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HDD errors
by Mark Rogers 19 Nov '10

19 Nov '10

I have a hard disk connected via a IDE/USB convertor. I was asked to look at the disk because of issues, and with a combination of tools (surprisingly mount and cp did most of what I needed!) have managed to recover most of his files (well the ones that matter anyway). However, I'm getting lots of the following in /var/log/messages: Nov 11 10:44:28 user-desktop kernel: [268615.430217] sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Unhandled sense code Nov 11 10:44:28 user-desktop kernel: [268615.430221] sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_ERROR driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE Nov 11 10:44:28 user-desktop kernel: [268615.430225] sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Hardware Error [current] Nov 11 10:44:28 user-desktop kernel: [268615.430230] sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: No additional sense information Nov 11 10:44:28 user-desktop kernel: [268615.430234] sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 01 00 95 a0 00 00 08 00 Nov 11 10:44:28 user-desktop kernel: [268615.430248] __ratelimit: 41 callbacks suppressed .. and I was just curious to learn what they were telling me about what was wrong with the drive? I've Googled for some of the key phrases but don't seem to get a clear picture. I've seen references to Sense Key etc before with problems in the past (often USB thumb drives) so I figured a little extra knowledge might be no bad thing! -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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Is there a fairly easy way to allow two users to write to the same hierarchy of files?
by Chris G 19 Nov '10

19 Nov '10

I want to enable two users to write to a specific hiearchy of files and I really can't see an easy way to do it. To be specific I have a hierarchy of files making up the data files of a wiki which I (mostly) edit directly but also need to be able to edit in the normal wiki fashion. Thus they need to be writeable by the apache2 process (which is user www-data) and directly by the user (which is me, user chris). Can anyone suggest a way to allow these to be writeable by both users? When a user creates a new file it must be editable by the other user as well so simply creating a common group to which both users belong won't work as, in general, the umask won't give files user write permission. -- Chris Green

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Snapshots
by Chris Walker 19 Nov '10

19 Nov '10

Is it possible to take a snapshot of a running system rather in the way it's possible to do in things like VirtualBox? I'm thinking of installing some software but am not sure that once installed, I will be able to back it out with leaving files everywhere. Hence the idea of a snapshot. -- __ __| |_ __ __ .----------------------------------------------. / _/ _` \ V V / | mailto:cdw_alug@the-walker-household.co.uk | \__\__,_|\_/\_/ |______________________________________________|

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Sharepoint alternatives
by Mark Rogers 19 Nov '10

19 Nov '10

A customer has asked us to look at setting up a hosted sharepoint server for them. What are the best FOSS alternatives I should look at to give them some options? -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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SBCs that run Linux - someone mentioned some a while ago
by Chris G 18 Nov '10

18 Nov '10

A while a go when we were discussing low-powered backup solutions someone here mentioned a couple of Linux based SBCs (Single Board Computers). At the time I was looking for something somewhat different but now I think I might have a use for such a device. Can someone point me in the right direction (the mail list archive isn't searchable so doesn't help much as I haven't a clue how long ago it was). -- Chris Green

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Mostly OT: Kindle 3G
by Mark Rogers 18 Nov '10

18 Nov '10

There seem to be some Kindle fans here? £150 for the Kindle 3G seems like a good deal. I'm just looking for someone to persuade me to part with the cash! Any experiences with the "experimental" web browser? The relevant bit to this list: Any PC interaction I have with it will be from my Linux (Ubuntu) box. Any reason to have any concerns? I've never owned an eBook but I gigure something like Calibre should allow me to convert between ebook formats (the wife is concerned she'll buy an ebook from Waterstones that she can't use on it, for example; my concern is more about keeping her off MY Kindle in the first place!) -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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tail and awk
by Barry Samuels 17 Nov '10

17 Nov '10

I'm running Debian Squeeze/Testing and have this in my /etc/rc.local: tail -f /var/log/syslog | awk '/kernel: sdb: sdb1/ {system("/bin/sleep 10; /sbin/hdparm -Y /dev/sdb")}' & Whenever I insert a hard drive caddy I want the disc to be put into sleep mode until it's required. The drive is used only once every 24 hours to backup and the drive is changed each day. However it doesn't work. If I remove a drive caddy and then replace it the relevant lines appear in syslog but the drive keeps spinning. If I stop the current tail/awk processes, remove and replace the caddy then run /etc/rc.local from the command line it does work and the drive stops spinning. I have now run out of expertise. Any suggestions please? -- Barry Samuels http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk The Unofficial Guide to Great Britain

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Re: [ALUG] Mostly OT: Kindle 3G
by mark fernandes (IFR) 17 Nov '10

17 Nov '10

Mark, I've made some comments about the Kindle browser on my blog (http://www.codingscience.blogspot.com/) I have successfully used it to access my work e-mail (Outlook Web Access) whilst on my travels. It is a bit like going back to Black and White TV (God that ages me!) but still quite usable (but roll on colour e-paper). My biggest problem is viewing scientific papers (usually only avail as PDFs) in 3 columns which is e-reader unfriendly. If anybody knows of a tool to reformat these to single column reliably, 'I'll be over the moon' as it is a bit of a deal-breaker for some of my colleagues. I say reliable - I tried tools like calibre and stanza (and a google code project whose name escapes me - I said I'm getting old) and get weird effects (Which I'm beginning to believe is down to quirks of PDF format when having multiple columns with diagrams and images (:-() rather than the programs). Anyway, back to original question - Browser is usable but I wouldn't use it as the 'weapon of choice'. Or put it another way don't try and use a hammer to put in a screw... :-) Hope that this helps, Mark

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[ALUG Announce] 3rd Monday Monthly Ipswich Social Meeting : McGintys, Northgate Street
by samwise 13 Nov '10

13 Nov '10

ALUG Announce Please send announcements to Announce(a)lists.alug.org.uk Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce ----- The monthly "Third Monday" ALUG Ipswich Social Meeting is back next week, Monday 15th November, at 20:00: P J McGinty & Sons 15 Northgate Street Ipswich Suffolk IP1 3BY Tel: 01473 251 515 Map/Directions URI: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=IP1+3BY WWW: http://www.pjmcgintys.co.uk/ McGintys pub is in the centre of Ipswich. It's directly opposite the town's central library and has a reputation for good Irish beer. We're usually to be found in the lowest section of the bar, near the library entrance to the pub. All are welcome, novices and experienced users. Feel free to ask for further information on the Main ALUG mailing list. Hopefully, see some of you there! Peter. ----- Send discussion replies to main(a)lists.alug.org.uk (Reply-To set) Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce

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Reliable friendly hosting companies
by Mark Rogers 09 Nov '10

09 Nov '10

We currently use MemSet for most of our hosting requirements. We run Ubuntu virtual servers and have very few problems caused either by us or Memset. However, Memset don't provide out-of-hours emergency support except with fully managed servers (£40/month overhead, on a virtual server which might only be costing £10/month itself). This has occasionally caused problems in the past, with an upgrade taking place late on a Friday evening leaving the server inaccessible until after 9am Monday. It means we can't risk a major update out-of-hours in case of problems, but equally don't want to schedule downtime in office hours either. We prefer to run multiple virtual servers rather than having one "big" one - spreading the load but more importantly meaning that one outage it less likely to hit all customers or all services at the same time (much easier to manage!). At £40/mo for multiple servers this means paying around £3-4k just to be able to contact emergency support typically once per year when we have a problem that requires it. So, what are the current suggestions for hosts that other people can recommend with 24/7 support availability for those rare disasters? I know this type of thread crops up fairly often but recommendations change and I haven't seen the specific issue of out-of-hours support cropping up. Other than this I have no reason to wish to move away from Memset, but we have reached the stage of migrating several sites to new virtual servers and that can either be at Memset or elsewhere, so I need to consider the alternatives. -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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