Linux-Setup Digest #501, Volume #19 Mon, 28 Aug 00 19:13:09 EDT
Contents:
X Windows and IMPS/2 Wheel Mouse Trouble + Wine with NT ("Matt Wampler-Doty")
Re: Linux, XML, and assalting Windows ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Failover services & ipchains ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: RedHat 6.2 - init doesn't start Apache (Cannon Fodder)
Re: Restaurant Booking System (Grant Edwards)
Re: Recommendations on a good book. ("Adam H.")
Re: Wierd Error on Install. (Anaconda?) ("Adam H.")
Re: Wierd Error on Install. (Anaconda?) ("Adam H.")
How to get latest GNOME distibution (Robert Morelli)
Re: DHCP and resolv.conf (Paul Lew)
Suppressing messages from sound module (Ian Pilcher)
Problem after upgrade to RH 6,1 ("Joey Yum")
Problem after upgrade to Rh 6.1 ("Joey Yum")
Re: Firewall for Linux (Simon Brooke)
Re: DHCP and resolv.conf (Marc Andre Selig)
Re: FreeBSD: APM & Power Switch (Marc Andre Selig)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Matt Wampler-Doty" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: X Windows and IMPS/2 Wheel Mouse Trouble + Wine with NT
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:08:26 -0500
Hello,
This may sound awkward, but I am new to the PC, yet not new to Linux (got
my starts in LinuxPPC for the Mac about one year ago). Anyhow, I recently
installed X 4.0 and like most people I had a little trouble getting
everything back to working order as previous. For some reason the
Microsoft Intellimouse (PS/2) goes haywire when X tries to use it's built
in driver and tries to read from /dev/mouse. I got around this problem by
relaying everything through gpm, but now my wheel doesn't work (which
discorages me).
Here is how I relayed stuff through gpm:
/etc/sysconfig/mouse looks like this:
MOUSETYPE="imps2 -R"
XMOUSETYPE="IMPS/2"
FULLNAME="Microsoft IntelliMouse (PS/2)" XEMU3=no
And I have set up XF86Config to read mouse data from /etc/gpmdata using
the MouseSystems Driver. I have ZAxisMapping 4 5 set up as well. I tried
making gpm use another driver (imps2) but it didn't even work on the
console, let alone in X (sigh...)
So if anyone knows how to get around this problem, I would be really happy
if you could drop me a line.
Another problem, probably more conventional, is that I would like to use
NT programs under Wine. I have no clue if this is possible, but it would
be nice... The NT stuff I have looked at doesn't conform to the man page
for wine.conf.
Thanks for listening,
Matt Wampler-Doty
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux,comp.text.xml,comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Linux, XML, and assalting Windows
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 21:02:44 GMT
> >*** (12) Allows configuration fixes to be formally defined
> >
> >Configuration fixes are changes to storage. XML provides a means of
> >providing a formal definition of such fixes. These are changes to
> >the
> >file system, registry, etc. This is storage, and as such it can be
> >defined in abstract using the tags and references the developer's
> >have defined in the XML definition of their software.
> >
> >I see no big problems to formally defining configuration fixes using
> >XML.
>
> Have you got a DTD to represent formal definitions? Perhaps based on
> Z?
>
> If you do not have a language for representing formal definitions,
> then all you're saying is that "someone could use XML as a substrate
> to represent a formal definition language." Which does nothing about
> implementing such a thing.
I have scratched out a couple, but nothing that is likely to impress
you. However, just a few simple scratches assured me that I could have
defined and expressed most of the configuration changes I heard about
in a recent IBM "hints and helps" session on DB2.
The basic format was "If you have this problem, here is your fix".
Mostly a reinstall of a component, running a utility with certain
options to set up communication between machines, add a table, etc.
>
> >*** (14) Allows such fixes to be applied automatically
> >
> >If the fix is delivered in XML, applied to the storage configuration
as
> >defined by the XML of the installed packages, the installation should
> >be automatic. This is aided by the idea that the Software Rendering
> >Facility maintains a meta model for the computer system through time.
>
> But is it _appropriate_ to apply the change?
>
> If a change affects the behaviour of a system, then it is not safe to
> assume that this change in behaviour is _appropriate_, as there may be
> local usage and configuration that depends on the old behaviour that
> would _BREAK_ when "fixes" are pushed in automagically.
So we have to define "automatic". What I was really trying to say
here, is that once we have identified a common problem in the
installation and configuration of a certain software component, that
fix should "automatically" be applied. Today, we educate people, and
re-apply, re-apply, re-apply, all over the place.
On the other hand, suppose in a future world we require software (even
scripts, since the over head is really rather low) to be packaged in
XML, and possibly signed to avoid modification.
Now when a virus like one of the Outlook scripts shows up, automatic
rejection is probably appropriate.
Suppose a font is found to have an error. Like little used character
is encoded in the wrong position. Again, the kind of fix that is
pretty safe to automatically apply.
Suppose I am having a configuration problem. Then this base system can
go look for a fix based on what software component I am having problems
with, and the likely software components that might be involved. I
could as a user ask for this fix to be "automatically" applied.
And this mechanism is providing for the ability to back out fixes with
more confidence as well.
> >*** (15) Allows setup options to be recorded and managed.
> >
> >The options one sets today as one installs are nothing more than
> >decision points in determining how the application should be rendered
> >into storage. The abstract XML representation of an application can
> >certainly define what these decision points are, and how to query the
> >user for them if necessary. Yet given that they are tagged and
> >defined, the software rendering facility can collect and understand
the
> >data used at these points as well. This is again, structured
> >information.
>
> XML can be used to "define" anything.
>
> But "define" is not the same as "identify."
>
> _Identification_ of correct configuration is not something that can be
> done as automatically as you imply.
The XML defines what its decision points are, which are well defined by
the application. As long as the application is consistent with its
vocabulary when refering to these decision points, other software
components can reference them, especially if they apply to their own
configuration.
For example, take DB2. Some decision points are really of the form "Is
DB2 installed locally, or will access use a DB2 client". If a DB2
client is being installed, the machine name (IP address) of the DB2
server is needed.
The application developer understands what their decision points are,
and what is required on the disk to render those decisions within the
configuration of their product. Lacking an Install program to hide
this information, the developer ends up documenting them in the XML for
their application instead.
Documented decision points are provided data, and that data can be
recorded.
> >*** (16) Allows simulated configuration for debugging purposes.
> >
> >Because the decision points are defined in the abstract
representation
> >of the application, various inputs can be simulated.
>
> And if there is a need to roll back changes, what then?
>
> And if transactional changes are made that _cannot_ be rolled back
> along with the changes in configuration, _what then_?
>
> For instance, suppose a configuration change is made to the accounting
> system, a cheque is printed based on that configuration, and then it
> is determined that the configuration was bad, and should be rolled
> back.
>
> The system must have a way of distinguishing between the configuration
> data that is to be rolled back, and transactional data (like recording
> info about a cheque that was printed) that _CANNOT BE ROLLED BACK_,
> even if the amount or payee was _WRONG_.
>
> If you try to imply XML has the slightest thing to do with resolving
> these kinds of issues, then you're _drastically_ naive.
>
The simulation I was talking about was the construction of storage,
given the user's machine, answers to configuration decision points, and
installed software components.
Not inputs to their applications, inputs into this Layer X under
storage that we are talking about. (Simulating their machine would
require their context, OS, applications, etc. Not a very likely
ability any time soon.)
Many times the result of such configurations are applications that
don't work. If you are trying to debug one of these problems remotely,
it is useful to be able to "simulate" what lead to a non-functional
install.
A facility that records decision points and documents at a high level
what components are installed would aid this particular problem.
Transaction processing is something all together unrelated to this
point, though it is interesting.
> >This design is about doing configuration management at the lowest,
most
> >basic level. We don't want to use complicated abstractions, because
> >doing so will only tie our hands. This is about simple, fast, and
down-
> >right low to the ground.
>
> Evidently you want to build Fundamentally Unimportant Systems, because
> systems that are actually important require abstractions that can't be
> oversimplified just for the sake of pushing it all into the
> procrustean bed of "pretending to be pervasively about XML."
Nope. The simplist abstraction possible is a simple disk image. I can
use a simple tool like this to generate working versions of really
complicated computer systems. Can't I?
The point is that files are files and have to be in the proper place
for everything to work, independnent of what they are used for. If you
simply insure the proper structure, you don't have to distingish
between the installation of data, applications, drivers, or even the
OS. You have to have enough information to insure a proper rendering,
and to identify a proper rendering, but you don't have to know why.
> --
> (concatenate 'string "cbbrowne" "@" "ntlug.org")
> <http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/linux.html>
> "Now, if someone proposed using people who spam comp.sys.* groups with
> political screeds in place of lab rats for drug testing, I'd
> wholeheartedly concur". -- John C. Randolph
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Failover services & ipchains
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 21:04:20 GMT
Hi,
I need some info about setting up a clustered ipchains firewall with
FOS (Failover services).
1. Does a document advice/tell how to set this up ?
2. How can a 'nanny' monitor an ipchains active node ? I mean, how can
ipchains be monitored ?
Any advise is wellcome.
Thx,
Rob
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: Cannon Fodder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: RedHat 6.2 - init doesn't start Apache
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 21:12:33 GMT
On Mon, 28 Aug 2000, ne... wrote:
<snip>
> >/etc/rc.d/rc2.d/S50apache -> /etc/rc.d/init.d/apache
<snip>
> RH generally boots into level 3 or 5. Check /etc/inittab
> for the level your machine boots into. I do not see any
> symlinks for rc3.d or rc5.d directories. This could be
> your problem.
<snip>
He's right. I checked all my *httpd scripts that
RH set up during the out-of-the-box installation.
There are only K-httpd files in rc2.d.
So, basically, you'd just overwrite the symlink
according to the default runlevel you boot into:
ln -s /etc/init.d/apache \
/etc/rc3.d/S50apache
^
could be '5' if inittab sez so
HTH too
=======Email Address is INVALID=======
I apologize if you wanted to correspond with me
directly. Due to an overwhelming avalanche of
SPAM particularly from earthlink, sprintlink,
dialsprint, and sprint.net, my email address is
deliberately invalid. However, once I am
satisfied with my local procmail experiments--I'm
hoping Prof. Timo Salmi's recipes will be
helpful--I'll ask my ISP to validate this address.
==========End of Sig Msg===============
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Grant Edwards)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux,alt.os.linux.suse,comp.os.linux.misc,uk.comp.os.linux
Subject: Re: Restaurant Booking System
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 21:26:02 GMT
In article <8oehck$pjj$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, CJ Llewellyn wrote:
>"Phil" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
>> You're forgetting he's taking online bookings. I presume
>> payment needs to be made as well.
>Urm, how many restaurants have you been to lately ? Payment is
>usually made after the meal has been consumed.
It's not uncommon for restaurants (after getting fed up with
no-shows) to require a credit-card number to secure an advanced
table reservation. If you don't show up, they charge your
credit card a fee to cover loss-of-use of the table.
Around here (Minnesota) golf courses have started doing that
when you reserve a tee time in advance.
>It does raise an interesting point, that of varifing the person
>making the booking is a genuine customer.
I suppose you could mount a new sort of DOS attack, where a 'bot
constantly reserves all of the tables at all of the restaurants
of the chain...
--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! It's today's SPECIAL!
at
visi.com
------------------------------
From: "Adam H." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Recommendations on a good book.
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 08:40:11 +1000
Thanks...
I've had someone else email me about the first book (Securing &
Optimising. I'll have to check out the other too)...
Thanks again.
Adam
"The Contact" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> Yes their is, actually, their ARE. But before running to the bookshop,
> you may look at http://www.linuxdoc.org/duides.html
> "Securing and Optimizing Red Hat Linux" and "Linux System Administrating
> Made Easy" are very recommendable, but other guides should be good too
> (I haven't read those).
>
> --
> The Contact
> "Ones and zeros represent more than just the binary count.
> They represent the mass knowledge we know as Internet."
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
From: "Adam H." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Wierd Error on Install. (Anaconda?)
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 08:42:31 +1000
Hi Tony,
Hmm... interesting. I've tried installing it multiple times now,
(including 'Check for bad sectors when formatting'), but it
made no difference. Maybe I should try it on the same PC,
but a different HDD...
Adam
"Tony Neville" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:8od8au$abelj$[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> Yes... Infuriatingly cryptic, isn't it?
>
> The first seven lines of the exception are identical to the one I
> received during a harddrive installation some time ago. The
> cause was a corrupt RPM. My HD had become inflicted with
> newly hatched bad blocks.
------------------------------
From: "Adam H." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Wierd Error on Install. (Anaconda?)
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 08:43:55 +1000
Hi Again,
> There are new anaconda diskimages available for RedHat 6.2 (See
> Bugfixes-section), maybe you ought to try these.
I'd like to, however:
a) I've used the current linux on over 10 different PC's now, and this is
the
first problem I've had, and
b) I can't install the upgrade for the RPM's on the linux box, coz when this
error appears, it resets, and their is no linux to boot up into. (Even
with
a linux floppy boot disk) :-(
Adam
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:52:21 -0400
From: Robert Morelli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: How to get latest GNOME distibution
I'm really shocked that I need to ask this, but
I've been to the GNOME web site and I simply
can't find the page with the main gnome package.
The links at the site seem to lead in circles.
(It kind of worries me when the people who are
supposed to be giving Linux usability can't even
design a web site.)
The best I can do is find a page that has
several dozen individual packages. If downloading
and separately installing several dozen packages
is what's needed, I'll do that, but I was
under the impression that GNOME had some kind of
painless installer.
If there is some one package I can download, would
someone here be kind enough to tell me the precise
URL at which it can be found? (I'm using Calder
OpenLinux).
Thanks
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Paul Lew)
Subject: Re: DHCP and resolv.conf
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:00:06 GMT
On Mon, 28 Aug 2000 13:09:14 -0700, D G <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>I have set up my workstation to use DHCP. I also have a valid
>resolv.conf file. Unfortunately, everytime my workstation gets an IP
>using DHCP, it clobbers the resolv.conf file. How do I keep it from
>doing this? What script is modifying this file?
>
>I'm using RedHat 6.2.
>--
I think that it is the nature of DHCP; if there are DNS names you want
to use, just use the "append domain-name-servers xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" in
the dhclient.conf or whatever RH 6.2 uses.
------------------------------
From: Ian Pilcher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Suppressing messages from sound module
Date: 28 Aug 2000 22:15:27 GMT
I'm fiddling with the init scripts on my ThinkPad to get sound working.
Specifically, I need to unload/reload the cs4232 module, because it has
problems if it's loaded too early (i.e. when Red Hat loads it).
Anyway, I've got my scripts working, but every time the module is loaded
it prints a couple of annoying warning messages to the console. I've
tried redirecting stdout and stderr to /dev/null, but the darn warnings
are harder to kill than the villain in a bad horror movie!
A quick look at the driver's source reveals that it is using the printk
function to issue these warnings. Is there any way to suppress or
redirect these messages?
Thanks!
--
========================================================================
Ian Pilcher [EMAIL PROTECTED]
========================================================================
------------------------------
From: "Joey Yum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Problem after upgrade to RH 6,1
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 06:03:37 +0800
I am a fresh hand user of RH. I was using RH 6.0 before and everything works
fine.
Problems appears after I had upgrade to RH 6.1 a few days ago. My lan card
(3Com 3C509-TPO) was not detected by the Kernel anymore. I had check all the
network configuration and I can sure the IRQ and I/O addr is OK as I was
using this for RH 6.0 before.
Would anyone give me solution for how to solve it ? OR would RH 6.2 will
solve this problem ?
Joey.
------------------------------
From: "Joey Yum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Problem after upgrade to Rh 6.1
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 06:09:27 +0800
I was using RH 6.0 before and everything works fine. Problem appears when I
upgrade to RH 6.1 a feww days ago. My lan card (3COM 3C509-TPO) cannot be
detected by the kernel anymore. I can sure the IRQ and I/O addr is OK as it
is the same as I use it in Rh 6.0.I had check all the network config. like
conf.module, sysconfig.network, network-scripts and netcfg. All does not
work. Everytime I want to active the lan card with ifconfig eth0 , the
fiollowing error comes out
eth0 : error fetching interface information : Device not found.
Any suggestion to solve it ? OR would RH 6.2 will solve this problem ?
Joey
------------------------------
Crossposted-To:
alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,uk.comp.os.linux
Subject: Re: Firewall for Linux
From: Simon Brooke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:32:14 GMT
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Tim Haynes) writes:
> Simon Brooke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> []
> > > What's wrong with ipchains either in a script of your own design - you
> > > know, you, keyboard, vim or (X)emacs, DIY - or something concocted in
> > > e.g. gfcc?
> >
> > If it's useful, my firewall script is here:
> >
><URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/bookshelf/papers/instant-firewall/instant-firewall.html>
>
> It's interesting - a good example of generalisation although I'd have to
> think a little about non-3-way firewalling with it.
As to that, I'm a great believer in Rusty's Three-line Guide to
Firewalling:
<URL:http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/IPCHAINS-HOWTO-3.html#ss3.1>
--
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Woz: 'All the best people in life seem to like LINUX.'
;; <URL:http://www.woz.org/woz/cresponses/response03.html>
------------------------------
Subject: Re: DHCP and resolv.conf
From: Marc Andre Selig <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 29 Aug 2000 00:30:48 +0200
D G <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> I have set up my workstation to use DHCP. I also have a valid
> resolv.conf file. Unfortunately, everytime my workstation gets an IP
> using DHCP, it clobbers the resolv.conf file. How do I keep it from
> doing this? What script is modifying this file?
>
> I'm using RedHat 6.2.
RH 6.2 uses pump as its DHCP client. In its default configuration,
pump will re-write your resolv.conf based on what the DHCP server
tells it. You can prevent this by using the nodns option in
/etc/pump.conf:
device eth0 {
nodns
}
This is documented in pump(8).
------------------------------
Crossposted-To: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: FreeBSD: APM & Power Switch
From: Marc Andre Selig <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 29 Aug 2000 00:05:28 +0200
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> In FreeBSD (3.3-REL & 4.0-REL), when APM is enabled in the BIOS and in
> the kernel and you press the power switch, it immediately powers off.
> If APM is not enabled, the power switch acts as a reset button.
> I've been told (not sure if I believe or not) that it is possible to get
> it (apmd) to run a command (shutdown -p now) when the power switch is
> pressed. I've pored over the APM and apmd man pages many times and I've
> not seen anything that states this fact.
It seems that your apmd is not seeing the "user suspend" event it is
waiting for. Instead the system just powers off. Look in your BIOS
for an option that changes the behaviour of the power switch itself.
You can usually set it to "power off immediately" or "power off after
four seconds". The latter one is what you want: If APM is enabled in
the BIOS, pressing the power switch for a short time will typically
send a user (or system) suspend event, while pressing for four seconds
will switch the computer off.
Hope this helps.
------------------------------
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End of Linux-Setup Digest
******************************
