, the battery-stats package in Debian include an
1263 extended collector that will collect the complete battery history for
1264 later processing and graphing. The original collector store the
1265 battery level as percentage of last full level, while the new
1266 collector also record battery vendor, model, serial number, design
1267 full level, last full level and current battery level. This make it
1268 possible to predict the lifetime of the battery as well as visualise
1269 the energy flow when the battery is charging or discharging.&lt;/p&gt;
1270
1271 &lt;p&gt;The new tools are available in &lt;tt&gt;/usr/share/battery-stats/&lt;/tt&gt;
1272 in the version 0.5.1 package in unstable. Get the new battery level graph
1273 and lifetime prediction by running:
1274
1275 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1276 /usr/share/battery-stats/battery-stats-graph /var/log/battery-stats.csv
1277 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1278
1279 &lt;p&gt;Or select the &#39;Battery Level Graph&#39; from your application menu.&lt;/p&gt;
1280
1281 &lt;p&gt;The flow in/out of the battery can be seen by running (no menu
1282 entry yet):&lt;/p&gt;
1283
1284 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1285 /usr/share/battery-stats/battery-stats-graph-flow
1286 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1287
1288 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;m not quite happy with the way the data is visualised, at least
1289 when there are few data points. The graphs look a bit better with a
1290 few years of data.&lt;/p&gt;
1291
1292 &lt;p&gt;A while back one important feature I use in the battery stats
1293 collector broke in Debian. The scripts in
1294 &lt;tt&gt;/usr/lib/pm-utils/power.d/&lt;/tt&gt; were no longer executed. I
1295 suspect it happened when Jessie started using systemd, but I do not
1296 know. The issue is reported as
1297 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/818649&quot;&gt;bug #818649&lt;/a&gt; against
1298 pm-utils. I managed to work around it by adding an udev rule to call
1299 the collector script every time the power connector is connected and
1300 disconnected. With this fix in place it was finally time to make a
1301 new release of the package, and get it into Debian.&lt;/p&gt;
1302
1303 &lt;p&gt;If you are interested in how your laptop battery is doing, please
1304 check out the
1305 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/battery-stats&quot;&gt;battery-stats&lt;/a&gt;
1306 in Debian unstable, or rebuild it on Jessie to get it working on
1307 Debian stable. :) The upstream source is available from
1308 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/battery-stats&quot;&gt;github&lt;/a&gt;.
1309 As always, patches are very welcome.&lt;/p&gt;
1310 </description>
1311 </item>
1312
1313 <item>
1314 <title>Making battery measurements a little easier in Debian</title>
1315 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Making_battery_measurements_a_little_easier_in_Debian.html</link>
1316 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Making_battery_measurements_a_little_easier_in_Debian.html</guid>
1317 <pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
1318 <description>&lt;p&gt;Back in September, I blogged about
1319 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_life_and_death_of_a_laptop_battery.html&quot;&gt;the
1320 system I wrote to collect statistics about my laptop battery&lt;/a&gt;, and
1321 how it showed the decay and death of this battery (now replaced). I
1322 created a simple deb package to handle the collection and graphing,
1323 but did not want to upload it to Debian as there were already
1324 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/battery-stats&quot;&gt;a battery-stats
1325 package in Debian&lt;/a&gt; that should do the same thing, and I did not see
1326 a point of uploading a competing package when battery-stats could be
1327 fixed instead. I reported a few bugs about its non-function, and
1328 hoped someone would step in and fix it. But no-one did.&lt;/p&gt;
1329
1330 &lt;p&gt;I got tired of waiting a few days ago, and took matters in my own
1331 hands. The end result is that I am now the new upstream developer of
1332 battery stats (&lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/battery-stats&quot;&gt;available from github&lt;/a&gt;) and part of the team maintaining
1333 battery-stats in Debian, and the package in Debian unstable is finally
1334 able to collect battery status using the &lt;tt&gt;/sys/class/power_supply/&lt;/tt&gt;
1335 information provided by the Linux kernel. If you install the
1336 battery-stats package from unstable now, you will be able to get a
1337 graph of the current battery fill level, to get some idea about the
1338 status of the battery. The source package build and work just fine in
1339 Debian testing and stable (and probably oldstable too, but I have not
1340 tested). The default graph you get for that system look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
1341
1342 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2016-03-15-battery-stats-graph-example.png&quot; width=&quot;70%&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1343
1344 &lt;p&gt;My plans for the future is to merge my old scripts into the
1345 battery-stats package, as my old scripts collected a lot more details
1346 about the battery. The scripts are merged into the upstream
1347 battery-stats git repository already, but I am not convinced they work
1348 yet, as I changed a lot of paths along the way. Will have to test a
1349 bit more before I make a new release.&lt;/p&gt;
1350
1351 &lt;p&gt;I will also consider changing the file format slightly, as I
1352 suspect the way I combine several values into one field might make it
1353 impossible to know the type of the value when using it for processing
1354 and graphing.&lt;/p&gt;
1355
1356 &lt;p&gt;If you would like I would like to keep an close eye on your laptop
1357 battery, check out the battery-stats package in
1358 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/battery-stats&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt; and
1359 on
1360 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/battery-stats&quot;&gt;github&lt;/a&gt;.
1361 I would love some help to improve the system further.&lt;/p&gt;
1362 </description>
1363 </item>
1364
1365 <item>
1366 <title>Creating, updating and checking debian/copyright semi-automatically</title>
1367 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Creating__updating_and_checking_debian_copyright_semi_automatically.html</link>
1368 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Creating__updating_and_checking_debian_copyright_semi_automatically.html</guid>
1369 <pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2016 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
1370 <description>&lt;p&gt;Making packages for Debian requires quite a lot of attention to
1371 details. And one of the details is the content of the
1372 debian/copyright file, which should list all relevant licenses used by
1373 the code in the package in question, preferably in
1374 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/&quot;&gt;machine
1375 readable DEP5 format&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
1376
1377 &lt;p&gt;For large packages with lots of contributors it is hard to write
1378 and update this file manually, and if you get some detail wrong, the
1379 package is normally rejected by the ftpmasters. So getting it right
1380 the first time around get the package into Debian faster, and save
1381 both you and the ftpmasters some work.. Today, while trying to figure
1382 out what was wrong with
1383 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=686447&quot;&gt;the
1384 zfsonlinux copyright file&lt;/a&gt;, I decided to spend some time on
1385 figuring out the options for doing this job automatically, or at least
1386 semi-automatically.&lt;/p&gt;
1387
1388 &lt;p&gt;Lucikly, there are at least two tools available for generating the
1389 file based on the code in the source package,
1390 &lt;tt&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/debmake&quot;&gt;debmake&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/tt&gt;
1391 and &lt;tt&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/cme&quot;&gt;cme&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/tt&gt;. I&#39;m
1392 not sure which one of them came first, but both seem to be able to
1393 create a sensible draft file. As far as I can tell, none of them can
1394 be trusted to get the result just right, so the content need to be
1395 polished a bit before the file is OK to upload. I found the debmake
1396 option in
1397 &lt;a href=&quot;http://goofying-with-debian.blogspot.com/2014/07/debmake-checking-source-against-dep-5.html&quot;&gt;a
1398 blog posts from 2014&lt;/a&gt;.
1399
1400 &lt;p&gt;To generate using debmake, use the -cc option:
1401
1402 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1403 debmake -cc &gt; debian/copyright
1404 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1405
1406 &lt;p&gt;Note there are some problems with python and non-ASCII names, so
1407 this might not be the best option.&lt;/p&gt;
1408
1409 &lt;p&gt;The cme option is based on a config parsing library, and I found
1410 this approach in
1411 &lt;a href=&quot;https://ddumont.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/improving-creation-of-debian-copyright-file/&quot;&gt;a
1412 blog post from 2015&lt;/a&gt;. To generate using cme, use the &#39;update
1413 dpkg-copyright&#39; option:
1414
1415 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1416 cme update dpkg-copyright
1417 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1418
1419 &lt;p&gt;This will create or update debian/copyright. The cme tool seem to
1420 handle UTF-8 names better than debmake.&lt;/p&gt;
1421
1422 &lt;p&gt;When the copyright file is created, I would also like some help to
1423 check if the file is correct. For this I found two good options,
1424 &lt;tt&gt;debmake -k&lt;/tt&gt; and &lt;tt&gt;license-reconcile&lt;/tt&gt;. The former seem
1425 to focus on license types and file matching, and is able to detect
1426 ineffective blocks in the copyright file. The latter reports missing
1427 copyright holders and years, but was confused by inconsistent license
1428 names (like CDDL vs. CDDL-1.0). I suspect it is good to use both and
1429 fix all issues reported by them before uploading. But I do not know
1430 if the tools and the ftpmasters agree on what is important to fix in a
1431 copyright file, so the package might still be rejected.&lt;/p&gt;
1432
1433 &lt;p&gt;The devscripts tool &lt;tt&gt;licensecheck&lt;/tt&gt; deserve mentioning. It
1434 will read through the source and try to find all copyright statements.
1435 It is not comparing the result to the content of debian/copyright, but
1436 can be useful when verifying the content of the copyright file.&lt;/p&gt;
1437
1438 &lt;p&gt;Are you aware of better tools in Debian to create and update
1439 debian/copyright file. Please let me know, or blog about it on
1440 planet.debian.org.&lt;/p&gt;
1441
1442 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
1443 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
1444 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
1445
1446 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2016-02-20&lt;/strong&gt;: I got a tip from Mike Gabriel
1447 on how to use licensecheck and cdbs to create a draft copyright file
1448
1449 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1450 licensecheck --copyright -r `find * -type f` | \
1451 /usr/lib/cdbs/licensecheck2dep5 &gt; debian/copyright.auto
1452 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1453
1454 &lt;p&gt;He mentioned that he normally check the generated file into the
1455 version control system to make it easier to discover license and
1456 copyright changes in the upstream source. I will try to do the same
1457 with my packages in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
1458
1459 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2016-02-21&lt;/strong&gt;: The cme author recommended
1460 against using -quiet for new users, so I removed it from the proposed
1461 command line.&lt;/p&gt;
1462 </description>
1463 </item>
1464
1465 <item>
1466 <title>Using appstream in Debian to locate packages with firmware and mime type support</title>
1467 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_appstream_in_Debian_to_locate_packages_with_firmware_and_mime_type_support.html</link>
1468 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_appstream_in_Debian_to_locate_packages_with_firmware_and_mime_type_support.html</guid>
1469 <pubDate>Thu, 4 Feb 2016 16:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
1470 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DEP-11&quot;&gt;appstream system&lt;/a&gt;
1471 is taking shape in Debian, and one provided feature is a very
1472 convenient way to tell you which package to install to make a given
1473 firmware file available when the kernel is looking for it. This can
1474 be done using apt-file too, but that is for someone else to blog
1475 about. :)&lt;/p&gt;
1476
1477 &lt;p&gt;Here is a small recipe to find the package with a given firmware
1478 file, in this example I am looking for ctfw-3.2.3.0.bin, randomly
1479 picked from the set of firmware announced using appstream in Debian
1480 unstable. In general you would be looking for the firmware requested
1481 by the kernel during kernel module loading. To find the package
1482 providing the example file, do like this:&lt;/p&gt;
1483
1484 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1485 % apt install appstream
1486 [...]
1487 % apt update
1488 [...]
1489 % appstreamcli what-provides firmware:runtime ctfw-3.2.3.0.bin | \
1490 awk &#39;/Package:/ {print $2}&#39;
1491 firmware-qlogic
1492 %
1493 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
1494
1495 &lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/AppStream/Guidelines&quot;&gt;the
1496 appstream wiki&lt;/a&gt; page to learn how to embed the package metadata in
1497 a way appstream can use.&lt;/p&gt;
1498
1499 &lt;p&gt;This same approach can be used to find any package supporting a
1500 given MIME type. This is very useful when you get a file you do not
1501 know how to handle. First find the mime type using &lt;tt&gt;file
1502 --mime-type&lt;/tt&gt;, and next look up the package providing support for
1503 it. Lets say you got an SVG file. Its MIME type is image/svg+xml,
1504 and you can find all packages handling this type like this:&lt;/p&gt;
1505
1506 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1507 % apt install appstream
1508 [...]
1509 % apt update
1510 [...]
1511 % appstreamcli what-provides mimetype image/svg+xml | \
1512 awk &#39;/Package:/ {print $2}&#39;
1513 bkchem
1514 phototonic
1515 inkscape
1516 shutter
1517 tetzle
1518 geeqie
1519 xia
1520 pinta
1521 gthumb
1522 karbon
1523 comix
1524 mirage
1525 viewnior
1526 postr
1527 ristretto
1528 kolourpaint4
1529 eog
1530 eom
1531 gimagereader
1532 midori
1533 %
1534 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
1535
1536 &lt;p&gt;I believe the MIME types are fetched from the desktop file for
1537 packages providing appstream metadata.&lt;/p&gt;
1538 </description>
1539 </item>
1540
1541 <item>
1542 <title>Creepy, visualise geotagged social media information - nice free software</title>
1543 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Creepy__visualise_geotagged_social_media_information___nice_free_software.html</link>
1544 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Creepy__visualise_geotagged_social_media_information___nice_free_software.html</guid>
1545 <pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2016 10:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
1546 <description>&lt;p&gt;Most people seem not to realise that every time they walk around
1547 with the computerised radio beacon known as a mobile phone their
1548 position is tracked by the phone company and often stored for a long
1549 time (like every time a SMS is received or sent). And if their
1550 computerised radio beacon is capable of running programs (often called
1551 mobile apps) downloaded from the Internet, these programs are often
1552 also capable of tracking their location (if the app requested access
1553 during installation). And when these programs send out information to
1554 central collection points, the location is often included, unless
1555 extra care is taken to not send the location. The provided
1556 information is used by several entities, for good and bad (what is
1557 good and bad, depend on your point of view). What is certain, is that
1558 the private sphere and the right to free movement is challenged and
1559 perhaps even eradicated for those announcing their location this way,
1560 when they share their whereabouts with private and public
1561 entities.&lt;/p&gt;
1562
1563 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;70%&quot; src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2016-01-24-nice-creepy-desktop-window.png&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1564
1565 &lt;p&gt;The phone company logs provide a register of locations to check out
1566 when one want to figure out what the tracked person was doing. It is
1567 unavailable for most of us, but provided to selected government
1568 officials, company staff, those illegally buying information from
1569 unfaithful servants and crackers stealing the information. But the
1570 public information can be collected and analysed, and a free software
1571 tool to do so is called
1572 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.geocreepy.com/&quot;&gt;Creepy or Cree.py&lt;/a&gt;. I
1573 discovered it when I read
1574 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/Slik-kan-du-bli-overvaket-pa-Twitter-og-Instagram-uten-a-ane-det-7787884.html&quot;&gt;an
1575 article about Creepy&lt;/a&gt; in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten i
1576 November 2014, and decided to check if it was available in Debian.
1577 The python program was in Debian, but
1578 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/creepy&quot;&gt;the version in
1579 Debian&lt;/a&gt; was completely broken and practically unmaintained. I
1580 uploaded a new version which did not work quite right, but did not
1581 have time to fix it then. This Christmas I decided to finally try to
1582 get Creepy operational in Debian. Now a fixed version is available in
1583 Debian unstable and testing, and almost all Debian specific patches
1584 are now included
1585 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/jkakavas/creepy&quot;&gt;upstream&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
1586
1587 &lt;p&gt;The Creepy program visualises geolocation information fetched from
1588 Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and Google+, and allow one to get a
1589 complete picture of every social media message posted recently in a
1590 given area, or track the movement of a given individual across all
1591 these services. Earlier it was possible to use the search API of at
1592 least some of these services without identifying oneself, but these
1593 days it is impossible. This mean that to use Creepy, you need to
1594 configure it to log in as yourself on these services, and provide
1595 information to them about your search interests. This should be taken
1596 into account when using Creepy, as it will also share information
1597 about yourself with the services.&lt;/p&gt;
1598
1599 &lt;p&gt;The picture above show the twitter messages sent from (or at least
1600 geotagged with a position from) the city centre of Oslo, the capital
1601 of Norway. One useful way to use Creepy is to first look at
1602 information tagged with an area of interest, and next look at all the
1603 information provided by one or more individuals who was in the area.
1604 I tested it by checking out which celebrity provide their location in
1605 twitter messages by checkout out who sent twitter messages near a
1606 Norwegian TV station, and next could track their position over time,
1607 making it possible to locate their home and work place, among other
1608 things. A similar technique have been
1609 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/does-this-soldiers-instagram-account-prove-russia-is-covertl&quot;&gt;used
1610 to locate Russian soldiers in Ukraine&lt;/a&gt;, and it is both a powerful
1611 tool to discover lying governments, and a useful tool to help people
1612 understand the value of the private information they provide to the
1613 public.&lt;/p&gt;
1614
1615 &lt;p&gt;The package is not trivial to backport to Debian Stable/Jessie, as
1616 it depend on several python modules currently missing in Jessie (at
1617 least python-instagram, python-flickrapi and
1618 python-requests-toolbelt).&lt;/p&gt;
1619
1620 &lt;p&gt;(I have uploaded
1621 &lt;a href=&quot;https://screenshots.debian.net/package/creepy&quot;&gt;the image to
1622 screenshots.debian.net&lt;/a&gt; and licensed it under the same terms as the
1623 Creepy program in Debian.)&lt;/p&gt;
1624 </description>
1625 </item>
1626
1627 <item>
1628 <title>Always download Debian packages using Tor - the simple recipe</title>
1629 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Always_download_Debian_packages_using_Tor___the_simple_recipe.html</link>
1630 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Always_download_Debian_packages_using_Tor___the_simple_recipe.html</guid>
1631 <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:30:00 +0100</pubDate>
1632 <description>&lt;p&gt;During his DebConf15 keynote, Jacob Appelbaum
1633 &lt;a href=&quot;https://summit.debconf.org/debconf15/meeting/331/what-is-to-be-done/&quot;&gt;observed
1634 that those listening on the Internet lines would have good reason to
1635 believe a computer have a given security hole&lt;/a&gt; if it download a
1636 security fix from a Debian mirror. This is a good reason to always
1637 use encrypted connections to the Debian mirror, to make sure those
1638 listening do not know which IP address to attack. In August, Richard
1639 Hartmann observed that encryption was not enough, when it was possible
1640 to interfere download size to security patches or the fact that
1641 download took place shortly after a security fix was released, and
1642 &lt;a href=&quot;http://richardhartmann.de/blog/posts/2015/08/24-Tor-enabled_Debian_mirror/&quot;&gt;proposed
1643 to always use Tor to download packages from the Debian mirror&lt;/a&gt;. He
1644 was not the first to propose this, as the
1645 &lt;tt&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/apt-transport-tor&quot;&gt;apt-transport-tor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/tt&gt;
1646 package by Tim Retout already existed to make it easy to convince apt
1647 to use &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.torproject.org/&quot;&gt;Tor&lt;/a&gt;, but I was not
1648 aware of that package when I read the blog post from Richard.&lt;/p&gt;
1649
1650 &lt;p&gt;Richard discussed the idea with Peter Palfrader, one of the Debian
1651 sysadmins, and he set up a Tor hidden service on one of the central
1652 Debian mirrors using the address vwakviie2ienjx6t.onion, thus making
1653 it possible to download packages directly between two tor nodes,
1654 making sure the network traffic always were encrypted.&lt;/p&gt;
1655
1656 &lt;p&gt;Here is a short recipe for enabling this on your machine, by
1657 installing &lt;tt&gt;apt-transport-tor&lt;/tt&gt; and replacing http and https
1658 urls with tor+http and tor+https, and using the hidden service instead
1659 of the official Debian mirror site. I recommend installing
1660 &lt;tt&gt;etckeeper&lt;/tt&gt; before you start to have a history of the changes
1661 done in /etc/.&lt;/p&gt;
1662
1663 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1664 apt install apt-transport-tor
1665 sed -i &#39;s% http://ftp.debian.org/% tor+http://vwakviie2ienjx6t.onion/%&#39; /etc/apt/sources.list
1666 sed -i &#39;s% http% tor+http%&#39; /etc/apt/sources.list
1667 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
1668
1669 &lt;p&gt;If you have more sources listed in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/, run
1670 the sed commands for these too. The sed command is assuming your are
1671 using the ftp.debian.org Debian mirror. Adjust the command (or just
1672 edit the file manually) to match your mirror.&lt;/p&gt;
1673
1674 &lt;p&gt;This work in Debian Jessie and later. Note that tools like
1675 &lt;tt&gt;apt-file&lt;/tt&gt; only recently started using the apt transport
1676 system, and do not work with these tor+http URLs. For
1677 &lt;tt&gt;apt-file&lt;/tt&gt; you need the version currently in experimental,
1678 which need a recent apt version currently only in unstable. So if you
1679 need a working &lt;tt&gt;apt-file&lt;/tt&gt;, this is not for you.&lt;/p&gt;
1680
1681 &lt;p&gt;Another advantage from this change is that your machine will start
1682 using Tor regularly and at fairly random intervals (every time you
1683 update the package lists or upgrade or install a new package), thus
1684 masking other Tor traffic done from the same machine. Using Tor will
1685 become normal for the machine in question.&lt;/p&gt;
1686
1687 &lt;p&gt;On &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox&quot;&gt;Freedombox&lt;/a&gt;, APT
1688 is set up by default to use &lt;tt&gt;apt-transport-tor&lt;/tt&gt; when Tor is
1689 enabled. It would be great if it was the default on any Debian
1690 system.&lt;/p&gt;
1691 </description>
1692 </item>
1693
1694 <item>
1695 <title>OpenALPR, find car license plates in video streams - nice free software</title>
1696 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/OpenALPR__find_car_license_plates_in_video_streams___nice_free_software.html</link>
1697 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/OpenALPR__find_car_license_plates_in_video_streams___nice_free_software.html</guid>
1698 <pubDate>Wed, 23 Dec 2015 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
1699 <description>&lt;p&gt;When I was a kid, we used to collect &quot;car numbers&quot;, as we used to
1700 call the car license plate numbers in those days. I would write the
1701 numbers down in my little book and compare notes with the other kids
1702 to see how many region codes we had seen and if we had seen some
1703 exotic or special region codes and numbers. It was a fun game to pass
1704 time, as we kids have plenty of it.&lt;/p&gt;
1705
1706 &lt;p&gt;A few days I came across
1707 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/openalpr/openalpr&quot;&gt;the OpenALPR
1708 project&lt;/a&gt;, a free software project to automatically discover and
1709 report license plates in images and video streams, and provide the
1710 &quot;car numbers&quot; in a machine readable format. I&#39;ve been looking for
1711 such system for a while now, because I believe it is a bad idea that the
1712 &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition&quot;&gt;automatic
1713 number plate recognition&lt;/a&gt; tool only is available in the hands of
1714 the powerful, and want it to be available also for the powerless to
1715 even the score when it comes to surveillance and sousveillance. I
1716 discovered the developer
1717 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/747509&quot;&gt;wanted to get the tool into
1718 Debian&lt;/a&gt;, and as I too wanted it to be in Debian, I volunteered to
1719 help him get it into shape to get the package uploaded into the Debian
1720 archive.&lt;/p&gt;
1721
1722 &lt;p&gt;Today we finally managed to get the package into shape and uploaded
1723 it into Debian, where it currently
1724 &lt;a href=&quot;https://ftp-master.debian.org//new/openalpr_2.2.1-1.html&quot;&gt;waits
1725 in the NEW queue&lt;/a&gt; for review by the Debian ftpmasters.&lt;/p&gt;
1726
1727 &lt;p&gt;I guess you are wondering why on earth such tool would be useful
1728 for the common folks, ie those not running a large government
1729 surveillance system? Well, I plan to put it in a computer on my bike
1730 and in my car, tracking the cars nearby and allowing me to be notified
1731 when number plates on my watch list are discovered. Another use case
1732 was suggested by a friend of mine, who wanted to set it up at his home
1733 to open the car port automatically when it discovered the plate on his
1734 car. When I mentioned it perhaps was a bit foolhardy to allow anyone
1735 capable of placing his license plate number of a piece of cardboard to
1736 open his car port, men replied that it was always unlocked anyway. I
1737 guess for such use case it make sense. I am sure there are other use
1738 cases too, for those with imagination and a vision.&lt;/p&gt;
1739
1740 &lt;p&gt;If you want to build your own version of the Debian package, check
1741 out the upstream git source and symlink ./distros/debian to ./debian/
1742 before running &quot;debuild&quot; to build the source. Or wait a bit until the
1743 package show up in unstable.&lt;/p&gt;
1744 </description>
1745 </item>
1746
1747 <item>
1748 <title>Using appstream with isenkram to install hardware related packages in Debian</title>
1749 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_appstream_with_isenkram_to_install_hardware_related_packages_in_Debian.html</link>
1750 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_appstream_with_isenkram_to_install_hardware_related_packages_in_Debian.html</guid>
1751 <pubDate>Sun, 20 Dec 2015 12:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
1752 <description>&lt;p&gt;Around three years ago, I created
1753 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/isenkram&quot;&gt;the isenkram
1754 system&lt;/a&gt; to get a more practical solution in Debian for handing
1755 hardware related packages. A GUI system in the isenkram package will
1756 present a pop-up dialog when some hardware dongle supported by
1757 relevant packages in Debian is inserted into the machine. The same
1758 lookup mechanism to detect packages is available as command line
1759 tools in the isenkram-cli package. In addition to mapping hardware,
1760 it will also map kernel firmware files to packages and make it easy to
1761 install needed firmware packages automatically. The key for this
1762 system to work is a good way to map hardware to packages, in other
1763 words, allow packages to announce what hardware they will work
1764 with.&lt;/p&gt;
1765
1766 &lt;p&gt;I started by providing data files in the isenkram source, and
1767 adding code to download the latest version of these data files at run
1768 time, to ensure every user had the most up to date mapping available.
1769 I also added support for storing the mapping in the Packages file in
1770 the apt repositories, but did not push this approach because while I
1771 was trying to figure out how to best store hardware/package mappings,
1772 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freedesktop.org/software/appstream/docs/&quot;&gt;the
1773 appstream system&lt;/a&gt; was announced. I got in touch and suggested to
1774 add the hardware mapping into that data set to be able to use
1775 appstream as a data source, and this was accepted at least for the
1776 Debian version of appstream.&lt;/p&gt;
1777
1778 &lt;p&gt;A few days ago using appstream in Debian for this became possible,
1779 and today I uploaded a new version 0.20 of isenkram adding support for
1780 appstream as a data source for mapping hardware to packages. The only
1781 package so far using appstream to announce its hardware support is my
1782 pymissile package. I got help from Matthias Klumpp with figuring out
1783 how do add the required
1784 &lt;a href=&quot;https://appstream.debian.org/html/sid/main/metainfo/pymissile.html&quot;&gt;metadata
1785 in pymissile&lt;/a&gt;. I added a file debian/pymissile.metainfo.xml with
1786 this content:&lt;/p&gt;
1787
1788 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1789 &amp;lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&amp;gt;
1790 &amp;lt;component&amp;gt;
1791 &amp;lt;id&amp;gt;pymissile&amp;lt;/id&amp;gt;
1792 &amp;lt;metadata_license&amp;gt;MIT&amp;lt;/metadata_license&amp;gt;
1793 &amp;lt;name&amp;gt;pymissile&amp;lt;/name&amp;gt;
1794 &amp;lt;summary&amp;gt;Control original Striker USB Missile Launcher&amp;lt;/summary&amp;gt;
1795 &amp;lt;description&amp;gt;
1796 &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;
1797 Pymissile provides a curses interface to control an original
1798 Marks and Spencer / Striker USB Missile Launcher, as well as a
1799 motion control script to allow a webcamera to control the
1800 launcher.
1801 &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;
1802 &amp;lt;/description&amp;gt;
1803 &amp;lt;provides&amp;gt;
1804 &amp;lt;modalias&amp;gt;usb:v1130p0202d*&amp;lt;/modalias&amp;gt;
1805 &amp;lt;/provides&amp;gt;
1806 &amp;lt;/component&amp;gt;
1807 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
1808
1809 &lt;p&gt;The key for isenkram is the component/provides/modalias value,
1810 which is a glob style match rule for hardware specific strings
1811 (modalias strings) provided by the Linux kernel. In this case, it
1812 will map to all USB devices with vendor code 1130 and product code
1813 0202.&lt;/p&gt;
1814
1815 &lt;p&gt;Note, it is important that the license of all the metadata files
1816 are compatible to have permissions to aggregate them into archive wide
1817 appstream files. Matthias suggested to use MIT or BSD licenses for
1818 these files. A challenge is figuring out a good id for the data, as
1819 it is supposed to be globally unique and shared across distributions
1820 (in other words, best to coordinate with upstream what to use). But
1821 it can be changed later or, so we went with the package name as
1822 upstream for this project is dormant.&lt;/p&gt;
1823
1824 &lt;p&gt;To get the metadata file installed in the correct location for the
1825 mirror update scripts to pick it up and include its content the
1826 appstream data source, the file must be installed in the binary
1827 package under /usr/share/appdata/. I did this by adding the following
1828 line to debian/pymissile.install:&lt;/p&gt;
1829
1830 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1831 debian/pymissile.metainfo.xml usr/share/appdata
1832 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
1833
1834 &lt;p&gt;With that in place, the command line tool isenkram-lookup will list
1835 all packages useful on the current computer automatically, and the GUI
1836 pop-up handler will propose to install the package not already
1837 installed if a hardware dongle is inserted into the machine in
1838 question.&lt;/p&gt;
1839
1840 &lt;p&gt;Details of the modalias field in appstream is available from the
1841 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DEP-11&quot;&gt;DEP-11&lt;/a&gt; proposal.&lt;/p&gt;
1842
1843 &lt;p&gt;To locate the modalias values of all hardware present in a machine,
1844 try running this command on the command line:&lt;/p&gt;
1845
1846 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
1847 cat $(find /sys/devices/|grep modalias)
1848 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
1849
1850 &lt;p&gt;To learn more about the isenkram system, please check out
1851 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/isenkram/&quot;&gt;my
1852 blog posts tagged isenkram&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
1853 </description>
1854 </item>
1855
1856 <item>
1857 <title>The GNU General Public License is not magic pixie dust</title>
1858 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_GNU_General_Public_License_is_not_magic_pixie_dust.html</link>
1859 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_GNU_General_Public_License_is_not_magic_pixie_dust.html</guid>
1860 <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2015 09:55:00 +0100</pubDate>
1861 <description>&lt;p&gt;A blog post from my fellow Debian developer Paul Wise titled
1862 &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bonedaddy.net/pabs3/log/2015/11/27/sfc-supporter/&quot;&gt;The
1863 GPL is not magic pixie dust&lt;/a&gt;&quot; explain the importance of making sure
1864 the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html&quot;&gt;GPL&lt;/a&gt; is enforced.
1865 I quote the blog post from Paul in full here with his permission:&lt;p&gt;
1866
1867 &lt;blockquote&gt;
1868
1869 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/supporter/&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/img/supporter-badge.png&quot; width=&quot;194&quot; height=&quot;90&quot; alt=&quot;Become a Software Freedom Conservancy Supporter!&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1870
1871 &lt;blockquote&gt;
1872 The GPL is not magic pixie dust. It does not work by itself.&lt;br/&gt;
1873
1874 The first step is to choose a
1875 &lt;a href=&quot;https://copyleft.org/&quot;&gt;copyleft&lt;/a&gt; license for your
1876 code.&lt;br/&gt;
1877
1878 The next step is, when someone fails to follow that copyleft license,
1879 &lt;b&gt;it must be enforced&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
1880
1881 and its a simple fact of our modern society that such type of
1882 work&lt;br/&gt;
1883
1884 is incredibly expensive to do and incredibly difficult to do.
1885 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
1886
1887 &lt;p&gt;&lt;small&gt;-- &lt;a href=&quot;http://ebb.org/bkuhn/&quot;&gt;Bradley Kuhn&lt;/a&gt;, in
1888 &lt;a href=&quot;http://faif.us/&quot; title=&quot;Free as in Freedom&quot;&gt;FaiF&lt;/a&gt;
1889 &lt;a href=&quot;http://faif.us/cast/2015/nov/24/0x57/&quot;&gt;episode
1890 0x57&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
1891
1892 &lt;p&gt;As the Debian Website
1893 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/794116&quot;&gt;used&lt;/a&gt;
1894 &lt;a href=&quot;https://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/webwml/webwml/english/intro/free.wml?r1=1.24&amp;amp;r2=1.25&quot;&gt;to&lt;/a&gt;
1895 imply, public domain and permissively licensed software can lead to
1896 the production of more proprietary software as people discover useful
1897 software, extend it and or incorporate it into their hardware or
1898 software products. Copyleft licenses such as the GNU GPL were created
1899 to close off this avenue to the production of proprietary software but
1900 such licenses are not enough. With the ongoing adoption of Free
1901 Software by individuals and groups, inevitably the community&#39;s
1902 expectations of license compliance are violated, usually out of
1903 ignorance of the way Free Software works, but not always. As Karen
1904 and Bradley explained in &lt;a href=&quot;http://faif.us/&quot; title=&quot;Free as in
1905 Freedom&quot;&gt;FaiF&lt;/a&gt;
1906 &lt;a href=&quot;http://faif.us/cast/2015/nov/24/0x57/&quot;&gt;episode 0x57&lt;/a&gt;,
1907 copyleft is nothing if no-one is willing and able to stand up in court
1908 to protect it. The reality of today&#39;s world is that legal
1909 representation is expensive, difficult and time consuming. With
1910 &lt;a href=&quot;http://gpl-violations.org/&quot;&gt;gpl-violations.org&lt;/a&gt; in hiatus
1911 &lt;a href=&quot;http://gpl-violations.org/news/20151027-homepage-recovers/&quot;&gt;until&lt;/a&gt;
1912 some time in 2016, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/&quot;&gt;Software
1913 Freedom Conservancy&lt;/a&gt; (a tax-exempt charity) is the major defender
1914 of the Linux project, Debian and other groups against GPL violations.
1915 In March the SFC supported a
1916 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/mar/05/vmware-lawsuit/&quot;&gt;lawsuit
1917 by Christoph Hellwig&lt;/a&gt; against VMware for refusing to
1918 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/vmware-lawsuit-faq.html&quot;&gt;comply
1919 with the GPL&lt;/a&gt; in relation to their use of parts of the Linux
1920 kernel. Since then two of their sponsors pulled corporate funding and
1921 conferences
1922 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2015/nov/24/faif-carols-fundraiser/&quot;&gt;blocked
1923 or cancelled their talks&lt;/a&gt;. As a result they have decided to rely
1924 less on corporate funding and more on the broad community of
1925 individuals who support Free Software and copyleft. So the SFC has
1926 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/nov/23/2015fundraiser/&quot;&gt;launched&lt;/a&gt;
1927 a &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/supporter/&quot;&gt;campaign&lt;/a&gt; to create
1928 a community of folks who stand up for copyleft and the GPL by
1929 supporting their work on promoting and supporting copyleft and Free
1930 Software.&lt;/p&gt;
1931
1932 &lt;p&gt;If you support Free Software,
1933 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2015/nov/26/like-what-I-do/&quot;&gt;like&lt;/a&gt;
1934 what the SFC do, agree with their
1935 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/principles.html&quot;&gt;compliance
1936 principles&lt;/a&gt;, are happy about their
1937 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/supporter/&quot;&gt;successes&lt;/a&gt; in 2015,
1938 work on a project that is an SFC
1939 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/members/current/&quot;&gt;member&lt;/a&gt; and or
1940 just want to stand up for copyleft, please join
1941 &lt;a href=&quot;https://identi.ca/cwebber/image/JQGPA4qbTyyp3-MY8QpvuA&quot;&gt;Christopher
1942 Allan Webber&lt;/a&gt;,
1943 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2015/nov/24/faif-carols-fundraiser/&quot;&gt;Carol
1944 Smith&lt;/a&gt;,
1945 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jonobacon.org/2015/11/25/supporting-software-freedom-conservancy/&quot;&gt;Jono
1946 Bacon&lt;/a&gt;, myself and
1947 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/sponsors/#supporters&quot;&gt;others&lt;/a&gt; in
1948 becoming a
1949 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/supporter/&quot;&gt;supporter&lt;/a&gt;. For the
1950 next week your donation will be
1951 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/nov/27/black-friday/&quot;&gt;matched&lt;/a&gt;
1952 by an anonymous donor. Please also consider asking your employer to
1953 match your donation or become a sponsor of SFC. Don&#39;t forget to
1954 spread the word about your support for SFC via email, your blog and or
1955 social media accounts.&lt;/p&gt;
1956
1957 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
1958
1959 &lt;p&gt;I agree with Paul on this topic and just signed up as a Supporter
1960 of Software Freedom Conservancy myself. Perhaps you should be a
1961 supporter too?&lt;/p&gt;
1962 </description>
1963 </item>
1964
1965 <item>
1966 <title>PGP key transition statement for key EE4E02F9</title>
1967 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/PGP_key_transition_statement_for_key_EE4E02F9.html</link>
1968 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/PGP_key_transition_statement_for_key_EE4E02F9.html</guid>
1969 <pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2015 10:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
1970 <description>&lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve needed a new OpenPGP key for a while, but have not had time to
1971 set it up properly. I wanted to generate it offline and have it
1972 available on &lt;a href=&quot;http://shop.kernelconcepts.de/#openpgp&quot;&gt;a OpenPGP
1973 smart card&lt;/a&gt; for daily use, and learning how to do it and finding
1974 time to sit down with an offline machine almost took forever. But
1975 finally I&#39;ve been able to complete the process, and have now moved
1976 from my old GPG key to a new GPG key. See
1977 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2015-11-17-new-gpg-key-transition.txt&quot;&gt;the
1978 full transition statement, signed with both my old and new key&lt;/a&gt; for
1979 the details. This is my new key:&lt;/p&gt;
1980
1981 &lt;pre&gt;
1982 pub 3936R/&lt;a href=&quot;http://pgp.cs.uu.nl/stats/111D6B29EE4E02F9.html&quot;&gt;111D6B29EE4E02F9&lt;/a&gt; 2015-11-03 [expires: 2019-11-14]
1983 Key fingerprint = 3AC7 B2E3 ACA5 DF87 78F1 D827 111D 6B29 EE4E 02F9
1984 uid Petter Reinholdtsen &amp;lt;pere@hungry.com&amp;gt;
1985 uid Petter Reinholdtsen &amp;lt;pere@debian.org&amp;gt;
1986 sub 4096R/87BAFB0E 2015-11-03 [expires: 2019-11-02]
1987 sub 4096R/F91E6DE9 2015-11-03 [expires: 2019-11-02]
1988 sub 4096R/A0439BAB 2015-11-03 [expires: 2019-11-02]
1989 &lt;/pre&gt;
1990
1991 &lt;p&gt;The key can be downloaded from the OpenPGP key servers, signed by
1992 my old key.&lt;/p&gt;
1993
1994 &lt;p&gt;If you signed my old key
1995 (&lt;a href=&quot;http://pgp.cs.uu.nl/stats/DB4CCC4B2A30D729.html&quot;&gt;DB4CCC4B2A30D729&lt;/a&gt;),
1996 I&#39;d very much appreciate a signature on my new key, details and
1997 instructions in the transition statement. I m happy to reciprocate if
1998 you have a similarly signed transition statement to present.&lt;/p&gt;
1999 </description>
2000 </item>
2001
2002 <item>
2003 <title>The life and death of a laptop battery</title>
2004 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_life_and_death_of_a_laptop_battery.html</link>
2005 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_life_and_death_of_a_laptop_battery.html</guid>
2006 <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
2007 <description>&lt;p&gt;When I get a new laptop, the battery life time at the start is OK.
2008 But this do not last. The last few laptops gave me a feeling that
2009 within a year, the life time is just a fraction of what it used to be,
2010 and it slowly become painful to use the laptop without power connected
2011 all the time. Because of this, when I got a new Thinkpad X230 laptop
2012 about two years ago, I decided to monitor its battery state to have
2013 more hard facts when the battery started to fail.&lt;/p&gt;
2014
2015 &lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2015-09-24-laptop-battery-graph.png&quot;/&gt;
2016
2017 &lt;p&gt;First I tried to find a sensible Debian package to record the
2018 battery status, assuming that this must be a problem already handled
2019 by someone else. I found
2020 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/battery-stats&quot;&gt;battery-stats&lt;/a&gt;,
2021 which collects statistics from the battery, but it was completely
2022 broken. I sent a few suggestions to the maintainer, but decided to
2023 write my own collector as a shell script while I waited for feedback
2024 from him. Via
2025 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ifweassume.com/2013/08/the-de-evolution-of-my-laptop-battery.html&quot;&gt;a
2026 blog post about the battery development on a MacBook Air&lt;/a&gt; I also
2027 discovered
2028 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/jradavenport/batlog.git&quot;&gt;batlog&lt;/a&gt;, not
2029 available in Debian.&lt;/p&gt;
2030
2031 &lt;p&gt;I started my collector 2013-07-15, and it has been collecting
2032 battery stats ever since. Now my
2033 /var/log/hjemmenett-battery-status.log file contain around 115,000
2034 measurements, from the time the battery was working great until now,
2035 when it is unable to charge above 7% of original capacity. My
2036 collector shell script is quite simple and look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
2037
2038 &lt;pre&gt;
2039 #!/bin/sh
2040 # Inspired by
2041 # http://www.ifweassume.com/2013/08/the-de-evolution-of-my-laptop-battery.html
2042 # See also
2043 # http://blog.sleeplessbeastie.eu/2013/01/02/debian-how-to-monitor-battery-capacity/
2044 logfile=/var/log/hjemmenett-battery-status.log
2045
2046 files=&quot;manufacturer model_name technology serial_number \
2047 energy_full energy_full_design energy_now cycle_count status&quot;
2048
2049 if [ ! -e &quot;$logfile&quot; ] ; then
2050 (
2051 printf &quot;timestamp,&quot;
2052 for f in $files; do
2053 printf &quot;%s,&quot; $f
2054 done
2055 echo
2056 ) &gt; &quot;$logfile&quot;
2057 fi
2058
2059 log_battery() {
2060 # Print complete message in one echo call, to avoid race condition
2061 # when several log processes run in parallel.
2062 msg=$(printf &quot;%s,&quot; $(date +%s); \
2063 for f in $files; do \
2064 printf &quot;%s,&quot; $(cat $f); \
2065 done)
2066 echo &quot;$msg&quot;
2067 }
2068
2069 cd /sys/class/power_supply
2070
2071 for bat in BAT*; do
2072 (cd $bat &amp;&amp; log_battery &gt;&gt; &quot;$logfile&quot;)
2073 done
2074 &lt;/pre&gt;
2075
2076 &lt;p&gt;The script is called when the power management system detect a
2077 change in the power status (power plug in or out), and when going into
2078 and out of hibernation and suspend. In addition, it collect a value
2079 every 10 minutes. This make it possible for me know when the battery
2080 is discharging, charging and how the maximum charge change over time.
2081 The code for the Debian package
2082 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/battery-status&quot;&gt;is now
2083 available on github&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
2084
2085 &lt;p&gt;The collected log file look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
2086
2087 &lt;pre&gt;
2088 timestamp,manufacturer,model_name,technology,serial_number,energy_full,energy_full_design,energy_now,cycle_count,status,
2089 1376591133,LGC,45N1025,Li-ion,974,62800000,62160000,39050000,0,Discharging,
2090 [...]
2091 1443090528,LGC,45N1025,Li-ion,974,4900000,62160000,4900000,0,Full,
2092 1443090601,LGC,45N1025,Li-ion,974,4900000,62160000,4900000,0,Full,
2093 &lt;/pre&gt;
2094
2095 &lt;p&gt;I wrote a small script to create a graph of the charge development
2096 over time. This graph depicted above show the slow death of my laptop
2097 battery.&lt;/p&gt;
2098
2099 &lt;p&gt;But why is this happening? Why are my laptop batteries always
2100 dying in a year or two, while the batteries of space probes and
2101 satellites keep working year after year. If we are to believe
2102 &lt;a href=&quot;http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries&quot;&gt;Battery
2103 University&lt;/a&gt;, the cause is me charging the battery whenever I have a
2104 chance, and the fix is to not charge the Lithium-ion batteries to 100%
2105 all the time, but to stay below 90% of full charge most of the time.
2106 I&#39;ve been told that the Tesla electric cars
2107 &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.teslamotors.com/de_CH/forum/forums/battery-charge-limit&quot;&gt;limit
2108 the charge of their batteries to 80%&lt;/a&gt;, with the option to charge to
2109 100% when preparing for a longer trip (not that I would want a car
2110 like Tesla where rights to privacy is abandoned, but that is another
2111 story), which I guess is the option we should have for laptops on
2112 Linux too.&lt;/p&gt;
2113
2114 &lt;p&gt;Is there a good and generic way with Linux to tell the battery to
2115 stop charging at 80%, unless requested to charge to 100% once in
2116 preparation for a longer trip? I found
2117 &lt;a href=&quot;http://askubuntu.com/questions/34452/how-can-i-limit-battery-charging-to-80-capacity&quot;&gt;one
2118 recipe on askubuntu for Ubuntu to limit charging on Thinkpad to
2119 80%&lt;/a&gt;, but could not get it to work (kernel module refused to
2120 load).&lt;/p&gt;
2121
2122 &lt;p&gt;I wonder why the battery capacity was reported to be more than 100%
2123 at the start. I also wonder why the &quot;full capacity&quot; increases some
2124 times, and if it is possible to repeat the process to get the battery
2125 back to design capacity. And I wonder if the discharge and charge
2126 speed change over time, or if this stay the same. I did not yet try
2127 to write a tool to calculate the derivative values of the battery
2128 level, but suspect some interesting insights might be learned from
2129 those.&lt;/p&gt;
2130
2131 &lt;p&gt;Update 2015-09-24: I got a tip to install the packages
2132 acpi-call-dkms and tlp (unfortunately missing in Debian stable)
2133 packages instead of the tp-smapi-dkms package I had tried to use
2134 initially, and use &#39;tlp setcharge 40 80&#39; to change when charging start
2135 and stop. I&#39;ve done so now, but expect my existing battery is toast
2136 and need to be replaced. The proposal is unfortunately Thinkpad
2137 specific.&lt;/p&gt;
2138 </description>
2139 </item>
2140
2141 <item>
2142 <title>New laptop - some more clues and ideas based on feedback</title>
2143 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_laptop___some_more_clues_and_ideas_based_on_feedback.html</link>
2144 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_laptop___some_more_clues_and_ideas_based_on_feedback.html</guid>
2145 <pubDate>Sun, 5 Jul 2015 21:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
2146 <description>&lt;p&gt;Several people contacted me after my previous blog post about my
2147 need for a new laptop, and provided very useful feedback. I wish to
2148 thank every one of these. Several pointed me to the possibility of
2149 fixing my X230, and I am already in the process of getting Lenovo to
2150 do so thanks to the on site, next day support contract covering the
2151 machine. But the battery is almost useless (I expect to replace it
2152 with a non-official battery) and I do not expect the machine to live
2153 for many more years, so it is time to plan its replacement. If I did
2154 not have a support contract, it was suggested to find replacement parts
2155 using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.francecrans.com/&quot;&gt;FrancEcrans&lt;/a&gt;, but it
2156 might present a language barrier as I do not understand French.&lt;/p&gt;
2157
2158 &lt;p&gt;One tip I got was to use the
2159 &lt;a href=&quot;https://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=nb&quot;&gt;Skinflint&lt;/a&gt; web service to
2160 compare laptop models. It seem to have more models available than
2161 prisjakt.no. Another tip I got from someone I know have similar
2162 keyboard preferences was that the HP EliteBook 840 keyboard is not
2163 very good, and this matches my experience with earlier EliteBook
2164 keyboards I tested. Because of this, I will not consider it any further.
2165
2166 &lt;p&gt;When I wrote my blog post, I was not aware of Thinkpad X250, the
2167 newest Thinkpad X model. The keyboard reintroduces mouse buttons
2168 (which is missing from the X240), and is working fairly well with
2169 Debian Sid/Unstable according to
2170 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.corsac.net/X250/&quot;&gt;Corsac.net&lt;/a&gt;. The reports I
2171 got on the keyboard quality are not consistent. Some say the keyboard
2172 is good, others say it is ok, while others say it is not very good.
2173 Those with experience from X41 and and X60 agree that the X250
2174 keyboard is not as good as those trusty old laptops, and suggest I
2175 keep and fix my X230 instead of upgrading, or get a used X230 to
2176 replace it. I&#39;m also told that the X250 lack leds for caps lock, disk
2177 activity and battery status, which is very convenient on my X230. I&#39;m
2178 also told that the CPU fan is running very often, making it a bit
2179 noisy. In any case, the X250 do not work out of the box with Debian
2180 Stable/Jessie, one of my requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
2181
2182 &lt;p&gt;I have also gotten a few vendor proposals, one was
2183 &lt;a href=&quot;http://pro-star.com&quot;&gt;Pro-Star&lt;/a&gt;, another was
2184 &lt;a href=&quot;http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/libreboot-x200/&quot;&gt;Libreboot&lt;/a&gt;.
2185 The latter look very attractive to me.&lt;/p&gt;
2186
2187 &lt;p&gt;Again, thank you all for the very useful feedback. It help a lot
2188 as I keep looking for a replacement.&lt;/p&gt;
2189
2190 &lt;p&gt;Update 2015-07-06: I was recommended to check out the
2191 &lt;a href=&quot;&quot;&gt;lapstore.de&lt;/a&gt; web shop for used laptops. They got several
2192 different
2193 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lapstore.de/f.php/shop/lapstore/f/411/lang/x/kw/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X_Serie/&quot;&gt;old
2194 thinkpad X models&lt;/a&gt;, and provide one year warranty.&lt;/p&gt;
2195 </description>
2196 </item>
2197
2198 <item>
2199 <title>Time to find a new laptop, as the old one is broken after only two years</title>
2200 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_to_find_a_new_laptop__as_the_old_one_is_broken_after_only_two_years.html</link>
2201 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_to_find_a_new_laptop__as_the_old_one_is_broken_after_only_two_years.html</guid>
2202 <pubDate>Fri, 3 Jul 2015 07:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
2203 <description>&lt;p&gt;My primary work horse laptop is failing, and will need a
2204 replacement soon. The left 5 cm of the screen on my Thinkpad X230
2205 started flickering yesterday, and I suspect the cause is a broken
2206 cable, as changing the angle of the screen some times get rid of the
2207 flickering.&lt;/p&gt;
2208
2209 &lt;p&gt;My requirements have not really changed since I bought it, and is
2210 still as
2211 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Thank_you_Thinkpad_X41__for_your_long_and_trustworthy_service.html&quot;&gt;I
2212 described them in 2013&lt;/a&gt;. The last time I bought a laptop, I had
2213 good help from
2214 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prisjakt.no/category.php?k=353&quot;&gt;prisjakt.no&lt;/a&gt;
2215 where I could select at least a few of the requirements (mouse pin,
2216 wifi, weight) and go through the rest manually. Three button mouse
2217 and a good keyboard is not available as an option, and all the three
2218 laptop models proposed today (Thinkpad X240, HP EliteBook 820 G1 and
2219 G2) lack three mouse buttons). It is also unclear to me how good the
2220 keyboard on the HP EliteBooks are. I hope Lenovo have not messed up
2221 the keyboard, even if the quality and robustness in the X series have
2222 deteriorated since X41.&lt;/p&gt;
2223
2224 &lt;p&gt;I wonder how I can find a sensible laptop when none of the options
2225 seem sensible to me? Are there better services around to search the
2226 set of available laptops for features? Please send me an email if you
2227 have suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;
2228
2229 &lt;p&gt;Update 2015-07-23: I got a suggestion to check out the FSF
2230 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom&quot;&gt;list
2231 of endorsed hardware&lt;/a&gt;, which is useful background information.&lt;/p&gt;
2232 </description>
2233 </item>
2234
2235 <item>
2236 <title>How to stay with sysvinit in Debian Jessie</title>
2237 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_stay_with_sysvinit_in_Debian_Jessie.html</link>
2238 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_stay_with_sysvinit_in_Debian_Jessie.html</guid>
2239 <pubDate>Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
2240 <description>&lt;p&gt;By now, it is well known that Debian Jessie will not be using
2241 sysvinit as its boot system by default. But how can one keep using
2242 sysvinit in Jessie? It is fairly easy, and here are a few recipes,
2243 courtesy of
2244 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vitavonni.de/blog/201410/2014102101-avoiding-systemd.html&quot;&gt;Erich
2245 Schubert&lt;/a&gt; and
2246 &lt;a href=&quot;http://smcv.pseudorandom.co.uk/2014/still_universal/&quot;&gt;Simon
2247 McVittie&lt;/a&gt;.
2248
2249 &lt;p&gt;If you already are using Wheezy and want to upgrade to Jessie and
2250 keep sysvinit as your boot system, create a file
2251 &lt;tt&gt;/etc/apt/preferences.d/use-sysvinit&lt;/tt&gt; with this content before
2252 you upgrade:&lt;/p&gt;
2253
2254 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2255 Package: systemd-sysv
2256 Pin: release o=Debian
2257 Pin-Priority: -1
2258 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
2259
2260 &lt;p&gt;This file content will tell apt and aptitude to not consider
2261 installing systemd-sysv as part of any installation and upgrade
2262 solution when resolving dependencies, and thus tell it to avoid
2263 systemd as a default boot system. The end result should be that the
2264 upgraded system keep using sysvinit.&lt;/p&gt;
2265
2266 &lt;p&gt;If you are installing Jessie for the first time, there is no way to
2267 get sysvinit installed by default (debootstrap used by
2268 debian-installer have no option for this), but one can tell the
2269 installer to switch to sysvinit before the first boot. Either by
2270 using a kernel argument to the installer, or by adding a line to the
2271 preseed file used. First, the kernel command line argument:
2272
2273 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2274 preseed/late_command=&quot;in-target apt-get install --purge -y sysvinit-core&quot;
2275 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
2276
2277 &lt;p&gt;Next, the line to use in a preseed file:&lt;/p&gt;
2278
2279 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2280 d-i preseed/late_command string in-target apt-get install -y sysvinit-core
2281 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
2282
2283 &lt;p&gt;One can of course also do this after the first boot by installing
2284 the sysvinit-core package.&lt;/p&gt;
2285
2286 &lt;p&gt;I recommend only using sysvinit if you really need it, as the
2287 sysvinit boot sequence in Debian have several hardware specific bugs
2288 on Linux caused by the fact that it is unpredictable when hardware
2289 devices show up during boot. But on the other hand, the new default
2290 boot system still have a few rough edges I hope will be fixed before
2291 Jessie is released.&lt;/p&gt;
2292
2293 &lt;p&gt;Update 2014-11-26: Inspired by
2294 &lt;ahref=&quot;https://www.mirbsd.org/permalinks/wlog-10-tg_e20141125-tg.htm#e20141125-tg_wlog-10-tg&quot;&gt;a
2295 blog post by Torsten Glaser&lt;/a&gt;, added --purge to the preseed
2296 line.&lt;/p&gt;
2297 </description>
2298 </item>
2299
2300 <item>
2301 <title>A Debian package for SMTP via Tor (aka SMTorP) using exim4</title>
2302 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Debian_package_for_SMTP_via_Tor__aka_SMTorP__using_exim4.html</link>
2303 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Debian_package_for_SMTP_via_Tor__aka_SMTorP__using_exim4.html</guid>
2304 <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
2305 <description>&lt;p&gt;The right to communicate with your friends and family in private,
2306 without anyone snooping, is a right every citicen have in a liberal
2307 democracy. But this right is under serious attack these days.&lt;/p&gt;
2308
2309 &lt;p&gt;A while back it occurred to me that one way to make the dragnet
2310 surveillance conducted by NSA, GCHQ, FRA and others (and confirmed by
2311 the whisleblower Snowden) more expensive for Internet email,
2312 is to deliver all email using SMTP via Tor. Such SMTP option would be
2313 a nice addition to the FreedomBox project if we could send email
2314 between FreedomBox machines without leaking metadata about the emails
2315 to the people peeking on the wire. I
2316 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/freedombox-discuss/2014-October/006493.html&quot;&gt;proposed
2317 this on the FreedomBox project mailing list in October&lt;/a&gt; and got a
2318 lot of useful feedback and suggestions. It also became obvious to me
2319 that this was not a novel idea, as the same idea was tested and
2320 documented by Johannes Berg as early as 2006, and both
2321 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/pagekite/Mailpile/wiki/SMTorP&quot;&gt;the
2322 Mailpile&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://dee.su/cables&quot;&gt;the Cables&lt;/a&gt; systems
2323 propose a similar method / protocol to pass emails between users.&lt;/p&gt;
2324
2325 &lt;p&gt;To implement such system one need to set up a Tor hidden service
2326 providing the SMTP protocol on port 25, and use email addresses
2327 looking like username@hidden-service-name.onion. With such addresses
2328 the connections to port 25 on hidden-service-name.onion using Tor will
2329 go to the correct SMTP server. To do this, one need to configure the
2330 Tor daemon to provide the hidden service and the mail server to accept
2331 emails for this .onion domain. To learn more about Exim configuration
2332 in Debian and test the design provided by Johannes Berg in his FAQ, I
2333 set out yesterday to create a Debian package for making it trivial to
2334 set up such SMTP over Tor service based on Debian. Getting it to work
2335 were fairly easy, and
2336 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/exim4-smtorp&quot;&gt;the
2337 source code for the Debian package&lt;/a&gt; is available from github. I
2338 plan to move it into Debian if further testing prove this to be a
2339 useful approach.&lt;/p&gt;
2340
2341 &lt;p&gt;If you want to test this, set up a blank Debian machine without any
2342 mail system installed (or run &lt;tt&gt;apt-get purge exim4-config&lt;/tt&gt; to
2343 get rid of exim4). Install tor, clone the git repository mentioned
2344 above, build the deb and install it on the machine. Next, run
2345 &lt;tt&gt;/usr/lib/exim4-smtorp/setup-exim-hidden-service&lt;/tt&gt; and follow
2346 the instructions to get the service up and running. Restart tor and
2347 exim when it is done, and test mail delivery using swaks like
2348 this:&lt;/p&gt;
2349
2350 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2351 torsocks swaks --server dutlqrrmjhtfa3vp.onion \
2352 --to fbx@dutlqrrmjhtfa3vp.onion
2353 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2354
2355 &lt;p&gt;This will test the SMTP delivery using tor. Replace the email
2356 address with your own address to test your server. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2357
2358 &lt;p&gt;The setup procedure is still to complex, and I hope it can be made
2359 easier and more automatic. Especially the tor setup need more work.
2360 Also, the package include a tor-smtp tool written in C, but its task
2361 should probably be rewritten in some script language to make the deb
2362 architecture independent. It would probably also make the code easier
2363 to review. The tor-smtp tool currently need to listen on a socket for
2364 exim to talk to it and is started using xinetd. It would be better if
2365 no daemon and no socket is needed. I suspect it is possible to get
2366 exim to run a command line tool for delivery instead of talking to a
2367 socket, and hope to figure out how in a future version of this
2368 system.&lt;/p&gt;
2369
2370 &lt;p&gt;Until I wipe my test machine, I can be reached using the
2371 &lt;tt&gt;fbx@dutlqrrmjhtfa3vp.onion&lt;/tt&gt; mail address, deliverable over
2372 SMTorP. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2373 </description>
2374 </item>
2375
2376 <item>
2377 <title>listadmin, the quick way to moderate mailman lists - nice free software</title>
2378 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/listadmin__the_quick_way_to_moderate_mailman_lists___nice_free_software.html</link>
2379 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/listadmin__the_quick_way_to_moderate_mailman_lists___nice_free_software.html</guid>
2380 <pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2014 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
2381 <description>&lt;p&gt;If you ever had to moderate a mailman list, like the ones on
2382 alioth.debian.org, you know the web interface is fairly slow to
2383 operate. First you visit one web page, enter the moderation password
2384 and get a new page shown with a list of all the messages to moderate
2385 and various options for each email address. This take a while for
2386 every list you moderate, and you need to do it regularly to do a good
2387 job as a list moderator. But there is a quick alternative,
2388 &lt;a href=&quot;http://heim.ifi.uio.no/kjetilho/hacks/#listadmin&quot;&gt;the
2389 listadmin program&lt;/a&gt;. It allow you to check lists for new messages
2390 to moderate in a fraction of a second. Here is a test run on two
2391 lists I recently took over:&lt;/p&gt;
2392
2393 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2394 % time listadmin xiph
2395 fetching data for pkg-xiph-commits@lists.alioth.debian.org ... nothing in queue
2396 fetching data for pkg-xiph-maint@lists.alioth.debian.org ... nothing in queue
2397
2398 real 0m1.709s
2399 user 0m0.232s
2400 sys 0m0.012s
2401 %
2402 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2403
2404 &lt;p&gt;In 1.7 seconds I had checked two mailing lists and confirmed that
2405 there are no message in the moderation queue. Every morning I
2406 currently moderate 68 mailman lists, and it normally take around two
2407 minutes. When I took over the two pkg-xiph lists above a few days
2408 ago, there were 400 emails waiting in the moderator queue. It took me
2409 less than 15 minutes to process them all using the listadmin
2410 program.&lt;/p&gt;
2411
2412 &lt;p&gt;If you install
2413 &lt;a href=&quot;https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/listadmin&quot;&gt;the listadmin
2414 package&lt;/a&gt; from Debian and create a file &lt;tt&gt;~/.listadmin.ini&lt;/tt&gt;
2415 with content like this, the moderation task is a breeze:&lt;/p&gt;
2416
2417 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2418 username username@example.org
2419 spamlevel 23
2420 default discard
2421 discard_if_reason &quot;Posting restricted to members only. Remove us from your mail list.&quot;
2422
2423 password secret
2424 adminurl https://{domain}/mailman/admindb/{list}
2425 mailman-list@lists.example.com
2426
2427 password hidden
2428 other-list@otherserver.example.org
2429 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2430
2431 &lt;p&gt;There are other options to set as well. Check the manual page to
2432 learn the details.&lt;/p&gt;
2433
2434 &lt;p&gt;If you are forced to moderate lists on a mailman installation where
2435 the SSL certificate is self signed or not properly signed by a
2436 generally accepted signing authority, you can set a environment
2437 variable when calling listadmin to disable SSL verification:&lt;/p&gt;
2438
2439 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2440 PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0 listadmin
2441 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2442
2443 &lt;p&gt;If you want to moderate a subset of the lists you take care of, you
2444 can provide an argument to the listadmin script like I do in the
2445 initial screen dump (the xiph argument). Using an argument, only
2446 lists matching the argument string will be processed. This make it
2447 quick to accept messages if you notice the moderation request in your
2448 email.&lt;/p&gt;
2449
2450 &lt;p&gt;Without the listadmin program, I would never be the moderator of 68
2451 mailing lists, as I simply do not have time to spend on that if the
2452 process was any slower. The listadmin program have saved me hours of
2453 time I could spend elsewhere over the years. It truly is nice free
2454 software.&lt;/p&gt;
2455
2456 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
2457 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
2458 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
2459
2460 &lt;p&gt;Update 2014-10-27: Added missing &#39;username&#39; statement in
2461 configuration example. Also, I&#39;ve been told that the
2462 PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0 setting do not work for everyone. Not
2463 sure why.&lt;/p&gt;
2464 </description>
2465 </item>
2466
2467 <item>
2468 <title>Debian Jessie, PXE and automatic firmware installation</title>
2469 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_Jessie__PXE_and_automatic_firmware_installation.html</link>
2470 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_Jessie__PXE_and_automatic_firmware_installation.html</guid>
2471 <pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2014 14:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
2472 <description>&lt;p&gt;When PXE installing laptops with Debian, I often run into the
2473 problem that the WiFi card require some firmware to work properly.
2474 And it has been a pain to fix this using preseeding in Debian.
2475 Normally something more is needed. But thanks to
2476 &lt;a href=&quot;https://packages.qa.debian.org/i/isenkram.html&quot;&gt;my isenkram
2477 package&lt;/a&gt; and its recent tasksel extension, it has now become easy
2478 to do this using simple preseeding.&lt;/p&gt;
2479
2480 &lt;p&gt;The isenkram-cli package provide tasksel tasks which will install
2481 firmware for the hardware found in the machine (actually, requested by
2482 the kernel modules for the hardware). (It can also install user space
2483 programs supporting the hardware detected, but that is not the focus
2484 of this story.)&lt;/p&gt;
2485
2486 &lt;p&gt;To get this working in the default installation, two preeseding
2487 values are needed. First, the isenkram-cli package must be installed
2488 into the target chroot (aka the hard drive) before tasksel is executed
2489 in the pkgsel step of the debian-installer system. This is done by
2490 preseeding the base-installer/includes debconf value to include the
2491 isenkram-cli package. The package name is next passed to debootstrap
2492 for installation. With the isenkram-cli package in place, tasksel
2493 will automatically use the isenkram tasks to detect hardware specific
2494 packages for the machine being installed and install them, because
2495 isenkram-cli contain tasksel tasks.&lt;/p&gt;
2496
2497 &lt;p&gt;Second, one need to enable the non-free APT repository, because
2498 most firmware unfortunately is non-free. This is done by preseeding
2499 the apt-mirror-setup step. This is unfortunate, but for a lot of
2500 hardware it is the only option in Debian.&lt;/p&gt;
2501
2502 &lt;p&gt;The end result is two lines needed in your preseeding file to get
2503 firmware installed automatically by the installer:&lt;/p&gt;
2504
2505 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2506 base-installer base-installer/includes string isenkram-cli
2507 apt-mirror-setup apt-setup/non-free boolean true
2508 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2509
2510 &lt;p&gt;The current version of isenkram-cli in testing/jessie will install
2511 both firmware and user space packages when using this method. It also
2512 do not work well, so use version 0.15 or later. Installing both
2513 firmware and user space packages might give you a bit more than you
2514 want, so I decided to split the tasksel task in two, one for firmware
2515 and one for user space programs. The firmware task is enabled by
2516 default, while the one for user space programs is not. This split is
2517 implemented in the package currently in unstable.&lt;/p&gt;
2518
2519 &lt;p&gt;If you decide to give this a go, please let me know (via email) how
2520 this recipe work for you. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2521
2522 &lt;p&gt;So, I bet you are wondering, how can this work. First and
2523 foremost, it work because tasksel is modular, and driven by whatever
2524 files it find in /usr/lib/tasksel/ and /usr/share/tasksel/. So the
2525 isenkram-cli package place two files for tasksel to find. First there
2526 is the task description file (/usr/share/tasksel/descs/isenkram.desc):&lt;/p&gt;
2527
2528 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2529 Task: isenkram-packages
2530 Section: hardware
2531 Description: Hardware specific packages (autodetected by isenkram)
2532 Based on the detected hardware various hardware specific packages are
2533 proposed.
2534 Test-new-install: show show
2535 Relevance: 8
2536 Packages: for-current-hardware
2537
2538 Task: isenkram-firmware
2539 Section: hardware
2540 Description: Hardware specific firmware packages (autodetected by isenkram)
2541 Based on the detected hardware various hardware specific firmware
2542 packages are proposed.
2543 Test-new-install: mark show
2544 Relevance: 8
2545 Packages: for-current-hardware-firmware
2546 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2547
2548 &lt;p&gt;The key parts are Test-new-install which indicate how the task
2549 should be handled and the Packages line referencing to a script in
2550 /usr/lib/tasksel/packages/. The scripts use other scripts to get a
2551 list of packages to install. The for-current-hardware-firmware script
2552 look like this to list relevant firmware for the machine:
2553
2554 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2555 #!/bin/sh
2556 #
2557 PATH=/usr/sbin:$PATH
2558 export PATH
2559 isenkram-autoinstall-firmware -l
2560 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2561
2562 &lt;p&gt;With those two pieces in place, the firmware is installed by
2563 tasksel during the normal d-i run. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2564
2565 &lt;p&gt;If you want to test what tasksel will install when isenkram-cli is
2566 installed, run &lt;tt&gt;DEBIAN_PRIORITY=critical tasksel --test
2567 --new-install&lt;/tt&gt; to get the list of packages that tasksel would
2568 install.&lt;/p&gt;
2569
2570 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu&lt;/a&gt; will be
2571 pilots in testing this feature, as isenkram is used there now to
2572 install firmware, replacing the earlier scripts.&lt;/p&gt;
2573 </description>
2574 </item>
2575
2576 <item>
2577 <title>Ubuntu used to show the bread prizes at ICA Storo</title>
2578 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Ubuntu_used_to_show_the_bread_prizes_at_ICA_Storo.html</link>
2579 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Ubuntu_used_to_show_the_bread_prizes_at_ICA_Storo.html</guid>
2580 <pubDate>Sat, 4 Oct 2014 15:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
2581 <description>&lt;p&gt;Today I came across an unexpected Ubuntu boot screen. Above the
2582 bread shelf on the ICA shop at Storo in Oslo, the grub menu of Ubuntu
2583 with Linux kernel 3.2.0-23 (ie probably version 12.04 LTS) was stuck
2584 on a screen normally showing the bread types and prizes:&lt;/p&gt;
2585
2586 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;70%&quot; src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2014-10-04-ubuntu-ica-storo-crop.jpeg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2587
2588 &lt;p&gt;If it had booted as it was supposed to, I would never had known
2589 about this hidden Linux installation. It is interesting what
2590 &lt;a href=&quot;http://revealingerrors.com/&quot;&gt;errors can reveal&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
2591 </description>
2592 </item>
2593
2594 <item>
2595 <title>New lsdvd release version 0.17 is ready</title>
2596 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_lsdvd_release_version_0_17_is_ready.html</link>
2597 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_lsdvd_release_version_0_17_is_ready.html</guid>
2598 <pubDate>Sat, 4 Oct 2014 08:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
2599 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://sourceforge.net/p/lsdvd/&quot;&gt;lsdvd project&lt;/a&gt;
2600 got a new set of developers a few weeks ago, after the original
2601 developer decided to step down and pass the project to fresh blood.
2602 This project is now maintained by Petter Reinholdtsen and Steve
2603 Dibb.&lt;/p&gt;
2604
2605 &lt;p&gt;I just wrapped up
2606 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sourceforge.net/p/lsdvd/mailman/message/32896061/&quot;&gt;a
2607 new lsdvd release&lt;/a&gt;, available in git or from
2608 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sourceforge.net/projects/lsdvd/files/lsdvd/&quot;&gt;the
2609 download page&lt;/a&gt;. This is the changelog dated 2014-10-03 for version
2610 0.17.&lt;/p&gt;
2611
2612 &lt;ul&gt;
2613
2614 &lt;li&gt;Ignore &#39;phantom&#39; audio, subtitle tracks&lt;/li&gt;
2615 &lt;li&gt;Check for garbage in the program chains, which indicate that a track is
2616 non-existant, to work around additional copy protection&lt;/li&gt;
2617 &lt;li&gt;Fix displaying content type for audio tracks, subtitles&lt;/li&gt;
2618 &lt;li&gt;Fix pallete display of first entry&lt;/li&gt;
2619 &lt;li&gt;Fix include orders&lt;/li&gt;
2620 &lt;li&gt;Ignore read errors in titles that would not be displayed anyway&lt;/li&gt;
2621 &lt;li&gt;Fix the chapter count&lt;/li&gt;
2622 &lt;li&gt;Make sure the array size and the array limit used when initialising
2623 the palette size is the same.&lt;/li&gt;
2624 &lt;li&gt;Fix array printing.&lt;/li&gt;
2625 &lt;li&gt;Correct subsecond calculations.&lt;/li&gt;
2626 &lt;li&gt;Add sector information to the output format.&lt;/li&gt;
2627 &lt;li&gt;Clean up code to be closer to ANSI C and compile without warnings
2628 with more GCC compiler warnings.&lt;/li&gt;
2629
2630 &lt;/ul&gt;
2631
2632 &lt;p&gt;This change bring together patches for lsdvd in use in various
2633 Linux and Unix distributions, as well as patches submitted to the
2634 project the last nine years. Please check it out. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2635 </description>
2636 </item>
2637
2638 <item>
2639 <title>How to test Debian Edu Jessie despite some fatal problems with the installer</title>
2640 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_test_Debian_Edu_Jessie_despite_some_fatal_problems_with_the_installer.html</link>
2641 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_test_Debian_Edu_Jessie_despite_some_fatal_problems_with_the_installer.html</guid>
2642 <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2014 12:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
2643 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu / Skolelinux
2644 project&lt;/a&gt; provide a Linux solution for schools, including a
2645 powerful desktop with education software, a central server providing
2646 web pages, user database, user home directories, central login and PXE
2647 boot of both clients without disk and the installation to install Debian
2648 Edu on machines with disk (and a few other services perhaps to small
2649 to mention here). We in the Debian Edu team are currently working on
2650 the Jessie based version, trying to get everything in shape before the
2651 freeze, to avoid having to maintain our own package repository in the
2652 future. The
2653 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Status/Jessie&quot;&gt;current
2654 status&lt;/a&gt; can be seen on the Debian wiki, and there is still heaps of
2655 work left. Some fatal problems block testing, breaking the installer,
2656 but it is possible to work around these to get anyway. Here is a
2657 recipe on how to get the installation limping along.&lt;/p&gt;
2658
2659 &lt;p&gt;First, download the test ISO via
2660 &lt;a href=&quot;ftp://ftp.skolelinux.no/cd-edu-testing-nolocal-netinst/debian-edu-amd64-i386-NETINST-1.iso&quot;&gt;ftp&lt;/a&gt;,
2661 &lt;a href=&quot;http://ftp.skolelinux.no/cd-edu-testing-nolocal-netinst/debian-edu-amd64-i386-NETINST-1.iso&quot;&gt;http&lt;/a&gt;
2662 or rsync (use
2663 ftp.skolelinux.org::cd-edu-testing-nolocal-netinst/debian-edu-amd64-i386-NETINST-1.iso).
2664 The ISO build was broken on Tuesday, so we do not get a new ISO every
2665 12 hours or so, but thankfully the ISO we already got we are able to
2666 install with some tweaking.&lt;/p&gt;
2667
2668 &lt;p&gt;When you get to the Debian Edu profile question, go to tty2
2669 (use Alt-Ctrl-F2), run&lt;/p&gt;
2670
2671 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2672 nano /usr/bin/edu-eatmydata-install
2673 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2674
2675 &lt;p&gt;and add &#39;exit 0&#39; as the second line, disabling the eatmydata
2676 optimization. Return to the installation, select the profile you want
2677 and continue. Without this change, exim4-config will fail to install
2678 due to a known bug in eatmydata.&lt;/p&gt;
2679
2680 &lt;p&gt;When you get the grub question at the end, answer /dev/sda (or if
2681 this do not work, figure out what your correct value would be. All my
2682 test machines need /dev/sda, so I have no advice if it do not fit
2683 your need.&lt;/p&gt;
2684
2685 &lt;p&gt;If you installed a profile including a graphical desktop, log in as
2686 root after the initial boot from hard drive, and install the
2687 education-desktop-XXX metapackage. XXX can be kde, gnome, lxde, xfce
2688 or mate. If you want several desktop options, install more than one
2689 metapackage. Once this is done, reboot and you should have a working
2690 graphical login screen. This workaround should no longer be needed
2691 once the education-tasks package version 1.801 enter testing in two
2692 days.&lt;/p&gt;
2693
2694 &lt;p&gt;I believe the ISO build will start working on two days when the new
2695 tasksel package enter testing and Steve McIntyre get a chance to
2696 update the debian-cd git repository. The eatmydata, grub and desktop
2697 issues are already fixed in unstable and testing, and should show up
2698 on the ISO as soon as the ISO build start working again. Well the
2699 eatmydata optimization is really just disabled. The proper fix
2700 require an upload by the eatmydata maintainer applying the patch
2701 provided in bug &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/702711&quot;&gt;#702711&lt;/a&gt;.
2702 The rest have proper fixes in unstable.&lt;/p&gt;
2703
2704 &lt;p&gt;I hope this get you going with the installation testing, as we are
2705 quickly running out of time trying to get our Jessie based
2706 installation ready before the distribution freeze in a month.&lt;/p&gt;
2707 </description>
2708 </item>
2709
2710 <item>
2711 <title>Suddenly I am the new upstream of the lsdvd command line tool</title>
2712 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Suddenly_I_am_the_new_upstream_of_the_lsdvd_command_line_tool.html</link>
2713 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Suddenly_I_am_the_new_upstream_of_the_lsdvd_command_line_tool.html</guid>
2714 <pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
2715 <description>&lt;p&gt;I use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://sourceforge.net/p/lsdvd/&quot;&gt;lsdvd tool&lt;/a&gt;
2716 to handle my fairly large DVD collection. It is a nice command line
2717 tool to get details about a DVD, like title, tracks, track length,
2718 etc, in XML, Perl or human readable format. But lsdvd have not seen
2719 any new development since 2006 and had a few irritating bugs affecting
2720 its use with some DVDs. Upstream seemed to be dead, and in January I
2721 sent a small probe asking for a version control repository for the
2722 project, without any reply. But I use it regularly and would like to
2723 get &lt;a href=&quot;https://packages.qa.debian.org/lsdvd&quot;&gt;an updated version
2724 into Debian&lt;/a&gt;. So two weeks ago I tried harder to get in touch with
2725 the project admin, and after getting a reply from him explaining that
2726 he was no longer interested in the project, I asked if I could take
2727 over. And yesterday, I became project admin.&lt;/p&gt;
2728
2729 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve been in touch with a Gentoo developer and the Debian
2730 maintainer interested in joining forces to maintain the upstream
2731 project, and I hope we can get a new release out fairly quickly,
2732 collecting the patches spread around on the internet into on place.
2733 I&#39;ve added the relevant Debian patches to the freshly created git
2734 repository, and expect the Gentoo patches to make it too. If you got
2735 a DVD collection and care about command line tools, check out
2736 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sourceforge.net/p/lsdvd/git/ci/master/tree/&quot;&gt;the git source&lt;/a&gt; and join
2737 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sourceforge.net/p/lsdvd/mailman/&quot;&gt;the project mailing
2738 list&lt;/a&gt;. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2739 </description>
2740 </item>
2741
2742 <item>
2743 <title>Speeding up the Debian installer using eatmydata and dpkg-divert</title>
2744 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Speeding_up_the_Debian_installer_using_eatmydata_and_dpkg_divert.html</link>
2745 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Speeding_up_the_Debian_installer_using_eatmydata_and_dpkg_divert.html</guid>
2746 <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
2747 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.debian.org/&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt; installer could be
2748 a lot quicker. When we install more than 2000 packages in
2749 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Skolelinux / Debian Edu&lt;/a&gt; using
2750 tasksel in the installer, unpacking the binary packages take forever.
2751 A part of the slow I/O issue was discussed in
2752 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/613428&quot;&gt;bug #613428&lt;/a&gt; about too
2753 much file system sync-ing done by dpkg, which is the package
2754 responsible for unpacking the binary packages. Other parts (like code
2755 executed by postinst scripts) might also sync to disk during
2756 installation. All this sync-ing to disk do not really make sense to
2757 me. If the machine crash half-way through, I start over, I do not try
2758 to salvage the half installed system. So the failure sync-ing is
2759 supposed to protect against, hardware or system crash, is not really
2760 relevant while the installer is running.&lt;/p&gt;
2761
2762 &lt;p&gt;A few days ago, I thought of a way to get rid of all the file
2763 system sync()-ing in a fairly non-intrusive way, without the need to
2764 change the code in several packages. The idea is not new, but I have
2765 not heard anyone propose the approach using dpkg-divert before. It
2766 depend on the small and clever package
2767 &lt;a href=&quot;https://packages.qa.debian.org/eatmydata&quot;&gt;eatmydata&lt;/a&gt;, which
2768 uses LD_PRELOAD to replace the system functions for syncing data to
2769 disk with functions doing nothing, thus allowing programs to live
2770 dangerous while speeding up disk I/O significantly. Instead of
2771 modifying the implementation of dpkg, apt and tasksel (which are the
2772 packages responsible for selecting, fetching and installing packages),
2773 it occurred to me that we could just divert the programs away, replace
2774 them with a simple shell wrapper calling
2775 &quot;eatmydata&amp;nbsp;$program&amp;nbsp;$@&quot;, to get the same effect.
2776 Two days ago I decided to test the idea, and wrapped up a simple
2777 implementation for the Debian Edu udeb.&lt;/p&gt;
2778
2779 &lt;p&gt;The effect was stunning. In my first test it reduced the running
2780 time of the pkgsel step (installing tasks) from 64 to less than 44
2781 minutes (20 minutes shaved off the installation) on an old Dell
2782 Latitude D505 machine. I am not quite sure what the optimised time
2783 would have been, as I messed up the testing a bit, causing the debconf
2784 priority to get low enough for two questions to pop up during
2785 installation. As soon as I saw the questions I moved the installation
2786 along, but do not know how long the question were holding up the
2787 installation. I did some more measurements using Debian Edu Jessie,
2788 and got these results. The time measured is the time stamp in
2789 /var/log/syslog between the &quot;pkgsel: starting tasksel&quot; and the
2790 &quot;pkgsel: finishing up&quot; lines, if you want to do the same measurement
2791 yourself. In Debian Edu, the tasksel dialog do not show up, and the
2792 timing thus do not depend on how quickly the user handle the tasksel
2793 dialog.&lt;/p&gt;
2794
2795 &lt;p&gt;&lt;table&gt;
2796
2797 &lt;tr&gt;
2798 &lt;th&gt;Machine/setup&lt;/th&gt;
2799 &lt;th&gt;Original tasksel&lt;/th&gt;
2800 &lt;th&gt;Optimised tasksel&lt;/th&gt;
2801 &lt;th&gt;Reduction&lt;/th&gt;
2802 &lt;/tr&gt;
2803
2804 &lt;tr&gt;
2805 &lt;td&gt;Latitude D505 Main+LTSP LXDE&lt;/td&gt;
2806 &lt;td&gt;64 min (07:46-08:50)&lt;/td&gt;
2807 &lt;td&gt;&lt;44 min (11:27-12:11)&lt;/td&gt;
2808 &lt;td&gt;&gt;20 min 18%&lt;/td&gt;
2809 &lt;/tr&gt;
2810
2811 &lt;tr&gt;
2812 &lt;td&gt;Latitude D505 Roaming LXDE&lt;/td&gt;
2813 &lt;td&gt;57 min (08:48-09:45)&lt;/td&gt;
2814 &lt;td&gt;34 min (07:43-08:17)&lt;/td&gt;
2815 &lt;td&gt;23 min 40%&lt;/td&gt;
2816 &lt;/tr&gt;
2817
2818 &lt;tr&gt;
2819 &lt;td&gt;Latitude D505 Minimal&lt;/td&gt;
2820 &lt;td&gt;22 min (10:37-10:59)&lt;/td&gt;
2821 &lt;td&gt;11 min (11:16-11:27)&lt;/td&gt;
2822 &lt;td&gt;11 min 50%&lt;/td&gt;
2823 &lt;/tr&gt;
2824
2825 &lt;tr&gt;
2826 &lt;td&gt;Thinkpad X200 Minimal&lt;/td&gt;
2827 &lt;td&gt;6 min (08:19-08:25)&lt;/td&gt;
2828 &lt;td&gt;4 min (08:04-08:08)&lt;/td&gt;
2829 &lt;td&gt;2 min 33%&lt;/td&gt;
2830 &lt;/tr&gt;
2831
2832 &lt;tr&gt;
2833 &lt;td&gt;Thinkpad X200 Roaming KDE&lt;/td&gt;
2834 &lt;td&gt;19 min (09:21-09:40)&lt;/td&gt;
2835 &lt;td&gt;15 min (10:25-10:40)&lt;/td&gt;
2836 &lt;td&gt;4 min 21%&lt;/td&gt;
2837 &lt;/tr&gt;
2838
2839 &lt;/table&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2840
2841 &lt;p&gt;The test is done using a netinst ISO on a USB stick, so some of the
2842 time is spent downloading packages. The connection to the Internet
2843 was 100Mbit/s during testing, so downloading should not be a
2844 significant factor in the measurement. Download typically took a few
2845 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the amount of packages being
2846 installed.&lt;/p&gt;
2847
2848 &lt;p&gt;The speedup is implemented by using two hooks in
2849 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/&quot;&gt;Debian
2850 Installer&lt;/a&gt;, the pre-pkgsel.d hook to set up the diverts, and the
2851 finish-install.d hook to remove the divert at the end of the
2852 installation. I picked the pre-pkgsel.d hook instead of the
2853 post-base-installer.d hook because I test using an ISO without the
2854 eatmydata package included, and the post-base-installer.d hook in
2855 Debian Edu can only operate on packages included in the ISO. The
2856 negative effect of this is that I am unable to activate this
2857 optimization for the kernel installation step in d-i. If the code is
2858 moved to the post-base-installer.d hook, the speedup would be larger
2859 for the entire installation.&lt;/p&gt;
2860
2861 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve implemented this in the
2862 &lt;a href=&quot;https://packages.qa.debian.org/debian-edu-install&quot;&gt;debian-edu-install&lt;/a&gt;
2863 git repository, and plan to provide the optimization as part of the
2864 Debian Edu installation. If you want to test this yourself, you can
2865 create two files in the installer (or in an udeb). One shell script
2866 need do go into /usr/lib/pre-pkgsel.d/, with content like this:&lt;/p&gt;
2867
2868 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2869 #!/bin/sh
2870 set -e
2871 . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
2872 info() {
2873 logger -t my-pkgsel &quot;info: $*&quot;
2874 }
2875 error() {
2876 logger -t my-pkgsel &quot;error: $*&quot;
2877 }
2878 override_install() {
2879 apt-install eatmydata || true
2880 if [ -x /target/usr/bin/eatmydata ] ; then
2881 for bin in dpkg apt-get aptitude tasksel ; do
2882 file=/usr/bin/$bin
2883 # Test that the file exist and have not been diverted already.
2884 if [ -f /target$file ] ; then
2885 info &quot;diverting $file using eatmydata&quot;
2886 printf &quot;#!/bin/sh\neatmydata $bin.distrib \&quot;\$@\&quot;\n&quot; \
2887 &gt; /target$file.edu
2888 chmod 755 /target$file.edu
2889 in-target dpkg-divert --package debian-edu-config \
2890 --rename --quiet --add $file
2891 ln -sf ./$bin.edu /target$file
2892 else
2893 error &quot;unable to divert $file, as it is missing.&quot;
2894 fi
2895 done
2896 else
2897 error &quot;unable to find /usr/bin/eatmydata after installing the eatmydata pacage&quot;
2898 fi
2899 }
2900
2901 override_install
2902 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2903
2904 &lt;p&gt;To clean up, another shell script should go into
2905 /usr/lib/finish-install.d/ with code like this:
2906
2907 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2908 #! /bin/sh -e
2909 . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
2910 error() {
2911 logger -t my-finish-install &quot;error: $@&quot;
2912 }
2913 remove_install_override() {
2914 for bin in dpkg apt-get aptitude tasksel ; do
2915 file=/usr/bin/$bin
2916 if [ -x /target$file.edu ] ; then
2917 rm /target$file
2918 in-target dpkg-divert --package debian-edu-config \
2919 --rename --quiet --remove $file
2920 rm /target$file.edu
2921 else
2922 error &quot;Missing divert for $file.&quot;
2923 fi
2924 done
2925 sync # Flush file buffers before continuing
2926 }
2927
2928 remove_install_override
2929 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2930
2931 &lt;p&gt;In Debian Edu, I placed both code fragments in a separate script
2932 edu-eatmydata-install and call it from the pre-pkgsel.d and
2933 finish-install.d scripts.&lt;/p&gt;
2934
2935 &lt;p&gt;By now you might ask if this change should get into the normal
2936 Debian installer too? I suspect it should, but am not sure the
2937 current debian-installer coordinators find it useful enough. It also
2938 depend on the side effects of the change. I&#39;m not aware of any, but I
2939 guess we will see if the change is safe after some more testing.
2940 Perhaps there is some package in Debian depending on sync() and
2941 fsync() having effect? Perhaps it should go into its own udeb, to
2942 allow those of us wanting to enable it to do so without affecting
2943 everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
2944
2945 &lt;p&gt;Update 2014-09-24: Since a few days ago, enabling this optimization
2946 will break installation of all programs using gnutls because of
2947 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/702711&quot;&gt;bug #702711&lt;/a&gt;. An updated
2948 eatmydata package in Debian will solve it.&lt;/p&gt;
2949
2950 &lt;p&gt;Update 2014-10-17: The bug mentioned above is fixed in testing and
2951 the optimization work again. And I have discovered that the
2952 dpkg-divert trick is not really needed and implemented a slightly
2953 simpler approach as part of the debian-edu-install package. See
2954 tools/edu-eatmydata-install in the source package.&lt;/p&gt;
2955
2956 &lt;p&gt;Update 2014-11-11: Unfortunately, a new
2957 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/765738&quot;&gt;bug #765738&lt;/a&gt; in eatmydata only
2958 triggering on i386 made it into testing, and broke this installation
2959 optimization again. If &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/768893&quot;&gt;unblock
2960 request 768893&lt;/a&gt; is accepted, it should be working again.&lt;/p&gt;
2961 </description>
2962 </item>
2963
2964 <item>
2965 <title>Good bye subkeys.pgp.net, welcome pool.sks-keyservers.net</title>
2966 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Good_bye_subkeys_pgp_net__welcome_pool_sks_keyservers_net.html</link>
2967 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Good_bye_subkeys_pgp_net__welcome_pool_sks_keyservers_net.html</guid>
2968 <pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2014 13:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
2969 <description>&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a talk with the
2970 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuug.no/&quot;&gt;Norwegian Unix User Group&lt;/a&gt; about
2971 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuug.no/aktiviteter/20140909-sks-keyservers/&quot;&gt;the
2972 OpenPGP keyserver pool sks-keyservers.net&lt;/a&gt;, and was very happy to
2973 learn that there is a large set of publicly available key servers to
2974 use when looking for peoples public key. So far I have used
2975 subkeys.pgp.net, and some times wwwkeys.nl.pgp.net when the former
2976 were misbehaving, but those days are ended. The servers I have used
2977 up until yesterday have been slow and some times unavailable. I hope
2978 those problems are gone now.&lt;/p&gt;
2979
2980 &lt;p&gt;Behind the round robin DNS entry of the
2981 &lt;a href=&quot;https://sks-keyservers.net/&quot;&gt;sks-keyservers.net&lt;/a&gt; service
2982 there is a pool of more than 100 keyservers which are checked every
2983 day to ensure they are well connected and up to date. It must be
2984 better than what I have used so far. :)&lt;/p&gt;
2985
2986 &lt;p&gt;Yesterdays speaker told me that the service is the default
2987 keyserver provided by the default configuration in GnuPG, but this do
2988 not seem to be used in Debian. Perhaps it should?&lt;/p&gt;
2989
2990 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, I&#39;ve updated my ~/.gnupg/options file to now include this
2991 line:&lt;/p&gt;
2992
2993 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
2994 keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net
2995 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2996
2997 &lt;p&gt;With GnuPG version 2 one can also locate the keyserver using SRV
2998 entries in DNS. Just for fun, I did just that at work, so now every
2999 user of GnuPG at the University of Oslo should find a OpenGPG
3000 keyserver automatically should their need it:&lt;/p&gt;
3001
3002 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3003 % host -t srv _pgpkey-http._tcp.uio.no
3004 _pgpkey-http._tcp.uio.no has SRV record 0 100 11371 pool.sks-keyservers.net.
3005 %
3006 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3007
3008 &lt;p&gt;Now if only
3009 &lt;a href=&quot;http://ietfreport.isoc.org/idref/draft-shaw-openpgp-hkp/&quot;&gt;the
3010 HKP lookup protocol&lt;/a&gt; supported finding signature paths, I would be
3011 very happy. It can look up a given key or search for a user ID, but I
3012 normally do not want that, but to find a trust path from my key to
3013 another key. Given a user ID or key ID, I would like to find (and
3014 download) the keys representing a signature path from my key to the
3015 key in question, to be able to get a trust path between the two keys.
3016 This is as far as I can tell not possible today. Perhaps something
3017 for a future version of the protocol?&lt;/p&gt;
3018 </description>
3019 </item>
3020
3021 <item>
3022 <title>From English wiki to translated PDF and epub via Docbook</title>
3023 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/From_English_wiki_to_translated_PDF_and_epub_via_Docbook.html</link>
3024 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/From_English_wiki_to_translated_PDF_and_epub_via_Docbook.html</guid>
3025 <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jun 2014 11:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
3026 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu / Skolelinux
3027 project&lt;/a&gt; provide an instruction manual for teachers, system
3028 administrators and other users that contain useful tips for setting up
3029 and maintaining a Debian Edu installation. This text is about how the
3030 text processing of this manual is handled in the project.&lt;/p&gt;
3031
3032 &lt;p&gt;One goal of the project is to provide information in the native
3033 language of its users, and for this we need to handle translations.
3034 But we also want to make sure each language contain the same
3035 information, so for this we need a good way to keep the translations
3036 in sync. And we want it to be easy for our users to improve the
3037 documentation, avoiding the need to learn special formats or tools to
3038 contribute, and the obvious way to do this is to make it possible to
3039 edit the documentation using a web browser. We also want it to be
3040 easy for translators to keep the translation up to date, and give them
3041 help in figuring out what need to be translated. Here is the list of
3042 tools and the process we have found trying to reach all these
3043 goals.&lt;/p&gt;
3044
3045 &lt;p&gt;We maintain the authoritative source of our manual in the
3046 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Wheezy/&quot;&gt;Debian
3047 wiki&lt;/a&gt;, as several wiki pages written in English. It consist of one
3048 front page with references to the different chapters, several pages
3049 for each chapter, and finally one &quot;collection page&quot; gluing all the
3050 chapters together into one large web page (aka
3051 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Wheezy/AllInOne&quot;&gt;the
3052 AllInOne page&lt;/a&gt;). The AllInOne page is the one used for further
3053 processing and translations. Thanks to the fact that the
3054 &lt;a href=&quot;http://moinmo.in/&quot;&gt;MoinMoin&lt;/a&gt; installation on
3055 wiki.debian.org support exporting pages in
3056 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.docbook.org/&quot;&gt;the Docbook format&lt;/a&gt;, we can fetch
3057 the list of pages to export using the raw version of the AllInOne
3058 page, loop over each of them to generate a Docbook XML version of the
3059 manual. This process also download images and transform image
3060 references to use the locally downloaded images. The generated
3061 Docbook XML files are slightly broken, so some post-processing is done
3062 using the &lt;tt&gt;documentation/scripts/get_manual&lt;/tt&gt; program, and the
3063 result is a nice Docbook XML file (debian-edu-wheezy-manual.xml) and
3064 a handfull of images. The XML file can now be used to generate PDF, HTML
3065 and epub versions of the English manual. This is the basic step of
3066 our process, making PDF (using dblatex), HTML (using xsltproc) and
3067 epub (using dbtoepub) version from Docbook XML, and the resulting files
3068 are placed in the debian-edu-doc-en binary package.&lt;/p&gt;
3069
3070 &lt;p&gt;But English documentation is not enough for us. We want translated
3071 documentation too, and we want to make it easy for translators to
3072 track the English original. For this we use the
3073 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/p/poxml.html&quot;&gt;poxml&lt;/a&gt; package,
3074 which allow us to transform the English Docbook XML file into a
3075 translation file (a .pot file), usable with the normal gettext based
3076 translation tools used by those translating free software. The pot
3077 file is used to create and maintain translation files (several .po
3078 files), which the translations update with the native language
3079 translations of all titles, paragraphs and blocks of text in the
3080 original. The next step is combining the original English Docbook XML
3081 and the translation file (say debian-edu-wheezy-manual.nb.po), to
3082 create a translated Docbook XML file (in this case
3083 debian-edu-wheezy-manual.nb.xml). This translated (or partly
3084 translated, if the translation is not complete) Docbook XML file can
3085 then be used like the original to create a PDF, HTML and epub version
3086 of the documentation.&lt;/p&gt;
3087
3088 &lt;p&gt;The translators use different tools to edit the .po files. We
3089 recommend using
3090 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kde.org/applications/development/lokalize/&quot;&gt;lokalize&lt;/a&gt;,
3091 while some use emacs and vi, others can use web based editors like
3092 &lt;a href=&quot;http://pootle.translatehouse.org/&quot;&gt;Poodle&lt;/a&gt; or
3093 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.transifex.com/&quot;&gt;Transifex&lt;/a&gt;. All we care about
3094 is where the .po file end up, in our git repository. Updated
3095 translations can either be committed directly to git, or submitted as
3096 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/src:debian-edu-doc&quot;&gt;bug reports
3097 against the debian-edu-doc package&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
3098
3099 &lt;p&gt;One challenge is images, which both might need to be translated (if
3100 they show translated user applications), and are needed in different
3101 formats when creating PDF and HTML versions (epub is a HTML version in
3102 this regard). For this we transform the original PNG images to the
3103 needed density and format during build, and have a way to provide
3104 translated images by storing translated versions in
3105 images/$LANGUAGECODE/. I am a bit unsure about the details here. The
3106 package maintainers know more.&lt;/p&gt;
3107
3108 &lt;p&gt;If you wonder what the result look like, we provide
3109 &lt;a href=&quot;http://maintainer.skolelinux.org/debian-edu-doc/&quot;&gt;the content
3110 of the documentation packages on the web&lt;/a&gt;. See for example the
3111 &lt;a href=&quot;http://maintainer.skolelinux.org/debian-edu-doc/it/debian-edu-wheezy-manual.pdf&quot;&gt;Italian
3112 PDF version&lt;/a&gt; or the
3113 &lt;a href=&quot;http://maintainer.skolelinux.org/debian-edu-doc/de/debian-edu-wheezy-manual.html&quot;&gt;German
3114 HTML version&lt;/a&gt;. We do not yet build the epub version by default,
3115 but perhaps it will be done in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
3116
3117 &lt;p&gt;To learn more, check out
3118 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/d/debian-edu-doc.html&quot;&gt;the
3119 debian-edu-doc package&lt;/a&gt;,
3120 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Wheezy/&quot;&gt;the
3121 manual on the wiki&lt;/a&gt; and
3122 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Wheezy/Translations&quot;&gt;the
3123 translation instructions&lt;/a&gt; in the manual.&lt;/p&gt;
3124 </description>
3125 </item>
3126
3127 <item>
3128 <title>Install hardware dependent packages using tasksel (Isenkram 0.7)</title>
3129 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Install_hardware_dependent_packages_using_tasksel__Isenkram_0_7_.html</link>
3130 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Install_hardware_dependent_packages_using_tasksel__Isenkram_0_7_.html</guid>
3131 <pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2014 14:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
3132 <description>&lt;p&gt;It would be nice if it was easier in Debian to get all the hardware
3133 related packages relevant for the computer installed automatically.
3134 So I implemented one, using
3135 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/isenkram&quot;&gt;my Isenkram
3136 package&lt;/a&gt;. To use it, install the tasksel and isenkram packages and
3137 run tasksel as user root. You should be presented with a new option,
3138 &quot;Hardware specific packages (autodetected by isenkram)&quot;. When you
3139 select it, tasksel will install the packages isenkram claim is fit for
3140 the current hardware, hot pluggable or not.&lt;p&gt;
3141
3142 &lt;p&gt;The implementation is in two files, one is the tasksel menu entry
3143 description, and the other is the script used to extract the list of
3144 packages to install. The first part is in
3145 &lt;tt&gt;/usr/share/tasksel/descs/isenkram.desc&lt;/tt&gt; and look like
3146 this:&lt;/p&gt;
3147
3148 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3149 Task: isenkram
3150 Section: hardware
3151 Description: Hardware specific packages (autodetected by isenkram)
3152 Based on the detected hardware various hardware specific packages are
3153 proposed.
3154 Test-new-install: mark show
3155 Relevance: 8
3156 Packages: for-current-hardware
3157 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3158
3159 &lt;p&gt;The second part is in
3160 &lt;tt&gt;/usr/lib/tasksel/packages/for-current-hardware&lt;/tt&gt; and look like
3161 this:&lt;/p&gt;
3162
3163 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3164 #!/bin/sh
3165 #
3166 (
3167 isenkram-lookup
3168 isenkram-autoinstall-firmware -l
3169 ) | sort -u
3170 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3171
3172 &lt;p&gt;All in all, a very short and simple implementation making it
3173 trivial to install the hardware dependent package we all may want to
3174 have installed on our machines. I&#39;ve not been able to find a way to
3175 get tasksel to tell you exactly which packages it plan to install
3176 before doing the installation. So if you are curious or careful,
3177 check the output from the isenkram-* command line tools first.&lt;/p&gt;
3178
3179 &lt;p&gt;The information about which packages are handling which hardware is
3180 fetched either from the isenkram package itself in
3181 /usr/share/isenkram/, from git.debian.org or from the APT package
3182 database (using the Modaliases header). The APT package database
3183 parsing have caused a nasty resource leak in the isenkram daemon (bugs
3184 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/719837&quot;&gt;#719837&lt;/a&gt; and
3185 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/730704&quot;&gt;#730704&lt;/a&gt;). The cause is in
3186 the python-apt code (bug
3187 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/745487&quot;&gt;#745487&lt;/a&gt;), but using a
3188 workaround I was able to get rid of the file descriptor leak and
3189 reduce the memory leak from ~30 MiB per hardware detection down to
3190 around 2 MiB per hardware detection. It should make the desktop
3191 daemon a lot more useful. The fix is in version 0.7 uploaded to
3192 unstable today.&lt;/p&gt;
3193
3194 &lt;p&gt;I believe the current way of mapping hardware to packages in
3195 Isenkram is is a good draft, but in the future I expect isenkram to
3196 use the AppStream data source for this. A proposal for getting proper
3197 AppStream support into Debian is floating around as
3198 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/DEP-11&quot;&gt;DEP-11&lt;/a&gt;, and
3199 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/SummerOfCode2014/Projects#SummerOfCode2014.2FProjects.2FAppStreamDEP11Implementation.AppStream.2FDEP-11_for_the_Debian_Archive&quot;&gt;GSoC
3200 project&lt;/a&gt; will take place this summer to improve the situation. I
3201 look forward to seeing the result, and welcome patches for isenkram to
3202 start using the information when it is ready.&lt;/p&gt;
3203
3204 &lt;p&gt;If you want your package to map to some specific hardware, either
3205 add a &quot;Xb-Modaliases&quot; header to your control file like I did in
3206 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/pymissile&quot;&gt;the pymissile
3207 package&lt;/a&gt; or submit a bug report with the details to the isenkram
3208 package. See also
3209 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/isenkram/&quot;&gt;all my
3210 blog posts tagged isenkram&lt;/a&gt; for details on the notation. I expect
3211 the information will be migrated to AppStream eventually, but for the
3212 moment I got no better place to store it.&lt;/p&gt;
3213 </description>
3214 </item>
3215
3216 <item>
3217 <title>FreedomBox milestone - all packages now in Debian Sid</title>
3218 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/FreedomBox_milestone___all_packages_now_in_Debian_Sid.html</link>
3219 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/FreedomBox_milestone___all_packages_now_in_Debian_Sid.html</guid>
3220 <pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2014 22:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
3221 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox&quot;&gt;Freedombox
3222 project&lt;/a&gt; is working on providing the software and hardware to make
3223 it easy for non-technical people to host their data and communication
3224 at home, and being able to communicate with their friends and family
3225 encrypted and away from prying eyes. It is still going strong, and
3226 today a major mile stone was reached.&lt;/p&gt;
3227
3228 &lt;p&gt;Today, the last of the packages currently used by the project to
3229 created the system images were accepted into Debian Unstable. It was
3230 the freedombox-setup package, which is used to configure the images
3231 during build and on the first boot. Now all one need to get going is
3232 the build code from the freedom-maker git repository and packages from
3233 Debian. And once the freedombox-setup package enter testing, we can
3234 build everything directly from Debian. :)&lt;/p&gt;
3235
3236 &lt;p&gt;Some key packages used by Freedombox are
3237 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/freedombox-setup&quot;&gt;freedombox-setup&lt;/a&gt;,
3238 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/plinth&quot;&gt;plinth&lt;/a&gt;,
3239 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/pagekite&quot;&gt;pagekite&lt;/a&gt;,
3240 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/tor&quot;&gt;tor&lt;/a&gt;,
3241 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/privoxy&quot;&gt;privoxy&lt;/a&gt;,
3242 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/owncloud&quot;&gt;owncloud&lt;/a&gt; and
3243 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/dnsmasq&quot;&gt;dnsmasq&lt;/a&gt;. There
3244 are plans to integrate more packages into the setup. User
3245 documentation is maintained on the Debian wiki. Please
3246 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox/Manual/Jessie&quot;&gt;check out
3247 the manual&lt;/a&gt; and help us improve it.&lt;/p&gt;
3248
3249 &lt;p&gt;To test for yourself and create boot images with the FreedomBox
3250 setup, run this on a Debian machine using a user with sudo rights to
3251 become root:&lt;/p&gt;
3252
3253 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3254 sudo apt-get install git vmdebootstrap mercurial python-docutils \
3255 mktorrent extlinux virtualbox qemu-user-static binfmt-support \
3256 u-boot-tools
3257 git clone http://anonscm.debian.org/git/freedombox/freedom-maker.git \
3258 freedom-maker
3259 make -C freedom-maker dreamplug-image raspberry-image virtualbox-image
3260 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3261
3262 &lt;p&gt;Root access is needed to run debootstrap and mount loopback
3263 devices. See the README in the freedom-maker git repo for more
3264 details on the build. If you do not want all three images, trim the
3265 make line. Note that the virtualbox-image target is not really
3266 virtualbox specific. It create a x86 image usable in kvm, qemu,
3267 vmware and any other x86 virtual machine environment. You might need
3268 the version of vmdebootstrap in Jessie to get the build working, as it
3269 include fixes for a race condition with kpartx.&lt;/p&gt;
3270
3271 &lt;p&gt;If you instead want to install using a Debian CD and the preseed
3272 method, boot a Debian Wheezy ISO and use this boot argument to load
3273 the preseed values:&lt;/p&gt;
3274
3275 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3276 url=&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-jessie.dat&quot;&gt;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-jessie.dat&lt;/a&gt;
3277 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3278
3279 &lt;p&gt;I have not tested it myself the last few weeks, so I do not know if
3280 it still work.&lt;/p&gt;
3281
3282 &lt;p&gt;If you wonder how to help, one task you could look at is using
3283 systemd as the boot system. It will become the default for Linux in
3284 Jessie, so we need to make sure it is usable on the Freedombox. I did
3285 a simple test a few weeks ago, and noticed dnsmasq failed to start
3286 during boot when using systemd. I suspect there are other problems
3287 too. :) To detect problems, there is a test suite included, which can
3288 be run from the plinth web interface.&lt;/p&gt;
3289
3290 &lt;p&gt;Give it a go and let us know how it goes on the mailing list, and help
3291 us get the new release published. :) Please join us on
3292 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org:6667/%23freedombox&quot;&gt;IRC (#freedombox on
3293 irc.debian.org)&lt;/a&gt; and
3294 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss&quot;&gt;the
3295 mailing list&lt;/a&gt; if you want to help make this vision come true.&lt;/p&gt;
3296 </description>
3297 </item>
3298
3299 <item>
3300 <title>S3QL, a locally mounted cloud file system - nice free software</title>
3301 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/S3QL__a_locally_mounted_cloud_file_system___nice_free_software.html</link>
3302 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/S3QL__a_locally_mounted_cloud_file_system___nice_free_software.html</guid>
3303 <pubDate>Wed, 9 Apr 2014 11:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
3304 <description>&lt;p&gt;For a while now, I have been looking for a sensible offsite backup
3305 solution for use at home. My requirements are simple, it must be
3306 cheap and locally encrypted (in other words, I keep the encryption
3307 keys, the storage provider do not have access to my private files).
3308 One idea me and my friends had many years ago, before the cloud
3309 storage providers showed up, was to use Google mail as storage,
3310 writing a Linux block device storing blocks as emails in the mail
3311 service provided by Google, and thus get heaps of free space. On top
3312 of this one can add encryption, RAID and volume management to have
3313 lots of (fairly slow, I admit that) cheap and encrypted storage. But
3314 I never found time to implement such system. But the last few weeks I
3315 have looked at a system called
3316 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bitbucket.org/nikratio/s3ql/&quot;&gt;S3QL&lt;/a&gt;, a locally
3317 mounted network backed file system with the features I need.&lt;/p&gt;
3318
3319 &lt;p&gt;S3QL is a fuse file system with a local cache and cloud storage,
3320 handling several different storage providers, any with Amazon S3,
3321 Google Drive or OpenStack API. There are heaps of such storage
3322 providers. S3QL can also use a local directory as storage, which
3323 combined with sshfs allow for file storage on any ssh server. S3QL
3324 include support for encryption, compression, de-duplication, snapshots
3325 and immutable file systems, allowing me to mount the remote storage as
3326 a local mount point, look at and use the files as if they were local,
3327 while the content is stored in the cloud as well. This allow me to
3328 have a backup that should survive fire. The file system can not be
3329 shared between several machines at the same time, as only one can
3330 mount it at the time, but any machine with the encryption key and
3331 access to the storage service can mount it if it is unmounted.&lt;/p&gt;
3332
3333 &lt;p&gt;It is simple to use. I&#39;m using it on Debian Wheezy, where the
3334 package is included already. So to get started, run &lt;tt&gt;apt-get
3335 install s3ql&lt;/tt&gt;. Next, pick a storage provider. I ended up picking
3336 Greenqloud, after reading their nice recipe on
3337 &lt;a href=&quot;https://greenqloud.zendesk.com/entries/44611757-How-To-Use-S3QL-to-mount-a-StorageQloud-bucket-on-Debian-Wheezy&quot;&gt;how
3338 to use S3QL with their Amazon S3 service&lt;/a&gt;, because I trust the laws
3339 in Iceland more than those in USA when it come to keeping my personal
3340 data safe and private, and thus would rather spend money on a company
3341 in Iceland. Another nice recipe is available from the article
3342 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.admin-magazine.com/HPC/Articles/HPC-Cloud-Storage&quot;&gt;S3QL
3343 Filesystem for HPC Storage&lt;/a&gt; by Jeff Layton in the HPC section of
3344 Admin magazine. When the provider is picked, figure out how to get
3345 the API key needed to connect to the storage API. With Greencloud,
3346 the key did not show up until I had added payment details to my
3347 account.&lt;/p&gt;
3348
3349 &lt;p&gt;Armed with the API access details, it is time to create the file
3350 system. First, create a new bucket in the cloud. This bucket is the
3351 file system storage area. I picked a bucket name reflecting the
3352 machine that was going to store data there, but any name will do.
3353 I&#39;ll refer to it as &lt;tt&gt;bucket-name&lt;/tt&gt; below. In addition, one need
3354 the API login and password, and a locally created password. Store it
3355 all in ~root/.s3ql/authinfo2 like this:
3356
3357 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3358 [s3c]
3359 storage-url: s3c://s.greenqloud.com:443/bucket-name
3360 backend-login: API-login
3361 backend-password: API-password
3362 fs-passphrase: local-password
3363 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3364
3365 &lt;p&gt;I create my local passphrase using &lt;tt&gt;pwget 50&lt;/tt&gt; or similar,
3366 but any sensible way to create a fairly random password should do it.
3367 Armed with these details, it is now time to run mkfs, entering the API
3368 details and password to create it:&lt;/p&gt;
3369
3370 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3371 # mkdir -m 700 /var/lib/s3ql-cache
3372 # mkfs.s3ql --cachedir /var/lib/s3ql-cache --authfile /root/.s3ql/authinfo2 \
3373 --ssl s3c://s.greenqloud.com:443/bucket-name
3374 Enter backend login:
3375 Enter backend password:
3376 Before using S3QL, make sure to read the user&#39;s guide, especially
3377 the &#39;Important Rules to Avoid Loosing Data&#39; section.
3378 Enter encryption password:
3379 Confirm encryption password:
3380 Generating random encryption key...
3381 Creating metadata tables...
3382 Dumping metadata...
3383 ..objects..
3384 ..blocks..
3385 ..inodes..
3386 ..inode_blocks..
3387 ..symlink_targets..
3388 ..names..
3389 ..contents..
3390 ..ext_attributes..
3391 Compressing and uploading metadata...
3392 Wrote 0.00 MB of compressed metadata.
3393 # &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3394
3395 &lt;p&gt;The next step is mounting the file system to make the storage available.
3396
3397 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3398 # mount.s3ql --cachedir /var/lib/s3ql-cache --authfile /root/.s3ql/authinfo2 \
3399 --ssl --allow-root s3c://s.greenqloud.com:443/bucket-name /s3ql
3400 Using 4 upload threads.
3401 Downloading and decompressing metadata...
3402 Reading metadata...
3403 ..objects..
3404 ..blocks..
3405 ..inodes..
3406 ..inode_blocks..
3407 ..symlink_targets..
3408 ..names..
3409 ..contents..
3410 ..ext_attributes..
3411 Mounting filesystem...
3412 # df -h /s3ql
3413 Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
3414 s3c://s.greenqloud.com:443/bucket-name 1.0T 0 1.0T 0% /s3ql
3415 #
3416 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3417
3418 &lt;p&gt;The file system is now ready for use. I use rsync to store my
3419 backups in it, and as the metadata used by rsync is downloaded at
3420 mount time, no network traffic (and storage cost) is triggered by
3421 running rsync. To unmount, one should not use the normal umount
3422 command, as this will not flush the cache to the cloud storage, but
3423 instead running the umount.s3ql command like this:
3424
3425 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3426 # umount.s3ql /s3ql
3427 #
3428 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3429
3430 &lt;p&gt;There is a fsck command available to check the file system and
3431 correct any problems detected. This can be used if the local server
3432 crashes while the file system is mounted, to reset the &quot;already
3433 mounted&quot; flag. This is what it look like when processing a working
3434 file system:&lt;/p&gt;
3435
3436 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3437 # fsck.s3ql --force --ssl s3c://s.greenqloud.com:443/bucket-name
3438 Using cached metadata.
3439 File system seems clean, checking anyway.
3440 Checking DB integrity...
3441 Creating temporary extra indices...
3442 Checking lost+found...
3443 Checking cached objects...
3444 Checking names (refcounts)...
3445 Checking contents (names)...
3446 Checking contents (inodes)...
3447 Checking contents (parent inodes)...
3448 Checking objects (reference counts)...
3449 Checking objects (backend)...
3450 ..processed 5000 objects so far..
3451 ..processed 10000 objects so far..
3452 ..processed 15000 objects so far..
3453 Checking objects (sizes)...
3454 Checking blocks (referenced objects)...
3455 Checking blocks (refcounts)...
3456 Checking inode-block mapping (blocks)...
3457 Checking inode-block mapping (inodes)...
3458 Checking inodes (refcounts)...
3459 Checking inodes (sizes)...
3460 Checking extended attributes (names)...
3461 Checking extended attributes (inodes)...
3462 Checking symlinks (inodes)...
3463 Checking directory reachability...
3464 Checking unix conventions...
3465 Checking referential integrity...
3466 Dropping temporary indices...
3467 Backing up old metadata...
3468 Dumping metadata...
3469 ..objects..
3470 ..blocks..
3471 ..inodes..
3472 ..inode_blocks..
3473 ..symlink_targets..
3474 ..names..
3475 ..contents..
3476 ..ext_attributes..
3477 Compressing and uploading metadata...
3478 Wrote 0.89 MB of compressed metadata.
3479 #
3480 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3481
3482 &lt;p&gt;Thanks to the cache, working on files that fit in the cache is very
3483 quick, about the same speed as local file access. Uploading large
3484 amount of data is to me limited by the bandwidth out of and into my
3485 house. Uploading 685 MiB with a 100 MiB cache gave me 305 kiB/s,
3486 which is very close to my upload speed, and downloading the same
3487 Debian installation ISO gave me 610 kiB/s, close to my download speed.
3488 Both were measured using &lt;tt&gt;dd&lt;/tt&gt;. So for me, the bottleneck is my
3489 network, not the file system code. I do not know what a good cache
3490 size would be, but suspect that the cache should e larger than your
3491 working set.&lt;/p&gt;
3492
3493 &lt;p&gt;I mentioned that only one machine can mount the file system at the
3494 time. If another machine try, it is told that the file system is
3495 busy:&lt;/p&gt;
3496
3497 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3498 # mount.s3ql --cachedir /var/lib/s3ql-cache --authfile /root/.s3ql/authinfo2 \
3499 --ssl --allow-root s3c://s.greenqloud.com:443/bucket-name /s3ql
3500 Using 8 upload threads.
3501 Backend reports that fs is still mounted elsewhere, aborting.
3502 #
3503 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3504
3505 &lt;p&gt;The file content is uploaded when the cache is full, while the
3506 metadata is uploaded once every 24 hour by default. To ensure the
3507 file system content is flushed to the cloud, one can either umount the
3508 file system, or ask S3QL to flush the cache and metadata using
3509 s3qlctrl:
3510
3511 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3512 # s3qlctrl upload-meta /s3ql
3513 # s3qlctrl flushcache /s3ql
3514 #
3515 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3516
3517 &lt;p&gt;If you are curious about how much space your data uses in the
3518 cloud, and how much compression and deduplication cut down on the
3519 storage usage, you can use s3qlstat on the mounted file system to get
3520 a report:&lt;/p&gt;
3521
3522 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3523 # s3qlstat /s3ql
3524 Directory entries: 9141
3525 Inodes: 9143
3526 Data blocks: 8851
3527 Total data size: 22049.38 MB
3528 After de-duplication: 21955.46 MB (99.57% of total)
3529 After compression: 21877.28 MB (99.22% of total, 99.64% of de-duplicated)
3530 Database size: 2.39 MB (uncompressed)
3531 (some values do not take into account not-yet-uploaded dirty blocks in cache)
3532 #
3533 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3534
3535 &lt;p&gt;I mentioned earlier that there are several possible suppliers of
3536 storage. I did not try to locate them all, but am aware of at least
3537 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenqloud.com/&quot;&gt;Greenqloud&lt;/a&gt;,
3538 &lt;a href=&quot;http://drive.google.com/&quot;&gt;Google Drive&lt;/a&gt;,
3539 &lt;a href=&quot;http://aws.amazon.com/s3/&quot;&gt;Amazon S3 web serivces&lt;/a&gt;,
3540 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rackspace.com/&quot;&gt;Rackspace&lt;/a&gt; and
3541 &lt;a href=&quot;http://crowncloud.net/&quot;&gt;Crowncloud&lt;/A&gt;. The latter even
3542 accept payment in Bitcoin. Pick one that suit your need. Some of
3543 them provide several GiB of free storage, but the prize models are
3544 quite different and you will have to figure out what suits you
3545 best.&lt;/p&gt;
3546
3547 &lt;p&gt;While researching this blog post, I had a look at research papers
3548 and posters discussing the S3QL file system. There are several, which
3549 told me that the file system is getting a critical check by the
3550 science community and increased my confidence in using it. One nice
3551 poster is titled
3552 &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/adtsc/publications/science_highlights_2013/docs/pg68_69.pdf&quot;&gt;An
3553 Innovative Parallel Cloud Storage System using OpenStack’s SwiftObject
3554 Store and Transformative Parallel I/O Approach&lt;/a&gt;&quot; by Hsing-Bung
3555 Chen, Benjamin McClelland, David Sherrill, Alfred Torrez, Parks Fields
3556 and Pamela Smith. Please have a look.&lt;/p&gt;
3557
3558 &lt;p&gt;Given my problems with different file systems earlier, I decided to
3559 check out the mounted S3QL file system to see if it would be usable as
3560 a home directory (in other word, that it provided POSIX semantics when
3561 it come to locking and umask handling etc). Running
3562 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Testing_if_a_file_system_can_be_used_for_home_directories___.html&quot;&gt;my
3563 test code to check file system semantics&lt;/a&gt;, I was happy to discover that
3564 no error was found. So the file system can be used for home
3565 directories, if one chooses to do so.&lt;/p&gt;
3566
3567 &lt;p&gt;If you do not want a locally file system, and want something that
3568 work without the Linux fuse file system, I would like to mention the
3569 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tarsnap.com/&quot;&gt;Tarsnap service&lt;/a&gt;, which also
3570 provide locally encrypted backup using a command line client. It have
3571 a nicer access control system, where one can split out read and write
3572 access, allowing some systems to write to the backup and others to
3573 only read from it.&lt;/p&gt;
3574
3575 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
3576 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
3577 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
3578 </description>
3579 </item>
3580
3581 <item>
3582 <title>Freedombox on Dreamplug, Raspberry Pi and virtual x86 machine</title>
3583 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Freedombox_on_Dreamplug__Raspberry_Pi_and_virtual_x86_machine.html</link>
3584 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Freedombox_on_Dreamplug__Raspberry_Pi_and_virtual_x86_machine.html</guid>
3585 <pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
3586 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox&quot;&gt;Freedombox
3587 project&lt;/a&gt; is working on providing the software and hardware for
3588 making it easy for non-technical people to host their data and
3589 communication at home, and being able to communicate with their
3590 friends and family encrypted and away from prying eyes. It has been
3591 going on for a while, and is slowly progressing towards a new test
3592 release (0.2).&lt;/p&gt;
3593
3594 &lt;p&gt;And what day could be better than the Pi day to announce that the
3595 new version will provide &quot;hard drive&quot; / SD card / USB stick images for
3596 Dreamplug, Raspberry Pi and VirtualBox (or any other virtualization
3597 system), and can also be installed using a Debian installer preseed
3598 file. The Debian based Freedombox is now based on Debian Jessie,
3599 where most of the needed packages used are already present. Only one,
3600 the freedombox-setup package, is missing. To try to build your own
3601 boot image to test the current status, fetch the freedom-maker scripts
3602 and build using
3603 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/vmdebootstrap&quot;&gt;vmdebootstrap&lt;/a&gt;
3604 with a user with sudo access to become root:
3605
3606 &lt;pre&gt;
3607 git clone http://anonscm.debian.org/git/freedombox/freedom-maker.git \
3608 freedom-maker
3609 sudo apt-get install git vmdebootstrap mercurial python-docutils \
3610 mktorrent extlinux virtualbox qemu-user-static binfmt-support \
3611 u-boot-tools
3612 make -C freedom-maker dreamplug-image raspberry-image virtualbox-image
3613 &lt;/pre&gt;
3614
3615 &lt;p&gt;Root access is needed to run debootstrap and mount loopback
3616 devices. See the README for more details on the build. If you do not
3617 want all three images, trim the make line. But note that thanks to &lt;a
3618 href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/741407&quot;&gt;a race condition in
3619 vmdebootstrap&lt;/a&gt;, the build might fail without the patch to the
3620 kpartx call.&lt;/p&gt;
3621
3622 &lt;p&gt;If you instead want to install using a Debian CD and the preseed
3623 method, boot a Debian Wheezy ISO and use this boot argument to load
3624 the preseed values:&lt;/p&gt;
3625
3626 &lt;pre&gt;
3627 url=&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-jessie.dat&quot;&gt;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-jessie.dat&lt;/a&gt;
3628 &lt;/pre&gt;
3629
3630 &lt;p&gt;But note that due to &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugs.debian.org/740673&quot;&gt;a
3631 recently introduced bug in apt in Jessie&lt;/a&gt;, the installer will
3632 currently hang while setting up APT sources. Killing the
3633 &#39;&lt;tt&gt;apt-cdrom ident&lt;/tt&gt;&#39; process when it hang a few times during the
3634 installation will get the installation going. This affect all
3635 installations in Jessie, and I expect it will be fixed soon.&lt;/p&gt;
3636
3637 &lt;p&gt;Give it a go and let us know how it goes on the mailing list, and help
3638 us get the new release published. :) Please join us on
3639 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org:6667/%23freedombox&quot;&gt;IRC (#freedombox on
3640 irc.debian.org)&lt;/a&gt; and
3641 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss&quot;&gt;the
3642 mailing list&lt;/a&gt; if you want to help make this vision come true.&lt;/p&gt;
3643 </description>
3644 </item>
3645
3646 <item>
3647 <title>New home and release 1.0 for netgroup and innetgr (aka ng-utils)</title>
3648 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_home_and_release_1_0_for_netgroup_and_innetgr__aka_ng_utils_.html</link>
3649 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_home_and_release_1_0_for_netgroup_and_innetgr__aka_ng_utils_.html</guid>
3650 <pubDate>Sat, 22 Feb 2014 21:45:00 +0100</pubDate>
3651 <description>&lt;p&gt;Many years ago, I wrote a GPL licensed version of the netgroup and
3652 innetgr tools, because I needed them in
3653 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt;. I called the project
3654 ng-utils, and it has served me well. I placed the project under the
3655 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hungry.com/&quot;&gt;Hungry Programmer&lt;/a&gt; umbrella, and it was maintained in our CVS
3656 repository. But many years ago, the CVS repository was dropped (lost,
3657 not migrated to new hardware, not sure), and the project have lacked a
3658 proper home since then.&lt;/p&gt;
3659
3660 &lt;p&gt;Last summer, I had a look at the package and made a new release
3661 fixing a irritating crash bug, but was unable to store the changes in
3662 a proper source control system. I applied for a project on
3663 &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/&quot;&gt;Alioth&lt;/a&gt;, but did not have time
3664 to follow up on it. Until today. :)&lt;/p&gt;
3665
3666 &lt;p&gt;After many hours of cleaning and migration, the ng-utils project
3667 now have a new home, and a git repository with the highlight of the
3668 history of the project. I published all release tarballs and imported
3669 them into the git repository. As the project is really stable and not
3670 expected to gain new features any time soon, I decided to make a new
3671 release and call it 1.0. Visit the new project home on
3672 &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/projects/ng-utils/&quot;&gt;https://alioth.debian.org/projects/ng-utils/&lt;/a&gt;
3673 if you want to check it out. The new version is also uploaded into
3674 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/n/ng-utils.html&quot;&gt;Debian Unstable&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
3675 </description>
3676 </item>
3677
3678 <item>
3679 <title>Testing sysvinit from experimental in Debian Hurd</title>
3680 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Testing_sysvinit_from_experimental_in_Debian_Hurd.html</link>
3681 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Testing_sysvinit_from_experimental_in_Debian_Hurd.html</guid>
3682 <pubDate>Mon, 3 Feb 2014 13:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
3683 <description>&lt;p&gt;A few days ago I decided to try to help the Hurd people to get
3684 their changes into sysvinit, to allow them to use the normal sysvinit
3685 boot system instead of their old one. This follow up on the
3686 &lt;a href=&quot;https://teythoon.cryptobitch.de//categories/gsoc.html&quot;&gt;great
3687 Google Summer of Code work&lt;/a&gt; done last summer by Justus Winter to
3688 get Debian on Hurd working more like Debian on Linux. To get started,
3689 I downloaded a prebuilt hard disk image from
3690 &lt;a href=&quot;http://ftp.debian-ports.org/debian-cd/hurd-i386/current/debian-hurd.img.tar.gz&quot;&gt;http://ftp.debian-ports.org/debian-cd/hurd-i386/current/debian-hurd.img.tar.gz&lt;/a&gt;,
3691 and started it using virt-manager.&lt;/p&gt;
3692
3693 &lt;p&gt;The first think I had to do after logging in (root without any
3694 password) was to get the network operational. I followed
3695 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/hurd-install&quot;&gt;the
3696 instructions on the Debian GNU/Hurd ports page&lt;/a&gt; and ran these
3697 commands as root to get the machine to accept a IP address from the
3698 kvm internal DHCP server:&lt;/p&gt;
3699
3700 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3701 settrans -fgap /dev/netdde /hurd/netdde
3702 kill $(ps -ef|awk &#39;/[p]finet/ { print $2}&#39;)
3703 kill $(ps -ef|awk &#39;/[d]evnode/ { print $2}&#39;)
3704 dhclient /dev/eth0
3705 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3706
3707 &lt;p&gt;After this, the machine had internet connectivity, and I could
3708 upgrade it and install the sysvinit packages from experimental and
3709 enable it as the default boot system in Hurd.&lt;/p&gt;
3710
3711 &lt;p&gt;But before I did that, I set a password on the root user, as ssh is
3712 running on the machine it for ssh login to work a password need to be
3713 set. Also, note that a bug somewhere in openssh on Hurd block
3714 compression from working. Remember to turn that off on the client
3715 side.&lt;/p&gt;
3716
3717 &lt;p&gt;Run these commands as root to upgrade and test the new sysvinit
3718 stuff:&lt;/p&gt;
3719
3720 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3721 cat &gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/experimental.list &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF
3722 deb http://http.debian.net/debian/ experimental main
3723 EOF
3724 apt-get update
3725 apt-get dist-upgrade
3726 apt-get install -t experimental initscripts sysv-rc sysvinit \
3727 sysvinit-core sysvinit-utils
3728 update-alternatives --config runsystem
3729 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3730
3731 &lt;p&gt;To reboot after switching boot system, you have to use
3732 &lt;tt&gt;reboot-hurd&lt;/tt&gt; instead of just &lt;tt&gt;reboot&lt;/tt&gt;, as there is not
3733 yet a sysvinit process able to receive the signals from the normal
3734 &#39;reboot&#39; command. After switching to sysvinit as the boot system,
3735 upgrading every package and rebooting, the network come up with DHCP
3736 after boot as it should, and the settrans/pkill hack mentioned at the
3737 start is no longer needed. But for some strange reason, there are no
3738 longer any login prompt in the virtual console, so I logged in using
3739 ssh instead.
3740
3741 &lt;p&gt;Note that there are some race conditions in Hurd making the boot
3742 fail some times. No idea what the cause is, but hope the Hurd porters
3743 figure it out. At least Justus said on IRC (#debian-hurd on
3744 irc.debian.org) that they are aware of the problem. A way to reduce
3745 the impact is to upgrade to the Hurd packages built by Justus by
3746 adding this repository to the machine:&lt;/p&gt;
3747
3748 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3749 cat &gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hurd-ci.list &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF
3750 deb http://darnassus.sceen.net/~teythoon/hurd-ci/ sid main
3751 EOF
3752 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3753
3754 &lt;p&gt;At the moment the prebuilt virtual machine get some packages from
3755 http://ftp.debian-ports.org/debian, because some of the packages in
3756 unstable do not yet include the required patches that are lingering in
3757 BTS. This is the completely list of &quot;unofficial&quot; packages installed:&lt;/p&gt;
3758
3759 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3760 # aptitude search &#39;?narrow(?version(CURRENT),?origin(Debian Ports))&#39;
3761 i emacs - GNU Emacs editor (metapackage)
3762 i gdb - GNU Debugger
3763 i hurd-recommended - Miscellaneous translators
3764 i isc-dhcp-client - ISC DHCP client
3765 i isc-dhcp-common - common files used by all the isc-dhcp* packages
3766 i libc-bin - Embedded GNU C Library: Binaries
3767 i libc-dev-bin - Embedded GNU C Library: Development binaries
3768 i libc0.3 - Embedded GNU C Library: Shared libraries
3769 i A libc0.3-dbg - Embedded GNU C Library: detached debugging symbols
3770 i libc0.3-dev - Embedded GNU C Library: Development Libraries and Hea
3771 i multiarch-support - Transitional package to ensure multiarch compatibilit
3772 i A x11-common - X Window System (X.Org) infrastructure
3773 i xorg - X.Org X Window System
3774 i A xserver-xorg - X.Org X server
3775 i A xserver-xorg-input-all - X.Org X server -- input driver metapackage
3776 #
3777 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3778
3779 &lt;p&gt;All in all, testing hurd has been an interesting experience. :)
3780 X.org did not work out of the box and I never took the time to follow
3781 the porters instructions to fix it. This time I was interested in the
3782 command line stuff.&lt;p&gt;
3783 </description>
3784 </item>
3785
3786 <item>
3787 <title>New chrpath release 0.16</title>
3788 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_chrpath_release_0_16.html</link>
3789 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_chrpath_release_0_16.html</guid>
3790 <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jan 2014 11:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
3791 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coverity.com/&quot;&gt;Coverity&lt;/a&gt; is a nice tool to
3792 find problems in C, C++ and Java code using static source code
3793 analysis. It can detect a lot of different problems, and is very
3794 useful to find memory and locking bugs in the error handling part of
3795 the source. The company behind it provide
3796 &lt;a href=&quot;https://scan.coverity.com/&quot;&gt;check of free software projects as
3797 a community service&lt;/a&gt;, and many hundred free software projects are
3798 already checked. A few days ago I decided to have a closer look at
3799 the Coverity system, and discovered that the
3800 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/&quot;&gt;gnash&lt;/a&gt; and
3801 &lt;a href=&quot;http://sourceforge.net/projects/ipmitool/&quot;&gt;ipmitool&lt;/a&gt;
3802 projects I am involved with was already registered. But these are
3803 fairly big, and I would also like to have a small and easy project to
3804 check, and decided to &lt;a href=&quot;http://scan.coverity.com/projects/1179&quot;&gt;request
3805 checking of the chrpath project&lt;/a&gt;. It was
3806 added to the checker and discovered seven potential defects. Six of
3807 these were real, mostly resource &quot;leak&quot; when the program detected an
3808 error. Nothing serious, as the resources would be released a fraction
3809 of a second later when the program exited because of the error, but it
3810 is nice to do it right in case the source of the program some time in
3811 the future end up in a library. Having fixed all defects and added
3812 &lt;a href=&quot;https://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/chrpath-devel&quot;&gt;a
3813 mailing list for the chrpath developers&lt;/a&gt;, I decided it was time to
3814 publish a new release. These are the release notes:&lt;/p&gt;
3815
3816 &lt;p&gt;New in 0.16 released 2014-01-14:&lt;/p&gt;
3817
3818 &lt;ul&gt;
3819
3820 &lt;li&gt;Fixed all minor bugs discovered by Coverity.&lt;/li&gt;
3821 &lt;li&gt;Updated config.sub and config.guess from the GNU project.&lt;/li&gt;
3822 &lt;li&gt;Mention new project mailing list in the documentation.&lt;/li&gt;
3823
3824 &lt;/ul&gt;
3825
3826 &lt;p&gt;You can
3827 &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/frs/?group_id=31052&quot;&gt;download the
3828 new version 0.16 from alioth&lt;/a&gt;. Please let us know via the Alioth
3829 project if something is wrong with the new release. The test suite
3830 did not discover any old errors, so if you find a new one, please also
3831 include a test suite check.&lt;/p&gt;
3832 </description>
3833 </item>
3834
3835 <item>
3836 <title>New chrpath release 0.15</title>
3837 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_chrpath_release_0_15.html</link>
3838 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_chrpath_release_0_15.html</guid>
3839 <pubDate>Sun, 24 Nov 2013 09:30:00 +0100</pubDate>
3840 <description>&lt;p&gt;After many years break from the package and a vain hope that
3841 development would be continued by someone else, I finally pulled my
3842 acts together this morning and wrapped up a new release of chrpath,
3843 the command line tool to modify the rpath and runpath of already
3844 compiled ELF programs. The update was triggered by the persistence of
3845 Isha Vishnoi at IBM, which needed a new config.guess file to get
3846 support for the ppc64le architecture (powerpc 64-bit Little Endian) he
3847 is working on. I checked the
3848 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/chrpath&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt;,
3849 &lt;a href=&quot;https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/chrpath&quot;&gt;Ubuntu&lt;/a&gt; and
3850 &lt;a href=&quot;https://admin.fedoraproject.org/pkgdb/acls/name/chrpath&quot;&gt;Fedora&lt;/a&gt;
3851 packages for interesting patches (failed to find the source from
3852 OpenSUSE and Mandriva packages), and found quite a few nice fixes.
3853 These are the release notes:&lt;/p&gt;
3854
3855 &lt;p&gt;New in 0.15 released 2013-11-24:&lt;/p&gt;
3856
3857 &lt;ul&gt;
3858
3859 &lt;li&gt;Updated config.sub and config.guess from the GNU project to work
3860 with newer architectures. Thanks to isha vishnoi for the heads
3861 up.&lt;/li&gt;
3862
3863 &lt;li&gt;Updated README with current URLs.&lt;/li&gt;
3864
3865 &lt;li&gt;Added byteswap fix found in Ubuntu, credited Jeremy Kerr and
3866 Matthias Klose.&lt;/li&gt;
3867
3868 &lt;li&gt;Added missing help for -k|--keepgoing option, using patch by
3869 Petr Machata found in Fedora.&lt;/li&gt;
3870
3871 &lt;li&gt;Rewrite removal of RPATH/RUNPATH to make sure the entry in
3872 .dynamic is a NULL terminated string. Based on patch found in
3873 Fedora credited Axel Thimm and Christian Krause.&lt;/li&gt;
3874
3875 &lt;/ul&gt;
3876
3877 &lt;p&gt;You can
3878 &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/frs/?group_id=31052&quot;&gt;download the
3879 new version 0.15 from alioth&lt;/a&gt;. Please let us know via the Alioth
3880 project if something is wrong with the new release. The test suite
3881 did not discover any old errors, so if you find a new one, please also
3882 include a testsuite check.&lt;/p&gt;
3883 </description>
3884 </item>
3885
3886 <item>
3887 <title>Debian init.d boot script example for rsyslog</title>
3888 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_init_d_boot_script_example_for_rsyslog.html</link>
3889 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_init_d_boot_script_example_for_rsyslog.html</guid>
3890 <pubDate>Sat, 2 Nov 2013 22:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
3891 <description>&lt;p&gt;If one of the points of switching to a new init system in Debian is
3892 &lt;a href=&quot;http://thomas.goirand.fr/blog/?p=147&quot;&gt;to get rid of huge
3893 init.d scripts&lt;/a&gt;, I doubt we need to switch away from sysvinit and
3894 init.d scripts at all. Here is an example init.d script, ie a rewrite
3895 of /etc/init.d/rsyslog:&lt;/p&gt;
3896
3897 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3898 #!/lib/init/init-d-script
3899 ### BEGIN INIT INFO
3900 # Provides: rsyslog
3901 # Required-Start: $remote_fs $time
3902 # Required-Stop: umountnfs $time
3903 # X-Stop-After: sendsigs
3904 # Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
3905 # Default-Stop: 0 1 6
3906 # Short-Description: enhanced syslogd
3907 # Description: Rsyslog is an enhanced multi-threaded syslogd.
3908 # It is quite compatible to stock sysklogd and can be
3909 # used as a drop-in replacement.
3910 ### END INIT INFO
3911 DESC=&quot;enhanced syslogd&quot;
3912 DAEMON=/usr/sbin/rsyslogd
3913 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3914
3915 &lt;p&gt;Pretty minimalistic to me... For the record, the original sysv-rc
3916 script was 137 lines, and the above is just 15 lines, most of it meta
3917 info/comments.&lt;/p&gt;
3918
3919 &lt;p&gt;How to do this, you ask? Well, one create a new script
3920 /lib/init/init-d-script looking something like this:
3921
3922 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
3923 #!/bin/sh
3924
3925 # Define LSB log_* functions.
3926 # Depend on lsb-base (&gt;= 3.2-14) to ensure that this file is present
3927 # and status_of_proc is working.
3928 . /lib/lsb/init-functions
3929
3930 #
3931 # Function that starts the daemon/service
3932
3933 #
3934 do_start()
3935 {
3936 # Return
3937 # 0 if daemon has been started
3938 # 1 if daemon was already running
3939 # 2 if daemon could not be started
3940 start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile $PIDFILE --exec $DAEMON --test &gt; /dev/null \
3941 || return 1
3942 start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile $PIDFILE --exec $DAEMON -- \
3943 $DAEMON_ARGS \
3944 || return 2
3945 # Add code here, if necessary, that waits for the process to be ready
3946 # to handle requests from services started subsequently which depend
3947 # on this one. As a last resort, sleep for some time.
3948 }
3949
3950 #
3951 # Function that stops the daemon/service
3952 #
3953 do_stop()
3954 {
3955 # Return
3956 # 0 if daemon has been stopped
3957 # 1 if daemon was already stopped
3958 # 2 if daemon could not be stopped
3959 # other if a failure occurred
3960 start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --retry=TERM/30/KILL/5 --pidfile $PIDFILE --name $NAME
3961 RETVAL=&quot;$?&quot;
3962 [ &quot;$RETVAL&quot; = 2 ] &amp;&amp; return 2
3963 # Wait for children to finish too if this is a daemon that forks
3964 # and if the daemon is only ever run from this initscript.
3965 # If the above conditions are not satisfied then add some other code
3966 # that waits for the process to drop all resources that could be
3967 # needed by services started subsequently. A last resort is to
3968 # sleep for some time.
3969 start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --oknodo --retry=0/30/KILL/5 --exec $DAEMON
3970 [ &quot;$?&quot; = 2 ] &amp;&amp; return 2
3971 # Many daemons don&#39;t delete their pidfiles when they exit.
3972 rm -f $PIDFILE
3973 return &quot;$RETVAL&quot;
3974 }
3975
3976 #
3977 # Function that sends a SIGHUP to the daemon/service
3978 #
3979 do_reload() {
3980 #
3981 # If the daemon can reload its configuration without
3982 # restarting (for example, when it is sent a SIGHUP),
3983 # then implement that here.
3984 #
3985 start-stop-daemon --stop --signal 1 --quiet --pidfile $PIDFILE --name $NAME
3986 return 0
3987 }
3988
3989 SCRIPTNAME=$1
3990 scriptbasename=&quot;$(basename $1)&quot;
3991 echo &quot;SN: $scriptbasename&quot;
3992 if [ &quot;$scriptbasename&quot; != &quot;init-d-library&quot; ] ; then
3993 script=&quot;$1&quot;
3994 shift
3995 . $script
3996 else
3997 exit 0
3998 fi
3999
4000 NAME=$(basename $DAEMON)
4001 PIDFILE=/var/run/$NAME.pid
4002
4003 # Exit if the package is not installed
4004 #[ -x &quot;$DAEMON&quot; ] || exit 0
4005
4006 # Read configuration variable file if it is present
4007 [ -r /etc/default/$NAME ] &amp;&amp; . /etc/default/$NAME
4008
4009 # Load the VERBOSE setting and other rcS variables
4010 . /lib/init/vars.sh
4011
4012 case &quot;$1&quot; in
4013 start)
4014 [ &quot;$VERBOSE&quot; != no ] &amp;&amp; log_daemon_msg &quot;Starting $DESC&quot; &quot;$NAME&quot;
4015 do_start
4016 case &quot;$?&quot; in
4017 0|1) [ &quot;$VERBOSE&quot; != no ] &amp;&amp; log_end_msg 0 ;;
4018 2) [ &quot;$VERBOSE&quot; != no ] &amp;&amp; log_end_msg 1 ;;
4019 esac
4020 ;;
4021 stop)
4022 [ &quot;$VERBOSE&quot; != no ] &amp;&amp; log_daemon_msg &quot;Stopping $DESC&quot; &quot;$NAME&quot;
4023 do_stop
4024 case &quot;$?&quot; in
4025 0|1) [ &quot;$VERBOSE&quot; != no ] &amp;&amp; log_end_msg 0 ;;
4026 2) [ &quot;$VERBOSE&quot; != no ] &amp;&amp; log_end_msg 1 ;;
4027 esac
4028 ;;
4029 status)
4030 status_of_proc &quot;$DAEMON&quot; &quot;$NAME&quot; &amp;&amp; exit 0 || exit $?
4031 ;;
4032 #reload|force-reload)
4033 #
4034 # If do_reload() is not implemented then leave this commented out
4035 # and leave &#39;force-reload&#39; as an alias for &#39;restart&#39;.
4036 #
4037 #log_daemon_msg &quot;Reloading $DESC&quot; &quot;$NAME&quot;
4038 #do_reload
4039 #log_end_msg $?
4040 #;;
4041 restart|force-reload)
4042 #
4043 # If the &quot;reload&quot; option is implemented then remove the
4044 # &#39;force-reload&#39; alias
4045 #
4046 log_daemon_msg &quot;Restarting $DESC&quot; &quot;$NAME&quot;
4047 do_stop
4048 case &quot;$?&quot; in
4049 0|1)
4050 do_start
4051 case &quot;$?&quot; in
4052 0) log_end_msg 0 ;;
4053 1) log_end_msg 1 ;; # Old process is still running
4054 *) log_end_msg 1 ;; # Failed to start
4055 esac
4056 ;;
4057 *)
4058 # Failed to stop
4059 log_end_msg 1
4060 ;;
4061 esac
4062 ;;
4063 *)
4064 echo &quot;Usage: $SCRIPTNAME {start|stop|status|restart|force-reload}&quot; &gt;&amp;2
4065 exit 3
4066 ;;
4067 esac
4068
4069 :
4070 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4071
4072 &lt;p&gt;It is based on /etc/init.d/skeleton, and could be improved quite a
4073 lot. I did not really polish the approach, so it might not always
4074 work out of the box, but you get the idea. I did not try very hard to
4075 optimize it nor make it more robust either.&lt;/p&gt;
4076
4077 &lt;p&gt;A better argument for switching init system in Debian than reducing
4078 the size of init scripts (which is a good thing to do anyway), is to
4079 get boot system that is able to handle the kernel events sensibly and
4080 robustly, and do not depend on the boot to run sequentially. The boot
4081 and the kernel have not behaved sequentially in years.&lt;/p&gt;
4082 </description>
4083 </item>
4084
4085 <item>
4086 <title>Browser plugin for SPICE (spice-xpi) uploaded to Debian</title>
4087 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Browser_plugin_for_SPICE__spice_xpi__uploaded_to_Debian.html</link>
4088 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Browser_plugin_for_SPICE__spice_xpi__uploaded_to_Debian.html</guid>
4089 <pubDate>Fri, 1 Nov 2013 11:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
4090 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spice-space.org/&quot;&gt;The SPICE protocol&lt;/a&gt; for
4091 remote display access is the preferred solution with oVirt and RedHat
4092 Enterprise Virtualization, and I was sad to discover the other day
4093 that the browser plugin needed to use these systems seamlessly was
4094 missing in Debian. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/668284&quot;&gt;request
4095 for a package&lt;/a&gt; was from 2012-04-10 with no progress since
4096 2013-04-01, so I decided to wrap up a package based on the great work
4097 from Cajus Pollmeier and put it in a collab-maint maintained git
4098 repository to get a package I could use. I would very much like
4099 others to help me maintain the package (or just take over, I do not
4100 mind), but as no-one had volunteered so far, I just uploaded it to
4101 NEW. I hope it will be available in Debian in a few days.&lt;/p&gt;
4102
4103 &lt;p&gt;The source is now available from
4104 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=collab-maint/spice-xpi.git;a=summary&quot;&gt;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=collab-maint/spice-xpi.git;a=summary&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
4105 </description>
4106 </item>
4107
4108 <item>
4109 <title>Teaching vmdebootstrap to create Raspberry Pi SD card images</title>
4110 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Teaching_vmdebootstrap_to_create_Raspberry_Pi_SD_card_images.html</link>
4111 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Teaching_vmdebootstrap_to_create_Raspberry_Pi_SD_card_images.html</guid>
4112 <pubDate>Sun, 27 Oct 2013 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
4113 <description>&lt;p&gt;The
4114 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/v/vmdebootstrap.html&quot;&gt;vmdebootstrap&lt;/a&gt;
4115 program is a a very nice system to create virtual machine images. It
4116 create a image file, add a partition table, mount it and run
4117 debootstrap in the mounted directory to create a Debian system on a
4118 stick. Yesterday, I decided to try to teach it how to make images for
4119 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/RaspberryPi&quot;&gt;Raspberry Pi&lt;/a&gt;, as part
4120 of a plan to simplify the build system for
4121 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox&quot;&gt;the FreedomBox
4122 project&lt;/a&gt;. The FreedomBox project already uses vmdebootstrap for
4123 the virtualbox images, but its current build system made multistrap
4124 based system for Dreamplug images, and it is lacking support for
4125 Raspberry Pi.&lt;/p&gt;
4126
4127 &lt;p&gt;Armed with the knowledge on how to build &quot;foreign&quot; (aka non-native
4128 architecture) chroots for Raspberry Pi, I dived into the vmdebootstrap
4129 code and adjusted it to be able to build armel images on my amd64
4130 Debian laptop. I ended up giving vmdebootstrap five new options,
4131 allowing me to replicate the image creation process I use to make
4132 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Raspberry_Pi_based_batman_adv_Mesh_network_node.html&quot;&gt;Debian
4133 Jessie based mesh node images for the Raspberry Pi&lt;/a&gt;. First, the
4134 &lt;tt&gt;--foreign /path/to/binfm_handler&lt;/tt&gt; option tell vmdebootstrap to
4135 call debootstrap with --foreign and to copy the handler into the
4136 generated chroot before running the second stage. This allow
4137 vmdebootstrap to create armel images on an amd64 host. Next I added
4138 two new options &lt;tt&gt;--bootsize size&lt;/tt&gt; and &lt;tt&gt;--boottype
4139 fstype&lt;/tt&gt; to teach it to create a separate /boot/ partition with the
4140 given file system type, allowing me to create an image with a vfat
4141 partition for the /boot/ stuff. I also added a &lt;tt&gt;--variant
4142 variant&lt;/tt&gt; option to allow me to create smaller images without the
4143 Debian base system packages installed. Finally, I added an option
4144 &lt;tt&gt;--no-extlinux&lt;/tt&gt; to tell vmdebootstrap to not install extlinux
4145 as a boot loader. It is not needed on the Raspberry Pi and probably
4146 most other non-x86 architectures. The changes were accepted by the
4147 upstream author of vmdebootstrap yesterday and today, and is now
4148 available from
4149 &lt;a href=&quot;http://git.liw.fi/cgi-bin/cgit/cgit.cgi/vmdebootstrap/&quot;&gt;the
4150 upstream project page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
4151
4152 &lt;p&gt;To use it to build a Raspberry Pi image using Debian Jessie, first
4153 create a small script (the customize script) to add the non-free
4154 binary blob needed to boot the Raspberry Pi and the APT source
4155 list:&lt;/p&gt;
4156
4157 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
4158 #!/bin/sh
4159 set -e # Exit on first error
4160 rootdir=&quot;$1&quot;
4161 cd &quot;$rootdir&quot;
4162 cat &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF &gt; etc/apt/sources.list
4163 deb http://http.debian.net/debian/ jessie main contrib non-free
4164 EOF
4165 # Install non-free binary blob needed to boot Raspberry Pi. This
4166 # install a kernel somewhere too.
4167 wget https://raw.github.com/Hexxeh/rpi-update/master/rpi-update \
4168 -O $rootdir/usr/bin/rpi-update
4169 chmod a+x $rootdir/usr/bin/rpi-update
4170 mkdir -p $rootdir/lib/modules
4171 touch $rootdir/boot/start.elf
4172 chroot $rootdir rpi-update
4173 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4174
4175 &lt;p&gt;Next, fetch the latest vmdebootstrap script and call it like this
4176 to build the image:&lt;/p&gt;
4177
4178 &lt;pre&gt;
4179 sudo ./vmdebootstrap \
4180 --variant minbase \
4181 --arch armel \
4182 --distribution jessie \
4183 --mirror http://http.debian.net/debian \
4184 --image test.img \
4185 --size 600M \
4186 --bootsize 64M \
4187 --boottype vfat \
4188 --log-level debug \
4189 --verbose \
4190 --no-kernel \
4191 --no-extlinux \
4192 --root-password raspberry \
4193 --hostname raspberrypi \
4194 --foreign /usr/bin/qemu-arm-static \
4195 --customize `pwd`/customize \
4196 --package netbase \
4197 --package git-core \
4198 --package binutils \
4199 --package ca-certificates \
4200 --package wget \
4201 --package kmod
4202 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4203
4204 &lt;p&gt;The list of packages being installed are the ones needed by
4205 rpi-update to make the image bootable on the Raspberry Pi, with the
4206 exception of netbase, which is needed by debootstrap to find
4207 /etc/hosts with the minbase variant. I really wish there was a way to
4208 set up an Raspberry Pi using only packages in the Debian archive, but
4209 that is not possible as far as I know, because it boots from the GPU
4210 using a non-free binary blob.&lt;/p&gt;
4211
4212 &lt;p&gt;The build host need debootstrap, kpartx and qemu-user-static and
4213 probably a few others installed. I have not checked the complete
4214 build dependency list.&lt;/p&gt;
4215
4216 &lt;p&gt;The resulting image will not use the hardware floating point unit
4217 on the Raspberry PI, because the armel architecture in Debian is not
4218 optimized for that use. So the images created will be a bit slower
4219 than &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.raspbian.org/&quot;&gt;Raspbian&lt;/a&gt; based images.&lt;/p&gt;
4220 </description>
4221 </item>
4222
4223 <item>
4224 <title>Good causes: Debian Outreach Program for Women, EFF documenting the spying and Open access in Norway</title>
4225 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Good_causes__Debian_Outreach_Program_for_Women__EFF_documenting_the_spying_and_Open_access_in_Norway.html</link>
4226 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Good_causes__Debian_Outreach_Program_for_Women__EFF_documenting_the_spying_and_Open_access_in_Norway.html</guid>
4227 <pubDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2013 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
4228 <description>&lt;p&gt;The last few days I came across a few good causes that should get
4229 wider attention. I recommend signing and donating to each one of
4230 these. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4231
4232 &lt;p&gt;Via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2013/18/&quot;&gt;Debian
4233 Project News for 2013-10-14&lt;/a&gt; I came across the Outreach Program for
4234 Women program which is a Google Summer of Code like initiative to get
4235 more women involved in free software. One debian sponsor has offered
4236 to match &lt;a href=&quot;http://debian.ch/opw2013&quot;&gt;any donation done to Debian
4237 earmarked&lt;/a&gt; for this initiative. I donated a few minutes ago, and
4238 hope you will to. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4239
4240 &lt;p&gt;And the Electronic Frontier Foundation just announced plans to
4241 create &lt;a href=&quot;https://supporters.eff.org/donate/nsa-videos&quot;&gt;video
4242 documentaries about the excessive spying&lt;/a&gt; on every Internet user that
4243 take place these days, and their need to fund the work. I&#39;ve already
4244 donated. Are you next?&lt;/p&gt;
4245
4246 &lt;p&gt;For my Norwegian audience, the organisation Studentenes og
4247 Akademikernes Internasjonale Hjelpefond is collecting signatures for a
4248 statement under the heading
4249 &lt;a href=&quot;http://saih.no/Bloggers_United/&quot;&gt;Bloggers United for Open
4250 Access&lt;/a&gt; for those of us asking for more focus on open access in the
4251 Norwegian government. So far 499 signatures. I hope you will sign it
4252 too.&lt;/p&gt;
4253 </description>
4254 </item>
4255
4256 <item>
4257 <title>Videos about the Freedombox project - for inspiration and learning</title>
4258 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Videos_about_the_Freedombox_project___for_inspiration_and_learning.html</link>
4259 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Videos_about_the_Freedombox_project___for_inspiration_and_learning.html</guid>
4260 <pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
4261 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freedomboxfoundation.org/&quot;&gt;Freedombox
4262 project&lt;/a&gt; have been going on for a while, and have presented the
4263 vision, ideas and solution several places. Here is a little
4264 collection of videos of talks and presentation of the project.&lt;/p&gt;
4265
4266 &lt;ul&gt;
4267
4268 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukvUz5taxvA&quot;&gt;FreedomBox -
4269 2,5 minute marketing film&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4270
4271 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzW25QTVWsE&quot;&gt;Eben Moglen
4272 discusses the Freedombox on CBS news 2011&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4273
4274 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae8SZbxfE0g&quot;&gt;Eben Moglen -
4275 Freedom in the Cloud - Software Freedom, Privacy and and Security for
4276 Web 2.0 and Cloud computing at ISOC-NY Public Meeting 2010&lt;/a&gt;
4277 (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4278
4279 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNaIji_3xBE&quot;&gt;Fosdem 2011
4280 Keynote by Eben Moglen presenting the Freedombox&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4281
4282 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bDDUyJSQ9s&quot;&gt;Presentation of
4283 the Freedombox by James Vasile at Elevate in Gratz 2011&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4284
4285 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQTmnk27g9s&quot;&gt; Freedombox -
4286 Discovery, Identity, and Trust by Nick Daly at Freedombox Hackfest New
4287 York City in 2012&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4288
4289 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkbSB4Ba7Ck&quot;&gt;Introduction
4290 to the Freedombox at Freedombox Hackfest New York City in 2012&lt;/a&gt;
4291 (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4292
4293 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-P2Jaeg0aQ&quot;&gt;Freedom, Out
4294 of the Box! by Bdale Garbee at linux.conf.au Ballarat, 2012&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube) &lt;/li&gt;
4295
4296 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://archive.fosdem.org/2013/schedule/event/freedombox/&quot;&gt;Freedombox
4297 1.0 by Eben Moglen and Bdale Garbee at Fosdem 2013&lt;/a&gt; (FOSDEM) &lt;/li&gt;
4298
4299 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1LpYX2zVYg&quot;&gt;What is the
4300 FreedomBox today by Bdale Garbee at Debconf13 in Vaumarcus
4301 2013&lt;/a&gt; (Youtube)&lt;/li&gt;
4302
4303 &lt;/ul&gt;
4304
4305 &lt;p&gt;A larger list is available from
4306 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox/TalksAndPresentations&quot;&gt;the
4307 Freedombox Wiki&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
4308
4309 &lt;p&gt;On other news, I am happy to report that Freedombox based on Debian
4310 Jessie is coming along quite well, and soon both Owncloud and using
4311 Tor should be available for testers of the Freedombox solution. :) In
4312 a few weeks I hope everything needed to test it is included in Debian.
4313 The withsqlite package is already in Debian, and the plinth package is
4314 pending in NEW. The third and vital part of that puzzle is the
4315 metapackage/setup framework, which is still pending an upload. Join
4316 us on &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org:6667/%23freedombox&quot;&gt;IRC
4317 (#freedombox on irc.debian.org)&lt;/a&gt; and
4318 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss&quot;&gt;the
4319 mailing list&lt;/a&gt; if you want to help make this vision come true.&lt;/p&gt;
4320 </description>
4321 </item>
4322
4323 <item>
4324 <title>Recipe to test the Freedombox project on amd64 or Raspberry Pi</title>
4325 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Recipe_to_test_the_Freedombox_project_on_amd64_or_Raspberry_Pi.html</link>
4326 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Recipe_to_test_the_Freedombox_project_on_amd64_or_Raspberry_Pi.html</guid>
4327 <pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
4328 <description>&lt;p&gt;I was introduced to the
4329 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freedomboxfoundation.org/&quot;&gt;Freedombox project&lt;/a&gt;
4330 in 2010, when Eben Moglen presented his vision about serving the need
4331 of non-technical people to keep their personal information private and
4332 within the legal protection of their own homes. The idea is to give
4333 people back the power over their network and machines, and return
4334 Internet back to its intended peer-to-peer architecture. Instead of
4335 depending on a central service, the Freedombox will give everyone
4336 control over their own basic infrastructure.&lt;/p&gt;
4337
4338 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve intended to join the effort since then, but other tasks have
4339 taken priority. But this summers nasty news about the misuse of trust
4340 and privilege exercised by the &quot;western&quot; intelligence gathering
4341 communities increased my eagerness to contribute to a point where I
4342 actually started working on the project a while back.&lt;/p&gt;
4343
4344 &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/projects/freedombox/&quot;&gt;initial
4345 Debian initiative&lt;/a&gt; based on the vision from Eben Moglen, is to
4346 create a simple and cheap Debian based appliance that anyone can hook
4347 up in their home and get access to secure and private services and
4348 communication. The initial deployment platform have been the
4349 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/t-dreamplugdetails.aspx&quot;&gt;Dreamplug&lt;/a&gt;,
4350 which is a piece of hardware I do not own. So to be able to test what
4351 the current Freedombox setup look like, I had to come up with a way to install
4352 it on some hardware I do have access to. I have rewritten the
4353 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/NickDaly/freedom-maker&quot;&gt;freedom-maker&lt;/a&gt;
4354 image build framework to use .deb packages instead of only copying
4355 setup into the boot images, and thanks to this rewrite I am able to
4356 set up any machine supported by Debian Wheezy as a Freedombox, using
4357 the previously mentioned deb (and a few support debs for packages
4358 missing in Debian).&lt;/p&gt;
4359
4360 &lt;p&gt;The current Freedombox setup consist of a set of bootstrapping
4361 scripts
4362 (&lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/freedombox-setup&quot;&gt;freedombox-setup&lt;/a&gt;),
4363 and a administrative web interface
4364 (&lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/NickDaly/Plinth&quot;&gt;plinth&lt;/a&gt; + exmachina +
4365 withsqlite), as well as a privacy enhancing proxy based on
4366 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/privoxy&quot;&gt;privoxy&lt;/a&gt;
4367 (freedombox-privoxy). There is also a web/javascript based XMPP
4368 client (&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/jwchat&quot;&gt;jwchat&lt;/a&gt;)
4369 trying (unsuccessfully so far) to talk to the XMPP server
4370 (&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/ejabberd&quot;&gt;ejabberd&lt;/a&gt;). The
4371 web interface is pluggable, and the goal is to use it to enable OpenID
4372 services, mesh network connectivity, use of TOR, etc, etc. Not much of
4373 this is really working yet, see
4374 &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/NickDaly/freedombox-todos/blob/master/TODO&quot;&gt;the
4375 project TODO&lt;/a&gt; for links to GIT repositories. Most of the code is
4376 on github at the moment. The HTTP proxy is operational out of the
4377 box, and the admin web interface can be used to add/remove plinth
4378 users. I&#39;ve not been able to do anything else with it so far, but
4379 know there are several branches spread around github and other places
4380 with lots of half baked features.&lt;/p&gt;
4381
4382 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, if you want to have a look at the current state, the
4383 following recipes should work to give you a test machine to poke
4384 at.&lt;/p&gt;
4385
4386 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Debian Wheezy amd64&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4387
4388 &lt;ol&gt;
4389
4390 &lt;li&gt;Fetch normal Debian Wheezy installation ISO.&lt;/li&gt;
4391 &lt;li&gt;Boot from it, either as CD or USB stick.&lt;/li&gt;
4392 &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Press [tab] on the boot prompt and add this as a boot argument
4393 to the Debian installer:&lt;p&gt;
4394 &lt;pre&gt;url=&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-wheezy.dat&quot;&gt;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-wheezy.dat&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
4395
4396 &lt;li&gt;Answer the few language/region/password questions and pick disk to
4397 install on.&lt;/li&gt;
4398
4399 &lt;li&gt;When the installation is finished and the machine have rebooted a
4400 few times, your Freedombox is ready for testing.&lt;/li&gt;
4401
4402 &lt;/ol&gt;
4403
4404 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Raspberry Pi Raspbian&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4405
4406 &lt;ol&gt;
4407
4408 &lt;li&gt;Fetch a Raspbian SD card image, create SD card.&lt;/li&gt;
4409 &lt;li&gt;Boot from SD card, extend file system to fill the card completely.&lt;/li&gt;
4410 &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Log in and add this to /etc/sources.list:&lt;/p&gt;
4411 &lt;pre&gt;
4412 deb &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/&quot;&gt;http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox&lt;/a&gt; wheezy main
4413 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
4414 &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Run this as root:&lt;/p&gt;
4415 &lt;pre&gt;
4416 wget -O - http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/BE1A583D.asc | \
4417 apt-key add -
4418 apt-get update
4419 apt-get install freedombox-setup
4420 /usr/lib/freedombox/setup
4421 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
4422 &lt;li&gt;Reboot into your freshly created Freedombox.&lt;/li&gt;
4423
4424 &lt;/ol&gt;
4425
4426 &lt;p&gt;You can test it on other architectures too, but because the
4427 freedombox-privoxy package is binary, it will only work as intended on
4428 the architectures where I have had time to build the binary and put it
4429 in my APT repository. But do not let this stop you. It is only a
4430 short &quot;&lt;tt&gt;apt-get source -b freedombox-privoxy&lt;/tt&gt;&quot; away. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4431
4432 &lt;p&gt;Note that by default Freedombox is a DHCP server on the
4433 192.168.1.0/24 subnet, so if this is your subnet be careful and turn
4434 off the DHCP server by running &quot;&lt;tt&gt;update-rc.d isc-dhcp-server
4435 disable&lt;/tt&gt;&quot; as root.&lt;/p&gt;
4436
4437 &lt;p&gt;Please let me know if this works for you, or if you have any
4438 problems. We gather on the IRC channel
4439 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org:6667/%23freedombox&quot;&gt;#freedombox&lt;/a&gt; on
4440 irc.debian.org and the
4441 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss&quot;&gt;project
4442 mailing list&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
4443
4444 &lt;p&gt;Once you get your freedombox operational, you can visit
4445 &lt;tt&gt;http://your-host-name:8001/&lt;/tt&gt; to see the state of the plint
4446 welcome screen (dead end - do not be surprised if you are unable to
4447 get past it), and next visit &lt;tt&gt;http://your-host-name:8001/help/&lt;/tt&gt;
4448 to look at the rest of plinth. The default user is &#39;admin&#39; and the
4449 default password is &#39;secret&#39;.&lt;/p&gt;
4450 </description>
4451 </item>
4452
4453 <item>
4454 <title>Intel 180 SSD disk with Lenovo firmware can not use Intel firmware</title>
4455 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Intel_180_SSD_disk_with_Lenovo_firmware_can_not_use_Intel_firmware.html</link>
4456 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Intel_180_SSD_disk_with_Lenovo_firmware_can_not_use_Intel_firmware.html</guid>
4457 <pubDate>Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
4458 <description>&lt;p&gt;Earlier, I reported about
4459 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_fix_a_Thinkpad_X230_with_a_broken_180_GB_SSD_disk.html&quot;&gt;my
4460 problems using an Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB disk&lt;/a&gt;. Friday I was
4461 told by IBM that the original disk should be thrown away. And as
4462 there no longer was a problem if I bricked the firmware, I decided
4463 today to try to install Intel firmware to replace the Lenovo firmware
4464 currently on the disk.&lt;/p&gt;
4465
4466 &lt;p&gt;I searched the Intel site for firmware, and found
4467 &lt;a href=&quot;https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&amp;ProdId=3472&amp;DwnldID=18363&amp;ProductFamily=Solid-State+Drives+and+Caching&amp;ProductLine=Intel%c2%ae+High+Performance+Solid-State+Drive&amp;ProductProduct=Intel%c2%ae+SSD+520+Series+(180GB%2c+2.5in+SATA+6Gb%2fs%2c+25nm%2c+MLC)&amp;lang=eng&quot;&gt;issdfut_2.0.4.iso&lt;/a&gt;
4468 (aka Intel SATA Solid-State Drive Firmware Update Tool) which
4469 according to the site should contain the latest firmware for SSD
4470 disks. I inserted the broken disk in one of my spare laptops and
4471 booted the ISO from a USB stick. The disk was recognized, but the
4472 program claimed the newest firmware already were installed and refused
4473 to insert any Intel firmware. So no change, and the disk is still
4474 unable to handle write load. :( I guess the only way to get them
4475 working would be if Lenovo releases new firmware. No idea how likely
4476 that is. Anyway, just blogging about this test for completeness. I
4477 got a working Samsung disk, and see no point in spending more time on
4478 the broken disks.&lt;/p&gt;
4479 </description>
4480 </item>
4481
4482 <item>
4483 <title>How to fix a Thinkpad X230 with a broken 180 GB SSD disk</title>
4484 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_fix_a_Thinkpad_X230_with_a_broken_180_GB_SSD_disk.html</link>
4485 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_fix_a_Thinkpad_X230_with_a_broken_180_GB_SSD_disk.html</guid>
4486 <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jul 2013 23:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
4487 <description>&lt;p&gt;Today I switched to
4488 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Thinkpad_is_dead__long_live_the_Thinkpad_X230_.html&quot;&gt;my
4489 new laptop&lt;/a&gt;. I&#39;ve previously written about the problems I had with
4490 my new Thinkpad X230, which was delivered with an
4491 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Intel_SSD_520_Series_180_GB_with_Lenovo_firmware_still_lock_up_from_sustained_writes.html&quot;&gt;180
4492 GB Intel SSD disk with Lenovo firmware&lt;/a&gt; that did not handle
4493 sustained writes. My hardware supplier have been very forthcoming in
4494 trying to find a solution, and after first trying with another
4495 identical 180 GB disks they decided to send me a 256 GB Samsung SSD
4496 disk instead to fix it once and for all. The Samsung disk survived
4497 the installation of Debian with encrypted disks (filling the disk with
4498 random data during installation killed the first two), and I thus
4499 decided to trust it with my data. I have installed it as a Debian Edu
4500 Wheezy roaming workstation hooked up with my Debian Edu Squeeze main
4501 server at home using Kerberos and LDAP, and will use it as my work
4502 station from now on.&lt;/p&gt;
4503
4504 &lt;p&gt;As this is a solid state disk with no moving parts, I believe the
4505 Debian Wheezy default installation need to be tuned a bit to increase
4506 performance and increase life time of the disk. The Linux kernel and
4507 user space applications do not yet adjust automatically to such
4508 environment. To make it easier for my self, I created a draft Debian
4509 package &lt;tt&gt;ssd-setup&lt;/tt&gt; to handle this tuning. The
4510 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=collab-maint/ssd-setup.git&quot;&gt;source
4511 for the ssd-setup package&lt;/a&gt; is available from collab-maint, and it
4512 is set up to adjust the setup of the machine by just installing the
4513 package. If there is any non-SSD disk in the machine, the package
4514 will refuse to install, as I did not try to write any logic to sort
4515 file systems in SSD and non-SSD file systems.&lt;/p&gt;
4516
4517 &lt;p&gt;I consider the package a draft, as I am a bit unsure how to best
4518 set up Debian Wheezy with an SSD. It is adjusted to my use case,
4519 where I set up the machine with one large encrypted partition (in
4520 addition to /boot), put LVM on top of this and set up partitions on
4521 top of this again. See the README file in the package source for the
4522 references I used to pick the settings. At the moment these
4523 parameters are tuned:&lt;/p&gt;
4524
4525 &lt;ul&gt;
4526
4527 &lt;li&gt;Set up cryptsetup to pass TRIM commands to the physical disk
4528 (adding discard to /etc/crypttab)&lt;/li&gt;
4529
4530 &lt;li&gt;Set up LVM to pass on TRIM commands to the underlying device (in
4531 this case a cryptsetup partition) by changing issue_discards from
4532 0 to 1 in /etc/lvm/lvm.conf.&lt;/li&gt;
4533
4534 &lt;li&gt;Set relatime as a file system option for ext3 and ext4 file
4535 systems.&lt;/li&gt;
4536
4537 &lt;li&gt;Tell swap to use TRIM commands by adding &#39;discard&#39; to
4538 /etc/fstab.&lt;/li&gt;
4539
4540 &lt;li&gt;Change I/O scheduler from cfq to deadline using a udev rule.&lt;/li&gt;
4541
4542 &lt;li&gt;Run fstrim on every ext3 and ext4 file system every night (from
4543 cron.daily).&lt;/li&gt;
4544
4545 &lt;li&gt;Adjust sysctl values vm.swappiness to 1 and vm.vfs_cache_pressure
4546 to 50 to reduce the kernel eagerness to swap out processes.&lt;/li&gt;
4547
4548 &lt;/ul&gt;
4549
4550 &lt;p&gt;During installation, I cancelled the part where the installer fill
4551 the disk with random data, as this would kill the SSD performance for
4552 little gain. My goal with the encrypted file system is to ensure
4553 those stealing my laptop end up with a brick and not a working
4554 computer. I have no hope in keeping the really resourceful people
4555 from getting the data on the disk (see
4556 &lt;a href=&quot;http://xkcd.com/538/&quot;&gt;XKCD #538&lt;/a&gt; for an explanation why).
4557 Thus I concluded that adding the discard option to crypttab is the
4558 right thing to do.&lt;/p&gt;
4559
4560 &lt;p&gt;I considered using the noop I/O scheduler, as several recommended
4561 it for SSD, but others recommended deadline and a benchmark I found
4562 indicated that deadline might be better for interactive use.&lt;/p&gt;
4563
4564 &lt;p&gt;I also considered using the &#39;discard&#39; file system option for ext3
4565 and ext4, but read that it would give a performance hit ever time a
4566 file is removed, and thought it best to that that slowdown once a day
4567 instead of during my work.&lt;/p&gt;
4568
4569 &lt;p&gt;My package do not set up tmpfs on /var/run, /var/lock and /tmp, as
4570 this is already done by Debian Edu.&lt;/p&gt;
4571
4572 &lt;p&gt;I have not yet started on the user space tuning. I expect
4573 iceweasel need some tuning, and perhaps other applications too, but
4574 have not yet had time to investigate those parts.&lt;/p&gt;
4575
4576 &lt;p&gt;The package should work on Ubuntu too, but I have not yet tested it
4577 there.&lt;/p&gt;
4578
4579 &lt;p&gt;As for the answer to the question in the title of this blog post,
4580 as far as I know, the only solution I know about is to replace the
4581 disk. It might be possible to flash it with Intel firmware instead of
4582 the Lenovo firmware. But I have not tried and did not want to do so
4583 without approval from Lenovo as I wanted to keep the warranty on the
4584 disk until a solution was found and they wanted the broken disks
4585 back.&lt;/p&gt;
4586 </description>
4587 </item>
4588
4589 <item>
4590 <title>Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB with Lenovo firmware still lock up from sustained writes</title>
4591 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Intel_SSD_520_Series_180_GB_with_Lenovo_firmware_still_lock_up_from_sustained_writes.html</link>
4592 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Intel_SSD_520_Series_180_GB_with_Lenovo_firmware_still_lock_up_from_sustained_writes.html</guid>
4593 <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
4594 <description>&lt;p&gt;A few days ago, I wrote about
4595 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Thinkpad_is_dead__long_live_the_Thinkpad_X230_.html&quot;&gt;the
4596 problems I experienced with my new X230 and its SSD disk&lt;/a&gt;, which
4597 was dying during installation because it is unable to cope with
4598 sustained write. My supplier is in contact with
4599 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lenovo.com/&quot;&gt;Lenovo&lt;/a&gt;, and they wanted to send a
4600 replacement disk to try to fix the problem. They decided to send an
4601 identical model, so my hopes for a permanent fix was slim.&lt;/p&gt;
4602
4603 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, today I got the replacement disk and tried to install
4604 Debian Edu Wheezy with encrypted disk on it. The new disk have the
4605 same firmware version as the original. This time my hope raised
4606 slightly as the installation progressed, as the original disk used to
4607 die after 4-7% of the disk was written to, while this time it kept
4608 going past 10%, 20%, 40% and even past 50%. But around 60%, the disk
4609 died again and I was back on square one. I still do not have a new
4610 laptop with a disk I can trust. I can not live with a disk that might
4611 lock up when I download a new
4612 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu / Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt; ISO or
4613 other large files. I look forward to hearing from my supplier with
4614 the next proposal from Lenovo.&lt;/p&gt;
4615
4616 &lt;p&gt;The original disk is marked Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB,
4617 11S0C38722Z1ZNME35X1TR, ISN: CVCV321407HB180EGN, SA: G57560302, FW:
4618 LF1i, 29MAY2013, PBA: G39779-300, LBA 351,651,888, LI P/N: 0C38722,
4619 Pb-free 2LI, LC P/N: 16-200366, WWN: 55CD2E40002756C4, Model:
4620 SSDSC2BW180A3L 2.5&quot; 6Gb/s SATA SSD 180G 5V 1A, ASM P/N 0C38732, FRU
4621 P/N 45N8295, P0C38732.&lt;/p&gt;
4622
4623 &lt;p&gt;The replacement disk is marked Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB,
4624 11S0C38722Z1ZNDE34N0L0, ISN: CVCV315306RK180EGN, SA: G57560-302, FW:
4625 LF1i, 22APR2013, PBA: G39779-300, LBA 351,651,888, LI P/N: 0C38722,
4626 Pb-free 2LI, LC P/N: 16-200366, WWN: 55CD2E40000AB69E, Model:
4627 SSDSC2BW180A3L 2.5&quot; 6Gb/s SATA SSD 180G 5V 1A, ASM P/N 0C38732, FRU
4628 P/N 45N8295, P0C38732.&lt;/p&gt;
4629
4630 &lt;p&gt;The only difference is in the first number (serial number?), ISN,
4631 SA, date and WNPP values. Mentioning all the details here in case
4632 someone is able to use the information to find a way to identify the
4633 failing disk among working ones (if any such working disk actually
4634 exist).&lt;/p&gt;
4635 </description>
4636 </item>
4637
4638 <item>
4639 <title>July 13th: Debian/Ubuntu BSP and Skolelinux/Debian Edu developer gathering in Oslo</title>
4640 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/July_13th__Debian_Ubuntu_BSP_and_Skolelinux_Debian_Edu_developer_gathering_in_Oslo.html</link>
4641 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/July_13th__Debian_Ubuntu_BSP_and_Skolelinux_Debian_Edu_developer_gathering_in_Oslo.html</guid>
4642 <pubDate>Tue, 9 Jul 2013 10:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
4643 <description>&lt;p&gt;The upcoming Saturday, 2013-07-13, we are organising a combined
4644 Debian Edu developer gathering and Debian and Ubuntu bug squashing
4645 party in Oslo. It is organised by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuug.no/&quot;&gt;the
4646 member assosiation NUUG&lt;/a&gt; and
4647 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;the Debian Edu / Skolelinux
4648 project&lt;/a&gt; together with &lt;a href=&quot;http://bitraf.no/&quot;&gt;the hack space
4649 Bitraf&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
4650
4651 &lt;p&gt;It starts 10:00 and continue until late evening. Everyone is
4652 welcome, and there is no fee to participate. There is on the other
4653 hand limited space, and only room for 30 people. Please put your name
4654 on &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/BSP/2013/07/13/no/Oslo&quot;&gt;the event
4655 wiki page&lt;/a&gt; if you plan to join us.&lt;/p&gt;
4656 </description>
4657 </item>
4658
4659 <item>
4660 <title>The Thinkpad is dead, long live the Thinkpad X230?</title>
4661 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Thinkpad_is_dead__long_live_the_Thinkpad_X230_.html</link>
4662 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Thinkpad_is_dead__long_live_the_Thinkpad_X230_.html</guid>
4663 <pubDate>Fri, 5 Jul 2013 08:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
4664 <description>&lt;p&gt;Half a year ago, I reported that I had to find a
4665 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Thank_you_Thinkpad_X41__for_your_long_and_trustworthy_service.html&quot;&gt;replacement
4666 for my trusty old Thinkpad X41&lt;/a&gt;. Unfortunately I did not have much
4667 time to spend on it, and it took a while to find a model I believe
4668 will do the job, but two days ago the replacement finally arrived. I
4669 ended up picking a
4670 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linlap.com/lenovo_thinkpad_x230&quot;&gt;Thinkpad X230&lt;/a&gt;
4671 with SSD disk (NZDAJMN). I first test installed Debian Edu Wheezy as
4672 a roaming workstation, and it seemed to work flawlessly. But my
4673 second installation with encrypted disk was not as successful. More
4674 on that below.&lt;/p&gt;
4675
4676 &lt;p&gt;I had a hard time trying to track down a good laptop, as my most
4677 important requirements (robust and with a good keyboard) are never
4678 listed in the feature list. But I did get good help from the search
4679 feature at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prisjakt.no/&quot;&gt;Prisjakt&lt;/a&gt;, which
4680 allowed me to limit the list of interesting laptops based on my other
4681 requirements. A bit surprising that SSD disk are not disks according
4682 to that search interface, so I had to drop specifying the number of
4683 disks from my search parameters. I also asked around among friends to
4684 get their impression on keyboards and robustness.&lt;/p&gt;
4685
4686 &lt;p&gt;So the new laptop arrived, and it is quite a lot wider than the
4687 X41. I am not quite convinced about the keyboard, as it is
4688 significantly wider than my old keyboard, and I have to stretch my
4689 hand a lot more to reach the edges. But the key response is fairly
4690 good and the individual key shape is fairly easy to handle, so I hope
4691 I will get used to it. My old X40 was starting to fail, and I really
4692 needed a new laptop now. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4693
4694 &lt;p&gt;Turning off the touch pad was simple. All it took was a quick
4695 visit to the BIOS during boot it disable it.&lt;/p&gt;
4696
4697 &lt;p&gt;But there is a fatal problem with the laptop. The 180 GB SSD disk
4698 lock up during load. And this happen when installing Debian Wheezy
4699 with encrypted disk, while the disk is being filled with random data.
4700 I also tested to install Ubuntu Raring, and it happen there too if I
4701 reenable the code to fill the disk with random data (it is disabled by
4702 default in Ubuntu). And the bug with is already known. It was
4703 reported to Debian as &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/691427&quot;&gt;BTS
4704 report #691427 2012-10-25&lt;/a&gt; (journal commit I/O error on brand-new
4705 Thinkpad T430s ext4 on lvm on SSD). It is also reported to the Linux
4706 kernel developers as
4707 &lt;a href=&quot;https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=51861&quot;&gt;Kernel bugzilla
4708 report #51861 2012-12-20&lt;/a&gt; (Intel SSD 520 stops working under load
4709 (SSDSC2BW180A3L in Lenovo ThinkPad T430s)). It is also reported on the
4710 Lenovo forums, both for
4711 &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-and-newer-T-series/T430s-Intel-SSD-520-180GB-issue/m-p/1070549&quot;&gt;T430
4712 2012-11-10&lt;/a&gt; and for
4713 &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/x230-SATA-errors-with-180GB-Intel-520-SSD-under-heavy-write-load/m-p/1068147&quot;&gt;X230
4714 03-20-2013&lt;/a&gt;. The problem do not only affect installation. The
4715 reports state that the disk lock up during use if many writes are done
4716 on the disk, so it is much no use to work around the installation
4717 problem and end up with a computer that can lock up at any moment.
4718 There is even a
4719 &lt;a href=&quot;https://git.efficios.com/?p=test-ssd.git&quot;&gt;small C program
4720 available&lt;/a&gt; that will lock up the hard drive after running a few
4721 minutes by writing to a file.&lt;/p&gt;
4722
4723 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve contacted my supplier and asked how to handle this, and after
4724 contacting PCHELP Norway (request 01D1FDP) which handle support
4725 requests for Lenovo, his first suggestion was to upgrade the disk
4726 firmware. Unfortunately there is no newer firmware available from
4727 Lenovo, as my disk already have the most recent one (version LF1i). I
4728 hope to hear more from him today and hope the problem can be
4729 fixed. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4730 </description>
4731 </item>
4732
4733 <item>
4734 <title>The Thinkpad is dead, long live the Thinkpad X230</title>
4735 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Thinkpad_is_dead__long_live_the_Thinkpad_X230.html</link>
4736 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_Thinkpad_is_dead__long_live_the_Thinkpad_X230.html</guid>
4737 <pubDate>Thu, 4 Jul 2013 09:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
4738 <description>&lt;p&gt;Half a year ago, I reported that I had to find a replacement for my
4739 trusty old Thinkpad X41. Unfortunately I did not have much time to
4740 spend on it, but today the replacement finally arrived. I ended up
4741 picking a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linlap.com/lenovo_thinkpad_x230&quot;&gt;Thinkpad
4742 X230&lt;/a&gt; with SSD disk (NZDAJMN). I first test installed Debian Edu
4743 Wheezy as a roaming workstation, and it worked flawlessly. As I write
4744 this, it is installing what I hope will be a more final installation,
4745 with a encrypted hard drive to ensure any dope head stealing it end up
4746 with an expencive door stop.&lt;/p&gt;
4747
4748 &lt;p&gt;I had a hard time trying to track down a good laptop, as my most
4749 important requirements (robust and with a good keyboard) are never
4750 listed in the feature list. But I did get good help from the search
4751 feature at &lt;ahref=&quot;http://www.prisjakt.no/&quot;&gt;Prisjakt&lt;/a&gt;, which
4752 allowed me to limit the list of interesting laptops based on my other
4753 requirements. A bit surprising that SSD disk are not disks, so I had
4754 to drop number of disks from my search parameters.&lt;/p&gt;
4755
4756 &lt;p&gt;I am not quite convinced about the keyboard, as it is significantly
4757 wider than my old keyboard, and I have to stretch my hand a lot more
4758 to reach the edges. But the key response is fairly good and the
4759 individual key shape is fairly easy to handle, so I hope I will get
4760 used to it. My old X40 was starting to fail, and I really needed a
4761 new laptop now. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4762
4763 &lt;p&gt;I look forward to figuring out how to turn off the touch pad.&lt;/p&gt;
4764 </description>
4765 </item>
4766
4767 <item>
4768 <title>Automatically locate and install required firmware packages on Debian (Isenkram 0.4)</title>
4769 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatically_locate_and_install_required_firmware_packages_on_Debian__Isenkram_0_4_.html</link>
4770 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatically_locate_and_install_required_firmware_packages_on_Debian__Isenkram_0_4_.html</guid>
4771 <pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
4772 <description>&lt;p&gt;It annoys me when the computer fail to do automatically what it is
4773 perfectly capable of, and I have to do it manually to get things
4774 working. One such task is to find out what firmware packages are
4775 needed to get the hardware on my computer working. Most often this
4776 affect the wifi card, but some times it even affect the RAID
4777 controller or the ethernet card. Today I pushed version 0.4 of the
4778 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/isenkram&quot;&gt;Isenkram package&lt;/a&gt;
4779 including a new script isenkram-autoinstall-firmware handling the
4780 process of asking all the loaded kernel modules what firmware files
4781 they want, find debian packages providing these files and install the
4782 debian packages. Here is a test run on my laptop:&lt;/p&gt;
4783
4784 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
4785 # isenkram-autoinstall-firmware
4786 info: kernel drivers requested extra firmware: ipw2200-bss.fw ipw2200-ibss.fw ipw2200-sniffer.fw
4787 info: fetching http://http.debian.net/debian/dists/squeeze/Contents-i386.gz
4788 info: locating packages with the requested firmware files
4789 info: Updating APT sources after adding non-free APT source
4790 info: trying to install firmware-ipw2x00
4791 firmware-ipw2x00
4792 firmware-ipw2x00
4793 Preconfiguring packages ...
4794 Selecting previously deselected package firmware-ipw2x00.
4795 (Reading database ... 259727 files and directories currently installed.)
4796 Unpacking firmware-ipw2x00 (from .../firmware-ipw2x00_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb) ...
4797 Setting up firmware-ipw2x00 (0.28+squeeze1) ...
4798 #
4799 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4800
4801 &lt;p&gt;When all the requested firmware is present, a simple message is
4802 printed instead:&lt;/p&gt;
4803
4804 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
4805 # isenkram-autoinstall-firmware
4806 info: did not find any firmware files requested by loaded kernel modules. exiting
4807 #
4808 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4809
4810 &lt;p&gt;It could use some polish, but it is already working well and saving
4811 me some time when setting up new machines. :)&lt;/p&gt;
4812
4813 &lt;p&gt;So, how does it work? It look at the set of currently loaded
4814 kernel modules, and look up each one of them using modinfo, to find
4815 the firmware files listed in the module meta-information. Next, it
4816 download the Contents file from a nearby APT mirror, and search for
4817 the firmware files in this file to locate the package with the
4818 requested firmware file. If the package is in the non-free section, a
4819 non-free APT source is added and the package is installed using
4820 &lt;tt&gt;apt-get install&lt;/tt&gt;. The end result is a slightly better working
4821 machine.&lt;/p&gt;
4822
4823 &lt;p&gt;I hope someone find time to implement a more polished version of
4824 this script as part of the hw-detect debian-installer module, to
4825 finally fix &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/655507&quot;&gt;BTS report
4826 #655507&lt;/a&gt;. There really is no need to insert USB sticks with
4827 firmware during a PXE install when the packages already are available
4828 from the nearby Debian mirror.&lt;/p&gt;
4829 </description>
4830 </item>
4831
4832 <item>
4833 <title>Fixing the Linux black screen of death on machines with Intel HD video</title>
4834 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Fixing_the_Linux_black_screen_of_death_on_machines_with_Intel_HD_video.html</link>
4835 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Fixing_the_Linux_black_screen_of_death_on_machines_with_Intel_HD_video.html</guid>
4836 <pubDate>Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
4837 <description>&lt;p&gt;When installing RedHat, Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu on some machines,
4838 the screen just turn black when Linux boot, either during installation
4839 or on first boot from the hard disk. I&#39;ve seen it once in a while the
4840 last few years, but only recently understood the cause. I&#39;ve seen it
4841 on HP laptops, and on my latest acquaintance the Packard Bell laptop.
4842 The reason seem to be in the wiring of some laptops. The system to
4843 control the screen background light is inverted, so when Linux try to
4844 turn the brightness fully on, it end up turning it off instead. I do
4845 not know which Linux drivers are affected, but this post is about the
4846 i915 driver used by the
4847 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linlap.com/packard_bell_easynote_lv&quot;&gt;Packard Bell
4848 EasyNote LV&lt;/a&gt;, Thinkpad X40 and many other laptops.&lt;/p&gt;
4849
4850 &lt;p&gt;The problem can be worked around two ways. Either by adding
4851 i915.invert_brightness=1 as a kernel option, or by adding a file in
4852 /etc/modprobe.d/ to tell modprobe to add the invert_brightness=1
4853 option when it load the i915 kernel module. On Debian and Ubuntu, it
4854 can be done by running these commands as root:&lt;/p&gt;
4855
4856 &lt;pre&gt;
4857 echo options i915 invert_brightness=1 | tee /etc/modprobe.d/i915.conf
4858 update-initramfs -u -k all
4859 &lt;/pre&gt;
4860
4861 &lt;p&gt;Since March 2012 there is
4862 &lt;a href=&quot;http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=4dca20efb1a9c2efefc28ad2867e5d6c3f5e1955&quot;&gt;a
4863 mechanism in the Linux kernel&lt;/a&gt; to tell the i915 driver which
4864 hardware have this problem, and get the driver to invert the
4865 brightness setting automatically. To use it, one need to add a row in
4866 &lt;a href=&quot;http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c&quot;&gt;the
4867 intel_quirks array&lt;/a&gt; in the driver source
4868 &lt;tt&gt;drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c&lt;/tt&gt; (look for &quot;&lt;tt&gt;static
4869 struct intel_quirk intel_quirks&lt;/tt&gt;&quot;), specifying the PCI device
4870 number (vendor number 8086 is assumed) and subdevice vendor and device
4871 number.&lt;/p&gt;
4872
4873 &lt;p&gt;My Packard Bell EasyNote LV got this output from &lt;tt&gt;lspci
4874 -vvnn&lt;/tt&gt; for the video card in question:&lt;/p&gt;
4875
4876 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
4877 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation \
4878 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0156] \
4879 (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
4880 Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] Device [1025:0688]
4881 Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- \
4882 ParErr- Stepping- SE RR- FastB2B- DisINTx+
4883 Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=fast &gt;TAbort- \
4884 &lt;TAbort- &lt;MAbort-&gt;SERR- &lt;PERR- INTx-
4885 Latency: 0
4886 Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 42
4887 Region 0: Memory at c2000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
4888 Region 2: Memory at b0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
4889 Region 4: I/O ports at 4000 [size=64]
4890 Expansion ROM at &lt;unassigned&gt; [disabled]
4891 Capabilities: &lt;access denied&gt;
4892 Kernel driver in use: i915
4893 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4894
4895 &lt;p&gt;The resulting intel_quirks entry would then look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
4896
4897 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
4898 struct intel_quirk intel_quirks[] = {
4899 ...
4900 /* Packard Bell EasyNote LV11HC needs invert brightness quirk */
4901 { 0x0156, 0x1025, 0x0688, quirk_invert_brightness },
4902 ...
4903 }
4904 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
4905
4906 &lt;p&gt;According to the kernel module instructions (as seen using
4907 &lt;tt&gt;modinfo i915&lt;/tt&gt;), information about hardware needing the
4908 invert_brightness flag should be sent to the
4909 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/dri-devel&quot;&gt;dri-devel
4910 (at) lists.freedesktop.org&lt;/a&gt; mailing list to reach the kernel
4911 developers. But my email about the laptop sent 2013-06-03 have not
4912 yet shown up in
4913 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/dri-devel/2013-June/thread.html&quot;&gt;the
4914 web archive for the mailing list&lt;/a&gt;, so I suspect they do not accept
4915 emails from non-subscribers. Because of this, I sent my patch also to
4916 the Debian bug tracking system instead as
4917 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/710938&quot;&gt;BTS report #710938&lt;/a&gt;, to make
4918 sure the patch is not lost.&lt;/p&gt;
4919
4920 &lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, it is not enough to fix the kernel to get Laptops
4921 with this problem working properly with Linux. If you use Gnome, your
4922 worries should be over at this point. But if you use KDE, there is
4923 something in KDE ignoring the invert_brightness setting and turning on
4924 the screen during login. I&#39;ve reported it to Debian as
4925 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/711237&quot;&gt;BTS report #711237&lt;/a&gt;, and
4926 have no idea yet how to figure out exactly what subsystem is doing
4927 this. Perhaps you can help? Perhaps you know what the Gnome
4928 developers did to handle this, and this can give a clue to the KDE
4929 developers? Or you know where in KDE the screen brightness is changed
4930 during login? If so, please update the BTS report (or get in touch if
4931 you do not know how to update BTS).&lt;/p&gt;
4932
4933 &lt;p&gt;Update 2013-07-19: The correct fix for this machine seem to be
4934 acpi_backlight=vendor, to disable ACPI backlight support completely,
4935 as the ACPI information on the machine is trash and it is better to
4936 leave it to the intel video driver to control the screen
4937 backlight.&lt;/p&gt;
4938 </description>
4939 </item>
4940
4941 <item>
4942 <title>How to install Linux on a Packard Bell Easynote LV preinstalled with Windows 8</title>
4943 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_install_Linux_on_a_Packard_Bell_Easynote_LV_preinstalled_with_Windows_8.html</link>
4944 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_install_Linux_on_a_Packard_Bell_Easynote_LV_preinstalled_with_Windows_8.html</guid>
4945 <pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2013 15:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
4946 <description>&lt;p&gt;Two days ago, I asked
4947 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_can_I_install_Linux_on_a_Packard_Bell_Easynote_LV_preinstalled_with_Windows_8_.html&quot;&gt;how
4948 I could install Linux on a Packard Bell EasyNote LV computer
4949 preinstalled with Windows 8&lt;/a&gt;. I found a solution, but am horrified
4950 with the obstacles put in the way of Linux users on a laptop with UEFI
4951 and Windows 8.&lt;/p&gt;
4952
4953 &lt;p&gt;I never found out if the cause of my problems were the use of UEFI
4954 secure booting or fast boot. I suspect fast boot was the problem,
4955 causing the firmware to boot directly from HD without considering any
4956 key presses and alternative devices, but do not know UEFI settings
4957 enough to tell.&lt;/p&gt;
4958
4959 &lt;p&gt;There is no way to install Linux on the machine in question without
4960 opening the box and disconnecting the hard drive! This is as far as I
4961 can tell, the only way to get access to the firmware setup menu
4962 without accepting the Windows 8 license agreement. I am told (and
4963 found description on how to) that it is possible to configure the
4964 firmware setup once booted into Windows 8. But as I believe the terms
4965 of that agreement are completely unacceptable, accepting the license
4966 was never an alternative. I do not enter agreements I do not intend
4967 to follow.&lt;/p&gt;
4968
4969 &lt;p&gt;I feared I had to return the laptops and ask for a refund, and
4970 waste many hours on this, but luckily there was a way to get it to
4971 work. But I would not recommend it to anyone planning to run Linux on
4972 it, and I have become sceptical to Windows 8 certified laptops. Is
4973 this the way Linux will be forced out of the market place, by making
4974 it close to impossible for &quot;normal&quot; users to install Linux without
4975 accepting the Microsoft Windows license terms? Or at least not
4976 without risking to loose the warranty?&lt;/p&gt;
4977
4978 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve updated the
4979 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linlap.com/packard_bell_easynote_lv&quot;&gt;Linux Laptop
4980 wiki page for Packard Bell EasyNote LV&lt;/a&gt;, to ensure the next person
4981 do not have to struggle as much as I did to get Linux into the
4982 machine.&lt;/p&gt;
4983
4984 &lt;p&gt;Thanks to Bob Rosbag, Florian Weimer, Philipp Kern, Ben Hutching,
4985 Michael Tokarev and others for feedback and ideas.&lt;/p&gt;
4986 </description>
4987 </item>
4988
4989 <item>
4990 <title>How can I install Linux on a Packard Bell Easynote LV preinstalled with Windows 8?</title>
4991 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_can_I_install_Linux_on_a_Packard_Bell_Easynote_LV_preinstalled_with_Windows_8_.html</link>
4992 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_can_I_install_Linux_on_a_Packard_Bell_Easynote_LV_preinstalled_with_Windows_8_.html</guid>
4993 <pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 18:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
4994 <description>&lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve run into quite a problem the last few days. I bought three
4995 new laptops for my parents and a few others. I bought Packard Bell
4996 Easynote LV to run Kubuntu on and use as their home computer. But I
4997 am completely unable to figure out how to install Linux on it. The
4998 computer is preinstalled with Windows 8, and I suspect it uses UEFI
4999 instead of a BIOS to boot.&lt;/p&gt;
5000
5001 &lt;p&gt;The problem is that I am unable to get it to PXE boot, and unable
5002 to get it to boot the Linux installer from my USB stick. I have yet
5003 to try the DVD install, and still hope it will work. when I turn on
5004 the computer, there is no information on what buttons to press to get
5005 the normal boot menu. I expect to get some boot menu to select PXE or
5006 USB stick booting. When booting, it first ask for the language to
5007 use, then for some regional settings, and finally if I will accept the
5008 Windows 8 terms of use. As these terms are completely unacceptable to
5009 me, I have no other choice but to turn off the computer and try again
5010 to get it to boot the Linux installer.&lt;/p&gt;
5011
5012 &lt;p&gt;I have gathered my findings so far on a Linlap page about the
5013 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linlap.com/packard_bell_easynote_lv&quot;&gt;Packard Bell
5014 EasyNote LV&lt;/a&gt; model. If you have any idea how to get Linux
5015 installed on this machine, please get in touch or update that wiki
5016 page. If I can&#39;t find a way to install Linux, I will have to return
5017 the laptop to the seller and find another machine for my parents.&lt;/p&gt;
5018
5019 &lt;p&gt;I wonder, is this the way Linux will be forced out of the market
5020 using UEFI and &quot;secure boot&quot; by making it impossible to install Linux
5021 on new Laptops?&lt;/p&gt;
5022 </description>
5023 </item>
5024
5025 <item>
5026 <title>How to transform a Debian based system to a Debian Edu installation</title>
5027 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_transform_a_Debian_based_system_to_a_Debian_Edu_installation.html</link>
5028 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_transform_a_Debian_based_system_to_a_Debian_Edu_installation.html</guid>
5029 <pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 11:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
5030 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu / Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt; is
5031 an operating system based on Debian intended for use in schools. It
5032 contain a turn-key solution for the computer network provided to
5033 pupils in the primary schools. It provide both the central server,
5034 network boot servers and desktop environments with heaps of
5035 educational software. The project was founded almost 12 years ago,
5036 2001-07-02. If you want to support the project, which is in need for
5037 cash to fund developer gatherings and other project related activity,
5038 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linuxiskolen.no/slxdebianlabs/donations.html&quot;&gt;please
5039 donate some money&lt;/a&gt;.
5040
5041 &lt;p&gt;A topic that come up again and again on the Debian Edu mailing
5042 lists and elsewhere, is the question on how to transform a Debian or
5043 Ubuntu installation into a Debian Edu installation. It isn&#39;t very
5044 hard, and last week I wrote a script to replicate the steps done by
5045 the Debian Edu installer.&lt;/p&gt;
5046
5047 &lt;p&gt;The script,
5048 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/branches/wheezy/debian-edu-config/share/debian-edu-config/tools/debian-edu-bless?view=markup&quot;&gt;debian-edu-bless&lt;a/&gt;
5049 in the debian-edu-config package, will go through these six steps and
5050 transform an existing Debian Wheezy or Ubuntu (untested) installation
5051 into a Debian Edu Workstation:&lt;/p&gt;
5052
5053 &lt;ol&gt;
5054
5055 &lt;li&gt;Add skolelinux related APT sources.&lt;/li&gt;
5056 &lt;li&gt;Create /etc/debian-edu/config with the wanted configuration.&lt;/li&gt;
5057 &lt;li&gt;Install debian-edu-install to load preseeding values and pull in
5058 our configuration.&lt;/li&gt;
5059 &lt;li&gt;Preseed debconf database with profile setup in
5060 /etc/debian-edu/config, and run tasksel to install packages
5061 according to the profile specified in the config above,
5062 overriding some of the Debian automation machinery.&lt;/li&gt;
5063 &lt;li&gt;Run debian-edu-cfengine-D installation to configure everything
5064 that could not be done using preseeding.&lt;/li&gt;
5065 &lt;li&gt;Ask for a reboot to enable all the configuration changes.&lt;/li&gt;
5066
5067 &lt;/ol&gt;
5068
5069 &lt;p&gt;There are some steps in the Debian Edu installation that can not be
5070 replicated like this. Disk partitioning and LVM setup, for example.
5071 So this script just assume there is enough disk space to install all
5072 the needed packages.&lt;/p&gt;
5073
5074 &lt;p&gt;The script was created to help a Debian Edu student working on
5075 setting up &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.raspberrypi.org&quot;&gt;Raspberry Pi&lt;/a&gt; as a
5076 Debian Edu client, and using it he can take the existing
5077 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.raspbian.org/FrontPage‎&quot;&gt;Raspbian&lt;/a&gt; installation and
5078 transform it into a fully functioning Debian Edu Workstation (or
5079 Roaming Workstation, or whatever :).&lt;/p&gt;
5080
5081 &lt;p&gt;The default setting in the script is to create a KDE Workstation.
5082 If a LXDE based Roaming workstation is wanted instead, modify the
5083 PROFILE and DESKTOP values at the top to look like this instead:&lt;/p&gt;
5084
5085 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
5086 PROFILE=&quot;Roaming-Workstation&quot;
5087 DESKTOP=&quot;lxde&quot;
5088 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5089
5090 &lt;p&gt;The script could even become useful to set up Debian Edu servers in
5091 the cloud, by starting with a virtual Debian installation at some
5092 virtual hosting service and setting up all the services on first
5093 boot.&lt;/p&gt;
5094 </description>
5095 </item>
5096
5097 <item>
5098 <title>Debian, the Linux distribution of choice for LEGO designers?</title>
5099 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian__the_Linux_distribution_of_choice_for_LEGO_designers_.html</link>
5100 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian__the_Linux_distribution_of_choice_for_LEGO_designers_.html</guid>
5101 <pubDate>Sat, 11 May 2013 20:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
5102 <description>&lt;P&gt;In January,
5103 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_IRC_channel_for_LEGO_designers_using_Debian.html&quot;&gt;I
5104 announced a&lt;/a&gt; new &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org/%23debian-lego&quot;&gt;IRC
5105 channel #debian-lego&lt;/a&gt;, for those of us in the Debian and Linux
5106 community interested in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lego.com/&quot;&gt;LEGO&lt;/a&gt;, the
5107 marvellous construction system from Denmark. We also created
5108 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/LegoDesigners&quot;&gt;a wiki page&lt;/a&gt; to have
5109 a place to take notes and write down our plans and hopes. And several
5110 people showed up to help. I was very happy to see the effect of my
5111 call. Since the small start, we have a debtags tag
5112 &lt;a href=&quot;http://debtags.debian.net/search/bytag?wl=hardware::hobby:lego&quot;&gt;hardware::hobby:lego&lt;/a&gt;
5113 tag for LEGO related packages, and now count 10 packages related to
5114 LEGO and &lt;a href=&quot;http://mindstorms.lego.com/&quot;&gt;Mindstorms&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
5115
5116 &lt;p&gt;&lt;table&gt;
5117 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/brickos&quot;&gt;brickos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;alternative OS for LEGO Mindstorms RCX. Supports development in C/C++&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5118 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/leocad&quot;&gt;leocad&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;virtual brick CAD software&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5119 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/libnxt&quot;&gt;libnxt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;utility library for talking to the LEGO Mindstorms NX&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5120 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/lnpd&quot;&gt;lnpd&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;daemon for LNP communication with BrickOS&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5121 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/nbc&quot;&gt;nbc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;compiler for LEGO Mindstorms NXT bricks&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5122 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/nqc&quot;&gt;nqc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Not Quite C compiler for LEGO Mindstorms RCX&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5123 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/python-nxt&quot;&gt;python-nxt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;python driver/interface/wrapper for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5124 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/python-nxt-filer&quot;&gt;python-nxt-filer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;simple GUI to manage files on a LEGO Mindstorms NXT&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5125 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/scratch&quot;&gt;scratch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;easy to use programming environment for ages 8 and up&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5126 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/t2n&quot;&gt;t2n&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;simple command-line tool for Lego NXT&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
5127 &lt;/table&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5128
5129 &lt;p&gt;Some of these are available in Wheezy, and all but one are
5130 currently available in Jessie/testing. leocad is so far only
5131 available in experimental.&lt;/p&gt;
5132
5133 &lt;p&gt;If you care about LEGO in Debian, please join us on IRC and help
5134 adding the rest of the great free software tools available on Linux
5135 for LEGO designers.&lt;/p&gt;
5136 </description>
5137 </item>
5138
5139 <item>
5140 <title>Debian Wheezy is out - and Debian Edu / Skolelinux should soon follow! #newinwheezy</title>
5141 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_Wheezy_is_out___and_Debian_Edu___Skolelinux_should_soon_follow___newinwheezy.html</link>
5142 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_Wheezy_is_out___and_Debian_Edu___Skolelinux_should_soon_follow___newinwheezy.html</guid>
5143 <pubDate>Sun, 5 May 2013 07:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
5144 <description>&lt;p&gt;When I woke up this morning, I was very happy to see that the
5145 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/News/2013/20130504&quot;&gt;release announcement
5146 for Debian Wheezy&lt;/a&gt; was waiting in my mail box. This is a great
5147 Debian release, and I expect to move my machines at home over to it fairly
5148 soon.&lt;/p&gt;
5149
5150 &lt;p&gt;The new debian release contain heaps of new stuff, and one program
5151 in particular make me very happy to see included. The
5152 &lt;a href=&quot;http://scratch.mit.edu/&quot;&gt;Scratch&lt;/a&gt; program, made famous by
5153 the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.code.org/&quot;&gt;Teach kids code&lt;/a&gt; movement, is
5154 included for the first time. Alongside similar programs like
5155 &lt;a href=&quot;http://edu.kde.org/kturtle/&quot;&gt;kturtle&lt;/a&gt; and
5156 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Activities/Turtle_Art&quot;&gt;turtleart&lt;/a&gt;,
5157 it allow for visual programming where syntax errors can not happen,
5158 and a friendly programming environment for learning to control the
5159 computer. Scratch will also be included in the next release of Debian
5160 Edu.&lt;/a&gt;
5161
5162 &lt;p&gt;And now that Wheezy is wrapped up, we can wrap up the next Debian
5163 Edu/Skolelinux release too. The
5164 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.debian.org/debian-edu/2013/04/msg00132.html&quot;&gt;first
5165 alpha release&lt;/a&gt; went out last week, and the next should soon
5166 follow.&lt;p&gt;
5167 </description>
5168 </item>
5169
5170 <item>
5171 <title>Isenkram 0.2 finally in the Debian archive</title>
5172 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Isenkram_0_2_finally_in_the_Debian_archive.html</link>
5173 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Isenkram_0_2_finally_in_the_Debian_archive.html</guid>
5174 <pubDate>Wed, 3 Apr 2013 23:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
5175 <description>&lt;p&gt;Today the &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/isenkram&quot;&gt;Isenkram
5176 package&lt;/a&gt; finally made it into the archive, after lingering in NEW
5177 for many months. I uploaded it to the Debian experimental suite
5178 2013-01-27, and today it was accepted into the archive.&lt;/p&gt;
5179
5180 &lt;p&gt;Isenkram is a system for suggesting to users what packages to
5181 install to work with a pluggable hardware device. The suggestion pop
5182 up when the device is plugged in. For example if a Lego Mindstorm NXT
5183 is inserted, it will suggest to install the program needed to program
5184 the NXT controller. Give it a go, and report bugs and suggestions to
5185 BTS. :)&lt;/p&gt;
5186 </description>
5187 </item>
5188
5189 <item>
5190 <title>Bitcoin GUI now available from Debian/unstable (and Ubuntu/raring)</title>
5191 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Bitcoin_GUI_now_available_from_Debian_unstable__and_Ubuntu_raring_.html</link>
5192 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Bitcoin_GUI_now_available_from_Debian_unstable__and_Ubuntu_raring_.html</guid>
5193 <pubDate>Sat, 2 Feb 2013 09:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
5194 <description>&lt;p&gt;My
5195 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_backport_bitcoin_qt_version_0_7_2_2_to_Debian_Squeeze.html&quot;&gt;last
5196 bitcoin related blog post&lt;/a&gt; mentioned that the new
5197 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/bitcoin&quot;&gt;bitcoin package&lt;/a&gt; for
5198 Debian was waiting in NEW. It was accepted by the Debian ftp-masters
5199 2013-01-19, and have been available in unstable since then. It was
5200 automatically copied to Ubuntu, and is available in their Raring
5201 version too.&lt;/p&gt;
5202
5203 &lt;p&gt;But there is a strange problem with the build that block this new
5204 version from being available on the i386 and kfreebsd-i386
5205 architectures. For some strange reason, the autobuilders in Debian
5206 for these architectures fail to run the test suite on these
5207 architectures (&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/672524&quot;&gt;BTS #672524&lt;/a&gt;).
5208 We are so far unable to reproduce it when building it manually, and
5209 no-one have been able to propose a fix. If you got an idea what is
5210 failing, please let us know via the BTS.&lt;/p&gt;
5211
5212 &lt;p&gt;One feature that is annoying me with of the bitcoin client, because
5213 I often run low on disk space, is the fact that the client will exit
5214 if it run short on space (&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/696715&quot;&gt;BTS
5215 #696715&lt;/a&gt;). So make sure you have enough disk space when you run
5216 it. :)&lt;/p&gt;
5217
5218 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use bitcoin and want to show your support of my
5219 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
5220 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
5221 </description>
5222 </item>
5223
5224 <item>
5225 <title>Welcome to the world, Isenkram!</title>
5226 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Welcome_to_the_world__Isenkram_.html</link>
5227 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Welcome_to_the_world__Isenkram_.html</guid>
5228 <pubDate>Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
5229 <description>&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I
5230 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_prototype_ready_making_hardware_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html&quot;&gt;asked
5231 for testers&lt;/a&gt; for my prototype for making Debian better at handling
5232 pluggable hardware devices, which I
5233 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_hardware_dongles_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html&quot;&gt;set
5234 out to create&lt;/a&gt; earlier this month. Several valuable testers showed
5235 up, and caused me to really want to to open up the development to more
5236 people. But before I did this, I want to come up with a sensible name
5237 for this project. Today I finally decided on a new name, and I have
5238 renamed the project from hw-support-handler to this new name. In the
5239 process, I moved the source to git and made it available as a
5240 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=collab-maint/isenkram.git&quot;&gt;collab-maint&lt;/a&gt;
5241 repository in Debian. The new name? It is &lt;strong&gt;Isenkram&lt;/strong&gt;.
5242 To fetch and build the latest version of the source, use&lt;/p&gt;
5243
5244 &lt;pre&gt;
5245 git clone http://anonscm.debian.org/git/collab-maint/isenkram.git
5246 cd isenkram &amp;&amp; git-buildpackage -us -uc
5247 &lt;/pre&gt;
5248
5249 &lt;p&gt;I have not yet adjusted all files to use the new name yet. If you
5250 want to hack on the source or improve the package, please go ahead.
5251 But please talk to me first on IRC or via email before you do major
5252 changes, to make sure we do not step on each others toes. :)&lt;/p&gt;
5253
5254 &lt;p&gt;If you wonder what &#39;isenkram&#39; is, it is a Norwegian word for iron
5255 stuff, typically meaning tools, nails, screws, etc. Typical hardware
5256 stuff, in other words. I&#39;ve been told it is the Norwegian variant of
5257 the German word eisenkram, for those that are familiar with that
5258 word.&lt;/p&gt;
5259
5260 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-26&lt;/strong&gt;: Added -us -us to build
5261 instructions, to avoid confusing people with an error from the signing
5262 process.&lt;/p&gt;
5263
5264 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-27&lt;/strong&gt;: Switch to HTTP URL for the git
5265 clone argument to avoid the need for authentication.&lt;/p&gt;
5266 </description>
5267 </item>
5268
5269 <item>
5270 <title>First prototype ready making hardware easier to use in Debian</title>
5271 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_prototype_ready_making_hardware_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html</link>
5272 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_prototype_ready_making_hardware_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html</guid>
5273 <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
5274 <description>&lt;p&gt;Early this month I set out to try to
5275 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_hardware_dongles_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html&quot;&gt;improve
5276 the Debian support for pluggable hardware devices&lt;/a&gt;. Now my
5277 prototype is working, and it is ready for a larger audience. To test
5278 it, fetch the
5279 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/&quot;&gt;source
5280 from the Debian Edu subversion repository&lt;/a&gt;, build and install the
5281 package. You might have to log out and in again activate the
5282 autostart script.&lt;/p&gt;
5283
5284 &lt;p&gt;The design is simple:&lt;/p&gt;
5285
5286 &lt;ul&gt;
5287
5288 &lt;li&gt;Add desktop entry in /usr/share/autostart/ causing a program
5289 hw-support-handlerd to start when the user log in.&lt;/li&gt;
5290
5291 &lt;li&gt;This program listen for kernel events about new hardware (directly
5292 from the kernel like udev does), not using HAL dbus events as I
5293 initially did.&lt;/li&gt;
5294
5295 &lt;li&gt;When new hardware is inserted, look up the hardware modalias in
5296 the APT database, a database
5297 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/modaliases?view=markup&quot;&gt;available
5298 via HTTP&lt;/a&gt; and a database available as part of the package.&lt;/li&gt;
5299
5300 &lt;li&gt;If a package is mapped to the hardware in question, the package
5301 isn&#39;t installed yet and this is the first time the hardware was
5302 plugged in, show a desktop notification suggesting to install the
5303 package or packages.&lt;/li&gt;
5304
5305 &lt;li&gt;If the user click on the &#39;install package now&#39; button, ask
5306 aptdaemon via the PackageKit API to install the requrired package.&lt;/li&gt;
5307
5308 &lt;li&gt;aptdaemon ask for root password or sudo password, and install the
5309 package while showing progress information in a window.&lt;/li&gt;
5310
5311 &lt;/ul&gt;
5312
5313 &lt;p&gt;I still need to come up with a better name for the system. Here
5314 are some screen shots showing the prototype in action. First the
5315 notification, then the password request, and finally the request to
5316 approve all the dependencies. Sorry for the Norwegian Bokmål GUI.&lt;/p&gt;
5317
5318 &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-1-notification.png&quot;&gt;
5319 &lt;br&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-2-password.png&quot;&gt;
5320 &lt;br&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-3-dependencies.png&quot;&gt;
5321 &lt;br&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-4-installing.png&quot;&gt;
5322 &lt;br&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-5-installing-details.png&quot; width=&quot;70%&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5323
5324 &lt;p&gt;The prototype still need to be improved with longer timeouts, but
5325 is already useful. The database of hardware to package mappings also
5326 need more work. It is currently compatible with the Ubuntu way of
5327 storing such information in the package control file, but could be
5328 changed to use other formats instead or in addition to the current
5329 method. I&#39;ve dropped the use of discover for this mapping, as the
5330 modalias approach is more flexible and easier to use on Linux as long
5331 as the Linux kernel expose its modalias strings directly.&lt;/p&gt;
5332
5333 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-21 16:50&lt;/strong&gt;: Due to popular demand,
5334 here is the command required to check out and build the source: Use
5335 &#39;&lt;tt&gt;svn checkout
5336 svn://svn.debian.org/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/; cd
5337 hw-support-handler; debuild&lt;/tt&gt;&#39;. If you lack debuild, install the
5338 devscripts package.&lt;/p&gt;
5339
5340 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-23 12:00&lt;/strong&gt;: The project is now
5341 renamed to Isenkram and the source moved from the Debian Edu
5342 subversion repository to a Debian collab-maint git repository. See
5343 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Welcome_to_the_world__Isenkram_.html&quot;&gt;build
5344 instructions&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;
5345 </description>
5346 </item>
5347
5348 <item>
5349 <title>Thank you Thinkpad X41, for your long and trustworthy service</title>
5350 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Thank_you_Thinkpad_X41__for_your_long_and_trustworthy_service.html</link>
5351 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Thank_you_Thinkpad_X41__for_your_long_and_trustworthy_service.html</guid>
5352 <pubDate>Sat, 19 Jan 2013 09:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
5353 <description>&lt;p&gt;This Christmas my trusty old laptop died. It died quietly and
5354 suddenly in bed. With a quiet whimper, it went completely quiet and
5355 black. The power button was no longer able to turn it on. It was a
5356 IBM Thinkpad X41, and the best laptop I ever had. Better than both
5357 Thinkpads X30, X31, X40, X60, X61 and X61S. Far better than the
5358 Compaq I had before that. Now I need to find a replacement. To keep
5359 going during Christmas, I moved the one year old SSD disk to my old
5360 X40 where it fitted (only one I had left that could use it), but it is
5361 not a durable solution.
5362
5363 &lt;p&gt;My laptop needs are fairly modest. This is my wishlist from when I
5364 got a new one more than 10 years ago. It still holds true.:)&lt;/p&gt;
5365
5366 &lt;ul&gt;
5367
5368 &lt;li&gt;Lightweight (around 1 kg) and small volume (preferably smaller
5369 than A4).&lt;/li&gt;
5370 &lt;li&gt;Robust, it will be in my backpack every day.&lt;/li&gt;
5371 &lt;li&gt;Three button mouse and a mouse pin instead of touch pad.&lt;/li&gt;
5372 &lt;li&gt;Long battery life time. Preferable a week.&lt;/li&gt;
5373 &lt;li&gt;Internal WIFI network card.&lt;/li&gt;
5374 &lt;li&gt;Internal Twisted Pair network card.&lt;/li&gt;
5375 &lt;li&gt;Some USB slots (2-3 is plenty)&lt;/li&gt;
5376 &lt;li&gt;Good keyboard - similar to the Thinkpad.&lt;/li&gt;
5377 &lt;li&gt;Video resolution at least 1024x768, with size around 12&quot; (A4 paper
5378 size).&lt;/li&gt;
5379 &lt;li&gt;Hardware supported by Debian Stable, ie the default kernel and
5380 X.org packages.&lt;/li&gt;
5381 &lt;li&gt;Quiet, preferably fan free (or at least not using the fan most of
5382 the time).
5383
5384 &lt;/ul&gt;
5385
5386 &lt;p&gt;You will notice that there are no RAM and CPU requirements in the
5387 list. The reason is simply that the specifications on laptops the
5388 last 10-15 years have been sufficient for my needs, and I have to look
5389 at other features to choose my laptop. But are there still made as
5390 robust laptops as my X41? The Thinkpad X60/X61 proved to be less
5391 robust, and Thinkpads seem to be heading in the wrong direction since
5392 Lenovo took over. But I&#39;ve been told that X220 and X1 Carbon might
5393 still be useful.&lt;/p&gt;
5394
5395 &lt;p&gt;Perhaps I should rethink my needs, and look for a pad with an
5396 external keyboard? I&#39;ll have to check the
5397 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linux-laptop.net/&quot;&gt;Linux Laptops site&lt;/a&gt; for
5398 well-supported laptops, or perhaps just buy one preinstalled from one
5399 of the vendors listed on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://linuxpreloaded.com/&quot;&gt;Linux
5400 Pre-loaded site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
5401 </description>
5402 </item>
5403
5404 <item>
5405 <title>How to find a browser plugin supporting a given MIME type</title>
5406 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_find_a_browser_plugin_supporting_a_given_MIME_type.html</link>
5407 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_find_a_browser_plugin_supporting_a_given_MIME_type.html</guid>
5408 <pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
5409 <description>&lt;p&gt;Some times I try to figure out which Iceweasel browser plugin to
5410 install to get support for a given MIME type. Thanks to
5411 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MozillaTeam/Plugins&quot;&gt;specifications
5412 done by Ubuntu&lt;/a&gt; and Mozilla, it is possible to do this in Debian.
5413 Unfortunately, not very many packages provide the needed meta
5414 information, Anyway, here is a small script to look up all browser
5415 plugin packages announcing ther MIME support using this specification:&lt;/p&gt;
5416
5417 &lt;pre&gt;
5418 #!/usr/bin/python
5419 import sys
5420 import apt
5421 def pkgs_handling_mimetype(mimetype):
5422 cache = apt.Cache()
5423 cache.open(None)
5424 thepkgs = []
5425 for pkg in cache:
5426 version = pkg.candidate
5427 if version is None:
5428 version = pkg.installed
5429 if version is None:
5430 continue
5431 record = version.record
5432 if not record.has_key(&#39;Npp-MimeType&#39;):
5433 continue
5434 mime_types = record[&#39;Npp-MimeType&#39;].split(&#39;,&#39;)
5435 for t in mime_types:
5436 t = t.rstrip().strip()
5437 if t == mimetype:
5438 thepkgs.append(pkg.name)
5439 return thepkgs
5440 mimetype = &quot;audio/ogg&quot;
5441 if 1 &lt; len(sys.argv):
5442 mimetype = sys.argv[1]
5443 print &quot;Browser plugin packages supporting %s:&quot; % mimetype
5444 for pkg in pkgs_handling_mimetype(mimetype):
5445 print &quot; %s&quot; %pkg
5446 &lt;/pre&gt;
5447
5448 &lt;p&gt;It can be used like this to look up a given MIME type:&lt;/p&gt;
5449
5450 &lt;pre&gt;
5451 % ./apt-find-browserplug-for-mimetype
5452 Browser plugin packages supporting audio/ogg:
5453 gecko-mediaplayer
5454 % ./apt-find-browserplug-for-mimetype application/x-shockwave-flash
5455 Browser plugin packages supporting application/x-shockwave-flash:
5456 browser-plugin-gnash
5457 %
5458 &lt;/pre&gt;
5459
5460 &lt;p&gt;In Ubuntu this mechanism is combined with support in the browser
5461 itself to query for plugins and propose to install the needed
5462 packages. It would be great if Debian supported such feature too. Is
5463 anyone working on adding it?&lt;/p&gt;
5464
5465 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-18 14:20&lt;/strong&gt;: The Debian BTS
5466 request for icweasel support for this feature is
5467 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/484010&quot;&gt;#484010&lt;/a&gt; from 2008 (and
5468 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/698426&quot;&gt;#698426&lt;/a&gt; from today). Lack
5469 of manpower and wish for a different design is the reason thus feature
5470 is not yet in iceweasel from Debian.&lt;/p&gt;
5471 </description>
5472 </item>
5473
5474 <item>
5475 <title>What is the most supported MIME type in Debian?</title>
5476 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_the_most_supported_MIME_type_in_Debian_.html</link>
5477 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_the_most_supported_MIME_type_in_Debian_.html</guid>
5478 <pubDate>Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:10:00 +0100</pubDate>
5479 <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/AppStreamDebianProposal&quot;&gt;DEP-11
5480 proposal to add AppStream information to the Debian archive&lt;/a&gt;, is a
5481 proposal to make it possible for a Desktop application to propose to
5482 the user some package to install to gain support for a given MIME
5483 type, font, library etc. that is currently missing. With such
5484 mechanism in place, it would be possible for the desktop to
5485 automatically propose and install leocad if some LDraw file is
5486 downloaded by the browser.&lt;/p&gt;
5487
5488 &lt;p&gt;To get some idea about the current content of the archive, I decided
5489 to write a simple program to extract all .desktop files from the
5490 Debian archive and look up the claimed MIME support there. The result
5491 can be found on the
5492 &lt;a href=&quot;http://ftp.skolelinux.org/pub/AppStreamTest&quot;&gt;Skolelinux FTP
5493 site&lt;/a&gt;. Using the collected information, it become possible to
5494 answer the question in the title. Here are the 20 most supported MIME
5495 types in Debian stable (Squeeze), testing (Wheezy) and unstable (Sid).
5496 The complete list is available from the link above.&lt;/p&gt;
5497
5498 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Debian Stable:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5499
5500 &lt;pre&gt;
5501 count MIME type
5502 ----- -----------------------
5503 32 text/plain
5504 30 audio/mpeg
5505 29 image/png
5506 28 image/jpeg
5507 27 application/ogg
5508 26 audio/x-mp3
5509 25 image/tiff
5510 25 image/gif
5511 22 image/bmp
5512 22 audio/x-wav
5513 20 audio/x-flac
5514 19 audio/x-mpegurl
5515 18 video/x-ms-asf
5516 18 audio/x-musepack
5517 18 audio/x-mpeg
5518 18 application/x-ogg
5519 17 video/mpeg
5520 17 audio/x-scpls
5521 17 audio/ogg
5522 16 video/x-ms-wmv
5523 &lt;/pre&gt;
5524
5525 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Debian Testing:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5526
5527 &lt;pre&gt;
5528 count MIME type
5529 ----- -----------------------
5530 33 text/plain
5531 32 image/png
5532 32 image/jpeg
5533 29 audio/mpeg
5534 27 image/gif
5535 26 image/tiff
5536 26 application/ogg
5537 25 audio/x-mp3
5538 22 image/bmp
5539 21 audio/x-wav
5540 19 audio/x-mpegurl
5541 19 audio/x-mpeg
5542 18 video/mpeg
5543 18 audio/x-scpls
5544 18 audio/x-flac
5545 18 application/x-ogg
5546 17 video/x-ms-asf
5547 17 text/html
5548 17 audio/x-musepack
5549 16 image/x-xbitmap
5550 &lt;/pre&gt;
5551
5552 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Debian Unstable:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5553
5554 &lt;pre&gt;
5555 count MIME type
5556 ----- -----------------------
5557 31 text/plain
5558 31 image/png
5559 31 image/jpeg
5560 29 audio/mpeg
5561 28 application/ogg
5562 27 image/gif
5563 26 image/tiff
5564 26 audio/x-mp3
5565 23 audio/x-wav
5566 22 image/bmp
5567 21 audio/x-flac
5568 20 audio/x-mpegurl
5569 19 audio/x-mpeg
5570 18 video/x-ms-asf
5571 18 video/mpeg
5572 18 audio/x-scpls
5573 18 application/x-ogg
5574 17 audio/x-musepack
5575 16 video/x-ms-wmv
5576 16 video/x-msvideo
5577 &lt;/pre&gt;
5578
5579 &lt;p&gt;I am told that PackageKit can provide an API to access the kind of
5580 information mentioned in DEP-11. I have not yet had time to look at
5581 it, but hope the PackageKit people in Debian are on top of these
5582 issues.&lt;/p&gt;
5583
5584 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-16 13:35&lt;/strong&gt;: Updated numbers after
5585 discovering a typo in my script.&lt;/p&gt;
5586 </description>
5587 </item>
5588
5589 <item>
5590 <title>Using modalias info to find packages handling my hardware</title>
5591 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_modalias_info_to_find_packages_handling_my_hardware.html</link>
5592 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_modalias_info_to_find_packages_handling_my_hardware.html</guid>
5593 <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
5594 <description>&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I wrote about the
5595 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Modalias_strings___a_practical_way_to_map__stuff__to_hardware.html&quot;&gt;modalias
5596 values provided by the Linux kernel&lt;/a&gt; following my hope for
5597 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_hardware_dongles_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html&quot;&gt;better
5598 dongle support in Debian&lt;/a&gt;. Using this knowledge, I have tested how
5599 modalias values attached to package names can be used to map packages
5600 to hardware. This allow the system to look up and suggest relevant
5601 packages when I plug in some new hardware into my machine, and replace
5602 discover and discover-data as the database used to map hardware to
5603 packages.&lt;/p&gt;
5604
5605 &lt;p&gt;I create a modaliases file with entries like the following,
5606 containing package name, kernel module name (if relevant, otherwise
5607 the package name) and globs matching the relevant hardware
5608 modalias.&lt;/p&gt;
5609
5610 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5611 Package: package-name
5612 &lt;br&gt;Modaliases: module(modaliasglob, modaliasglob, modaliasglob)&lt;/p&gt;
5613 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5614
5615 &lt;p&gt;It is fairly trivial to write code to find the relevant packages
5616 for a given modalias value using this file.&lt;/p&gt;
5617
5618 &lt;p&gt;An entry like this would suggest the video and picture application
5619 cheese for many USB web cameras (interface bus class 0E01):&lt;/p&gt;
5620
5621 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5622 Package: cheese
5623 &lt;br&gt;Modaliases: cheese(usb:v*p*d*dc*dsc*dp*ic0Eisc01ip*)&lt;/p&gt;
5624 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5625
5626 &lt;p&gt;An entry like this would suggest the pcmciautils package when a
5627 CardBus bridge (bus class 0607) PCI device is present:&lt;/p&gt;
5628
5629 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5630 Package: pcmciautils
5631 &lt;br&gt;Modaliases: pcmciautils(pci:v*d*sv*sd*bc06sc07i*)
5632 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5633
5634 &lt;p&gt;An entry like this would suggest the package colorhug-client when
5635 plugging in a ColorHug with USB IDs 04D8:F8DA:&lt;/p&gt;
5636
5637 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5638 Package: colorhug-client
5639 &lt;br&gt;Modaliases: colorhug-client(usb:v04D8pF8DAd*)&lt;/p&gt;
5640 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5641
5642 &lt;p&gt;I believe the format is compatible with the format of the Packages
5643 file in the Debian archive. Ubuntu already uses their Packages file
5644 to store their mappings from packages to hardware.&lt;/p&gt;
5645
5646 &lt;p&gt;By adding a XB-Modaliases: header in debian/control, any .deb can
5647 announce the hardware it support in a way my prototype understand.
5648 This allow those publishing packages in an APT source outside the
5649 Debian archive as well as those backporting packages to make sure the
5650 hardware mapping are included in the package meta information. I&#39;ve
5651 tested such header in the pymissile package, and its modalias mapping
5652 is working as it should with my prototype. It even made it to Ubuntu
5653 Raring.&lt;/p&gt;
5654
5655 &lt;p&gt;To test if it was possible to look up supported hardware using only
5656 the shell tools available in the Debian installer, I wrote a shell
5657 implementation of the lookup code. The idea is to create files for
5658 each modalias and let the shell do the matching. Please check out and
5659 try the
5660 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/hw-support-lookup?view=co&quot;&gt;hw-support-lookup&lt;/a&gt;
5661 shell script. It run without any extra dependencies and fetch the
5662 hardware mappings from the Debian archive and the subversion
5663 repository where I currently work on my prototype.&lt;/p&gt;
5664
5665 &lt;p&gt;When I use it on a machine with a yubikey inserted, it suggest to
5666 install yubikey-personalization:&lt;/p&gt;
5667
5668 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5669 % ./hw-support-lookup
5670 &lt;br&gt;yubikey-personalization
5671 &lt;br&gt;%
5672 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5673
5674 &lt;p&gt;When I run it on my Thinkpad X40 with a PCMCIA/CardBus slot, it
5675 propose to install the pcmciautils package:&lt;/p&gt;
5676
5677 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5678 % ./hw-support-lookup
5679 &lt;br&gt;pcmciautils
5680 &lt;br&gt;%
5681 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5682
5683 &lt;p&gt;If you know of any hardware-package mapping that should be added to
5684 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/modaliases?view=co&quot;&gt;my
5685 database&lt;/a&gt;, please tell me about it.&lt;/p&gt;
5686
5687 &lt;p&gt;It could be possible to generate several of the mappings between
5688 packages and hardware. One source would be to look at packages with
5689 kernel modules, ie packages with *.ko files in /lib/modules/, and
5690 extract their modalias information. Another would be to look at
5691 packages with udev rules, ie packages with files in
5692 /lib/udev/rules.d/, and extract their vendor/model information to
5693 generate a modalias matching rule. I have not tested any of these to
5694 see if it work.&lt;/p&gt;
5695
5696 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help implementing a system to let us propose what
5697 packages to install when new hardware is plugged into a Debian
5698 machine, please send me an email or talk to me on
5699 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org/%23debian-devel&quot;&gt;#debian-devel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
5700 </description>
5701 </item>
5702
5703 <item>
5704 <title>Modalias strings - a practical way to map &quot;stuff&quot; to hardware</title>
5705 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Modalias_strings___a_practical_way_to_map__stuff__to_hardware.html</link>
5706 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Modalias_strings___a_practical_way_to_map__stuff__to_hardware.html</guid>
5707 <pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
5708 <description>&lt;p&gt;While looking into how to look up Debian packages based on hardware
5709 information, to find the packages that support a given piece of
5710 hardware, I refreshed my memory regarding modalias values, and decided
5711 to document the details. Here are my findings so far, also available
5712 in
5713 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/&quot;&gt;the
5714 Debian Edu subversion repository&lt;/a&gt;:
5715
5716 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Modalias decoded&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5717
5718 &lt;p&gt;This document try to explain what the different types of modalias
5719 values stands for. It is in part based on information from
5720 &amp;lt;URL: &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Modalias&quot;&gt;https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Modalias&lt;/a&gt; &amp;gt;,
5721 &amp;lt;URL: &lt;a href=&quot;http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/26132/how-to-assign-usb-driver-to-device&quot;&gt;http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/26132/how-to-assign-usb-driver-to-device&lt;/a&gt; &amp;gt;,
5722 &amp;lt;URL: &lt;a href=&quot;http://code.metager.de/source/history/linux/stable/scripts/mod/file2alias.c&quot;&gt;http://code.metager.de/source/history/linux/stable/scripts/mod/file2alias.c&lt;/a&gt; &amp;gt; and
5723 &amp;lt;URL: &lt;a href=&quot;http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/dmidecode/dmidecode.c?root=dmidecode&amp;view=markup&quot;&gt;http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/dmidecode/dmidecode.c?root=dmidecode&amp;view=markup&lt;/a&gt; &amp;gt;.
5724
5725 &lt;p&gt;The modalias entries for a given Linux machine can be found using
5726 this shell script:&lt;/p&gt;
5727
5728 &lt;pre&gt;
5729 find /sys -name modalias -print0 | xargs -0 cat | sort -u
5730 &lt;/pre&gt;
5731
5732 &lt;p&gt;The supported modalias globs for a given kernel module can be found
5733 using modinfo:&lt;/p&gt;
5734
5735 &lt;pre&gt;
5736 % /sbin/modinfo psmouse | grep alias:
5737 alias: serio:ty05pr*id*ex*
5738 alias: serio:ty01pr*id*ex*
5739 %
5740 &lt;/pre&gt;
5741
5742 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PCI subtype&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5743
5744 &lt;p&gt;A typical PCI entry can look like this. This is an Intel Host
5745 Bridge memory controller:&lt;/p&gt;
5746
5747 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5748 pci:v00008086d00002770sv00001028sd000001ADbc06sc00i00
5749 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5750
5751 &lt;p&gt;This represent these values:&lt;/p&gt;
5752
5753 &lt;pre&gt;
5754 v 00008086 (vendor)
5755 d 00002770 (device)
5756 sv 00001028 (subvendor)
5757 sd 000001AD (subdevice)
5758 bc 06 (bus class)
5759 sc 00 (bus subclass)
5760 i 00 (interface)
5761 &lt;/pre&gt;
5762
5763 &lt;p&gt;The vendor/device values are the same values outputted from &#39;lspci
5764 -n&#39; as 8086:2770. The bus class/subclass is also shown by lspci as
5765 0600. The 0600 class is a host bridge. Other useful bus values are
5766 0300 (VGA compatible card) and 0200 (Ethernet controller).&lt;/p&gt;
5767
5768 &lt;p&gt;Not sure how to figure out the interface value, nor what it
5769 means.&lt;/p&gt;
5770
5771 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;USB subtype&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5772
5773 &lt;p&gt;Some typical USB entries can look like this. This is an internal
5774 USB hub in a laptop:&lt;/p&gt;
5775
5776 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5777 usb:v1D6Bp0001d0206dc09dsc00dp00ic09isc00ip00
5778 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5779
5780 &lt;p&gt;Here is the values included in this alias:&lt;/p&gt;
5781
5782 &lt;pre&gt;
5783 v 1D6B (device vendor)
5784 p 0001 (device product)
5785 d 0206 (bcddevice)
5786 dc 09 (device class)
5787 dsc 00 (device subclass)
5788 dp 00 (device protocol)
5789 ic 09 (interface class)
5790 isc 00 (interface subclass)
5791 ip 00 (interface protocol)
5792 &lt;/pre&gt;
5793
5794 &lt;p&gt;The 0900 device class/subclass means hub. Some times the relevant
5795 class is in the interface class section. For a simple USB web camera,
5796 these alias entries show up:&lt;/p&gt;
5797
5798 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5799 usb:v0AC8p3420d5000dcEFdsc02dp01ic01isc01ip00
5800 &lt;br&gt;usb:v0AC8p3420d5000dcEFdsc02dp01ic01isc02ip00
5801 &lt;br&gt;usb:v0AC8p3420d5000dcEFdsc02dp01ic0Eisc01ip00
5802 &lt;br&gt;usb:v0AC8p3420d5000dcEFdsc02dp01ic0Eisc02ip00
5803 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5804
5805 &lt;p&gt;Interface class 0E01 is video control, 0E02 is video streaming (aka
5806 camera), 0101 is audio control device and 0102 is audio streaming (aka
5807 microphone). Thus this is a camera with microphone included.&lt;/p&gt;
5808
5809 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ACPI subtype&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5810
5811 &lt;p&gt;The ACPI type is used for several non-PCI/USB stuff. This is an IR
5812 receiver in a Thinkpad X40:&lt;/p&gt;
5813
5814 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5815 acpi:IBM0071:PNP0511:
5816 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5817
5818 &lt;p&gt;The values between the colons are IDs.&lt;/p&gt;
5819
5820 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DMI subtype&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5821
5822 &lt;p&gt;The DMI table contain lots of information about the computer case
5823 and model. This is an entry for a IBM Thinkpad X40, fetched from
5824 /sys/devices/virtual/dmi/id/modalias:&lt;/p&gt;
5825
5826 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5827 dmi:bvnIBM:bvr1UETB6WW(1.66):bd06/15/2005:svnIBM:pn2371H4G:pvrThinkPadX40:rvnIBM:rn2371H4G:rvrNotAvailable:cvnIBM:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
5828 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5829
5830 &lt;p&gt;The values present are&lt;/p&gt;
5831
5832 &lt;pre&gt;
5833 bvn IBM (BIOS vendor)
5834 bvr 1UETB6WW(1.66) (BIOS version)
5835 bd 06/15/2005 (BIOS date)
5836 svn IBM (system vendor)
5837 pn 2371H4G (product name)
5838 pvr ThinkPadX40 (product version)
5839 rvn IBM (board vendor)
5840 rn 2371H4G (board name)
5841 rvr NotAvailable (board version)
5842 cvn IBM (chassis vendor)
5843 ct 10 (chassis type)
5844 cvr NotAvailable (chassis version)
5845 &lt;/pre&gt;
5846
5847 &lt;p&gt;The chassis type 10 is Notebook. Other interesting values can be
5848 found in the dmidecode source:&lt;/p&gt;
5849
5850 &lt;pre&gt;
5851 3 Desktop
5852 4 Low Profile Desktop
5853 5 Pizza Box
5854 6 Mini Tower
5855 7 Tower
5856 8 Portable
5857 9 Laptop
5858 10 Notebook
5859 11 Hand Held
5860 12 Docking Station
5861 13 All In One
5862 14 Sub Notebook
5863 15 Space-saving
5864 16 Lunch Box
5865 17 Main Server Chassis
5866 18 Expansion Chassis
5867 19 Sub Chassis
5868 20 Bus Expansion Chassis
5869 21 Peripheral Chassis
5870 22 RAID Chassis
5871 23 Rack Mount Chassis
5872 24 Sealed-case PC
5873 25 Multi-system
5874 26 CompactPCI
5875 27 AdvancedTCA
5876 28 Blade
5877 29 Blade Enclosing
5878 &lt;/pre&gt;
5879
5880 &lt;p&gt;The chassis type values are not always accurately set in the DMI
5881 table. For example my home server is a tower, but the DMI modalias
5882 claim it is a desktop.&lt;/p&gt;
5883
5884 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SerIO subtype&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5885
5886 &lt;p&gt;This type is used for PS/2 mouse plugs. One example is from my
5887 test machine:&lt;/p&gt;
5888
5889 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
5890 serio:ty01pr00id00ex00
5891 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5892
5893 &lt;p&gt;The values present are&lt;/p&gt;
5894
5895 &lt;pre&gt;
5896 ty 01 (type)
5897 pr 00 (prototype)
5898 id 00 (id)
5899 ex 00 (extra)
5900 &lt;/pre&gt;
5901
5902 &lt;p&gt;This type is supported by the psmouse driver. I am not sure what
5903 the valid values are.&lt;/p&gt;
5904
5905 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other subtypes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5906
5907 &lt;p&gt;There are heaps of other modalias subtypes according to
5908 file2alias.c. There is the rest of the list from that source: amba,
5909 ap, bcma, ccw, css, eisa, hid, i2c, ieee1394, input, ipack, isapnp,
5910 mdio, of, parisc, pcmcia, platform, scsi, sdio, spi, ssb, vio, virtio,
5911 vmbus, x86cpu and zorro. I did not spend time documenting all of
5912 these, as they do not seem relevant for my intended use with mapping
5913 hardware to packages when new stuff is inserted during run time.&lt;/p&gt;
5914
5915 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Looking up kernel modules using modalias values&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
5916
5917 &lt;p&gt;To check which kernel modules provide support for a given modalias,
5918 one can use the following shell script:&lt;/p&gt;
5919
5920 &lt;pre&gt;
5921 for id in $(find /sys -name modalias -print0 | xargs -0 cat | sort -u); do \
5922 echo &quot;$id&quot; ; \
5923 /sbin/modprobe --show-depends &quot;$id&quot;|sed &#39;s/^/ /&#39; ; \
5924 done
5925 &lt;/pre&gt;
5926
5927 &lt;p&gt;The output can look like this (only the first few entries as the
5928 list is very long on my test machine):&lt;/p&gt;
5929
5930 &lt;pre&gt;
5931 acpi:ACPI0003:
5932 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/drivers/acpi/ac.ko
5933 acpi:device:
5934 FATAL: Module acpi:device: not found.
5935 acpi:IBM0068:
5936 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/drivers/char/nvram.ko
5937 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/drivers/leds/led-class.ko
5938 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/net/rfkill/rfkill.ko
5939 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/thinkpad_acpi.ko
5940 acpi:IBM0071:PNP0511:
5941 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/lib/crc-ccitt.ko
5942 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/net/irda/irda.ko
5943 insmod /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/drivers/net/irda/nsc-ircc.ko
5944 [...]
5945 &lt;/pre&gt;
5946
5947 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help implementing a system to let us propose what
5948 packages to install when new hardware is plugged into a Debian
5949 machine, please send me an email or talk to me on
5950 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org/%23debian-devel&quot;&gt;#debian-devel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
5951
5952 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2013-01-15:&lt;/strong&gt; Rewrite &quot;cat $(find ...)&quot; to
5953 &quot;find ... -print0 | xargs -0 cat&quot; to make sure it handle directories
5954 in /sys/ with space in them.&lt;/p&gt;
5955 </description>
5956 </item>
5957
5958 <item>
5959 <title>Moved the pymissile Debian packaging to collab-maint</title>
5960 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Moved_the_pymissile_Debian_packaging_to_collab_maint.html</link>
5961 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Moved_the_pymissile_Debian_packaging_to_collab_maint.html</guid>
5962 <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
5963 <description>&lt;p&gt;As part of my investigation on how to improve the support in Debian
5964 for hardware dongles, I dug up my old Mark and Spencer USB Rocket
5965 Launcher and updated the Debian package
5966 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/pymissile&quot;&gt;pymissile&lt;/a&gt; to make
5967 sure udev will fix the device permissions when it is plugged in. I
5968 also added a &quot;Modaliases&quot; header to test it in the Debian archive and
5969 hopefully make the package be proposed by jockey in Ubuntu when a user
5970 plug in his rocket launcher. In the process I moved the source to a
5971 git repository under collab-maint, to make it easier for any DD to
5972 contribute. &lt;a href=&quot;http://code.google.com/p/pymissile/&quot;&gt;Upstream&lt;/a&gt;
5973 is not very active, but the software still work for me even after five
5974 years of relative silence. The new git repository is not listed in
5975 the uploaded package yet, because I want to test the other changes a
5976 bit more before I upload the new version. If you want to check out
5977 the new version with a .desktop file included, visit the
5978 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=collab-maint/pymissile.git&quot;&gt;gitweb
5979 view&lt;/a&gt; or use &quot;&lt;tt&gt;git clone
5980 git://anonscm.debian.org/collab-maint/pymissile.git&lt;/tt&gt;&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;
5981 </description>
5982 </item>
5983
5984 <item>
5985 <title>Lets make hardware dongles easier to use in Debian</title>
5986 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_hardware_dongles_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html</link>
5987 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_hardware_dongles_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html</guid>
5988 <pubDate>Wed, 9 Jan 2013 15:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
5989 <description>&lt;p&gt;One thing that annoys me with Debian and Linux distributions in
5990 general, is that there is a great package management system with the
5991 ability to automatically install software packages by downloading them
5992 from the distribution mirrors, but no way to get it to automatically
5993 install the packages I need to use the hardware I plug into my
5994 machine. Even if the package to use it is easily available from the
5995 Linux distribution. When I plug in a LEGO Mindstorms NXT, it could
5996 suggest to automatically install the python-nxt, nbc and t2n packages
5997 I need to talk to it. When I plug in a Yubikey, it could propose the
5998 yubikey-personalization package. The information required to do this
5999 is available, but no-one have pulled all the pieces together.&lt;/p&gt;
6000
6001 &lt;p&gt;Some years ago, I proposed to
6002 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2010/05/msg01206.html&quot;&gt;use
6003 the discover subsystem to implement this&lt;/a&gt;. The idea is fairly
6004 simple:
6005
6006 &lt;ul&gt;
6007
6008 &lt;li&gt;Add a desktop entry in /usr/share/autostart/ pointing to a program
6009 starting when a user log in.&lt;/li&gt;
6010
6011 &lt;li&gt;Set this program up to listen for kernel events emitted when new
6012 hardware is inserted into the computer.&lt;/li&gt;
6013
6014 &lt;li&gt;When new hardware is inserted, look up the hardware ID in a
6015 database mapping to packages, and take note of any non-installed
6016 packages.&lt;/li&gt;
6017
6018 &lt;li&gt;Show a message to the user proposing to install the discovered
6019 package, and make it easy to install it.&lt;/li&gt;
6020
6021 &lt;/ul&gt;
6022
6023 &lt;p&gt;I am not sure what the best way to implement this is, but my
6024 initial idea was to use dbus events to discover new hardware, the
6025 discover database to find packages and
6026 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.packagekit.org/&quot;&gt;PackageKit&lt;/a&gt; to install
6027 packages.&lt;/p&gt;
6028
6029 &lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I found time to try to implement this idea, and the
6030 draft package is now checked into
6031 &lt;a href=&quot;http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/&quot;&gt;the
6032 Debian Edu subversion repository&lt;/a&gt;. In the process, I updated the
6033 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/d/discover-data.html&quot;&gt;discover-data&lt;/a&gt;
6034 package to map the USB ids of LEGO Mindstorms and Yubikey devices to
6035 the relevant packages in Debian, and uploaded a new version
6036 2.2013.01.09 to unstable. I also discovered that the current
6037 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/d/discover.html&quot;&gt;discover&lt;/a&gt;
6038 package in Debian no longer discovered any USB devices, because
6039 /proc/bus/usb/devices is no longer present. I ported it to use
6040 libusb as a fall back option to get it working. The fixed package
6041 version 2.1.2-6 is now in experimental (didn&#39;t upload it to unstable
6042 because of the freeze).&lt;/p&gt;
6043
6044 &lt;p&gt;With this prototype in place, I can insert my Yubikey, and get this
6045 desktop notification to show up (only once, the first time it is
6046 inserted):&lt;/p&gt;
6047
6048 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-09-hw-autoinstall.png&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
6049
6050 &lt;p&gt;For this prototype to be really useful, some way to automatically
6051 install the proposed packages by pressing the &quot;Please install
6052 program(s)&quot; button should to be implemented.&lt;/p&gt;
6053
6054 &lt;p&gt;If this idea seem useful to you, and you want to help make it
6055 happen, please help me update the discover-data database with mappings
6056 from hardware to Debian packages. Check if &#39;discover-pkginstall -l&#39;
6057 list the package you would like to have installed when a given
6058 hardware device is inserted into your computer, and report bugs using
6059 reportbug if it isn&#39;t. Or, if you know of a better way to provide
6060 such mapping, please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;
6061
6062 &lt;p&gt;This prototype need more work, and there are several questions that
6063 should be considered before it is ready for production use. Is dbus
6064 the correct way to detect new hardware? At the moment I look for HAL
6065 dbus events on the system bus, because that is the events I could see
6066 on my Debian Squeeze KDE desktop. Are there better events to use?
6067 How should the user be notified? Is the desktop notification
6068 mechanism the best option, or should the background daemon raise a
6069 popup instead? How should packages be installed? When should they
6070 not be installed?&lt;/p&gt;
6071
6072 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help getting such feature implemented in Debian,
6073 please send me an email. :)&lt;/p&gt;
6074 </description>
6075 </item>
6076
6077 <item>
6078 <title>New IRC channel for LEGO designers using Debian</title>
6079 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_IRC_channel_for_LEGO_designers_using_Debian.html</link>
6080 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_IRC_channel_for_LEGO_designers_using_Debian.html</guid>
6081 <pubDate>Wed, 2 Jan 2013 15:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
6082 <description>&lt;p&gt;During Christmas, I have worked a bit on the Debian support for
6083 &lt;a href=&quot;http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx&quot;&gt;LEGO Mindstorm
6084 NXT&lt;/a&gt;. My son and I have played a bit with my NXT set, and I
6085 discovered I had to build all the tools myself because none were
6086 already in Debian Squeeze. If Debian support for LEGO is something
6087 you care about, please join me on the IRC channel
6088 &lt;a href=&quot;irc://irc.debian.org/%23debian-lego&quot;&gt;#debian-lego&lt;/a&gt; (server
6089 irc.debian.org). There is a lot that could be done to improve the
6090 Debian support for LEGO designers. For example both CAD software
6091 and Mindstorm compilers are missing. :)&lt;/p&gt;
6092
6093 &lt;p&gt;Update 2012-01-03: A
6094 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/LegoDesigners&quot;&gt;project page&lt;/a&gt;
6095 including links to Lego related packages is now available.&lt;/p&gt;
6096 </description>
6097 </item>
6098
6099 <item>
6100 <title>How to backport bitcoin-qt version 0.7.2-2 to Debian Squeeze</title>
6101 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_backport_bitcoin_qt_version_0_7_2_2_to_Debian_Squeeze.html</link>
6102 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_backport_bitcoin_qt_version_0_7_2_2_to_Debian_Squeeze.html</guid>
6103 <pubDate>Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
6104 <description>&lt;p&gt;Let me start by wishing you all marry Christmas and a happy new
6105 year! I hope next year will prove to be a good year.&lt;/p&gt;
6106
6107 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bitcoin.org/&quot;&gt;Bitcoin&lt;/a&gt;, the digital
6108 decentralised &quot;currency&quot; that allow people to transfer bitcoins
6109 between each other with minimal overhead, is a very interesting
6110 experiment. And as I wrote a few days ago, the bitcoin situation in
6111 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt; is about to improve a bit.
6112 The &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/bitcoin&quot;&gt;new debian source
6113 package&lt;/a&gt; (version 0.7.2-2) was uploaded yesterday, and is waiting
6114 in &lt;a href=&quot;http://ftp-master.debian.org/new.html&quot;&gt;the NEW queue&lt;/A&gt;
6115 for one of the ftpmasters to approve the new bitcoin-qt package
6116 name.&lt;/p&gt;
6117
6118 &lt;p&gt;And thanks to the great work of Jonas and the rest of the bitcoin
6119 team in Debian, you can easily test the package in Debian Squeeze
6120 using the following steps to get a set of working packages:&lt;/p&gt;
6121
6122 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
6123 git clone git://git.debian.org/git/collab-maint/bitcoin
6124 cd bitcoin
6125 DEB_MAINTAINER_MODE=1 DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS=noupnp fakeroot debian/rules clean
6126 DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS=noupnp git-buildpackage --git-ignore-new
6127 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
6128
6129 &lt;p&gt;You might have to install some build dependencies as well. The
6130 list of commands should give you two packages, bitcoind and
6131 bitcoin-qt, ready for use in a Squeeze environment. Note that the
6132 client will download the complete set of bitcoin &quot;blocks&quot;, which need
6133 around 5.6 GiB of data on my machine at the moment. Make sure your
6134 ~/.bitcoin/ directory have lots of spare room if you want to download
6135 all the blocks. The client will warn if the disk is getting full, so
6136 there is not really a problem if you got too little room, but you will
6137 not be able to get all the features out of the client.&lt;/p&gt;
6138
6139 &lt;p&gt;As usual, if you use bitcoin and want to show your support of my
6140 activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
6141 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
6142 </description>
6143 </item>
6144
6145 <item>
6146 <title>A word on bitcoin support in Debian</title>
6147 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_word_on_bitcoin_support_in_Debian.html</link>
6148 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_word_on_bitcoin_support_in_Debian.html</guid>
6149 <pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 23:59:00 +0100</pubDate>
6150 <description>&lt;p&gt;It has been a while since I wrote about
6151 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bitcoin.org/&quot;&gt;bitcoin&lt;/a&gt;, the decentralised
6152 peer-to-peer based crypto-currency, and the reason is simply that I
6153 have been busy elsewhere. But two days ago, I started looking at the
6154 state of &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/bitcoin&quot;&gt;bitcoin in
6155 Debian&lt;/a&gt; again to try to recover my old bitcoin wallet. The package
6156 is now maintained by a
6157 &lt;a href=&quot;https://alioth.debian.org/projects/pkg-bitcoin/&quot;&gt;team of
6158 people&lt;/a&gt;, and the grunt work had already been done by this team. We
6159 owe a huge thank you to all these team members. :)
6160 But I was sad to discover that the bitcoin client is missing in
6161 Wheezy. It is only available in Sid (and an outdated client from
6162 backports). The client had several RC bugs registered in BTS blocking
6163 it from entering testing. To try to help the team and improve the
6164 situation, I spent some time providing patches and triaging the bug
6165 reports. I also had a look at the bitcoin package available from Matt
6166 Corallo in a
6167 &lt;a href=&quot;https://launchpad.net/~bitcoin/+archive/bitcoin&quot;&gt;PPA for
6168 Ubuntu&lt;/a&gt;, and moved the useful pieces from that version into the
6169 Debian package.&lt;/p&gt;
6170
6171 &lt;p&gt;After checking with the main package maintainer Jonas Smedegaard on
6172 IRC, I pushed several patches into the collab-maint git repository to
6173 improve the package. It now contains fixes for the RC issues (not from
6174 me, but fixed by Scott Howard), build rules for a Qt GUI client
6175 package, konqueror support for the bitcoin: URI and bash completion
6176 setup. As I work on Debian Squeeze, I also created
6177 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/pkg-bitcoin-devel/Week-of-Mon-20121217/000041.html&quot;&gt;a
6178 patch to backport&lt;/a&gt; the latest version. Jonas is going to look at
6179 it and try to integrate it into the git repository before uploading a
6180 new version to unstable.
6181
6182 &lt;p&gt;I would very much like bitcoin to succeed, to get rid of the
6183 centralized control currently exercised in the monetary system. I
6184 find it completely unacceptable that the USA government is collecting
6185 transaction data for almost all international money transfers (most are done in USD and transaction logs shipped to the spooks), and
6186 that the major credit card companies can block legal money
6187 transactions to Wikileaks. But for bitcoin to succeed, more people
6188 need to use bitcoins, and more people need to accept bitcoins when
6189 they sell products and services. Improving the bitcoin support in
6190 Debian is a small step in the right direction, but not enough.
6191 Unfortunately the user experience when browsing the web and wanting to
6192 pay with bitcoin is still not very good. The bitcoin: URI is a step
6193 in the right direction, but need to work in most or every browser in
6194 use. Also the bitcoin-qt client is too heavy to fire up to do a
6195 quick transaction. I believe there are other clients available, but
6196 have not tested them.&lt;/p&gt;
6197
6198 &lt;p&gt;My
6199 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Now_accepting_bitcoins___anonymous_and_distributed_p2p_crypto_money.html&quot;&gt;experiment
6200 with bitcoins&lt;/a&gt; showed that at least some of my readers use bitcoin.
6201 I received 20.15 BTC so far on the address I provided in my blog two
6202 years ago, as can be
6203 &lt;a href=&quot;http://blockexplorer.com/address/15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&quot;&gt;seen
6204 on the blockexplorer service&lt;/a&gt;. Thank you everyone for your
6205 donation. The blockexplorer service demonstrates quite well that
6206 bitcoin is not quite anonymous and untracked. :) I wonder if the
6207 number of users have gone up since then. If you use bitcoin and want
6208 to show your support of my activity, please send Bitcoin donations to
6209 the same address as last time,
6210 &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&amp;label=PetterReinholdtsenBlog&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
6211 </description>
6212 </item>
6213
6214 <item>
6215 <title>Git repository for song book for Computer Scientists</title>
6216 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Git_repository_for_song_book_for_Computer_Scientists.html</link>
6217 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Git_repository_for_song_book_for_Computer_Scientists.html</guid>
6218 <pubDate>Fri, 7 Sep 2012 13:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
6219 <description>&lt;p&gt;As I
6220 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Song_book_for_Computer_Scientists.html&quot;&gt;mentioned
6221 this summer&lt;/a&gt;, I have created a Computer Science song book a few
6222 years ago, and today I finally found time to create a public
6223 &lt;a href=&quot;https://gitorious.org/pere-cs-songbook/pere-cs-songbook&quot;&gt;Gitorious
6224 repository for the project&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
6225
6226 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help out, please clone the source and submit patches
6227 to the HTML version. To generate the PDF and PostScript version,
6228 please use prince XML, or let me know about a useful free software
6229 processor capable of creating a good looking PDF from the HTML.&lt;/p&gt;
6230
6231 &lt;p&gt;Want to sing? You can still find the song book in HTML, PDF and
6232 PostScript formats at
6233 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hungry.com/~pere/cs-songbook/&quot;&gt;Petter&#39;s Computer
6234 Science Songbook&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
6235 </description>
6236 </item>
6237
6238 <item>
6239 <title>Gratulerer med 19-årsdagen, Debian!</title>
6240 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Gratulerer_med_19__rsdagen__Debian_.html</link>
6241 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Gratulerer_med_19__rsdagen__Debian_.html</guid>
6242 <pubDate>Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
6243 <description>&lt;p&gt;I dag fyller
6244 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/News/2012/20120813&quot;&gt;Debian-prosjektet 19
6245 år&lt;/a&gt;. Jeg har fulgt det de siste 12 årene, og er veldig glad for å kunne
6246 si gratulerer med dagen, Debian!&lt;/p&gt;
6247 </description>
6248 </item>
6249
6250 <item>
6251 <title>Song book for Computer Scientists</title>
6252 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Song_book_for_Computer_Scientists.html</link>
6253 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Song_book_for_Computer_Scientists.html</guid>
6254 <pubDate>Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
6255 <description>&lt;p&gt;Many years ago, while studying Computer Science at the
6256 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uit.no/&quot;&gt;University of Tromsø&lt;/a&gt;, I started
6257 collecting computer related songs for use at parties. The original
6258 version was written in LaTeX, but a few years ago I got help from
6259 Håkon W. Lie, one of the inventors of W3C CSS, to convert it to HTML
6260 while keeping the ability to create a nice book in PDF format. I have
6261 not had time to maintain the book for a while now, and guess I should
6262 put it up on some public version control repository where others can
6263 help me extend and update the book. If anyone is volunteering to help
6264 me with this, send me an email. Also let me know if there are songs
6265 missing in my book.&lt;/p&gt;
6266
6267 &lt;p&gt;I have not mentioned the book on my blog so far, and it occured to
6268 me today that I really should let all my readers share the joys of
6269 singing out load about programming, computers and computer networks.
6270 Especially now that &lt;a href=&quot;http://debconf12.debconf.org/&quot;&gt;Debconf
6271 12&lt;/a&gt; is about to start (and I am not going). Want to sing? Check
6272 out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hungry.com/~pere/cs-songbook/&quot;&gt;Petter&#39;s
6273 Computer Science Songbook&lt;/a&gt;.
6274 </description>
6275 </item>
6276
6277 <item>
6278 <title>Automatically upgrading server firmware on Dell PowerEdge</title>
6279 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatically_upgrading_server_firmware_on_Dell_PowerEdge.html</link>
6280 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatically_upgrading_server_firmware_on_Dell_PowerEdge.html</guid>
6281 <pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
6282 <description>&lt;p&gt;At work we have heaps of servers. I believe the total count is
6283 around 1000 at the moment. To be able to get help from the vendors
6284 when something go wrong, we want to keep the firmware on the servers
6285 up to date. If the firmware isn&#39;t the latest and greatest, the
6286 vendors typically refuse to start debugging any problems until the
6287 firmware is upgraded. So before every reboot, we want to upgrade the
6288 firmware, and we would really like everyone handling servers at the
6289 university to do this themselves when they plan to reboot a machine.
6290 For that to happen we at the unix server admin group need to provide
6291 the tools to do so.&lt;/p&gt;
6292
6293 &lt;p&gt;To make firmware upgrading easier, I am working on a script to
6294 fetch and install the latest firmware for the servers we got. Most of
6295 our hardware are from Dell and HP, so I have focused on these servers
6296 so far. This blog post is about the Dell part.&lt;/P&gt;
6297
6298 &lt;p&gt;On the Dell FTP site I was lucky enough to find
6299 &lt;a href=&quot;ftp://ftp.us.dell.com/catalog/Catalog.xml.gz&quot;&gt;an XML file&lt;/a&gt;
6300 with firmware information for all 11th generation servers, listing
6301 which firmware should be used on a given model and where on the FTP
6302 site I can find it. Using a simple perl XML parser I can then
6303 download the shell scripts Dell provides to do firmware upgrades from
6304 within Linux and reboot when all the firmware is primed and ready to
6305 be activated on the first reboot.&lt;/p&gt;
6306
6307 &lt;p&gt;This is the Dell related fragment of the perl code I am working on.
6308 Are there anyone working on similar tools for firmware upgrading all
6309 servers at a site? Please get in touch and lets share resources.&lt;/p&gt;
6310
6311 &lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
6312 #!/usr/bin/perl
6313 use strict;
6314 use warnings;
6315 use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
6316 BEGIN {
6317 # Install needed RHEL packages if missing
6318 my %rhelmodules = (
6319 &#39;XML::Simple&#39; =&gt; &#39;perl-XML-Simple&#39;,
6320 );
6321 for my $module (keys %rhelmodules) {
6322 eval &quot;use $module;&quot;;
6323 if ($@) {
6324 my $pkg = $rhelmodules{$module};
6325 system(&quot;yum install -y $pkg&quot;);
6326 eval &quot;use $module;&quot;;
6327 }
6328 }
6329 }
6330 my $errorsto = &#39;pere@hungry.com&#39;;
6331
6332 upgrade_dell();
6333
6334 exit 0;
6335
6336 sub run_firmware_script {
6337 my ($opts, $script) = @_;
6338 unless ($script) {
6339 print STDERR &quot;fail: missing script name\n&quot;;
6340 exit 1
6341 }
6342 print STDERR &quot;Running $script\n\n&quot;;
6343
6344 if (0 == system(&quot;sh $script $opts&quot;)) { # FIXME correct exit code handling
6345 print STDERR &quot;success: firmware script ran succcessfully\n&quot;;
6346 } else {
6347 print STDERR &quot;fail: firmware script returned error\n&quot;;
6348 }
6349 }
6350
6351 sub run_firmware_scripts {
6352 my ($opts, @dirs) = @_;
6353 # Run firmware packages
6354 for my $dir (@dirs) {
6355 print STDERR &quot;info: Running scripts in $dir\n&quot;;
6356 opendir(my $dh, $dir) or die &quot;Unable to open directory $dir: $!&quot;;
6357 while (my $s = readdir $dh) {
6358 next if $s =~ m/^\.\.?/;
6359 run_firmware_script($opts, &quot;$dir/$s&quot;);
6360 }
6361 closedir $dh;
6362 }
6363 }
6364
6365 sub download {
6366 my $url = shift;
6367 print STDERR &quot;info: Downloading $url\n&quot;;
6368 system(&quot;wget --quiet \&quot;$url\&quot;&quot;);
6369 }
6370
6371 sub upgrade_dell {
6372 my @dirs;
6373 my $product = `dmidecode -s system-product-name`;
6374 chomp $product;
6375
6376 if ($product =~ m/PowerEdge/) {
6377
6378 # on RHEL, these pacakges are needed by the firwmare upgrade scripts
6379 system(&#39;yum install -y compat-libstdc++-33.i686 libstdc++.i686 libxml2.i686 procmail&#39;);
6380
6381 my $tmpdir = tempdir(
6382 CLEANUP =&gt; 1
6383 );
6384 chdir($tmpdir);
6385 fetch_dell_fw(&#39;catalog/Catalog.xml.gz&#39;);
6386 system(&#39;gunzip Catalog.xml.gz&#39;);
6387 my @paths = fetch_dell_fw_list(&#39;Catalog.xml&#39;);
6388 # -q is quiet, disabling interactivity and reducing console output
6389 my $fwopts = &quot;-q&quot;;
6390 if (@paths) {
6391 for my $url (@paths) {
6392 fetch_dell_fw($url);
6393 }
6394 run_firmware_scripts($fwopts, $tmpdir);
6395 } else {
6396 print STDERR &quot;error: Unsupported Dell model &#39;$product&#39;.\n&quot;;
6397 print STDERR &quot;error: Please report to $errorsto.\n&quot;;
6398 }
6399 chdir(&#39;/&#39;);
6400 } else {
6401 print STDERR &quot;error: Unsupported Dell model &#39;$product&#39;.\n&quot;;
6402 print STDERR &quot;error: Please report to $errorsto.\n&quot;;
6403 }
6404 }
6405
6406 sub fetch_dell_fw {
6407 my $path = shift;
6408 my $url = &quot;ftp://ftp.us.dell.com/$path&quot;;
6409 download($url);
6410 }
6411
6412 # Using ftp://ftp.us.dell.com/catalog/Catalog.xml.gz, figure out which
6413 # firmware packages to download from Dell. Only work for Linux
6414 # machines and 11th generation Dell servers.
6415 sub fetch_dell_fw_list {
6416 my $filename = shift;
6417
6418 my $product = `dmidecode -s system-product-name`;
6419 chomp $product;
6420 my ($mybrand, $mymodel) = split(/\s+/, $product);
6421
6422 print STDERR &quot;Finding firmware bundles for $mybrand $mymodel\n&quot;;
6423
6424 my $xml = XMLin($filename);
6425 my @paths;
6426 for my $bundle (@{$xml-&gt;{SoftwareBundle}}) {
6427 my $brand = $bundle-&gt;{TargetSystems}-&gt;{Brand}-&gt;{Display}-&gt;{content};
6428 my $model = $bundle-&gt;{TargetSystems}-&gt;{Brand}-&gt;{Model}-&gt;{Display}-&gt;{content};
6429 my $oscode;
6430 if (&quot;ARRAY&quot; eq ref $bundle-&gt;{TargetOSes}-&gt;{OperatingSystem}) {
6431 $oscode = $bundle-&gt;{TargetOSes}-&gt;{OperatingSystem}[0]-&gt;{osCode};
6432 } else {
6433 $oscode = $bundle-&gt;{TargetOSes}-&gt;{OperatingSystem}-&gt;{osCode};
6434 }
6435 if ($mybrand eq $brand &amp;&amp; $mymodel eq $model &amp;&amp; &quot;LIN&quot; eq $oscode)
6436 {
6437 @paths = map { $_-&gt;{path} } @{$bundle-&gt;{Contents}-&gt;{Package}};
6438 }
6439 }
6440 for my $component (@{$xml-&gt;{SoftwareComponent}}) {
6441 my $componenttype = $component-&gt;{ComponentType}-&gt;{value};
6442
6443 # Drop application packages, only firmware and BIOS
6444 next if &#39;APAC&#39; eq $componenttype;
6445
6446 my $cpath = $component-&gt;{path};
6447 for my $path (@paths) {
6448 if ($cpath =~ m%/$path$%) {
6449 push(@paths, $cpath);
6450 }
6451 }
6452 }
6453 return @paths;
6454 }
6455 &lt;/pre&gt;
6456
6457 &lt;p&gt;The code is only tested on RedHat Enterprise Linux, but I suspect
6458 it could work on other platforms with some tweaking. Anyone know a
6459 index like Catalog.xml is available from HP for HP servers? At the
6460 moment I maintain a similar list manually and it is quickly getting
6461 outdated.&lt;/p&gt;
6462 </description>
6463 </item>
6464
6465 <item>
6466 <title>How is booting into runlevel 1 different from single user boots?</title>
6467 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_is_booting_into_runlevel_1_different_from_single_user_boots_.html</link>
6468 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_is_booting_into_runlevel_1_different_from_single_user_boots_.html</guid>
6469 <pubDate>Thu, 4 Aug 2011 12:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
6470 <description>&lt;p&gt;Wouter Verhelst have some
6471 &lt;a href=&quot;http://grep.be/blog/en/retorts/pere_kubuntu_boot&quot;&gt;interesting
6472 comments and opinions&lt;/a&gt; on my blog post on
6473 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_should_start_from__etc_rcS_d__in_Debian____almost_nothing.html&quot;&gt;the
6474 need to clean up /etc/rcS.d/ in Debian&lt;/a&gt; and my blog post about
6475 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_missing_in_the_Debian_desktop__or_why_my_parents_use_Kubuntu.html&quot;&gt;the
6476 default KDE desktop in Debian&lt;/a&gt;. I only have time to address one
6477 small piece of his comment now, and though it best to address the
6478 misunderstanding he bring forward:&lt;/p&gt;
6479
6480 &lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
6481 Currently, a system admin has four options: [...] boot to a
6482 single-user system (by adding &#39;single&#39; to the kernel command line;
6483 this runs rcS and rc1 scripts)
6484 &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
6485
6486 &lt;p&gt;This make me believe Wouter believe booting into single user mode
6487 and booting into runlevel 1 is the same. I am not surprised he
6488 believe this, because it would make sense and is a quite sensible
6489 thing to believe. But because the boot in Debian is slightly broken,
6490 runlevel 1 do not work properly and it isn&#39;t the same as single user
6491 mode. I&#39;ll try to explain what is actually happing, but it is a bit
6492 hard to explain.&lt;/p&gt;
6493
6494 &lt;p&gt;Single user mode is defined like this in /etc/inittab:
6495 &quot;&lt;tt&gt;~~:S:wait:/sbin/sulogin&lt;/tt&gt;&quot;. This means the only thing that is
6496 executed in single user mode is sulogin. Single user mode is a boot
6497 state &quot;between&quot; the runlevels, and when booting into single user mode,
6498 only the scripts in /etc/rcS.d/ are executed before the init process
6499 enters the single user state. When switching to runlevel 1, the state
6500 is in fact not ending in runlevel 1, but it passes through runlevel 1
6501 and end up in the single user mode (see /etc/rc1.d/S03single, which
6502 runs &quot;init -t1 S&quot; to switch to single user mode at the end of runlevel
6503 1. It is confusing that the &#39;S&#39; (single user) init mode is not the
6504 mode enabled by /etc/rcS.d/ (which is more like the initial boot
6505 mode).&lt;/p&gt;
6506
6507 &lt;p&gt;This summary might make it clearer. When booting for the first
6508 time into single user mode, the following commands are executed:
6509 &quot;&lt;tt&gt;/etc/init.d/rc S; /sbin/sulogin&lt;/tt&gt;&quot;. When booting into
6510 runlevel 1, the following commands are executed: &quot;&lt;tt&gt;/etc/init.d/rc
6511 S; /etc/init.d/rc 1; /sbin/sulogin&lt;/tt&gt;&quot;. A problem show up when
6512 trying to continue after visiting single user mode. Not all services
6513 are started again as they should, causing the machine to end up in an
6514 unpredicatble state. This is why Debian admins recommend rebooting
6515 after visiting single user mode.&lt;/p&gt;
6516
6517 &lt;p&gt;A similar problem with runlevel 1 is caused by the amount of
6518 scripts executed from /etc/rcS.d/. When switching from say runlevel 2
6519 to runlevel 1, the services started from /etc/rcS.d/ are not properly
6520 stopped when passing through the scripts in /etc/rc1.d/, and not
6521 started again when switching away from runlevel 1 to the runlevels
6522 2-5. I believe the problem is best fixed by moving all the scripts
6523 out of /etc/rcS.d/ that are not &lt;strong&gt;required&lt;/strong&gt; to get a
6524 functioning single user mode during boot.&lt;/p&gt;
6525
6526 &lt;p&gt;I have spent several years investigating the Debian boot system,
6527 and discovered this problem a few years ago. I suspect it originates
6528 from when sysvinit was introduced into Debian, a long time ago.&lt;/p&gt;
6529 </description>
6530 </item>
6531
6532 <item>
6533 <title>What should start from /etc/rcS.d/ in Debian? - almost nothing</title>
6534 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_should_start_from__etc_rcS_d__in_Debian____almost_nothing.html</link>
6535 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_should_start_from__etc_rcS_d__in_Debian____almost_nothing.html</guid>
6536 <pubDate>Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
6537 <description>&lt;p&gt;In the Debian boot system, several packages include scripts that
6538 are started from /etc/rcS.d/. In fact, there is a bite more of them
6539 than make sense, and this causes a few problems. What kind of
6540 problems, you might ask. There are at least two problems. The first
6541 is that it is not possible to recover a machine after switching to
6542 runlevel 1. One need to actually reboot to get the machine back to
6543 the expected state. The other is that single user boot will sometimes
6544 run into problems because some of the subsystems are activated before
6545 the root login is presented, causing problems when trying to recover a
6546 machine from a problem in that subsystem. A minor additional point is
6547 that moving more scripts out of rcS.d/ and into the other rc#.d/
6548 directories will increase the amount of scripts that can run in
6549 parallel during boot, and thus decrease the boot time.&lt;/p&gt;
6550
6551 &lt;p&gt;So, which scripts should start from rcS.d/. In short, only the
6552 scripts that _have_ to execute before the root login prompt is
6553 presented during a single user boot should go there. Everything else
6554 should go into the numeric runlevels. This means things like
6555 lm-sensors, fuse and x11-common should not run from rcS.d, but from
6556 the numeric runlevels. Today in Debian, there are around 115 init.d
6557 scripts that are started from rcS.d/, and most of them should be moved
6558 out. Do your package have one of them? Please help us make single
6559 user and runlevel 1 better by moving it.&lt;/p&gt;
6560
6561 &lt;p&gt;Scripts setting up the screen, keyboard, system partitions
6562 etc. should still be started from rcS.d/, but there is for example no
6563 need to have the network enabled before the single user login prompt
6564 is presented.&lt;/p&gt;
6565
6566 &lt;p&gt;As always, things are not so easy to fix as they sound. To keep
6567 Debian systems working while scripts migrate and during upgrades, the
6568 scripts need to be moved from rcS.d/ to rc2.d/ in reverse dependency
6569 order, ie the scripts that nothing in rcS.d/ depend on can be moved,
6570 and the next ones can only be moved when their dependencies have been
6571 moved first. This migration must be done sequentially while we ensure
6572 that the package system upgrade packages in the right order to keep
6573 the system state correct. This will require some coordination when it
6574 comes to network related packages, but most of the packages with
6575 scripts that should migrate do not have anything in rcS.d/ depending
6576 on them. Some packages have already been updated, like the sudo
6577 package, while others are still left to do. I wish I had time to work
6578 on this myself, but real live constrains make it unlikely that I will
6579 find time to push this forward.&lt;/p&gt;
6580 </description>
6581 </item>
6582
6583 <item>
6584 <title>What is missing in the Debian desktop, or why my parents use Kubuntu</title>
6585 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_missing_in_the_Debian_desktop__or_why_my_parents_use_Kubuntu.html</link>
6586 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_is_missing_in_the_Debian_desktop__or_why_my_parents_use_Kubuntu.html</guid>
6587 <pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
6588 <description>&lt;p&gt;While at Debconf11, I have several times during discussions
6589 mentioned the issues I believe should be improved in Debian for its
6590 desktop to be useful for more people. The use case for this is my
6591 parents, which are currently running Kubuntu which solve the
6592 issues.&lt;/p&gt;
6593
6594 &lt;p&gt;I suspect these four missing features are not very hard to
6595 implement. After all, they are present in Ubuntu, so if we wanted to
6596 do this in Debian we would have a source.&lt;/p&gt;
6597
6598 &lt;ol&gt;
6599
6600 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple GUI based upgrade of packages.&lt;/strong&gt; When there
6601 are new packages available for upgrades, a icon in the KDE status bar
6602 indicate this, and clicking on it will activate the simple upgrade
6603 tool to handle it. I have no problem guiding both of my parents
6604 through the process over the phone. If a kernel reboot is required,
6605 this too is indicated by the status bars and the upgrade tool. Last
6606 time I checked, nothing with the same features was working in KDE in
6607 Debian.&lt;/li&gt;
6608
6609 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple handling of missing Firefox browser
6610 plugins.&lt;/strong&gt; When the browser encounter a MIME type it do not
6611 currently have a handler for, it will ask the user if the system
6612 should search for a package that would add support for this MIME type,
6613 and if the user say yes, the APT sources will be searched for packages
6614 advertising the MIME type in their control file (visible in the
6615 Packages file in the APT archive). If one or more packages are found,
6616 it is a simple click of the mouse to add support for the missing mime
6617 type. If the package require the user to accept some non-free
6618 license, this is explained to the user. The entire process make it
6619 more clear to the user why something do not work in the browser, and
6620 make the chances higher for the user to blame the web page authors and
6621 not the browser for any missing features.&lt;/li&gt;
6622
6623 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple handling of missing multimedia codec/format
6624 handlers.&lt;/strong&gt; When the media players encounter a format or codec
6625 it is not supporting, a dialog pop up asking the user if the system
6626 should search for a package that would add support for it. This
6627 happen with things like MP3, Windows Media or H.264. The selection
6628 and installation procedure is very similar to the Firefox browser
6629 plugin handling. This is as far as I know implemented using a
6630 gstreamer hook. The end result is that the user easily get access to
6631 the codecs that are present from the APT archives available, while
6632 explaining more on why a given format is unsupported by Ubuntu.&lt;/li&gt;
6633
6634 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Better browser handling of some MIME types.&lt;/strong&gt; When
6635 displaying a text/plain file in my Debian browser, it will propose to
6636 start emacs to show it. If I remember correctly, when doing the same
6637 in Kunbutu it show the file as a text file in the browser. At least I
6638 know Opera will show text files within the browser. I much prefer the
6639 latter behaviour.&lt;/li&gt;
6640
6641 &lt;/ol&gt;
6642
6643 &lt;p&gt;There are other nice features as well, like the simplified suite
6644 upgrader, but given that I am the one mostly doing the dist-upgrade,
6645 it do not matter much.&lt;/p&gt;
6646
6647 &lt;p&gt;I really hope we could get these features in place for the next
6648 Debian release. It would require the coordinated effort of several
6649 maintainers, but would make the end user experience a lot better.&lt;/p&gt;
6650 </description>
6651 </item>
6652
6653 <item>
6654 <title>Perl modules used by FixMyStreet which are missing in Debian/Squeeze</title>
6655 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Perl_modules_used_by_FixMyStreet_which_are_missing_in_Debian_Squeeze.html</link>
6656 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Perl_modules_used_by_FixMyStreet_which_are_missing_in_Debian_Squeeze.html</guid>
6657 <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:25:00 +0200</pubDate>
6658 <description>&lt;p&gt;The Norwegian &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fiksgatami.no/&quot;&gt;FiksGataMi&lt;/A&gt;
6659 site is build on Debian/Squeeze, and this platform was chosen because
6660 I am most familiar with Debian (being a Debian Developer for around 10
6661 years) because it is the latest stable Debian release which should get
6662 security support for a few years.&lt;/p&gt;
6663
6664 &lt;p&gt;The web service is written in Perl, and depend on some perl modules
6665 that are missing in Debian at the moment. It would be great if these
6666 modules were added to the Debian archive, allowing anyone to set up
6667 their own &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fixmystreet.com&quot;&gt;FixMyStreet&lt;/a&gt; clone
6668 in their own country using only Debian packages. The list of modules
6669 missing in Debian/Squeeze isn&#39;t very long, and I hope the perl group
6670 will find time to package the 12 modules Catalyst::Plugin::SmartURI,
6671 Catalyst::Plugin::Unicode::Encoding, Catalyst::View::TT, Devel::Hide,
6672 Sort::Key, Statistics::Distributions, Template::Plugin::Comma,
6673 Template::Plugin::DateTime::Format, Term::Size::Any, Term::Size::Perl,
6674 URI::SmartURI and Web::Scraper to make the maintenance of FixMyStreet
6675 easier in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
6676
6677 &lt;p&gt;Thanks to the great tools in Debian, getting the missing modules
6678 installed on my server was a simple call to &#39;cpan2deb Module::Name&#39;
6679 and &#39;dpkg -i&#39; to install the resulting package. But this leave me
6680 with the responsibility of tracking security problems, which I really
6681 do not have time for.&lt;/p&gt;
6682 </description>
6683 </item>
6684
6685 <item>
6686 <title>A Norwegian FixMyStreet have kept me busy the last few weeks</title>
6687 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Norwegian_FixMyStreet_have_kept_me_busy_the_last_few_weeks.html</link>
6688 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Norwegian_FixMyStreet_have_kept_me_busy_the_last_few_weeks.html</guid>
6689 <pubDate>Sun, 3 Apr 2011 22:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
6690 <description>&lt;p&gt;Here is a small update for my English readers. Most of my blog
6691 posts have been in Norwegian the last few weeks, so here is a short
6692 update in English.&lt;/p&gt;
6693
6694 &lt;p&gt;The kids still keep me too busy to get much free software work
6695 done, but I did manage to organise a project to get a Norwegian port
6696 of the British service
6697 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fixmystreet.com/&quot;&gt;FixMyStreet&lt;/a&gt; up and running,
6698 and it has been running for a month now. The entire project has been
6699 organised by me and two others. Around Christmas we gathered sponsors
6700 to fund the development work. In January I drafted a contract with
6701 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mysociety.org/&quot;&gt;mySociety&lt;/a&gt; on what to develop,
6702 and in February the development took place. Most of it involved
6703 converting the source to use GPS coordinates instead of British
6704 easting/northing, and the resulting code should be a lot easier to get
6705 running in any country by now. The Norwegian
6706 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fiksgatami.no/&quot;&gt;FiksGataMi&lt;/a&gt; is using
6707 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openstreetmap.org/&quot;&gt;OpenStreetmap&lt;/a&gt; as the map
6708 source and the source for administrative borders in Norway, and
6709 support for this had to be added/fixed.&lt;/p&gt;
6710
6711 &lt;p&gt;The Norwegian version went live March 3th, and we spent the weekend
6712 polishing the system before we announced it March 7th. The system is
6713 running on a KVM instance of Debian/Squeeze, and has seen almost 3000
6714 problem reports in a few weeks. Soon we hope to announce the Android
6715 and iPhone versions making it even easier to report problems with the
6716 public infrastructure.&lt;/p&gt;
6717
6718 &lt;p&gt;Perhaps something to consider for those of you in countries without
6719 such service?&lt;/p&gt;
6720 </description>
6721 </item>
6722
6723 <item>
6724 <title>Using NVD and CPE to track CVEs in locally maintained software</title>
6725 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_NVD_and_CPE_to_track_CVEs_in_locally_maintained_software.html</link>
6726 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Using_NVD_and_CPE_to_track_CVEs_in_locally_maintained_software.html</guid>
6727 <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
6728 <description>&lt;p&gt;The last few days I have looked at ways to track open security
6729 issues here at my work with the University of Oslo. My idea is that
6730 it should be possible to use the information about security issues
6731 available on the Internet, and check our locally
6732 maintained/distributed software against this information. It should
6733 allow us to verify that no known security issues are forgotten. The
6734 CVE database listing vulnerabilities seem like a great central point,
6735 and by using the package lists from Debian mapped to CVEs provided by
6736 the testing security team, I believed it should be possible to figure
6737 out which security holes were present in our free software
6738 collection.&lt;/p&gt;
6739
6740 &lt;p&gt;After reading up on the topic, it became obvious that the first
6741 building block is to be able to name software packages in a unique and
6742 consistent way across data sources. I considered several ways to do
6743 this, for example coming up with my own naming scheme like using URLs
6744 to project home pages or URLs to the Freshmeat entries, or using some
6745 existing naming scheme. And it seem like I am not the first one to
6746 come across this problem, as MITRE already proposed and implemented a
6747 solution. Enter the &lt;a href=&quot;http://cpe.mitre.org/index.html&quot;&gt;Common
6748 Platform Enumeration&lt;/a&gt; dictionary, a vocabulary for referring to
6749 software, hardware and other platform components. The CPE ids are
6750 mapped to CVEs in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.nvd.nist.gov/&quot;&gt;National
6751 Vulnerability Database&lt;/a&gt;, allowing me to look up know security
6752 issues for any CPE name. With this in place, all I need to do is to
6753 locate the CPE id for the software packages we use at the university.
6754 This is fairly trivial (I google for &#39;cve cpe $package&#39; and check the
6755 NVD entry if a CVE for the package exist).&lt;/p&gt;
6756
6757 &lt;p&gt;To give you an example. The GNU gzip source package have the CPE
6758 name cpe:/a:gnu:gzip. If the old version 1.3.3 was the package to
6759 check out, one could look up
6760 &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/search?cpe=cpe%3A%2Fa%3Agnu%3Agzip:1.3.3&quot;&gt;cpe:/a:gnu:gzip:1.3.3
6761 in NVD&lt;/a&gt; and get a list of 6 security holes with public CVE entries.
6762 The most recent one is
6763 &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2010-0001&quot;&gt;CVE-2010-0001&lt;/a&gt;,
6764 and at the bottom of the NVD page for this vulnerability the complete
6765 list of affected versions is provided.&lt;/p&gt;
6766
6767 &lt;p&gt;The NVD database of CVEs is also available as a XML dump, allowing
6768 for offline processing of issues. Using this dump, I&#39;ve written a
6769 small script taking a list of CPEs as input and list all CVEs
6770 affecting the packages represented by these CPEs. One give it CPEs
6771 with version numbers as specified above and get a list of open
6772 security issues out.&lt;/p&gt;
6773
6774 &lt;p&gt;Of course for this approach to be useful, the quality of the NVD
6775 information need to be high. For that to happen, I believe as many as
6776 possible need to use and contribute to the NVD database. I notice
6777 RHEL is providing
6778 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.redhat.com/security/data/metrics/rhsamapcpe.txt&quot;&gt;a
6779 map from CVE to CPE&lt;/a&gt;, indicating that they are using the CPE
6780 information. I&#39;m not aware of Debian and Ubuntu doing the same.&lt;/p&gt;
6781
6782 &lt;p&gt;To get an idea about the quality for free software, I spent some
6783 time making it possible to compare the CVE database from Debian with
6784 the CVE database in NVD. The result look fairly good, but there are
6785 some inconsistencies in NVD (same software package having several
6786 CPEs), and some inaccuracies (NVD not mentioning buggy packages that
6787 Debian believe are affected by a CVE). Hope to find time to improve
6788 the quality of NVD, but that require being able to get in touch with
6789 someone maintaining it. So far my three emails with questions and
6790 corrections have not seen any reply, but I hope contact can be
6791 established soon.&lt;/p&gt;
6792
6793 &lt;p&gt;An interesting application for CPEs is cross platform package
6794 mapping. It would be useful to know which packages in for example
6795 RHEL, OpenSuSe and Mandriva are missing from Debian and Ubuntu, and
6796 this would be trivial if all linux distributions provided CPE entries
6797 for their packages.&lt;/p&gt;
6798 </description>
6799 </item>
6800
6801 <item>
6802 <title>Which module is loaded for a given PCI and USB device?</title>
6803 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Which_module_is_loaded_for_a_given_PCI_and_USB_device_.html</link>
6804 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Which_module_is_loaded_for_a_given_PCI_and_USB_device_.html</guid>
6805 <pubDate>Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
6806 <description>&lt;p&gt;In the
6807 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/discover-data&quot;&gt;discover-data&lt;/a&gt;
6808 package in Debian, there is a script to report useful information
6809 about the running hardware for use when people report missing
6810 information. One part of this script that I find very useful when
6811 debugging hardware problems, is the part mapping loaded kernel module
6812 to the PCI device it claims. It allow me to quickly see if the kernel
6813 module I expect is driving the hardware I am struggling with. To see
6814 the output, make sure discover-data is installed and run
6815 &lt;tt&gt;/usr/share/bug/discover-data 3&gt;&amp;1&lt;/tt&gt;. The relevant output on
6816 one of my machines like this:&lt;/p&gt;
6817
6818 &lt;pre&gt;
6819 loaded modules:
6820 10de:03eb i2c_nforce2
6821 10de:03f1 ohci_hcd
6822 10de:03f2 ehci_hcd
6823 10de:03f0 snd_hda_intel
6824 10de:03ec pata_amd
6825 10de:03f6 sata_nv
6826 1022:1103 k8temp
6827 109e:036e bttv
6828 109e:0878 snd_bt87x
6829 11ab:4364 sky2
6830 &lt;/pre&gt;
6831
6832 &lt;p&gt;The code in question look like this, slightly modified for
6833 readability and to drop the output to file descriptor 3:&lt;/p&gt;
6834
6835 &lt;pre&gt;
6836 if [ -d /sys/bus/pci/devices/ ] ; then
6837 echo loaded pci modules:
6838 (
6839 cd /sys/bus/pci/devices/
6840 for address in * ; do
6841 if [ -d &quot;$address/driver/module&quot; ] ; then
6842 module=`cd $address/driver/module ; pwd -P | xargs basename`
6843 if grep -q &quot;^$module &quot; /proc/modules ; then
6844 address=$(echo $address |sed s/0000://)
6845 id=`lspci -n -s $address | tail -n 1 | awk &#39;{print $3}&#39;`
6846 echo &quot;$id $module&quot;
6847 fi
6848 fi
6849 done
6850 )
6851 echo
6852 fi
6853 &lt;/pre&gt;
6854
6855 &lt;p&gt;Similar code could be used to extract USB device module
6856 mappings:&lt;/p&gt;
6857
6858 &lt;pre&gt;
6859 if [ -d /sys/bus/usb/devices/ ] ; then
6860 echo loaded usb modules:
6861 (
6862 cd /sys/bus/usb/devices/
6863 for address in * ; do
6864 if [ -d &quot;$address/driver/module&quot; ] ; then
6865 module=`cd $address/driver/module ; pwd -P | xargs basename`
6866 if grep -q &quot;^$module &quot; /proc/modules ; then
6867 address=$(echo $address |sed s/0000://)
6868 id=$(lsusb -s $address | tail -n 1 | awk &#39;{print $6}&#39;)
6869 if [ &quot;$id&quot; ] ; then
6870 echo &quot;$id $module&quot;
6871 fi
6872 fi
6873 fi
6874 done
6875 )
6876 echo
6877 fi
6878 &lt;/pre&gt;
6879
6880 &lt;p&gt;This might perhaps be something to include in other tools as
6881 well.&lt;/p&gt;
6882 </description>
6883 </item>
6884
6885 <item>
6886 <title>How to test if a laptop is working with Linux</title>
6887 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_test_if_a_laptop_is_working_with_Linux.html</link>
6888 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/How_to_test_if_a_laptop_is_working_with_Linux.html</guid>
6889 <pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:55:00 +0100</pubDate>
6890 <description>&lt;p&gt;The last few days I have spent at work here at the &lt;a
6891 href=&quot;http://www.uio.no/&quot;&gt;University of Oslo&lt;/a&gt; testing if the new
6892 batch of computers will work with Linux. Every year for the last few
6893 years the university have organised shared bid of a few thousand
6894 computers, and this year HP won the bid. Two different desktops and
6895 five different laptops are on the list this year. We in the UNIX
6896 group want to know which one of these computers work well with RHEL
6897 and Ubuntu, the two Linux distributions we currently handle at the
6898 university.&lt;/p&gt;
6899
6900 &lt;p&gt;My test method is simple, and I share it here to get feedback and
6901 perhaps inspire others to test hardware as well. To test, I PXE
6902 install the OS version of choice, and log in as my normal user and run
6903 a few applications and plug in selected pieces of hardware. When
6904 something fail, I make a note about this in the test matrix and move
6905 on. If I have some spare time I try to report the bug to the OS
6906 vendor, but as I only have the machines for a short time, I rarely
6907 have the time to do this for all the problems I find.&lt;/p&gt;
6908
6909 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, to get to the point of this post. Here is the simple tests
6910 I perform on a new model.&lt;/p&gt;
6911
6912 &lt;ul&gt;
6913
6914 &lt;li&gt;Is PXE installation working? I&#39;m testing with RHEL6, Ubuntu Lucid
6915 and Ubuntu Maverik at the moment. If I feel like it, I also test with
6916 RHEL5 and Debian Edu/Squeeze.&lt;/li&gt;
6917
6918 &lt;li&gt;Is X.org working? If the graphical login screen show up after
6919 installation, X.org is working.&lt;/li&gt;
6920
6921 &lt;li&gt;Is hardware accelerated OpenGL working? Running glxgears (in
6922 package mesa-utils on Ubuntu) and writing down the frames per second
6923 reported by the program.&lt;/li&gt;
6924
6925 &lt;li&gt;Is sound working? With Gnome and KDE, a sound is played when
6926 logging in, and if I can hear this the test is successful. If there
6927 are several audio exits on the machine, I try them all and check if
6928 the Gnome/KDE audio mixer can control where to send the sound. I
6929 normally test this by playing
6930 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuug.no/aktiviteter/20101012-chef/ &quot;&gt;a HTML5
6931 video&lt;/a&gt; in Firefox/Iceweasel.&lt;/li&gt;
6932
6933 &lt;li&gt;Is the USB subsystem working? I test this by plugging in a USB
6934 memory stick and see if Gnome/KDE notices this.&lt;/li&gt;
6935
6936 &lt;li&gt;Is the CD/DVD player working? I test this by inserting any CD/DVD
6937 I have lying around, and see if Gnome/KDE notices this.&lt;/li&gt;
6938
6939 &lt;li&gt;Is any built in camera working? Test using cheese, and see if a
6940 picture from the v4l device show up.&lt;/li&gt;
6941
6942 &lt;li&gt;Is bluetooth working? Use the Gnome/KDE browsing tool to see if
6943 any bluetooth devices are discovered. In my office, I normally see a
6944 few.&lt;/li&gt;
6945
6946 &lt;li&gt;For laptops, is the SD or Compaq Flash reader working. I have
6947 memory modules lying around, and stick them in and see if Gnome/KDE
6948 notice this.&lt;/li&gt;
6949
6950 &lt;li&gt;For laptops, is suspend/hibernate working? I&#39;m testing if the
6951 special button work, and if the laptop continue to work after
6952 resume.&lt;/li&gt;
6953
6954 &lt;li&gt;For laptops, is the extra buttons working, like audio level,
6955 adjusting background light, switching on/off external video output,
6956 switching on/off wifi, bluetooth, etc? The set of buttons differ from
6957 laptop to laptop, so I just write down which are working and which are
6958 not.&lt;/li&gt;
6959
6960 &lt;li&gt;Some laptops have smart card readers, finger print readers,
6961 acceleration sensors etc. I rarely test these, as I do not know how
6962 to quickly test if they are working or not, so I only document their
6963 existence.&lt;/li&gt;
6964
6965 &lt;/ul&gt;
6966
6967 &lt;p&gt;By now I suspect you are really curious what the test results are
6968 for the HP machines I am testing. I&#39;m not done yet, so I will report
6969 the test results later. For now I can report that HP 8100 Elite work
6970 fine, and hibernation fail with HP EliteBook 8440p on Ubuntu Lucid,
6971 and audio fail on RHEL6. Ubuntu Maverik worked with 8440p. As you
6972 can see, I have most machines left to test. One interesting
6973 observation is that Ubuntu Lucid has almost twice the frame rate than
6974 RHEL6 with glxgears. No idea why.&lt;/p&gt;
6975 </description>
6976 </item>
6977
6978 <item>
6979 <title>Some thoughts on BitCoins</title>
6980 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Some_thoughts_on_BitCoins.html</link>
6981 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Some_thoughts_on_BitCoins.html</guid>
6982 <pubDate>Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:10:00 +0100</pubDate>
6983 <description>&lt;p&gt;As I continue to explore
6984 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bitcoin.org/&quot;&gt;BitCoin&lt;/a&gt;, I&#39;ve starting to wonder
6985 what properties the system have, and how it will be affected by laws
6986 and regulations here in Norway. Here are some random notes.&lt;/p&gt;
6987
6988 &lt;p&gt;One interesting thing to note is that since the transactions are
6989 verified using a peer to peer network, all details about a transaction
6990 is known to everyone. This means that if a BitCoin address has been
6991 published like I did with mine in my initial post about BitCoin, it is
6992 possible for everyone to see how many BitCoins have been transfered to
6993 that address. There is even a web service to look at the details for
6994 all transactions. There I can see that my address
6995 &lt;a href=&quot;http://blockexplorer.com/address/15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&quot;&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/a&gt;
6996 have received 16.06 Bitcoin, the
6997 &lt;a href=&quot;http://blockexplorer.com/address/1LfdGnGuWkpSJgbQySxxCWhv8MHqvwst3&quot;&gt;1LfdGnGuWkpSJgbQySxxCWhv8MHqvwst3&lt;/a&gt;
6998 address of Simon Phipps have received 181.97 BitCoin and the address
6999 &lt;a href=&quot;http://blockexplorer.com/address/1MCwBbhNGp5hRm5rC1Aims2YFRe2SXPYKt&quot;&gt;1MCwBbhNGp5hRm5rC1Aims2YFRe2SXPYKt&lt;/A&gt;
7000 of EFF have received 2447.38 BitCoins so far. Thank you to each and
7001 every one of you that donated bitcoins to support my activity. The
7002 fact that anyone can see how much money was transfered to a given
7003 address make it more obvious why the BitCoin community recommend to
7004 generate and hand out a new address for each transaction. I&#39;m told
7005 there is no way to track which addresses belong to a given person or
7006 organisation without the person or organisation revealing it
7007 themselves, as Simon, EFF and I have done.&lt;/p&gt;
7008
7009 &lt;p&gt;In Norway, and in most other countries, there are laws and
7010 regulations limiting how much money one can transfer across the border
7011 without declaring it. There are money laundering, tax and accounting
7012 laws and regulations I would expect to apply to the use of BitCoin.
7013 If the Skolelinux foundation
7014 (&lt;a href=&quot;http://linuxiskolen.no/slxdebianlabs/donations.html&quot;&gt;SLX
7015 Debian Labs&lt;/a&gt;) were to accept donations in BitCoin in addition to
7016 normal bank transfers like EFF is doing, how should this be accounted?
7017 Given that it is impossible to know if money can cross the border or
7018 not, should everything or nothing be declared? What exchange rate
7019 should be used when calculating taxes? Would receivers have to pay
7020 income tax if the foundation were to pay Skolelinux contributors in
7021 BitCoin? I have no idea, but it would be interesting to know.&lt;/p&gt;
7022
7023 &lt;p&gt;For a currency to be useful and successful, it must be trusted and
7024 accepted by a lot of users. It must be possible to get easy access to
7025 the currency (as a wage or using currency exchanges), and it must be
7026 easy to spend it. At the moment BitCoin seem fairly easy to get
7027 access to, but there are very few places to spend it. I am not really
7028 a regular user of any of the vendor types currently accepting BitCoin,
7029 so I wonder when my kind of shop would start accepting BitCoins. I
7030 would like to buy electronics, travels and subway tickets, not herbs
7031 and books. :) The currency is young, and this will improve over time
7032 if it become popular, but I suspect regular banks will start to lobby
7033 to get BitCoin declared illegal if it become popular. I&#39;m sure they
7034 will claim it is helping fund terrorism and money laundering (which
7035 probably would be true, as is any currency in existence), but I
7036 believe the problems should be solved elsewhere and not by blaming
7037 currencies.&lt;/p&gt;
7038
7039 &lt;p&gt;The process of creating new BitCoins is called mining, and it is
7040 CPU intensive process that depend on a bit of luck as well (as one is
7041 competing against all the other miners currently spending CPU cycles
7042 to see which one get the next lump of cash). The &quot;winner&quot; get 50
7043 BitCoin when this happen. Yesterday I came across the obvious way to
7044 join forces to increase ones changes of getting at least some coins,
7045 by coordinating the work on mining BitCoins across several machines
7046 and people, and sharing the result if one is lucky and get the 50
7047 BitCoins. Check out
7048 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bluishcoder.co.nz/bitcoin-pool/&quot;&gt;BitCoin Pool&lt;/a&gt;
7049 if this sounds interesting. I have not had time to try to set up a
7050 machine to participate there yet, but have seen that running on ones
7051 own for a few days have not yield any BitCoins througth mining
7052 yet.&lt;/p&gt;
7053
7054 &lt;p&gt;Update 2010-12-15: Found an &lt;a
7055 href=&quot;http://inertia.posterous.com/reply-to-the-underground-economist-why-bitcoi&quot;&gt;interesting
7056 criticism&lt;/a&gt; of bitcoin. Not quite sure how valid it is, but thought
7057 it was interesting to read. The arguments presented seem to be
7058 equally valid for gold, which was used as a currency for many years.&lt;/p&gt;
7059 </description>
7060 </item>
7061
7062 <item>
7063 <title>Now accepting bitcoins - anonymous and distributed p2p crypto-money</title>
7064 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Now_accepting_bitcoins___anonymous_and_distributed_p2p_crypto_money.html</link>
7065 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Now_accepting_bitcoins___anonymous_and_distributed_p2p_crypto_money.html</guid>
7066 <pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
7067 <description>&lt;p&gt;With this weeks lawless
7068 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/06/wikileaks/index.html&quot;&gt;governmental
7069 attacks&lt;/a&gt; on Wikileak and
7070 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.salon.com/technology/dan_gillmor/2010/12/06/war_on_speech&quot;&gt;free
7071 speech&lt;/a&gt;, it has become obvious that PayPal, visa and mastercard can
7072 not be trusted to handle money transactions.
7073 A blog post from
7074 &lt;a href=&quot;http://webmink.com/2010/12/06/now-accepting-bitcoin/&quot;&gt;Simon
7075 Phipps on bitcoin&lt;/a&gt; reminded me about a project that a friend of
7076 mine mentioned earlier. I decided to follow Simon&#39;s example, and get
7077 involved with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bitcoin.org/&quot;&gt;BitCoin&lt;/a&gt;. I got
7078 some help from my friend to get it all running, and he even handed me
7079 some bitcoins to get started. I even donated a few bitcoins to Simon
7080 for helping me remember BitCoin.&lt;/p&gt;
7081
7082 &lt;p&gt;So, what is bitcoins, you probably wonder? It is a digital
7083 crypto-currency, decentralised and handled using peer-to-peer
7084 networks. It allows anonymous transactions and prohibits central
7085 control over the transactions, making it impossible for governments
7086 and companies alike to block donations and other transactions. The
7087 source is free software, and while the key dependency wxWidgets 2.9
7088 for the graphical user interface is missing in Debian, the command
7089 line client builds just fine. Hopefully Jonas
7090 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/578157&quot;&gt;will get the package into
7091 Debian&lt;/a&gt; soon.&lt;/p&gt;
7092
7093 &lt;p&gt;Bitcoins can be converted to other currencies, like USD and EUR.
7094 There are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bitcoin.org/trade&quot;&gt;companies accepting
7095 bitcoins&lt;/a&gt; when selling services and goods, and there are even
7096 currency &quot;stock&quot; markets where the exchange rate is decided. There
7097 are not many users so far, but the concept seems promising. If you
7098 want to get started and lack a friend with any bitcoins to spare,
7099 you can even get
7100 &lt;a href=&quot;https://freebitcoins.appspot.com/&quot;&gt;some for free&lt;/a&gt; (0.05
7101 bitcoin at the time of writing). Use
7102 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bitcoinwatch.com/&quot;&gt;BitcoinWatch&lt;/a&gt; to keep an eye
7103 on the current exchange rates.&lt;/p&gt;
7104
7105 &lt;p&gt;As an experiment, I have decided to set up bitcoind on one of my
7106 machines. If you want to support my activity, please send Bitcoin
7107 donations to the address
7108 &lt;b&gt;15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b&lt;/b&gt;. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;
7109 </description>
7110 </item>
7111
7112 <item>
7113 <title>Why isn&#39;t Debian Edu using VLC?</title>
7114 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Why_isn_t_Debian_Edu_using_VLC_.html</link>
7115 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Why_isn_t_Debian_Edu_using_VLC_.html</guid>
7116 <pubDate>Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:30:00 +0100</pubDate>
7117 <description>&lt;p&gt;In the latest issue of Linux Journal, the readers choices were
7118 presented, and the winner among the multimedia player were VLC.
7119 Personally, I like VLC, and it is my player of choice when I first try
7120 to play a video file or stream. Only if VLC fail will I drag out
7121 gmplayer to see if it can do better. The reason is mostly the failure
7122 model and trust. When VLC fail, it normally pop up a error message
7123 reporting the problem. When mplayer fail, it normally segfault or
7124 just hangs. The latter failure mode drain my trust in the program.&lt;p&gt;
7125
7126 &lt;p&gt;But even if VLC is my player of choice, we have choosen to use
7127 mplayer in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian
7128 Edu/Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt;. The reason is simple. We need a good browser
7129 plugin to play web videos seamlessly, and the VLC browser plugin is
7130 not very good. For example, it lack in-line control buttons, so there
7131 is no way for the user to pause the video. Also, when I
7132 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/BrowserMultimedia&quot;&gt;last
7133 tested the browser plugins&lt;/a&gt; available in Debian, the VLC plugin
7134 failed on several video pages where mplayer based plugins worked. If
7135 the browser plugin for VLC was as good as the gecko-mediaplayer
7136 package (which uses mplayer), we would switch.&lt;/P&gt;
7137
7138 &lt;p&gt;While VLC is a good player, its user interface is slightly
7139 annoying. The most annoying feature is its inconsistent use of
7140 keyboard shortcuts. When the player is in full screen mode, its
7141 shortcuts are different from when it is playing the video in a window.
7142 For example, space only work as pause when in full screen mode. I
7143 wish it had consisten shortcuts and that space also would work when in
7144 window mode. Another nice shortcut in gmplayer is [enter] to restart
7145 the current video. It is very nice when playing short videos from the
7146 web and want to restart it when new people arrive to have a look at
7147 what is going on.&lt;/p&gt;
7148 </description>
7149 </item>
7150
7151 <item>
7152 <title>Lenny-&gt;Squeeze upgrades of the Gnome and KDE desktop, now with apt-get autoremove</title>
7153 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades_of_the_Gnome_and_KDE_desktop__now_with_apt_get_autoremove.html</link>
7154 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades_of_the_Gnome_and_KDE_desktop__now_with_apt_get_autoremove.html</guid>
7155 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:15:00 +0100</pubDate>
7156 <description>&lt;p&gt;Michael Biebl suggested to me on IRC, that I changed my automated
7157 upgrade testing of the
7158 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/~pere/debian-upgrade-testing/&quot;&gt;Lenny
7159 Gnome and KDE Desktop&lt;/a&gt; to do &lt;tt&gt;apt-get autoremove&lt;/tt&gt; when using apt-get.
7160 This seem like a very good idea, so I adjusted by test scripts and
7161 can now present the updated result from today:&lt;/p&gt;
7162
7163 &lt;p&gt;This is for Gnome:&lt;/p&gt;
7164
7165 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, missing with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7166
7167 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7168 apache2.2-bin
7169 aptdaemon
7170 baobab
7171 binfmt-support
7172 browser-plugin-gnash
7173 cheese-common
7174 cli-common
7175 cups-pk-helper
7176 dmz-cursor-theme
7177 empathy
7178 empathy-common
7179 freedesktop-sound-theme
7180 freeglut3
7181 gconf-defaults-service
7182 gdm-themes
7183 gedit-plugins
7184 geoclue
7185 geoclue-hostip
7186 geoclue-localnet
7187 geoclue-manual
7188 geoclue-yahoo
7189 gnash
7190 gnash-common
7191 gnome
7192 gnome-backgrounds
7193 gnome-cards-data
7194 gnome-codec-install
7195 gnome-core
7196 gnome-desktop-environment
7197 gnome-disk-utility
7198 gnome-screenshot
7199 gnome-search-tool
7200 gnome-session-canberra
7201 gnome-system-log
7202 gnome-themes-extras
7203 gnome-themes-more
7204 gnome-user-share
7205 gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3
7206 gstreamer0.10-tools
7207 gtk2-engines
7208 gtk2-engines-pixbuf
7209 gtk2-engines-smooth
7210 hamster-applet
7211 libapache2-mod-dnssd
7212 libapr1
7213 libaprutil1
7214 libaprutil1-dbd-sqlite3
7215 libaprutil1-ldap
7216 libart2.0-cil
7217 libboost-date-time1.42.0
7218 libboost-python1.42.0
7219 libboost-thread1.42.0
7220 libchamplain-0.4-0
7221 libchamplain-gtk-0.4-0
7222 libcheese-gtk18
7223 libclutter-gtk-0.10-0
7224 libcryptui0
7225 libdiscid0
7226 libelf1
7227 libepc-1.0-2
7228 libepc-common
7229 libepc-ui-1.0-2
7230 libfreerdp-plugins-standard
7231 libfreerdp0
7232 libgconf2.0-cil
7233 libgdata-common
7234 libgdata7
7235 libgdu-gtk0
7236 libgee2
7237 libgeoclue0
7238 libgexiv2-0
7239 libgif4
7240 libglade2.0-cil
7241 libglib2.0-cil
7242 libgmime2.4-cil
7243 libgnome-vfs2.0-cil
7244 libgnome2.24-cil
7245 libgnomepanel2.24-cil
7246 libgpod-common
7247 libgpod4
7248 libgtk2.0-cil
7249 libgtkglext1
7250 libgtksourceview2.0-common
7251 libmono-addins-gui0.2-cil
7252 libmono-addins0.2-cil
7253 libmono-cairo2.0-cil
7254 libmono-corlib2.0-cil
7255 libmono-i18n-west2.0-cil
7256 libmono-posix2.0-cil
7257 libmono-security2.0-cil
7258 libmono-sharpzip2.84-cil
7259 libmono-system2.0-cil
7260 libmtp8
7261 libmusicbrainz3-6
7262 libndesk-dbus-glib1.0-cil
7263 libndesk-dbus1.0-cil
7264 libopal3.6.8
7265 libpolkit-gtk-1-0
7266 libpt2.6.7
7267 libpython2.6
7268 librpm1
7269 librpmio1
7270 libsdl1.2debian
7271 libsrtp0
7272 libssh-4
7273 libtelepathy-farsight0
7274 libtelepathy-glib0
7275 libtidy-0.99-0
7276 media-player-info
7277 mesa-utils
7278 mono-2.0-gac
7279 mono-gac
7280 mono-runtime
7281 nautilus-sendto
7282 nautilus-sendto-empathy
7283 p7zip-full
7284 pkg-config
7285 python-aptdaemon
7286 python-aptdaemon-gtk
7287 python-axiom
7288 python-beautifulsoup
7289 python-bugbuddy
7290 python-clientform
7291 python-coherence
7292 python-configobj
7293 python-crypto
7294 python-cupshelpers
7295 python-elementtree
7296 python-epsilon
7297 python-evolution
7298 python-feedparser
7299 python-gdata
7300 python-gdbm
7301 python-gst0.10
7302 python-gtkglext1
7303 python-gtksourceview2
7304 python-httplib2
7305 python-louie
7306 python-mako
7307 python-markupsafe
7308 python-mechanize
7309 python-nevow
7310 python-notify
7311 python-opengl
7312 python-openssl
7313 python-pam
7314 python-pkg-resources
7315 python-pyasn1
7316 python-pysqlite2
7317 python-rdflib
7318 python-serial
7319 python-tagpy
7320 python-twisted-bin
7321 python-twisted-conch
7322 python-twisted-core
7323 python-twisted-web
7324 python-utidylib
7325 python-webkit
7326 python-xdg
7327 python-zope.interface
7328 remmina
7329 remmina-plugin-data
7330 remmina-plugin-rdp
7331 remmina-plugin-vnc
7332 rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder
7333 rhythmbox-plugins
7334 rpm-common
7335 rpm2cpio
7336 seahorse-plugins
7337 shotwell
7338 software-center
7339 system-config-printer-udev
7340 telepathy-gabble
7341 telepathy-mission-control-5
7342 telepathy-salut
7343 tomboy
7344 totem
7345 totem-coherence
7346 totem-mozilla
7347 totem-plugins
7348 transmission-common
7349 xdg-user-dirs
7350 xdg-user-dirs-gtk
7351 xserver-xephyr
7352 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7353
7354 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, removed with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7355
7356 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7357 cheese
7358 ekiga
7359 eog
7360 epiphany-extensions
7361 evolution-exchange
7362 fast-user-switch-applet
7363 file-roller
7364 gcalctool
7365 gconf-editor
7366 gdm
7367 gedit
7368 gedit-common
7369 gnome-games
7370 gnome-games-data
7371 gnome-nettool
7372 gnome-system-tools
7373 gnome-themes
7374 gnuchess
7375 gucharmap
7376 guile-1.8-libs
7377 libavahi-ui0
7378 libdmx1
7379 libgalago3
7380 libgtk-vnc-1.0-0
7381 libgtksourceview2.0-0
7382 liblircclient0
7383 libsdl1.2debian-alsa
7384 libspeexdsp1
7385 libsvga1
7386 rhythmbox
7387 seahorse
7388 sound-juicer
7389 system-config-printer
7390 totem-common
7391 transmission-gtk
7392 vinagre
7393 vino
7394 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7395
7396 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, missing with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7397
7398 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7399 gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs
7400 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7401
7402 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, removed with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7403
7404 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7405 [nothing]
7406 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7407
7408 &lt;p&gt;This is for KDE:&lt;/p&gt;
7409
7410 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, missing with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7411
7412 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7413 ksmserver
7414 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7415
7416 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, removed with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7417
7418 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7419 kwin
7420 network-manager-kde
7421 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7422
7423 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, missing with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7424
7425 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7426 arts
7427 dolphin
7428 freespacenotifier
7429 google-gadgets-gst
7430 google-gadgets-xul
7431 kappfinder
7432 kcalc
7433 kcharselect
7434 kde-core
7435 kde-plasma-desktop
7436 kde-standard
7437 kde-window-manager
7438 kdeartwork
7439 kdeartwork-emoticons
7440 kdeartwork-style
7441 kdeartwork-theme-icon
7442 kdebase
7443 kdebase-apps
7444 kdebase-workspace
7445 kdebase-workspace-bin
7446 kdebase-workspace-data
7447 kdeeject
7448 kdelibs
7449 kdeplasma-addons
7450 kdeutils
7451 kdewallpapers
7452 kdf
7453 kfloppy
7454 kgpg
7455 khelpcenter4
7456 kinfocenter
7457 konq-plugins-l10n
7458 konqueror-nsplugins
7459 kscreensaver
7460 kscreensaver-xsavers
7461 ktimer
7462 kwrite
7463 libgle3
7464 libkde4-ruby1.8
7465 libkonq5
7466 libkonq5-templates
7467 libnetpbm10
7468 libplasma-ruby
7469 libplasma-ruby1.8
7470 libqt4-ruby1.8
7471 marble-data
7472 marble-plugins
7473 netpbm
7474 nuvola-icon-theme
7475 plasma-dataengines-workspace
7476 plasma-desktop
7477 plasma-desktopthemes-artwork
7478 plasma-runners-addons
7479 plasma-scriptengine-googlegadgets
7480 plasma-scriptengine-python
7481 plasma-scriptengine-qedje
7482 plasma-scriptengine-ruby
7483 plasma-scriptengine-webkit
7484 plasma-scriptengines
7485 plasma-wallpapers-addons
7486 plasma-widget-folderview
7487 plasma-widget-networkmanagement
7488 ruby
7489 sweeper
7490 update-notifier-kde
7491 xscreensaver-data-extra
7492 xscreensaver-gl
7493 xscreensaver-gl-extra
7494 xscreensaver-screensaver-bsod
7495 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7496
7497 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, removed with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7498
7499 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7500 ark
7501 google-gadgets-common
7502 google-gadgets-qt
7503 htdig
7504 kate
7505 kdebase-bin
7506 kdebase-data
7507 kdepasswd
7508 kfind
7509 klipper
7510 konq-plugins
7511 konqueror
7512 ksysguard
7513 ksysguardd
7514 libarchive1
7515 libcln6
7516 libeet1
7517 libeina-svn-06
7518 libggadget-1.0-0b
7519 libggadget-qt-1.0-0b
7520 libgps19
7521 libkdecorations4
7522 libkephal4
7523 libkonq4
7524 libkonqsidebarplugin4a
7525 libkscreensaver5
7526 libksgrd4
7527 libksignalplotter4
7528 libkunitconversion4
7529 libkwineffects1a
7530 libmarblewidget4
7531 libntrack-qt4-1
7532 libntrack0
7533 libplasma-geolocation-interface4
7534 libplasmaclock4a
7535 libplasmagenericshell4
7536 libprocesscore4a
7537 libprocessui4a
7538 libqalculate5
7539 libqedje0a
7540 libqtruby4shared2
7541 libqzion0a
7542 libruby1.8
7543 libscim8c2a
7544 libsmokekdecore4-3
7545 libsmokekdeui4-3
7546 libsmokekfile3
7547 libsmokekhtml3
7548 libsmokekio3
7549 libsmokeknewstuff2-3
7550 libsmokeknewstuff3-3
7551 libsmokekparts3
7552 libsmokektexteditor3
7553 libsmokekutils3
7554 libsmokenepomuk3
7555 libsmokephonon3
7556 libsmokeplasma3
7557 libsmokeqtcore4-3
7558 libsmokeqtdbus4-3
7559 libsmokeqtgui4-3
7560 libsmokeqtnetwork4-3
7561 libsmokeqtopengl4-3
7562 libsmokeqtscript4-3
7563 libsmokeqtsql4-3
7564 libsmokeqtsvg4-3
7565 libsmokeqttest4-3
7566 libsmokeqtuitools4-3
7567 libsmokeqtwebkit4-3
7568 libsmokeqtxml4-3
7569 libsmokesolid3
7570 libsmokesoprano3
7571 libtaskmanager4a
7572 libtidy-0.99-0
7573 libweather-ion4a
7574 libxklavier16
7575 libxxf86misc1
7576 okteta
7577 oxygencursors
7578 plasma-dataengines-addons
7579 plasma-scriptengine-superkaramba
7580 plasma-widget-lancelot
7581 plasma-widgets-addons
7582 plasma-widgets-workspace
7583 polkit-kde-1
7584 ruby1.8
7585 systemsettings
7586 update-notifier-common
7587 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7588
7589 &lt;p&gt;Running apt-get autoremove made the results using apt-get and
7590 aptitude a bit more similar, but there are still quite a lott of
7591 differences. I have no idea what packages should be installed after
7592 the upgrade, but hope those that do can have a look.&lt;/p&gt;
7593 </description>
7594 </item>
7595
7596 <item>
7597 <title>Migrating Xen virtual machines using LVM to KVM using disk images</title>
7598 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Migrating_Xen_virtual_machines_using_LVM_to_KVM_using_disk_images.html</link>
7599 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Migrating_Xen_virtual_machines_using_LVM_to_KVM_using_disk_images.html</guid>
7600 <pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
7601 <description>&lt;p&gt;Most of the computers in use by the
7602 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu/Skolelinux project&lt;/a&gt;
7603 are virtual machines. And they have been Xen machines running on a
7604 fairly old IBM eserver xseries 345 machine, and we wanted to migrate
7605 them to KVM on a newer Dell PowerEdge 2950 host machine. This was a
7606 bit harder that it could have been, because we set up the Xen virtual
7607 machines to get the virtual partitions from LVM, which as far as I
7608 know is not supported by KVM. So to migrate, we had to convert
7609 several LVM logical volumes to partitions on a virtual disk file.&lt;/p&gt;
7610
7611 &lt;p&gt;I found
7612 &lt;a href=&quot;http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com.au/articles/35011-Six-steps-for-migrating-Xen-virtual-machines-to-KVM&quot;&gt;a
7613 nice recipe&lt;/a&gt; to do this, and wrote the following script to do the
7614 migration. It uses qemu-img from the qemu package to make the disk
7615 image, parted to partition it, losetup and kpartx to present the disk
7616 image partions as devices, and dd to copy the data. I NFS mounted the
7617 new servers storage area on the old server to do the migration.&lt;/p&gt;
7618
7619 &lt;pre&gt;
7620 #!/bin/sh
7621
7622 # Based on
7623 # http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com.au/articles/35011-Six-steps-for-migrating-Xen-virtual-machines-to-KVM
7624
7625 set -e
7626 set -x
7627
7628 if [ -z &quot;$1&quot; ] ; then
7629 echo &quot;Usage: $0 &amp;lt;hostname&amp;gt;&quot;
7630 exit 1
7631 else
7632 host=&quot;$1&quot;
7633 fi
7634
7635 if [ ! -e /dev/vg_data/$host-disk ] ; then
7636 echo &quot;error: unable to find LVM volume for $host&quot;
7637 exit 1
7638 fi
7639
7640 # Partitions need to be a bit bigger than the LVM LVs. not sure why.
7641 disksize=$( lvs --units m | grep $host-disk | awk &#39;{sum = sum + $4} END { print int(sum * 1.05) }&#39;)
7642 swapsize=$( lvs --units m | grep $host-swap | awk &#39;{sum = sum + $4} END { print int(sum * 1.05) }&#39;)
7643 totalsize=$(( ( $disksize + $swapsize ) ))
7644
7645 img=$host.img
7646 #dd if=/dev/zero of=$img bs=1M count=$(( $disksize + $swapsize ))
7647 qemu-img create $img ${totalsize}MMaking room on the Debian Edu/Sqeeze DVD
7648
7649 parted $img mklabel msdos
7650 parted $img mkpart primary linux-swap 0 $disksize
7651 parted $img mkpart primary ext2 $disksize $totalsize
7652 parted $img set 1 boot on
7653
7654 modprobe dm-mod
7655 losetup /dev/loop0 $img
7656 kpartx -a /dev/loop0
7657
7658 dd if=/dev/vg_data/$host-disk of=/dev/mapper/loop0p1 bs=1M
7659 fsck.ext3 -f /dev/mapper/loop0p1 || true
7660 mkswap /dev/mapper/loop0p2
7661
7662 kpartx -d /dev/loop0
7663 losetup -d /dev/loop0
7664 &lt;/pre&gt;
7665
7666 &lt;p&gt;The script is perhaps so simple that it is not copyrightable, but
7667 if it is, it is licenced using GPL v2 or later at your discretion.&lt;/p&gt;
7668
7669 &lt;p&gt;After doing this, I booted a Debian CD in rescue mode in KVM with
7670 the new disk image attached, installed grub-pc and linux-image-686 and
7671 set up grub to boot from the disk image. After this, the KVM machines
7672 seem to work just fine.&lt;/p&gt;
7673 </description>
7674 </item>
7675
7676 <item>
7677 <title>Lenny-&gt;Squeeze upgrades, apt vs aptitude with the Gnome and KDE desktop</title>
7678 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades__apt_vs_aptitude_with_the_Gnome_and_KDE_desktop.html</link>
7679 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades__apt_vs_aptitude_with_the_Gnome_and_KDE_desktop.html</guid>
7680 <pubDate>Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
7681 <description>&lt;p&gt;I&#39;m still running upgrade testing of the
7682 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/~pere/debian-upgrade-testing/&quot;&gt;Lenny
7683 Gnome and KDE Desktop&lt;/a&gt;, but have not had time to spend on reporting the
7684 status. Here is a short update based on a test I ran 20101118.&lt;/p&gt;
7685
7686 &lt;p&gt;I still do not know what a correct migration should look like, so I
7687 report any differences between apt and aptitude and hope someone else
7688 can see if anything should be changed.&lt;/p&gt;
7689
7690 &lt;p&gt;This is for Gnome:&lt;/p&gt;
7691
7692 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, missing with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7693
7694 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7695 apache2.2-bin aptdaemon at-spi baobab binfmt-support
7696 browser-plugin-gnash cheese-common cli-common cpp-4.3 cups-pk-helper
7697 dmz-cursor-theme empathy empathy-common finger
7698 freedesktop-sound-theme freeglut3 gconf-defaults-service gdm-themes
7699 gedit-plugins geoclue geoclue-hostip geoclue-localnet geoclue-manual
7700 geoclue-yahoo gnash gnash-common gnome gnome-backgrounds
7701 gnome-cards-data gnome-codec-install gnome-core
7702 gnome-desktop-environment gnome-disk-utility gnome-screenshot
7703 gnome-search-tool gnome-session-canberra gnome-spell
7704 gnome-system-log gnome-themes-extras gnome-themes-more
7705 gnome-user-share gs-common gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3
7706 gstreamer0.10-tools gtk2-engines gtk2-engines-pixbuf
7707 gtk2-engines-smooth hal-info hamster-applet libapache2-mod-dnssd
7708 libapr1 libaprutil1 libaprutil1-dbd-sqlite3 libaprutil1-ldap
7709 libart2.0-cil libatspi1.0-0 libboost-date-time1.42.0
7710 libboost-python1.42.0 libboost-thread1.42.0 libchamplain-0.4-0
7711 libchamplain-gtk-0.4-0 libcheese-gtk18 libclutter-gtk-0.10-0
7712 libcryptui0 libcupsys2 libdiscid0 libeel2-data libelf1 libepc-1.0-2
7713 libepc-common libepc-ui-1.0-2 libfreerdp-plugins-standard
7714 libfreerdp0 libgail-common libgconf2.0-cil libgdata-common libgdata7
7715 libgdl-1-common libgdu-gtk0 libgee2 libgeoclue0 libgexiv2-0 libgif4
7716 libglade2.0-cil libglib2.0-cil libgmime2.4-cil libgnome-vfs2.0-cil
7717 libgnome2.24-cil libgnomepanel2.24-cil libgnomeprint2.2-data
7718 libgnomeprintui2.2-common libgnomevfs2-bin libgpod-common libgpod4
7719 libgtk2.0-cil libgtkglext1 libgtksourceview-common
7720 libgtksourceview2.0-common libmono-addins-gui0.2-cil
7721 libmono-addins0.2-cil libmono-cairo2.0-cil libmono-corlib2.0-cil
7722 libmono-i18n-west2.0-cil libmono-posix2.0-cil
7723 libmono-security2.0-cil libmono-sharpzip2.84-cil
7724 libmono-system2.0-cil libmtp8 libmusicbrainz3-6
7725 libndesk-dbus-glib1.0-cil libndesk-dbus1.0-cil libopal3.6.8
7726 libpolkit-gtk-1-0 libpt-1.10.10-plugins-alsa
7727 libpt-1.10.10-plugins-v4l libpt2.6.7 libpython2.6 librpm1 librpmio1
7728 libsdl1.2debian libservlet2.4-java libsrtp0 libssh-4
7729 libtelepathy-farsight0 libtelepathy-glib0 libtidy-0.99-0
7730 libxalan2-java libxerces2-java media-player-info mesa-utils
7731 mono-2.0-gac mono-gac mono-runtime nautilus-sendto
7732 nautilus-sendto-empathy openoffice.org-writer2latex
7733 openssl-blacklist p7zip p7zip-full pkg-config python-4suite-xml
7734 python-aptdaemon python-aptdaemon-gtk python-axiom
7735 python-beautifulsoup python-bugbuddy python-clientform
7736 python-coherence python-configobj python-crypto python-cupshelpers
7737 python-cupsutils python-eggtrayicon python-elementtree
7738 python-epsilon python-evolution python-feedparser python-gdata
7739 python-gdbm python-gst0.10 python-gtkglext1 python-gtkmozembed
7740 python-gtksourceview2 python-httplib2 python-louie python-mako
7741 python-markupsafe python-mechanize python-nevow python-notify
7742 python-opengl python-openssl python-pam python-pkg-resources
7743 python-pyasn1 python-pysqlite2 python-rdflib python-serial
7744 python-tagpy python-twisted-bin python-twisted-conch
7745 python-twisted-core python-twisted-web python-utidylib python-webkit
7746 python-xdg python-zope.interface remmina remmina-plugin-data
7747 remmina-plugin-rdp remmina-plugin-vnc rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder
7748 rhythmbox-plugins rpm-common rpm2cpio seahorse-plugins shotwell
7749 software-center svgalibg1 system-config-printer-udev
7750 telepathy-gabble telepathy-mission-control-5 telepathy-salut tomboy
7751 totem totem-coherence totem-mozilla totem-plugins
7752 transmission-common xdg-user-dirs xdg-user-dirs-gtk xserver-xephyr
7753 zip
7754 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7755
7756 Installed using apt-get, removed with aptitude
7757
7758 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7759 arj bluez-utils cheese dhcdbd djvulibre-desktop ekiga eog
7760 epiphany-extensions epiphany-gecko evolution-exchange
7761 fast-user-switch-applet file-roller gcalctool gconf-editor gdm gedit
7762 gedit-common gnome-app-install gnome-games gnome-games-data
7763 gnome-nettool gnome-system-tools gnome-themes gnome-utils
7764 gnome-vfs-obexftp gnome-volume-manager gnuchess gucharmap
7765 guile-1.8-libs hal libavahi-compat-libdnssd1 libavahi-core5
7766 libavahi-ui0 libbind9-50 libbluetooth2 libcamel1.2-11 libcdio7
7767 libcucul0 libcurl3 libdirectfb-1.0-0 libdmx1 libdvdread3
7768 libedata-cal1.2-6 libedataserver1.2-9 libeel2-2.20 libepc-1.0-1
7769 libepc-ui-1.0-1 libexchange-storage1.2-3 libfaad0 libgadu3
7770 libgalago3 libgd2-noxpm libgda3-3 libgda3-common libggz2 libggzcore9
7771 libggzmod4 libgksu1.2-0 libgksuui1.0-1 libgmyth0 libgnome-desktop-2
7772 libgnome-pilot2 libgnomecups1.0-1 libgnomeprint2.2-0
7773 libgnomeprintui2.2-0 libgpod3 libgraphviz4 libgtk-vnc-1.0-0
7774 libgtkhtml2-0 libgtksourceview1.0-0 libgtksourceview2.0-0
7775 libgucharmap6 libhesiod0 libicu38 libisccc50 libisccfg50 libiw29
7776 libjaxp1.3-java-gcj libkpathsea4 liblircclient0 libltdl3 liblwres50
7777 libmagick++10 libmagick10 libmalaga7 libmozjs1d libmpfr1ldbl libmtp7
7778 libmysqlclient15off libnautilus-burn4 libneon27 libnm-glib0
7779 libnm-util0 libopal-2.2 libosp5 libparted1.8-10 libpisock9
7780 libpisync1 libpoppler-glib3 libpoppler3 libpt-1.10.10 libraw1394-8
7781 libsdl1.2debian-alsa libsensors3 libsexy2 libsmbios2 libsoup2.2-8
7782 libspeexdsp1 libssh2-1 libsuitesparse-3.1.0 libsvga1
7783 libswfdec-0.6-90 libtalloc1 libtotem-plparser10 libtrackerclient0
7784 libvoikko1 libxalan2-java-gcj libxerces2-java-gcj libxklavier12
7785 libxtrap6 libxxf86misc1 libzephyr3 mysql-common rhythmbox seahorse
7786 sound-juicer swfdec-gnome system-config-printer totem-common
7787 totem-gstreamer transmission-gtk vinagre vino w3c-dtd-xhtml wodim
7788 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7789
7790 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, missing with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7791
7792 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7793 gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs
7794 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7795
7796 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, removed with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7797
7798 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7799 [nothing]
7800 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7801
7802 &lt;p&gt;This is for KDE:&lt;/p&gt;
7803
7804 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, missing with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7805
7806 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7807 autopoint bomber bovo cantor cantor-backend-kalgebra cpp-4.3 dcoprss
7808 edict espeak espeak-data eyesapplet fifteenapplet finger gettext
7809 ghostscript-x git gnome-audio gnugo granatier gs-common
7810 gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio indi kaddressbook-plugins kalgebra
7811 kalzium-data kanjidic kapman kate-plugins kblocks kbreakout kbstate
7812 kde-icons-mono kdeaccessibility kdeaddons-kfile-plugins
7813 kdeadmin-kfile-plugins kdeartwork-misc kdeartwork-theme-window
7814 kdeedu kdeedu-data kdeedu-kvtml-data kdegames kdegames-card-data
7815 kdegames-mahjongg-data kdegraphics-kfile-plugins kdelirc
7816 kdemultimedia-kfile-plugins kdenetwork-kfile-plugins
7817 kdepim-kfile-plugins kdepim-kio-plugins kdessh kdetoys kdewebdev
7818 kdiamond kdnssd kfilereplace kfourinline kgeography-data kigo
7819 killbots kiriki klettres-data kmoon kmrml knewsticker-scripts
7820 kollision kpf krosspython ksirk ksmserver ksquares kstars-data
7821 ksudoku kubrick kweather libasound2-plugins libboost-python1.42.0
7822 libcfitsio3 libconvert-binhex-perl libcrypt-ssleay-perl libdb4.6++
7823 libdjvulibre-text libdotconf1.0 liberror-perl libespeak1
7824 libfinance-quote-perl libgail-common libgsl0ldbl libhtml-parser-perl
7825 libhtml-tableextract-perl libhtml-tagset-perl libhtml-tree-perl
7826 libio-stringy-perl libkdeedu4 libkdegames5 libkiten4 libkpathsea5
7827 libkrossui4 libmailtools-perl libmime-tools-perl
7828 libnews-nntpclient-perl libopenbabel3 libportaudio2 libpulse-browse0
7829 libservlet2.4-java libspeechd2 libtiff-tools libtimedate-perl
7830 libunistring0 liburi-perl libwww-perl libxalan2-java libxerces2-java
7831 lirc luatex marble networkstatus noatun-plugins
7832 openoffice.org-writer2latex palapeli palapeli-data parley
7833 parley-data poster psutils pulseaudio pulseaudio-esound-compat
7834 pulseaudio-module-x11 pulseaudio-utils quanta-data rocs rsync
7835 speech-dispatcher step svgalibg1 texlive-binaries texlive-luatex
7836 ttf-sazanami-gothic
7837 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7838
7839 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, removed with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
7840
7841 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7842 amor artsbuilder atlantik atlantikdesigner blinken bluez-utils cvs
7843 dhcdbd djvulibre-desktop imlib-base imlib11 kalzium kanagram kandy
7844 kasteroids katomic kbackgammon kbattleship kblackbox kbounce kbruch
7845 kcron kdat kdemultimedia-kappfinder-data kdeprint kdict kdvi kedit
7846 keduca kenolaba kfax kfaxview kfouleggs kgeography kghostview
7847 kgoldrunner khangman khexedit kiconedit kig kimagemapeditor
7848 kitchensync kiten kjumpingcube klatin klettres klickety klines
7849 klinkstatus kmag kmahjongg kmailcvt kmenuedit kmid kmilo kmines
7850 kmousetool kmouth kmplot knetwalk kodo kolf kommander konquest kooka
7851 kpager kpat kpdf kpercentage kpilot kpoker kpovmodeler krec
7852 kregexpeditor kreversi ksame ksayit kshisen ksig ksim ksirc ksirtet
7853 ksmiletris ksnake ksokoban kspaceduel kstars ksvg ksysv kteatime
7854 ktip ktnef ktouch ktron kttsd ktuberling kturtle ktux kuickshow
7855 kverbos kview kviewshell kvoctrain kwifimanager kwin kwin4 kwordquiz
7856 kworldclock kxsldbg libakode2 libarts1-akode libarts1-audiofile
7857 libarts1-mpeglib libarts1-xine libavahi-compat-libdnssd1
7858 libavahi-core5 libavc1394-0 libbind9-50 libbluetooth2
7859 libboost-python1.34.1 libcucul0 libcurl3 libcvsservice0
7860 libdirectfb-1.0-0 libdjvulibre21 libdvdread3 libfaad0 libfreebob0
7861 libgd2-noxpm libgraphviz4 libgsmme1c2a libgtkhtml2-0 libicu38
7862 libiec61883-0 libindex0 libisccc50 libisccfg50 libiw29
7863 libjaxp1.3-java-gcj libk3b3 libkcal2b libkcddb1 libkdeedu3
7864 libkdegames1 libkdepim1a libkgantt0 libkleopatra1 libkmime2
7865 libkpathsea4 libkpimexchange1 libkpimidentities1 libkscan1
7866 libksieve0 libktnef1 liblockdev1 libltdl3 liblwres50 libmagick10
7867 libmimelib1c2a libmodplug0c2 libmozjs1d libmpcdec3 libmpfr1ldbl
7868 libneon27 libnm-util0 libopensync0 libpisock9 libpoppler-glib3
7869 libpoppler-qt2 libpoppler3 libraw1394-8 librss1 libsensors3
7870 libsmbios2 libssh2-1 libsuitesparse-3.1.0 libswfdec-0.6-90
7871 libtalloc1 libxalan2-java-gcj libxerces2-java-gcj libxtrap6 lskat
7872 mpeglib network-manager-kde noatun pmount tex-common texlive-base
7873 texlive-common texlive-doc-base texlive-fonts-recommended tidy
7874 ttf-dustin ttf-kochi-gothic ttf-sjfonts
7875 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7876
7877 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, missing with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7878
7879 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7880 dolphin kde-core kde-plasma-desktop kde-standard kde-window-manager
7881 kdeartwork kdebase kdebase-apps kdebase-workspace
7882 kdebase-workspace-bin kdebase-workspace-data kdeutils kscreensaver
7883 kscreensaver-xsavers libgle3 libkonq5 libkonq5-templates libnetpbm10
7884 netpbm plasma-widget-folderview plasma-widget-networkmanagement
7885 xscreensaver-data-extra xscreensaver-gl xscreensaver-gl-extra
7886 xscreensaver-screensaver-bsod
7887 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7888
7889 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, removed with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
7890
7891 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
7892 kdebase-bin konq-plugins konqueror
7893 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
7894 </description>
7895 </item>
7896
7897 <item>
7898 <title>Gnash buildbot slave and Debian kfreebsd</title>
7899 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Gnash_buildbot_slave_and_Debian_kfreebsd.html</link>
7900 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Gnash_buildbot_slave_and_Debian_kfreebsd.html</guid>
7901 <pubDate>Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
7902 <description>&lt;p&gt;Answering
7903 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.listware.net/201011/gnash-dev/67431-gnash-dev-buildbot-looking-for-slaves.html&quot;&gt;the
7904 call from the Gnash project&lt;/a&gt; for
7905 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gnashdev.org:8010&quot;&gt;buildbot&lt;/a&gt; slaves to test the
7906 current source, I have set up a virtual KVM machine on the Debian
7907 Edu/Skolelinux virtualization host to test the git source on
7908 Debian/Squeeze. I hope this can help the developers in getting new
7909 releases out more often.&lt;/p&gt;
7910
7911 &lt;p&gt;As the developers want less main-stream build platforms tested to,
7912 I have considered setting up a &lt;a
7913 href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/ports/kfreebsd-gnu/&quot;&gt;Debian/kfreebsd&lt;/a&gt;
7914 machine as well. I have also considered using the kfreebsd
7915 architecture in Debian as a file server in NUUG to get access to the 5
7916 TB zfs volume we currently use to store DV video. Because of this, I
7917 finally got around to do a test installation of Debian/Squeeze with
7918 kfreebsd. Installation went fairly smooth, thought I noticed some
7919 visual glitches in the cdebconf dialogs (black cursor left on the
7920 screen at random locations). Have not gotten very far with the
7921 testing. Noticed cfdisk did not work, but fdisk did so it was not a
7922 fatal problem. Have to spend some more time on it to see if it is
7923 useful as a file server for NUUG. Will try to find time to set up a
7924 gnash buildbot slave on the Debian Edu/Skolelinux this weekend.&lt;/p&gt;
7925 </description>
7926 </item>
7927
7928 <item>
7929 <title>Debian in 3D</title>
7930 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_in_3D.html</link>
7931 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_in_3D.html</guid>
7932 <pubDate>Tue, 9 Nov 2010 16:10:00 +0100</pubDate>
7933 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/23/e0/c4/f9/2b/debswagtdose_preview_medium.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
7934
7935 &lt;p&gt;3D printing is just great. I just came across this Debian logo in
7936 3D linked in from
7937 &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.thingiverse.com/2010/11/09/participatory-branding/&quot;&gt;the
7938 thingiverse blog&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
7939 </description>
7940 </item>
7941
7942 <item>
7943 <title>Software updates 2010-10-24</title>
7944 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Software_updates_2010_10_24.html</link>
7945 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Software_updates_2010_10_24.html</guid>
7946 <pubDate>Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:45:00 +0200</pubDate>
7947 <description>&lt;p&gt;Some updates.&lt;/p&gt;
7948
7949 &lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://pledgebank.com/gnash-avm2&quot;&gt;gnash pledge&lt;/a&gt; to
7950 raise money for the project is going well. The lower limit of 10
7951 signers was reached in 24 hours, and so far 13 people have signed it.
7952 More signers and more funding is most welcome, and I am really curious
7953 how far we can get before the time limit of December 24 is reached.
7954 :)&lt;/p&gt;
7955
7956 &lt;p&gt;On the #gnash IRC channel on irc.freenode.net, I was just tipped
7957 about what appear to be a great code coverage tool capable of
7958 generating code coverage stats without any changes to the source code.
7959 It is called
7960 &lt;a href=&quot;http://simonkagstrom.github.com/kcov/index.html&quot;&gt;kcov&lt;/a&gt;,
7961 and can be used using &lt;tt&gt;kcov &amp;lt;directory&amp;gt; &amp;lt;binary&amp;gt;&lt;/tt&gt;.
7962 It is missing in Debian, but the git source built just fine in Squeeze
7963 after I installed libelf-dev, libdwarf-dev, pkg-config and
7964 libglib2.0-dev. Failed to build in Lenny, but suspect that is
7965 solvable. I hope kcov make it into Debian soon.&lt;/p&gt;
7966
7967 &lt;p&gt;Finally found time to wrap up the release notes for &lt;a
7968 href=&quot;http://lists.debian.org/debian-edu-announce/2010/10/msg00002.html&quot;&gt;a
7969 new alpha release of Debian Edu&lt;/a&gt;, and just published the second
7970 alpha test release of the Squeeze based Debian Edu /
7971 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt;
7972 release. Give it a try if you need a complete linux solution for your
7973 school, including central infrastructure server, workstations, thin
7974 client servers and diskless workstations. A nice touch added
7975 yesterday is RDP support on the thin client servers, for windows
7976 clients to get a Linux desktop on request.&lt;/p&gt;
7977 </description>
7978 </item>
7979
7980 <item>
7981 <title>Some notes on Flash in Debian and Debian Edu</title>
7982 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Some_notes_on_Flash_in_Debian_and_Debian_Edu.html</link>
7983 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Some_notes_on_Flash_in_Debian_and_Debian_Edu.html</guid>
7984 <pubDate>Sat, 4 Sep 2010 10:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
7985 <description>&lt;p&gt;In the &lt;a href=&quot;http://popcon.debian.org/unknown/by_vote&quot;&gt;Debian
7986 popularity-contest numbers&lt;/a&gt;, the adobe-flashplugin package the
7987 second most popular used package that is missing in Debian. The sixth
7988 most popular is flashplayer-mozilla. This is a clear indication that
7989 working flash is important for Debian users. Around 10 percent of the
7990 users submitting data to popcon.debian.org have this package
7991 installed.&lt;/p&gt;
7992
7993 &lt;p&gt;In the report written by Lars Risan in August 2008
7994&lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.skolelinux.no/Dokumentasjon/Rapporter?action=AttachFile&amp;do=view&amp;target=Skolelinux_i_bruk_rapport_1.0.pdf&quot;&gt;Skolelinux
7995 i bruk – Rapport for Hurum kommune, Universitetet i Agder og
7996 stiftelsen SLX Debian Labs&lt;/a&gt;»), one of the most important problems
7997 schools experienced with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian
7998 Edu/Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt; was the lack of working Flash. A lot of educational
7999 web sites require Flash to work, and lacking working Flash support in
8000 the web browser and the problems with installing it was perceived as a
8001 good reason to stay with Windows.&lt;/p&gt;
8002
8003 &lt;p&gt;I once saw a funny and sad comment in a web forum, where Linux was
8004 said to be the retarded cousin that did not really understand
8005 everything you told him but could work fairly well. This was a
8006 comment regarding the problems Linux have with proprietary formats and
8007 non-standard web pages, and is sad because it exposes a fairly common
8008 understanding of whose fault it is if web pages that only work in for
8009 example Internet Explorer 6 fail to work on Firefox, and funny because
8010 it explain very well how annoying it is for users when Linux
8011 distributions do not work with the documents they receive or the web
8012 pages they want to visit.&lt;/p&gt;
8013
8014 &lt;p&gt;This is part of the reason why I believe it is important for Debian
8015 and Debian Edu to have a well working Flash implementation in the
8016 distribution, to get at least popular sites as Youtube and Google
8017 Video to working out of the box. For Squeeze, Debian have the chance
8018 to include the latest version of Gnash that will make this happen, as
8019 the new release 0.8.8 was published a few weeks ago and is resting in
8020 unstable. The new version work with more sites that version 0.8.7.
8021 The Gnash maintainers have asked for a freeze exception, but the
8022 release team have not had time to reply to it yet. I hope they agree
8023 with me that Flash is important for the Debian desktop users, and thus
8024 accept the new package into Squeeze.&lt;/p&gt;
8025 </description>
8026 </item>
8027
8028 <item>
8029 <title>Circular package dependencies harms apt recovery</title>
8030 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Circular_package_dependencies_harms_apt_recovery.html</link>
8031 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Circular_package_dependencies_harms_apt_recovery.html</guid>
8032 <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
8033 <description>&lt;p&gt;I discovered this while doing
8034 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatic_upgrade_testing_from_Lenny_to_Squeeze.html&quot;&gt;automated
8035 testing of upgrades from Debian Lenny to Squeeze&lt;/a&gt;. A few packages
8036 in Debian still got circular dependencies, and it is often claimed
8037 that apt and aptitude should be able to handle this just fine, but
8038 some times these dependency loops causes apt to fail.&lt;/p&gt;
8039
8040 &lt;p&gt;An example is from todays
8041 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/~pere/debian-upgrade-testing//test-20100727-lenny-squeeze-kde-aptitude.txt&quot;&gt;upgrade
8042 of KDE using aptitude&lt;/a&gt;. In it, a bug in kdebase-workspace-data
8043 causes perl-modules to fail to upgrade. The cause is simple. If a
8044 package fail to unpack, then only part of packages with the circular
8045 dependency might end up being unpacked when unpacking aborts, and the
8046 ones already unpacked will fail to configure in the recovery phase
8047 because its dependencies are unavailable.&lt;/p&gt;
8048
8049 &lt;p&gt;In this log, the problem manifest itself with this error:&lt;/p&gt;
8050
8051 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8052 dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of perl-modules:
8053 perl-modules depends on perl (&gt;= 5.10.1-1); however:
8054 Version of perl on system is 5.10.0-19lenny2.
8055 dpkg: error processing perl-modules (--configure):
8056 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
8057 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8058
8059 &lt;p&gt;The perl/perl-modules circular dependency is already
8060 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/527917&quot;&gt;reported as a bug&lt;/a&gt;, and will
8061 hopefully be solved as soon as possible, but it is not the only one,
8062 and each one of these loops in the dependency tree can cause similar
8063 failures. Of course, they only occur when there are bugs in other
8064 packages causing the unpacking to fail, but it is rather nasty when
8065 the failure of one package causes the problem to become worse because
8066 of dependency loops.&lt;/p&gt;
8067
8068 &lt;p&gt;Thanks to
8069 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2010/06/msg00116.html&quot;&gt;the
8070 tireless effort by Bill Allombert&lt;/a&gt;, the number of circular
8071 dependencies
8072 &lt;a href=&quot;http://debian.semistable.com/debgraph.out.html&quot;&gt;left in Debian
8073 is dropping&lt;/a&gt;, and perhaps it will reach zero one day. :)&lt;/p&gt;
8074
8075 &lt;p&gt;Todays testing also exposed a bug in
8076 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/590605&quot;&gt;update-notifier&lt;/a&gt; and
8077 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/590604&quot;&gt;different behaviour&lt;/a&gt; between
8078 apt-get and aptitude, the latter possibly caused by some circular
8079 dependency. Reported both to BTS to try to get someone to look at
8080 it.&lt;/p&gt;
8081 </description>
8082 </item>
8083
8084 <item>
8085 <title>What are they searching for - PowerDNS and ISC DHCP in LDAP</title>
8086 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_are_they_searching_for___PowerDNS_and_ISC_DHCP_in_LDAP.html</link>
8087 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_are_they_searching_for___PowerDNS_and_ISC_DHCP_in_LDAP.html</guid>
8088 <pubDate>Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
8089 <description>&lt;p&gt;This is a
8090 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_for_new__LDAP_schemas_replacing_RFC_2307_.html&quot;&gt;followup&lt;/a&gt;
8091 on my
8092 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Idea_for_a_change_to_LDAP_schemas_allowing_DNS_and_DHCP_info_to_be_combined_into_one_object.html&quot;&gt;previous
8093 work&lt;/a&gt; on
8094 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Combining_PowerDNS_and_ISC_DHCP_LDAP_objects.html&quot;&gt;merging
8095 all&lt;/a&gt; the computer related LDAP objects in Debian Edu.&lt;/p&gt;
8096
8097 &lt;p&gt;As a step to try to see if it possible to merge the DNS and DHCP
8098 LDAP objects, I have had a look at how the packages pdns-backend-ldap
8099 and dhcp3-server-ldap in Debian use the LDAP server. The two
8100 implementations are quite different in how they use LDAP.&lt;/p&gt;
8101
8102 To get this information, I started slapd with debugging enabled and
8103 dumped the debug output to a file to get the LDAP searches performed
8104 on a Debian Edu main-server. Here is a summary.
8105
8106 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;powerdns&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
8107
8108 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linuxnetworks.de/doc/index.php/PowerDNS_LDAP_Backend&quot;&gt;Clues
8109 on how to&lt;/a&gt; set up PowerDNS to use a LDAP backend is available on
8110 the web.
8111
8112 &lt;p&gt;PowerDNS have two modes of operation using LDAP as its backend.
8113 One &quot;strict&quot; mode where the forward and reverse DNS lookups are done
8114 using the same LDAP objects, and a &quot;tree&quot; mode where the forward and
8115 reverse entries are in two different subtrees in LDAP with a structure
8116 based on the DNS names, as in tjener.intern and
8117 2.2.0.10.in-addr.arpa.&lt;/p&gt;
8118
8119 &lt;p&gt;In tree mode, the server is set up to use a LDAP subtree as its
8120 base, and uses a &quot;base&quot; scoped search for the DNS name by adding
8121 &quot;dc=tjener,dc=intern,&quot; to the base with a filter for
8122 &quot;(associateddomain=tjener.intern)&quot; for the forward entry and
8123 &quot;dc=2,dc=2,dc=0,dc=10,dc=in-addr,dc=arpa,&quot; with a filter for
8124 &quot;(associateddomain=2.2.0.10.in-addr.arpa)&quot; for the reverse entry. For
8125 forward entries, it is looking for attributes named dnsttl, arecord,
8126 nsrecord, cnamerecord, soarecord, ptrrecord, hinforecord, mxrecord,
8127 txtrecord, rprecord, afsdbrecord, keyrecord, aaaarecord, locrecord,
8128 srvrecord, naptrrecord, kxrecord, certrecord, dsrecord, sshfprecord,
8129 ipseckeyrecord, rrsigrecord, nsecrecord, dnskeyrecord, dhcidrecord,
8130 spfrecord and modifytimestamp. For reverse entries it is looking for
8131 the attributes dnsttl, arecord, nsrecord, cnamerecord, soarecord,
8132 ptrrecord, hinforecord, mxrecord, txtrecord, rprecord, aaaarecord,
8133 locrecord, srvrecord, naptrrecord and modifytimestamp. The equivalent
8134 ldapsearch commands could look like this:&lt;/p&gt;
8135
8136 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8137 ldapsearch -h ldap \
8138 -b dc=tjener,dc=intern,ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no \
8139 -s base -x &#39;(associateddomain=tjener.intern)&#39; dNSTTL aRecord nSRecord \
8140 cNAMERecord sOARecord pTRRecord hInfoRecord mXRecord tXTRecord \
8141 rPRecord aFSDBRecord KeyRecord aAAARecord lOCRecord sRVRecord \
8142 nAPTRRecord kXRecord certRecord dSRecord sSHFPRecord iPSecKeyRecord \
8143 rRSIGRecord nSECRecord dNSKeyRecord dHCIDRecord sPFRecord modifyTimestamp
8144
8145 ldapsearch -h ldap \
8146 -b dc=2,dc=2,dc=0,dc=10,dc=in-addr,dc=arpa,ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no \
8147 -s base -x &#39;(associateddomain=2.2.0.10.in-addr.arpa)&#39;
8148 dnsttl, arecord, nsrecord, cnamerecord soarecord ptrrecord \
8149 hinforecord mxrecord txtrecord rprecord aaaarecord locrecord \
8150 srvrecord naptrrecord modifytimestamp
8151 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8152
8153 &lt;p&gt;In Debian Edu/Lenny, the PowerDNS tree mode is used with
8154 ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no as the base, and these are two
8155 example LDAP objects used there. In addition to these objects, the
8156 parent objects all th way up to ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8157 also exist.&lt;/p&gt;
8158
8159 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8160 dn: dc=tjener,dc=intern,ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8161 objectclass: top
8162 objectclass: dnsdomain
8163 objectclass: domainrelatedobject
8164 dc: tjener
8165 arecord: 10.0.2.2
8166 associateddomain: tjener.intern
8167
8168 dn: dc=2,dc=2,dc=0,dc=10,dc=in-addr,dc=arpa,ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8169 objectclass: top
8170 objectclass: dnsdomain2
8171 objectclass: domainrelatedobject
8172 dc: 2
8173 ptrrecord: tjener.intern
8174 associateddomain: 2.2.0.10.in-addr.arpa
8175 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8176
8177 &lt;p&gt;In strict mode, the server behaves differently. When looking for
8178 forward DNS entries, it is doing a &quot;subtree&quot; scoped search with the
8179 same base as in the tree mode for a object with filter
8180 &quot;(associateddomain=tjener.intern)&quot; and requests the attributes dnsttl,
8181 arecord, nsrecord, cnamerecord, soarecord, ptrrecord, hinforecord,
8182 mxrecord, txtrecord, rprecord, aaaarecord, locrecord, srvrecord,
8183 naptrrecord and modifytimestamp. For reverse entires it also do a
8184 subtree scoped search but this time the filter is &quot;(arecord=10.0.2.2)&quot;
8185 and the requested attributes are associateddomain, dnsttl and
8186 modifytimestamp. In short, in strict mode the objects with ptrrecord
8187 go away, and the arecord attribute in the forward object is used
8188 instead.&lt;/p&gt;
8189
8190 &lt;p&gt;The forward and reverse searches can be simulated using ldapsearch
8191 like this:&lt;/p&gt;
8192
8193 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8194 ldapsearch -h ldap -b ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no -s sub -x \
8195 &#39;(associateddomain=tjener.intern)&#39; dNSTTL aRecord nSRecord \
8196 cNAMERecord sOARecord pTRRecord hInfoRecord mXRecord tXTRecord \
8197 rPRecord aFSDBRecord KeyRecord aAAARecord lOCRecord sRVRecord \
8198 nAPTRRecord kXRecord certRecord dSRecord sSHFPRecord iPSecKeyRecord \
8199 rRSIGRecord nSECRecord dNSKeyRecord dHCIDRecord sPFRecord modifyTimestamp
8200
8201 ldapsearch -h ldap -b ou=hosts,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no -s sub -x \
8202 &#39;(arecord=10.0.2.2)&#39; associateddomain dnsttl modifytimestamp
8203 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8204
8205 &lt;p&gt;In addition to the forward and reverse searches , there is also a
8206 search for SOA records, which behave similar to the forward and
8207 reverse lookups.&lt;/p&gt;
8208
8209 &lt;p&gt;A thing to note with the PowerDNS behaviour is that it do not
8210 specify any objectclass names, and instead look for the attributes it
8211 need to generate a DNS reply. This make it able to work with any
8212 objectclass that provide the needed attributes.&lt;/p&gt;
8213
8214 &lt;p&gt;The attributes are normally provided in the cosine (RFC 1274) and
8215 dnsdomain2 schemas. The latter is used for reverse entries like
8216 ptrrecord and recent DNS additions like aaaarecord and srvrecord.&lt;/p&gt;
8217
8218 &lt;p&gt;In Debian Edu, we have created DNS objects using the object classes
8219 dcobject (for dc), dnsdomain or dnsdomain2 (structural, for the DNS
8220 attributes) and domainrelatedobject (for associatedDomain). The use
8221 of structural object classes make it impossible to combine these
8222 classes with the object classes used by DHCP.&lt;/p&gt;
8223
8224 &lt;p&gt;There are other schemas that could be used too, for example the
8225 dnszone structural object class used by Gosa and bind-sdb for the DNS
8226 attributes combined with the domainrelatedobject object class, but in
8227 this case some unused attributes would have to be included as well
8228 (zonename and relativedomainname).&lt;/p&gt;
8229
8230 &lt;p&gt;My proposal for Debian Edu would be to switch PowerDNS to strict
8231 mode and not use any of the existing objectclasses (dnsdomain,
8232 dnsdomain2 and dnszone) when one want to combine the DNS information
8233 with DHCP information, and instead create a auxiliary object class
8234 defined something like this (using the attributes defined for
8235 dnsdomain and dnsdomain2 or dnszone):&lt;/p&gt;
8236
8237 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8238 objectclass ( some-oid NAME &#39;dnsDomainAux&#39;
8239 SUP top
8240 AUXILIARY
8241 MAY ( ARecord $ MDRecord $ MXRecord $ NSRecord $ SOARecord $ CNAMERecord $
8242 DNSTTL $ DNSClass $ PTRRecord $ HINFORecord $ MINFORecord $
8243 TXTRecord $ SIGRecord $ KEYRecord $ AAAARecord $ LOCRecord $
8244 NXTRecord $ SRVRecord $ NAPTRRecord $ KXRecord $ CERTRecord $
8245 A6Record $ DNAMERecord
8246 ))
8247 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8248
8249 &lt;p&gt;This will allow any object to become a DNS entry when combined with
8250 the domainrelatedobject object class, and allow any entity to include
8251 all the attributes PowerDNS wants. I&#39;ve sent an email to the PowerDNS
8252 developers asking for their view on this schema and if they are
8253 interested in providing such schema with PowerDNS, and I hope my
8254 message will be accepted into their mailing list soon.&lt;/p&gt;
8255
8256 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ISC dhcp&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
8257
8258 &lt;p&gt;The DHCP server searches for specific objectclass and requests all
8259 the object attributes, and then uses the attributes it want. This
8260 make it harder to figure out exactly what attributes are used, but
8261 thanks to the working example in Debian Edu I can at least get an idea
8262 what is needed without having to read the source code.&lt;/p&gt;
8263
8264 &lt;p&gt;In the DHCP server configuration, the LDAP base to use and the
8265 search filter to use to locate the correct dhcpServer entity is
8266 stored. These are the relevant entries from
8267 /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf:&lt;/p&gt;
8268
8269 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8270 ldap-base-dn &quot;dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no&quot;;
8271 ldap-dhcp-server-cn &quot;dhcp&quot;;
8272 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8273
8274 &lt;p&gt;The DHCP server uses this information to nest all the DHCP
8275 configuration it need. The cn &quot;dhcp&quot; is located using the given LDAP
8276 base and the filter &quot;(&amp;(objectClass=dhcpServer)(cn=dhcp))&quot;. The
8277 search result is this entry:&lt;/p&gt;
8278
8279 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8280 dn: cn=dhcp,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8281 cn: dhcp
8282 objectClass: top
8283 objectClass: dhcpServer
8284 dhcpServiceDN: cn=DHCP Config,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8285 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8286
8287 &lt;p&gt;The content of the dhcpServiceDN attribute is next used to locate the
8288 subtree with DHCP configuration. The DHCP configuration subtree base
8289 is located using a base scope search with base &quot;cn=DHCP
8290 Config,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no&quot; and filter
8291 &quot;(&amp;(objectClass=dhcpService)(|(dhcpPrimaryDN=cn=dhcp,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no)(dhcpSecondaryDN=cn=dhcp,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no)))&quot;.
8292 The search result is this entry:&lt;/p&gt;
8293
8294 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8295 dn: cn=DHCP Config,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8296 cn: DHCP Config
8297 objectClass: top
8298 objectClass: dhcpService
8299 objectClass: dhcpOptions
8300 dhcpPrimaryDN: cn=dhcp, dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8301 dhcpStatements: ddns-update-style none
8302 dhcpStatements: authoritative
8303 dhcpOption: smtp-server code 69 = array of ip-address
8304 dhcpOption: www-server code 72 = array of ip-address
8305 dhcpOption: wpad-url code 252 = text
8306 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8307
8308 &lt;p&gt;Next, the entire subtree is processed, one level at the time. When
8309 all the DHCP configuration is loaded, it is ready to receive requests.
8310 The subtree in Debian Edu contain objects with object classes
8311 top/dhcpService/dhcpOptions, top/dhcpSharedNetwork/dhcpOptions,
8312 top/dhcpSubnet, top/dhcpGroup and top/dhcpHost. These provide options
8313 and information about netmasks, dynamic range etc. Leaving out the
8314 details here because it is not relevant for the focus of my
8315 investigation, which is to see if it is possible to merge dns and dhcp
8316 related computer objects.&lt;/p&gt;
8317
8318 &lt;p&gt;When a DHCP request come in, LDAP is searched for the MAC address
8319 of the client (00:00:00:00:00:00 in this example), using a subtree
8320 scoped search with &quot;cn=DHCP Config,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no&quot; as
8321 the base and &quot;(&amp;(objectClass=dhcpHost)(dhcpHWAddress=ethernet
8322 00:00:00:00:00:00))&quot; as the filter. This is what a host object look
8323 like:&lt;/p&gt;
8324
8325 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8326 dn: cn=hostname,cn=group1,cn=THINCLIENTS,cn=DHCP Config,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8327 cn: hostname
8328 objectClass: top
8329 objectClass: dhcpHost
8330 dhcpHWAddress: ethernet 00:00:00:00:00:00
8331 dhcpStatements: fixed-address hostname
8332 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8333
8334 &lt;p&gt;There is less flexiblity in the way LDAP searches are done here.
8335 The object classes need to have fixed names, and the configuration
8336 need to be stored in a fairly specific LDAP structure. On the
8337 positive side, the invidiual dhcpHost entires can be anywhere without
8338 the DN pointed to by the dhcpServer entries. The latter should make
8339 it possible to group all host entries in a subtree next to the
8340 configuration entries, and this subtree can also be shared with the
8341 DNS server if the schema proposed above is combined with the dhcpHost
8342 structural object class.
8343
8344 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
8345
8346 &lt;p&gt;The PowerDNS implementation seem to be very flexible when it come
8347 to which LDAP schemas to use. While its &quot;tree&quot; mode is rigid when it
8348 come to the the LDAP structure, the &quot;strict&quot; mode is very flexible,
8349 allowing DNS objects to be stored anywhere under the base cn specified
8350 in the configuration.&lt;/p&gt;
8351
8352 &lt;p&gt;The DHCP implementation on the other hand is very inflexible, both
8353 regarding which LDAP schemas to use and which LDAP structure to use.
8354 I guess one could implement ones own schema, as long as the
8355 objectclasses and attributes have the names used, but this do not
8356 really help when the DHCP subtree need to have a fairly fixed
8357 structure.&lt;/p&gt;
8358
8359 &lt;p&gt;Based on the observed behaviour, I suspect a LDAP structure like
8360 this might work for Debian Edu:&lt;/p&gt;
8361
8362 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8363 ou=services
8364 cn=machine-info (dhcpService) - dhcpServiceDN points here
8365 cn=dhcp (dhcpServer)
8366 cn=dhcp-internal (dhcpSharedNetwork/dhcpOptions)
8367 cn=10.0.2.0 (dhcpSubnet)
8368 cn=group1 (dhcpGroup/dhcpOptions)
8369 cn=dhcp-thinclients (dhcpSharedNetwork/dhcpOptions)
8370 cn=192.168.0.0 (dhcpSubnet)
8371 cn=group1 (dhcpGroup/dhcpOptions)
8372 ou=machines - PowerDNS base points here
8373 cn=hostname (dhcpHost/domainrelatedobject/dnsDomainAux)
8374 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8375
8376 &lt;P&gt;This is not tested yet. If the DHCP server require the dhcpHost
8377 entries to be in the dhcpGroup subtrees, the entries can be stored
8378 there instead of a common machines subtree, and the PowerDNS base
8379 would have to be moved one level up to the machine-info subtree.&lt;/p&gt;
8380
8381 &lt;p&gt;The combined object under the machines subtree would look something
8382 like this:&lt;/p&gt;
8383
8384 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8385 dn: dc=hostname,ou=machines,cn=machine-info,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8386 dc: hostname
8387 objectClass: top
8388 objectClass: dhcpHost
8389 objectclass: domainrelatedobject
8390 objectclass: dnsDomainAux
8391 associateddomain: hostname.intern
8392 arecord: 10.11.12.13
8393 dhcpHWAddress: ethernet 00:00:00:00:00:00
8394 dhcpStatements: fixed-address hostname.intern
8395 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8396
8397 &lt;/p&gt;One could even add the LTSP configuration associated with a given
8398 machine, as long as the required attributes are available in a
8399 auxiliary object class.&lt;/p&gt;
8400 </description>
8401 </item>
8402
8403 <item>
8404 <title>Combining PowerDNS and ISC DHCP LDAP objects</title>
8405 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Combining_PowerDNS_and_ISC_DHCP_LDAP_objects.html</link>
8406 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Combining_PowerDNS_and_ISC_DHCP_LDAP_objects.html</guid>
8407 <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:45:00 +0200</pubDate>
8408 <description>&lt;p&gt;For a while now, I have wanted to find a way to change the DNS and
8409 DHCP services in Debian Edu to use the same LDAP objects for a given
8410 computer, to avoid the possibility of having a inconsistent state for
8411 a computer in LDAP (as in DHCP but no DNS entry or the other way
8412 around) and make it easier to add computers to LDAP.&lt;/p&gt;
8413
8414 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve looked at how powerdns and dhcpd is using LDAP, and using this
8415 information finally found a solution that seem to work.&lt;/p&gt;
8416
8417 &lt;p&gt;The old setup required three LDAP objects for a given computer.
8418 One forward DNS entry, one reverse DNS entry and one DHCP entry. If
8419 we switch powerdns to use its strict LDAP method (ldap-method=strict
8420 in pdns-debian-edu.conf), the forward and reverse DNS entries are
8421 merged into one while making it impossible to transfer the reverse map
8422 to a slave DNS server.&lt;/p&gt;
8423
8424 &lt;p&gt;If we also replace the object class used to get the DNS related
8425 attributes to one allowing these attributes to be combined with the
8426 dhcphost object class, we can merge the DNS and DHCP entries into one.
8427 I&#39;ve written such object class in the dnsdomainaux.schema file (need
8428 proper OIDs, but that is a minor issue), and tested the setup. It
8429 seem to work.&lt;/p&gt;
8430
8431 &lt;p&gt;With this test setup in place, we can get away with one LDAP object
8432 for both DNS and DHCP, and even the LTSP configuration I suggested in
8433 an earlier email. The combined LDAP object will look something like
8434 this:&lt;/p&gt;
8435
8436 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8437 dn: cn=hostname,cn=group1,cn=THINCLIENTS,cn=DHCP Config,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
8438 cn: hostname
8439 objectClass: dhcphost
8440 objectclass: domainrelatedobject
8441 objectclass: dnsdomainaux
8442 associateddomain: hostname.intern
8443 arecord: 10.11.12.13
8444 dhcphwaddress: ethernet 00:00:00:00:00:00
8445 dhcpstatements: fixed-address hostname
8446 ldapconfigsound: Y
8447 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8448
8449 &lt;p&gt;The DNS server uses the associateddomain and arecord entries, while
8450 the DHCP server uses the dhcphwaddress and dhcpstatements entries
8451 before asking DNS to resolve the fixed-adddress. LTSP will use
8452 dhcphwaddress or associateddomain and the ldapconfig* attributes.&lt;/p&gt;
8453
8454 &lt;p&gt;I am not yet sure if I can get the DHCP server to look for its
8455 dhcphost in a different location, to allow us to put the objects
8456 outside the &quot;DHCP Config&quot; subtree, but hope to figure out a way to do
8457 that. If I can&#39;t figure out a way to do that, we can still get rid of
8458 the hosts subtree and move all its content into the DHCP Config tree
8459 (which probably should be renamed to be more related to the new
8460 content. I suspect cn=dnsdhcp,ou=services or something like that
8461 might be a good place to put it.&lt;/p&gt;
8462
8463 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help out with implementing this for Debian Edu,
8464 please contact us on debian-edu@lists.debian.org.&lt;/p&gt;
8465 </description>
8466 </item>
8467
8468 <item>
8469 <title>Idea for storing LTSP configuration in LDAP</title>
8470 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Idea_for_storing_LTSP_configuration_in_LDAP.html</link>
8471 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Idea_for_storing_LTSP_configuration_in_LDAP.html</guid>
8472 <pubDate>Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
8473 <description>&lt;p&gt;Vagrant mentioned on IRC today that ltsp_config now support
8474 sourcing files from /usr/share/ltsp/ltsp_config.d/ on the thin
8475 clients, and that this can be used to fetch configuration from LDAP if
8476 Debian Edu choose to store configuration there.&lt;/p&gt;
8477
8478 &lt;p&gt;Armed with this information, I got inspired and wrote a test module
8479 to get configuration from LDAP. The idea is to look up the MAC
8480 address of the client in LDAP, and look for attributes on the form
8481 ltspconfigsetting=value, and use this to export SETTING=value to the
8482 LTSP clients.&lt;/p&gt;
8483
8484 &lt;p&gt;The goal is to be able to store the LTSP configuration attributes
8485 in a &quot;computer&quot; LDAP object used by both DNS and DHCP, and thus
8486 allowing us to store all information about a computer in one place.&lt;/p&gt;
8487
8488 &lt;p&gt;This is a untested draft implementation, and I welcome feedback on
8489 this approach. A real LDAP schema for the ltspClientAux objectclass
8490 need to be written. Comments, suggestions, etc?&lt;/p&gt;
8491
8492 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8493 # Store in /opt/ltsp/$arch/usr/share/ltsp/ltsp_config.d/ldap-config
8494 #
8495 # Fetch LTSP client settings from LDAP based on MAC address
8496 #
8497 # Uses ethernet address as stored in the dhcpHost objectclass using
8498 # the dhcpHWAddress attribute or ethernet address stored in the
8499 # ieee802Device objectclass with the macAddress attribute.
8500 #
8501 # This module is written to be schema agnostic, and only depend on the
8502 # existence of attribute names.
8503 #
8504 # The LTSP configuration variables are saved directly using a
8505 # ltspConfig prefix and uppercasing the rest of the attribute name.
8506 # To set the SERVER variable, set the ltspConfigServer attribute.
8507 #
8508 # Some LDAP schema should be created with all the relevant
8509 # configuration settings. Something like this should work:
8510 #
8511 # objectclass ( 1.1.2.2 NAME &#39;ltspClientAux&#39;
8512 # SUP top
8513 # AUXILIARY
8514 # MAY ( ltspConfigServer $ ltsConfigSound $ ... )
8515
8516 LDAPSERVER=$(debian-edu-ldapserver)
8517 if [ &quot;$LDAPSERVER&quot; ] ; then
8518 LDAPBASE=$(debian-edu-ldapserver -b)
8519 for MAC in $(LANG=C ifconfig |grep -i hwaddr| awk &#39;{print $5}&#39;|sort -u) ; do
8520 filter=&quot;(|(dhcpHWAddress=ethernet $MAC)(macAddress=$MAC))&quot;
8521 ldapsearch -h &quot;$LDAPSERVER&quot; -b &quot;$LDAPBASE&quot; -v -x &quot;$filter&quot; | \
8522 grep &#39;^ltspConfig&#39; | while read attr value ; do
8523 # Remove prefix and convert to upper case
8524 attr=$(echo $attr | sed &#39;s/^ltspConfig//i&#39; | tr a-z A-Z)
8525 # bass value on to clients
8526 eval &quot;$attr=$value; export $attr&quot;
8527 done
8528 done
8529 fi
8530 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8531
8532 &lt;p&gt;I&#39;m not sure this shell construction will work, because I suspect
8533 the while block might end up in a subshell causing the variables set
8534 there to not show up in ltsp-config, but if that is the case I am sure
8535 the code can be restructured to make sure the variables are passed on.
8536 I expect that can be solved with some testing. :)&lt;/p&gt;
8537
8538 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help out with implementing this for Debian Edu,
8539 please contact us on debian-edu@lists.debian.org.&lt;/p&gt;
8540
8541 &lt;p&gt;Update 2010-07-17: I am aware of another effort to store LTSP
8542 configuration in LDAP that was created around year 2000 by
8543 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pcxperience.com/thinclient/documentation/ldap.html&quot;&gt;PC
8544 Xperience, Inc., 2000&lt;/a&gt;. I found its
8545 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.redhat.com/alikins/ltsp/ldap/&quot;&gt;files&lt;/a&gt; on a
8546 personal home page over at redhat.com.&lt;/p&gt;
8547 </description>
8548 </item>
8549
8550 <item>
8551 <title>jXplorer, a very nice LDAP GUI</title>
8552 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/jXplorer__a_very_nice_LDAP_GUI.html</link>
8553 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/jXplorer__a_very_nice_LDAP_GUI.html</guid>
8554 <pubDate>Fri, 9 Jul 2010 12:55:00 +0200</pubDate>
8555 <description>&lt;p&gt;Since
8556 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/LUMA__a_very_nice_LDAP_GUI.html&quot;&gt;my
8557 last post&lt;/a&gt; about available LDAP tools in Debian, I was told about a
8558 LDAP GUI that is even better than luma. The java application
8559 &lt;a href=&quot;http://jxplorer.org/&quot;&gt;jXplorer&lt;/a&gt; is claimed to be capable of
8560 moving LDAP objects and subtrees using drag-and-drop, and can
8561 authenticate using Kerberos. I have only tested the Kerberos
8562 authentication, but do not have a LDAP setup allowing me to rewrite
8563 LDAP with my test user yet. It is
8564 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/j/jxplorer.html&quot;&gt;available in
8565 Debian&lt;/a&gt; testing and unstable at the moment. The only problem I
8566 have with it is how it handle errors. If something go wrong, its
8567 non-intuitive behaviour require me to go through some query work list
8568 and remove the failing query. Nothing big, but very annoying.&lt;/p&gt;
8569 </description>
8570 </item>
8571
8572 <item>
8573 <title>Lenny-&gt;Squeeze upgrades, apt vs aptitude with the Gnome desktop</title>
8574 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades__apt_vs_aptitude_with_the_Gnome_desktop.html</link>
8575 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades__apt_vs_aptitude_with_the_Gnome_desktop.html</guid>
8576 <pubDate>Sat, 3 Jul 2010 23:55:00 +0200</pubDate>
8577 <description>&lt;p&gt;Here is a short update on my &lt;a
8578 href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/~pere/debian-upgrade-testing/&quot;&gt;my
8579 Debian Lenny-&gt;Squeeze upgrade testing&lt;/a&gt;. Here is a summary of the
8580 difference for Gnome when it is upgraded by apt-get and aptitude. I&#39;m
8581 not reporting the status for KDE, because the upgrade crashes when
8582 aptitude try because of missing conflicts
8583 (&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/584861&quot;&gt;#584861&lt;/a&gt; and
8584 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/585716&quot;&gt;#585716&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
8585
8586 &lt;p&gt;At the end of the upgrade test script, dpkg -l is executed to get a
8587 complete list of the installed packages. Based on this I see these
8588 differences when I did a test run today. As usual, I do not really
8589 know what the correct set of packages would be, but thought it best to
8590 publish the difference.&lt;/p&gt;
8591
8592 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, missing with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
8593
8594 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
8595 at-spi cpp-4.3 finger gnome-spell gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs
8596 libatspi1.0-0 libcupsys2 libeel2-data libgail-common libgdl-1-common
8597 libgnomeprint2.2-data libgnomeprintui2.2-common libgnomevfs2-bin
8598 libgtksourceview-common libpt-1.10.10-plugins-alsa
8599 libpt-1.10.10-plugins-v4l libservlet2.4-java libxalan2-java
8600 libxerces2-java openoffice.org-writer2latex openssl-blacklist p7zip
8601 python-4suite-xml python-eggtrayicon python-gtkhtml2
8602 python-gtkmozembed svgalibg1 xserver-xephyr zip
8603 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8604
8605 &lt;p&gt;Installed using apt-get, removed with aptitude&lt;/p&gt;
8606
8607 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
8608 bluez-utils dhcdbd djvulibre-desktop epiphany-gecko
8609 gnome-app-install gnome-mount gnome-vfs-obexftp gnome-volume-manager
8610 libao2 libavahi-compat-libdnssd1 libavahi-core5 libbind9-50
8611 libbluetooth2 libcamel1.2-11 libcdio7 libcucul0 libcurl3
8612 libdirectfb-1.0-0 libdvdread3 libedata-cal1.2-6 libedataserver1.2-9
8613 libeel2-2.20 libepc-1.0-1 libepc-ui-1.0-1 libexchange-storage1.2-3
8614 libfaad0 libgd2-noxpm libgda3-3 libgda3-common libggz2 libggzcore9
8615 libggzmod4 libgksu1.2-0 libgksuui1.0-1 libgmyth0 libgnome-desktop-2
8616 libgnome-pilot2 libgnomecups1.0-1 libgnomeprint2.2-0
8617 libgnomeprintui2.2-0 libgpod3 libgraphviz4 libgtkhtml2-0
8618 libgtksourceview1.0-0 libgucharmap6 libhesiod0 libicu38 libisccc50
8619 libisccfg50 libiw29 libkpathsea4 libltdl3 liblwres50 libmagick++10
8620 libmagick10 libmalaga7 libmtp7 libmysqlclient15off libnautilus-burn4
8621 libneon27 libnm-glib0 libnm-util0 libopal-2.2 libosp5
8622 libparted1.8-10 libpisock9 libpisync1 libpoppler-glib3 libpoppler3
8623 libpt-1.10.10 libraw1394-8 libsensors3 libsmbios2 libsoup2.2-8
8624 libssh2-1 libsuitesparse-3.1.0 libswfdec-0.6-90 libtalloc1
8625 libtotem-plparser10 libtrackerclient0 libvoikko1 libxalan2-java-gcj
8626 libxerces2-java-gcj libxklavier12 libxtrap6 libxxf86misc1 libzephyr3
8627 mysql-common swfdec-gnome totem-gstreamer wodim
8628 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8629
8630 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, missing with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
8631
8632 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
8633 gnome gnome-desktop-environment hamster-applet python-gnomeapplet
8634 python-gnomekeyring python-wnck rhythmbox-plugins xorg
8635 xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev
8636 xserver-xorg-input-kbd xserver-xorg-input-mouse
8637 xserver-xorg-input-synaptics xserver-xorg-video-all
8638 xserver-xorg-video-apm xserver-xorg-video-ark xserver-xorg-video-ati
8639 xserver-xorg-video-chips xserver-xorg-video-cirrus
8640 xserver-xorg-video-dummy xserver-xorg-video-fbdev
8641 xserver-xorg-video-glint xserver-xorg-video-i128
8642 xserver-xorg-video-i740 xserver-xorg-video-mach64
8643 xserver-xorg-video-mga xserver-xorg-video-neomagic
8644 xserver-xorg-video-nouveau xserver-xorg-video-nv
8645 xserver-xorg-video-r128 xserver-xorg-video-radeon
8646 xserver-xorg-video-radeonhd xserver-xorg-video-rendition
8647 xserver-xorg-video-s3 xserver-xorg-video-s3virge
8648 xserver-xorg-video-savage xserver-xorg-video-siliconmotion
8649 xserver-xorg-video-sis xserver-xorg-video-sisusb
8650 xserver-xorg-video-tdfx xserver-xorg-video-tga
8651 xserver-xorg-video-trident xserver-xorg-video-tseng
8652 xserver-xorg-video-vesa xserver-xorg-video-vmware
8653 xserver-xorg-video-voodoo
8654 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8655
8656 &lt;p&gt;Installed using aptitude, removed with apt-get&lt;/p&gt;
8657
8658 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;
8659 deskbar-applet xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core
8660 xserver-xorg-input-wacom xserver-xorg-video-intel
8661 xserver-xorg-video-openchrome
8662 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8663
8664 &lt;p&gt;I was told on IRC that the xorg-xserver package was
8665 &lt;a href=&quot;http://git.debian.org/?p=pkg-xorg/xserver/xorg-server.git;a=commit;h=9c8080d06c457932d3bfec021c69ac000aa60120&quot;&gt;changed
8666 in git&lt;/a&gt; today to try to get apt-get to not remove xorg completely.
8667 No idea when it hits Squeeze, but when it does I hope it will reduce
8668 the difference somewhat.
8669 </description>
8670 </item>
8671
8672 <item>
8673 <title>LUMA, a very nice LDAP GUI</title>
8674 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/LUMA__a_very_nice_LDAP_GUI.html</link>
8675 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/LUMA__a_very_nice_LDAP_GUI.html</guid>
8676 <pubDate>Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
8677 <description>&lt;p&gt;The last few days I have been looking into the status of the LDAP
8678 directory in Debian Edu, and in the process I started to miss a GUI
8679 tool to browse the LDAP tree. The only one I was able to find in
8680 Debian/Squeeze and Lenny is
8681 &lt;a href=&quot;http://luma.sourceforge.net/&quot;&gt;LUMA&lt;/a&gt;, which has proved to
8682 be a great tool to get a overview of the current LDAP directory
8683 populated by default in Skolelinux. Thanks to it, I have been able to
8684 find empty and obsolete subtrees, misplaced objects and duplicate
8685 objects. It will be installed by default in Debian/Squeeze. If you
8686 are working with LDAP, give it a go. :)&lt;/p&gt;
8687
8688 &lt;p&gt;I did notice one problem with it I have not had time to report to
8689 the BTS yet. There is no .desktop file in the package, so the tool do
8690 not show up in the Gnome and KDE menus, but only deep down in in the
8691 Debian submenu in KDE. I hope that can be fixed before Squeeze is
8692 released.&lt;/p&gt;
8693
8694 &lt;p&gt;I have not yet been able to get it to modify the tree yet. I would
8695 like to move objects and remove subtrees directly in the GUI, but have
8696 not found a way to do that with LUMA yet. So in the mean time, I use
8697 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lichteblau.com/ldapvi/&quot;&gt;ldapvi&lt;/a&gt; for that.&lt;/p&gt;
8698
8699 &lt;p&gt;If you have tips on other GUI tools for LDAP that might be useful
8700 in Debian Edu, please contact us on debian-edu@lists.debian.org.&lt;/p&gt;
8701
8702 &lt;p&gt;Update 2010-06-29: Ross Reedstrom tipped us about the
8703 &lt;a href=&quot;http://packages.qa.debian.org/g/gq.html&quot;&gt;gq&lt;/a&gt; package as a
8704 useful GUI alternative. It seem like a good tool, but is unmaintained
8705 in Debian and got a RC bug keeping it out of Squeeze. Unless that
8706 changes, it will not be an option for Debian Edu based on Squeeze.&lt;/p&gt;
8707 </description>
8708 </item>
8709
8710 <item>
8711 <title>Idea for a change to LDAP schemas allowing DNS and DHCP info to be combined into one object</title>
8712 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Idea_for_a_change_to_LDAP_schemas_allowing_DNS_and_DHCP_info_to_be_combined_into_one_object.html</link>
8713 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Idea_for_a_change_to_LDAP_schemas_allowing_DNS_and_DHCP_info_to_be_combined_into_one_object.html</guid>
8714 <pubDate>Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:35:00 +0200</pubDate>
8715 <description>&lt;p&gt;A while back, I
8716 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_for_new__LDAP_schemas_replacing_RFC_2307_.html&quot;&gt;complained
8717 about the fact&lt;/a&gt; that it is not possible with the provided schemas
8718 for storing DNS and DHCP information in LDAP to combine the two sets
8719 of information into one LDAP object representing a computer.&lt;/p&gt;
8720
8721 &lt;p&gt;In the mean time, I discovered that a simple fix would be to make
8722 the dhcpHost object class auxiliary, to allow it to be combined with
8723 the dNSDomain object class, and thus forming one object for one
8724 computer when storing both DHCP and DNS information in LDAP.&lt;/p&gt;
8725
8726 &lt;p&gt;If I understand this correctly, it is not safe to do this change
8727 without also changing the assigned number for the object class, and I
8728 do not know enough about LDAP schema design to do that properly for
8729 Debian Edu.&lt;/p&gt;
8730
8731 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, for future reference, this is how I believe we could change
8732 the
8733 &lt;a href=&quot;http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-dhc-ldap-schema-00&quot;&gt;DHCP
8734 schema&lt;/a&gt; to solve at least part of the problem with the LDAP schemas
8735 available today from IETF.&lt;/p&gt;
8736
8737 &lt;pre&gt;
8738 --- dhcp.schema (revision 65192)
8739 +++ dhcp.schema (working copy)
8740 @@ -376,7 +376,7 @@
8741 objectclass ( 2.16.840.1.113719.1.203.6.6
8742 NAME &#39;dhcpHost&#39;
8743 DESC &#39;This represents information about a particular client&#39;
8744 - SUP top
8745 + SUP top AUXILIARY
8746 MUST cn
8747 MAY (dhcpLeaseDN $ dhcpHWAddress $ dhcpOptionsDN $ dhcpStatements $ dhcpComments $ dhcpOption)
8748 X-NDS_CONTAINMENT (&#39;dhcpService&#39; &#39;dhcpSubnet&#39; &#39;dhcpGroup&#39;) )
8749 &lt;/pre&gt;
8750
8751 &lt;p&gt;I very much welcome clues on how to do this properly for Debian
8752 Edu/Squeeze. We provide the DHCP schema in our debian-edu-config
8753 package, and should thus be free to rewrite it as we see fit.&lt;/p&gt;
8754
8755 &lt;p&gt;If you want to help out with implementing this for Debian Edu,
8756 please contact us on debian-edu@lists.debian.org.&lt;/p&gt;
8757 </description>
8758 </item>
8759
8760 <item>
8761 <title>Calling tasksel like the installer, while still getting useful output</title>
8762 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Calling_tasksel_like_the_installer__while_still_getting_useful_output.html</link>
8763 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Calling_tasksel_like_the_installer__while_still_getting_useful_output.html</guid>
8764 <pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:55:00 +0200</pubDate>
8765 <description>&lt;p&gt;A few times I have had the need to simulate the way tasksel
8766 installs packages during the normal debian-installer run. Until now,
8767 I have ended up letting tasksel do the work, with the annoying problem
8768 of not getting any feedback at all when something fails (like a
8769 conffile question from dpkg or a download that fails), using code like
8770 this:
8771
8772 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8773 export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
8774 tasksel --new-install
8775 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8776
8777 This would invoke tasksel, let its automatic task selection pick the
8778 tasks to install, and continue to install the requested tasks without
8779 any output what so ever.
8780
8781 Recently I revisited this problem while working on the automatic
8782 package upgrade testing, because tasksel would some times hang without
8783 any useful feedback, and I want to see what is going on when it
8784 happen. Then it occured to me, I can parse the output from tasksel
8785 when asked to run in test mode, and use that aptitude command line
8786 printed by tasksel then to simulate the tasksel run. I ended up using
8787 code like this:
8788
8789 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
8790 export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
8791 cmd=&quot;$(in_target tasksel -t --new-install | sed &#39;s/debconf-apt-progress -- //&#39;)&quot;
8792 $cmd
8793 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
8794
8795 &lt;p&gt;The content of $cmd is typically something like &quot;&lt;tt&gt;aptitude -q
8796 --without-recommends -o APT::Install-Recommends=no -y install
8797 ~t^desktop$ ~t^gnome-desktop$ ~t^laptop$ ~pstandard ~prequired
8798 ~pimportant&lt;/tt&gt;&quot;, which will install the gnome desktop task, the
8799 laptop task and all packages with priority standard , required and
8800 important, just like tasksel would have done it during
8801 installation.&lt;/p&gt;
8802
8803 &lt;p&gt;A better approach is probably to extend tasksel to be able to
8804 install packages without using debconf-apt-progress, for use cases
8805 like this.&lt;/p&gt;
8806 </description>
8807 </item>
8808
8809 <item>
8810 <title>Lenny-&gt;Squeeze upgrades, removals by apt and aptitude</title>
8811 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades__removals_by_apt_and_aptitude.html</link>
8812 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lenny__Squeeze_upgrades__removals_by_apt_and_aptitude.html</guid>
8813 <pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:05:00 +0200</pubDate>
8814 <description>&lt;p&gt;My
8815 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatic_upgrade_testing_from_Lenny_to_Squeeze.html&quot;&gt;testing
8816 of Debian upgrades&lt;/a&gt; from Lenny to Squeeze continues, and I&#39;ve
8817 finally made the upgrade logs available from
8818 &lt;a href=&quot;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/debian-upgrade-testing/&quot;&gt;http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/debian-upgrade-testing/&lt;/a&gt;.
8819 I am now testing dist-upgrade of Gnome and KDE in a chroot using both
8820 apt and aptitude, and found their differences interesting. This time
8821 I will only focus on their removal plans.&lt;/p&gt;
8822
8823 &lt;p&gt;After installing a Gnome desktop and the laptop task, apt-get wants
8824 to remove 72 packages when dist-upgrading from Lenny to Squeeze. The
8825 surprising part is that it want to remove xorg and all
8826 xserver-xorg-video* drivers. Clearly not a good choice, but I am not
8827 sure why. When asking aptitude to do the same, it want to remove 129
8828 packages, but most of them are library packages I suspect are no
8829 longer needed. Both of them want to remove bluetooth packages, which
8830 I do not know. Perhaps these bluetooth packages are obsolete?&lt;/p&gt;
8831
8832 &lt;p&gt;For KDE, apt-get want to remove 82 packages, among them kdebase
8833 which seem like a bad idea and xorg the same way as with Gnome. Asking
8834 aptitude for the same, it wants to remove 192 packages, none which are
8835 too surprising.&lt;/p&gt;
8836
8837 &lt;p&gt;I guess the removal of xorg during upgrades should be investigated
8838 and avoided, and perhaps others as well. Here are the complete list
8839 of planned removals. The complete logs is available from the URL
8840 above. Note if you want to repeat these tests, that the upgrade test
8841 for kde+apt-get hung in the tasksel setup because of dpkg asking
8842 conffile questions. No idea why. I worked around it by using
8843 &#39;&lt;tt&gt;echo &gt;&gt; /proc/&lt;em&gt;pidofdpkg&lt;/em&gt;/fd/0&lt;/tt&gt;&#39; to tell dpkg to
8844 continue.&lt;/p&gt;
8845
8846 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;apt-get gnome 72&lt;/b&gt;
8847 &lt;br&gt;bluez-gnome cupsddk-drivers deskbar-applet gnome
8848 gnome-desktop-environment gnome-network-admin gtkhtml3.14
8849 iceweasel-gnome-support libavcodec51 libdatrie0 libgdl-1-0
8850 libgnomekbd2 libgnomekbdui2 libmetacity0 libslab0 libxcb-xlib0
8851 nautilus-cd-burner python-gnome2-desktop python-gnome2-extras
8852 serpentine swfdec-mozilla update-manager xorg xserver-xorg
8853 xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev
8854 xserver-xorg-input-kbd xserver-xorg-input-mouse
8855 xserver-xorg-input-synaptics xserver-xorg-input-wacom
8856 xserver-xorg-video-all xserver-xorg-video-apm xserver-xorg-video-ark
8857 xserver-xorg-video-ati xserver-xorg-video-chips
8858 xserver-xorg-video-cirrus xserver-xorg-video-cyrix
8859 xserver-xorg-video-dummy xserver-xorg-video-fbdev
8860 xserver-xorg-video-glint xserver-xorg-video-i128
8861 xserver-xorg-video-i740 xserver-xorg-video-imstt
8862 xserver-xorg-video-intel xserver-xorg-video-mach64
8863 xserver-xorg-video-mga xserver-xorg-video-neomagic
8864 xserver-xorg-video-nsc xserver-xorg-video-nv
8865 xserver-xorg-video-openchrome xserver-xorg-video-r128
8866 xserver-xorg-video-radeon xserver-xorg-video-radeonhd
8867 xserver-xorg-video-rendition xserver-xorg-video-s3
8868 xserver-xorg-video-s3virge xserver-xorg-video-savage
8869 xserver-xorg-video-siliconmotion xserver-xorg-video-sis
8870 xserver-xorg-video-sisusb xserver-xorg-video-tdfx
8871 xserver-xorg-video-tga xserver-xorg-video-trident
8872 xserver-xorg-video-tseng xserver-xorg-video-v4l
8873 xserver-xorg-video-vesa xserver-xorg-video-vga
8874 xserver-xorg-video-vmware xserver-xorg-video-voodoo xulrunner-1.9
8875 xulrunner-1.9-gnome-support&lt;/p&gt;
8876
8877 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;aptitude gnome 129&lt;/b&gt;
8878
8879 &lt;br&gt;bluez-gnome bluez-utils cpp-4.3 cupsddk-drivers dhcdbd
8880 djvulibre-desktop finger gnome-app-install gnome-mount
8881 gnome-network-admin gnome-spell gnome-vfs-obexftp
8882 gnome-volume-manager gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs gtkhtml3.14 libao2
8883 libavahi-compat-libdnssd1 libavahi-core5 libavcodec51 libbluetooth2
8884 libcamel1.2-11 libcdio7 libcucul0 libcupsys2 libcurl3 libdatrie0
8885 libdirectfb-1.0-0 libdvdread3 libedataserver1.2-9 libeel2-2.20
8886 libeel2-data libepc-1.0-1 libepc-ui-1.0-1 libfaad0 libgail-common
8887 libgd2-noxpm libgda3-3 libgda3-common libgdl-1-0 libgdl-1-common
8888 libggz2 libggzcore9 libggzmod4 libgksu1.2-0 libgksuui1.0-1 libgmyth0
8889 libgnomecups1.0-1 libgnomekbd2 libgnomekbdui2 libgnomeprint2.2-0
8890 libgnomeprint2.2-data libgnomeprintui2.2-0 libgnomeprintui2.2-common
8891 libgnomevfs2-bin libgpod3 libgraphviz4 libgtkhtml2-0
8892 libgtksourceview-common libgtksourceview1.0-0 libgucharmap6
8893 libhesiod0 libicu38 libiw29 libkpathsea4 libltdl3 libmagick++10
8894 libmagick10 libmalaga7 libmetacity0 libmtp7 libmysqlclient15off
8895 libnautilus-burn4 libneon27 libnm-glib0 libnm-util0 libopal-2.2
8896 libosp5 libparted1.8-10 libpoppler-glib3 libpoppler3 libpt-1.10.10
8897 libpt-1.10.10-plugins-alsa libpt-1.10.10-plugins-v4l libraw1394-8
8898 libsensors3 libslab0 libsmbios2 libsoup2.2-8 libssh2-1
8899 libsuitesparse-3.1.0 libswfdec-0.6-90 libtalloc1 libtotem-plparser10
8900 libtrackerclient0 libxalan2-java libxalan2-java-gcj libxcb-xlib0
8901 libxerces2-java libxerces2-java-gcj libxklavier12 libxtrap6
8902 libxxf86misc1 libzephyr3 mysql-common nautilus-cd-burner
8903 openoffice.org-writer2latex openssl-blacklist p7zip
8904 python-4suite-xml python-eggtrayicon python-gnome2-desktop
8905 python-gnome2-extras python-gtkhtml2 python-gtkmozembed
8906 python-numeric python-sexy serpentine svgalibg1 swfdec-gnome
8907 swfdec-mozilla totem-gstreamer update-manager wodim
8908 xserver-xorg-video-cyrix xserver-xorg-video-imstt
8909 xserver-xorg-video-nsc xserver-xorg-video-v4l xserver-xorg-video-vga
8910 zip&lt;/p&gt;
8911
8912 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;apt-get kde 82&lt;/b&gt;
8913
8914 &lt;br&gt;cupsddk-drivers karm kaudiocreator kcoloredit kcontrol kde kde-core
8915 kdeaddons kdeartwork kdebase kdebase-bin kdebase-bin-kde3
8916 kdebase-kio-plugins kdesktop kdeutils khelpcenter kicker
8917 kicker-applets knewsticker kolourpaint konq-plugins konqueror korn
8918 kpersonalizer kscreensaver ksplash libavcodec51 libdatrie0 libkiten1
8919 libxcb-xlib0 quanta superkaramba texlive-base-bin xorg xserver-xorg
8920 xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev
8921 xserver-xorg-input-kbd xserver-xorg-input-mouse
8922 xserver-xorg-input-synaptics xserver-xorg-input-wacom
8923 xserver-xorg-video-all xserver-xorg-video-apm xserver-xorg-video-ark
8924 xserver-xorg-video-ati xserver-xorg-video-chips
8925 xserver-xorg-video-cirrus xserver-xorg-video-cyrix
8926 xserver-xorg-video-dummy xserver-xorg-video-fbdev
8927 xserver-xorg-video-glint xserver-xorg-video-i128
8928 xserver-xorg-video-i740 xserver-xorg-video-imstt
8929 xserver-xorg-video-intel xserver-xorg-video-mach64
8930 xserver-xorg-video-mga xserver-xorg-video-neomagic
8931 xserver-xorg-video-nsc xserver-xorg-video-nv
8932 xserver-xorg-video-openchrome xserver-xorg-video-r128
8933 xserver-xorg-video-radeon xserver-xorg-video-radeonhd
8934 xserver-xorg-video-rendition xserver-xorg-video-s3
8935 xserver-xorg-video-s3virge xserver-xorg-video-savage
8936 xserver-xorg-video-siliconmotion xserver-xorg-video-sis
8937 xserver-xorg-video-sisusb xserver-xorg-video-tdfx
8938 xserver-xorg-video-tga xserver-xorg-video-trident
8939 xserver-xorg-video-tseng xserver-xorg-video-v4l
8940 xserver-xorg-video-vesa xserver-xorg-video-vga
8941 xserver-xorg-video-vmware xserver-xorg-video-voodoo xulrunner-1.9&lt;/p&gt;
8942
8943 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;aptitude kde 192&lt;/b&gt;
8944 &lt;br&gt;bluez-utils cpp-4.3 cupsddk-drivers cvs dcoprss dhcdbd
8945 djvulibre-desktop dosfstools eyesapplet fifteenapplet finger gettext
8946 ghostscript-x imlib-base imlib11 indi kandy karm kasteroids
8947 kaudiocreator kbackgammon kbstate kcoloredit kcontrol kcron kdat
8948 kdeadmin-kfile-plugins kdeartwork-misc kdeartwork-theme-window
8949 kdebase-bin-kde3 kdebase-kio-plugins kdeedu-data
8950 kdegraphics-kfile-plugins kdelirc kdemultimedia-kappfinder-data
8951 kdemultimedia-kfile-plugins kdenetwork-kfile-plugins
8952 kdepim-kfile-plugins kdepim-kio-plugins kdeprint kdesktop kdessh
8953 kdict kdnssd kdvi kedit keduca kenolaba kfax kfaxview kfouleggs
8954 kghostview khelpcenter khexedit kiconedit kitchensync klatin
8955 klickety kmailcvt kmenuedit kmid kmilo kmoon kmrml kodo kolourpaint
8956 kooka korn kpager kpdf kpercentage kpf kpilot kpoker kpovmodeler
8957 krec kregexpeditor ksayit ksim ksirc ksirtet ksmiletris ksmserver
8958 ksnake ksokoban ksplash ksvg ksysv ktip ktnef kuickshow kverbos
8959 kview kviewshell kvoctrain kwifimanager kwin kwin4 kworldclock
8960 kxsldbg libakode2 libao2 libarts1-akode libarts1-audiofile
8961 libarts1-mpeglib libarts1-xine libavahi-compat-libdnssd1
8962 libavahi-core5 libavc1394-0 libavcodec51 libbluetooth2
8963 libboost-python1.34.1 libcucul0 libcurl3 libcvsservice0 libdatrie0
8964 libdirectfb-1.0-0 libdjvulibre21 libdvdread3 libfaad0 libfreebob0
8965 libgail-common libgd2-noxpm libgraphviz4 libgsmme1c2a libgtkhtml2-0
8966 libicu38 libiec61883-0 libindex0 libiw29 libk3b3 libkcal2b libkcddb1
8967 libkdeedu3 libkdepim1a libkgantt0 libkiten1 libkleopatra1 libkmime2
8968 libkpathsea4 libkpimexchange1 libkpimidentities1 libkscan1
8969 libksieve0 libktnef1 liblockdev1 libltdl3 libmagick10 libmimelib1c2a
8970 libmozjs1d libmpcdec3 libneon27 libnm-util0 libopensync0 libpisock9
8971 libpoppler-glib3 libpoppler-qt2 libpoppler3 libraw1394-8 libsmbios2
8972 libssh2-1 libsuitesparse-3.1.0 libtalloc1 libtiff-tools
8973 libxalan2-java libxalan2-java-gcj libxcb-xlib0 libxerces2-java
8974 libxerces2-java-gcj libxtrap6 mpeglib networkstatus
8975 openoffice.org-writer2latex pmount poster psutils quanta quanta-data
8976 superkaramba svgalibg1 tex-common texlive-base texlive-base-bin
8977 texlive-common texlive-doc-base texlive-fonts-recommended
8978 xserver-xorg-video-cyrix xserver-xorg-video-imstt
8979 xserver-xorg-video-nsc xserver-xorg-video-v4l xserver-xorg-video-vga
8980 xulrunner-1.9&lt;/p&gt;
8981
8982 </description>
8983 </item>
8984
8985 <item>
8986 <title>Automatic upgrade testing from Lenny to Squeeze</title>
8987 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatic_upgrade_testing_from_Lenny_to_Squeeze.html</link>
8988 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Automatic_upgrade_testing_from_Lenny_to_Squeeze.html</guid>
8989 <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
8990 <description>&lt;p&gt;The last few days I have done some upgrade testing in Debian, to
8991 see if the upgrade from Lenny to Squeeze will go smoothly. A few bugs
8992 have been discovered and reported in the process
8993 (&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/585410&quot;&gt;#585410&lt;/a&gt; in nagios3-cgi,
8994 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/584879&quot;&gt;#584879&lt;/a&gt; already fixed in
8995 enscript and &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/584861&quot;&gt;#584861&lt;/a&gt; in
8996 kdebase-workspace-data), and to get a more regular testing going on, I
8997 am working on a script to automate the test.&lt;/p&gt;
8998
8999 &lt;p&gt;The idea is to create a Lenny chroot and use tasksel to install a
9000 Gnome or KDE desktop installation inside the chroot before upgrading
9001 it. To ensure no services are started in the chroot, a policy-rc.d
9002 script is inserted. To make sure tasksel believe it is to install a
9003 desktop on a laptop, the tasksel tests are replaced in the chroot
9004 (only acceptable because this is a throw-away chroot).&lt;/p&gt;
9005
9006 &lt;p&gt;A naive upgrade from Lenny to Squeeze using aptitude dist-upgrade
9007 currently always fail because udev refuses to upgrade with the kernel
9008 in Lenny, so to avoid that problem the file /etc/udev/kernel-upgrade
9009 is created. The bug report
9010 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/566000&quot;&gt;#566000&lt;/a&gt; make me suspect
9011 this problem do not trigger in a chroot, but I touch the file anyway
9012 to make sure the upgrade go well. Testing on virtual and real
9013 hardware have failed me because of udev so far, and creating this file
9014 do the trick in such settings anyway. This is a
9015 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/failed-dist-upgrade-due-to-udev-config_sysfs_deprecated-nonsense-804130/&quot;&gt;known
9016 issue&lt;/a&gt; and the current udev behaviour is intended by the udev
9017 maintainer because he lack the resources to rewrite udev to keep
9018 working with old kernels or something like that. I really wish the
9019 udev upstream would keep udev backwards compatible, to avoid such
9020 upgrade problem, but given that they fail to do so, I guess
9021 documenting the way out of this mess is the best option we got for
9022 Debian Squeeze.&lt;/p&gt;
9023
9024 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, back to the task at hand, testing upgrades. This test
9025 script, which I call &lt;tt&gt;upgrade-test&lt;/tt&gt; for now, is doing the
9026 trick:&lt;/p&gt;
9027
9028 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9029 #!/bin/sh
9030 set -ex
9031
9032 if [ &quot;$1&quot; ] ; then
9033 desktop=$1
9034 else
9035 desktop=gnome
9036 fi
9037
9038 from=lenny
9039 to=squeeze
9040
9041 exec &amp;lt; /dev/null
9042 unset LANG
9043 mirror=http://ftp.skolelinux.org/debian
9044 tmpdir=chroot-$from-upgrade-$to-$desktop
9045 fuser -mv .
9046 debootstrap $from $tmpdir $mirror
9047 chroot $tmpdir aptitude update
9048 cat &gt; $tmpdir/usr/sbin/policy-rc.d &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF
9049 #!/bin/sh
9050 exit 101
9051 EOF
9052 chmod a+rx $tmpdir/usr/sbin/policy-rc.d
9053 exit_cleanup() {
9054 umount $tmpdir/proc
9055 }
9056 mount -t proc proc $tmpdir/proc
9057 # Make sure proc is unmounted also on failure
9058 trap exit_cleanup EXIT INT
9059
9060 chroot $tmpdir aptitude -y install debconf-utils
9061
9062 # Make sure tasksel autoselection trigger. It need the test scripts
9063 # to return the correct answers.
9064 echo tasksel tasksel/desktop multiselect $desktop | \
9065 chroot $tmpdir debconf-set-selections
9066
9067 # Include the desktop and laptop task
9068 for test in desktop laptop ; do
9069 echo &gt; $tmpdir/usr/lib/tasksel/tests/$test &amp;lt;&amp;lt;EOF
9070 #!/bin/sh
9071 exit 2
9072 EOF
9073 chmod a+rx $tmpdir/usr/lib/tasksel/tests/$test
9074 done
9075
9076 DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
9077 DEBIAN_PRIORITY=critical
9078 export DEBIAN_FRONTEND DEBIAN_PRIORITY
9079 chroot $tmpdir tasksel --new-install
9080
9081 echo deb $mirror $to main &gt; $tmpdir/etc/apt/sources.list
9082 chroot $tmpdir aptitude update
9083 touch $tmpdir/etc/udev/kernel-upgrade
9084 chroot $tmpdir aptitude -y dist-upgrade
9085 fuser -mv
9086 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9087
9088 &lt;p&gt;I suspect it would be useful to test upgrades with both apt-get and
9089 with aptitude, but I have not had time to look at how they behave
9090 differently so far. I hope to get a cron job running to do the test
9091 regularly and post the result on the web. The Gnome upgrade currently
9092 work, while the KDE upgrade fail because of the bug in
9093 kdebase-workspace-data&lt;/p&gt;
9094
9095 &lt;p&gt;I am not quite sure what kind of extract from the huge upgrade logs
9096 (KDE 167 KiB, Gnome 516 KiB) it make sense to include in this blog
9097 post, so I will refrain from trying. I can report that for Gnome,
9098 aptitude report 760 packages upgraded, 448 newly installed, 129 to
9099 remove and 1 not upgraded and 1024MB need to be downloaded while for
9100 KDE the same numbers are 702 packages upgraded, 507 newly installed,
9101 193 to remove and 0 not upgraded and 1117MB need to be downloaded&lt;/p&gt;
9102
9103 &lt;p&gt;I am very happy to notice that the Gnome desktop + laptop upgrade
9104 is able to migrate to dependency based boot sequencing and parallel
9105 booting without a hitch. Was unsure if there were still bugs with
9106 packages failing to clean up their obsolete init.d script during
9107 upgrades, and no such problem seem to affect the Gnome desktop+laptop
9108 packages.&lt;/p&gt;
9109 </description>
9110 </item>
9111
9112 <item>
9113 <title>Upstart or sysvinit - as init.d scripts see it</title>
9114 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Upstart_or_sysvinit___as_init_d_scripts_see_it.html</link>
9115 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Upstart_or_sysvinit___as_init_d_scripts_see_it.html</guid>
9116 <pubDate>Sun, 6 Jun 2010 23:55:00 +0200</pubDate>
9117 <description>&lt;p&gt;If Debian is to migrate to upstart on Linux, I expect some init.d
9118 scripts to migrate (some of) their operations to upstart job while
9119 keeping the init.d for hurd and kfreebsd. The packages with such
9120 needs will need a way to get their init.d scripts to behave
9121 differently when used with sysvinit and with upstart. Because of
9122 this, I had a look at the environment variables set when a init.d
9123 script is running under upstart, and when it is not.&lt;/p&gt;
9124
9125 &lt;p&gt;With upstart, I notice these environment variables are set when a
9126 script is started from rcS.d/ (ignoring some irrelevant ones like
9127 COLUMNS):&lt;/p&gt;
9128
9129 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9130 DEFAULT_RUNLEVEL=2
9131 previous=N
9132 PREVLEVEL=
9133 RUNLEVEL=
9134 runlevel=S
9135 UPSTART_EVENTS=startup
9136 UPSTART_INSTANCE=
9137 UPSTART_JOB=rc-sysinit
9138 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9139
9140 &lt;p&gt;With sysvinit, these environment variables are set for the same
9141 script.&lt;/p&gt;
9142
9143 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9144 INIT_VERSION=sysvinit-2.88
9145 previous=N
9146 PREVLEVEL=N
9147 RUNLEVEL=S
9148 runlevel=S
9149 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9150
9151 &lt;p&gt;The RUNLEVEL and PREVLEVEL environment variables passed on from
9152 sysvinit are not set by upstart. Not sure if it is intentional or not
9153 to not be compatible with sysvinit in this regard.&lt;/p&gt;
9154
9155 &lt;p&gt;For scripts needing to behave differently when upstart is used,
9156 looking for the UPSTART_JOB environment variable seem to be a good
9157 choice.&lt;/p&gt;
9158 </description>
9159 </item>
9160
9161 <item>
9162 <title>A manual for standards wars...</title>
9163 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_manual_for_standards_wars___.html</link>
9164 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_manual_for_standards_wars___.html</guid>
9165 <pubDate>Sun, 6 Jun 2010 14:15:00 +0200</pubDate>
9166 <description>&lt;p&gt;Via the
9167 &lt;a href=&quot;http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/robweir/antic-atom/~3/QzU4RgoAGMg/weekly-links-10.html&quot;&gt;blog
9168 of Rob Weir&lt;/a&gt; I came across the very interesting essay named
9169 &lt;a href=&quot;http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/shapiro/wars.pdf&quot;&gt;The Art of
9170 Standards Wars&lt;/a&gt; (PDF 25 pages). I recommend it for everyone
9171 following the standards wars of today.&lt;/p&gt;
9172 </description>
9173 </item>
9174
9175 <item>
9176 <title>Sitesummary tip: Listing computer hardware models used at site</title>
9177 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sitesummary_tip__Listing_computer_hardware_models_used_at_site.html</link>
9178 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sitesummary_tip__Listing_computer_hardware_models_used_at_site.html</guid>
9179 <pubDate>Thu, 3 Jun 2010 12:05:00 +0200</pubDate>
9180 <description>&lt;p&gt;When using sitesummary at a site to track machines, it is possible
9181 to get a list of the machine types in use thanks to the DMI
9182 information extracted from each machine. The script to do so is
9183 included in the sitesummary package, and here is example output from
9184 the Skolelinux build servers:&lt;/p&gt;
9185
9186 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9187 maintainer:~# /usr/lib/sitesummary/hardware-model-summary
9188 vendor count
9189 Dell Computer Corporation 1
9190 PowerEdge 1750 1
9191 IBM 1
9192 eserver xSeries 345 -[8670M1X]- 1
9193 Intel 2
9194 [no-dmi-info] 3
9195 maintainer:~#
9196 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9197
9198 &lt;p&gt;The quality of the report depend on the quality of the DMI tables
9199 provided in each machine. Here there are Intel machines without model
9200 information listed with Intel as vendor and no model, and virtual Xen
9201 machines listed as [no-dmi-info]. One can add -l as a command line
9202 option to list the individual machines.&lt;/p&gt;
9203
9204 &lt;p&gt;A larger list is
9205 &lt;a href=&quot;http://narvikskolen.no/sitesummary/&quot;&gt;available from the the
9206 city of Narvik&lt;/a&gt;, which uses Skolelinux on all their shools and also
9207 provide the basic sitesummary report publicly. In their report there
9208 are ~1400 machines. I know they use both Ubuntu and Skolelinux on
9209 their machines, and as sitesummary is available in both distributions,
9210 it is trivial to get all of them to report to the same central
9211 collector.&lt;/p&gt;
9212 </description>
9213 </item>
9214
9215 <item>
9216 <title>KDM fail at boot with NVidia cards - and no one try to fix it?</title>
9217 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/KDM_fail_at_boot_with_NVidia_cards___and_no_one_try_to_fix_it_.html</link>
9218 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/KDM_fail_at_boot_with_NVidia_cards___and_no_one_try_to_fix_it_.html</guid>
9219 <pubDate>Tue, 1 Jun 2010 17:05:00 +0200</pubDate>
9220 <description>&lt;p&gt;It is strange to watch how a bug in Debian causing KDM to fail to
9221 start at boot when an NVidia video card is used is handled. The
9222 problem seem to be that the nvidia X.org driver uses a long time to
9223 initialize, and this duration is longer than kdm is configured to
9224 wait.&lt;/p&gt;
9225
9226 &lt;p&gt;I came across two bugs related to this issue,
9227 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/583312&quot;&gt;#583312&lt;/a&gt; initially filed
9228 against initscripts and passed on to nvidia-glx when it became obvious
9229 that the nvidia drivers were involved, and
9230 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/524751&quot;&gt;#524751&lt;/a&gt; initially filed against
9231 kdm and passed on to src:nvidia-graphics-drivers for unknown reasons.&lt;/p&gt;
9232
9233 &lt;p&gt;To me, it seem that no-one is interested in actually solving the
9234 problem nvidia video card owners experience and make sure the Debian
9235 distribution work out of the box for these users. The nvidia driver
9236 maintainers expect kdm to be set up to wait longer, while kdm expect
9237 the nvidia driver maintainers to fix the driver to start faster, and
9238 while they wait for each other I guess the users end up switching to a
9239 distribution that work for them. I have no idea what the solution is,
9240 but I am pretty sure that waiting for each other is not it.&lt;/p&gt;
9241
9242 &lt;p&gt;I wonder why we end up handling bugs this way.&lt;/p&gt;
9243 </description>
9244 </item>
9245
9246 <item>
9247 <title>Parallellized boot seem to hold up well in Debian/testing</title>
9248 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellized_boot_seem_to_hold_up_well_in_Debian_testing.html</link>
9249 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellized_boot_seem_to_hold_up_well_in_Debian_testing.html</guid>
9250 <pubDate>Thu, 27 May 2010 23:55:00 +0200</pubDate>
9251 <description>&lt;p&gt;A few days ago, parallel booting was enabled in Debian/testing.
9252 The feature seem to hold up pretty well, but three fairly serious
9253 issues are known and should be solved:
9254
9255 &lt;p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
9256
9257 &lt;li&gt;The wicd package seen to
9258 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/508289&quot;&gt;break NFS mounting&lt;/a&gt; and
9259 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/581586&quot;&gt;network setup&lt;/a&gt; when
9260 parallel booting is enabled. No idea why, but the wicd maintainer
9261 seem to be on the case.&lt;/li&gt;
9262
9263 &lt;li&gt;The nvidia X driver seem to
9264 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/583312&quot;&gt;have a race condition&lt;/a&gt;
9265 triggered more easily when parallel booting is in effect. The
9266 maintainer is on the case.&lt;/li&gt;
9267
9268 &lt;li&gt;The sysv-rc package fail to properly enable dependency based boot
9269 sequencing (the shutdown is broken) when old file-rc users
9270 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/575080&quot;&gt;try to switch back&lt;/a&gt; to
9271 sysv-rc. One way to solve it would be for file-rc to create
9272 /etc/init.d/.legacy-bootordering, and another is to try to make
9273 sysv-rc more robust. Will investigate some more and probably upload a
9274 workaround in sysv-rc to help those trying to move from file-rc to
9275 sysv-rc get a working shutdown.&lt;/li&gt;
9276
9277 &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
9278
9279 &lt;p&gt;All in all not many surprising issues, and all of them seem
9280 solvable before Squeeze is released. In addition to these there are
9281 some packages with bugs in their dependencies and run level settings,
9282 which I expect will be fixed in a reasonable time span.&lt;/p&gt;
9283
9284 &lt;p&gt;If you report any problems with dependencies in init.d scripts to
9285 the BTS, please usertag the report to get it to show up at
9286 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=initscripts-ng-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org&quot;&gt;the
9287 list of usertagged bugs related to this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
9288
9289 &lt;p&gt;Update: Correct bug number to file-rc issue.&lt;/p&gt;
9290 </description>
9291 </item>
9292
9293 <item>
9294 <title>More flexible firmware handling in debian-installer</title>
9295 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/More_flexible_firmware_handling_in_debian_installer.html</link>
9296 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/More_flexible_firmware_handling_in_debian_installer.html</guid>
9297 <pubDate>Sat, 22 May 2010 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
9298 <description>&lt;p&gt;After a long break from debian-installer development, I finally
9299 found time today to return to the project. Having to spend less time
9300 working dependency based boot in debian, as it is almost complete now,
9301 definitely helped freeing some time.&lt;/p&gt;
9302
9303 &lt;p&gt;A while back, I ran into a problem while working on Debian Edu. We
9304 include some firmware packages on the Debian Edu CDs, those needed to
9305 get disk and network controllers working. Without having these
9306 firmware packages available during installation, it is impossible to
9307 install Debian Edu on the given machine, and because our target group
9308 are non-technical people, asking them to provide firmware packages on
9309 an external medium is a support pain. Initially, I expected it to be
9310 enough to include the firmware packages on the CD to get
9311 debian-installer to find and use them. This proved to be wrong.
9312 Next, I hoped it was enough to symlink the relevant firmware packages
9313 to some useful location on the CD (tried /cdrom/ and
9314 /cdrom/firmware/). This also proved to not work, and at this point I
9315 found time to look at the debian-installer code to figure out what was
9316 going to work.&lt;/p&gt;
9317
9318 &lt;p&gt;The firmware loading code is in the hw-detect package, and a closer
9319 look revealed that it would only look for firmware packages outside
9320 the installation media, so the CD was never checked for firmware
9321 packages. It would only check USB sticks, floppies and other
9322 &quot;external&quot; media devices. Today I changed it to also look in the
9323 /cdrom/firmware/ directory on the mounted CD or DVD, which should
9324 solve the problem I ran into with Debian edu. I also changed it to
9325 look in /firmware/, to make sure the installer also find firmware
9326 provided in the initrd when booting the installer via PXE, to allow us
9327 to provide the same feature in the PXE setup included in Debian
9328 Edu.&lt;/p&gt;
9329
9330 &lt;p&gt;To make sure firmware deb packages with a license questions are not
9331 activated without asking if the license is accepted, I extended
9332 hw-detect to look for preinst scripts in the firmware packages, and
9333 run these before activating the firmware during installation. The
9334 license question is asked using debconf in the preinst, so this should
9335 solve the issue for the firmware packages I have looked at so far.&lt;/p&gt;
9336
9337 &lt;p&gt;If you want to discuss the details of these features, please
9338 contact us on debian-boot@lists.debian.org.&lt;/p&gt;
9339 </description>
9340 </item>
9341
9342 <item>
9343 <title>Parallellized boot is now the default in Debian/unstable</title>
9344 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellized_boot_is_now_the_default_in_Debian_unstable.html</link>
9345 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellized_boot_is_now_the_default_in_Debian_unstable.html</guid>
9346 <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 22:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
9347 <description>&lt;p&gt;Since this evening, parallel booting is the default in
9348 Debian/unstable for machines using dependency based boot sequencing.
9349 Apparently the testing of concurrent booting has been wider than
9350 expected, if I am to believe the
9351 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2010/05/msg00122.html&quot;&gt;input
9352 on debian-devel@&lt;/a&gt;, and I concluded a few days ago to move forward
9353 with the feature this weekend, to give us some time to detect any
9354 remaining problems before Squeeze is frozen. If serious problems are
9355 detected, it is simple to change the default back to sequential boot.
9356 The upload of the new sysvinit package also activate a new upstream
9357 version.&lt;/p&gt;
9358
9359 More information about
9360 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/LSBInitScripts/DependencyBasedBoot&quot;&gt;dependency
9361 based boot sequencing&lt;/a&gt; is available from the Debian wiki. It is
9362 currently possible to disable parallel booting when one run into
9363 problems caused by it, by adding this line to /etc/default/rcS:&lt;/p&gt;
9364
9365 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9366 CONCURRENCY=none
9367 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9368
9369 &lt;p&gt;If you report any problems with dependencies in init.d scripts to
9370 the BTS, please usertag the report to get it to show up at
9371 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=initscripts-ng-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org&quot;&gt;the
9372 list of usertagged bugs related to this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
9373 </description>
9374 </item>
9375
9376 <item>
9377 <title>Sitesummary tip: Listing MAC address of all clients</title>
9378 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sitesummary_tip__Listing_MAC_address_of_all_clients.html</link>
9379 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sitesummary_tip__Listing_MAC_address_of_all_clients.html</guid>
9380 <pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 21:10:00 +0200</pubDate>
9381 <description>&lt;p&gt;In the recent Debian Edu versions, the
9382 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/SiteSummary&quot;&gt;sitesummary
9383 system&lt;/a&gt; is used to keep track of the machines in the school
9384 network. Each machine will automatically report its status to the
9385 central server after boot and once per night. The network setup is
9386 also reported, and using this information it is possible to get the
9387 MAC address of all network interfaces in the machines. This is useful
9388 to update the DHCP configuration.&lt;/p&gt;
9389
9390 &lt;p&gt;To give some idea how to use sitesummary, here is a one-liner to
9391 ist all MAC addresses of all machines reporting to sitesummary. Run
9392 this on the collector host:&lt;/p&gt;
9393
9394 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9395 perl -MSiteSummary -e &#39;for_all_hosts(sub { print join(&quot; &quot;, get_macaddresses(shift)), &quot;\n&quot;; });&#39;
9396 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9397
9398 &lt;p&gt;This will list all MAC addresses assosiated with all machine, one
9399 line per machine and with space between the MAC addresses.&lt;/p&gt;
9400
9401 &lt;p&gt;To allow system administrators easier job at adding static DHCP
9402 addresses for hosts, it would be possible to extend this to fetch
9403 machine information from sitesummary and update the DHCP and DNS
9404 tables in LDAP using this information. Such tool is unfortunately not
9405 written yet.&lt;/p&gt;
9406 </description>
9407 </item>
9408
9409 <item>
9410 <title>systemd, an interesting alternative to upstart</title>
9411 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/systemd__an_interesting_alternative_to_upstart.html</link>
9412 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/systemd__an_interesting_alternative_to_upstart.html</guid>
9413 <pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2010 22:20:00 +0200</pubDate>
9414 <description>&lt;p&gt;The last few days a new boot system called
9415 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd&quot;&gt;systemd&lt;/a&gt;
9416 has been
9417 &lt;a href=&quot;http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/systemd.html&quot;&gt;introduced&lt;/a&gt;
9418
9419 to the free software world. I have not yet had time to play around
9420 with it, but it seem to be a very interesting alternative to
9421 &lt;a href=&quot;http://upstart.ubuntu.com/&quot;&gt;upstart&lt;/a&gt;, and might prove to be
9422 a good alternative for Debian when we are able to switch to an event
9423 based boot system. Tollef is
9424 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/580814&quot;&gt;in the process&lt;/a&gt; of getting
9425 systemd into Debian, and I look forward to seeing how well it work. I
9426 like the fact that systemd handles init.d scripts with dependency
9427 information natively, allowing them to run in parallel where upstart
9428 at the moment do not.&lt;/p&gt;
9429
9430 &lt;p&gt;Unfortunately do systemd have the same problem as upstart regarding
9431 platform support. It only work on recent Linux kernels, and also need
9432 some new kernel features enabled to function properly. This means
9433 kFreeBSD and Hurd ports of Debian will need a port or a different boot
9434 system. Not sure how that will be handled if systemd proves to be the
9435 way forward.&lt;/p&gt;
9436
9437 &lt;p&gt;In the mean time, based on the
9438 &lt;a href=&quot;http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2010/05/msg00122.html&quot;&gt;input
9439 on debian-devel@&lt;/a&gt; regarding parallel booting in Debian, I have
9440 decided to enable full parallel booting as the default in Debian as
9441 soon as possible (probably this weekend or early next week), to see if
9442 there are any remaining serious bugs in the init.d dependencies. A
9443 new version of the sysvinit package implementing this change is
9444 already in experimental. If all go well, Squeeze will be released
9445 with parallel booting enabled by default.&lt;/p&gt;
9446 </description>
9447 </item>
9448
9449 <item>
9450 <title>Parallellizing the boot in Debian Squeeze - ready for wider testing</title>
9451 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellizing_the_boot_in_Debian_Squeeze___ready_for_wider_testing.html</link>
9452 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellizing_the_boot_in_Debian_Squeeze___ready_for_wider_testing.html</guid>
9453 <pubDate>Thu, 6 May 2010 23:25:00 +0200</pubDate>
9454 <description>&lt;p&gt;These days, the init.d script dependencies in Squeeze are quite
9455 complete, so complete that it is actually possible to run all the
9456 init.d scripts in parallell based on these dependencies. If you want
9457 to test your Squeeze system, make sure
9458 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/LSBInitScripts/DependencyBasedBoot&quot;&gt;dependency
9459 based boot sequencing&lt;/a&gt; is enabled, and add this line to
9460 /etc/default/rcS:&lt;/p&gt;
9461
9462 &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;pre&gt;
9463 CONCURRENCY=makefile
9464 &lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
9465
9466 &lt;p&gt;That is it. It will cause sysv-rc to use the startpar tool to run
9467 scripts in parallel using the dependency information stored in
9468 /etc/init.d/.depend.boot, /etc/init.d/.depend.start and
9469 /etc/init.d/.depend.stop to order the scripts. Startpar is configured
9470 to try to start the kdm and gdm scripts as early as possible, and will
9471 start the facilities required by kdm or gdm as early as possible to
9472 make this happen.&lt;/p&gt;
9473
9474 &lt;p&gt;Give it a try, and see if you like the result. If some services
9475 fail to start properly, it is most likely because they have incomplete
9476 init.d script dependencies in their startup script (or some of their
9477 dependent scripts have incomplete dependencies). Report bugs and get
9478 the package maintainers to fix it. :)&lt;/p&gt;
9479
9480 &lt;p&gt;Running scripts in parallel could be the default in Debian when we
9481 manage to get the init.d script dependencies complete and correct. I
9482 expect we will get there in Squeeze+1, if we get manage to test and
9483 fix the remaining issues.&lt;/p&gt;
9484
9485 &lt;p&gt;If you report any problems with dependencies in init.d scripts to
9486 the BTS, please usertag the report to get it to show up at
9487 &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=initscripts-ng-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org&quot;&gt;the
9488 list of usertagged bugs related to this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
9489 </description>
9490 </item>
9491
9492 <item>
9493 <title>Debian has switched to dependency based boot sequencing</title>
9494 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_has_switched_to_dependency_based_boot_sequencing.html</link>
9495 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_has_switched_to_dependency_based_boot_sequencing.html</guid>
9496 <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
9497 <description>&lt;p&gt;Since this evening, with the upload of sysvinit version 2.87dsf-2,
9498 and the upload of insserv version 1.12.0-10 yesterday, Debian unstable
9499 have been migrated to using dependency based boot sequencing. This
9500 conclude work me and others have been doing for the last three days.
9501 It feels great to see this finally part of the default Debian
9502 installation. Now we just need to weed out the last few problems that
9503 are bound to show up, to get everything ready for Squeeze.&lt;/p&gt;
9504
9505 &lt;p&gt;The next step is migrating /sbin/init from sysvinit to upstart, and
9506 fixing the more fundamental problem of handing the event based
9507 non-predictable kernel in the early boot.&lt;/p&gt;
9508 </description>
9509 </item>
9510
9511 <item>
9512 <title>Taking over sysvinit development</title>
9513 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Taking_over_sysvinit_development.html</link>
9514 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Taking_over_sysvinit_development.html</guid>
9515 <pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
9516 <description>&lt;p&gt;After several years of frustration with the lack of activity from
9517 the existing sysvinit upstream developer, I decided a few weeks ago to
9518 take over the package and become the new upstream. The number of
9519 patches to track for the Debian package was becoming a burden, and the
9520 lack of synchronization between the distribution made it hard to keep
9521 the package up to date.&lt;/p&gt;
9522
9523 &lt;p&gt;On the new sysvinit team is the SuSe maintainer Dr. Werner Fink,
9524 and my Debian co-maintainer Kel Modderman. About 10 days ago, I made
9525 a new upstream tarball with version number 2.87dsf (for Debian, SuSe
9526 and Fedora), based on the patches currently in use in these
9527 distributions. We Debian maintainers plan to move to this tarball as
9528 the new upstream as soon as we find time to do the merge. Since the
9529 new tarball was created, we agreed with Werner at SuSe to make a new
9530 upstream project at &lt;a href=&quot;http://savannah.nongnu.org/&quot;&gt;Savannah&lt;/a&gt;, and continue
9531 development there. The project is registered and currently waiting
9532 for approval by the Savannah administrators, and as soon as it is
9533 approved, we will import the old versions from svn and continue
9534 working on the future release.&lt;/p&gt;
9535
9536 &lt;p&gt;It is a bit ironic that this is done now, when some of the involved
9537 distributions are moving to upstart as a syvinit replacement.&lt;/p&gt;
9538 </description>
9539 </item>
9540
9541 <item>
9542 <title>Debian boots quicker and quicker</title>
9543 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_boots_quicker_and_quicker.html</link>
9544 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_boots_quicker_and_quicker.html</guid>
9545 <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:40:00 +0200</pubDate>
9546 <description>&lt;p&gt;I spent Monday and tuesday this week in London with a lot of the
9547 people involved in the boot system on Debian and Ubuntu, to see if we
9548 could find more ways to speed up the boot system. This was an Ubuntu
9549 funded
9550 &lt;a href=&quot;https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FoundationsTeam/BootPerformance/DebianUbuntuSprint&quot;&gt;developer
9551 gathering&lt;/a&gt;. It was quite productive. We also discussed the future
9552 of boot systems, and ways to handle the increasing number of boot
9553 issues introduced by the Linux kernel becoming more and more
9554 asynchronous and event base. The Ubuntu approach using udev and
9555 upstart might be a good way forward. Time will show.&lt;/p&gt;
9556
9557 &lt;p&gt;Anyway, there are a few ways at the moment to speed up the boot
9558 process in Debian. All of these should be applied to get a quick
9559 boot:&lt;/p&gt;
9560
9561 &lt;ul&gt;
9562
9563 &lt;li&gt;Use dash as /bin/sh.&lt;/li&gt;
9564
9565 &lt;li&gt;Disable the init.d/hwclock*.sh scripts and make sure the hardware
9566 clock is in UTC.&lt;/li&gt;
9567
9568 &lt;li&gt;Install and activate the insserv package to enable
9569 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/LSBInitScripts/DependencyBasedBoot&quot;&gt;dependency
9570 based boot sequencing&lt;/a&gt;, and enable concurrent booting.&lt;/li&gt;
9571
9572 &lt;/ul&gt;
9573
9574 These points are based on the Google summer of code work done by
9575 &lt;a href=&quot;http://initscripts-ng.alioth.debian.org/soc2006-bootsystem/&quot;&gt;Carlos
9576 Villegas&lt;/a&gt;.
9577
9578 &lt;p&gt;Support for makefile-style concurrency during boot was uploaded to
9579 unstable yesterday. When we tested it, we were able to cut 6 seconds
9580 from the boot sequence. It depend on very correct dependency
9581 declaration in all init.d scripts, so I expect us to find edge cases
9582 where the dependences in some scripts are slightly wrong when we start
9583 using this.&lt;/p&gt;
9584
9585 &lt;p&gt;On our IRC channel for this effort, #pkg-sysvinit, a new idea was
9586 introduced by Raphael Geissert today, one that could affect the
9587 startup speed as well. Instead of starting some scripts concurrently
9588 from rcS.d/ and another set of scripts from rc2.d/, it would be
9589 possible to run a of them in the same process. A quick way to test
9590 this would be to enable insserv and run &#39;mv /etc/rc2.d/S* /etc/rcS.d/;
9591 insserv&#39;. Will need to test if that work. :)&lt;/p&gt;
9592 </description>
9593 </item>
9594
9595 <item>
9596 <title>BSAs påstander om piratkopiering møter motstand</title>
9597 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/BSAs_p_stander_om_piratkopiering_m_ter_motstand.html</link>
9598 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/BSAs_p_stander_om_piratkopiering_m_ter_motstand.html</guid>
9599 <pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2009 23:05:00 +0200</pubDate>
9600 <description>&lt;p&gt;Hvert år de siste årene har BSA, lobbyfronten til de store
9601 programvareselskapene som Microsoft og Apple, publisert en rapport der
9602 de gjetter på hvor mye piratkopiering påfører i tapte inntekter i
9603 ulike land rundt om i verden. Resultatene er tendensiøse. For noen
9604 dager siden kom
9605 &lt;a href=&quot;http://global.bsa.org/globalpiracy2008/studies/globalpiracy2008.pdf&quot;&gt;siste
9606 rapport&lt;/a&gt;, og det er flere kritiske kommentarer publisert de siste
9607 dagene. Et spesielt interessant kommentar fra Sverige,
9608 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.229795/bsa-hoftade-sverigesiffror&quot;&gt;BSA
9609 höftade Sverigesiffror&lt;/a&gt;, oppsummeres slik:&lt;/p&gt;
9610
9611 &lt;blockquote&gt;
9612 I sin senaste rapport slår BSA fast att 25 procent av all mjukvara i
9613 Sverige är piratkopierad. Det utan att ha pratat med ett enda svenskt
9614 företag. &quot;Man bör nog kanske inte se de här siffrorna som helt
9615 exakta&quot;, säger BSAs Sverigechef John Hugosson.
9616 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
9617
9618 &lt;p&gt;Mon tro om de er like metodiske når de gjetter på andelen piratkopiering i Norge? To andre kommentarer er &lt;a
9619 href=&quot;http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/comment/2242134/bsa-piracy-figures-shot-reality&quot;&gt;BSA
9620 piracy figures need a shot of reality&lt;/a&gt; og &lt;a
9621 href=&quot;http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3958/125/&quot;&gt;Does The WIPO
9622 Copyright Treaty Work?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
9623
9624 &lt;p&gt;Fant lenkene via &lt;a
9625 href=&quot;http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/17/1632242&quot;&gt;oppslag
9626 på Slashdot&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
9627 </description>
9628 </item>
9629
9630 <item>
9631 <title>IDG mener linux i servermarkedet vil vokse med 21% i 2009</title>
9632 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/IDG_mener_linux_i_servermarkedet_vil_vokse_med_21__i_2009.html</link>
9633 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/IDG_mener_linux_i_servermarkedet_vil_vokse_med_21__i_2009.html</guid>
9634 <pubDate>Thu, 7 May 2009 22:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
9635 <description>&lt;p&gt;Kom over
9636 &lt;a href=&quot;http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10216873-16.html&quot;&gt;interessante
9637 tall&lt;/a&gt; fra IDG om utviklingen av linuxservermarkedet. Fikk meg til
9638 å tenke på antall tjenermaskiner ved Universitetet i Oslo der jeg
9639 jobber til daglig. En rask opptelling forteller meg at vi har 490
9640 (61%) fysiske unix-tjener (mest linux men også noen solaris) og 196
9641 (25%) windowstjenere, samt 112 (14%) virtuelle unix-tjenere. Med den
9642 bakgrunnskunnskapen kan jeg godt tro at IDG er inne på noe.&lt;/p&gt;
9643 </description>
9644 </item>
9645
9646 <item>
9647 <title>Kryptert harddisk - naturligvis</title>
9648 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Kryptert_harddisk___naturligvis.html</link>
9649 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Kryptert_harddisk___naturligvis.html</guid>
9650 <pubDate>Sat, 2 May 2009 15:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
9651 <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dagensit.no/trender/article1658676.ece&quot;&gt;Dagens
9652 IT melder&lt;/a&gt; at Intel hevder at det er dyrt å miste en datamaskin,
9653 når en tar tap av arbeidstid, fortrolige dokumenter,
9654 personopplysninger og alt annet det innebærer. Det er ingen tvil om
9655 at det er en kostbar affære å miste sin datamaskin, og det er årsaken
9656 til at jeg har kryptert harddisken på både kontormaskinen og min
9657 bærbare. Begge inneholder personopplysninger jeg ikke ønsker skal
9658 komme på avveie, den første informasjon relatert til jobben min ved
9659 Universitetet i Oslo, og den andre relatert til blant annet
9660 foreningsarbeide. Kryptering av diskene gjør at det er lite
9661 sannsynlig at dophoder som kan finne på å rappe maskinene får noe ut
9662 av dem. Maskinene låses automatisk etter noen minutter uten bruk,
9663 og en reboot vil gjøre at de ber om passord før de vil starte opp.
9664 Jeg bruker Debian på begge maskinene, og installasjonssystemet der
9665 gjør det trivielt å sette opp krypterte disker. Jeg har LVM på toppen
9666 av krypterte partisjoner, slik at alt av datapartisjoner er kryptert.
9667 Jeg anbefaler alle å kryptere diskene på sine bærbare. Kostnaden når
9668 det er gjort slik jeg gjør det er minimale, og gevinstene er
9669 betydelige. En bør dog passe på passordet. Hvis det går tapt, må
9670 maskinen reinstalleres og alt er tapt.&lt;/p&gt;
9671
9672 &lt;p&gt;Krypteringen vil ikke stoppe kompetente angripere som f.eks. kjøler
9673 ned minnebrikkene før maskinen rebootes med programvare for å hente ut
9674 krypteringsnøklene. Kostnaden med å forsvare seg mot slike angripere
9675 er for min del høyere enn gevinsten. Jeg tror oddsene for at
9676 f.eks. etteretningsorganisasjoner har glede av å titte på mine
9677 maskiner er minimale, og ulempene jeg ville oppnå ved å forsøke å
9678 gjøre det vanskeligere for angripere med kompetanse og ressurser er
9679 betydelige.&lt;/p&gt;
9680 </description>
9681 </item>
9682
9683 <item>
9684 <title>Two projects that have improved the quality of free software a lot</title>
9685 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Two_projects_that_have_improved_the_quality_of_free_software_a_lot.html</link>
9686 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Two_projects_that_have_improved_the_quality_of_free_software_a_lot.html</guid>
9687 <pubDate>Sat, 2 May 2009 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
9688 <description>&lt;p&gt;There are two software projects that have had huge influence on the
9689 quality of free software, and I wanted to mention both in case someone
9690 do not yet know them.&lt;/p&gt;
9691
9692 &lt;p&gt;The first one is &lt;a href=&quot;http://valgrind.org/&quot;&gt;valgrind&lt;/a&gt;, a
9693 tool to detect and expose errors in the memory handling of programs.
9694 It is easy to use, all one need to do is to run &#39;valgrind program&#39;,
9695 and it will report any problems on stdout. It is even better if the
9696 program include debug information. With debug information, it is able
9697 to report the source file name and line number where the problem
9698 occurs. It can report things like &#39;reading past memory block in file
9699 X line N, the memory block was allocated in file Y, line M&#39;, and
9700 &#39;using uninitialised value in control logic&#39;. This tool has made it
9701 trivial to investigate reproducible crash bugs in programs, and have
9702 reduced the number of this kind of bugs in free software a lot.
9703
9704 &lt;p&gt;The second one is
9705 &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coverity&quot;&gt;Coverity&lt;/a&gt; which is
9706 a source code checker. It is able to process the source of a program
9707 and find problems in the logic without running the program. It
9708 started out as the Stanford Checker and became well known when it was
9709 used to find bugs in the Linux kernel. It is now a commercial tool
9710 and the company behind it is running
9711 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scan.coverity.com/&quot;&gt;a community service&lt;/a&gt; for the
9712 free software community, where a lot of free software projects get
9713 their source checked for free. Several thousand defects have been
9714 found and fixed so far. It can find errors like &#39;lock L taken in file
9715 X line N is never released if exiting in line M&#39;, or &#39;the code in file
9716 Y lines O to P can never be executed&#39;. The projects included in the
9717 community service project have managed to get rid of a lot of
9718 reliability problems thanks to Coverity.&lt;/p&gt;
9719
9720 &lt;p&gt;I believe tools like this, that are able to automatically find
9721 errors in the source, are vital to improve the quality of software and
9722 make sure we can get rid of the crashing and failing software we are
9723 surrounded by today.&lt;/p&gt;
9724 </description>
9725 </item>
9726
9727 <item>
9728 <title>No patch is not better than a useless patch</title>
9729 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/No_patch_is_not_better_than_a_useless_patch.html</link>
9730 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/No_patch_is_not_better_than_a_useless_patch.html</guid>
9731 <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
9732 <description>&lt;p&gt;Julien Blache
9733 &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.technologeek.org/2009/04/12/214&quot;&gt;claim that no
9734 patch is better than a useless patch&lt;/a&gt;. I completely disagree, as a
9735 patch allow one to discuss a concrete and proposed solution, and also
9736 prove that the issue at hand is important enough for someone to spent
9737 time on fixing it. No patch do not provide any of these positive
9738 properties.&lt;/p&gt;
9739 </description>
9740 </item>
9741
9742 <item>
9743 <title>Standardize on protocols and formats, not vendors and applications</title>
9744 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Standardize_on_protocols_and_formats__not_vendors_and_applications.html</link>
9745 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Standardize_on_protocols_and_formats__not_vendors_and_applications.html</guid>
9746 <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:50:00 +0200</pubDate>
9747 <description>&lt;p&gt;Where I work at the University of Oslo, one decision stand out as a
9748 very good one to form a long lived computer infrastructure. It is the
9749 simple one, lost by many in todays computer industry: Standardize on
9750 open network protocols and open exchange/storage formats, not applications.
9751 Applications come and go, while protocols and files tend to stay, and
9752 thus one want to make it easy to change application and vendor, while
9753 avoiding conversion costs and locking users to a specific platform or
9754 application.&lt;/p&gt;
9755
9756 &lt;p&gt;This approach make it possible to replace the client applications
9757 independently of the server applications. One can even allow users to
9758 use several different applications as long as they handle the selected
9759 protocol and format. In the normal case, only one client application
9760 is recommended and users only get help if they choose to use this
9761 application, but those that want to deviate from the easy path are not
9762 blocked from doing so.&lt;/p&gt;
9763
9764 &lt;p&gt;It also allow us to replace the server side without forcing the
9765 users to replace their applications, and thus allow us to select the
9766 best server implementation at any moment, when scale and resouce
9767 requirements change.&lt;/p&gt;
9768
9769 &lt;p&gt;I strongly recommend standardizing - on open network protocols and
9770 open formats, but I would never recommend standardizing on a single
9771 application that do not use open network protocol or open formats.&lt;/p&gt;
9772 </description>
9773 </item>
9774
9775 <item>
9776 <title>Returning from Skolelinux developer gathering</title>
9777 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Returning_from_Skolelinux_developer_gathering.html</link>
9778 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Returning_from_Skolelinux_developer_gathering.html</guid>
9779 <pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate>
9780 <description>&lt;p&gt;I&#39;m sitting on the train going home from this weekends Debian
9781 Edu/Skolelinux development gathering. I got a bit done tuning the
9782 desktop, and looked into the dynamic service location protocol
9783 implementation avahi. It look like it could be useful for us. Almost
9784 30 people participated, and I believe it was a great environment to
9785 get to know the Skolelinux system. Walter Bender, involved in the
9786 development of the Sugar educational platform, presented his stuff and
9787 also helped me improve my OLPC installation. He also showed me that
9788 his Turtle Art application can be used in standalone mode, and we
9789 agreed that I would help getting it packaged for Debian. As a
9790 standalone application it would be great for Debian Edu. We also
9791 tried to get the video conferencing working with two OLPCs, but that
9792 proved to be too hard for us. The application seem to need more work
9793 before it is ready for me. I look forward to getting home and relax
9794 now. :)&lt;/p&gt;
9795 </description>
9796 </item>
9797
9798 <item>
9799 <title>Time for new LDAP schemas replacing RFC 2307?</title>
9800 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_for_new__LDAP_schemas_replacing_RFC_2307_.html</link>
9801 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_for_new__LDAP_schemas_replacing_RFC_2307_.html</guid>
9802 <pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:30:00 +0200</pubDate>
9803 <description>&lt;p&gt;The state of standardized LDAP schemas on Linux is far from
9804 optimal. There is RFC 2307 documenting one way to store NIS maps in
9805 LDAP, and a modified version of this normally called RFC 2307bis, with
9806 some modifications to be compatible with Active Directory. The RFC
9807 specification handle the content of a lot of system databases, but do
9808 not handle DNS zones and DHCP configuration.&lt;/p&gt;
9809
9810 &lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu/Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt;,
9811 we would like to store information about users, SMB clients/hosts,
9812 filegroups, netgroups (users and hosts), DHCP and DNS configuration,
9813 and LTSP configuration in LDAP. These objects have a lot in common,
9814 but with the current LDAP schemas it is not possible to have one
9815 object per entity. For example, one need to have at least three LDAP
9816 objects for a given computer, one with the SMB related stuff, one with
9817 DNS information and another with DHCP information. The schemas
9818 provided for DNS and DHCP are impossible to combine into one LDAP
9819 object. In addition, it is impossible to implement quick queries for
9820 netgroup membership, because of the way NIS triples are implemented.
9821 It just do not scale. I believe it is time for a few RFC
9822 specifications to cleam up this mess.&lt;/p&gt;
9823
9824 &lt;p&gt;I would like to have one LDAP object representing each computer in
9825 the network, and this object can then keep the SMB (ie host key), DHCP
9826 (mac address/name) and DNS (name/IP address) settings in one place.
9827 It need to be efficently stored to make sure it scale well.&lt;/p&gt;
9828
9829 &lt;p&gt;I would also like to have a quick way to map from a user or
9830 computer and to the net group this user or computer is a member.&lt;/p&gt;
9831
9832 &lt;p&gt;Active Directory have done a better job than unix heads like myself
9833 in this regard, and the unix side need to catch up. Time to start a
9834 new IETF work group?&lt;/p&gt;
9835 </description>
9836 </item>
9837
9838 <item>
9839 <title>Endelig er Debian Lenny gitt ut</title>
9840 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Endelig_er_Debian_Lenny_gitt_ut.html</link>
9841 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Endelig_er_Debian_Lenny_gitt_ut.html</guid>
9842 <pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
9843 <description>&lt;p&gt;Endelig er &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/&quot;&gt;Debian&lt;/a&gt;
9844 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.debian.org/News/2009/20090214&quot;&gt;Lenny&lt;/a&gt; gitt ut.
9845 Et langt steg videre for Debian-prosjektet, og en rekke nye
9846 programpakker blir nå tilgjengelig for de av oss som bruker den
9847 stabile utgaven av Debian. Neste steg er nå å få
9848 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skolelinux.org/&quot;&gt;Skolelinux&lt;/a&gt; /
9849 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/&quot;&gt;Debian Edu&lt;/a&gt; ferdig
9850 oppdatert for den nye utgaven, slik at en oppdatert versjon kan
9851 slippes løs på skolene. Takk til alle debian-utviklerne som har
9852 gjort dette mulig. Endelig er f.eks. fungerende avhengighetsstyrt
9853 bootsekvens tilgjengelig i stabil utgave, vha pakken
9854 &lt;tt&gt;insserv&lt;/tt&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
9855 </description>
9856 </item>
9857
9858 <item>
9859 <title>Devcamp brought us closer to the Lenny based Debian Edu release</title>
9860 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Devcamp_brought_us_closer_to_the_Lenny_based_Debian_Edu_release.html</link>
9861 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Devcamp_brought_us_closer_to_the_Lenny_based_Debian_Edu_release.html</guid>
9862 <pubDate>Sun, 7 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
9863 <description>&lt;p&gt;This weekend we had a small developer gathering for Debian Edu in
9864 Oslo. Most of Saturday was used for the general assemly for the
9865 member organization, but the rest of the weekend I used to tune the
9866 LTSP installation. LTSP now work out of the box on the 10-network.
9867 Acer Aspire One proved to be a very nice thin client, with both
9868 screen, mouse and keybard in a small box. Was working on getting the
9869 diskless workstation setup configured out of the box, but did not
9870 finish it before the weekend was up.&lt;/p&gt;
9871
9872 &lt;p&gt;Did not find time to look at the 4 VGA cards in one box we got from
9873 the Brazilian group, so that will have to wait for the next
9874 development gathering. Would love to have the Debian Edu installer
9875 automatically detect and configure a multiseat setup when it find one
9876 of these cards.&lt;/p&gt;
9877 </description>
9878 </item>
9879
9880 <item>
9881 <title>The sorry state of multimedia browser plugins in Debian</title>
9882 <link>http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_sorry_state_of_multimedia_browser_plugins_in_Debian.html</link>
9883 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_sorry_state_of_multimedia_browser_plugins_in_Debian.html</guid>
9884 <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:10:00 +0100</pubDate>
9885 <description>&lt;p&gt;Recently I have spent some time evaluating the multimedia browser
9886 plugins available in Debian Lenny, to see which one we should use by
9887 default in Debian Edu. We need an embedded video playing plugin with
9888 control buttons to pause or stop the video, and capable of streaming
9889 all the multimedia content available on the web. The test results and
9890 notes are available on
9891 &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/BrowserMultimedia&quot;&gt;the
9892 Debian wiki&lt;/a&gt;. I was surprised how few of the plugins are able to
9893 fill this need. My personal video player favorite, VLC, has a really
9894 bad plugin which fail on a lot of the test pages. A lot of the MIME
9895 types I would expect to work with any free software player (like
9896 video/ogg), just do not work. And simple formats like the
9897 audio/x-mplegurl format (m3u playlists), just isn&#39;t supported by the
9898 totem and vlc plugins. I hope the situation will improve soon. No
9899 wonder sites use the proprietary Adobe flash to play video.&lt;/p&gt;
9900
9901 &lt;p&gt;For Lenny, we seem to end up with the mplayer plugin. It seem to
9902 be the only one fitting our needs. :/&lt;/p&gt;
9903 </description>
9904 </item>
9905
9906 </channel>
9907 </rss>