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ALUG Meeting @ Syleham Villiage Hall 23rd Feb 2003
by John Woodard 10 Feb '03

10 Feb '03

I've updated the wiki to confirm this. If you are coming please add your name to http://www.alug.org.uk/contrib/?23%20Feb . This ALUG meeting will be from 2pm until about 6pm in the normal place at http://www.alug.org.uk/venues/syleham.html the bar will be open. BJ will be there from about 1:00pm putting up tables etc. Cheers, BJ

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Weekly IRC reminder
by Neill Newman 10 Feb '03

10 Feb '03

This is the automated ALUG IRC meeting reminder sent to remind you that there is an IRC meeting tonight (Monday) at 8.00pm. The meeting takes place on the irc server irc.alug.org.uk in the #alug channel. Most IRC clients should allow you to get there with the commands "/server irc.alug.org.uk" and "/join #alug". Popular IRC clients include tkirc, bitchx, xchat and EPIC on Unix, and Mirc under windows. Here are some links to help you get started with irc. Unix http://www.xchat.org/ http://freshmeat.net/ http://www.epicsol.org/ Windows http://www.mirc.com (loads of help with irc for newbies!)

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Re: main digest, Vol 2 #39 - 7 msgs
by Christopher Dawkins 09 Feb '03

09 Feb '03

Re: >> http://lkml.org/archive/2003/2/7/55/index.html > People should organise a boycott of their products is the best start, Couldn't work. Specialist company, specialist customers. When I need Acorn or Iyonix products, I go to Castle (or one of their dealers). > hitting what appears to be a fairly small company in the wallet will > hurt them quite quickly (maybe we should make make local risc os user > groups aware of this) so dissuading any customers would be a good start. You really want to hurt a small British company designing and making remarkably innovative British goods (as far as this is possible nowadays) in competition with the overwhelming Microsoft market? This company needs your support, not your boycott. > A. be encouraged to GPL *all* of the code in question. Agreed: it seems to me the code is useless to anyone else, it will only run on Castle hardware anyway. It would therefore seem that releasing the source would be an easy solution to the problem. Unfortunately it probably includes sections licensed from elsewhere and those people would complain. Maybe they can isolate the sections. > B. be encouraged to remove all disputed code and rewrite using BSD > style/licensed sources. Yes, it sounds (I know nothing of what has actually happened) as if this is what they ought to have done in the first place, and it would have been as easy and much better. Sounds as if they have made a mistake. Sounds as if correcting this will cost a small innovative British company a good bit of money and produce no winners, except that it will make a point (to use BSD and not Linux). Their mistake (to have used Linux source and not BSD) does not seem to me to have many victims. Except themselves, if the GPL community takes action. Conclusion: BSD is the only software that is really free in every sense of the word. -- Christopher Dawkins, Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JG 01371-822698, mobile 07816 821659 cchd(a)felsted.essex.sch.uk

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Hard disks - how to tell if one (which one) is about to fail?
by Steve Fosdick 08 Feb '03

08 Feb '03

Over the last day or so I have found that occasionaly things wait for disk I/O longer than I would normally expect and before the data is returned there is a noticable click coming from one (or both) of the hard disks, presumably as the head is retruned to track 0. Sometimes this click goes hand in hand with a kernel message like: hdb: timeout waiting for DMA ide_dmaproc: chipset supported ide_dma_timeout func only: 14 Sometimes the above messages are acompanied by one saying the kernel has reset the IDE bus and sometimes there is no message from the kernel at all sugesting that the drive itself is attempting some kind of recovery. I am guessing from this that one of the disks is on its way out, but the question is which one? The hdb mentioned above isn't a guide as the kernel also logs DMA timeouts for hda too. When booting the BIOS reports both drives as S.M.A.R.T. capable and status OK so I tied installing some Linux S.M.A.R.T software - smartsuite. Can anyone help me with the interpretation of the output below? ---- # smartctl -a /dev/hda Device: WDC WD1200JB-00CRA1 Supports ATA Version 5 Drive supports S.M.A.R.T. and is enabled Check S.M.A.R.T. Passed. General Smart Values: Off-line data collection status: (0x84) Offline data collection activity was suspended by an interrupting command Self-test execution status: ( 40) The self-test routine was interrupted by the host with a hard or soft reset Total time to complete off-line data collection: (4680) Seconds Offline data collection Capabilities: (0x3b)SMART EXECUTE OFF-LINE IMMEDIATE Automatic timer ON/OFF support Suspend Offline Collection upon new command Offline surface scan supported Self-test supported Smart Capablilities: (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering power-saving mode Supports SMART auto save timer Error logging capability: (0x01) Error logging supported Short self-test routine recommended polling time: ( 2) Minutes Extended self-test routine recommended polling time: ( 87) Minutes Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds: Revision Number: 16 Attribute Flag Value Worst Threshold Raw Value ( 1)Raw Read Error Rate 0x000b 200 200 051 0 ( 3)Spin Up Time 0x0007 103 102 021 5616 ( 4)Start Stop Count 0x0032 100 100 040 47 ( 5)Reallocated Sector Ct 0x0033 199 199 140 1 ( 7)Seek Error Rate 0x000b 100 253 051 0 ( 9)Power On Hours 0x0032 098 098 000 2185 ( 10)Spin Retry Count 0x0013 100 253 051 0 ( 11)Calibration Retry Count 0x0013 100 253 051 0 ( 12)Power Cycle Count 0x0032 100 100 000 47 (196)Reallocated Event Count 0x0032 199 199 000 1 (197)Current Pending Sector 0x0012 200 200 000 2 (198)Offline Uncorrectable 0x0012 200 200 000 2 (199)UDMA CRC Error Count 0x000a 200 200 000 153 (200)Unknown Attribute 0x0009 200 200 051 2 SMART Error Log: SMART Error Logging Version: 1 No Errors Logged # smartctl -a /dev/hdb Device: Maxtor 5T040H4 Supports ATA Version 6 Drive supports S.M.A.R.T. and is enabled Check S.M.A.R.T. Passed. General Smart Values: Off-line data collection status: (0x00) Offline data collection activity was never started Self-test execution status: ( 0) The previous self-test routine completed without error or no self-test has ever been run Total time to complete off-line data collection: ( 30) Seconds Offline data collection Capabilities: (0x1b)SMART EXECUTE OFF-LINE IMMEDIATE Automatic timer ON/OFF support Suspend Offline Collection upon new command Offline surface scan supported Self-test supported Smart Capablilities: (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering power-saving mode Supports SMART auto save timer Error logging capability: (0x01) Error logging supported Short self-test routine recommended polling time: ( 2) Minutes Extended self-test routine recommended polling time: ( 25) Minutes Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds: Revision Number: 16 Attribute Flag Value Worst Threshold Raw Value ( 1)Raw Read Error Rate 0x000a 253 252 000 6 ( 3)Spin Up Time 0x0027 196 190 063 17692 ( 4)Start Stop Count 0x0032 253 253 000 478 ( 5)Reallocated Sector Ct 0x0033 178 178 063 190 ( 6)Read Channel Margin 0x0001 253 253 100 0 ( 7)Seek Error Rate 0x000a 116 115 000 188 ( 8)Seek Time Preformance 0x0027 251 248 187 44139 ( 9)Power On Hours 0x0032 246 246 000 18579 ( 10)Spin Retry Count 0x002b 235 222 223 13 ( 11)Calibration Retry Count 0x002b 253 252 223 0 ( 12)Power Cycle Count 0x0032 252 252 000 409 (196)Reallocated Event Count 0x0008 253 253 000 0 (197)Current Pending Sector 0x0008 253 253 000 0 (198)Offline Uncorrectable 0x0008 253 253 000 0 (199)UDMA CRC Error Count 0x0008 199 199 000 1 (200)Unknown Attribute 0x000a 253 252 000 0 (201)Unknown Attribute 0x000a 253 252 000 28 (202)Unknown Attribute 0x000a 253 252 000 0 (203)Unknown Attribute 0x000b 253 252 180 0 (204)Unknown Attribute 0x000a 253 252 000 0 (205)Unknown Attribute 0x000a 253 252 000 0 (207)Unknown Attribute 0x002a 243 238 000 7 (208)Unknown Attribute 0x002a 248 243 000 4 (209)Unknown Attribute 0x0024 253 253 000 0 ( 96)Unknown Attribute 0x0004 253 253 000 0 ( 97)Unknown Attribute 0x0004 253 253 000 0 ( 98)Unknown Attribute 0x0004 253 253 000 0 ( 99)Unknown Attribute 0x0004 253 253 000 0 (100)Unknown Attribute 0x0004 253 253 000 0 (101)Unknown Attribute 0x0004 253 253 000 0 SMART Error Log: SMART Error Logging Version: 1 Error Log Data Structure Pointer: 05 ATA Error Count: 501 Non-Fatal Count: 0 Error Log Structure 2: DCR FR SC SN CL SH D/H CR Timestamp 08 00 02 3f 64 34 f0 c8 354178 08 00 80 f1 89 2c f0 c8 354178 08 00 10 71 8a 2c f0 c8 354178 08 00 70 83 8a 2c f0 c8 354178 08 00 80 f3 8a 2c f0 c8 354186 00 84 00 f3 8a 2c e0 51 955260 Error Log Structure 3: DCR FR SC SN CL SH D/H CR Timestamp 08 00 14 95 7b 2c f0 c8 354174 08 00 80 a9 7b 2c f0 c8 354175 08 00 80 29 7c 2c f0 c8 354175 08 00 02 69 a4 21 f0 c8 354175 08 00 01 01 00 00 b0 08 354240 00 04 01 01 00 00 b0 51 955270 Error Log Structure 5: DCR FR SC SN CL SH D/H CR Timestamp 08 00 08 3f b8 99 f0 ca 104366 08 00 02 3f a4 1e f0 ca 104366 08 00 08 6f 54 f8 f0 ca 104365 08 00 08 af b7 fc f0 ca 104365 08 00 01 01 00 00 b0 08 104442 00 04 01 01 00 00 b0 51 1217309

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Linux & DOS peer-to-peer network
by Edenyard 08 Feb '03

08 Feb '03

Dear List, Please could anyone shed light on this for me? I have two PCs, one a dual-boot Linux/DOS Athlon and one a DOS-only 586. When both are running DOS, I use Invisible-LAN to connect them so that I can transfer files quickly and easily via their Ethernet adapters (one 3Com 3C509 and one with DEC 21041 chip, connected via UTP). I can't find anything that will enable me to connect them when one is running DOS and the other is running Linux (Slack 8.1, 2.4.18). I can't get Invisible-LAN to run in DOSEMU, either, so I seem to be stuck. Can anyone suggest what I could run at the DOS end and what to do at the Linux end so that both will talk to each other on the Ethernet? Thanks in advance! Gerald.

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Linux kernel copying violation!!!!!
by NuTTeR -- Not Entered -- 08 Feb '03

08 Feb '03

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/02/07/2225224.shtml?tid=117&tid=106 Castle Technology Ltd Ore Trading Estate Woodbridge Road Framlingham Suffolk IP13 9LL UK Sales Telephone Line: 01728 723 200 Lines Open: Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00 - Ok this company seems to have stolen some of the linux kernel code and distributed it without giving the code away, this is a violation of the GPL. I think that this is all very wrong and will be writing a letter to them in complaint and asking for the source code(lol i bet i get a link to www.kernel.org sent back)! "This code is linked with other proprietary code." - dose that not mean that the proprietary code should also become GPL? What do you think will be done? What should be done? Dennis Dryden -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://www.graffiti.net Powered by Outblaze

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possible GPL violation "The Linux Kernel and Castle Technology Ltd, UK"
by Adam Bower 07 Feb '03

07 Feb '03

front page of slashdot links to this http://lkml.org/archive/2003/2/7/55/index.html mail on lkml which explains about this company http://www.castle.uk.co/castle/front.htm who from their contacts page give an address in Suffolk. Does anyone know any of them? or has anyone had any dealings with them at all? would be good if local people could at least boycott them etc. and let them know why. Adam

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Re: [Alug] IMAP problems with Kmail
by Jenny_Hopkins＠toby-churchill.com 07 Feb '03

07 Feb '03

>God it's starting to sound like Slashdot in here > > >*bangs on door* Lemmee out ! > >On Thursday 06 February 2003 11:01, Ian Douglas wrote: >> On Thursday, February 06, 2003 9:28 AM, Keith Watson wrote: >> > i fink u shood trie Sylpheed-claws, witch dus hav a spill chucker. >> > >> > Keef >> >> Fanks Keef four der gowd teep abowt Sylpheed-claws. Worf lookin inn two. >> Eye wood owe-ever steel bee interwsted inn fyndin owt wat der problem iz >> wif my Kmail/IMAP if anywon nose oar as n.e. diagknwstic sugesteons. >> I wondered if you'd been handing round a copy of Feersum Endjinn. Jen

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IMAP problems with Kmail
by Ian Douglas 06 Feb '03

06 Feb '03

Hi Folks, I store all my incoming email on my home network's central mail server. When in my Living Room I read this email via Kmail on my laptop using IMAP. Unfortunately, recently, when starting Kmail it occasionally throws up an error message saying: "Error: The process for imap://hedgehog.noahsark.the-zub.net died unexpectedly" followed immediately by an error message saying: "The application KMail crashed and caused a signal 11 SIGSEGV. An application mostly receives the SIGSEGV signal due to a bug in the application. The application was asked to save its documents. Starting backtrace... No debugging symbols found" Arrrggghhh! memories of the Blue Screen Of Death coming flooding back from my experiences with another operating system! My laptop is quite old and slow (100MHz) and takes 1 minute 49 seconds to start up Kmail once the kmail icon has been clicked and I have noticed that this error occurs most frequently when I run the laptop using it's battery where it runs slightly (but noticeably) slower than when running off the mains power pack. I am therefore wondering if I have hit some kind of handshake timeout problem during the Kmail startup process. Do I, for example, need to somewhere extend a timeout period variable relating to the response time between Kmail and the IMAP server while the laptops processor is busy thrashing around trying to start Kmail? Has anyone else come across this error or can suggest a way to get round it? As a temporary fix I have started using Sylpheed (which I am growing to like) but Eye kneed aye spell chequer. Ian.

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Co-lo Server Advice Needed (CC'd to list)
by Michael Sage 06 Feb '03

06 Feb '03

James, I work for a company in Norwich that does colocation, if you are still after some advice and/or a quote then drop me a line tomorrow on 0845 345 455!! Hope this helps Regards, Michael Sage -----Original Message----- From: main-admin(a)lists.alug.org.uk [mailto:main-admin@lists.alug.org.uk]On Behalf Of James Green Sent: 03 February 2003 23:30 To: main(a)lists.alug.org.uk Subject: [Alug] Co-lo Server Advice Needed Hi all, Long time since I've posted here - long time since I've actually been subscribed for one reason or another... Anyway, the company I work for is investigating the purchase of floorspace in a facility in London. We have a quote for space in Level3, which we look to be taking up. I am told that part of the setup fee includes the installation of a 42U cabinet with various shelves. Into this we are struggling to identify hardware. We are already in webserving and voice applications, and we are looking to expand by having our own hardware. Now - does anyone have any experience in identifying kit and what gotchers we can expect along the way. We've been advised that the sort of requirements we have are pretty rare and thus expertise may have to be gained from multiple sources, fingers crossed that they happen to work together. Can anyone provide some advice (I know specifics would be helpful here) or perhaps phone numbers of contacts that would be used (we could be willing to pay for consultancy at this level). I'm probably the most technical at the company and thus am dealing with this matter, but I'm out of my depth here. Help! Advice! Shine a torch and let me see with at least moderate clue! We're looking at: * RAS box with E1 terminating into it supporting traditional PC plus mobile phone connections * WAP Gateway server * 2x Webservers * 1x WAP content platform * 1x dialup billing system * 1x possible IVR with E1 terminating into it. Sadly some of the products we're bringing in as ASP/MSSQL based, and thus the hardware costs x, the Microsoft licensing costs x more :(. The servers that will host our company created bits will be *nix though. Many thanks in advance, James _______________________________________________ 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! --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com) Version: 6.0.435 / Virus Database: 244 - Release Date: 30/12/2002 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com) Version: 6.0.435 / Virus Database: 244 - Release Date: 30/12/2002 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com) Version: 6.0.435 / Virus Database: 244 - Release Date: 30/12/2002

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