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sharing a dvd writer amongst linux boxen
by Jenny Hopkins 28 Sep '09

28 Sep '09

Hullo, erm, again.... Out of curiosity: If I have a debian server (no X window system installed) that has a cd/dvd burning drive on the same intranet as a debian client that has no dvd burner, is there any method known to man or beast that can allow the server drive to be shared? First, I'm not sure how to include the drive in exports, as surely it isn't mountable with just a blank medium in it? Secondly, if I could somehow do the latter, how would I tell the dvd burning GUI that the medium to be used is an nfs mounted share? Thanks, Jenny

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No keyboard and no mouse ???
by Barry Samuels 28 Sep '09

28 Sep '09

I have just run an update for Debian Testing, the first update for 5 days, and when I start X I have no keyboard and no mouse. The mouse pointer is displayed but won't move and using the keyboard has no effect including the alt-sysrq combinations and I can't get to a terminal using alt-F(n). I can run and close an X application remotely using ssh and I can kill the unresponsive X server remotely using ssh. I can also kill individual X applications remotely. It doesn't look as though the system is locked in any way as the clock on the bottom bar (xfce) updates and the cpu load meter also appears to be updating. I haven't the remotest idea where to start looking for this problem. Could someone please help? -- Barry Samuels http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk The Unofficial Guide to Great Britain

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Re: [ALUG] main Digest, Vol 51, Issue 22
by Sam Tuke 26 Sep '09

26 Sep '09

Interesting stuff - more of a response than I would have expected. Sam. > From: main-request(a)lists.alug.org.uk > Subject: main Digest, Vol 51, Issue 22 > To: main(a)lists.alug.org.uk > Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:00:03 +0100 > > Send main mailing list submissions to > main(a)lists.alug.org.uk > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > main-request(a)lists.alug.org.uk > > You can reach the person managing the list at > main-owner(a)lists.alug.org.uk > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of main digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. FW: Government response to petition 'nonMSschools' > ( (Ted Harding)) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:31:01 +0100 (BST) > From: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> > Subject: [ALUG] FW: Government response to petition 'nonMSschools' > To: main(a)lists.alug.org.uk, man-lug(a)lists.manchester.ac.uk, > linux-users(a)lists.manchester.ac.uk, sheflug(a)sheflug.org.uk > Message-ID: <XFMail.090925203101.Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Hi Folks, > Apologies for cross-posting -- I know some of you will read this > more than once. > > No 10 has mow responded to the "No MS in Schools" petition. > See the URL below. At first reading, it may seem that they > are "kicking it into touch", but in fact if you read the > link > > "Further details of the Becta advice can be found on the > following link: > > http://news.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=35287&CFID=3039363 > > it will appear that they are not particularly sympathetic to MS. > See especially the last 3 paragraphs of that document, which to > my view of it describe a serious scam! > > Ted. > > -----FW: <E1Mr8dr-0000Wo-Jd(a)steak.ukcod.org.uk>----- > > Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:07:11 +0100 > From: 10 Downing Street <number10(a)petitions.pm.gov.uk> > To: e-petition signatories <number10(a)petitions.pm.gov.uk> > Subject: Government response to petition 'nonMSschools' > > http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20711 > > --------------End of forwarded message------------------------- > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> > Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 > Date: 25-Sep-09 Time: 20:30:52 > ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------ > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > main(a)lists.alug.org.uk > http://www.anglian.lug.org.uk/ > http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main > > > End of main Digest, Vol 51, Issue 22 > ************************************ _________________________________________________________________ With Windows Live, you can organise, edit, and share your photos. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/134665338/direct/01/

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FW: Government response to petition 'nonMSschools'
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Hi Folks, Apologies for cross-posting -- I know some of you will read this more than once. No 10 has mow responded to the "No MS in Schools" petition. See the URL below. At first reading, it may seem that they are "kicking it into touch", but in fact if you read the link "Further details of the Becta advice can be found on the following link: http://news.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=35287&CFID=3039363 it will appear that they are not particularly sympathetic to MS. See especially the last 3 paragraphs of that document, which to my view of it describe a serious scam! Ted. -----FW: <E1Mr8dr-0000Wo-Jd(a)steak.ukcod.org.uk>----- Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:07:11 +0100 From: 10 Downing Street <number10(a)petitions.pm.gov.uk> To: e-petition signatories <number10(a)petitions.pm.gov.uk> Subject: Government response to petition 'nonMSschools' http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20711 --------------End of forwarded message------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 25-Sep-09 Time: 20:30:52 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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Grub can't find my new kernel, when old kernel works and is in the same directory
by Srdjan Todorovic 24 Sep '09

24 Sep '09

Hi all, Decided to give Linux 2.6.31 a go to see if it fixes the annoying I/O slowness bug I've been having for a long time. Compiled it, installed the modules and copied the kernel image to the correct place in what is effectively /boot title Slamd 64 12.2 Linux 2.6.30-cfq root (hd0,1) kernel /boot/slamd64-2.6.30-cfq root=/dev/sda2 title Slamd 64 12.2 Linux 2.6.31-srki root (hd0,1) kernel /boot/slamd64-2.6.31srki root=/dev/sda2 The first entry works and I can boot it. The second entry does not work and I get a "Error 15: File not found" I've verified the kernel is in the same dir and the filename is correct - so no typos. Googling for this message shows some ubuntu related stuff about having to reinstall grub - I can't imagine why i'd have to do this given the previous entry works. I can't see what I'm doing wrong with the grub config - everything seems to be ok. Does grub have a size limit on the kernel image? The grub screen shows: Booting 'Slamd 64 12.2 Linux 2.6.31-srki' root (hd0,1) Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83 kernel /boot/slamd64-2.6.31srki root=/dev/sda2 Error 15: File not found Press any key to continue.... Anyone kindly offer some help please? Thanks Srdjan

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ssh-agent
by Richard Lewis 24 Sep '09

24 Sep '09

Hi ALUG, I'm trying to get ssh-agent to work properly so that I can have passwordless ssh. I've got my public key in the authorized_keys files on the relevant remote machines, and I can log in to them by just unlocking my key OK. The bit that I'm stuck with is starting ssh-agent properly. If I run urxvt, for example, under ssh-agent: $ ssh-agent urxvt I can't then run ssh-add, it says "Could not open a connection to your authentication agent." Although ps reports that the ssh-agent is running. The next thing I can't do is get ssh-agent to start my Fluxbox session. In /etc/X11/Xsession.options I have have "use-ssh-agent" (which I think is a default anyway). But I don't have any ssh-agent process running, and ssh-add reports the same error as above for a shell running under Fluxbox. (My /etc/X11/Xsession.options also has "use-session-dbus" and it seems that dbus works OK; I have a process called /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-session /usr/bin/startfluxbox. That's not exactly related, but I guess it's kind of similar.) Any ideas why this isn't working? Cheers, Richard -- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Richard Lewis ISMS, Computing Goldsmiths, University of London Tel: +44 (0)20 7078 5134 Skype: richardjlewis JID: ironchicken(a)jabber.earth.li http://www.richard-lewis.me.uk/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- +-------------------------------------------------------+ |Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.| |http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html | +-------------------------------------------------------+

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Debian dependency hell!!
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 24 Sep '09

24 Sep '09

Hi Folks, I have hit yet another instance of having an attempt to install a Debian package run into a dead end. For the sake of another package, I need mencoder (I already have mplayer) on a Debian Etch system (regularly upgraded). So I start up Synaptic, search for mencoder (which comes up in the search list), and mark it for installation. First result: NOT AUTHENTICATED: libpostproccvs51 To be installed: libfribidi0 liblzo2-2 libpostproccvs51 and I then choose to Mark these. Result: mencoder: Depends: libdvdnav4 but it is not going to be installed Depends: libmpcdec3 but it is not installable Depends: libtwolame0 but it is not installable This "not going to be installed" and "not installable" is a block which I frequently encounter. No reasons are given as to why "it is not going to be installed" nor why "it is not installable", which leaves me clueless as to what to do about it! There is no visible "help" button in this situation. Is there any work-round for this situation? While I like Debian when using what can be installed on it, I find this situation very irritating, and I'm beggining to get fed up with it. Enough to drive me to use Ubuntu! (Which I find too glitzy and "user-oriented" [yuk] for myh taste, but at least it seems to do this kind of thing effortlessly). Comments? With thanks, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 23-Sep-09 Time: 19:30:31 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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Document Management Systems
by Mark Rogers 23 Sep '09

23 Sep '09

Does anyone here have any experience/recommendations for web-based document management systems? Ie: a collection of users, each with (secure) access to different sets of individual and shared documents, via a web interface. I know there are several wheels out there which I could avoid re-inventing, but I don't have any first-hand experience of any of them. -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0845 45 89 555 Registered in England (0456 0902) at 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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Corrupting address book file in icedove
by Jenny Hopkins 22 Sep '09

22 Sep '09

Hullo there, I'm having problems with a corrupting address book. One of my clients uses icedove aka thunderbird for her mail, and the address book is becoming corrupt on a daily basis. Googling has led me to a bug report in 2007 that never seemed to be resolved but i can find little else other than helpful instructions on how to uncorrupt the file. This problem started when the disk filled up to 100%, but even though space has been freed up the problem is continuing. The versions are running on lenny: ii icedove 2.0.0.22-0lenny1 free/unbranded thunderbird mail/news/rss clone ii thunderbird 1.5.0.13+1.5.0.15b.dfsg1+prepatch080614i-0etch1 Transition package for icedove rename Has anyone else experienced such a problem? Can anyone make any suggestions? System load is usually pretty small, but a large rsync file transfer does happen every lunchtime - seems to have no bearing on the random time of corruption though. Any hints welcome, Jenny

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Anyone like Bing?
by Mark Rogers 18 Sep '09

18 Sep '09

I've just had to do a fresh Windows install so it still has its default search engine. Too lazy to type "openoffice.org" in the address bar I typed "openoffice" and let Bing find it for me. Or at least I thought it would, but it wasn't even listed. A few ads for downloads from non-OOo sites, and few references to it, but even adding "org" to the search didn't get me there. It's hard to see how that could be unbiased results! -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0845 45 89 555 Registered in England (0456 0902) at 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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