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Migrating RH9 legacy system to VM
by Mark Rogers 03 Jan '08

03 Jan '08

I have an old (but still in use) RH9 system I want to migrate to a virtual machine. One of the main reasons for doing this will be performance: a database query on an internal website which is used regularly is taking 15s on the old hardware, where the same query on the same database on a virtual machine takes well under a second... The server is only used internally but all the same I want to minimise downtime. The "normal" method I'd use would be to shut down the hardware, take an image of the drive, restore it into a virtual machine, boot it, fix any problems (eg driver issues) as necessary. Depending how long that last step takes this could mean the system is offline for quite a while. I could create an empty VM, boot it to a live CD, and rsync the whole OS data from the old system to the new one, but I'm not sure which rsync options I'd need to use to make sure the user permissions copied across correctly (I assume that since /etc/passwd will be copied across it doesn't matter that the users don't exist initially), then make the VM's disk bootable, and take it from there; all of that I could do with the other system online and then fix the problems in the VM with the old system still online, ready to re-rsync later to catch up with any changes after shutting down all services like the database etc. But (a) I'm not sure how to make the VM boot and (b) I'm not sure what else would go wrong. Any suggestions? -- 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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new member statement
by paul 03 Jan '08

03 Jan '08

Hi Linux users I'm fairly new to Linux. Previously I have installed and used Ubuntu on my main P4 computer, dual booting it with XP Pro. That system became unbootable and I ended up reformating and re-installing XP Pro. I'm now looking at other distros to find better ones to use on an old Celeron 3 computer for surfing and multimedia. I like the idea of community based free software and want to get into system tweaking. I live in Norwich Best wishes Paul --------------------------------- Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox.

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Nokia n800
by mbm 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

Guys Those of you who were interested in the Asus EEE PC may like to know that Play.com have the linux based nokia n800 internet tablet in stock at 129.99 - an astonishing price. Mick

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Where to put HTML etc.?
by Chris G 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

I've been changing my mind and messing about with this for years and *still* haven't really come to a sensible final conclusion. It's not even that it matters all that much but I wish there was an obvious answer. Where do you put all your HTML stuff on a home Linux server? There are two basic alternatives, each with advantages and disadvantages:- 1 - In your home directory Permissions are easy to deal with, no need to become root to edit web pages. But it means that, if the outside world has access, you have to be *very* careful with apache set up if you want to be sure only the right bits are visible to the outside world. You either have to use the ~<user> in the URL or you have to add symbolic links from apache's DocumentRoot. If there's more than one user (not in my case) /home makes more sense. Backing up is easy as the HTML gets backed up with your home directory (though there might be bits in DocumentRoot you want to back up anyway). 2 - In apache's DocumentRoot (/var/www/html in my case) Messier with permissions if you want to edit HTML without becoming root all the time. Also not so convenient for editing even with permissions set up OK as it's not in your home directory. Easier to make sure that any outside access can only see what you want to be seen. Cleaner/easier URLs without the need for symbolic links. Not really practical for multi-user but this doesn't apply for me. Need to back up separately from /home (though I suppose you could make /var/html a link across to the /home partition) I keep a lot of quite dynamic (i.e. frequently changing) files as HTML, or at least their content is web browsable, so the above issues are important for me. Does anyone have any comments, ideas, solutions? -- Chris Green

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Re: [ALUG] In response to Microsoft ...
by Alex Scotton 30 Dec '07

30 Dec '07

Hope this circulates, not quite sure what email address I have to email! For anyone that is interested the letter is at http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-05-06-012-26-OS-SM-LL .. Can't vouch for it's integrity! but it really wouldn't surprise me if MS put a stop to the original location @ http://www.pimientolinux.com/ ... Anyways Alex On 27-Dec-07 22:19:26, Wayne Stallwood wrote: > > > > On Thu, 2007-12-27 at 18:59 +0000, Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk wrote: > >> >> Hi Folks (and apologies to anyone who receives this >> >> via more than one route), >> >> >> >> I have just enjoyed reading a letter, described as >> >> being sent from Peruvian Congressman David Villanueva >> >> NuÃ±ez to Microsoft Peru, in response tgo Microsoft's >> >> objections to a Peruvian Govt Bill mandating open-source >> >> software for all public bureaux. >> >> >> > > Interesting although am I the only person that is slightly alarmed by > > the authenticity of this given that the original sources seem to have > > vanished ? (the link in the story 404's and the frontpage of the same > > domain seems to be a standard cluster of random sponsored links) > > > > Wouldn't be the first time the reg have failed to check their sources > > :) > No, you're not! (Note that I wrote "described as ... "). The Register web page itself said "purportedly from Peruvian Congressman ... ". Nonetheless, if it was not written by a Peruvian Congressman to MicroSoft Peru, then I wish it had been! Just contemplating that possibility gives me a glow! Cheers, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 27-Dec-07 Time: 22:53:16 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ main(a)lists.alug.org.uk http://www.alug.org.uk/ http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main Unsubscribe? See message headers or the web site above!

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OSS to Alsa migration for AC'97 soundcard
by Dan Hatton 29 Dec '07

29 Dec '07

Dear All, I have an Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 soundcard. In kernel 2.6.20.6, it works just fine, with the OSS sound_ich driver. However, by kernel 2.6.23.9, this has been obsoleted in favour of the ALSA snd_intel8x0 driver, and I can't get a peep out of the soundcard - for example, when I issue the command mplayer -ao alsa <ASF file that makes a sound in the old kernel> I get the sequence of error messages alsa-init: using device default alsa-lib: pcm_hw.c:1099:(snd_pcm_hw_open) open /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p failed: No such file or directory alsa-init: playback open error: No such file or directory Could not open/initialize audio device -> no sound. Audio: no sound If I try and chase the way ALSA has numbered the card with mplayer -ao alsa:device=1.0 <ASF file that makes a sound in the old kernel> I get the subtly different alsa-lib: pcm.c:2145:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM 1,0 alsa-init: playback open error: No such file or directory Could not open/initialize audio device -> no sound. Audio: no sound In both cases, there's just silence. The test facility in system-config-soundcard gives me nothing but silence, and a log that says aplay: main:546: audio open error: No such file or directory cat: /proc/asound/modules: No such file or directory Incidentally, all this is the same regardless of whether snd_intel8x0 is compiled directly into the kernel or as a module. Any ideas how to succeed in this OSS->ALSA migration, please? -- Thanks, Dan

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Re: [ALUG] Firefox
by Bev Nicolson 28 Dec '07

28 Dec '07

Well if this is so I'll hang on and upgrade. I do hope so - it will make it all much easier/less painful! Thanks, Mark. Bev. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mark Rogers" <mark(a)quarella.co.uk> > To: ALUG <main(a)lists.alug.org.uk> > Subject: Re: [ALUG] Firefox > Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:21:14 +0000 > > > Wayne Stallwood wrote: > > The main problem you have now is your upgrade path is pretty complicated > > because the supported path would be Dapper>Edgy>Feisty>Gutsy which is a > > lot of effort (in reality it may be possible to skip some of those but > > the official upgrade instructions are pretty clear in stating that only > > an upgrade from the previous version is supported). I am hoping that > > there will be a direct upgrade path between LTS versions so you would be > > able to do Dapper>Hardy next April..But I wouldn't hold your breath on > > that being the case. > > > > My understanding is that this is indeed the case - 6.06LTS -> 8.04LTS > will be supported in a single step. > > I couldn't find anything "official" in a quick Google but this is a start: > http://www.mail-archive.com/ubuntu-server@lists.ubuntu.com/msg00756.html > > "Hardy will be a special release in this respect since we'll be > support upgrading from both 7.10 and 6.06. It is not trivial, but it's a > high priority for us." > > -- > Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0845 45 89 555 > Registered in England (0456 0902) at 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG > > > _______________________________________________ > main(a)lists.alug.org.uk > http://www.alug.org.uk/ > http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main > Unsubscribe? See message headers or the web site above! > -- _______________________________________________ Surf the Web in a faster, safer and easier way: Download Opera 9 at http://www.opera.com Powered by Outblaze

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Re: [ALUG] Firefox
by Bev Nicolson 28 Dec '07

28 Dec '07

It is just Firefox that freezes/stops responding. (I'm not too sure exactly what X is but nothing else appears to be affected.) As to the version of ubuntu I use, well it is the long term support version and I don't fancy the hassle of changing to something newer just yet. And why not? :¬) Bev. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Brett Parker" <iDunno(a)sommitrealweird.co.uk> > To: main(a)lists.alug.org.uk > Subject: Re: [ALUG] Firefox > Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:06:10 +0000 > > > On 22 Dec 12:33, Bev Nicolson wrote: > > I'm opening myself up to many people who will say 'well use this > > browser instead' but hey.:¬) I use Firefox version 1.5.0.13pre (and > > Ubuntu 6.06 LTS) and when I have a webmail application open a bit too > > long (an hour or so say - I've not timed it) it will freeze when I try > > to sign out. I have looked for information that is specific to this > > version but while 2.0 is covered this one isn't it seems. Has anyone > > found a work around that works? > > Well, the obvious immediate question would be "why are you using a > version of Ubuntu that's over a year old". > > The second obviousy question would be: what plugins/extensions have you > got installed in firefox? Have you tried disabling them all? Does that > make a difference? > > And when you say "freeze", is it just firefox that freezes or does it > take out X while it's at it? Glancing around it appears that the issue > might have been fixed in 6.10, but being a debian user (and mostly > unstable on my own machines and etch on the workstations at work), I > haven't got an ubuntu machine to test on (or, infact, a gmail account... > why would I want my e-mail indexed by a large company that already > indexes the things that I want public anyways?). > > Thanks, > -- > Brett Parker > > _______________________________________________ > main(a)lists.alug.org.uk > http://www.alug.org.uk/ > http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main > Unsubscribe? See message headers or the web site above! > -- _______________________________________________ Surf the Web in a faster, safer and easier way: Download Opera 9 at http://www.opera.com Powered by Outblaze

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RealPlayer for Linux
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 27 Dec '07

27 Dec '07

While I'm doing this sort of stuff ... I've tried this evening to download RealPlayer for Linux. You start at http://www.real.com and you find, of course, that the standard version of RealPlayer 11 is for Windows, so you have to click on the link for "Other versions / languages". This then takes you to a page where you can select among various language versions of RealPlayer 10 for Linux. Selecting "English" has always worked in the past for me. But, this time (and repeatedly) after a mere second or so I get a blank page and "Done" in the status bar, with apparently nothing downloaded. I'm wondering what this means for RealPlayer for Linux. I just hope they're upgrading it to RealPlayer 11,and this is just the out-time over Christmas/New Year while the transition takes place! It may just be a server glitch. But I really hope it's not a symptom that RealPlayer for Linux is being discontinued! You get the same blank result for all the other language versions of RealPlayer for Linux. But if you go to any of the Mac OS-X versions, you get a positive result. Ditto Windows. Best wishes to all, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 27-Dec-07 Time: 23:08:16 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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In response to Microsoft ...
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 27 Dec '07

27 Dec '07

Hi Folks (and apologies to anyone who receives this via more than one route), I have just enjoyed reading a letter, described as being sent from Peruvian Congressman David Villanueva Nuñez to Microsoft Peru, in response tgo Microsoft's objections to a Peruvian Govt Bill mandating open-source software for all public bureaux. It is at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/19/ ms_in_peruvian_opensource_nightmare (all one line; also at: http://tinyurl.com/3abgv ) In view of assorted difficulties with proprietary software recently experienced by our own august Lords and Masters,[1] perhaps it may be enjoyable reading for them too. Enjoy. Best wishes to all, Ted. [1] For example, the recent HMRC fiasco in which sensitive personal data of about 27,000,000 people were "lost in the post" owed much of its impact to the fact that HMRC staff were unable to extract only the data they needed from their database, unless they paid thousands (about £5,000 I think) to EDS so that EDS could provide them with a different data-selection template to what they had already. So they decided to use what they already had, which pulled out far more data than they should have pulled out. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 27-Dec-07 Time: 18:59:19 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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