The Debian Edu / Skolelinux -project is making great progress and made its second Wheezy based -release today. This is the release announcement:
+ +The first wheezy based beta release of Debian Edu was wrapped up +today. This is the release announcement:
-New features for Debian Edu 7.0.0 alpha1 released -2013-05-14
+New features for Debian Edu 7.1+edu0~b0 released +2013-07-27
-This is the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux 7.0.0 edu -alpha1, based on Debian with codename "Wheezy".
+These are the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux +7.1+edu0~b0, based on Debian with codename "Wheezy".
About Debian Edu and Skolelinux
-Debian Edu, also known as Skolelinux, is a Linux distribution based -on Debian providing an out-of-the box environment of a completely -configured school network. Immediatly after installation a school -server running all services needed for a school network is set up just -waiting for users and machines being added via GOsa², a comfortable -Web-UI. A netbooting environment is prepared using PXE, so after -initial installation of the main server from CD, DVD or USB stick all -other machines can be installed via the network.
- -This is the first test release based on Wheezy (which currently is -not released yet). Basically this is an updated and slightly improved -version compared to the Squeeze release.
+Debian Edu, also known as +Skolelinux, is a Linux distribution based on Debian providing an +out-of-the box environment of a completely configured school +network. Immediately after installation a school server running all +services needed for a school network is set up just waiting for users +and machines being added via GOsa², a comfortable Web-UI. A netbooting +environment is prepared using PXE, so after initial installation of +the main server from CD, DVD or USB stick all other machines can be +installed via the network. The provided school server provides LDAP +database and Kerberos authentication service, centralized home +directories, DHCP server, web proxy and many other services. The +desktop contains +more +than 60 educational software packages and more are available from +the Debian archive, and schools can choose between KDE, Gnome, LXDE +and Xfce desktop environment.
+ +This is the fifth test release based on Debian Wheezy. Basically +this is an updated and slightly improved version compared to the +Squeeze release.
+ +ALERT: Alpha based installations should reinstall or downgrade the +versions of gosa and libpam-mklocaluser to the ones used in this beta +release.
Software updates
+-
-
- Install freemind (0.9.0) by default, and stop installing vym by - default. -
- Install chromium (26.0.1410.43) by default. -
- Install goplay (0.5-1.1) to make golearn available by default. -
- Updated support for Japanese input methods, now based on - ibus-anthy. + +
- Switched roaming workstation profiles from wicd to network-manager + for network configuration, as wicd didn't work any more. +
- Changed version numbers of patched gosa and libpam-mklocaluser + packages to make sure our locally patched versions will be replaced + by the official packages when they are released from Debian. Those + installing alpha version need to reinstall or manually downgrade gosa + and libpam-mklocaluser. +
- Added bluetooth tools to the default desktop (bluedevil, blueman). +
- Added tools for sharing the desktop on KDE (krdc, krfb). +
- Added valgrind to the default installation for easier debugging of + crash bugs. +
Other changes
+-
-
- Switched default file system from ext3 to ext4 for speed and - reliability improvements. -
- Got rid of unwanted winbind daemon and PAM setup activated because - of 706434. -
- Extended and improved the testsuite tests to detect more possible - problems. -
- Corrected proxy handling to not set http_proxy to a bogus - direct:// URL. -
- Corrected proxy setup for diskless workstations. -
- Corrected PXE setup to use our updated udebs during installation. -
- Made installation handling of low entropy level more robust. -
- Create larger partitions for Roaming workstations and Thin client - servers, to make room for all the software installed. -
- Fix bug in Roaming workstation PAM setup, making it impossible to - log in (706753). +
- Fixed artwork package to work with gnome, no longer break + desktop=gnome installations. +
- Adjusted installer to now work when forced to use a proxy with the + netinst CD. +
- Fixed code detecting and setting/loading hardware specific + setup/firmware to work more robust out of the box. +
- Adjusted Kerberos setup to detect realm and server settings at + install time instead of dynamically at run time. This avoid a crash + with krb5-auth-dialog on diskless workstations without a DNS name. +
- Worked around misfeature in network-manager not calling the dhclient + exit hooks, causing automatic proxy configuration and automatic host + name setting at run time to work again. +
- Fixed feature setting the default Iceweasel start page from URL + fetched from LDAP, to allow schools to set the global default by + updating the dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no LDAP object. +
- Changed default host name on all networked machines to be unique + (generated from MAC or reverse DNS) after boot. +
- Adjusted partition sizes to make sure they are big enough. +
Known issues
+-
-
- IP resolution for the local hostname give useless IPv6 address - (705900). Only install - libnss-myhostname on roaming workstations until it is fixed. -
- DVD images are not yet ready. -
- No mass import of user account data in GOsa (ldif or csv) - available yet (698840). -
- Missing artwork for the KDE desktop (and probably a few others). -
- KDE Debian submenu lacks icons. -
- LXDE menu lacks entry for changing GOsa password - (website). Installing gosa-desktop will be an option. -
- Backup configuration via web interface is impossible due to - password submission problem - (700257). +
- Grub is missing the new artwork. +
- KDE fail to understand the wpad.dat file provided, causing it to + not use the http proxy as it should. +
- Chromium also fail to use the proxy.
Where to get it
To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can use
+-
-
- ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu~7.0+edu0~a1-CD.iso -
- http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu~7.0+edu0~a1-CD.iso -
- rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu~7.0+edu0~a1-CD.iso debian-edu~7.0+edu0~a1-CD.iso +
- ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~b0-CD.iso + +
- http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~b0-CD.iso + +
- rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~b0-CD.iso . + +
The MD5SUM of this image is: 55d5de9765b6dccd5d9ec33cf1a07109
+
The SHA1SUM of this image is: 996a1d9517740e4d627d100de2d12b23dd545a3f
To download the multiarch USB stick ISO release you can use
+ +-
+
+
- ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~b0-USB.iso +
- http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~b0-USB.iso +
- rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~b0-USB.iso .
The MD5SUM of this image is: 685ed76c1aa8e44b12d3fde21faf450b
+The MD5SUM of this image is: d8f0818c51a78d357de794066f289f69
+
The SHA1SUM of this image is: 49185ca354e8d0543240423746924f76a6cee733
The SHA1SUM of this image is: 6c874de157024da13e115bab29c068080a11ec4c
How to report bugs
- +In January, -I -announced a new IRC -channel #debian-lego, for those of us in the Debian and Linux -community interested in LEGO, the -marvellous construction system from Denmark. We also created -a wiki page to have -a place to take notes and write down our plans and hopes. And several -people showed up to help. I was very happy to see the effect of my -call. Since the small start, we have a debtags tag -hardware::hobby:lego -tag for LEGO related packages, and now count 10 packages related to -LEGO and Mindstorms:
- -brickos | alternative OS for LEGO Mindstorms RCX. Supports development in C/C++ |
leocad | virtual brick CAD software |
libnxt | utility library for talking to the LEGO Mindstorms NX |
lnpd | daemon for LNP communication with BrickOS |
nbc | compiler for LEGO Mindstorms NXT bricks |
nqc | Not Quite C compiler for LEGO Mindstorms RCX |
python-nxt | python driver/interface/wrapper for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot |
python-nxt-filer | simple GUI to manage files on a LEGO Mindstorms NXT |
scratch | easy to use programming environment for ages 8 and up |
t2n | simple command-line tool for Lego NXT |
Some of these are available in Wheezy, and all but one are -currently available in Jessie/testing. leocad is so far only -available in experimental.
- -If you care about LEGO in Debian, please join us on IRC and help -adding the rest of the great free software tools available on Linux -for LEGO designers.
+ +Today I switched to +my +new laptop. I've previously written about the problems I had with +my new Thinkpad X230, which was delivered with an +180 +GB Intel SSD disk with Lenovo firmware that did not handle +sustained writes. My hardware supplier have been very forthcoming in +trying to find a solution, and after first trying with another +identical 180 GB disks they decided to send me a 256 GB Samsung SSD +disk instead to fix it once and for all. The Samsung disk survived +the installation of Debian with encrypted disks (filling the disk with +random data during installation killed the first two), and I thus +decided to trust it with my data. I have installed it as a Debian Edu +Wheezy roaming workstation hooked up with my Debian Edu Squeeze main +server at home using Kerberos and LDAP, and will use it as my work +station from now on.
+ +As this is a solid state disk with no moving parts, I believe the +Debian Wheezy default installation need to be tuned a bit to increase +performance and increase life time of the disk. The Linux kernel and +user space applications do not yet adjust automatically to such +environment. To make it easier for my self, I created a draft Debian +package ssd-setup to handle this tuning. The +source +for the ssd-setup package is available from collab-maint, and it +is set up to adjust the setup of the machine by just installing the +package. If there is any non-SSD disk in the machine, the package +will refuse to install, as I did not try to write any logic to sort +file systems in SSD and non-SSD file systems.
+ +I consider the package a draft, as I am a bit unsure how to best +set up Debian Wheezy with an SSD. It is adjusted to my use case, +where I set up the machine with one large encrypted partition (in +addition to /boot), put LVM on top of this and set up partitions on +top of this again. See the README file in the package source for the +references I used to pick the settings. At the moment these +parameters are tuned:
+ +-
+
+
- Set up cryptsetup to pass TRIM commands to the physical disk + (adding discard to /etc/crypttab) + +
- Set up LVM to pass on TRIM commands to the underlying device (in + this case a cryptsetup partition) by changing issue_discards from + 0 to 1 in /etc/lvm/lvm.conf. + +
- Set relatime as a file system option for ext3 and ext4 file + systems. + +
- Tell swap to use TRIM commands by adding 'discard' to + /etc/fstab. + +
- Change I/O scheduler from cfq to deadline using a udev rule. + +
- Run fstrim on every ext3 and ext4 file system every night (from + cron.daily). + +
- Adjust sysctl values vm.swappiness to 1 and vm.vfs_cache_pressure + to 50 to reduce the kernel eagerness to swap out processes. + +
During installation, I cancelled the part where the installer fill +the disk with random data, as this would kill the SSD performance for +little gain. My goal with the encrypted file system is to ensure +those stealing my laptop end up with a brick and not a working +computer. I have no hope in keeping the really resourceful people +from getting the data on the disk (see +XKCD #538 for an explanation why). +Thus I concluded that adding the discard option to crypttab is the +right thing to do.
+ +I considered using the noop I/O scheduler, as several recommended +it for SSD, but others recommended deadline and a benchmark I found +indicated that deadline might be better for interactive use.
+ +I also considered using the 'discard' file system option for ext3 +and ext4, but read that it would give a performance hit ever time a +file is removed, and thought it best to that that slowdown once a day +instead of during my work.
+ +My package do not set up tmpfs on /var/run, /var/lock and /tmp, as +this is already done by Debian Edu.
+ +I have not yet started on the user space tuning. I expect +iceweasel need some tuning, and perhaps other applications too, but +have not yet had time to investigate those parts.
+ +The package should work on Ubuntu too, but I have not yet tested it +there.
+ +As for the answer to the question in the title of this blog post, +as far as I know, the only solution I know about is to replace the +disk. It might be possible to flash it with Intel firmware instead of +the Lenovo firmware. But I have not tried and did not want to do so +without approval from Lenovo as I wanted to keep the warranty on the +disk until a solution was found and they wanted the broken disks +back.
I fjor sommer ble jeg -gledelig -overrasket over et oppslag i avisen Fremover om Narvik kommunes -bruk av Skolelinux. Oppslaget -var basert på et notat som besvarte spørsmål fra ordfører Tor Nysæter -og rådgiver for skolesektoren, Petter Falkbu, om bruken av Skolelinux -i Narvikskolene og konstnaden ved å gå over til Windows. For litt -over en uke siden siden fikk jeg endelig bedt kommunen om å få innsyn -i dette notatet, og det ble oversendt på epost tirsdag. Jeg fikk -lagt -ut notatet samme dag, og fikk i dag sjekket postlista til Narvik, -der jeg fant notatet som -sak -2013/1023.
- -Notatet forteller at Narvik ville måtte betalt minst 9 millioner -for å gå over til Windows på skolene. I tillegg dokumenterer notatet -at læreplanens krav oppfylles uten problemer ved bruk av Skolelinux. -Jeg anbefaler alle å lese de 10 sidene med gode argumenter for å kutte -unødige utgifter på IT i skoleverket. :)
+ +A few days ago, I wrote about +the +problems I experienced with my new X230 and its SSD disk, which +was dying during installation because it is unable to cope with +sustained write. My supplier is in contact with +Lenovo, and they wanted to send a +replacement disk to try to fix the problem. They decided to send an +identical model, so my hopes for a permanent fix was slim.
+ +Anyway, today I got the replacement disk and tried to install +Debian Edu Wheezy with encrypted disk on it. The new disk have the +same firmware version as the original. This time my hope raised +slightly as the installation progressed, as the original disk used to +die after 4-7% of the disk was written to, while this time it kept +going past 10%, 20%, 40% and even past 50%. But around 60%, the disk +died again and I was back on square one. I still do not have a new +laptop with a disk I can trust. I can not live with a disk that might +lock up when I download a new +Debian Edu / Skolelinux ISO or +other large files. I look forward to hearing from my supplier with +the next proposal from Lenovo.
+ +The original disk is marked Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB, +11S0C38722Z1ZNME35X1TR, ISN: CVCV321407HB180EGN, SA: G57560302, FW: +LF1i, 29MAY2013, PBA: G39779-300, LBA 351,651,888, LI P/N: 0C38722, +Pb-free 2LI, LC P/N: 16-200366, WWN: 55CD2E40002756C4, Model: +SSDSC2BW180A3L 2.5" 6Gb/s SATA SSD 180G 5V 1A, ASM P/N 0C38732, FRU +P/N 45N8295, P0C38732.
+ +The replacement disk is marked Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB, +11S0C38722Z1ZNDE34N0L0, ISN: CVCV315306RK180EGN, SA: G57560-302, FW: +LF1i, 22APR2013, PBA: G39779-300, LBA 351,651,888, LI P/N: 0C38722, +Pb-free 2LI, LC P/N: 16-200366, WWN: 55CD2E40000AB69E, Model: +SSDSC2BW180A3L 2.5" 6Gb/s SATA SSD 180G 5V 1A, ASM P/N 0C38732, FRU +P/N 45N8295, P0C38732.
+ +The only difference is in the first number (serial number?), ISN, +SA, date and WNPP values. Mentioning all the details here in case +someone is able to use the information to find a way to identify the +failing disk among working ones (if any such working disk actually +exist).
When I woke up this morning, I was very happy to see that the -release announcement -for Debian Wheezy was waiting in my mail box. This is a great -Debian release, and I expect to move my machines at home over to it fairly -soon.
- -The new debian release contain heaps of new stuff, and one program -in particular make me very happy to see included. The -Scratch program, made famous by -the Teach kids code movement, is -included for the first time. Alongside similar programs like -kturtle and -turtleart, -it allow for visual programming where syntax errors can not happen, -and a friendly programming environment for learning to control the -computer. Scratch will also be included in the next release of Debian -Edu. - -
And now that Wheezy is wrapped up, we can wrap up the next Debian -Edu/Skolelinux release too. The -first -alpha release went out last week, and the next should soon -follow.
+
+The upcoming Saturday, 2013-07-13, we are organising a combined +Debian Edu developer gathering and Debian and Ubuntu bug squashing +party in Oslo. It is organised by the +member assosiation NUUG and +the Debian Edu / Skolelinux +project together with the hack space +Bitraf.
+ +It starts 10:00 and continue until late evening. Everyone is +welcome, and there is no fee to participate. There is on the other +hand limited space, and only room for 30 people. Please put your name +on the event +wiki page if you plan to join us.
For noen uker siden, innen fristen 2013-04-15, leverte jeg og -Morten Kjelkenes vårt bidrag til -DIFIs apps4norge-konkurranse -under lagnavnet NUUGs tannlegeteam. -Vi leverte følgende i idé-kategorien:
- -- -- -Tittel: Stikk innom tannlegen
- -
- -Beskrivelse:
- -
Idéen - -
Gjøre det enklere å finne en tannlege som er praktisk for deg, der -pris og reisetid med kollektivt, til fots eller med bil er tatt med i -beregningen, ved å oppgi hvor en bor og jobber, og få forslag til -tannleger både i nærheten og på veien mellom disse stedene.
- -Brukeren oppgir hjemmeadresse og jobbadresse, og kanskje også -barnehage. Så kan en også oppgi egen timelønn (for å beregne taps -arbeidsfortjeneste) og om en reiser med kollektivt, til fots eller -kjører bil. Så trykker en søk, og får opp en todelt side med kart og -tekstliste. I kartdelen vises aktuelle tannleger (for eksempel maks -7), og i tekstdelen er de samme tannlegene listet opp, med pris og -reisetid for kollektivtransport, og pris pluss reisekostnad hvis en -reiser med bil. En kan endre sorteringsrekkefølge for listen ved å -trykke på aktuell kolonne, og velge om en skal sortere på pris, -reisetid eller totalkostnad. Kun tannleger som tar imot nye kunder tas -i utganspunktet med i listen. Når brukeren trykker med musa en -tannlegemarkør på kartet kommer det en popup med detaljer om -tannlegen, den samme informasjonen som finnes i listen under kartet, -og lenke til mer informasjon om tannlegen.
- -For hvert enkelt tannlegekontor er det tilgjengelig en -informasjonsside med adresse, hjemmesideurl, telefonnummer, lenke til -side for å finne reisebeskrivelse, åpningstider, etc.
- -Nytteverdi for brukeren
- --
- -- sparer tid på tannlegebesøk
-- kan utnytte normal reisevei mellom hjem/jobb/barnehage
-- kan finne aktuell tannlege basert på flere kriterier
-- sile bort tannleger som ikke tar imot flere kunder
-- får kart som viser tannleger i nærheten, på tvers av kommunegrenser
-Grad av innovasjon, nytenkning og kreativitet
- -Enkel tjeneste som fokuserer på det vi selv mener er relevant ved valg -av tannlege.
- -Tjenestekonseptet kan også brukes til andre næringer, f.eks. lege, -butikk, leiebiler, hvis en har aktuell datakilde å koble med.
- -Skulle gjerne hatt med vurdering av tannlegene tilgjengelig, slik -at en kunne finne "flinke" tannleger basert på et eller annet -kriterium.
- -Markedspotensiale - potensiale for å slå gjennom hos mange -brukere
- --
- -- Alle som ønsker eller vurderer å skaffe seg ny tannlege, f.eks. nyinnflyttede og studenter
-- Familier med en travel hverdag
-Felles er at den gjør tannlegen lettere tilgjengelig for de som vil spare tid eller penger.
- -Samfunnsøkonomisk nytte - bidrar til å løse -samfunnsutfordringer
- -Kutter tid brukt på tannlegebesøk, og penger frigjøres som kan brukes på andre områder. Oppfordrer til bedre bruk av kollektivtransport ved å gi tips om tannleger i nærheten av allerede brukt reisevei mellom hjemme og jobb når en reiser kollektivt.
- -X-faktor - âDet lille ekstra...â
- -Denne tjenesten gir det lille ekstra ved at den ikke slår opp -avstand til tannlege fra et enkelt punkt men avstand fra en reisevei, -slik at en får flere tannleger å velge imellom og kanskje kan spare -enda mer tid og penger enn en ville gjort ved å sjekke kun de nærmest -hjemme eller jobb.
- -Tjenesten gir informasjonen både som kart og som tekstlig oversikt, for å sikre at blinde og svaksynte kan få tilgang til informasjonen selv om de ikke får brukt kartvisningen.
- -Datasett brukt
- -- -
- -- http://www.hvakostertannlegen.no/ -(Ikke-publisert JSON-API), se f.eks. JSON-output fra -http://www.hvakostertannlegen.no/services/klinikker/oslo/undersokelse-med-2-rontgenbilder
- -- Kartdata, -http://www.openstreetmap.org/ -http://mapit.nuug.no/ (nabokommuner, postnummer)
- -- http://labs.trafikanten.no/how-to-use-the-api.aspx -(reisetid med kollektivtrafikk pÃ¥ Ãstlandet), -http://data.norge.no/data/ruter-kollektivtrafikkdata
- -- http://reiseregningen.no -(data om statens satser for biltransport)
- -- Kollektivtrafikkkart, -http://öpnvkarte.de/?zoom=17&lat=59.91056&lon=10.75641&layers=BT
- -- Routing med OpenStreetmap-data, -http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Routing/OnlineRouters
- -- Bilveiruting med OpenStreetmap-data, http://map.project-osrm.org/
-- Kollektivtrafikkruting for Norge med uviss datakilde, http://dit.no/
-Ã pne offentlige datasett brukt i applikasjonen:
- --
- -- Reisetid med kollektivtrafikk pÃ¥ Ãstlandet
-Ãvrige datasett brukt i appen/tjenesten:
--
- -- Fakta om tannleger, priser etc (upublisert JSON-API)
-- Data om statens satser for biltransport
-- Kartbilder, kartdata
-- Kommunegrenser, nabokommuner, postnummer
-- Bilveiruting med OpenStreetmap-data
-- Kollektivtrafikkkart
-- Routing med OpenStreetmap-data
-- Kollektivtrafikkruting for Norge med uviss dataopphav
-Kategori:
--
- -- Arbeid og velferd
-- Forbruker
-- Ãkonomi
-Geografi (dekningsområde for app):
- -Hele landet
- -
Vinneren annonseres 2013-05-08 ved -prisutdelingen -hos DIFI 09:00 til 12:00. Konkurransen blir hard. Det meldes at -38 apper og 50 ideer er registrert som kandidater. Jeg frykter at jeg -ikke rekker innom selv, på grunn av jobb og forpliktelser på -hjemmebanen.
+ +Half a year ago, I reported that I had to find a +replacement +for my trusty old Thinkpad X41. Unfortunately I did not have much +time to spend on it, and it took a while to find a model I believe +will do the job, but two days ago the replacement finally arrived. I +ended up picking a +Thinkpad X230 +with SSD disk (NZDAJMN). I first test installed Debian Edu Wheezy as +a roaming workstation, and it seemed to work flawlessly. But my +second installation with encrypted disk was not as successful. More +on that below.
+ +I had a hard time trying to track down a good laptop, as my most +important requirements (robust and with a good keyboard) are never +listed in the feature list. But I did get good help from the search +feature at Prisjakt, which +allowed me to limit the list of interesting laptops based on my other +requirements. A bit surprising that SSD disk are not disks according +to that search interface, so I had to drop specifying the number of +disks from my search parameters. I also asked around among friends to +get their impression on keyboards and robustness.
+ +So the new laptop arrived, and it is quite a lot wider than the +X41. I am not quite convinced about the keyboard, as it is +significantly wider than my old keyboard, and I have to stretch my +hand a lot more to reach the edges. But the key response is fairly +good and the individual key shape is fairly easy to handle, so I hope +I will get used to it. My old X40 was starting to fail, and I really +needed a new laptop now. :)
+ +Turning off the touch pad was simple. All it took was a quick +visit to the BIOS during boot it disable it.
+ +But there is a fatal problem with the laptop. The 180 GB SSD disk +lock up during load. And this happen when installing Debian Wheezy +with encrypted disk, while the disk is being filled with random data. +I also tested to install Ubuntu Raring, and it happen there too if I +reenable the code to fill the disk with random data (it is disabled by +default in Ubuntu). And the bug with is already known. It was +reported to Debian as BTS +report #691427 2012-10-25 (journal commit I/O error on brand-new +Thinkpad T430s ext4 on lvm on SSD). It is also reported to the Linux +kernel developers as +Kernel bugzilla +report #51861 2012-12-20 (Intel SSD 520 stops working under load +(SSDSC2BW180A3L in Lenovo ThinkPad T430s)). It is also reported on the +Lenovo forums, both for +T430 +2012-11-10 and for +X230 +03-20-2013. The problem do not only affect installation. The +reports state that the disk lock up during use if many writes are done +on the disk, so it is much no use to work around the installation +problem and end up with a computer that can lock up at any moment. +There is even a +small C program +available that will lock up the hard drive after running a few +minutes by writing to a file.
+ +I've contacted my supplier and asked how to handle this, and after +contacting PCHELP Norway (request 01D1FDP) which handle support +requests for Lenovo, his first suggestion was to upgrade the disk +firmware. Unfortunately there is no newer firmware available from +Lenovo, as my disk already have the most recent one (version LF1i). I +hope to hear more from him today and hope the problem can be +fixed. :)
The Debian Edu / Skolelinux project is still going strong and made -its first Wheezy based release today. This is the release -announcement:
+ +Half a year ago, I reported that I had to find a replacement for my +trusty old Thinkpad X41. Unfortunately I did not have much time to +spend on it, but today the replacement finally arrived. I ended up +picking a Thinkpad +X230 with SSD disk (NZDAJMN). I first test installed Debian Edu +Wheezy as a roaming workstation, and it worked flawlessly. As I write +this, it is installing what I hope will be a more final installation, +with a encrypted hard drive to ensure any dope head stealing it end up +with an expencive door stop.
+ +I had a hard time trying to track down a good laptop, as my most
+important requirements (robust and with a good keyboard) are never
+listed in the feature list. But I did get good help from the search
+feature at
I am not quite convinced about the keyboard, as it is significantly +wider than my old keyboard, and I have to stretch my hand a lot more +to reach the edges. But the key response is fairly good and the +individual key shape is fairly easy to handle, so I hope I will get +used to it. My old X40 was starting to fail, and I really needed a +new laptop now. :)
+ +I look forward to figuring out how to turn off the touch pad.
+The fourth wheezy based alpha release of Debian Edu was wrapped up +today. This is the release announcement:
-New features for Debian Edu ~7.0.0 alpha0 released -2013-04-26
+New features for Debian Edu 7.1+edu0~alpha3 released +2013-07-03
-This is the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux ~7.0.0 -edu alpha0, based on Debian with codename "Wheezy".
+These are the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux +7.1+edu0~alpha3, based on Debian with codename "Wheezy".
About Debian Edu and Skolelinux
Debian Edu, also known as Skolelinux, is a Linux distribution based on Debian providing an out-of-the box environment of a completely configured school -network. Immediatly after installation a school server running all +network. Immediately after installation a school server running all services needed for a school network is set up just waiting for users and machines being added via GOsa², a comfortable Web-UI. A netbooting environment is prepared using PXE, so after initial installation of the main server from CD, DVD or USB stick all other machines can be -installed via the network.
- -This is the first test release based on Wheezy (which currently is -not released yet). Basically this is an updated and slightly improved -version compared to the Squeeze release.
+installed via the network. The provided school server provides LDAP +database and Kerberos authentication service, centralized home +directories, DHCP server, web proxy and many other services. The +desktop contains +more +than 60 educational software packages and more are available from +the Debian archive, and schools can choose between KDE, Gnome, LXDE +and Xfce desktop environment. + +This is the fourth test release based on Debian Wheezy. Basically +this is an updated and slightly improved version compared to the +Squeeze release.
Software updates
- --
-
- Everything which is new in Debian Wheezy, eg:
-
-
-
- Linux kernel 3.2.x -
- Desktop environments KDE "Plasma" 4.8.4, GNOME 3.4, and LXDE 4 - (KDE is installed by default; to choose GNOME or LXDE: see - manual.) -
- Web browser Iceweasel 10 ESR -
- LibreOffice 3.5.4 -
- LTSP 5.4.2 -
- GOsa 2.7.4 -
- CUPS print system 1.5.3 -
- Educational toolbox GCompris 12.01 -
- Music creator Rosegarden 12.04 -
- Image editor Gimp 2.8.2 -
- Virtual universe Celestia 1.6.1 -
- Virtual stargazer Stellarium 0.11.3 -
- Scratch visual programming environment 1.4.0.6 -
- New version of debian-installer from Debian Wheezy, see - installation - manual for more details. -
- Debian Wheezy includes about 37000 packages available for - installation. -
- More information about Debian Wheezy 7.0 is provided in the - release notes and the installation manual. -
-
Documentation
--
-
- The (English) Debian Edu Wheezy Manual is fully translated to - German, French, Italian and Danish. Partly translated versions exist - for Norwegian Bokmal and Spanish. -
LDAP related changes
-
-
- Slight changes to some objects and acls to have more types to - choose from when adding systems in GOsa. Now systems can be of type - server, workstation, printer, terminal or netdevice. +
- Dropped ispell dictionaries from our default installation. +
- Dropped menu-xdg from the KDE desktop option, to drop the Debian + submenu. It was not included with Gnome, LXDE or Xfce, so this + brings KDE in line with the others. +
- Dropped xdrawchem, xjig and xsok from our default installation as + they don't have a desktop menu entry and thus won't show up in the + menu now that menu-xdg was removed. +
- Removed the killer system to kill left behind processes on + multi-user machines, as it was no longer able to understand when a + X display was in use and killed the processes of the active users + too. +
- Dropped the golearn (from goplay) package as the debtags in wheezy + are too few to make the package useful.
Other changes
-
-
- LTSP clients start as diskless workstation / thin client can be - configured via command line argument -- or individually adding an - entry in lts.conf or LDAP.
- -
- GOsa gui: Now some options that seemed to be available, but are non - functional, are greyed out (or are not clickable). Some tabs are - completely hidden to the end user, others even to the GOsa admin. +
- Updated artwork matching http://wiki.debian.org/DebianArt/Themes/Joy +
- Multi-arch i386/amd64 USB stick ISO available. +
- Got rid of ispell/wordlist related debconf questions that showed + up for some language options. +
- Switched to using http.debian.net as APT source by default. +
- Fixed proxy configuration on Main Server installations. +
- Changed LTSP setup to ask dpkg to use force-unsafe-io the same way + d-i is doing it. +
- Made sure root and user passwords were not left behind in the + debconf database after installation on Main Server installations. +
- Made Roaming Workstation dynamic setup more robust and added draft + script setup-ad-client to hook a Roaming Workstation up to a + Active Directory server instead of a Debian Edu Main Server. +
- Update system to install needed firmware packages during + installation, to work properly in Wheezy. +
- Update system to handle hardware quirks (debian-edu-hwsetup). +
- Corrected PXE installation setup to properly pass selected desktop + and keymap settings to PXE installation clients. +
- LTSP diskless workstations use sshfs by default, allowing them to + work without adding them to DNS and NIS netgroups for NFS access.
Regressions
+Known issues
-
-
- No mass import of user account data in GOsa (ldif or csv) available - yet. +
- No mass import of user account data in GOsa (ldif or csv) + available yet (698840). +
- Artwork not enabled for all desktops.
No updated artwork
+Where to get it
+To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can use
-
-
- Updated artwork which is visible during installation, in the login - screen and as desktop wallpaper is still missing or the same as we - had for our Squeeze based release. +
- ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~a3-CD.iso +
- http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~a3-CD.iso +
- rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~a3-CD.iso .
Where to get it
-To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can use +The MD5SUM of this image is: 2b161a99d2a848c376d8d04e3854e30c
+
The SHA1SUM of this image is: 498922e9c508c0a7ee9dbe1dfe5bf830d779c3c8
To download the multiarch USB stick ISO release you can use
-
-
- ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/ -
- http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/ -
- rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/ +
- ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~a3-USB.iso +
- http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~a3-USB.iso +
- rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.1+edu0~a3-USB.iso .
The MD5SUM of this image is: c5e773ddafdaa4f48c409c682f598b6c
- -The SHA1SUM of this image is: 25934fabb9b7d20235499a0a51f08ce6c54215f2
- + +The MD5SUM of this image is: 25e808e403a4c15dbef1d13c37d572ac
+
The SHA1SUM of this image is: 15ecfc93eb6b4f453b7eb0bc04b6a279262d9721
How to report bugs
http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/ReportBugs
@@ -536,66 +589,70 @@ To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can useBitcoin er mye i mediene for -tiden. Jeg følger med via Mylder for å finne -artikler som omtaler -temaet, og takket være dette oppdaget jeg at stortingsrepresentant -Ketil Solvik-Olsen fra FrP nylig har spurt finansminister Sigbjørn -Johnsen om hans syn på Bitcoin, og -fått -svar for noen dager siden. Jeg bet meg spesielt merke til -følgende formulering fra finansministeren:
- --«Det er også utfordringer ved at handel med Bitcoins er uregulert og -at transaksjonene er anonyme.» -- -
At Bitcoin er anonymt er en myte som spres av både journalister og -andre, så det er ikke veldig overraskende at også finansministeren har -gått på limpinnen. Det er dog litt rart, da jeg håper at -finansdepartementet ikke baserer seg på rykter og myter når de -besvarer Stortinget. Men du trenger ikke bare tro på meg som kilde -til påstanden om at Bitcoin ikke er anonymt. Sondre Rønjom har -via Sikkerhetsbloggen -hos Nasjonal Sikkerhetsmyndighet uttalt følgende:
- --«At [bitcoin] i utgangspunktet -ikke er anonymt, -kommer kanskje som en overraskelse på mange.» -- -
Enhver bevegelse av Bitcoin er offentlig tilgjengelig for alle på -Internet, og en må legge svært mye innsats inn hvis en skal hindre at -nettverksanalyse av transaksjonsloggene kan brukes til å identifisere -brukerne. F.eks. kan en enkelt se hva jeg har mottatt til min -offentliggjorte mottaksadresse ved å besøke blockexplorer og slå opp -adressen -15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b. -Det virker dermed på meg ganske klart at å påstå at -Bitcoin-transaksjoner er anonyme strengt tatt er å føre Stortinget bak -lyset.
- -Finansministeren er ikke den eneste som har latt seg forlede av -medieomtalen. I spørsmålet fra Hr. Solvik-Olsen skriver han at «For -noen dager siden kom den første bitcoin-minibanken på Kypros», hvilket -så vidt jeg har klart å finne ut ikke er riktig. Det er annonsert -planer om en slik minibank (fra -BitcoinATM), men jeg finner -intet tegn til at en slik minibank er utplassert noe sted.
- -Som vanlig, hvis du bruker Bitcoin og ønsker å vise din støtte til -mine aktiviteter, så setter jeg pris på Bitcoin-donasjoner til min -adresse -15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.
+ +It annoys me when the computer fail to do automatically what it is +perfectly capable of, and I have to do it manually to get things +working. One such task is to find out what firmware packages are +needed to get the hardware on my computer working. Most often this +affect the wifi card, but some times it even affect the RAID +controller or the ethernet card. Today I pushed version 0.4 of the +Isenkram package +including a new script isenkram-autoinstall-firmware handling the +process of asking all the loaded kernel modules what firmware files +they want, find debian packages providing these files and install the +debian packages. Here is a test run on my laptop:
+ ++# isenkram-autoinstall-firmware +info: kernel drivers requested extra firmware: ipw2200-bss.fw ipw2200-ibss.fw ipw2200-sniffer.fw +info: fetching http://http.debian.net/debian/dists/squeeze/Contents-i386.gz +info: locating packages with the requested firmware files +info: Updating APT sources after adding non-free APT source +info: trying to install firmware-ipw2x00 +firmware-ipw2x00 +firmware-ipw2x00 +Preconfiguring packages ... +Selecting previously deselected package firmware-ipw2x00. +(Reading database ... 259727 files and directories currently installed.) +Unpacking firmware-ipw2x00 (from .../firmware-ipw2x00_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb) ... +Setting up firmware-ipw2x00 (0.28+squeeze1) ... +# ++ +
When all the requested firmware is present, a simple message is +printed instead:
+ ++# isenkram-autoinstall-firmware +info: did not find any firmware files requested by loaded kernel modules. exiting +# ++ +
It could use some polish, but it is already working well and saving +me some time when setting up new machines. :)
+ +So, how does it work? It look at the set of currently loaded +kernel modules, and look up each one of them using modinfo, to find +the firmware files listed in the module meta-information. Next, it +download the Contents file from a nearby APT mirror, and search for +the firmware files in this file to locate the package with the +requested firmware file. If the package is in the non-free section, a +non-free APT source is added and the package is installed using +apt-get install. The end result is a slightly better working +machine.
+ +I hope someone find time to implement a more polished version of +this script as part of the hw-detect debian-installer module, to +finally fix BTS report +#655507. There really is no need to insert USB sticks with +firmware during a PXE install when the packages already are available +from the nearby Debian mirror.
This years first Skolelinux / -Debian Edu developer gathering take place the coming weekend in Trondheim. -Details about the gathering can be found -on -the FRiSK wiki. The dates are 19-21th of April 2013, and online -participation for those unable to make it in person is very welcome, -and I plan to participate online myself as I could not leave Oslo this -weekend.
- -The focus of the gathering is to work on the web pages and project -infrastructure, and to continue the work on the Wheezy based Debian -Edu release.
- -See you on IRC, #debian-edu on irc.debian.org, then?
+ +In the Debian Edu / +Skolelinux project, we include a post-installation test suite, +which check that services are running, working, and return the +expected results. It runs automatically just after the first boot on +test installations (using test ISOs), but not on production +installations (using non-test ISOs). It test that the LDAP service is +operating, Kerberos is responding, DNS is replying, file systems are +online resizable, etc, etc. And it check that the PXE service is +configured, which is the topic of this post.
+ +The last week I've fixed the DVD and USB stick ISOs for our Debian +Edu Wheezy release. These ISOs are supposed to be able to install a +complete system without any Internet connection, but for that to +happen all the needed packages need to be on them. Thanks to our test +suite, I discovered that we had forgotten to adjust our PXE setup to +cope with the new names and paths used by the netboot d-i packages. +When Internet connectivity was available, the installer fall back to +using wget to fetch d-i boot images, but when offline it require +working packages to get it working. And the packages changed name +from debian-installer-6.0-netboot-$arch to +debian-installer-7.0-netboot-$arch, we no longer pulled in the +packages during installation. Without our test suite, I suspect we +would never have discovered this before release. Now it is fixed +right after we got the ISOs operational.
+ +Another by-product of the test suite is that we can ask system +administrators with problems getting Debian Edu to work, to run the +test suite using /usr/sbin/debian-edu-test-install and see if +any errors are detected. This usually pinpoint the subsystem causing +the problem.
+ +If you want to help us help kids learn how to share and create, +please join us on +#debian-edu on +irc.debian.org and the +debian-edu@ mailing +list.
For cirka en måned siden
-
-
-
-
- Epost fra DIFI til Fornyingsdepartementet, datert 2012-11-23 - -
- vedlegg 1, Oppsummering og anbefalinger etter høring av endringer i forskrift om IT-standarer i offentlig forvaltning, datert 2012-11-23 - -
- Notat fra avdeling for IKT og fornying til statsråd i Fornyingsdepartementet om høringen, datert 2013-01-03 - -
Det bør nevnes at da jeg ble nektet innsyn hos mottaker -Fornyingsdepartementet på høringsoppsummeringen som DIFI hadde sendt -ut, spurte jeg DIFI om innsyn i stedet. Det fikk jeg i løpet av et -par dager. Moralen er at hvis ikke mottaker ikke vil gi innsyn, spør -avsender i stedet. Kanskje de har forskjellig forståelse av hva som -bør holdes skjult for folket. Her er de tilsvarende dokumentene jeg -fikk innsyn i fra DIFI:
+ +The Debian Edu and +Skolelinux distribution have users and contributors all around the +globe. And a while back, an enterprising young man showed up on +our IRC channel +#debian-edu and started asking questions about how Debian Edu +worked. We answered as good as we could, and even convinced him to +help us with translations. And today I managed to get an interview +with him, to learn more about him.
+ +Who are you, and how do you spend your days?
+ +I'm a 25 year old free software enthusiast, living in Romania,
+which is also my country of origin. Back in 2009, at a New Year's Eve
+party, I had a very nice beer discussion with a
+friend, when we realized we have no organised Debian community in our
+country. A few days later, we put together the infrastructure for such
+community and even gathered a nice Debian-ish crowd. Since then, I
+began my quest as a free software hacker and activist and I am
+constantly trying to cover as much ground as possible on that
+field.
A few years ago I founded a small web development company, which +provided me the flexible schedule I needed so much for my +activities. For the last 13 months, I have been the Technical Director +of FundaÈia Ceata, which is a free +software activist organisation endorsed by the FSF and the FSFE, and +the only one we have in our country.
+ +How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu +project?
+ +The idea of participating in the Debian Edu project was a surprise +even to me, since I never used it before I began getting involved in +it. This year I had a great opportunity to deliver a talk on +educational software, and I knew immediately where to look. It was a +love at first sight, since I was previously involved with some of the +technologies the project incorporates, and I rapidly found a lot of +ways to contribute.
+ +My first contributions consisted in translating the installer and +configuration dialogs, then I found some bugs to squash (I still +haven't fixed them yet though), and I even got my eyes on some other +areas where I can prove myself helpful. Since the appetite for free +software in my country is pretty low, I'll be happy to be the first +one around here advocating for the project's adoption in educational +environments, and maybe even get my hands dirty in creating a flavour +for our own needs. I am not used to make very advanced plannings, so +from now on, time will tell what I'll be doing next, but I think I +have a pretty consistent starting point.
+ +What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux/Debian +Edu?
+ +Not a long time ago, I was in the position of configuring and +maintaining a LDAP server on some Debian derivative, and I must say it +took me a while. A long time ago, I was maintaining a bigger +Samba-powered infrastructure, and I must say I spent quite a lot of +time on it. I have similar stories about many of the services included +with Skolelinux, and the main advantage I see about it is the +out-of-the box availability of them, making it quite competitive when +it comes to managing a school's network, for example.
+ +Of course, there is more to say about Skolelinux than the +availability of the software included, its flexibility in various +scenarios is something I can't wait to experiment "into the wild" (I +only played with virtual machines so far). And I am sure there is a +lot more I haven't discovered yet about it, being so new within the +project.
+ +What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian +Edu?
+ +As usual, when it comes to Debian Blends, I see as the biggest +disadvantage the lack of a numerous team dedicated to the +project. Every day I see the same names in the changelogs, and I have +a constantly fear of the bus factor in this story. I'd like to see +Debian Edu advertised more as an entry point into the Debian +ecosystem, especially amongst newcomers and students. IMHO there are a +lot low-hanging fruits in terms of bug squashing, and enough +opportunities to get the feeling of the Debian Project's dynamics. Not +to mention it's a very fun blend to work on!
+ +Derived from the previous statement, is the delay in catching up +with the main Debian release and documentation. This is common though +to all blends and derivatives, but it's an issue we can all work +on.
+ +Which free software do you use daily?
+ +I can hardly imagine myself spending a day without Vim, since my +daily routine covers writing code and hacking configuration files. I +am a fan of the Awesome window manager (but I also like the +Enlightenment project a lot!), +Claws Mail due to its ease of +use and very configurable behaviour. Recently I fell in love with +Redshift, which helps me +get through the night without headaches. Of course, there is much more +stuff in this bag, but I'll need a blog on my own for doing this!
+ +Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to +get schools to use free software?
+ +Well, on this field, I cannot do much more than experiment right +now. So, being far from having a recipe for success, I can only assume +that:
-
-
- Epost fra DIFI til Fornyingsdepartementet, datert 2012-11-23 +
- schools would like to get rid of proprietary software -
- vedlegg 1, Oppsummering og anbefalinger etter høring av endringer i forskrift om IT-standarer i offentlig forvaltning, datert 2012-11-23 +
- students will love the openness of the system, and will want to + experiment with it - maybe we need to harvest the native curiosity + of teenagers more? -
- Vedlegg 2, Forslag til endringsforskrift, udatert +
- there is no "right one" when it comes to strategies, but it would + be useful to have some success stories published somewhere, so + other can get some inspiration from them (I know I'd promote + them!) -
- Vedlegg 3, Forskrift om IT-standarder i offentlig forvaltning, udatert +
- more active promotion - talks, conferences, even small school + lectures can do magical things if they encounter at least one + person interested. Who knows who that person might be? ;-)
Det jeg synes er mest interessant er endel av aktørene som -protesterte på fjerningen (Kartverket, Drammen kommune), og hvordan -høringsoppsummeringen ikke tar stilling til effekten av å fjerne ODF -fra katalogen.
-For en stund tilbake gikk nyheten om -Sandy -Island, en øy som var dukket opp på noen kart, men som ikke var -synlig når en sjekket den på satellittbilder. Dagbladet meldte for -eksempel at -«denne -øya finnes på kart, men ikke i virkeligheten». Noe senere begynte -jeg å lese -historier -om Ruffen til mine barn. Dette er historier om sjøormen Ruffen -skapt av Tor à ge Bringsværd, som starter med følgende beskrivelse:
- --«Langt ute i havet ligger en mystisk øy. Den er bare synlig hver -tirsdag og fredag. Derfor står den ikke på noe kart. På denne øya -ligger et slott, og i slottet bor en gammel, fin sjøormfamilie.» -- -
Det virker åpenbart at Hr. Bringsværd tok feil når han trodde den -ikke var på noe kart, og at noen tydeligvis har vært i nærheten en -tirsdag eller en fredag og fått den med på et kart, mens -satellittbildene er tatt på noen av de fem andre dagene i uka og -dermed ikke ser øya. :)
- -I følge -en -senere artikkel i Dagbladet hevder Shaun Higgins, en forsker fra -New Zealand, at et hvalfangstskip fra 1876 er opprinnelsen til at -spøkelsesøya i det hele tatt havnet på kartet. Det fremgår ikke fra -historien hvilken ukedag de var innom.
- -Jeg har stor sans for Tor à ge Bringsværd. Og han viste nylig en -svært fin side av seg selv da han sa ja til EFNs forespørsel om å gi -ut novellen Kodémus med -Creative Commons-lisens.
+I also see some problems in getting Skolelinux into schools; for +example, in our country we have a great deal of corruption issues, so +it might be hard(er) to fight against proprietary solutions. Also, +people who relied on commercial software for all their lives, would be +very hard to convert against their will.