Probelms with apparmor

[Steven Truppe]

    Hey,


i've the follwoing trouble: when i try to run certain apps it takes
forever tostart. i can get rid of the troble by typing $service apparmor
reload but that's not a partmanent soutoin.

can someone pleae help me out here ?


best regards!

Mission Center can't create graphs on bookworm OS

[Steven Friedrich]

It says can't create Open GL context.  What package should I report this 
against?


I am running latest raspberry os(bookworm) on a Pi4B.

Bug report

[Steven Truppe]

Hello guys,


i'm running linux debian stable and i had troubles running gufw, i
solved the issue by installing the package polkit-mate and then add to
the startup programms the application:
/usr/libexec/polkit-mate-authentication-agent-1.


i am using xfce4, here is the output of dpkg --status apt:

root@saetchmo:~# dpkg --status apt
Package: apt
Status: install ok installed
Priority: required
Section: admin
Installed-Size: 4232
Maintainer: APT Development Team 
Architecture: amd64
Version: 2.6.1
Replaces: apt-transport-https (<< 1.5~alpha4~), apt-utils (<< 1.3~exp2~)
Provides: apt-transport-https (= 2.6.1)
Depends: adduser, gpgv | gpgv2 | gpgv1, libapt-pkg6.0 (>= 2.6.1),
debian-archive-keyring, libc6 (>= 2.34), libgcc-s1 (>= 3.0), libgnutls30
(>= 3.7.5), libseccomp2 (>= 2.4.2), libstdc++6 (>= 11), libsystemd0
Recommends: ca-certificates
Suggests: apt-doc, aptitude | synaptic | wajig, dpkg-dev (>= 1.17.2),
gnupg | gnupg2 | gnupg1, powermgmt-base
Breaks: apt-transport-https (<< 1.5~alpha4~), apt-utils (<< 1.3~exp2~),
aptitude (<< 0.8.10)
Conffiles:
 /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01autoremove 879455db9b938ce287b23383629aedce
 /etc/cron.daily/apt-compat 1400ab07a4a2905b04c33e3e93d42b7b
 /etc/logrotate.d/apt 179f2ed4f85cbaca12fa3d69c2a4a1c3
Description: commandline package manager
 This package provides commandline tools for searching and
 managing as well as querying information about packages
 as a low-level access to all features of the libapt-pkg library.
 .
 These include:
  * apt-get for retrieval of packages and information about them
    from authenticated sources and for installation, upgrade and
    removal of packages together with their dependencies
  * apt-cache for querying available information about installed
    as well as installable packages
  * apt-cdrom to use removable media as a source for packages
  * apt-config as an interface to the configuration settings
  * apt-key as an interface to manage authentication keys

Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Wednesday, December 21, 2022 3:37 AM, to...@tuxteam.de  
wrote:
> Could it just be that the microcontroller (in the display) responsible for
> providing the EDID is dead?

That might have seemed like a good explanation when I saw it with the older
desktop, but now it seems unlikely.  With the new desktop running Testing,
the monitor works and there is an edid file under /sys/devices.  Thanks.

I forgot to mention last time how impressed and grateful I am that the
developers got support for this new motherboard implemented as fast as they
did.


From: to...@tuxteam.de 
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2022 3:37 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

External Email: Use Caution

Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Monday, December 19, 2022 9:12 PM, I wrote:
>> Today I have my new desktop and did a clean install of Bullseye.  I call fvwm
>> with startx, and once again my screen is 1024x768.

On Monday, December 19, 2022 10:29 PM, Felix Miata  
replied:
> To use Bullseye, at the least you need either a backport kernel containing
> Alder Lake support, or Bookworm (Testing) or Sid (Unstable).

I did a clean install of Bookworm and am happy to report that solved the
problem.  Thank you.

____
From: Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) 
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2022 12:26 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

On Monday, December 19, 2022 9:12 PM, I wrote:
>> Today I have my new desktop and did a clean install of Bullseye.  I call fvwm
>> with startx, and once again my screen is 1024x768.

On Monday, December 19, 2022 9:49 PM, Timothy M Butterworth wrote:
> Newer Intel graphics require closed source binary blobs. Try installing
> firmware-linux-nonfree.

I did that and am still stuck.  Thanks for the suggestion.

On Monday, December 19, 2022 10:29 PM, Felix Miata  
replied:
> Cardinal rule of PC shopping for use with Linux, unless you are a Linux
> developer:
>   Make sure the major PC components are several months or more older than
>   your selected distro's original release date.

I've heard that rule often but trusted a local friend who's built many Linux
machines to build mine.  I've used *ix for 40 years but never assembled the
hardware.  And here I am.

> To use Bullseye, at the least you need either a backport kernel containing
> Alder Lake support, or Bookworm (Testing) or Sid (Unstable).

I'll try Testing and, if that fails, maybe an add-on graphics card.  Thanks.

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 2:47 AM, Bret Busby  wrote:
> Perhaps, it would be worthwhile, to download and try a Linux Mint live iso,

Thank you.  I hope to stick with Debian but will keep this in mind.

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 10:36 AM, Max Nikulin wrote:
> get-edid | parse-edid
> edid-decode /sys/class/drm/card0-HDMI-A-1/edid
Thanks.  get-edid doesn't find any EDIDs, and there are no edid files under
/sys/devices.


From: Max Nikulin 
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2022 10:36 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

External Email: Use Caution


On 20/12/2022 09:49, Timothy M Butterworth wrote:
> Newer Intel graphics require closed source binary blobs. Try installing
> firmware-linux-nonfree.

In the previous thread somebody spotted an issue with fetching modes
supported by the monitor. Examples of commands to debug such problem:

get-edid | parse-edid
edid-decode /sys/class/drm/card0-HDMI-A-1/edid

Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Monday, December 19, 2022 9:12 PM, I wrote:
>> Today I have my new desktop and did a clean install of Bullseye.  I call fvwm
>> with startx, and once again my screen is 1024x768.

On Monday, December 19, 2022 9:49 PM, Timothy M Butterworth wrote:
> Newer Intel graphics require closed source binary blobs. Try installing
> firmware-linux-nonfree.

I did that and am still stuck.  Thanks for the suggestion.

On Monday, December 19, 2022 10:29 PM, Felix Miata  
replied:
> Cardinal rule of PC shopping for use with Linux, unless you are a Linux
> developer:
>   Make sure the major PC components are several months or more older than
>   your selected distro's original release date.

I've heard that rule often but trusted a local friend who's built many Linux
machines to build mine.  I've used *ix for 40 years but never assembled the
hardware.  And here I am.

> To use Bullseye, at the least you need either a backport kernel containing
> Alder Lake support, or Bookworm (Testing) or Sid (Unstable).

I'll try Testing and, if that fails, maybe an add-on graphics card.  Thanks.

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 2:47 AM, Bret Busby  wrote:
> Perhaps, it would be worthwhile, to download and try a Linux Mint live iso,

Thank you.  I hope to stick with Debian but will keep this in mind.

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 10:36 AM, Max Nikulin wrote:
> get-edid | parse-edid
> edid-decode /sys/class/drm/card0-HDMI-A-1/edid
Thanks.  get-edid doesn't find any EDIDs, and there are no edid files under
/sys/devices.


From: Max Nikulin 
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2022 10:36 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution, part 2

External Email: Use Caution


On 20/12/2022 09:49, Timothy M Butterworth wrote:
> Newer Intel graphics require closed source binary blobs. Try installing
> firmware-linux-nonfree.

In the previous thread somebody spotted an issue with fetching modes
supported by the monitor. Examples of commands to debug such problem:

get-edid | parse-edid
edid-decode /sys/class/drm/card0-HDMI-A-1/edid

loss of screen resolution, part 2

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Thursday, December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I started a thread (same title as this
minus "part 2"), with:
> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
> unavailable.

Despite many helpful suggestions, the problem wasn't resolved.  Since I
was about to get a new desktop, I figured I could give up.  This history may
all be irrelevant.

Today I have my new desktop and did a clean install of Bullseye.  I call fvwm
with startx, and once again my screen is 1024x768.  New desktop, new cable,
same monitor (Dell U2412Mb), now connected DVI to Display Port.  I tested
another Dell monitor connected HDMI to HDMI and had the same problem, so I
don't guess the problem is in the monitor.

The system sees the monitor as "default" rather than VGA, DP, DVI, or HDMI.
I was able to define a new mode 1920x1200 with xrandr, but xrandr --addmode
fails because I can't find an "output name" that works.  At the bottom are
some of the outputs that were requested in the previous thread.

On the motherboard (ASUS - Z790M-PLUS Prime D4 Intel LGA 1700 microATX), the
NIC is apparently not supported yet by Debian, and I had to put in a second
NIC.  Do I have to add a graphics card too now to get 1920x1200?

Thanks.

cat /etc/debian_version
11.6

lspci | grep VGA
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Device 4692 (rev 0c)

dpkg --get-selections | grep firmware
firmware-linux-free install

dpkg --get-selections | grep xserver-xorg-video-*
xserver-xorg-video-all  install
xserver-xorg-video-amdgpu   install
xserver-xorg-video-ati  install
xserver-xorg-video-fbdevinstall
xserver-xorg-video-intelinstall
xserver-xorg-video-nouveau  install
xserver-xorg-video-qxl  install
xserver-xorg-video-radeon   install
xserver-xorg-video-vesa install
xserver-xorg-video-vmware   install

grep Driver  /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep II
[52.843] (II) modesetting: Driver for Modesetting Kernel Drivers: kms

inxi -GSaz
System:
  Kernel: 5.10.0-20-amd64 arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 10.2.1
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-20-amd64
root=UUID=82fc750d-98f2-4096-9d84-17a2690d1dcf ro quiet
  Desktop: FVWM v: 2.6.8 vt: 1 dm: startx Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 11
(bullseye)
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel vendor: ASUSTeK driver: N/A arch: Gen-12.2
process: Intel 10nm built: 2021-22+ bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:4692
class-ID: 0300
  Display: server: X.Org v: 1.20.11 driver: X: loaded: vesa
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting dri: swrast gpu: N/A display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1024x768 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 271x203mm (10.67x7.99")
s-diag: 339mm (13.33")
  Monitor-1: default res: 1024x768 hz: 76 size: N/A modes: N/A
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 Mesa 20.3.5 renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 11.0.1 256 bits)
compat-v: 3.1 direct render: Yes

cat ~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log | pastebinit
https://paste.debian.net/1264692/

Re: loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I wrote:
>> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
>> unavailable. ...

On Sunday, December 4, 2022 1:26 AM, Felix Miata 
replied:
> Do you have another VGA cable you could try? Do you have any other PCs with
> VGA output available that you could test with your display?

My cable has one end male and one female, and I don't have a spare or a
useful adapter.  I tried swapping in another monitor using the cable from the
problem build.  The resolution problem persisted.  So the cable is still
a suspect.

On Sunday, December 4, 2022 8:22 PM, Felix Miata 
replied:
> Save the following as /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-vga.conf:
>
> Section "Monitor"
> Identifier "DefaultMonitor"
> VendorName  "Dell"
> ModelName   "U2412M"
> HorizSync   30-83
> VertRefresh 50-61
> Option  "PreferredMode" "1920x1200"
> EndSection

Thanks.  I tried that and was again unsuccessful.

I guess this is in software or in the cable.  I could buy another cable, but
I'm the process of getting a new desktop built anyway.  I think I'll just
live with this until I can abandon ship.

Thanks for all your efforts, Felix.  I did learn a few things.


From: Felix Miata 
Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2022 8:22 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution

External Email: Use Caution


Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) composed on 2022-12-04 18:03 (UTC):

> I do have /usr/lib/xserver-xorg-video-intel.  I don't have
> /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ but do have /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/ with the
> following:
>   10-amdgpu.conf  10-quirks.conf  10-radeon.conf  40-libinput.conf  
> 70-wacom.conf
> It wasn't obvious to me that these were relevant.

> I don't have any useful spare hardware at home, although I do at work.  I
> could steal a VGA cable to test here.

If nothing yet suggested works, a more flexible solution than a manually 
generated
& hard-coded modeline applied after X has already started is letting the server
generate one on startup based upon the formerly provided EDID basics I retrieved
from your old Xorg.0.log:

Ranges: V min: 50 V max: 61 Hz, H min: 30 H max: 83 kHz

Save the following as /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/40-vga.conf:

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "DefaultMonitor"
VendorName  "Dell"
ModelName   "U2412M"
HorizSync   30-83
VertRefresh 50-61
Option  "PreferredMode" "1920x1200"
EndSection

This early application ought to make it behave more like it used to, unless the
problem is actually inside the display. I've had two 1920x1200s die on me, a 
Dell
made in 2005 and a Lenovo made in 2009. My 2560x1080 Dell only lasted 5 years
before refusing to power on any more. :~( The two 1920x1200 I have now are 2011
NEC and 2012 Samsung.
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata

Re: loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I wrote:
>> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
>> unavailable. ...

On December 4, 2022 1:26 AM, Felix Miata  replied:
> Your old Xorg.0.logs differ significantly from your current ones ...
> This suggests to me your EDID is currently being misread or is incomplete.
> Does your VGA cable have 15 pins on both ends, or only 14? ...

It has 14 pins.  This monitor and cable have worked fine since 2014 with this
desktop running Debian.  About a week before the problem started, I did
disconnect the VGA cable from the desktop input.  I just reseated it
carefully and even rebooted, but that didn't fix the problem.  Maybe I fried
something messing with the connection.

I can confirm that my /var/log/Xorg.0.log (Jul  3  2021) has the EDID content
while ~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log (Dec  4 11:57) does not.

> Something to try: switch display driver from modesetting to intel. If
> xserver-xorg-video-intel is not installed, it should be used automatically if
> you install it. If it's already installed, then likely there's a .conf file
> in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ specifically calling it that you could switch to
> calling intel instead.

I do have /usr/lib/xserver-xorg-video-intel.  I don't have
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ but do have /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/ with the
following:
  10-amdgpu.conf  10-quirks.conf  10-radeon.conf  40-libinput.conf  
70-wacom.conf
It wasn't obvious to me that these were relevant.

I don't have any useful spare hardware at home, although I do at work.  I
could steal a VGA cable to test here.

Thanks again.


From: Felix Miata 
Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2022 1:26 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution

External Email: Use Caution


Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) composed on 2022-12-02 02:41 (UTC):
...
Your old Xorg.0.logs differ significantly from your current ones, and my
own on a similar Intel GPU. In what follows, the current ones and the old
ones omit everything between the first and last lines:

*
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): EDID for output VGA-1
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Manufacturer: DEL  Model: a079  Serial#: 810693964
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Year: 2014  Week: 24
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): EDID Version: 1.3
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Analog Display Input,  Input Voltage Level: 
0.700/0.300 V
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Sync:  Separate  Composite  SyncOnGreen
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Max Image Size [cm]: horiz.: 52  vert.: 32
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Gamma: 2.20
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): DPMS capabilities: StandBy Suspend Off; RGB/Color 
Display
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): First detailed timing is preferred mode
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): redX: 0.640 redY: 0.330   greenX: 0.300 greenY: 
0.600
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): blueX: 0.150 blueY: 0.060   whiteX: 0.313 whiteY: 
0.329
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Supported established timings:
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): 720x400@70Hz
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): 640x480@60Hz
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): 800x600@60Hz
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): 1024x768@60Hz
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Manufacturer's mask: 0
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Supported standard timings:
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): #0: hsize: 1280  vsize 960  refresh: 60  vid: 
16513
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): #1: hsize: 1280  vsize 1024  refresh: 60  vid: 
32897
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): #2: hsize: 1600  vsize 1200  refresh: 60  vid: 
16553
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): #3: hsize: 1680  vsize 1050  refresh: 60  vid: 179
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): #4: hsize: 1920  vsize 1080  refresh: 60  vid: 
49361
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Supported detailed timing:
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): clock: 154.0 MHz   Image Size:  518 x 324 mm
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): h_active: 1920  h_sync: 1968  h_sync_end 2000 
h_blank_end 2080 h_border: 0
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): v_active: 1200  v_sync: 1203  v_sync_end 1209 
v_blanking: 1235 v_border: 0
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Serial No: YMYH146D0R5L
[  2059.607] (II) modeset(0): Monitor name: DELL U2412M
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0): Ranges: V min: 50 V max: 61 Hz, H min: 30 H max: 
83 kHz, PixClock max 175 MHz
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0): EDID (in hex):
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   000010ac79a04c355230
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   181801030e342078eaee95a3544c9926
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   0f5054a1080081408180a940b300d1c0
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   010101010101283c80a070b023403020
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   36000644211a00ff00594d59
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   48313436443052354c0a00fc0044
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   454c4c2055323431324d0a2000fd
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0):   00323d1e5311000a2020202020200092
[  2059.608] (II) modeset(0): Printing probed modes for output VGA-1
*

This suggests to me your EDID is currently being misread or is incomple

Re: loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I wrote:

>> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
>> unavailable. ...

On December 3, 2022 1:23 PM, Felix Miata  wrote:

> This and http://paste.debian.net/1262700/ are the same log created Sat Jul 3
> 16:37:19 2021 using kernel 4.19.0-17-amd64. If these are from /var/log/ then
> look in ~/.local/share/xorg/ for a current one.

Sorry, I should have noticed that.  Here are the contents of
~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log, first from the console after a fresh boot:
  http://paste.debian.net/1262763/
then after calling startx and coming up 1024x768:
  http://paste.debian.net/1262764/
and finally after using xrandr to get 1920x1200:
  http://paste.debian.net/1262765/

The second and third files only differ by one line at the end.  Thanks.


From: Felix Miata 
Sent: Saturday, December 3, 2022 1:23 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution

External Email: Use Caution


Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) composed on 2022-12-03 14:15 (UTC):

> For Xorg.0.log,
> https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaste.debian.net%2F1262735%2Fdata=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7Cfb8f5bce786f42dc921308dad55c42f3%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C638056889486652349%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=cEu7XkZUJn3VOTiLcdvcVEvidGKsA8RLvXd1kUf7oR8%3Dreserved=0

This and 
https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaste.debian.net%2F1262700%2Fdata=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7Cfb8f5bce786f42dc921308dad55c42f3%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C638056889486652349%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=6zqt%2FcKItF3u%2BCd7nzEQOizl9DeiksEDaNBS6BHpUb0%3Dreserved=0
 are the same log created
Sat Jul 3 16:37:19 2021 using kernel 4.19.0-17-amd64. If these are from 
/var/log/
then look in ~/.local/share/xorg/ for a current one.

Current kernel is 4.19.0-22-amd64.
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata

Re: loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I wrote:
>>> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
>>> unavailable. ...

On December 2, 2022 10:12 AM, Felix Miata  wrote:
>> ... run
>> inxi -U
>> to upgrade, and post here output from within an X terminal:
>> inxi -GSaz
>> ...
>> Next, give us the whole log to see:
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | pastebinit

And on December 3, 2022 1:14 AM, Felix Miata  added:

> Did these result after applying your xrandr workaround? If the problem
> remains in absence of the workaround, the inxi and log need to come from
> being in that condition.

I had done those after the workaround.  So I exited fvwm back to the console,
recalled fvwm via startx, and gathered the information again before doing the
workaround.
inxi ->
System:
  Kernel: 4.19.0-22-amd64 arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.19.0-22-amd64
root=UUID=093750e2-4489-4550-a3fc-5e86b450320b ro quiet
  Desktop: FVWM v: 2.6.8 vt: 1 dm: startx Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 10
(buster)
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 82946GZ/GL Integrated Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel
arch: Gen-3.5 process: Intel 90nm built: 2005-06 ports: active: VGA-1
empty: none bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:2972 class-ID: 0300
  Display: server: X.Org v: 1.20.4 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: i965 gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1024x768 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 270x203mm (10.63x7.99")
s-diag: 338mm (13.3")
  Monitor-1: VGA-1 res: 1024x768 hz: 60 size: N/A modes: max: 1024x768
min: 640x480
  API: OpenGL v: 2.1 Mesa 18.3.6 renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 946GZ
direct render: Yes

This is the same as before except showing 1024x768 instead of 1920x1200.

For Xorg.0.log,
http://paste.debian.net/1262735/

Thanks again.


From: Felix Miata 
Sent: Saturday, December 3, 2022 1:14 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution

External Email: Use Caution


Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) composed on 2022-12-02 02:20 (UTC):

>> Next, give us the whole log to see:
> cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | pastebinit

> https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaste.debian.net%2F1262700%2Fdata=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7Ccfc9a461f864488b9b7108dad4f5c190%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C638056449240692027%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=pQ9QP%2BuDQ2%2BjbzxZB815Oo2YL8z022xO%2BTjkzHaH1%2BE%3Dreserved=0

> That's a lot to look at.  Thank you.

I don't see anything to suggest that there's anything wrong. Did these result
after applying your xrandr workaround? If the problem remains in absence of the
workaround, the inxi and log need to come from being in that condition. I have
something similar needing no correction or workaround:

# inxi -GSaz --vs --zl --hostname
inxi 3.3.23-00 (2022-10-31)
System:
  Host: gx62b Kernel: 4.19.0-22-amd64 arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc
v: 8.3.0 parameters: root=LABEL= ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0
biosdevname=0 plymouth.enable=0 noresume mitigations=auto consoleblank=0
  Desktop: Trinity v: R14.0.13 tk: Qt v: 3.5.0 info: kicker wm: Twin v: 3.0
vt: 7 dm: 1: TDM 2: XDM Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 82945G/GZ Integrated Graphics vendor: Dell driver: i915
v: kernel arch: Gen-3.5 process: Intel 90nm built: 2005-06 ports:
active: DVI-D-1,VGA-1 empty: none bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:2772
class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.20.4 driver: X: loaded: intel
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa dri: i915 gpu: i915 display-ID: :0
screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 3600x1200 s-dpi: 120 s-size: 762x254mm (30.00x10.00")
s-diag: 803mm (31.62")
  Monitor-1: DVI-D-1 mapped: DVI1 pos: primary,left model: NEC EA243WM
serial:  built: 2011 res: 1920x1200 hz: 60 dpi: 94 gamma: 1.2
size: 520x320mm (20.47x12.6") diag: 612mm (24.1") ratio: 16:10 modes:
max: 1920x1200 min: 640x480
  Monitor-2: VGA-1 mapped: VGA1 pos: right model: Dell P2213
serial:  built: 2012 res: 1680x1050 hz: 60 dpi: 91 gamma: 1.2
size: 470x300mm (18.5x11.81") diag: 558mm (22") ratio: 16:10 modes:
max: 1680x1050 min: 720x400
  API: OpenGL v: 1.4 Mesa 18.3.6 renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945G
direct render: Yes
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata

Re: loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I wrote:

>> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
>> unavailable. ...

On December 2, 2022 10:12 AM, Felix Miata  wrote:

> ... run
> inxi -U
> to upgrade, and post here output from within an X terminal:
> inxi -GSaz

System:
  Kernel: 4.19.0-22-amd64 arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.19.0-22-amd64
root=UUID=093750e2-4489-4550-a3fc-5e86b450320b ro quiet
  Desktop: FVWM v: 2.6.8 vt: 1 dm: startx Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 10
(buster)
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 82946GZ/GL Integrated Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel
arch: Gen-3.5 process: Intel 90nm built: 2005-06 ports: active: VGA-1
empty: none bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:2972 class-ID: 0300
  Display: server: X.Org v: 1.20.4 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: i965 gpu: i915 display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1200 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 507x317mm (19.96x12.48")
s-diag: 598mm (23.54")
  Monitor-1: VGA-1 res: 1920x1200 hz: 60 size: N/A modes: max: 1024x768
min: 640x480
  API: OpenGL v: 2.1 Mesa 18.3.6 renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 946GZ
direct render: Yes

> Next, give us the whole log to see:
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | pastebinit

http://paste.debian.net/1262700/

That's a lot to look at.  Thank you.


From: Felix Miata 
Sent: Friday, December 2, 2022 10:12 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution

External Email: Use Caution


Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) composed on 2022-12-02 13:11 (UTC):

> I'll add that I did do a weekly apt upgrade shortly before this happened,

Now let's see how all those things Dan asked for work together:

Install/Upgrade inxi. Buster's inxi is a broken antique. Best to install 
directly
from upstream. It's just a data collection and presentation script:
https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsmxi.org%2Fdocs%2Finxi-installation.htm%23inxi-manual-installdata=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7C0b895e40ae1845abc85b08dad477c4ea%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C638055908118333462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=Od8tsIGlAhdF8HQbnDo2shuCpiPVRwr8jqATtd6vhhI%3Dreserved=0
To upgrade Debian's version, it's necessary to edit /etc/inxi.conf to remove the
upgrade blockage, so change B_ALLOW_UPDATE=false to B_ALLOW_UPDATE=true, then 
run

inxi -U

to upgrade, and post here output from within an X terminal:

inxi -GSaz

Next, give us the whole log to see:

cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | pastebinit
or
cat ~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log | pastebinit

and provide the resulting URI here, or attach the file to your reply. Don't 
paste
its content into the email unless you know how to prevent line wrapping that 
makes
a mess of it.
--
Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion,
based on faith, not based on science.

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata

Re: loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On December 1, 2022 9:41 PM, I wrote:

>> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
>> unavailable. ...

On December 2, 2022 7:43 AM, Dan Ritter  replied:

> I'm going to guess that this is a change in one or both of:
>
> - GPU firmware
> - X11 GPU driver
>
> Let's get the output from:
>
> cat /etc/debian_version

10.13

> lspci | grep VGA

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82946GZ/GL Integrated 
Graphics Controller (rev 02)

> dpkg --get-selections | grep firmware

firmware-linux-free install

> dpkg --get-selections | grep xserver-xorg-video-*

xserver-xorg-video-all  install
xserver-xorg-video-amdgpu   install
xserver-xorg-video-ati  install
xserver-xorg-video-fbdevinstall
xserver-xorg-video-intelinstall
xserver-xorg-video-nouveau  install
xserver-xorg-video-qxl  install
xserver-xorg-video-radeon   install
xserver-xorg-video-vesa install
xserver-xorg-video-vmware   install

> grep Driver  /var/log/Xorg.0.log|grep II

[  2059.194] (II) modesetting: Driver for Modesetting Kernel Drivers: kms

I'll add that I did do a weekly apt upgrade shortly before this happened, but
it's not obvious that any of the upgrades (firefox-esr grub-common grub-pc
grub-pc-bin grub2-common krb5-locales libgssapi-krb5-2 libgssapi-krb5-2:i386
libk5crypto3 libk5crypto3:i386 libkrb5-3 libkrb5-3:i386 libkrb5support0
libkrb5support0:i386 vim-common vim-tiny xxd) are relevant.

Thanks.


From: Dan Ritter 
Sent: Friday, December 2, 2022 7:43 AM
To: Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)
Cc: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: loss of screen resolution

External Email: Use Caution


Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
> unavailable.  I booted to the console and called startx, which brings up
> fvwm.  But my default base window went way off-screen, and the type was huge.
> xrandr said I was at 1024x768 and did not list the 1920x1200 option at all.
> (It usually does.)  I was able to define and call that option in my base
> window with:
>
> xrandr --newmode "1920x1200_60.00"  193.25  1920 2056 2256 2592  1200 1203 
> 1209 1245 -hsync +vsync
> xrandr --addmode VGA-1 1920x1200_60.00
> xrandr --output VGA-1 --mode 1920x1200_60.00
>
> This gave me my usual window and font size, but there are some side issues
> (e.g. where icons go when I minimize them).
>
> In any case, I think the problem is upstream of X windows.  I boot to a
> console, and the font there was much bigger than usual.  Where is that
> controlled?  Any idea how to get this back to normal?  The monitor is set to
> an aspect ratio of 16:1.  Resetting the monitor and rebooting did not fix
> the problem.

I'm going to guess that this is a change in one or both of:

- GPU firmware
- X11 GPU driver

Let's get the output from:

cat /etc/debian_version
to find out what you're running

lspci | grep VGA
to find out what your graphics hardware is

dpkg --get-selections | grep firmware
to find out what firmware is installed

dpkg --get-selections | grep xserver-xorg-video-*
to find out whether the right video driver is installed

and finally,

grep Driver  /var/log/Xorg.0.log|grep II

or if that file is missing,

grep Driver ~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log | grep II

to find out what driver is actually being used

-dsr-

loss of screen resolution

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

Out of the blue today, my usual screen resolution (1920x1200) became
unavailable.  I booted to the console and called startx, which brings up
fvwm.  But my default base window went way off-screen, and the type was huge.
xrandr said I was at 1024x768 and did not list the 1920x1200 option at all.
(It usually does.)  I was able to define and call that option in my base
window with:

xrandr --newmode "1920x1200_60.00"  193.25  1920 2056 2256 2592  1200 1203 1209 
1245 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode VGA-1 1920x1200_60.00
xrandr --output VGA-1 --mode 1920x1200_60.00

This gave me my usual window and font size, but there are some side issues
(e.g. where icons go when I minimize them).

In any case, I think the problem is upstream of X windows.  I boot to a
console, and the font there was much bigger than usual.  Where is that
controlled?  Any idea how to get this back to normal?  The monitor is set to
an aspect ratio of 16:1.  Resetting the monitor and rebooting did not fix
the problem.

Thanks.

Re: support for ancient peripherals

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, November 5, 2022 7:21 PM, I wrote:
>> My concern is about support for three ancient peripherals that I like better
>> than the modern equivalents:
>> ...
>> 2. A Logitech M-MD15L three-button roller-ball serial mouse (from 2006); and
>> 3. An HP LaserJet 5MP printer from 1995 with a parallel-port connector.

On Monday, November 7, 2022 5:17 PM, Andrew M.A. Cater 
replied:
> you can still get a Lenovo desktop with optional serial port and parallel
> port as far as I can see.

Thanks.  I'll look into that.

And on Monday, November 7, 2022 6:08 PM, David  wrote:
> If any mouse can be opened and resealed, then it is quite possible that the
> scroll sensor can be disabled by some simple method that would require little
> time and effort.
> ...
> Anyone inclined to tinker with hardware, even with only curiosity and no
> expertise, has a good chance of achieving this, if you can find such a
> person.

Good idea.  I can do this sort of thing if, as you say, I can get inside.  I
clean TV remotes inside easily but can hardly get them open without breaking
the cases.

On Monday, November 7, 2022 7:37 PM, Dan Ritter  wrote:
> Elecom M-CAD01UBBK is a $15-20 USB mouse with three buttons, no scroll wheel.

Thanks for the good news.

I may be slow to get this done, but whenever I do I'll report back.  Thanks
again to everyone for your help.


From: Peter von Kaehne 
Sent: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 12:46 AM
To: David
Cc: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: support for ancient peripherals

External Email: Use Caution


You can also buy not too expensively PCIe cards for serial and parallel port.

The printer I connected through a parallel to usb adapter cable

Peter

Sent from my phone. Please forgive misspellings and weird “corrections”

> On 7 Nov 2022, at 23:09, David  wrote:
>
> On Mon, 7 Nov 2022 at 05:01, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)
>  wrote:
>
>> For me a scroll wheel has always been a deal-breaker, and I recently
>> couldn't find any mice without that.  (A few years ago I found just one,
>> from HP, and I didn't like using it.)  I click with the center button
>> a lot, and (maybe at my skill level) a scroll button often causes jitter
>> in the display.  I wonder if it's possible to turn off the scrolling
>> function of the scroll wheel while still allowing clicks to be detected.
>
> Hi,
>
> Regarding the above, and to relieve the previously-mentioned dependence on
> the ancient mouse from 2006, I offer the following thoughts that might
> expand the set of potential solutions ...
>
> If any mouse can be opened and resealed, then it is quite possible that the
> scroll sensor can be disabled by some simple method that would require
> little time and effort.
>
> Depending on how it is constructed, disabling either its mechanical,
> optical, or electrical operation either temporarily or permanently are all
> possibilities.
>
> Mechanical:
> - prevent rotation.
> - render rotation ineffective.
> (eg wedge it, or decouple it)
> Optical:
> - physically block the optical path.
> Electrical:
> - disable either input or output of sensor
> (eg wire cutters or desolder or cut pcb tracks)
>
> There appears to be numerous videos posted to youtube that explain how
> various mice scroll sensors work.
>
> Anyone inclined to tinker with hardware, even with only curiosity and no
> expertise, has a good chance of achieving this, if you can find such
> a person.
>
> If attempted on one or several low-value simple mice, this could be
> a non-scary learning exercise for yourself or anyone else you know who
> wants to try it.
>
> For anyone with electronics knowledge, this will be a simple request, and
> the hardest part will be opening the mouse. So another approach would be to
> find a mouse that you can open, and open it up yourself, and then take it
> anywhere that does electronics hardware work, and explain what you want and
> that you have opened it to make it easy for them to inspect, and ask if they
> would take a quick look and consider doing this job for a fee that is
> acceptable.
>

Re: support for ancient peripherals

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Monday, November 7, 2022 10:39 AM, Peter von Kaehne  wrote:

> I have installed last week a HP Laserjet 4P which is the same ilk. It works
> fine.

That's encouraging.  Did your computer have a parallel port, or did you use
an adapter or print server?  Thanks.


From: Peter von Kaehne 
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2022 10:39 AM
To: Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)
Cc: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: support for ancient peripherals

External Email: Use Caution


I have installed last week a HP Laserjet 4P which is the same ilk. It works 
fine.

Debian 11

Peter

Sent from my phone. Please forgive misspellings and weird “corrections”

> On 7 Nov 2022, at 15:30, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)  
> wrote:
>
> On November 5, 2022 7:21 PM, I wrote:
>
>> As you might understand, I'd like to replace my desktop, a 2006 Pentium 4
>> with a 3-GHz processor.  It has always run Debian, and so will the new one.
>>
>> My concern is about support for three ancient peripherals that I like better
>> than the modern equivalents:
>
> Thanks to all of you for your many detailed and helpful responses.  I think
> my next move will be to connect with my local Linux users group (which I'm
> ashamed to say I've never done).  I'll describe the problem and see if they
> can suggest a good local shop.
>
> 
> From: mick.crane 
> Sent: Monday, November 7, 2022 2:17 AM
> To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
> Subject: Re: support for ancient peripherals
>
> External Email: Use Caution
>
>
>> On 2022-11-05 23:21, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
>>
>> 3. An HP LaserJet 5MP printer from 1995 with a parallel-port connector.
>
> Pretty sure used used HP Jetdirect in the past with cups.
> https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.hp.com%2Fgb-en%2Fdocument%2Fc02480766data=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7C057cdcd6ed3a435cddeb08dac0d658e1%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C638034324260893385%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=ux2zdn6Uzhbe2NazgGwHkiSbPgkb%2FfvUymcHEs28u68%3Dreserved=0
>
> mick
>

Re: support for ancient peripherals

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On November 5, 2022 7:21 PM, I wrote:

> As you might understand, I'd like to replace my desktop, a 2006 Pentium 4
> with a 3-GHz processor.  It has always run Debian, and so will the new one.
>
> My concern is about support for three ancient peripherals that I like better
> than the modern equivalents:

Thanks to all of you for your many detailed and helpful responses.  I think
my next move will be to connect with my local Linux users group (which I'm
ashamed to say I've never done).  I'll describe the problem and see if they
can suggest a good local shop.


From: mick.crane 
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2022 2:17 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: support for ancient peripherals

External Email: Use Caution


On 2022-11-05 23:21, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:

> 3. An HP LaserJet 5MP printer from 1995 with a parallel-port connector.

Pretty sure used used HP Jetdirect in the past with cups.
https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.hp.com%2Fgb-en%2Fdocument%2Fc02480766data=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7C690eef7acb7e495fe82b08dac0903426%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C638034022964296211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=sZaBzhmL%2Fnm8%2Frf5IDbVaT7eUM0NDZ4QiRwsF1SZ7gY%3Dreserved=0

mick

Re: support for ancient peripherals

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On November 5, 2022 7:21 PM, I wrote:

>> As you might understand, I'd like to replace my desktop, a 2006 Pentium 4
>> with a 3-GHz processor.  It has always run Debian, and so will the new one.
>>
>> My concern is about support for three ancient peripherals that I like better
>> than the modern equivalents:

Thanks to all of you for your helpful replies.  It sounds as if, one way or
another, I will be able to accommodate these devices.

>> 2. A Logitech M-MD15L three-button roller-ball serial mouse (from 2006) ...

On November 6, 2022 1:39 AM, Steve Litt replied:

> I understand your wanting to keep the keyboard and printer, but today
> you can buy a much more effective mouse for $18-$30. If you can get a
> BlueTrace mouse, I've found those to be spectacular. Check this out:
>   https://us.targus.com/products/wireless-blue-trace-mouse-amw50us
>   https://www.walmart.com/ip/Targus-Wireless-BlueTrace-Mouse-AMW50US/14262061

For me a scroll wheel has always been a deal-breaker, and I recently couldn't
find any mice without that.  (A few years ago I found just one, from HP, and
I didn't like using it.)  I click with the center button a lot, and (maybe at
my skill level) a scroll button often causes jitter in the display.  I wonder
if it's possible to turn off the scrolling function of the scroll wheel while
still allowing clicks to be detected.  I understand that roller-balls aren't
forever.

Here's a more remedial question.  I haven't bought a desktop in 16 years.  To
have a custom desktop built with some of the options I've seen recommended
here, where would you go?  Would you patronize a local shop, or is there an
online store that is good at discussing and implementing customizations?  I
am not an expert when it comes to hardware.

Thanks again.


From: Joe 
Sent: Sunday, November 6, 2022 7:06 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: support for ancient peripherals

External Email: Use Caution


On Sun, 06 Nov 2022 00:30:58 -0400
Stefan Monnier  wrote:


>
> You can find serial to USB adapters, but it will require some manual
> configuration, tho I suspect you already had to do that in Buster, so
> it should keep working pretty much the same (except the serial device
> will have a different name in `/dev/).
>

I have several serial-USB devices, but they are not all the same. All I
have needed for a long time is Tx, Rx and ground, sometimes just Tx or
Rx. But some peripherals will need handshake lines, and serial adaptors
vary in provision of these. None of them provide the full RS-232 set,
of course.

I have one of these in permanent use and three for general purposes. Of
those three, two have only the signal lines and ground, one also has DTR
and CTS, which is the bare minimum for handshaking. I no longer have
any idea of what a serial mouse needs, though possibly only RX and
ground on an adaptor. On the other hand, serial mice were around when
PCs ran at a fraction of the speed of today's and might have provision
for handshaking.

--
Joe

support for ancient peripherals

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

As you might understand, I'd like to replace my desktop, a 2006 Pentium 4
with a 3-GHz processor.  It has always run Debian, and so will the new one.

My concern is about support for three ancient peripherals that I like better
than the modern equivalents:
1. A Northgate Omnikey 101 keyboard (from 2006) with a 5-pin DIN cable,
currently going via an adapter to a PS/2 port in the desktop;
2. A Logitech M-MD15L three-button roller-ball serial mouse (from 2006); and
3. An HP LaserJet 5MP printer from 1995 with a parallel-port connector.

Are desktops still available with PS/2, serial, or parallel ports?  If not,
can these all be adapted to USB?  Are USB-A ports still common, or is USB-C
taking over?  My question is of course not just about hardware but about
software support for these devices in Debian.  They all work now in Buster
(oldstable).  Thanks.

Re: firmware: secure boot dbx with software-center but not apt?

[Steven Timorol]

Steve McIntyre schreef op ma 19-09-2022 om 23:13 [+0100]:
> gnome-software is talking to fwupd, which looks for updates to device
> firmware. DBX is the method used by UEFI firmware to block execution
> of known-bad and known-vulnerable UEFI binaries when running with
> Secure Boot enabled.
> 
> Apt does not know show anything here as the DBX is not a package,
> it's
> a lower-level update to firmware.

thanks for the info

firmware: secure boot dbx with software-center but not apt?

[Steven Timorol]

Hello,

i get a message from 'gnome-software'
to update my firmware:
"
update configuration secure boot dbx:
Version 217:
This updates the dbx to the latest release from Microsoft which adds
insecure versions of grub and shim to the list of forbidden signatures
due to multiple discovered security updates.
"
but on the contrary
apt update/upgrade does not show anything to be updated

so what is this? 
and why doesn't apt show anything?
S.

Re: NFC security key on a desktop

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 9, 2022 9:23 PM, I wrote:

>> Has anyone managed to get an NFC reader working with a security key on a
>> Debian desktop?  If so, I'd like to know how to set that up.

On Sunday, July 10, 2022 2:34 PM, Celejar  replied:

> No actual experience with NFC (I use a HyperSecu HyperFIDO via USB), but see
> here:
> 
> https://www.reddit.com/r/yubikey/comments/j1225h/yubikey_with_nfc_reader_on_linux/

Thank you.  I had come across that site, but it uses a lot of terminology I 
don't understand.  I was hoping for a user-friendly solution but think there 
may not be one yet.


From: Celejar 
Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2022 2:34 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: NFC security key on a desktop

External Email: Use Caution


On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 01:23:27 +
"Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)"  wrote:

> My employer uses Duo for two-factor authentication and offers three
> options: cellphone, landline, or security key.  I go to the desired app
> (e.g. Outlook) in Firefox.  I select the landline I want, Duo calls it,
> and I hit any key to authenticate.  So far so good.  But as of January
> 1st, my employer will drop support for landlines.  I do not have or
> want a cellphone (long story).
>
> That leaves one option: a security key that plugs into USB.  I had a
> Yubico Security Key NFC made to work with Duo, and it succeeds when I
> test it from a Windows laptop.  But I use a desktop running Buster
> (v10, oldstable).  I understand there are NFC (near-field
> communication) readers that can support a security key.  Has anyone
> managed to get an NFC reader working with a security key on a Debian
> desktop?  If so, I'd like to know how to set that up.

No actual experience with NFC (I use a HyperSecu HyperFIDO via USB),
but see here:

https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fyubikey%2Fcomments%2Fj1225h%2Fyubikey_with_nfc_reader_on_linux%2Fdata=05%7C01%7Ckleenesj%40ucmail.uc.edu%7C94b70ee385004254c52f08da62a2d803%7Cf5222e6c5fc648eb8f0373db18203b63%7C1%7C0%7C637930748808698290%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7Csdata=OhajHgAHDHHOty9YApn9UBsTLZuJ2xtsgfcZddyXXSM%3Dreserved=0

--
Celejar

NFC security key on a desktop

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

My employer uses Duo for two-factor authentication and offers three options: 
cellphone, landline, or security key.  I go to the desired app (e.g. Outlook) 
in Firefox.  I select the landline I want, Duo calls it, and I hit any key to 
authenticate.  So far so good.  But as of January 1st, my employer will drop 
support for landlines.  I do not have or want a cellphone (long story).

That leaves one option: a security key that plugs into USB.  I had a Yubico 
Security Key NFC made to work with Duo, and it succeeds when I test it from a 
Windows laptop.  But I use a desktop running Buster (v10, oldstable).  I 
understand there are NFC (near-field communication) readers that can support a 
security key.  Has anyone managed to get an NFC reader working with a security 
key on a Debian desktop?  If so, I'd like to know how to set that up.

Thank you.

Re: Debian 11: Tuning kernel parameters swappiness and watermark_boost_factor to stop SWAP Storm

[Steven J. West]

Thanks, Nicholas :D  I mainly posted this problem with a solution here for
reference to other Debian users ;)

Yes, my processing memory requirements (typically ~30GB) are borderline to
my current physical memory limit (~32GB), and as my images sometimes are a
little bigger, this can push it into swapping, which indeed is not ideal..

I am modifying my code to batch this procedure to lower the gargantuan
memory requirements of my image registration task, but in the meantime, for
processes with large memory requirements that may occasionally need to
swap, I found this kernel tuning at least allows the process to complete.

Cheers!

Steve.


On Fri, 28 Jan 2022 at 23:56, Nicholas Geovanis 
wrote:

>
>
> On Fri, Jan 28, 2022, 4:33 AM Steven J. West 
> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> TL;DR/summary:
>>
>>- Tuning vm.watermark_boost_factor to 0 (disable) on Debian
>>significantly improves performance on memory-intensive tasks that utilise
>>SWAP space, by stopping preemptive kswapd freeing of memory, and
>>subsequent page thrashing.
>>- I suggest that Debian should tune vm-watermark_boost_fact=0 by
>>default to prevent this problem
>>
>> I'm not a Debian maintainer, but this has got to be the best problem
> report I ever saw :-)
>
> But for years I have adopted the philosophy at home which is demanded in
> every data center I've worked in: If your Linux system is swapping, you
> have configured it wrong. In the server farms there is no swapping. You
> make sure you have enough RAM to prevent swapping. EOS.
>
>
> I have recently installed Debian 11 on a HP Z8 G4 Workstation (Z3Z16AV) -
>> 32GB RAM, installed with ~120GB SWAP on a 2TB solid state drive (specs at
>> end of this message).
>>
>> I have been running some compute-intensive image processing tasks (CPU-
>> and memory- intensive), which has on occasion had to dip into SWAP space,
>> depending on image sizes (the processing I am running is image registration
>> using elastix/transformix).
>>
>> I had benchmarked the code on my Ubuntu laptop (similar spec) without any
>> problems, but when running on Debian, whenever SWAP was needed, the system
>> processing significantly slowed down/essentially froze.
>>
>> After much debugging, I have traced this to the vm.watermark_boost_factor
>> kernel parameter:
>>
>> Comparing the Ubuntu and Debian kernel parameters using sudo sysctl -a
>> showed two key differences in virtual memory (vm) management parameters.
>>
>>- Ubuntu:
>>   - vm.swappiness=60
>>   - vm.watermark_boost_factor=0
>>   - Debian:
>>   - vm.swappiness=10
>>   - vm.watermark_boost_factor=150
>>
>>
>> I identified what these two parameters control:
>>
>>
>>- vm.swappiness : a parameter used to calculate the swap tendency (
>>https://access.redhat.com/solutions/103833)
>>- vm.watermark_boost_factor : controls the level of reclaim when
>>memory is being fragmented.. A boost factor of 0 will disable the 
>> feature. (
>>
>> https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/8.4_release_notes/kernel_parameters_changes
>>)
>>
>>
>> I changed swappiness and then watermark_boost_factor sequentially, to
>> see whether tuning these parameters to match my Ubuntu system prevented the
>> system from freezing under my memory-intensive task.
>>
>>
>>- sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=60 on my Debian system did not prevent
>>the freezing behaviour.
>>- sudo sysctl vm.watermark_boost_factor=0 (disabling it) on my Debian
>>system prevented the freezing behaviour.
>>
>>
>> I then set these permanently by adding the following to /etc/sysctl.conf
>>
>> vm.swappiness=60
>> vm.watermark_boost_factor=0
>>
>>
>> Further searching revealed this Ubuntu bug report:
>>
>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1861359
>>
>> swap storms kills interactive use
>> With this key entry:
>>
>> Sultan Alsawaf (kerneltoast) wrote on 2020-03-27: #56
>>
>> This problem is caused by an upstream memory management feature called
>> watermark boosting. Normally, when a memory allocation fails and falls back
>> to the page allocator, the page allocator will wake up kswapd to free up
>> pages in order to make the memory allocation succeed. kswapd tries to free
>> memory until it reaches a minimum amount of memory for each memory zone
>> called the high watermark.
>>
>> What watermark boosting does is try to preemptively fire up kswapd t

Fwd: Debian 11: Tuning kernel parameters swappiness and watermark_boost_factor to stop SWAP Storm

[Steven J. West]

ore(s) per socket:  10
Socket(s):   1
NUMA node(s):1
Vendor ID:   GenuineIntel
CPU family:  6
Model:   85
Model name:  Intel(R) Xeon(R) Silver 4210R CPU @ 2.40GHz
Stepping:7
CPU MHz: 2511.149
CPU max MHz: 3200.
CPU min MHz: 1000.
BogoMIPS:4800.00
Virtualization:  VT-x
L1d cache:   320 KiB
L1i cache:   320 KiB
L2 cache:10 MiB
L3 cache:13.8 MiB
NUMA node0 CPU(s):   0-19
Vulnerability Itlb multihit: KVM: Mitigation: VMX disabled
Vulnerability L1tf:  Not affected
Vulnerability Mds:   Not affected
Vulnerability Meltdown:  Not affected
Vulnerability Spec store bypass: Mitigation; Speculative Store Bypass
disabled via prctl and seccomp
Vulnerability Spectre v1:Mitigation; usercopy/swapgs barriers and
__user pointer sanitization
Vulnerability Spectre v2:Mitigation; Enhanced IBRS, IBPB
conditional, RSB filling
Vulnerability Srbds: Not affected
Vulnerability Tsx async abort:   Mitigation; TSX disabled
Flags:   fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic
sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm
pbe syscall nx pdpe1gb rdtscp lm constant_tsc art arch_perfmon
  pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology
nonstop_tsc cpuid aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx
est tm2 ssse3 sdbg fma cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid dca sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic mov
 be popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx
f16c rdrand lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch cpuid_fault epb cat_l3 cdp_l3
invpcid_single intel_ppin ssbd mba ibrs ibpb stibp ibrs_enhanced tp
 r_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid ept_ad
fsgsbase tsc_adjust bmi1 avx2 smep bmi2 erms invpcid cqm mpx rdt_a avx512f
avx512dq rdseed adx smap clflushopt clwb intel_pt avx512cd a
 vx512bw avx512vl xsaveopt xsavec xgetbv1
xsaves cqm_llc cqm_occup_llc cqm_mbm_total cqm_mbm_local dtherm ida arat
pln pts hwp hwp_act_window hwp_epp hwp_pkg_req pku ospke avx512_
 vnni md_clear flush_l1d arch_capabilities


  $ free -h
   totalusedfree  shared  buff/cache
available
Mem:31Gi   3.6Gi24Gi   160Mi   3.2Gi
 26Gi
Swap:  119Gi   242Mi   118Gi




Steven J. West
 BSc DPhil FRMS
_
International Brain Lab Histology Research Fellow
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour
University College London
25 Howland St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 4JG
+44 (0) 203 108 8197
steven.w...@internationalbrainlab.org
https://www.internationalbrainlab.com/
https://www.sainsburywellcome.org/

Bug report help

[Steven Sostrom]

I am having audio problems in Debian GNU/Linux bookworm/sid running on a
Raspberry Pi 4.
Kernel: Linux 5.15.0-1-arm64

I don't know that it is an issue with a package unless it is a firmware
package.

Some of the audio devices cause applications to freeze or will play at a
slower than normal speed. The Default (pulseaudio) device usually works.
ALSA devices are more likely to fail.

Often, after a reboot, pulseaudio will not start. I have to keep rebooting
until it works.

Steve

Re: zoom client for bullseye

[Steven Rosenberg]

On Mon, 2021-08-30 at 08:15 +0800, Robbi Nespu wrote:
> Last time (that time bullseye still on testing release) I tried with 
> they official deb, I getting dependencies issues too.. trying with 
> "apt-get -f install" solve the installation but somehow when I using
> it, 
> it hang...and sometimes I can't close my camera properly.
> 
> Then I switched to snap version. It work fine until now so I just
> gonna 
> stick using snap version but honestly, I don't recommend you to use
> snap 
> package because of it disturbing for someone who really care about 
> bandwidth, permission to run and storage size. It will be the last 
> options for me.

I use the Flatpak for Zoom. It works fine, and since there's no .deb
repo, with the Flatpak I get updates. Since I very seldomly use Zoom,
it was always out of date when I did start it, so I'm happy to have the
Flatpak.

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.

I have figured out the problem and solved it.

At some point I remembered that I have in place an old-fashioned way of
blocking sites.  In /etc/hosts, I have 68 entries of this sort:

127.0.0.1   ad.doubleclick.net

that redefine the URL of a pesky site to 127.0.0.1 (localhost).  Given a PC
at work that handles the Google sites well and a home machine that does not,
I compared the two /etc/hosts files.  The home (failing) machine had two
entries that the work (successful) machine did not:

127.0.0.1   gstatic.com
127.0.0.1   www.gstatic.com

I had added those in February, which is about when the failures began.  I
found that commenting out the second entry (www.gstatic.com) fixed my
problem, even if I left the first entry (gstatic.com) in place.

I also use a firefox add-on, Forget Me Not.  If I add *.gstatic.com to the
list of blocked sites, the Google sites still work.  This surprises me.  I
guess the /etc/hosts and Forget Me Not strategies must work at different
points.

Anyway, thanks to the three respondents for your replies.


From: Ivan Krylov 
Sent: Monday, August 2, 2021 8:51 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Google sites don't work

> Similar problem here, only with Google sites like Gmail, Docs, and
> Chat (via a[n?] university/Google system).

Interesting. Do you see any relevant errors if you press F12 and take a
look at the JavaScript console on the affected pages, compared to the
unaffected pages? What about the Network tab, any failed requests there?

--
Best regards,
Ivan

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
>> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.

On Sunday, August 1, 2021 9:49 AM, john doe asked?
> Does it work properly if you use a new profile?

At one point I did removed my whole ~/.mozilla filesystem and did a clean
start of firefox.  I believe that constitutes using a new profile; I got the
startup screen for firefox and a new ~/.mozilla filesystem.  It did not solve
the problem.  Thanks.


From: john doe 
Sent: Sunday, August 1, 2021 9:49 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Google sites don't work

On 8/1/2021 3:18 PM, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
>>> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.
>
> On Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM, Greg Wooledge replied:
>> My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript
>
> Thanks for the good idea, but it appears to not be the case.  Under
> about:config in firefox, I see "javascript.enabled true".
>

Does it work properly if you use a new profile?

--
John Doe

Re: Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:54 PM I wrote concerning firefox-esr:
>> Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com functions properly.

On Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM, Greg Wooledge replied:
> My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript

Thanks for the good idea, but it appears to not be the case.  Under
about:config in firefox, I see "javascript.enabled true".

It says here:
https://www.lighthouselabs.ca/en/blog/10-popular-websites-built-using-javascript
that Google, Youtube, Wikipedia, Amazon, and eBay all use JavaScript.  All of
those sites work well here, except for the two Google subdivisions mentioned
above.


From: Greg Wooledge 
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2021 11:38 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Google sites don't work

On Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 08:54:12PM +0000, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> My home desktop is running Buster (4.19.0-17-amd64) and firefox-esr
> 78.12.0esr-1~deb10u1.  Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com
> functions properly.  If I go to Google Translate and enter "je ne sais pas"
> in the left window, nothing happens.  It should automatically show a
> translation at the right.  If I go to Google Images and search for
> "solenodon", I get a full page of fine pictures of solenodons.  But there are
> two problems.  If I put the cursor over an image, I get a pointing finger
> icon.  (No, not that finger.)  But if I click, nothing happens.

My guess is that you somehow disabled Javascript, either by clicking
something in the configuration screen (or fat-fingering some magical
keyboard equivalent), or by installing an add-on like NoScript.

Google sites don't work

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

My home desktop is running Buster (4.19.0-17-amd64) and firefox-esr
78.12.0esr-1~deb10u1.  Neither translate.google.com nor images.google.com
functions properly.  If I go to Google Translate and enter "je ne sais pas"
in the left window, nothing happens.  It should automatically show a
translation at the right.  If I go to Google Images and search for
"solenodon", I get a full page of fine pictures of solenodons.  But there are
two problems.  If I put the cursor over an image, I get a pointing finger
icon.  (No, not that finger.)  But if I click, nothing happens.  It should
open up a window at the right to lead me to the source of that image.
Furthermore, if I scroll down, all the images below the first page appear
just as rectangles filled with some solid color (most being brownish).  The
tests were done with firefox in standard security mode (not strict), and not
using a private browsing window or any add-ons.  I haven't noticed problems
with any other websites.

Some history and other evidence...
1. I ran Stretch on this PC for about three years, and this all worked until
   one day a few months ago when it didn't.  I upgraded to Buster hoping that
   would fix it, but it hasn't.
2. On a Stretch machine at work, this all works well.
3. I just removed my whole ~/.mozilla filesystem and did a clean start of
   firefox.  The sites still failed.  So it doesn't seem to be peculiar to my
   personal firefox configuration.
4. On my other browser (torbrowser), the sites work well.  So the hardware
   can do it.

I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to get this working.  Thanks.

Google Translate stopped working

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

My home desktop (let's call it PC1) has been running Wheezy and firefox-esr
68.9.0esr-1~deb9u1.  (I held back upgrades to firefox-esr for reasons I won't
go into.)  A month or two ago, translate.google.com stopped working.
Normally, if I enter a phrase in the left window, a translation comes up in
the right.  If I enter a phrase now, nothing happens.  My desktop at work
(PC2) has the same Wheezy and firefox, and Google Translate works there.
I've had a couple of other browsing failures on PC1 (e.g. a captcha that
fails to display), but I'll stick to Google Translate as a simple example
that's easy to test.

I have found no way to succeed on PC1 and am mystified.  I've tried modifying
the firefox configuration.  I even replaced all of ~/.mozilla on PC1 with the
version from PC2, and it still failed.  Ultimately I ran this:

apt-get remove firefox-esr
rm -rf ~/.mozilla
apt-get install firefox-esr

That gave me 78.8.0esr-1~deb9u1 with none of my preferences.  It still failed.

So I'm thinking this is not a problem in firefox.  Might it be a Java
problem?  PC[12] both have the same versions of openjdk-8-jre,
openjdk-8-jre-headless, and ca-certificates-java.  Beyond that I don't know
how to debug or fix this.  I could of course upgrade the whole system to
Buster as a crapshoot, but I'd rather understand the problem.  I'd be
grateful for any ideas to test.  Thanks.

Re: Help me setup home-office hardware with free software

[Steven Mainor]

On Friday, January 22, 2021 12:06:11 AM EST Pankaj Jangid wrote:
> I am setting up one (or may be two) home-office servers. I have 6 ATI
> Radian RX580 graphics cards that are lying in cold storage. I used them
> a couple of years back to experiment with various crypto-mining
> technologies.
> 
> I want these cards to be put to use for experimenting with
> multi-threading work loads like may be Machine Learning or may be Image
> Processing of deep space data or may be run GNU Radio for experimenting
> with signals.
> 
> I don’t want any proprietary software to run on these systems. And hence
> exploring possibilities. My questions:
> 
> 1. I had a look at i7 and Ryzen 7. For multi-threading applications, it
>appears that Ryzen is better choice because it allows more number of
>simultaneous threads. 16 as compared to 8 on i7. Does anybody have
>experience with these? Please share your recommendation.
> 
> 2. Are there good general purpose motherboards available for 3 graphics
>cards? I have experience with motherboards with 12 graphics
>cards. But those were not general purpose. They were specifically
>designed for cryto mining purpose only.
> 
> 3. I’ll also put these machine to serve local copy of all my data. I’ll
>synchronize it with some cloud space. I need recommendations for
>reliable hard disks. A combination of SSD/HDD to balance between
>cost, performance and reliability will probably be best. But I really
>don’t know much about the hardware.
> 
> I already have good modular corsair 1200w power-supply. So I’ll put that
> to use.
> 
> I need your help to setup a system completely free of proprietary
> software. Please do reply.

Well I can say that I have a ryzen 7 2700X in my desktop and I am very happy 
with it. I don't know what question specifically I can answer for you but I 
have no complaints about it. 

I would look for a motherboard with components(sound, sensors, network 
controllers) that are well supported in Linux. 

-- 
Steven Mainor

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Re: Open source Atheros wifi? (ath10k)

[Steven Mainor]

My main concern for the laptop in question is security. So from a 
security standpoint, what is the difference between using a wifi card 
with built in closed source firmware, and closed source firmware that is 
loaded by the kernel like ath10k. Either way the firmware is only 
running on the card, Not the CPU, correct?


Or am I misunderstanding the terminology?

Obviously neither is ideal but is either less secure?

---
Steven Mainor

---
Steven Mainor

On 2021-01-16 12:52, Reco wrote:

Hi.

On Sat, Jan 16, 2021 at 12:25:10PM -0500, Steven Mainor wrote:

I have a laptop with a QCA9377 Atheros AC wifi card. When I install
debian 10.7 amd64 I get a warning about missing non-free firmware and
the wifi doesn't work. It was my understanding that ath10k was open
source and included in linux. Is this not the case?


The driver is free software. The firmware it requires is not.
Thank US FCC for that - [1].



If not is there any wireless AC card that doesn't require binary
drivers?


To the best of my knowledge - there are none. Again, [1].



And barring that, what is the best wifi(N?) card I can buy
that doesn't require closed source drivers/firmware?


Anything that's ath9k supports does not require any firmware at all.
Ath9k is limited to 802.1n though. See [2] for an example list.

Reco

[1] https://hackaday.com/2016/02/26/fcc-locks-down-router-firmware
[2] 
https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/ath9k/products/external

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Open source Atheros wifi? (ath10k)

[Steven Mainor]

I have a laptop with a QCA9377 Atheros AC wifi card. When I install 
debian 10.7 amd64 I get a warning about missing non-free firmware and 
the wifi doesn't work. It was my understanding that ath10k was open 
source and included in linux. Is this not the case?


If not is there any wireless AC card that doesn't require binary 
drivers? And barring that, what is the best wifi(N?) card I can buy that 
doesn't require closed source drivers/firmware?


--
Steven Mainor

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Re: recommendations for supported, affordable hardware raid controller.

[Steven Mainor]

I missed this question in my last email. Apologies.


What is your computer?

It is an Asus X470 Motherboard, AMD 2700x Processor
---
Steven Mainor

On 2021-01-02 03:24, Steven Mainor wrote:

Why?

See my earlier email.


What Debian?

Debian 10? Or 9? I'm mainly looking for options.


What Linux?

Any still supported main-line or LTS Linux kernel.


What application(s)?

General storage.


What is your network/ environment?

Why is network information relevant for a RAID question?

---
Steven Mainor

On 2021-01-01 15:03, David Christensen wrote:

On 2021-01-01 10:06, Steven Mainor wrote:
I'm looking for recommendations for a 6 or 8 port SATA hardware raid 
controller that will hopefully be supported by the kernel and/or open 
source drivers to put in my desktop computer. Any input welcome, 
thanks.


Why?


What is your computer?


What Debian?


What Linux?


What application(s)?


What is your network/ environment?


David

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Re: recommendations for supported, affordable hardware raid controller.

[Steven Mainor]

Why?

See my earlier email.


What Debian?

Debian 10? Or 9? I'm mainly looking for options.


What Linux?

Any still supported main-line or LTS Linux kernel.


What application(s)?

General storage.


What is your network/ environment?

Why is network information relevant for a RAID question?

---
Steven Mainor

On 2021-01-01 15:03, David Christensen wrote:

On 2021-01-01 10:06, Steven Mainor wrote:
I'm looking for recommendations for a 6 or 8 port SATA hardware raid 
controller that will hopefully be supported by the kernel and/or open 
source drivers to put in my desktop computer. Any input welcome, 
thanks.


Why?


What is your computer?


What Debian?


What Linux?


What application(s)?


What is your network/ environment?


David

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Re: recommendations for supported, affordable hardware raid controller.

[Steven Mainor]

All,

thanks for all the help so far. For all the people asking why, a few 
reasons. First I love to tinker with and learn about things and the only 
raid controller I have access to is on my production server and I don't 
really get to "play" with it much since it is in use 24/7. I am one of 
those people that learns by doing I guess.


The idea was to create a large striped raid array(perhaps RAID6) of 
spinning disks to use as a large storage area for extra VM backups and 
large projects I'm working on. And in the process I could learn more 
about RAID controllers.


But perhaps this would be an opportunity to learn about ZFS or something 
instead. Would ZFS be suitable if I were to boot multiple Linux 
operating systems from time to time? For example, If I have the drives 
setup with ZFS How hard would it be to boot to another Linux operating 
system (like from Debain or Ubuntu from a pen-drive) and access data on 
the "array".


And FYI most of the time I would still boot my computer from the single 
SSD that my OS is installed on.


---
Steven Mainor

On 2021-01-01 13:06, Steven Mainor wrote:

I'm looking for recommendations for a 6 or 8 port SATA hardware raid
controller that will hopefully be supported by the kernel and/or open
source drivers to put in my desktop computer. Any input welcome,
thanks.

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recommendations for supported, affordable hardware raid controller.

[Steven Mainor]

I'm looking for recommendations for a 6 or 8 port SATA hardware raid 
controller that will hopefully be supported by the kernel and/or open 
source drivers to put in my desktop computer. Any input welcome, thanks.


--
Steven Mainor

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Re: Tiling display support

[Steven Mainor]

On 2020-12-20 02:37, Mark Allums wrote:
Oh, thanks, I've reread specs. It says 'refresh rate up to 240Hz', but 
for full resolution it's 5120 x 1440 | 60 Hz. There is LG, which 
promises 3840 x 2160 144Hz. I'll be more careful.


Which LG model offers 144 Hz at 3480 x 2160?  Because I am shopping
for a high-refresh 4k device right now, and I haven't run across any
model like that from LG.

Mark

(Preferably 32-inch.)


The LG 27GN950-B is 4k, 144Hz but not 32 inch. It also supports FreeSync 
wich works well on linux with the open source AMD drivers. I highly 
recommend FreeSync(adaptive sync).


If you aren't too attached to LG there are other manufacturers that have 
larger screens with the specs you requested.


---
Steven Mainor

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Re: Tiling display support

[Steven Mainor]

On 2020-12-19 03:52, Joe wrote:

On Fri, 18 Dec 2020 23:55:09 +0100
deloptes  wrote:


Dan Ritter wrote:

>> Does someone run desktop with 4k screen and high frame rate (150
>> fps+)? What monitor and gpu are you using? Are you having any
>> issues?
>
>
> There are no 4K 150Hz monitors currently commercially available.

OP is asking about 150+FPS and you are talking about 150Hz. I am not
convinced it is the same



It is if interlace is not used, not if interlace is used.

For broadcast television, there is never enough bandwidth, so interlace
is used which halves the required bandwidth for very little visual
degradation. With a stationary picture such as a computer display,
interlace is not used, as it makes a stationary picture appear to
jitter vertically.

So interlaced 1080i at 50 or 60Hz has a frame rate of 25 or 30 FPS,
while progressive 1080p at 50 or 60Hz has a frame rate of 50 or 60 FPS.


I'm not sure I understand. Why are we talking about interlaced video? 
That doesn't seem to be relevant unless I'm missing something.


There are plenty of 4k 120Hz and 144Hz monitors on the market right now.

I am currently only running dual 60Hz 4K monitors right now with an AMD 
RX580 GPU each connected via Display Port 1.2


I believe a single Displayport (version 1.3) can support 4K 120 or 
144Hz.


There may be some useful information at this link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort#Resolution_and_refresh_frequency_limits

I regret that I don't know anything about MST or SST. Hopefully someone 
can help you more. I'm interested to learn what you figure out.



---
Steven Mainor

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Re: Tiling display support

[Steven Mainor]

150hz and 150FPS are basically the same thing. The refresh rate of a 
monitor is usually monitored in hz. Which is just how many times per 
second the display refreshes refreshes. FPS is usually used to measure 
how many frames per second a video card can render. So while they may 
not be exactly the same they are very related.


You would need a 150hz display to take full advantage of a video game 
being rendered at 150FPS, for example.



---
Steven Mainor

On 2020-12-18 17:55, deloptes wrote:

Dan Ritter wrote:

Does someone run desktop with 4k screen and high frame rate (150 
fps+)?

What monitor and gpu are you using? Are you having any issues?



There are no 4K 150Hz monitors currently commercially available.


OP is asking about 150+FPS and you are talking about 150Hz. I am not
convinced it is the same

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Re: Debian 10 64bit

[Steven Mainor]

I just finished installing Debain 10 on two VMs from the amd64 ISO 
(debian-10.7.0-amd64-netinst.iso)


For both installs I used the graphical installer left all options at 
defaults, Including the default desktop environment "Debian desktop 
environment".


On the first install I left the root password blank and for the second I 
set a root password.


The graphical installer does mention that if a root password is not set 
the first user will be added to sudoers file and I can confirm that is 
the case.


I can also confirm that sudo is installed in both cases if you set a 
root password or not.


I did not try installing Mate but It is worth mentioning that the 
installer asks for a root password long before it asks which desktop to 
install.


I hope this is helpful to someone.

---
Steven Mainor

On 2020-12-16 05:09, Keith Bainbridge wrote:

I was not offered to set a root passwd during the last 2 Buster 
installs I did. Admittedly, with mateDE and MAYBE that makes a 
difference. Who's going to try it to prove the point? It'll be several 
days before I can. Will do if I don't see somebody beat me to it.

Keith BAINBRIDGE
ke1thozgro...@gmx.com

Sent from my Aphone

On 15 December 2020 7:01:32 pm UTC, Brian  wrote:

On Tue 15 Dec 2020 at 19:33:53 +0100, john doe wrote:

On 12/15/2020 6:34 PM, Tixy wrote:
On Tue, 2020-12-15 at 11:36 +0100, john doe wrote:
On 12/15/2020 10:19 AM, Andrei POPESCU wrote:
On Lu, 14 dec 20, 19:45:54, Jerry Mellon wrote:
I finally got around to installing debian 10 on my 64bit system(thus
removing the i386version I had originally instaled). The install went
well and I asked for a seperate Home particion. When I booted the 
system
and try to do "apt-get update and apt-get upgrade" using "sudo" it 
would

not let me do that. Said I was not a sudo user. I then tried "su root"
which failed as well as it said I was not a sudo user. I went to the
sudouse file and changed it to make me a user. Sudo as myself worked
fine but su root still did not work.

After seeing the email concering problems with sudo and su root I
decided to reload. I did but did a use whole disk (no home part).
After booting I did have to go to the sudouser file an change it again
but the su root worked with out a problem.
You probably set a root password during install.

The Debian Installer will configure 'sudo' for the first user only if
you leave the root password blank. This is explained during the 
install.


That doesn't look to be the case anymore, I just installed Buster with
Mate and sudo is installed.
Because sudo is a recommended package of task-desktop, which is a
dependency of task-mate-desktop. But if you gave it a root password
during install then it didn't add the user you created at install time
into the 'sudo' group, so no user can use sudo. (This does make me
wonder why 'sudo' is recommended by task-desktop in the first place.)

Or at the very least, if sudo is installed having it configured with
the user added to the sudo group regardless of if a root password is 
set.


You are being obtuse.

d-i does not install sudo unless it is requested. That's the only point
at issue. It is the only thing that matters.

Why Mate chooses to install sudo is a different issue. It does not
invalidate


The Debian Installer will configure 'sudo' for the first
user only if you leave the root password blank. This is
explained during the install.


What a particular package does has no bearing on the design of d-i's
base system.

--
Brian.

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Re: problem with slow network transmission

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020 4:57 PM, deloptes  asked:

> Are you in VPN? this slows down things.

No.  Fortunately, I don't need it, because the VPN my employer has doesn't
work with Debian (and Windows users have some trouble too).

> Also what browser you use, cause I'm not sure there is a native webex client
> for linux. You must be using firefox or chrome

I'm using Firefox.  I picked up the browser extension for manual installation
here:
  
https://help.webex.com/en-us/9q0glab/Manually-Install-Cisco-Webex-Meetings-for-Mozilla-Firefox
There's supposed to be an option to use a web app at the time I join a
meeting, but I've never seen that.

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020 5:11 PM, Stefan Monnier 
wrote:

> It seems much more likely that you're hitting a problem in the software
> where the compression used is poorly supported by your client so it
> doesn't make good use of your hardware and does all the decompression in
> an inefficient manner, which your CPU is unable to do in real-time.

I've suspected as much, since other online videos play just fine.  Cisco does
say that Debian 8 or later is supported (and I have 9) with Firefox 48 or
later (I have 68).

Thanks.


From: Stefan Monnier 
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2020 5:11 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: problem with slow network transmission

> What I have been trying a lot is Webex teleconferencing for my job.  Those
> all work great, including voice and slideshows, but seem to crash miserably
> (including a loss of sound) if even a single attendant puts up live webcam
> video.  Very large conferences that disallow that work fine.  We've set up
> test Webex conferences at home, and again sharing a webcam kills it.  I
> suppose this could be some specific Webex problem, but I've been imagining
> it's a throughput problem.  I have no problem playing online videos, but
> maybe they use smarter compression.

The network bandwidth shouldn't be the issue: the video stream can
fairly easily adapt to whichever bandwidth is available.

It seems much more likely that you're hitting a problem in the software
where the compression used is poorly supported by your client so it
doesn't make good use of your hardware and does all the decompression in
an inefficient manner, which your CPU is unable to do in real-time.

video-conferencing with webcams works just fine even with less than 1Mb/s
(i.e. 120kB/s).


Stefan

Re: problem with slow network transmission

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Tue May 26 08:31:20 EDT 2020, I wrote:

>> What I have been trying a lot is Webex teleconferencing for my job.  Those
>> all work great, including voice and slideshows, but seem to crash miserably
>> (including a loss of sound) if even a single attendant puts up live webcam
>> video. ... I've been imagining it's a throughput problem.

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020 1:16 PM, deloptes replied:

> sometimes the problem is the disk.
> and what about your wife using the connection while you are using it too?

The disk is a WD5001AALS-00L3B2 from 2009, described as SATA 3Gbps.  I guess
that is pretty slow.  We've definitely tried some best-case situations, where
no one else is running any CPU hogs.

To make things more confusing, my service provider has its own speed test
site, which says I downloaded this morning at 274Mbps (compared to 53Mbps at
speedtest.net).  Tomorrow I'll have my first Webex conference since I added
the 1Gbps NIC and maxed out memory.  We'll see what happens.


From: deloptes 
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2020 1:16 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: problem with slow network transmission

Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:

> What I have been trying a lot is Webex teleconferencing for my job.  Those
> all work great, including voice and slideshows, but seem to crash
> miserably (including a loss of sound) if even a single attendant puts up
> live webcam video.  Very large conferences that disallow that work fine.
> We've set up test Webex conferences at home, and again sharing a webcam
> kills it.  I suppose this could be some specific Webex problem, but I've
> been imagining it's a throughput problem.  I have no problem playing
> online videos, but maybe they use smarter compression.

sometimes the problem is the disk.
and what about your wife using the connection while you are using it too?

I have here 8Mbps ADSL and Webex works fine also with video

Re: problem with slow network transmission

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Monday, May 25, 2020 1:02 PM, I wrote:

>> Without much else running, speedtest.net shows rates of just 54/58 Mbps
>> (download/upload).

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020 1:51 AM, Andrei POPESCU replied:

> Since you can bypass the router and connect directly to the media
> converter I'm guessing you are using the WAN RJ-45 port (Gigabit).

That's correct.

> Another test you can do is to connect directly to your wife's laptop and
> transfer some big compressed file (e.g. a video or big archive) over
> SAMBA, NFS or FTP.

Thanks, I can try that.

What I have been trying a lot is Webex teleconferencing for my job.  Those
all work great, including voice and slideshows, but seem to crash miserably
(including a loss of sound) if even a single attendant puts up live webcam
video.  Very large conferences that disallow that work fine.  We've set up
test Webex conferences at home, and again sharing a webcam kills it.  I
suppose this could be some specific Webex problem, but I've been imagining
it's a throughput problem.  I have no problem playing online videos, but
maybe they use smarter compression.

Thanks again.



From: Andrei POPESCU
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2020 1:51 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: problem with slow network transmission

On Lu, 25 mai 20, 17:02:58, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> My network transmission rate seems much slower than it should be.  My desktop
> runs Stretch (v9, oldstable) on a Pentium 4 (3 GHz) with 4GB of RAM (the
> maximum) and a 1Gbps network interface card (NIC).  We pay for fiber optic
> service at 500Mbps.  The specifications for my router (ZyXEL VMG4381-B10A)
> say 100/45 Mbps (but more on that below).

The specification mention 100/45 Mbps for VDSL (RJ-11 ports).

Since you can bypass the router and connect directly to the media
converter I'm guessing you are using the WAN RJ-45 port (Gigabit).

> My wife's laptop shows that the service and the router can do 500Mbps with a
> 1Gbps NIC.  The obvious difference between her laptop and my desktop is the
> RAM (16GB vs. 4GB).  Is that the end of the story, or is there some way I can
> get my desktop to do much better?

Results on speedtest.net are irrelevant for day-to-day usage. Try
downloading some big files with compressed data. Your connection should
max out around 50 MiB/s, so you have to download at least 500 MiB just
to get it going.

Another test you can do is to connect directly to your wife's laptop and
transfer some big compressed file (e.g. a video or big archive) over
SAMBA, NFS or FTP.

Kind regards,
Andrei
--
http://wiki.debian.org/FAQsFromDebianUser

problem with slow network transmission

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

My network transmission rate seems much slower than it should be.  My desktop
runs Stretch (v9, oldstable) on a Pentium 4 (3 GHz) with 4GB of RAM (the
maximum) and a 1Gbps network interface card (NIC).  We pay for fiber optic
service at 500Mbps.  The specifications for my router (ZyXEL VMG4381-B10A)
say 100/45 Mbps (but more on that below).  Without much else running,
speedtest.net shows rates of just 54/58 Mbps (download/upload).  In all cases
I have a hardwired RJ45 connection between the NIC and the router.  It's no
better if I make a direct connection from the fiber optic cable to the NIC,
bypassing the router.

Meanwhile my wife's Windows 10 laptop, plugged into the router, gets 542/137
Mbps at speedtest.net.  Her laptop has a 2.4-GHz quad core processor, 16GB of
RAM, and (like my desktop) a 1Gbps NIC.  As an aside, I don't understand why
her rate isn't limited by the router to 100Mbps.

Ethtool reports that I have a speed of 1000Mb/s, Full Duplex, and
Auto-negotiation on.  I'll admit that I don't understand all of the
configuration options on the router.

My wife's laptop shows that the service and the router can do 500Mbps with a
1Gbps NIC.  The obvious difference between her laptop and my desktop is the
RAM (16GB vs. 4GB).  Is that the end of the story, or is there some way I can
get my desktop to do much better?

Thanks.

Re: Please help me find a good Debian compatible video card

[Steven Mainor]

I have to second the AMD cards. Their Open source drivers have improved 
by leaps and bounds over the last couple years. I honestly believe the 
open source drivers have even surpassed the closed source Nvidia ones 
now.


I know that in the past AMD drivers provided a worse experience because 
they were under developed but that simply isn't the case anymore in my 
opinion. And at least for me supporting a company that absolutely 
refuses to cooperate with open source communities (Nvidia) when there is 
a good alternative like AMD is hard to justify.



---
Steven Mainor

On 2020-04-26 05:46, tv.deb...@googlemail.com wrote:

On 25/04/2020 19:28, Alexander V. Makartsev wrote:

On 25.04.2020 16:20, Jiangsu Kumquat wrote:

I want to get a good fast Debian compatible card for 1080p.

I was looking at this page...

Best Graphics Cards 2020 - Top Gaming GPUs for the Money | Tom's 
Hardware

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

However, I think most or all of those cards won't work that great for
Linux because of compatibility issues.

Can you recommend a good card for me to use? I play windows games in
Debian with wine.

I tend to prefer AMD cards, but Nvidia cards are okay I guess as long
as they work well with Debian.

Thanks!!

_
PrivacyTools - Encryption and tools to protect against global mass
surveillance - https://www.privacytools.io -
https://www.reddit.com/r/privacytoolsIO/
--
More secure, more flexible, and completely free video conferencing. 
Go

ahead, video chat with the whole team. In fact, invite everyone you
know. Jitsi Meet is a fully encrypted, 100% open source video
conferencing solution that you can use all day, every day, for free —
with no account needed.
https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/


I highly recommend Nvidia-based cards, if you don't mind closed-source
drivers.
Many (Most?) games with Linux-native ports officially support only
Nvidia by game developers. I think, this is because of the drivers,
their quality and stability.
AMD-based card will usually work too, but (as long as I can remember)
quality of their drivers were something to be desired and drivers for
Linux are under heavy development, but they are open-source.
In case of Proton\WINE, you could get mixed results, because some 
games

(via DXVK) will work better with Nvidia and some are better with AMD.
"Better" here as in "less graphical glitches, more performance and
stability."
To play modern games in 1080p 60fps with high graphics settings you
would want minimum GTX1660 or better with 6Gb VRAM or more.



Hi, I have two kids and myself playing all kind of games on Steam
mainly, with protonplay (Steam customized Wine version), on regular
Wine, or standalone version (like GOG versions). All of us use AMD
cards and we could not be happier, I would not go back to dealing with
Nvidia drivers for anything. We used "Polaris10" generation cards
(like RX570 and RX580), "Vega10" generation (Vega RX 56), and
currently "Navy10" (5700XT).
With Debian Stable you might have to use backports packages for
optimal performances with the latest generation of GPU, but any
Polaris/Vega/RadeonVII should work fine. Here we run Debian Unstable
for the gaming/multimedia machines and everything just works without
the use of any proprietary drivers (aside from the firmware provided
by the non-free Debian "firmware-amd-graphics" package.

For game specific compatibility reports the "protondb" website
maintains a good database [1], but it is only valid for Steam
"Protonplay" platform. Of course there are many native games which run
great with Debian and an AMD card, if you have a few specific titles
in mind feel free to ask.

Hope it helps.


[1] https://www.protondb.com/

Re: using Webex from Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Friday, April 10, 2020 7:57 PM, Carl Fink wrote:

> I'm also sure it would work in a virtual Windows session, if you happen to
> have one around.

I do have a virtualbox Windows, but it's XP (one excuse being that it will
still drive an 18-year-old printer I like).  I tried to connect to Webex from
the virtual XP with Firefox 43.  Not surprisingly, Webex wanted me to upgrade
my OS (and not to Buster, presumably).


From: Carl Fink 
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2020 7:57 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: using Webex from Stretch

On 4/10/20 3:49 PM, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> I got what I needed yesterday, given that I didn't want to speak anyway.  I'm
> grateful for all the help here.  Now I need to read up on how to initiate a
> Webex conference (maybe from my wife's Windows box) so that I can do testing
> whenever I want.  And I need to locate a working microphone.

There is at least some success reported running Webex within Wine:
https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application=16455

I'm also sure it would work in a virtual Windows session, if you happen
to have
one around.

--
Carl Fink   nitpick...@nitpicking.com

Read my blog at blog.nitpicking.com.  Reviews!  Observations!

Re: using Webex from Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Monday, April 6, 2020 12:52 PM, I wrote:

> My employer is now having lots of audio/video conferences, some of which I
> should at least listen to.  Unfortunately, they are doing the conferences
> with Cisco Webex.  Webex uses an app that's not available for Debian Linux.

On Friday, April 10, 2020 3:55 AM, Curt  replied:

> There's a *browser extension* for Firefox. Have you installed it (there are
> security implications)?
>
> https://help.webex.com/en-us/nt8cif7/Cisco-Webex-Web-App-Meeting-Functionality

Yes, thank you.  On Wednesday, April 8, 2020 5:26 PM, I wrote:

> What I did was to get Webex's add-on cisco_webex_extension.xpi and add it
> to Firefox.

I have confirmed that that's the same extension as I get at the site you have
suggested.

On Friday, April 10, 2020 3:55 AM, Curt  replied:

> *Connect to Audio and Start Your Video*
> (Have you gone through these recommended steps and failed?)

Yesterday I did play more with the Webex settings and connected to a meeting
with good audio and video reception.  I did not have a chance to test a
microphone.  It seemed that I got no incoming sound unless I chose "Allow
Microphone".  Furthermore, whether I received sound depended on whether I
chose Mute or Unmute for my (non-existent) microphone.  I forget which
position allowed incoming sound.  I was surprised that it mattered.

I got what I needed yesterday, given that I didn't want to speak anyway.  I'm
grateful for all the help here.  Now I need to read up on how to initiate a
Webex conference (maybe from my wife's Windows box) so that I can do testing
whenever I want.  And I need to locate a working microphone.

Thanks again.


From: to...@tuxteam.de
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2020 4:33 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: using Webex from Stretch


On Fri, Apr 10, 2020 at 07:55:25AM -, Curt wrote:
> On 2020-04-06, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)  wrote:
> > My employer is now having lots of audio/video conferences, some of which I
> > should at least listen to.  Unfortunately, they are doing the conferences
> > with Cisco Webex.  Webex uses an app that's not available for Debian Linux.
> 
> There's a *browser extension* for Firefox. Have you installed it (there are
> security implications)?

Oh, c'mon. Cisco? Security implications? Say it ain't so! You must be
kidding [1] !!1!

Cheers

[1] https://prod.lwn.net/Articles/784758/
-- tomás

Re: using Webex from Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Thursday, April 9, 2020 8:50 AM, I wrote:

> I see that my Firefox is set to "Block websites from automatically playing
> sound". ...  I'll try changing that permission this afternoon and
> see if it works.

Alas, Webex was still unable to make an audio connection.  Someday I'll be
allowed to go back to my workplace and test the Buster machine there.  (Or I
could upgrade at home.)

On Monday, April 6, 2020 7:37 PM, Dan Ritter replied:

> However, if WebEx has a public SIP interface, you can have any
> SIP VOIP program -- there are lots of them -- talk directly to
> that, without passing through a telephone gateway.
>
> A little googling shows me this page:
>
> https://help.webex.com/en-us/7yxpa9/Join-a-Webex-Meeting-from-a-Video-System
>
> and this one:
>
> https://help.webex.com/en-us/7ej8gq/Requirements-for-Business-to-Business-B2B-SIP-Calls-To-and-From-the-Cisco-Webex-Cloud
>
> which might be helpful.

I'll try that too.  Meanwhile I'll just have to use my wife's Windows laptop.
Thanks for all the helpful discussions.


From: rhkra...@gmail.com 
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2020 11:21 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: using Webex from Stretch

On Thursday, April 09, 2020 07:09:35 AM Carl Fink wrote:
> On 4/9/20 2:37 AM, deloptes wrote:
> > Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> >> I was given two options.  If I chose "Use computer for audio", I got the
> >> errors above again.  If I chose "Call in", it just showed a phone
> >> number.

I assume (I know ;-) that when you see that phone number, the intention is
that you call in using a telephone.


>
> In Webex you can also have the meeting call you, which is what
> I do when I must use my phone. Generally I use computer audio,
> and give Firefox permission to use it (and my camera if desired).

Re: using Webex from Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Wednesday, April 8, 2020 5:26 PM, I wrote:

> Today I was able in a sense to join a Webex conference: I was connected and
> could see the list of participants and some chat text.  But I got no audio,
> and these messages:
>
> Can't Connect to Audio
> We're having a problem connecting to audio using your computer.  Choose
>   another audio connection option or try again.

On Thursday, April 9, 2020 2:37 AM, deloptes wrote:

> perhaps you have to enable the audio from firefox, because it is not enabled
> like in chrome.

and on Thursday, April 9, 2020 7:09 AM, Carl Fink wrote:

> Generally I use computer audio, and give Firefox permission to use it (and my
> camera if desired).

This is interesting.  I see that my Firefox is set to "Block websites from
automatically playing sound".  I hadn't realized that, because if I play a
YouTube video or movie trailer in Firefox, I get the sound just fine anyway.
That's confusing, but I'll try changing that permission this afternoon and
see if it works.

Thanks again.


From: Carl Fink 
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2020 7:09 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: using Webex from Stretch

On 4/9/20 2:37 AM, deloptes wrote:
> Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
>
>> I was given two options.  If I chose "Use computer for audio", I got the
>> errors above again.  If I chose "Call in", it just showed a phone number.
>> The result was the same whether I allowed them to use my microphone or
>> not. I don't know if video would have worked, as they were blocking it due
>> to bandwidth limits.
> perhaps you have to enable the audio from firefox, because it is not enabled
> like in chrome.
In Webex you can also have the meeting call you, which is what
I do when I must use my phone. Generally I use computer audio,
and give Firefox permission to use it (and my camera if desired).

--
Carl Fink   nitpick...@nitpicking.com

Read my blog at blog.nitpicking.com.  Reviews!  Observations!

Re: using Webex from Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Monday, April 6, 2020 12:52 PM, I wrote:

> My employer is now having lots of audio/video conferences, some of which I
> should at least listen to.  Unfortunately, they are doing the conferences
> with Cisco Webex.  Webex uses an app that's not available for Debian Linux.

On Monday, April 6, 2020 6:27 PM, Carl Fink  replied:

> I attended a Webex meeting earlier today using this Debian Stable box. It
> worked perfectly. It's hard to properly host a meeting or record it from
> Linux, but audio and video work great. Just use their so-called "web app"
> (which is really just a web site and lots of JavaScript).

I did what I think you were suggesting and got partway there.  What I did was
to get Webex's add-on cisco_webex_extension.xpi and add it to Firefox.  Today
I was able in a sense to join a Webex conference: I was connected and could
see the list of participants and some chat text.  But I got no audio, and
these messages:

Can't Connect to Audio
We're having a problem connecting to audio using your computer.  Choose
  another audio connection option or try again.

I was given two options.  If I chose "Use computer for audio", I got the
errors above again.  If I chose "Call in", it just showed a phone number.
The result was the same whether I allowed them to use my microphone or not.
I don't know if video would have worked, as they were blocking it due to
bandwidth limits.

I seem to have gotten closer.  Any ideas on how to get an audio connection?
There will be two more conferences I can try tomorrow.

> Wait. Why can't Steven use a cellular phone while sitting at his desktop?

I can and did for a test.  But I don't own (and don't want to own) a
cellphone, so I borrowed one.  Let's not start a long OT thread on why I
don't want a cellphone.

Thanks to everyone for the other suggestions as well, which I have not yet
tried.


From: Carl Fink 
Sent: Monday, April 6, 2020 10:54 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: using Webex from Stretch

On 4/6/20 9:20 PM, Russell L. Harris wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 04:52:41PM +, Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)
> wrote:
>> My employer is now having lots of audio/video conferences, some of
>> which I
>> should at least listen to.  Unfortunately, they are doing the
>> conferences
>> with Cisco Webex.  Webex uses an app that's not available for Debian
>> Linux.
> ...
>> To avoid the phone charge, I can use a cellphone that has unlimited free
>> minutes.  But I'd rather sit at my desktop.
>
> If all else fails, there are Bluetooth devices which act as a headset
> to a cellular phone, providing analogue audio output (balanced and
> unbalanced) which you can feed to the computer, either directly, or
> through a USB interface box; see jkaudio.com.  Of course, the computer
> can record the conference, Audacity being a dead-simple approach.
Wait. Why can't Steven use a cellular phone while sitting at his desktop?

Although, again, Webex's web interface works great in Firefox on Stable.

--
Carl Fink   nitpick...@nitpicking.com

Read my blog at blog.nitpicking.com.  Reviews!  Observations!

using Webex from Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

My employer is now having lots of audio/video conferences, some of which I
should at least listen to.  Unfortunately, they are doing the conferences
with Cisco Webex.  Webex uses an app that's not available for Debian Linux.
I've tried Webex's test site and have concluded that getting the full
audio/video conference is not an option.  Mostly (so far) I don't need video
anyway.  For audio only, Webex does let me call in to a toll telephone number
and enter an event code.  That works.

To avoid the phone charge, I can use a cellphone that has unlimited free
minutes.  But I'd rather sit at my desktop.  It seems VoIP should let me
connect to the toll number for free.  There are many Linux VoIP programs, but
I haven't tried them yet.  Do such programs require everyone at both ends to
be running the same program (as is done with Skype)?

Can you recommend one or more VoIP programs that allow toll-free access?  I'm
running Stretch with a simple window manager (fvwm), not Gnome or KDE.

Thanks.

Re: August 10, 2019

[Steven Mainor]

No ants yet. I have occasionally had problems with other types of bugs. But 
that is to be expected with any piece of software. 
--
Steven Mainor

On August 11, 2019 11:36:28 AM EDT, Andy Smith  wrote:
>On Sat, Aug 10, 2019 at 10:53:29PM +, Randy Demerchant wrote:
>>  I like to know can I install and use Debian on eithers of these two
>system with out ant problems
>
>I've never had ant problems with Debian, but maybe stop eating over
>the keyboard unless you want ants, because that's how you get ants.
>
>Cheers,
>Andy

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

I bought a turris omnia router recently and so far it has worked out pretty 
well. 
--
Steven Mainor

On August 9, 2019 12:59:34 PM EDT, Reco  wrote:
>On Fri, Aug 09, 2019 at 06:16:21PM +0200, deloptes wrote:
>> John Hasler wrote:
>> 
>> >  Steven Mainor writes:
>> >  > It looks like there are some ESPRESSOBIN v7s on Amazon right
>now.
>> > 
>> > Excellent.  When I looked yesterday Amazon said "None available". 
>I
>> > think I'll order one today.  The ancient Dell I'm now using as a
>> > router/firewall is getting flaky.  I've wanted to replace it some
>time
>> > but I want something ARM-based.  This is the first suitable board
>I've
>> > seen that has dual ethernet.  I'll stick it in a box along with the
>> > modem, the switch, and a power supply.
>> 
>> This one was very appealing 
>>
>https://www.amazon.de/DMC-Taiwan-Industrial-Networking-Processor/dp/B07T3TWYLJ/ref=sr_1_11?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91=acrosser=1561237800=gateway=8-11
>
>$430 for a router? Surely you're kidding.
>
>This one is five times cheaper *and* it can run Debian or openwrt:
>
>https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Dual-Band-Wireless-Gigabit-WRT1200AC/dp/B00UVN20T0/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=linksys+wrt+1200=1565369861=gateway=8-2
>
>Reco

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

It looks like there are some ESPRESSOBIN v7s on Amazon right now. 
--
Steven Mainor

On August 8, 2019 11:16:44 PM EDT, John Hasler  wrote:
>Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
>> Disregarding OSHW I agree that above options are good highlights. 
>> Additionally I suggest Olimex A64-Olinuxino and ESPRESSObin, both 
>> (unlike above options) known to be mainlined and work with Debian 
>> Buster.
>
>The ESPRESSObin would fulfill my requirements, but does not appear to
>actually be available.
>-- 
>John Hasler 
>jhas...@newsguy.com
>Elmwood, WI USA

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

So is the general consensus that there are no modern SBCs powerful enough to 
run nextcloud on (apache, mariadb, php) or a mail server (typical postfix, 
dovecot, opendkim, SpamAssassin etc... ) for a handful of people? That seems 
hard to believe. 

--
Steven Mainor

On August 8, 2019 12:14:23 PM EDT, Jonas Smedegaard  wrote:
>Quoting Reco (2019-08-08 17:25:02)
>> Hi.
>> 
>> On Thu, Aug 08, 2019 at 04:54:17PM +0200, Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
>> > > > > Then Intel stopped making desktop boards and I wanted ZFS.
>ZFS 
>> > > > > wants ECC memory.  It was time to migrate to server hardware.
>> > > > 
>> > > > My understanding is that ZFS's need / desire for ECC is 
>> > > > something of a myth. It's certainly true that many ZFS /
>FreeNAS 
>> > > > *users* have such a need, but the filesystem itself apparently 
>> > > > doesn't:
>> > > > 
>> > > >
>https://jrs-s.net/2015/02/03/will-zfs-and-non-ecc-ram-kill-your-data/
>> > > 
>> > > To summarize: if you're running ZFS, it can protect you from lots
>
>> > > of sources of data corruption. It can't protect you from RAM 
>> > > errors without ECC, so you should opt for ECC if integrity is
>your 
>> > > goal.
>> > > 
>> > > None of the other filesystems protect you against RAM errors 
>> > > either, so this is not a special requirement of ZFS.
>> > 
>> > ECC memory is rare among ARM SBCs, but Helios4 uses ECC memory!
>> 
>> ... with the only problem being the quantity of such RAM.
>> 
>> A typical Helios4 board has whopping 2Gb of RAM, which is about 4 
>> times lower than needed for comfortable ZFS usage (assuming that
>zpool 
>> size is measured in terabytes) and a user intends to run something 
>> more than a OS kernel and sshd. That estimation deliberately excludes
>
>> all advanced ZFS features (such as compression, encryption and 
>> deduplication).
>> 
>> IMO for such RAM sizes it's better to use old trusted MDRAID, LVM, 
>> ext4 and a new kid on the block - dm-integrity (all the needed tools 
>> are in buster, but some assembly is required).
>
>For the record I did not recommend using ZFS on low-end hardware.
>
>The OP asked for advice in buying low-end ARM-based hardware for use as
>
>server, and I pointed out that one ARM SBC (likely the only relatively 
>cheap one) is known to use ECC memory - which (as the previous poster 
>pointed out) is interesting _independently_ of choice of filesystem.
>
>Personally I use ext4 with journaling enabled, on either conventional 
>rotating disks, SSDs, or sdcards (no RAID involved).
>
>
> - Jonas
>
>-- 
> * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
> * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
>
> [x] quote me freely  [ ] ask before reusing  [ ] keep private

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

I would say a server is any piece of software or hardware that serves data to 
other devices.

I have run an apache2/mariadb/php server from an old laptop with a headless LTS 
Linux for over two years without issue.

Surely you aren't saying only a rack mounted 64 core monstrosity with a TB of 
ram is qualified to be called a "server"

For my needs, I doubt anything more than a modern single board computer is 
necessary. At least as far as compute power is concerned.

--
Steven Mainor

On August 7, 2019 10:53:52 AM EDT, deloptes  wrote:

Steven Mainor wrote:

I would like to keep the budget under $500 not including the hard drive(s)
I already have drives. Less is better.


When I read server hardware I understand also server hardware. It has many
CPUs a lot of ram, redundant power supply etc. It consumes a lot of power
and costs a lot.
For under 500 you can not get any of this and for your use case you do not
need this as well.

Years ago I build one to serve our needs at home. It has 4 virtual CPU and
32GB RAM - it uses 85Watt of power when not under load and it goes to above
100 if I compile software on it. It uses 10Watt more if I run a virtual
machine (virtual box or vmware - I do not test containers, but I assume
this will add overhead). The disks (I have 8) use also 3-5Watt each. Buying
newer - larger disks, pays off, but it is insignificant what you save on
power per year, most is burned by the CPU, so choose CPU and mainboard
carefully.
Unless you do not have to, avoid virtualization - it costs more energy.

I hope this helps


--
Steven Mainor

On August 7, 2019 10:53:52 AM EDT, deloptes  wrote:
>Steven Mainor wrote:
>
>> I would like to keep the budget under $500 not including the hard
>drive(s)
>> I already have drives. Less is better.
>
>When I read server hardware I understand also server hardware. It has
>many
>CPUs a lot of ram, redundant power supply etc. It consumes a lot of
>power
>and costs a lot.
>For under 500 you can not get any of this and for your use case you do
>not
>need this as well.
>
>Years ago I build one to serve our needs at home. It has 4 virtual CPU
>and
>32GB RAM - it uses 85Watt of power when not under load and it goes to
>above
>100 if I compile software on it. It uses 10Watt more if I run a virtual
>machine (virtual box or vmware - I do not test containers, but I assume
>this will add overhead). The disks (I have 8) use also 3-5Watt each.
>Buying
>newer - larger disks, pays off, but it is insignificant what you save
>on
>power per year, most is burned by the CPU, so choose CPU and mainboard
>carefully.
>Unless you do not have to, avoid virtualization - it costs more energy.
>
>I hope this helps

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

Perhaps you are right about usb 2.0. And the Olimex A64-OLinuXino does seem 
like a solid option otherwise.

I wasn't able to verify which usb the Olimex A64-OLinuXino had. It didn't 
specifically say on the specs page. And the github link for the schematic seems 
to be broken. 

https://github.com/OLIMEX/OLINUXINO/blob/master/HARDWARE/A64-OLinuXino/A64-OlinuXino_Rev_C.pdf
--
Steven Mainor

On August 7, 2019 4:21:25 AM EDT, Jonas Smedegaard  wrote:
>Quoting Reco (2019-08-07 08:53:52)
>> On Wed, Aug 07, 2019 at 01:29:21AM -0400, Steven Mainor wrote:
>> > I'm looking for advice on how to build a home server with a primary
>
>> > focus on security. I plan to run nextcloud and a mail server that 
>> > will serve 3 to 5 people at most.
>> > 
>> > My requirements are:
>> > 
>> > A server setup that can be run with completely open source software
>
>> > and doesn't require any binaries to boot. I don't trust anything 
>> > closed source for this particular project.
>> > 
>> > A gigabit ethernet port.
>> > 
>> > A USB3.0 port or SATA connector to attach storage to.
>> > 
>> > Enough processor power and ram to run nextcloud and the mail server
>
>> > from an encrypted hard drive (LUKS) efficiently with moderate 
>> > throughput saving and reading files from nextcloud.
>> 
>>  These fit all your requirements (i.e. it'll run stock buster kernel 
>> without any additional firmware):
>> 
>> Helios4 - [1]. 4 SATA ports controller attached to PCI-E.
>> GnuBee - [2]. 6 SATA ports attached to PCI-E.
>> Odroid HC2 - [3]. Single SATA port, attached to USB bus.
>
>No powerful computers exist today completely without non-free parts: 
>Since you point to Open Source Hardware below, beware that none of
>above 
>devices are OSHWA certified: https://certification.oshwa.org/list.html
>- 
>if however your freedom concerns are limited to _software_ parts then
>it 
>is easier: Look for boards supported in mainline Linux and u-boot, and 
>supported in Debian!
>
>Disregarding OSHW I agree that above options are good highlights. 
>Additionally I suggest Olimex A64-Olinuxino and ESPRESSObin, both 
>(unlike above options) known to be mainlined and work with Debian 
>Buster.
>
>Personally, for hosting mail + Nextcloud for a small team I would 
>tolerate USB2.0 and use the OSHWA certified board Olimex A64-Olinuxino.
>
>Only for heavy professional demands (e.g. an advertising agency pushing
>
>big files across a LAN all the time) I would use a Helios4.
>
>
>> > So far I have been looking at single board computers like the ones 
>> > listed here: https://wiki.debian.org/CheapServerBoxHardware#OSHW
>
>Happy to see that list being of use beyond the FreedomBox project and
>my 
>own competing https://solidbox.org/ :-)
>
>Please note that above list is limited to more consumer-oriented
>devices 
>than your spec needs - e.g. must be sold with a proper case and be 
>cheaper than you tolerate.
>
>
>> That list is outdated somewhat. But it gave me good ideas back in the
>
>> day.
>
>Care to elaborate?
>
>
> - Jonas
>
>-- 
> * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
> * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
>
> [x] quote me freely  [ ] ask before reusing  [ ] keep private

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

Thanks for the reply. Those seem like options to consider. The pre-orders for 
the helios4 seem to be sold out for now. 
--
Steven Mainor

On August 7, 2019 2:53:52 AM EDT, Reco  wrote:
>On Wed, Aug 07, 2019 at 01:29:21AM -0400, Steven Mainor wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I'm looking for advice on how to build a home server with a primary
>focus on 
>> security. I plan to run nextcloud and a mail server that will serve 3
>to 5 
>> people at most.
>> 
>> My requirements are:
>> 
>> A server setup that can be run with completely open source software
>and 
>> doesn't require any binaries to boot. I don't trust anything closed
>source for 
>> this particular project.
>> 
>> A gigabit ethernet port.
>> 
>> A USB3.0 port or SATA connector to attach storage to.
>> 
>> Enough processor power and ram to run nextcloud and the mail server
>from an 
>> encrypted hard drive (LUKS) efficiently with moderate throughput
>saving and 
>> reading files from nextcloud.
>
> These fit all your requirements (i.e. it'll run stock buster kernel
>without any additional firmware):
>
>Helios4 - [1]. 4 SATA ports controller attached to PCI-E.
>GnuBee - [2]. 6 SATA ports attached to PCI-E.
>Odroid HC2 - [3]. Single SATA port, attached to USB bus.
>
>
>> So far I have been looking at single board computers like the ones
>listed 
>> here: https://wiki.debian.org/CheapServerBoxHardware#OSHW
>
>That list is outdated somewhat. But it gave me good ideas back in the
>day. 
>
>Reco
>
>[1] https://kobol.io/
>[2] http://gnubee.org/
>[3] https://www.hardkernel.com/shop/odroid-hc2-home-cloud-two/

Re: Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

You are correct. That was an oversight.

Of all the items on that page I could probably afford the screwdriver and the 
heatsinks.

I would like to keep the budget under $500 not including the hard drive(s) I 
already have drives. Less is better. 
--
Steven Mainor

On August 7, 2019 1:52:15 AM EDT, Richard Hector  wrote:
>On 7/08/19 5:29 PM, Steven Mainor wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I'm looking for advice on how to build a home server with a primary
>focus on 
>> security. I plan to run nextcloud and a mail server that will serve 3
>to 5 
>> people at most.
>> 
>> My requirements are:
>> 
>> A server setup that can be run with completely open source software
>and 
>> doesn't require any binaries to boot. I don't trust anything closed
>source for 
>> this particular project.
>> 
>> A gigabit ethernet port.
>> 
>> A USB3.0 port or SATA connector to attach storage to.
>> 
>> Enough processor power and ram to run nextcloud and the mail server
>from an 
>> encrypted hard drive (LUKS) efficiently with moderate throughput
>saving and 
>> reading files from nextcloud.
>> 
>> I would just build something x86 based but the amd/intel Platform
>Security 
>> Processor/IME stuff makes me nervous.
>> 
>> So far I have been looking at single board computers like the ones
>listed 
>> here: https://wiki.debian.org/CheapServerBoxHardware#OSHW
>> 
>> I like the OLinuXino A20 LIME2 but I am not sure the processor will
>be enough 
>> to handle the overhead from an encrypted hard drive. I also don't
>like that it 
>> is only 32-bit since that will limit the file size nextcloud can
>handle as I 
>> understand it.
>> 
>> Is there anything similar to the OLinuXino A20 LIME2 but more
>powerful or is 
>> there a better option I haven't read about yet?
>
>You haven't mentioned a budget, but strong emphasis on security and
>openness ...
>
>https://www.raptorcs.com/TALOSII/ ?
>
>Richard

Server hardware advice.

[Steven Mainor]

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice on how to build a home server with a primary focus on 
security. I plan to run nextcloud and a mail server that will serve 3 to 5 
people at most.

My requirements are:

A server setup that can be run with completely open source software and 
doesn't require any binaries to boot. I don't trust anything closed source for 
this particular project.

A gigabit ethernet port.

A USB3.0 port or SATA connector to attach storage to.

Enough processor power and ram to run nextcloud and the mail server from an 
encrypted hard drive (LUKS) efficiently with moderate throughput saving and 
reading files from nextcloud.

I would just build something x86 based but the amd/intel Platform Security 
Processor/IME stuff makes me nervous.

So far I have been looking at single board computers like the ones listed 
here: https://wiki.debian.org/CheapServerBoxHardware#OSHW

I like the OLinuXino A20 LIME2 but I am not sure the processor will be enough 
to handle the overhead from an encrypted hard drive. I also don't like that it 
is only 32-bit since that will limit the file size nextcloud can handle as I 
understand it.

Is there anything similar to the OLinuXino A20 LIME2 but more powerful or is 
there a better option I haven't read about yet?

--
Steven Mainor

[fixed] Re: Numeric keypad not working on Gnome lock screen

[Steven Post]

(Please keep me in CC, as I'm not subscribed to the mailing list)

On Tue, 2019-06-25 at 14:56 +0200, Steven Post wrote:
> On Mon, 2019-06-24 at 22:15 +0200, Steven Post wrote:
> > (Please keep me in CC, as I'm not subscribed to the mailing list)
> > 
> > On Sun, 2019-06-23 at 19:16 +0300, andreimpope...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > On Lu, 13 mai 19, 11:29:10, Steven Post wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > Recently the numeric keypad stopped working on the Gnome lock
> > > > screen.
> > > 
> > > More information would be necessary here, e.g. what Debian
> > > version
> > > you 
> > > are running, if you upgraded any packages recently, etc.
> > 
> > I'm running Debian 9 (stable), up-to-date.
> > 
> > > 
> > > > When booting, the numlock is in the 'off' state and I can
> > > > simply
> > > > turn
> > > > it on by pressing the numlock key'. When I lock the screen
> > > > (Super+L),
> > > > the numlock light is still on, but pressing a number activates
> > > > the
> > > > second function (arrow, pg up, etc.), I can get numbers by
> > > > holding the
> > > > 'shift' key, but not by setting the numlock in either ON of
> > > > OFF.
> > > 
> > > Is your keypad working correctly everywhere outside the lock
> > > screen?
> > 
> > Yes, although it is off by default, except after logging into
> > Gnome.
> > The problem only exists with the lock screen, it works normally on
> > the login
> > screen (gdm3).
> 
> Update, I noticed that it shows the same issue when entering a wi-fi
> password, or root password.

The issue disappeared after removing 'zoom' (a meeting application) and
its dependency ibus.

> 
> > 
> > > 
> > > Kind regards,
> > > Andrei
> > 
> > Regards,
> > Steven

signature.asc
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Re: Numeric keypad not working on Gnome lock screen

[Steven Post]

On Mon, 2019-06-24 at 22:15 +0200, Steven Post wrote:
> (Please keep me in CC, as I'm not subscribed to the mailing list)
> 
> On Sun, 2019-06-23 at 19:16 +0300, andreimpope...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Lu, 13 mai 19, 11:29:10, Steven Post wrote:
> > > 
> > > Recently the numeric keypad stopped working on the Gnome lock
> > > screen.
> > 
> > More information would be necessary here, e.g. what Debian version
> > you 
> > are running, if you upgraded any packages recently, etc.
> 
> I'm running Debian 9 (stable), up-to-date.
> 
> > 
> > > When booting, the numlock is in the 'off' state and I can simply
> > > turn
> > > it on by pressing the numlock key'. When I lock the screen
> > > (Super+L),
> > > the numlock light is still on, but pressing a number activates
> > > the
> > > second function (arrow, pg up, etc.), I can get numbers by
> > > holding the
> > > 'shift' key, but not by setting the numlock in either ON of OFF.
> > 
> > Is your keypad working correctly everywhere outside the lock
> > screen?
> 
> Yes, although it is off by default, except after logging into Gnome.
> The problem only exists with the lock screen, it works normally on
> the login
> screen (gdm3).

Update, I noticed that it shows the same issue when entering a wi-fi
password, or root password.

> 
> > 
> > Kind regards,
> > Andrei
> 
> Regards,
> Steven

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Re: Numeric keypad not working on Gnome lock screen

[Steven Post]

(Please keep me in CC, as I'm not subscribed to the mailing list)

On Sun, 2019-06-23 at 19:16 +0300, andreimpope...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Lu, 13 mai 19, 11:29:10, Steven Post wrote:
> > 
> > Recently the numeric keypad stopped working on the Gnome lock screen.
> 
> More information would be necessary here, e.g. what Debian version you 
> are running, if you upgraded any packages recently, etc.

I'm running Debian 9 (stable), up-to-date.

> 
> > When booting, the numlock is in the 'off' state and I can simply turn
> > it on by pressing the numlock key'. When I lock the screen (Super+L),
> > the numlock light is still on, but pressing a number activates the
> > second function (arrow, pg up, etc.), I can get numbers by holding the
> > 'shift' key, but not by setting the numlock in either ON of OFF.
> 
> Is your keypad working correctly everywhere outside the lock screen?

Yes, although it is off by default, except after logging into Gnome.
The problem only exists with the lock screen, it works normally on the login
screen (gdm3).

> 
> Kind regards,
> Andrei

Regards,
Steven

signature.asc
Description: This is a digitally signed message part

Numeric keypad not working on Gnome lock screen

[Steven Post]

Hi,

Recently the numeric keypad stopped working on the Gnome lock screen.
When booting, the numlock is in the 'off' state and I can simply turn
it on by pressing the numlock key'. When I lock the screen (Super+L),
the numlock light is still on, but pressing a number activates the
second function (arrow, pg up, etc.), I can get numbers by holding the
'shift' key, but not by setting the numlock in either ON of OFF.

Any help in fixing this is appreciated.

Kinds regards,
Steven

PS: please keep me in CC, as I'm not subscribed to the mailing list.

signature.asc
Description: This is a digitally signed message part

Troubles with my keyboard

[Steven]

Hi everyone,

yesterday i had  a strange trouble with my debian. my keyboard suddenly 
stopped working. i tried another keyboard, reboot but nothing helped. i 
did a restart and the mate login manager let me type in my username and 
password, but after the login the keyboard did not respond again.


i created another user and then it worked again, the only message i 
found from .xsession.log was:


-session-manager[8382]: WARNING: Could not launch application 
'notify-osd.desktop': Unable to start application: Kindprozess 
»/usr/lib/notify-osd/notify-osd« konnte nicht ausgeführt werden (Datei 
oder Verzeichnis nicht gefunden)

SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/run/user/1000/keyring/ssh

(mate-settings-daemon:8454): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_widget_size_allocate(): 
attempt to allocate widget with width -1 and height 1


(mate-panel:8462): Gtk-WARNING **: Allocating size to PanelToplevel 
0x556b5df4be90 without calling gtk_widget_get_preferred_width/height(). 
How does the code know the size to allocate?


(mate-panel:8462): Gtk-WARNING **: Allocating size to PanelToplevel 
0x556b5e120200 without calling gtk_widget_get_preferred_width/height(). 
How does the code know the size to allocate?
Gtk-Message: GtkDialog mapped without a transient parent. This is 
discouraged.
Warnung der Fensterverwaltung:CurrentTime used to choose focus window; 
focus window may not be correct.
Warnung der Fensterverwaltung:Got a request to focus the no_focus_window 
with a timestamp of 0.  This shouldn't happen!
[1541198036,000,xklavier.c:xkl_engine_start_listen/]     The backend 
does not require manual layout management - but it is provided by the 
application
Gdk-Message: mate-volume-control-applet: Fatal IO error 11 (Die 
Ressource ist zur Zeit nicht verfügbar) on X server :0.


Gdk-Message: evolution-alarm-notify: Fatal IO error 11 (Die Ressource 
ist zur Zeit nicht verfügbar) on X server :0.


Gdk-Message: mate-screensaver: Fatal IO error 11 (Die Ressource ist zur 
Zeit nicht verfügbar) on X server :0.


Gdk-Message: nm-applet: Fatal IO error 11 (Die Ressource ist zur Zeit 
nicht verfügbar) on X server :0.



i tried to reinstall mate and notify-osd but the file is still missing. 
the new user has no such problems.



has someone a clue what's going on here ??


best regards,

steven

Re: Configuratie tools, cockpit-project.org

[Steven Moerman]

Wat denk je van puppet?

Op za 13 okt. 2018 19:23 schreef Paul van der Vlis :

> Op 13-10-18 om 18:26 schreef Geert Stappers:
> > On Sat, Oct 13, 2018 at 05:02:13PM +0200, Paul van der Vlis wrote:
> >> Op 13-10-18 om 16:37 schreef Bas Neve:
> >>> Ik heb eens gekeken naar grafische configuratie tools op debian.
> >>> Is er meer mogelijk dan CfEngine, Awx en salt ?
> >>
> >> Is een webinterface ook een grafische configuratie tool? Dan wil je
> >> misschien eens kijken naar cockpit:
> >> https://cockpit-project.org/
> >> https://packages.debian.org/stretch-backports/cockpit
> >
> > Die zegt:
> >   "Cockpit runs in a browser and can manage your network of GNU/Linux
> machines."
> >
> > Toen verder gekeken, op https://cockpit-project.org/ideals.html staat
> >
> > | Cockpit is not configuration management
> > |
> > | Cockpit itself does not have a predefined template or state for
> > | the server that it then imposes on the server. It is imperative
> > | configuration rather than declarative configuration.
> > |
> > | Cockpit may expose UI elements that interact with configuration
> > | management style software installed on the server. Such software may
> > | have a declarative configuration, as one would expect. But Cockpit
> > | itself has no concept of configuration management, or a desired state
> > | for the server.
> >
> > Wanneer is Cockpit project nuttig?
> Ik heb niet veel ervaring met Cockpit en gebruik het zelf ook niet. Maar
> liep er laatst tegenaan.
>
> Wellicht is het bruikbaar als je van grafische interfaces houdt en b.v.
> zo je logs wilt lezen o.i.d.
>
> Nu ik hoor dat Bas een heel stel desktop PC's wil beheren, lijkt het me
> niet zo geschikt. Cockpit is meer bedoeld voor servers.
>
> Groet,
> Paul
>
> --
> Paul van der Vlis Linux systeembeheer Groningen
> https://www.vandervlis.nl/
>
>

RE: where does fvwm get its xterm icon? [SOLVED]

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Mon Sep 10 08:47:39 EDT 2018, I wrote:

> I can't figure out where fvwm is getting the xpm icon for an xterm. ...
> In Debian 7, calling null.xpm gives me no xpm icon, just a title bar labeled
> "syrano".  I prefer this because it's very small.

I now have this all working as I wanted.  First I made a 0-pixel null.xpm:

/* XPM */
static char * null_xpm[] = {
"68 0 1 2",
"O  c None"};

(The white space after `O' is space-tab.)   This declares the image to have 0
rows.  It didn't work unless I defined at least one color.  I thought the
width (68 pixels) would be irrelevant but found it determines the width of
the label under the (null) xterm icon.  An alternative is to define a real
pixel array all with color "None".  This gives a transparent icon, but it has
a real size that influences its positioning.

In ~/.fvwm/config, I have:

Style "XTerm"   IconOverride
Style "XTerm"   Icon /usr/share/pixmaps/null.xpm, SloppyFocus, IconBox 
200x200-1+0

Surprisingly, I had to give the full pathname for null.xpm even if I put it
in /usr/share/pixmaps.

Finally was a timing issue.  My ~/.xinitrc now has this:

xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title syrano -e ssh syrano &
sleep 1
xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title numbat -e ssh numbat &
sleep 1
/usr/bin/firefox -width 1300 -height 1100 &

Without the sleeps, the behavior was erratic.  Often one or both xterm icons
would default to an XT symbol that matches
/usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm or to an active little screenshot.
Calling the xterms from ~/.fvwm/config did not solve that problem.

All of this worked without calling IconOverride, but if I called a new xterm
from the shell and reduced it, I got a default icon unless I had called
IconOverride.

Anyway, I have what I wanted now and again thank all of you for your many
helpful suggestions.

RE: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On September 21, 2018 11:35 PM, David Wright wrote:

>> That sounds like a different problem: a race between fvwm and the
>> xterms over which order they start in. The manner in which the race
>> affects me is that my (open) xterms get mapped all over the place
>> instead of where I want them placed. The fix is simple except that
>> the package required never made it past squeeze, so you'd need to
>> visit the archives, specifically:

On Saturday, September 22, 2018 1:55 AM, Nicolas George responded:

> The real fix is even simpler: start your X11 clients from Fvwm's
> InitFunction, not from .xinitrc.

Good idea.  But I (original poster) just tried it, and once again the icon
for the xterm appeared as a live screenshot instead of smplayer.xpm, which I
had defined (for testing purposes) in ~/.fvwm/config.  Including "Test
(Init)" in the InitFunction didn't help.  Thanks.

RE: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Mon Sep 10 08:47:39 EDT 2018, I wrote:

>> I can't figure out where fvwm is getting the xpm icon for an xterm.

On Wednesday, September 19, 2018 2:27 PM, David Wright replied:

> ... If you look at the man page, it explains the
> old option -n and says "If no suitable icon is found, xterm provides a
> compiled-in pixmap" which would correspond to your reported behaviour
> as it can't find /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/null.xpm.

Thanks.  That could to explain how it comes up with the mini.xterm_48x48.xpm
image in /usr/share/pixmaps even when I overwrite it with something else.

As a test, I put this line into ~/.fvwm/config:
  Style xterm Icon /usr/share/pixmaps/gimp.xpm

I also had these in ~/.xinitrc:
  xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title syrano -e ssh syrano &
  xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title numbat -e ssh numbat &

Then I went through many cycles of exiting fvwm and calling startx.  The
icons for the two xterms varied a lot from one trial to the next but were
always either the mini.xterm_48x48.xpm image, a live screenshot, or the
intended gimp.xpm.  At some point I noticed that whichever xterm icon came up
first usually got gimp.xpm, while the second xterm got one of the other two
images.  This seemed to be time-dependent, in other words.  When I added
"sleep 1" between the two xterm calls in .xinitrc, I consistently got
gimp.xpm for both icons, as well as for any xterms I called from the command
line and iconized.

For reasons I can't guess, this did not work with another standard xpm
(inkspace.xpm).  It did work with smplayer.xpm.  It did not work with my
0-byte null.xpm or a 1-pixel red xpm that I created.  The icons display in
reproducible positions on the desktop, but they are not the same positions I
saw before switching to gimp.xpm.  I have a little more work to do.

Thanks again.

From: David Wright [deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 2:27 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

As you seem to be having trouble, here's a fuller answer than the one
I posted before.

On Mon 17 Sep 2018 at 12:05:35 (+), Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> I can't figure out where fvwm is getting the xpm icon for an xterm.  The
> issue started when I upgraded from Debian v7 (fvwm 1:2.5.30) to Debian v9
> (fvwm 1:2.6.7-3).  In both cases fvwm-icons was also installed.

>From /usr/share/pixmaps/.

> I have this in ~/.fvwm/config:
> Style "XTerm"   Icon null.xpm, SloppyFocus, IconBox 200x200-1+8
>
> where null.xpm is intended to call /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/null.xpm, a
> zero-byte file I created.

Then you need to have

Style xterm Icon fvwm/null.xpm

or it won't be found in that subdirectory.

That said, I would put the Icon in a directory like
/usr/local/share/fvwm/ or /home/david/.fvwm/null.xpm rather than
polluting the package's own files.

Again, that said, a zero-length file doesn't work for me on stretch.
I haven't tried jessie or wheezy.

> When startx is called, it gets this from ~/.xinitrc:

I use .xsession …

> xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title syrano -e ssh syrano &

… and I don't use -iconic so that's untested here.

> No matter what I list in config, the xterm icon that comes up matches
> /usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm (an icon with a blue `T' over a red
> `X').  If I copy some other xpm on top of that and do startx again, I still
> get the original mini.xterm_48x48.xpm image.  Furthermore,
> /usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm still shows an access time from weeks
> ago. It seems that fvwm has that image cached or built in somehow.

That does seem likely. If you look at the man page, it explains the
old option -n and says "If no suitable icon is found, xterm provides a
compiled-in pixmap" which would correspond to your reported behaviour
as it can't find /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/null.xpm.

> Once
> fvwm is up, if I call "xterm &" and convert that to an icon, it appears as a
> live window screenshot, not as mini.xterm_48x48.xpm.

That's because at this point I assume you hadn't added

Style xterm IconOverride

to prevent it. As I wrote before, iconification is quite complex,
even before you add in fvwm's options.

> In Debian 7, calling null.xpm gives me no xpm icon, just a title bar labeled
> "syrano".  I prefer this because it's very small.

If you just want a small icon, why not just shrink it; say:

$ convert /usr/share/pixmaps/…whatever….xpm -resize 48x24 .fvwm/small.xpm

Even a 1x1 icon makes a (not very useful) mark on the screen (until you
hover over it).

Cheers,
David.

RE: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Mon Sep 10 08:47:39 EDT 2018, I wrote:

>> No matter what I list in config, the xterm icon that comes up matches
>> /usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm (an icon with a blue `T' over a red
>> `X').  If I copy some other xpm on top of that and do startx again, I still
>> get the original mini.xterm_48x48.xpm image.

On Tuesday, September 18, 2018 2:15 AM, Thomas Schmitt asked:

> Did you try the settings which helped me to get some normal icon and
> to deactivate the shell as long as the window is iconized ?
>
>   Style "XTerm"   IconOverride
>   Style "XTerm"   Icon display.xpm

I just tried that and called gimp.xpm.  On calling startx, I still got the
inevitable mini.xterm_48x48.xpm image.  Thanks for the idea.

From: Thomas Schmitt [scdbac...@gmx.net]
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2018 2:15 AM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Cc: Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)
Subject: Re: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

Hi,

Kleene, Steven wrote:
> Yes.  If I put the cursor in the little screenshot and type a command
> (echoed in a font too small to read), it does execute there.

I wonder how many inadverted people shot their foot already.

Did you try the settings which helped me to get some normal icon and
to deactivate the shell as long as the window is iconized ?

  Style "XTerm"   IconOverride
  Style "XTerm"   Icon display.xpm

(The name of the .xpm file may be chosen freely, of course.)

Iirc, it was not necessary to restart fvwm (although this is supposed to
be harmless to the current desktop population).
I remember to have issued fvwm commands for experiments via the program
FvwmCommand.


Have a nice day :)

Thomas

RE: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Mon Sep 10 08:47:39 EDT 2018, I wrote:

>> I can't figure out where fvwm is getting the xpm icon for an xterm.
>> ...
>> I have this in ~/.fvwm/config:
>> Style "XTerm"   Icon null.xpm, SloppyFocus, IconBox 200x200-1+8
>> where null.xpm is intended to call /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/null.xpm, a
>> zero-byte file I created.

On Monday, September 17, 2018 9:41 AM, Thomas Schmitt replied:

> Maybe fvwm is not happy with the zero size.
> What happens if you put a file with a picture there ?

If I put ANY other xpm there, I still see an icon that matches
/usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm or a live window screenshot.

> Did you already try searches like
>find /usr -name mini.xterm_48x48.xpm

In fact I obsessively viewed all 386 xpm files on the whole system.  None
other than /usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm matched the icon
displayed.

> Does "live window screenshot" mean that the icon is willing to execute
> blindly toggled shell commands ?

Yes.  If I put the cursor in the little screenshot and type a command (echoed
in a font too small to read), it does execute there.

> The icon pixmap is probably
>   /usr/share/X11/fvwm2/pixmaps/display.xpm
> but the same one is also in
>   /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/display.xpm

I have the second of those.  It gives an error about a corrupt image when I
try to display it.

On Monday, September 17, 2018 12:43 PM, David Wright replied:

> I think the intention is that you use NoIcon for no icon.

I just tried this, and it causes .xinitrc to bring up the xterms in the
background with no icon whatsoever.  They show in a process list (ps), and if
I right-click on the desktop I can bring them up from the fvwm menu.  That's
not a bad solution (two clicks), but I was a little happier when I had an
icon with a small name bar and no picture (one click).

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

From: David Wright [deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk]
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2018 12:43 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

On Mon 17 Sep 2018 at 12:05:35 (+), Kleene, Steven (kleenesj) wrote:
> I can't figure out where fvwm is getting the xpm icon for an xterm.  The
> issue started when I upgraded from Debian v7 (fvwm 1:2.5.30) to Debian v9
> (fvwm 1:2.6.7-3).  In both cases fvwm-icons was also installed.
>
> I have this in ~/.fvwm/config:
> Style "XTerm"   Icon null.xpm, SloppyFocus, IconBox 200x200-1+8
>
> where null.xpm is intended to call /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/null.xpm, a
> zero-byte file I created.

I think the intention is that you use NoIcon for no icon.

Anyway, you probably want to read the man pages for fvwm and xterm as
they interact in quite a complicated manner. Use   less   on both and
read all the hits made by /icon.

> When startx is called, it gets this from ~/.xinitrc:
> xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title syrano -e ssh syrano &
>
> No matter what I list in config, the xterm icon that comes up matches
> /usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm (an icon with a blue `T' over a red
> `X').  If I copy some other xpm on top of that and do startx again, I still
> get the original mini.xterm_48x48.xpm image.  Furthermore,
> /usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm still shows an access time from weeks
> ago.  It seems that fvwm has that image cached or built in somehow.  Once
> fvwm is up, if I call "xterm &" and convert that to an icon, it appears as a
> live window screenshot, not as mini.xterm_48x48.xpm.

Yes, that's the xterm built-in that Nicolas alluded to, and when you
press (un)maximise and (un)iconify you can get some remarkable effects.
And some of the iconification options are "sloppy" for want of a
better word, as in "With this style, fvwm uses application provided
icons if the icon is changed but uses the icon provided in the
configuration file until then."

> In Debian 7, calling null.xpm gives me no xpm icon, just a title bar labeled
> "syrano".  I prefer this because it's very small.

I'm guessing things have changed in the meantime, judging by fvwm's
version numbers and changelogs. I tend not to notice as I'm not a fan
of menus and iconifying, prefering everything left open on a large
area of real-estate (5x4 rather than 2x2).

Cheers,
David.

where does fvwm get its xterm icon?

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

I can't figure out where fvwm is getting the xpm icon for an xterm.  The
issue started when I upgraded from Debian v7 (fvwm 1:2.5.30) to Debian v9
(fvwm 1:2.6.7-3).  In both cases fvwm-icons was also installed.

I have this in ~/.fvwm/config:
Style "XTerm"   Icon null.xpm, SloppyFocus, IconBox 200x200-1+8

where null.xpm is intended to call /usr/share/pixmaps/fvwm/null.xpm, a
zero-byte file I created.

When startx is called, it gets this from ~/.xinitrc:
xterm -geometry 125x58+964+56 -iconic -title syrano -e ssh syrano &

No matter what I list in config, the xterm icon that comes up matches
/usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm (an icon with a blue `T' over a red
`X').  If I copy some other xpm on top of that and do startx again, I still
get the original mini.xterm_48x48.xpm image.  Furthermore,
/usr/share/pixmaps/mini.xterm_48x48.xpm still shows an access time from weeks
ago.  It seems that fvwm has that image cached or built in somehow.  Once
fvwm is up, if I call "xterm &" and convert that to an icon, it appears as a
live window screenshot, not as mini.xterm_48x48.xpm.

In Debian 7, calling null.xpm gives me no xpm icon, just a title bar labeled
"syrano".  I prefer this because it's very small.

Thanks.

RE: Wheezy to Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

On Wednesday, February 21, 2018 12:45 PM, I wrote:

> I am running Wheezy (v7 = oldoldstable) and intend to replace it with a fresh
> install of Stretch (v9 = stable) before Wheezy's support runs out on May
> 31st.  I will try the default systemd installation and see how I like it.
> ...
> I know systemd doesn't have inittab.  Will the default installation leave me
> with a terminal interface whenever I boot?  If not, how will I accomplish
> that?

On Wednesday, February 21, 2018 1:11 PM,Greg Wooledge [wool...@eeg.ccf.org] 
replied:

> The default target of systemd in Debian is "graphical.target", which
> means that if you have installed a Display Manager (gdm3, lightdm,
> etc.) it will be started at boot time.
>
> If you don't want that, the other default target you can use is
> named "multi-user.target".  This one will not run a Display Manager.
>
> You can check your default target by running "systemctl get-default".
>
> You can set your default target by running "systemctl set-default foo".

That sounds like just what I need to know.  Thanks to you and to all of the
others who followed up with helpful discussions.

From: deloptes [delop...@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2018 12:35 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Wheezy to Stretch

Roberto C. Sánchez wrote:

> Just keep in mind that we all have different experiences and different
> reasons for thinking and believing the things that we think and believe.

I can only support this (in fact all your writing, but removed most of it to
make it easier to read).

12+ Years ago I had difficulties upgrading Debian and started following the
release notes. After this it was very easy to do an upgrade, because most
of the problems one would face during upgrade were already covered in the
release notes.
Even in the past few releases on one machine or type of setup it would work
and on another it would not and again the release notes were very helpful
to find a way out.

I would recommend anyone who wants to do an upgrade to follow the release
notes and contribute if facing problems.

regards

Wheezy to Stretch

[Kleene, Steven (kleenesj)]

I am running Wheezy (v7 = oldoldstable) and intend to replace it with a fresh
install of Stretch (v9 = stable) before Wheezy's support runs out on May
31st.  I will try the default systemd installation and see how I like it.

After the installation, I will want to build my system from my favorite
window manager (fvwm).  With sysvinit, I would set initdefault to runlevel 3
in /etc/inittab.  In /etc/rc3.d, I would rename gdm3 so that I would boot
into a terminal interface (command line) instead of Gnome.  Then I would
quickly install fvwm, call startx, and happily finish building.

I know systemd doesn't have inittab.  Will the default installation leave me
with a terminal interface whenever I boot?  If not, how will I accomplish
that?

I also thought I had read about some problem with window authentication in
Stretch, but I can't find any such posts now.

Thanks.

Re: 2001:41d0:700:419:da3f:6552:d439:9cb6 Congratulations AmazonCustomer Ap

[Steven Joseph]

Hie brother Amazon

On Tuesday, November 14, 2017, Amazon Recognition 
wrote:

>
> 
> http://emancipator.strongfever.net/cl/r-
> S62OS1CC74JNS15J3MS1CJ2HSDCJS0S0S0S15S2SBSCCS21FS1JGSA">
> welcome to amazon
> http://emancipator.strongfever.net/85517916.png; border0 />
> 
> 
> http://emancipator.strongfever.net/cl/ua-
> S62OS1CC74JNS15J3MS1CJ2HSDCJS0S0S0S15S2SBSCCS21FS1JGSA">
> http://emancipator.strongfever.net/73415895.png; border0 />
> 
> 
> http://emancipator.strongfever.net/cl/op-
> S62OS1CC74JNS15J3MS1CJ2HSDCJS0S0S0S15S2SBSCCS21FS1JGSA">
> http://emancipator.strongfever.net/47465b.jpg; border0 />
> 
> 
>
> <
> br><
> br>
> <
> br><
> br>
> <
> br><
> br>
>
>
>
> Olá Pessoal!!!
>
> Estou configurando um squidGuard aqui em cima do Ubuntu 16:04 e está tudo
> funcionando bem, mas tem um detalhe que é simples, mas gostaria de
> resolver.
>
> Quando um usuário é bloqueado o squidguar redireciona ele para a página de
> bloqueio, mas no navegador do usuário a URL não é alterada:
>
> Exemplo: a pessoa tenta acessar o site do facebook: www.facebook.com.br,
> ele é bloqueado e redirecionado para a página que informa do bloqueio
> corretamente, mas a URL dele continua como www.facebook.com.br, esse é o
> comportamento certo? se for tem como eu trocar esse URL no usuário?
>
> Obrigado.
>
> --
> Fagner Patrício
> João Pessoa - PB
> Brasil
>

Re: Compatible laptops

[Steven Mainor]

Whatever you end up getting I would suggest you get something with an Atheros 
wifi card. I have had the best lock with Atheros and if I'm not mistaken there 
are official open source drivers for Atheros. 
--
Steven Mainor

On November 11, 2017 7:21:38 PM EST, Maureen L Thomas <silver...@verizon.net> 
wrote:
>I do know that this list is for real problems but I am looking to get a
>
>new laptop, 17 inch preferable or an all in one computer.  The problem 
>is I have only used Toshiba laptops and have had no problems with
>them.  
>I do not know if an all in one would be a good choice for debian.  I do
>
>not need a game playing machine.  If there is a list where this request
>
>is more appropriate please head me in the right direction.
>
>Thank you
>Maureen

Re: Does Debian allow user upgrade system from LTS to the latest system directly?

[Steven Mainor]

Can you explain what top-posting is? I am unfamiliar with that term. 
--
Steven Mainor

On November 2, 2017 1:38:05 AM EDT, "Roberto C. Sánchez" <robe...@debian.org> 
wrote:
>On Thu, Nov 02, 2017 at 01:34:27PM +0800, Elof Huang wrote:
>> How do those people upgrading system from LTS to the latest?
>> 
>> In my question, I must upgrade my Jessie(LTS) to Stretch before
>> Buster(stable)?
>> 
>Please don't top-post.
>
>You are correct, that the supported upgrade path will be jessie ->
>stretch -> buster.
>
>Regards,
>
>-Roberto
>
>-- 
>Roberto C. Sánchez

Re: debian-user-digest Digest V2017 #1077

[Steven Ponton]

Hello,

Please can you unsubscribe me, far to many emails come through 

On 2 Oct 2017 13:03,  wrote:

> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> debian-user-digest Digest   Volume 2017 :
> Issue 1077
>
> Today's Topics:
>   Re: Supper slow USB disk  [ Mostafa Shahverdy
>    xfce4-terminal fails to =?utf-8?B?4o  [ Zenaan Harkness <
> zen...@freedbms.ne ]
>   Re: xfce4-terminal fails to =?utf-8?  [  ]
>   Re: Can't find the DNS Servers[ Reco  ]
>   Re: USB camera;   [ Reco  ]
>   Re: xfce4-terminal fails to =?utf-8?  [ Reco  ]
>   monit and systemd [ Debian EN 
> ]
>   SOLVED - Re: xfce4-terminal =?utf-8?  [ Zenaan Harkness <
> zen...@freedbms.ne ]
>   Re: Free TCP/IP port numbers? [ Dan Purgert  ]
>   Re: Free TCP/IP port numbers? [ Dan Purgert  ]
>   Re: Can't find the DNS Servers[ Gene Heskett <
> ghesk...@shentel.net> ]
>   Re: SOLVED - Re: =?utf-8?Q?xfce4-ter  [ Reco  ]
>   Re: E-mail headers 101 (was: Can't f  [ Reco  ]
>   Re: Free TCP/IP port numbers? [ Michael Stone 
> ]
>   Re: E-mail headers 101 (was: Can't f  [ Gene Heskett <
> ghesk...@shentel.net> ]
>   Why stretch-backports does not work   [ Victor Porton 
> ]
>
> Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2017 06:11:19 +0330
> From: Mostafa Shahverdy 
> To: Joe 
> Cc: debian-user@lists.debian.org
> Subject: Re: Supper slow USB disk
> Message-ID:  mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="
> 94eb2c07e7509b6e80055a8751ea"
>
> --94eb2c07e7509b6e80055a8751ea
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> > I have a directory named /media/joe, with joe:joe 750 permissions. I'm
> > reasonably sure that systemd originally created that, but if you have
> > an appropriate directory which was created with different permissions,
> > that may be a problem.
> >
>
> Thank you! Mine was mostafa:root 755, I don't know why it was `root`, I
> changed it back to `mostafa` and now it clearly fine!
> I have the right permissions and speed:
>
> (I can run dd without sudo)
>
> $ dd if=3D/dev/zero of=3D"/media/mostafa/Transcend/largefile" bs=3D1M
> count=
> =3D1000
> 1000+0 records in
> 1000+0 records out
> 1048576000 bytes (1.0 GB, 1000 MiB) copied, 50.4967 s, 20.8 MB/s=E2=80=8B
>
> --94eb2c07e7509b6e80055a8751ea
> Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
>  class=3D"gmail-"><=
> br> cla=
> ss=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid
> =
> rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
> I have a directory named /media/joe, with joe:joe 750 permissions.
> I=
> m
> reasonably sure that systemd originally created that, but if you have
> an appropriate directory which was created with different permissions,
> that may be a problem.
>  class=3D"=
> gmail_extra"> style=3D"font-family=
> :tahoma,sans-serif" class=3D"gmail_default">Thank you! Mine was
> mostafa:roo=
> t 755, I dont know why it was `root`, I changed it back to `mostafa`
> a=
> nd now it clearly fine! c=
> lass=3D"gmail_default">I have the right permissions and speed: st=
> yle=3D"font-family:tahoma,sans-serif" class=3D"gmail_default"> 

Wie ben jij

[Steven Spenen]

Steven Soenen

Re: Jag är bekymrad av att ha träffat dig här Hilda

[steven]

Jag är också bekymrad därför din kontakt är inte personlig, utan det är att 
skapa mer medlemmar.

Verkar inget ha med känslor att göra utan ren affärsbissniss



-Ursprungligt meddelande- 
From: Hilda Karpinskas

Sent: Saturday, August 5, 2017 4:42 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Jag är bekymrad av att ha träffat dig här Hilda



Nu är jag förfärad av att inte veta om du vill chatta med mig
http://bitly.com/2vzj9jI 

Re: Did I blow my processor?

[Steven Mainor]

One time I hooked up the power switch to the wrong jumpers and it took me an 
hour to figure it out.

I would suggest double checking everything to make sure there's nothing you 
missed. And as Felix already mentioned, parts can be dead on arrival so that is 
the next thing I would look for.


--
Steven Mainor

On February 20, 2017 4:41:30 PM EST, Felix Miata <mrma...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>Dennis Wicks composed on 2017-02-20 15:00 (UTC-0600):
>
>> I built myself another computer and it wouldn't boot up. No
>> messages or anything. I finally discovered that I missed
>> plugging in the 12V power to the MoBo.
>I've done that many times while building, replacing or troubleshooting.
>You 
>can't hurt a CPU by not giving it any power.
>
>> I did that and it
>> still won't boot up, and still no messages diaplayed on the
>> screen or any other indication of life.
>
>> Have I ruined my processor turning the system on with out
>> the 12V attached? (This is the four wires from the power
>> supply that plug into the mobo right next to the processor,
>> for those that may not be familiar with installing stuff.)
>
>What have you done to prove your power supply isn't bad? New ones can
>be DOA. 
>Did you install 100% compatible RAM? Did you try installing only one
>RAM stick, 
>or leaving all unnecessary devices (if there is onboard video, the
>gfxcard; HD; 
>DVD reader; accessory USB ports; speakers; etc.) disconnected? Are you
>sure the 
>CPU is fully compatible with the motherboard's firmware/BIOS/chipset
>(just 
>because it fits the socket is no guarantee it will work)?
>-- 
>"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
>words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)
>
>  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!
>
>Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/

Re: Magickally Resolved?: Set resolution options without xrandr

[Steven Mainor]

I think he just meant 'In case you didn't want to read my previous
paragraph, a reboot fixed it.'



On Sun, 2017-02-05 at 10:26 -0500, rhkra...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, February 05, 2017 09:55:14 AM Tony Baldwin wrote:
> > TL;DR: A reboot fixed me...I almost feel I've been jettisoned into
> > Windows-Land?!
> 
> Just for me, what was so long that you didn't read?
> 

Upgrade Wheezy to Jessie - gave up waiting for root device

[Steven Kauffmann]

Hi all,

I'm busy with an upgrade from Wheezy to Jessie. I didn't had any issue
during the upgrade so far, but I cannot boot into the new kernel
(3.16.0-4-amd64).

When booting I get the following output: give up waiting for root device ...
I can still boot into the old kernel (3.2.0-4-amd64).

What I did so far:
* Reinstalled kernel image 3.16.0-4
* Reinstalled grub in MBR
* checked UUID of boot partition in grub
* in the command line of grub I can access the boot partition (using ls
hd(0,1) ). Vmlinux and initrd.img are available.
* Added delay in grub settings

So far no result, all things I'v been trying end up in the "give up waiting
for root device" error.

This is how the partition table is looking like:
Device Boot Start   End   Sectors  Size Id Type
/dev/sda12048 121636863 121634816   58G 83 Linux
/dev/sda2   164270080 167772159   3502080  1.7G  5 Extended
/dev/sda3   121636864 164270079  42633216 20.3G 83 Linux
/dev/sda5   164274176 167772159   3497984  1.7G 82 Linux swap / Solaris

output blkid:
 blkid
/dev/sr0: UUID="2016-10-20-09-23-51-00" LABEL="GParted-live" TYPE="udf"
PTUUID="647d59b6" PTTYPE="dos"
/dev/sda1: UUID="e42240d0-f587-440e-a10d-8c568938fb84" TYPE="ext4"
PARTUUID="000120c8-01"
/dev/sda3: LABEL="users" UUID="0554d637-49cf-4981-8630-046385eb8b6c"
TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="000120c8-03"
/dev/sda5: UUID="f9795e42-60d7-48eb-a762-026be37e8e8f" TYPE="swap"
PARTUUID="000120c8-05"


Any idea how to solve this?

Error with apt-get update

[Steven Yeager]

root@eisen:/home/yeager# apt-get update
Hit http://download.virtualbox.org trusty InRelease
Ign http://debian.usu.edu jessie
InRelease 
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie-updates
InRelease 
Hit http://download.virtualbox.org trusty/contrib amd64
Packages   
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie
Release.gpg   
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie-updates/main
Sources  
Get:1 http://debian.usu.edu jessie-updates/main amd64 Packages/DiffIndex
[6,916 B]
Get:2 http://debian.usu.edu jessie-updates/main Translation-en/DiffIndex
[2,704 B]
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie
Release   
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie/main
Sources  
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie/main
Translation-en   
Ign http://download.virtualbox.org trusty/contrib
Translation-en_US
Ign http://download.virtualbox.org trusty/contrib
Translation-en   
Hit http://debian.usu.edu jessie/main amd64
Packages   
100% [Connecting to security.debian.org
(2607:ea00:101:3c0b::1deb:215)]  


When I apt-get update after I enter into su it freezes up and will not
finish updating

Re: Why I can not install software on debian easily?

[Steven Mainor]

I realize it can sometimes be frustrating to learn new things. But I
assure you Linux distributions usually handle installing software
differently for a reason.

Installing software can damage or compromise systems very easily. Thats
why Debain, its derivatives and many other Linux based operating systems
use package management systems for software. Its one of the things that
makes Debian so secure and stable. 

Opera and other proprietary applications are not included with the
debian packages because it is hard or impossible(often illegal) to
redistribute or modify proprietary software. So the Debian community is
unable, not necessairily unwilling to provide support for it. 

If there is some 3rd party software you must use you should ask the
providers of that software for help. 

But I would suggest asking nicely.



On Mon, 2016-12-19 at 01:54 +, john cushy wrote:
> Why I can not download a .deb file, click it and it installs?
> 
> 
> I tried to install opera on Debian. 
> 
> 
> I have computer science degree and I still trying to do this.
> 
> 
> I know nobody will read this email.
> 
> 
> Time to go back to Windows.
> 
> 
> John
> 
> 

Re: {Debian (>=Jessie)} AND { MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, etc}

[Steven Mainor]

Yeah the card I was referring to was just a simple microSD card like what you 
would put in your camera. I was running a normal install of debian without any 
kind of "live" or ram disk setup. Not ideal for flash without wear leveling


On December 3, 2016 7:59:48 AM EST, Jochen Spieker <m...@well-adjusted.de> 
wrote:
>deloptes:
>> Steven Mainor wrote:
>> 
>>> I don't know if this helps answer #3 or not. I have ran Debian from
>a
>>> microSD flash card before but the card reader was attached via USB.
>>> 
>>> It didn't last very long before the flash card degraded. I think
>running
>>> an operating system on flash used up the read/write cycles too
>quickly.
>>> I eventually decided to find another solution. But it may not be an
>>> issue for your use case.
>>> 
>> I don't think so. I have a low power industrial pc used as firewall.
>It runs
>> on Compact Flash card for >6y now. I recall there were at least
>10
>> write cycles per sector and self diagnostic, so I would suspect
>something
>> else would be the problem.
>
>CF cards were much more clever from the beginning compared to cheaper
>alternatives (like SSD or MMC cards). I would expect them to have
>better
>wear levelling than a common SD card.
>
>J.
>-- 
>When I get home from the supermarket I don't know what to do with all
>the
>plastic.
>[Agree]   [Disagree]
><http://archive.slowlydownward.com/NODATA/data_enter2.html>

--
Steven Mainor

Re: {Debian (>=Jessie)} AND { MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, etc}

[Steven Mainor]

I don't know if this helps answer #3 or not. I have ran Debian from a
microSD flash card before but the card reader was attached via USB. 

It didn't last very long before the flash card degraded. I think running
an operating system on flash used up the read/write cycles too quickly.
I eventually decided to find another solution. But it may not be an
issue for your use case.

Hope that is helpful,
  * Steven

On Fri, 2016-12-02 at 23:21 +0100, Jochen Spieker wrote:
> Richard Owlett:
> > I have a well used Lenovo R61 Thinkpad whose sole raison d'etre is to serve
> > as a test platform for experiments which may spectacularly fail.
> > 
> > To quote a product description, it has:
> >   Card Reader
> > 4 in 1 card reader
> > Supported Flash Memory
> > Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card
> > 
> > My local supplier has 32GB cards in stock. Not sure which of the above
> > flavors, as I just asked him what he had available that were compatible with
> > my hardware.
> 
> He probably has SD cards. All other options in your list have come out
> of fashion.
> 
> > I'm pondering an application that could be accomplished with USB flash
> > drives.
> > It would be much "NICER" if that x GB were physically "inside" the laptop's
> > profile.
> 
> Beware that this might slightly increase power usage / reduce battery
> life. That's at least my observation from a couple of years ago.
> Depenging on the hardware, an SD card can keep a bus alive that could be
> put to sleep otherwise. But if I would have to guess this is not an
> issue for your use case.
> 
> > My questions:
> >   1. Can Debian (and to what extent) make use of that storage?
> 
> Debian (the linux kernel) can use SD cards just like USB thumb drives or
> other types of removable (and rewritable) storage. It's simply a block
> device.
> 
> >   2. Can Debian itself reside on that medium?
> >  I'm thinking in terms of changing look/feel/function/capabilities/...
> >  of the machine by swapping media before "power up".
> >  [The BIOS *DOES* have some capability to specify precedence of boot
> > devices.]
> 
> Debian doesn't really care, but you would have to test whether your BIOS
> can really boot from SD cards.
> 
> >   3. Any Debian people using this capability who would care to comment?
> >  ["off list" replies fine]
> 
> I would like to see replies here. :)
> 
> J.

Test

[Steven Dodge]

Testing ..disregard ...

Re: gcc-doc in stretch

[Steven Tan]

Thanks for clarifying.

On Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 7:32 AM, Christian Seiler <christ...@iwakd.de> wrote:

> On 08/06/2016 04:08 PM, Steven Tan wrote:
> > https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=gcc-doc;
> searchon=names=all=all
> > It looks like the package gcc-doc is not provided in stretch, not even in
> > contrib or non-free, but the package is provided in jessie and sid.
> >
> > Is this a bug or intended?
>
> Well, it's a bug, but in gcc-doc. It currently fails to build
> from source, and the maintainer hasn't fixed it yet, so it
> was autoremoved from testing a month or so ago:
>
> https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=825320
> https://tracker.debian.org/news/782354
>
> Once that bug is fixed, it can reenter testing. (Assuming no
> other RC bug is filed in the mean time.)
>
> Regards,
> Christian
>

gcc-doc in stretch

[Steven Tan]

Hi,

https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=gcc-doc=names=all=all
It looks like the package gcc-doc is not provided in stretch, not even in
contrib or non-free, but the package is provided in jessie and sid.

Is this a bug or intended?

Thank you.

Re: Blocking 445 IP port

[Justin Steven]

On Thu, Jul 21, 2016 at 01:09:36AM +, Thiago Zoroastro wrote:
> Could I to know what the package that's installed and opening this IP port
> opened?

You can find out using netstat or ss.

```
% sudo netstat -antp | grep 445
tcp0  0 0.0.0.0:445 0.0.0.0:*   LISTEN  
7869/smbd
tcp6   0  0 :::445  :::*LISTEN  
7869/smbd

% sudo ss -antp | grep 445
LISTEN 0  50   *:445  *:*   
users:(("smbd",pid=7869,fd=37))
LISTEN 0  50  :::445 :::*   
users:(("smbd",pid=7869,fd=35))
```

On my machine, smbd (Samba) is listening on TCP port 445

> I realized that my Debian systems are with 445's IP ports opened. How I could
> to block permanently this and any other IP port when I wish?

I'm a bit fuzzy on enabling/disabling services in light of the move to systemd.
I don't think smbd is handled by systemd yet so you can't use systemctl to
disable it (hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong). You can prevent
smbd from starting on boot using update-rc.d

```
% sudo update-rc.d smbd disable
insserv: warning: current start runlevel(s) (empty) of script `smbd' overrides 
LSB defaults (2 3 4 5).
insserv: warning: current stop runlevel(s) (0 1 2 3 4 5 6) of script `smbd' 
overrides LSB defaults (0 1 6).
```

-- 
Justin

Re: using curl/wget to call logout

[Justin Steven]

>From Chromium's Development Tools (press F12) you can right-click a request in
the Network tab and "Copy as cURL"

Might help with handling cookies and other such things using curl

-- 
Justin

Re: Jessie with ATI Radeon HD 4250 boots black screen after installing drivers...

[Steven Rosenberg]

On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 1:23 PM, The Wanderer wande...@fastmail.fm wrote:
 I have a laptop which also has a 4000-series Radeon GPU, and I run it
 with the non-proprietary driver from the xserver-xorg-video-radeon
 package instead. It's not as performant as the proprietary FGLRX
 equivalent would probably be, if one were available, but it does work;
 the proprietary driver went away in testing some time last year, and I
 haven't had any particular problems with the free alternative.

I used to have this ATI graphics chip, and it worked well then with
the open Radeon driver. I'd try that.
--
Steven Rosenberg
http://stevenrosenberg.net/blog
http://blogs.dailynews.com/click


-- 
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Re: Geeft Debian aan als het systeem moet worden herstart

[Steven Post]

On Wed, 2015-02-11 at 19:44 +0100, Thijs Kinkhorst wrote:
 On Wed, February 11, 2015 18:43, Geert Stappers wrote:
  On Wed, Feb 11, 2015 at 08:50:33AM +0100, Cecil Westerhof wrote:
  Op het ogenblik werk ik nog voornamelijk met openSUSE. Als je hier
  doet:
  zypper update
 
  Dan krijg je een melding indien er processen zijn die verwijderde
  bestanden gebruiken:
  There are some running programs that use files deleted by recent
  upgrade.
 
  En als dat bijvoorbeeld systemd is, dan weet je dat je je systeem
  beter kunt rebooten. Tot nu toe heb ik zoiets nog niet bij Debian
  gezien. Zie ik iets over het hoofd?
 
  De executable `/usr/sbin/checkrestart`
  uit het package `debian-goodies`
 
 Voor Debian Jessie en nieuwer adviseer ik het package needrestart, dat
 vergelijkbare checks uitvoert als checkrestart maar daarnaast automatisch
 integreert met APT en een duidelijk overzichtje geeft van de te herstarten
 services en die ook voor je kan herstarten.
 

Gaat 'needrestart' ook een melding geven bij bijvoorbeeld kernel
updates? Voor 'checkrestart' is dat bijvoorbeeld niet het geval.

Mvg,
Steven


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Re: Clients identiek houden

[Steven Post]

On Sun, 2015-01-11 at 19:58 +0100, Geert Stappers wrote:
[...]
 
 Nog een tip:  Ansible
 
 Ansible is ook orchestration zo als Puppet en Chef.
 
 Grootste pluspunt van Ansible is dat het agentless is.
 Ansible maakt gebruikt van SSH en Python.
 Dus geen gekloot met eerst agent software op de clients te leggen.
 Ook geen gedoe met certificates.
 
 Andere goede ontwerpkeuze van Ansible is dat volgorde in de playbooks
 aangehouden wordt.  Bij Puppet wordt de volgorde van afspelen door
 de Puppetagent naar eigen goed dunken bepaalt ...
 
 
 En mocht je nog nooit eerder van Ansible gehoord / gelezen hebben,
 dat kan kloppen, het bestaat nog net geen drie jaar.
 
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansible_%28software%29
 
 
[...]

Mijn persoonlijke voorkeur blijft toch Puppet, daar heb ik meer ervaring
mee dan met Ansible, dat gebruik ik sinds kort voor een ander project
(niet mijn keuze). Dat het zonder agent werkt kan inderdaad een voordeel
zijn, maar bij de verschillende Puppet modules versus alles in de
Ansible core is het toch omgekeerd lijkt me.

Dat gezegd zijnde wil ik nog even meegeven dat als je grote directory
trees gaat syncen met Ansible je best kijk naar de 'synchronize' module,
niet de 'copy' module (zeg ik dat goed? modules?). Ik heb die fout ook
even gemaakt, maar dan merk je meteen dat copy enorm traag is voor dat
soort dingen. Synchronize is een wrapper rond rsync.

Wat me wel enigzis stoorde bij Ansible (grotendeels user error) is dat
er bij elke catalog run een 'change' stond genoteerd, doordat enkele
resources 2 conflicteren waarden kregen, in dit geval file permissions.
Dat is iets wat ik in Puppet nooit voorheb (tenzij je met 'exec' begint
te spelen), met uitzondering van het managen van files/directories op
een NAS volume (altijd bij opletten).

Het belangrijkste is echter niet welke tool je kiest voor configuration
management, wel dat je er een kiest.
Als je net met configuration management begint kan ik nog wel de 101
aanraden, deze is op [1] te vinden. Dat was een sessie op FOSDEM 2014.

Mvg,
Steven

[1] http://video.fosdem.org/2014/H1309_Van_Rijn/Saturday/


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Re: Clients identiek houden

[Steven Post]

Dag Paul,

Disclaimer: ik werk als ICT system engineer en sta mee in voor het
beheer van een aantal Linux systemen. Een aantal dat steeds blijft
groeien. Momenteel zo'n 250.

On Fri, 2015-01-09 at 12:25 +0100, Paul van der Vlis wrote:
 Hoi allen,
 
 Ik beheer een aantal clients die eigenlijk identiek zijn, op een paar
 uitzonderingen na zoals de hostname. Ik heb een backup van zo'n client
 op de server.
 
 Om een client te installeren boot ik met een live-cd, partitioneer,
 formatteer, download de data uit de backup, en installeer grub. Wellicht
 kan dit handiger, maar dit werkt.
 
 Nu zit ik me af te vragen of zoiets ook later zou kunnen, dus om de
 machines identiek te houden. Bijvoorbeeld vanaf de server iets van:
 rsync -a --exclude=... --del /client pc01:/
 
 Het lijkt me eigenlijk moeten kunnen, alleen komt die --exclude
 natuurlijk wel vrij precies. en zijn er wellicht nog meer punten (zoals
 de netwerk interfaces in udev, en het UUID van het filesystem moet
 identiek zijn).
 
 Hebben jullie al eens met zo'n gedachte gespeeld of er zelfs ervaring mee?
 
 Uiteraard is het hele filesysteem via NFS ook een optie, maar dat maakt
 b.v. het opstarten van een applicatie weer traag lijkt me.
 Verder wordt het niet zo heel veel gebruikt en is het niet altijd
 bruikbaar (bijvoorbeeld niet bij laptops).
 
 Ook iets als Puppet is een optie, maar dat lijkt me veel werk om goed
 aan de praat te krijgen. Ik gebruik nu een eigen script, wat een ander
 script download en uitvoert.
 

Zelf gebruik ik Puppet om systemen identiek te houden, of althans de
delen van de systemen die me interesseren.

Onze systemen zijn Red Hat, maar dat is perfect te vertalen naar
Debian-based systemen. Wij gebruiken kickstart om een machine te
installeren (virtueel of fysiek), in Debian zou dat 'preseeding' zijn.
Een van de items in onze 'post-install' scripts (uitgevoerd via de
automatische kickstart/preseed) gaat een puppet agent installeren en
verbinden met de puppet master (2 dedicated machines achter een hardware
load balancer). Als het moeilijk is om een aparte server te gebruiken
voor de Puppet master (geen hardware ter beschikking, of geografisch te
verspreid)  kan je ook 'puppet apply' uitvoeren op de verschillende
machines (via crontab bijvoorbeeld).

Puppet (en enkele andere tools zoals chef, maar daar heb ik geen
ervaring mee)zijn uitstekend geschikt voor configuration management
zoals het beheren van users, packages, services, etc...
Het identiek houden van files kan ook op een simpele manier (inclusief
de attributen zoals permissions, owner, etc.), maar als dit er echt veel
worden (hele directory trees) zal het Puppet erg vertragen tijdens een
run. Hiervoor is iets als rsync beter voor geschikt. Het rsync-commando
in een cronjob kan op zich dan weer perfect via puppet verspreid worden
naar de systemen.

Mijn raad voor Puppet is vooral: begin klein.
Je moet niet meteen proberen om alles in Puppet te zetten, dat is meer
iets voor de langere termijn als je bestaande systemen hebt.
De eerste dingen die je doet zijn 'low hanging fruit', de makkelijke
dingen waar je normaal zelf het meeste tijd insteekt.
Ook nieuwe dingen zet je in Puppet, bestaande items kan je langzaam
toevoegen. Puppet beheert de zaken die je wil, al de andere dingen
worden niet aangeraakt.

Een 2de tip voor Puppet is: denk in het begin niet aan hoe je iets in
Puppet zal zetten, maar hoe het er op de machine moet uitzien, dan pas
zet je dat in Puppet, niet omgekeerd.

Succes!

Regards,
Steven


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Re: Power Mac G4 stuck Loading second stage bootstrap

[Steven Chamberlain]

On 12/09/14 04:35, bruno evangelista wrote:
 [...] I have right now the very same DVD with Ubuntu iso
 file in the tray inside the computer.  When I start the computer and
 hold c key nothing happens.  If I shut down the computer and restart it
 I have exactly the same thing on the screen right from its start.  If I
 hold the c key when I start the computer it will replace (for about 30
 seconds) the last line that reads *Loading second stage bootstrap...*
 with  *Loadind CD ROM*  But then it returns to *Loading second
 stage bootstrap *It does not do anything after that and **I can't
 get out of it.

I'm sorry, I don't know enough about the Power Mac G4 to help with this.
 I suspect you might have a hardware problem.  You could also try to ask
in Ubuntu user forums about this.

I can only suggest to disconnect the internal hard drive to see if it is
still possible to boot from the CD/DVDs that worked before.

Regards,
-- 
Steven Chamberlain
ste...@pyro.eu.org


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