X-Git-Url: https://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/e57109f196de8b39dbb0a8b27fd68db2bf50c35e..490193b6c65e4fa64624b2b037223f4d6d1b04e5:/blog/index.rss diff --git a/blog/index.rss b/blog/index.rss index ebbb9bec91..79ce886804 100644 --- a/blog/index.rss +++ b/blog/index.rss @@ -6,6 +6,135 @@ http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + + Pieces of the roaming laptop puzzle in Debian + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Pieces_of_the_roaming_laptop_puzzle_in_Debian.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Pieces_of_the_roaming_laptop_puzzle_in_Debian.html + Wed, 19 May 2010 19:00:00 +0200 + +<p>Today, the last piece of the puzzle for roaming laptops in Debian +Edu finally entered the Debian archive. Today, the new +<a href="http://packages.qa.debian.org/libp/libpam-mklocaluser.html">libpam-mklocaluser</a> +package was accepted. Two days ago, two other pieces was accepted +into unstable. The +<a href="http://packages.qa.debian.org/p/pam-python.html">pam-python</a> +package needed by libpam-mklocaluser, and the +<a href="http://packages.qa.debian.org/s/sssd.html">sssd</a> package +passed NEW on Monday. In addition, the +<a href="http://packages.qa.debian.org/libp/libpam-ccreds.html">libpam-ccreds</a> +package we need is in experimental (version 10-4) since Saturday, and +hopefully will be moved to unstable soon.</p> + +<p>This collection of packages allow for two different setups for +roaming laptops. The traditional setup would be using libpam-ccreds, +nscd and libpam-mklocaluser with LDAP or Kerberos authentication, +which should work out of the box if the configuration changes proposed +for nscd in <a href="http://bugs.debian.org/485282">BTS report +#485282</a> is implemented. The alternative setup is to use sssd with +libpam-mklocaluser to connect to LDAP or Kerberos and let sssd take +care of the caching of passwords and group information.</p> + +<p>I have so far been unable to get sssd to work with the LDAP server +at the University, but suspect the issue is some SSL/GnuTLS related +problem with the server certificate. I plan to update the Debian +package to version 1.2, which is scheduled for next week, and hope to +find time to make sure the next release will include both the +Debian/Ubuntu specific patches. Upstream is friendly and responsive, +and I am sure we will find a good solution.</p> + +<p>The idea is to set up the roaming laptops to authenticate using +LDAP or Kerberos and create a local user with home directory in /home/ +when a usre in LDAP logs in via KDM or GDM for the first time, and +cache the password for offline checking, as well as caching group +memberhips and other relevant LDAP information. The +libpam-mklocaluser package was created to make sure the local home +directory is in /home/, instead of /site/server/directory/ which would +be the home directory if pam_mkhomedir was used. To avoid confusion +with support requests and configuration, we do not want local laptops +to have users in a path that is used for the same users home directory +on the home directory servers.</p> + +<p>One annoying problem with gdm is that it do not show the PAM +message passed to the user from libpam-mklocaluser when the local user +is created. Instead gdm simply reject the login with some generic +message. The message is shown in kdm, ssh and login, so I guess it is +a bug in gdm. Have not investigated if there is some other message +type that can be used instead to get gdm to also show the message.</p> + +<p>If you want to help out with implementing this for Debian Edu, +please contact us on debian-edu@lists.debian.org.</p> + + + + + Parallellized boot is now the default in Debian/unstable + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellized_boot_is_now_the_default_in_Debian_unstable.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Parallellized_boot_is_now_the_default_in_Debian_unstable.html + Fri, 14 May 2010 22:40:00 +0200 + +<p>Since this evening, parallel booting is the default in +Debian/unstable for machines using dependency based boot sequencing. +Apparently the testing of concurrent booting has been wider than +expected, if I am to believe the +<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2010/05/msg00122.html">input +on debian-devel@</a>, and I concluded a few days ago to move forward +with the feature this weekend, to give us some time to detect any +remaining problems before Squeeze is frozen. If serious problems are +detected, it is simple to change the default back to sequential boot. +The upload of the new sysvinit package also activate a new upstream +version.</p> + +More information about +<a href="http://wiki.debian.org/LSBInitScripts/DependencyBasedBoot">dependency +based boot sequencing</a> is available from the Debian wiki. It is +currently possible to disable parallel booting when one run into +problems caused by it, by adding this line to /etc/default/rcS:</p> + +<blockquote><pre> +CONCURRENCY=none +</pre></blockquote> + +<p>If you report any problems with dependencies in init.d scripts to +the BTS, please usertag the report to get it to show up at +<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=initscripts-ng-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org">the +list of usertagged bugs related to this</a>.</p> + + + + + Sitesummary tip: Listing MAC address of all clients + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sitesummary_tip__Listing_MAC_address_of_all_clients.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sitesummary_tip__Listing_MAC_address_of_all_clients.html + Fri, 14 May 2010 21:10:00 +0200 + +<p>In the recent Debian Edu versions, the +<a href="http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/SiteSummary">sitesummary +system</a> is used to keep track of the machines in the school +network. Each machine will automatically report its status to the +central server after boot and once per night. The network setup is +also reported, and using this information it is possible to get the +MAC address of all network interfaces in the machines. This is useful +to update the DHCP configuration.</p> + +<p>To give some idea how to use sitesummary, here is a one-liner to +ist all MAC addresses of all machines reporting to sitesummary. Run +this on the collector host:</p> + +<blockquote><pre> +perl -MSiteSummary -e 'for_all_hosts(sub { print join(" ", get_macaddresses(shift)), "\n"; });' +</pre></blockquote> + +<p>This will list all MAC addresses assosiated with all machine, one +line per machine and with space between the MAC addresses.</p> + +<p>To allow system administrators easier job at adding static DHCP +addresses for hosts, it would be possible to extend this to fetch +machine information from sitesummary and update the DHCP and DNS +tables in LDAP using this information. Such tool is unfortunately not +written yet.</p> + + + systemd, an interesting alternative to upstart http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/systemd__an_interesting_alternative_to_upstart.html @@ -329,95 +458,5 @@ Hr. Fossen. Må innrømme at jeg tviler på det.</p> - - After 6 years of waiting, the Xreset.d feature is implemented - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/After_6_years_of_waiting__the_Xreset_d_feature_is_implemented.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/After_6_years_of_waiting__the_Xreset_d_feature_is_implemented.html - Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:15:00 +0100 - -<p>6 years ago, as part of the Debian Edu development I am involved -in, I asked for a hook in the kdm and gdm setup to run scripts as root -when the user log out. A bug was submitted against the xfree86-common -package in 2004 (<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/230422">#230422</a>), -and revisited every time Debian Edu was working on a new release. -Today, this finally paid off.</p> - -<p>The framework for this feature was today commited to the git -repositry for the xorg package, and the git repository for xdm has -been updated to use this framework. Next on my agenda is to make sure -kdm and gdm also add code to use this framework.</p> - -<p>In Debian Edu, we want to ability to run commands as root when the -user log out, to get rid of runaway processes and do general cleanup -after a user. With this framework in place, we finally can do that in -a generic way that work with all display managers using this -framework. My goal is to get all display managers in Debian use it, -similar to how they use the Xsession.d framework today.<p> - - - - - Digitale bøker uten digitale restriksjonsmekanismer (DRM) bør få mva-fritak - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Digitale_b__ker_uten_digitale_restriksjonsmekanismer__DRM__b__r_f___mva_fritak.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Digitale_b__ker_uten_digitale_restriksjonsmekanismer__DRM__b__r_f___mva_fritak.html - Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:00:00 +0100 - -<p>Den norske bokbransjen har -<a href="http://www.digi.no/823912/nei-til-moms-paa-e-boker">bedt om at -digitale bøker må få mva-fritak</a> slik papirbøker har det, og -<a href="http://www.digi.no/836875/moms-paa-alt-digitalt-innhold">finansdepartementet -har sagt nei</a>. Det er et interessant spørsmål om digitale bøker -bør ha mva-fritak eller ikke, og svaret er ikke så enkelt som et ja -eller nei. -<a href="http://www.digi.no/836925/norske-e-boker-truet-av-moms">Enkelte -medlemmer</a> av bokbransjen truer med å droppe den planlagte -lanseringen av norske digitale bøker med digitale restriksjonsmekanismer -(DRM) som de har snakket om å gjennomføre nå i vår, og det må de -gjerne gjøre for min del.</p> - -<p>Papirbøker har mva-fritak pga. at de fremmer kultur- og -kunnskapsspredning. Digitale bøker uten digitale -restriksjonsmekanismer (DRM) fremmer kultur- og kunnskapsspredning, -mens digitale bøker med DRM hindrer kultur og kunnskapsspredning. -Digitale bøker uten DRM bør få mva-fritak da det er salg av bøker på -lik linje med salg av papirbøker, mens digitale bøker med DRM ikke bør -få det da det er utleie av bøker og ikke salg.</p> - -<p>Jeg foretrekker å kjøpe bøker, og velger dermed å la være å bruke -DRM-belastede digitale bøker. Vet ikke helt hva jeg ville være villig -til å betale for å leie en bok, men tror ikke det er mange kronene. -Heldigvis er det mye bøker tilgjengelig uten slike restriksjoner, og -de som vil ha tak i engelske bøker kan laste ned bøker som er -tilgjengelig uten bruksbegresninger fra <a href="http://www.archive.org/">The -Internet Archive</a>. Der er det pr. i dag 1 889 313 bøker -tilgjengelig. De er tilgjengelig i flere formater. Besøk -<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/texts">oversikten over tekster -der</a> for å se hva de har. - - - - - Debian Edu / Skolelinux based on Lenny released, work continues - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_Edu___Skolelinux_based_on_Lenny_released__work_continues.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_Edu___Skolelinux_based_on_Lenny_released__work_continues.html - Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:15:00 +0100 - -<p>On Tuesday, the Debian/Lenny based version of -<a href="http://www.skolelinux.org/">Skolelinux</a> was finally -shipped. This was a major leap forward for the project, and I am very -pleased that we finally got the release wrapped up. Work on the first -point release starts imediately, as we plan to get that one out a -month after the major release, to include all fixes for bugs we found -and fixed too late in the release process to include last Tuesday.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it even is time for some partying?</p> - -<p>After this first point release, my plan is to focus again on the -next major release, based on Squeeze. We will try to get as many of -the fixes we need into the official Debian packages before the freeze, -and have just a few weeks or months to make it happen.</p> - - -