Linux-Misc Digest #423, Volume #25 Sat, 12 Aug 00 15:13:02 EDT
Contents:
private newsgroup server ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Attn: Bob M ("Skip Adams and Leslie Adams, M.H.")
A chance to get Linux in at work! Need advice! (Jerry Kreps)
Re: i386 i586 i686 I'm confused??? (Ray Riedel)
Re: A chance to get Linux in at work! Need advice! (Wolfgang Fritz)
Re: Problem: do_try_to_free_pages failed (Paul Kimoto)
Re: i386 i586 i686 I'm confused??? (J Bland)
Saving and Restoring an MBR (Randy Cooper)
Re: private newsgroup server (John Hasler)
Re: Problem: do_try_to_free_pages failed (Mark Hymers)
Re: random Linux freezing (blowfish)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: private newsgroup server
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 16:11:08 GMT
Hi,
I am a relative novice at Linux sysadmin and am trying to set up a
private newsgroup server for my department using a Linux box (I don't
need any newsfeeds from outside). Any advice on where to start?
I've looked into inn/innd and that seems to be overkill (and pretty
complex) for what I want to do. I also looked at cnews, but wasn't able
to locate much information on configuring for private newsgroups.
Thanks.
-Brad
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: "Skip Adams and Leslie Adams, M.H." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Attn: Bob M
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 11:36:15 -0500
Thanks for the reply Bob. I tried to get to /var/messages/ and it said that
permission was denied. I don't know how it can deny the root but it is. I
seem to have done something with the settings in that it says the root last
logged in under tty1.. I did go into some area looking for tty's the other
night and now that is what the computer thinks I am.. I guess.. I don't have
a clue what I have done but am reading the manual.. Now to make things
worse, I can't seem to get into BIOS. I have installed BootMagic and
PartitionMagic and can't return to bios.. The com 1 port works under Win95..
That is how I get back on the net to post here. But, I understand that might
be the case under a new OS ie Linux. If you have any ideas about what I have
done to get this tty thing started and how I can turn it off. I am all ears.
Thanks again
Skip
------------------------------
From: Jerry Kreps <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: A chance to get Linux in at work! Need advice!
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 17:03:36 GMT
I have experince setting up and using ppp on my box, before I switched t=
o=20
adsl. But, the need at work is to setup RH on a single box with a 56K=20
modem (NO NIC, i.e, no network connection) that will allow about 100=20
folks to dial in and download selected files. Also, the box will be use=
d=20
to dial out to another site (only one) to download files that will be=20
distributed into the user accounts.
My plan is to create an account for each user, and one for 'guest'.
If I read the howto's correctly, I need an IP address other than the=20
loopback, even though there will be no network connected to the box, so =
that the IP address can be assigned to the serial port. What should the=
=20
address be? Something like 192.168.0.10, or perhaps 127.0.0.10, or some=
=20
class A address?
I understand that mgetty will be setup to spawn. So, after I boot the=20
box, it is ready to pick up the phone when it rings. BUT, do I leave th=
e=20
box in the login prompt mode? If so, how can I cause mgetty to fire the=
=20
script I have in mind, if ./profile is not available? Do I have to=20
login to some account first (which one, besides root, guest?). If, afte=
r=20
mgetty picks up the line and the user logs in, how can the user id and=20
password can be used to switch to that user's account? 'Using 'su'?
I gotta believe someone has done something like this before, but the=20
howto's only discuss connecting to an ISP, not what I want to do. And, =
I=20
am new enough to Linux that I am still walking in a fog.
JLK
------------------------------
From: Ray Riedel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: i386 i586 i686 I'm confused???
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 18:24:59 -0400
Dances With Crows wrote:
> On Tue, 01 Aug 2000 13:18:42 GMT, Packetgeek wrote:
> >I want to update my Apache server. I went to their site and see that
> >they have i586 and i686 binaries available. Many of the programs I've
> >DL'd before were i386. I'm running RH6.1 on a 233 MHz pentium MMX. Does
> >this mean I can use i386 and i586 but not i686??? Any help would be
> >appreciated. Thanks
>
> i586 = Pentium, Pentium MMX, K6-[1,2,3]
> i686 = Pentium Pro, Pentium II/III, Athlon
>
> (Binaries? Ick. Compile it from source; then you *know* it's gonna be
> right for your machine.)
>
> --
> Matt G|There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see
> Brainbench MVP for Linux Admin / Tyranny is always better organized
> http://www.brainbench.com / than freedom.
> -----------------------------/ --Charles Peguy
It's truly ironic that my Cyrix 586 is not recognized as a 586. I ran uname -a
and my machine is identified as an i486. The bios identifies it as a AMD 586.
Not making a point, just pointing out an irony.
------------------------------
From: Wolfgang Fritz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: A chance to get Linux in at work! Need advice!
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 19:54:36 +0200
Jerry Kreps wrote:
>
> I have experince setting up and using ppp on my box, before I switched to
> adsl. But, the need at work is to setup RH on a single box with a 56K
> modem (NO NIC, i.e, no network connection) that will allow about 100
> folks to dial in and download selected files. Also, the box will be used
> to dial out to another site (only one) to download files that will be
> distributed into the user accounts.
>
> My plan is to create an account for each user, and one for 'guest'.
>
OK
> If I read the howto's correctly, I need an IP address other than the
> loopback, even though there will be no network connected to the box, so
> that the IP address can be assigned to the serial port. What should the
> address be? Something like 192.168.0.10, or perhaps 127.0.0.10, or some
> class A address?
>
If the users only login via a terminal program, you need no IP
address.
> I understand that mgetty will be setup to spawn. So, after I boot the
> box, it is ready to pick up the phone when it rings.
Yes.
> BUT, do I leave the
> box in the login prompt mode? If so, how can I cause mgetty to fire the
> script I have in mind, if ./profile is not available?
If mgetty answers the call, it starts the login process, so the
caller gets the same login screen as if he sits at the PC itself.
> Do I have to
> login to some account first (which one, besides root, guest?).
No.
> If, after
> mgetty picks up the line and the user logs in, how can the user id and
> password can be used to switch to that user's account? 'Using 'su'?
>
No. This is all automatically done by mgetty.
> I gotta believe someone has done something like this before, but the
> howto's only discuss connecting to an ISP, not what I want to do. And, I
> am new enough to Linux that I am still walking in a fog.
> JLK
For infos on dialin, try
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Modem-HOWTO.html
What happens when someone dials in:
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Modem-HOWTO-11.html#ss11.3
For infos on mgetty, try http://alpha.greenie.net/mgetty/
The basic setup is not as difficult as it seems.
Wolfgang
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Paul Kimoto)
Subject: Re: Problem: do_try_to_free_pages failed
Date: 12 Aug 2000 13:45:33 -0500
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Mark Hymers wrote:
> I have a 486 with 20Mb RAM using RH5.2 with kernel 2.2.16 acting as an
> samba file server and IP masquerading server on my dial-up internet
> connection. For the last two days, I have got error messages after
> being on line for about 10-15 minutes saying:
> VM: do_try_to_free_pages failed for xxxxx
> Where xxxxx could be kswapd, syslogd, httpd, nmbd, smbd etc...
How long have you been running 2.2.16? Have you changed anything recently?
You might consider using 2.2.17-pre* (-pre16 is latest): reportedly this
message happens less frequently with it. On the other hand, it's probably
not serious unless you also observe performance problems at the same time.
--
Paul Kimoto
Disclaimer: Other than explicit citations of URLs, hyperlinks appearing
in this article have been inserted without the permission of the author.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (J Bland)
Subject: Re: i386 i586 i686 I'm confused???
Date: 12 Aug 2000 18:14:22 GMT
>It's truly ironic that my Cyrix 586 is not recognized as a 586. I ran uname -a
>and my machine is identified as an i486. The bios identifies it as a AMD 586.
>
>Not making a point, just pointing out an irony.
You can never really trust the numbers. AMD 586s are simply souped up 486s;
faster clock speeds, more L1 cache, better FPUs, but still a 486 at heart.
Remember the i ie i386, i486, i586, i686, it's only referring to the
'generation' of the cpu family.
And yes, it is confusing isn't it ;0).
--
John Bland MPhys(Hons) GradInstP Webmaster and Sys Admin.
http://ringtail.cmp.liv.ac.uk/ Condensed Matter Group
Email: j.bland at liv.ac.uk Liverpool University
"And it can suck a monkey through 30ft of garden hose!!"
------------------------------
From: Randy Cooper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Saving and Restoring an MBR
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 13:39:47 -0500
I have noticed a lot of questions regarding recovering lost / damaged
Master Boot Records (MBR) lately. So I thought it was about time to
repost this.
You should make a backup copy of your MBR on a bootable floppy disk
before installing Linux and then again after installing Linux.
============================================================
I can suggest two ways that you can back up the Master Boot Record (MBR)
on an IDE drive under Windows and DOS.
1. Use the Norton Utilities.
2. Use Debug, as found in DOS, it is also available from the DOS prompt
in Windows/95 so I assume it is also available in Windows/98.
Enter the following commands to save the MBR on the C drive, ignore
the text after the '<=' on each line as it is only a comment:
DEBUG MBR.DAT <= Ignore the FILE NOT FOUND message
A <= Assemble a program
MOV DX,9000 <= Use segment 9000
MOV ES,DX <= Setup the segment register
XOR BX,BX <= Clear BX to zero
MOV CX,0001 <= Start at track 00 sector 01, the MBR
MOV DX,0080 <= 80=C:, 81=D:, 00=A:, 01=B:
MOV AX,0201 <= Read 1 sector, 02=read
INT 13 <= BIOS disk i/o call
INT 20 <= Return to o/s
<= Press the return key to end program entry
G <= Execute the program
R CX <= Display the value of CX
:200 <= Change the value of CX to decimal 512, size of
MBR
W 9000:00 <= Write the sector stored at address 9000 to
MBR.DAT
Q <= exit DEBUG
If you examine the contents of MBR.DAT using a disk file editor the last
2 bytes must be AA55.
At this point you should copy the MBR to a bootable floppy along with
DEBUG.EXE
This technique may be used to recover the MBR as well, assuming you can
boot from another device (say a floppy with DEBUG.EXE on it).
Enter the following commands to restore the MBR on the C drive, ignore
the text after the '<=' on each line as it is only a comment:
DEBUG MBR.DAT <= The file containing the desired MBR, if you
get a
FILE NOT FOUND message type Q immediately! If
you
continue you will write garbage over the MBR.
L 9000:00 <= Load the MBR into memory at this address
A <= Assemble a program
MOV DX,9000 <= The segment address containing the MBR
MOV ES,DX <= Setup the segment address
XOR BX,BX
MOV CX,0001 <= Track 00, sector 01
MOV DX,0080 <= 80=C:
MOV AX,0301 <= Write one sector, 03=write
INT 13
INT 20
<= Press the enter key to stop program entry
G <= Execute the program
Q <= Exit DEBUG
The MBR should now be restored to the C drive, making it bootable.
For more information on this technique for saving and restoring an MBR I
refer you the book 'The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide' by
Mark
Minasi, published by Sybex.
Once you have Linux running you can save the boot record with the
command:
dd if=/dev/hda of=/boot/boot.MBR bs=512 count=1
It can then be restored with:
dd if=/boot/boot.MBR of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
or if you do not want/need to overwrite the partition table with:
dd if=/boot/boot.MBR of=/dev/hda bs=446 count=1
as the partition table is kept in the last 66 bytes of the MBR.
DISCLAIMER:
Although I have double checked the above, I cannot be held responsible
for any errors. I suggest you try it on a bootable floppy disk before
using it on a hard drive. If it does not work on a floppy disk let me
know.
BTW: I find it easier to boot Linux from a floppy disk or CD-ROM than to
recover an MBR from DOS. The Slackware 3.5 (or greater) CD-ROM
makes a
good rescue disk if you have a bios that supports bootable CDs.
I can suggest two ways that you can back up the Master Boot Record (MBR)
on an
IDE drive under Windows and DOS.
1. Use the Norton Utilities.
2. Use Debug, as found in DOS, it is also available from the DOS prompt
in
Windows/95 so I assume it is also available in Windows/98.
Enter the following commands to save the MBR on the C drive, ignore
the text
after the '<=' on each line as it is only a comment:
DEBUG MBR.DAT <= Ignore the FILE NOT FOUND message
A <= Assemble a program
MOV DX,9000 <= Use segment 9000
MOV ES,DX <= Setup the segment register
XOR BX,BX <= Clear BX to zero
MOV CX,0001 <= Start at track 00 sector 01, the MBR
MOV DX,0080 <= 80=C:, 81=D:, 00=A:, 01=B:
MOV AX,0201 <= Read 1 sector, 02=read
INT 13 <= BIOS disk i/o call
INT 20 <= Return to o/s
<= Press the return key to end program entry
G <= Execute the program
R CX <= Display the value of CX
:200 <= Change the value of CX to decimal 512, size of
MBR
W 9000:00 <= Write the sector stored at address 9000 to
MBR.DAT
Q <= exit DEBUG
If you examine the contents of MBR.DAT using a disk file editor the last
2
bytes must be AA55.
At this point you should copy the MBR to a bootable floppy along with
DEBUG.EXE
This technique may be used to recover the MBR as well, assuming you can
boot
from another device (say a floppy with DEBUG.EXE on it).
Enter the following commands to restore the MBR on the C drive, ignore
the text
after the '<=' on each line as it is only a comment:
DEBUG MBR.DAT <= The file containing the desired MBR, if you
get a
FILE NOT FOUND message type Q immediately! If
you
continue you will write garbage over the MBR.
L 9000:00 <= Load the MBR into memory at this address
A <= Assemble a program
MOV DX,9000 <= The segment address containing the MBR
MOV ES,DX <= Setup the segment address
XOR BX,BX
MOV CX,0001 <= Track 00, sector 01
MOV DX,0080 <= 80=C:
MOV AX,0301 <= Write one sector, 03=write
INT 13
INT 20
<= Press the enter key to stop program entry
G <= Execute the program
Q <= Exit DEBUG
The MBR should now be restored to the C drive, making it bootable.
For more information on this technique for saving and restoring an MBR I
refer
you the book 'The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide' by Mark
Minasi,
published by Sybex.
Once you have Linux running you can save the boot record with the
command:
dd if=/dev/hda of=/boot/boot.MBR bs=512 count=1
It can then be restored with:
dd if=/boot/boot.MBR of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
or if you do not want/need to overwrite the partition table with:
dd if=/boot/boot.MBR of=/dev/hda bs=446 count=1
as the partition table is kept in the last 66 bytes of the MBR.
DISCLAIMER:
Although I have double checked the above, I cannot be held responsible
for any errors. I suggest you try it on a bootable floppy disk before
using it on a hard drive. If it does not work on a floppy disk let me
know.
BTW: I find it easier to boot Linux from a floppy disk or CD-ROM than to
recover an MBR from DOS. The Slackware 3.5 (or greater) CD-ROM
makes a
good rescue disk if you have a bios that supports bootable CDs.
--
Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mail checked week nights and weekends)
------------------------------
From: John Hasler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: private newsgroup server
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 17:41:18 GMT
Brad writes:
> I also looked at cnews, but wasn't able to locate much information on
> configuring for private newsgroups.
That is because there isn't anything to say. The only way "local" groups
differ from any other kind is that local postings to them are not forwarded
to your newsfeed. Since you will have no newsfeed, you can just ignore all
that and just create your local groups in the usual way.
--
John Hasler
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, Wisconsin
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Mark Hymers)
Subject: Re: Problem: do_try_to_free_pages failed
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 18:47:35 GMT
>> I have a 486 with 20Mb RAM using RH5.2 with kernel 2.2.16 acting as an
>> samba file server and IP masquerading server on my dial-up internet
>> connection. For the last two days, I have got error messages after
>> being on line for about 10-15 minutes saying:
>> VM: do_try_to_free_pages failed for xxxxx
>> Where xxxxx could be kswapd, syslogd, httpd, nmbd, smbd etc...
>
>How long have you been running 2.2.16? Have you changed anything recently?
For a few weeks now, in fact since installing the server initially.
The kernel upgrade was the first thing I did (to try and make sure any
security holes that may exist were plugged)
>You might consider using 2.2.17-pre* (-pre16 is latest): reportedly this
>message happens less frequently with it. On the other hand, it's probably
>not serious unless you also observe performance problems at the same time.
The machine locks me out - quite a severe performance problem :-)
It continues to work as a masquerading server (e.g for internet
access) but refuses to do anything at the console. If I try to do
anything it gives the VM: message with bash as the xxxxx.
I'll try 2.2.17-prewhateverisavailable.
Thanks
Mark
------------------------------
From: blowfish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: ..
Subject: Re: random Linux freezing
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 12:05:52 -0700
Crni Gorac wrote:
>
> I'm experiencing strange problems with a PentimPro/166 machine. After
> installing RedHat Linux 6.2, machine is freezing at random intervals
> upon boot. It is freezing even in runlevel 3, without X windows, so I
> guess this has nothing to do with it. First thing that I'm usually
> doing upon installation is to compile kernel and machine is always
> freezing during this operation, sometimes when compiling kernel and
> sometimes when compiling modules. RedHat Linux was installed previously
> on this machine and was working without any problems (and several
> versions of kernel were recompiled). During last two months machine was
> dual booted between Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and SCO OpenServer
> 5.0.5a, also without any problems. Nothing changed in the BIOS in the
> meantime.
>
> I would be grateful for any hint.
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
RedHat: Do you know what Red means?
R=Repair / Rebuild
E=Everyday
D=or Die.
;-)
--
- Alex / blowfish.- Just an average, whimpy, non-geek American computer
user. (Have Fun with geek's culture:Part 2.4.test.pre.release-1234567.)
- Dont fear the Duck. Resistance is futile. Eat your duck soup.
- World Domination:60% *foo.bar.com now serveing Duck a l'Orange with
free side order of duck soup.
- Official Duck a l'Orange Counter Registration:
#345678.(https://foo.duck.org/orange/duck_soup/duck_counter.php)
(c)Copyrighted by Alex / blowfish. 2000. All Rights Reserved.
------------------------------
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End of Linux-Misc Digest
******************************
