simply paranoid ssh access. If you're keen on searching for the most secure SSH access method, then this post is not about it. For everyday use, I've simply made the choice to stick to 4096 bit RSA keys + complex passhphrases (considered as secure and slightly paranoid nonetheless). This post is about you having two Ubuntu boxes you'd like to SSH into… Read More
nice grub boot splash I'm going to post some really easy steps to slightly nicefy the standard ubuntu boot manager (grub for friends); please note the following steps are very easy and, most importantly, they are not disruptive of your currently working setup: you just have to add stuff to your already working system. The advantage of doing so lies… Read More
Upgrade Ubuntu Hardy Heron to Intrepid Ibex - the CLI way. Today I'm going to upgrade my _old_ Ubuntu Hardy Heron X86_64 laptop to the fresh _new_ (autumnal) Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex X86_64, the CLI way (this pocess "should" also work with the 32 bit version). Open a new virtual terminal and type: cd dpkg −−get−selections > ~/my-installed-programs With the above command, you'll make a backup copy of the… Read More
Fast install freenx server on Ubuntu Hardy X68_64. I needed to install FreeNX Server on my wive's Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04.1 LTS X86_64 PC fast. I opened a Terminal and typed the following: sudoedit /etc/apt/sources.list I pasted the following at EOF: # Launchpad freenx-server deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/freenx-team/ubuntu hardy main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/freenx-team/ubuntu hardy main :wq, then: sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install freenx-server After that I got… Read More
my local DEBIAN mirror. Someday at work, it was decided that having a local debian mirror would be beneficial. After some research, I choose total flexibility, by adopting the anonftpsync shell script. Anonftpsync is a self-descriptive-log-and-mail kind of script. You'll just have to customize it a bit in order to be able to use it. For convenience, below you'll… Read More
ldap, samba, & Co. Network Users & Computers management is what I've been studying recently. The following is a placeholder-post related to info I should inspect and eventually try: What is LDAP? Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightweight_Directory_Access_Protocol Well, I wanna try it! Here: http://www.howtoforge.com/openldap-samba-domain-controller-ubuntu7.10 Other clues? Here: http://islandlinux.org/howto/installing-samba-openldap-ubuntu#install_samba What about security? Here: http://islandlinux.org/howto/installing-secure-ldap-openldap-ssl-ubuntu-using-self-signed-certificate A self signed Cert is crap! I want mine.… Read More
Beagle mess & Evolution error. Ubuntu Linux aims at being a good OS solution for the desktop. The fact that it aims doesn't necessarily means it is already...I heard 2008 will have more to say about this. Form me, I think it is good enough, and I enjoy using it everyday, yet sometimes I encounter "strange" & "correlated" errors that… Read More
my fav rsync options Today I'll post my fav rsync options. rsync is a little program that automates the syncronization between two folders, filesystems or partitions, the beauty of it is that is even works remotely (by relying on the SSH Protocol - Quick Tip: Configure and use SSH keys for that!). Its main use is to move every kind of data, either local (ie.… Read More
change debian hostname. I stuck into a little problem related to a hostname change; basically I needed to change hostname for a basic debian install. I then powered up my fav browser with my fav search engine, then searched for that stuff. Easy as that! You change Hostname by simply doing vi /etc/hostname (and put your new hostname… Read More
MS Windows XP, Win2k3 & Vista Password Reset mini-Howto. I am used to store my URLs+User+Password combos inside an encrypted DB file. The Software I love (and hate) is KeepassX (grab your copy here http://www.keepassx.org/ - XP, Linux or Mac OS X). Every now and then (especially after the holidays...), I may forget to keep my passwords DB updated. As a result, I might end… Read More
Do you Active FTP through Firewall+NAT ? Here's my experience on actively contributing in the resolution of a problem related to Active FTP & gnu-linux/ip-tables based firewall solution. First, make sure your firewall has loaded the following modules: ip_conntrack_ftp ip_nat_ftp Then check that the right Forwarding rules apply: iptables -I FORWARD -m state --state ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT being "RELATED" the important part.… Read More
Boot Debian Installer from USB flash drive. My primary objective is to make a pc boot from usb flash drive and launch the standard debian installer. Check & make sure your BIOS is set to "Boot from USB" (sometimes also known as "Boot from Removable Device"). Get boot.img.gz (stable linked below): wget http://ftp.be.debian.org/debian/dists/etch/main/installer-i386/current/images/hd-media/boot.img.gz unzip & place raw content inside the UNMOUNTED flash drive:… Read More