Can't boot 5.x
I tried to boot FreeBSD versions 5.0 , 5.3 , and 5.4 ; all were unsuccessful. I was told that something basic in the boot stuff was changed and my micro-processor (or BIOS , or whatever) may be out-of-date vis-a-vis the new boot process. My system's uname -a is FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 The booting messages were:something like (this is an old copy): Building the boot loader arguments Relocating the loader and the BTX Verifying DMI Pool Data Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM: CD Loader 1.2 Is there any way to get the new system (into a fresh slice) with a boot loader that works with my system? If not, what upgrades do I need and do you know how to go about getting them? ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Booting FreeBSD 5.3 CDROM
I've gotten 3 copies of FreeBSD 5.3 (I don't know if they are identical, and I'm not really interested). When booting each of them I get essentially the same messages, which I will list here: Verifying DMI Pool Data . Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM: CD Loader 1.2 Building the boot loader arguments Relocating the loader and the BTX I waited over 8 minutes for anything else after this and got nothing. The hard-disk access-light was on all this time. I wanted to create slices and load FreeBSD 5.3 onto the hard disk, which (as I recall) has to be done from the booting of the CD-ROM . Are these CD-ROMs defective? Am I missing something? How do I get to make new slices and load FreeBSD 5.3 ? ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Stable version of FreeBSD 5.0
From: Dan Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald S. Stoller [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Stable version of FreeBSD 5.0 Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 16:04:36 -0500 In the last episode (Aug 25), Gerald S. Stoller said: I have the impression from reading the McGraw Hill book on this version (The Complete Reference FreeBSD) that the 1024 cylinder limit (in the boot loader) may have gone away with this release. Is that true, and if so, what is the new limit? Any other significant changes? Also, about when is this release due to come out? The 1024-cylinder limit hasn't been a problem for years. I believe the loader has always supported it, and the boot block has a packet mode I haven't heard (or read) about this at all (nor has a friend who uses Linux ), where can I find out about the packet mode and how to use it. I'm running FreeBSD version 4.3 (also have version 4.7 but I'm not using it much), does it have this packet mode? you can turn on that lets you boot from partitions that start past the 1024-cyl limit. -- Dan Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Stable version of FreeBSD 5.0
I have the impression from reading the McGraw Hill book on this version (The Complete Reference FreeBSD) that the 1024 cylinder limit (in the boot loader) may have gone away with this release. Is that true, and if so, what is the new limit? Any other significant changes? Also, about when is this release due to come out? _ On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The printf function
I executed the following printf (in a Korn shell command-line) printf 't %2$s .\n' 3 55 and got the following response printf: illegal format character $ The following is an excerpt from the man-3 page for printf . Each conversion specification is introduced by the character %. The arguments must correspond properly (after type promo- tion) with the conversion specifier. After the %, the following appear in sequence: o An optional field, consisting of a decimal digit string followed by a $, specifying the next argument to access . If this field is not provided, the argument following the last argument accessed will be used. Arguments are numbered starting at 1. If unaccessed arguments in the format string are interspersed with ones that are accessed the results will be indeterminate. The printf should have produced t 55 . as output. Can we please get it fixed?!?! My system is FreeBSD 4.3 on: FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 _ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The chown command
In freeBSD 4.3 4.7 ( others), the chown command only works for root , for other users the command responds (if one actually tries to change the ownership) chown: file name: Operation not permitted where file name is the first file name in the argument-list. This command does work in a version of HP-UX (Hewlett-Packard UNIX ) that I used a few years ago (although it probably checks to make sure that certain properties don't violate security policy, and if any do it probably doesn't make the change [I have no access to such a system now so I can't check it]). I know that many systems act as freeBSD does, but I think that a better way of doing this is to allow the code to always change the ownership of the files except for changing the ownership to a user with root privileges (which can be checked in /etc/passwd ). This gives the system owner the flexibility to leave it this way, or to restrict this ability to root as it is now by seting chown's permissions to 500 , it is already owned by root. This is all that a single actual user (as most home systems are) system needs, but for a true multi-user system one may want to restrict the change to cases where the new owner and the current owner are members of one group (and the system administrater should be careful about adding users to the group wheel ). If the system has some groups that contain all users, we may want to allow them to be excluded from consideration, though we shouldn't worry about this now. I would like to push for such a change and wish others would join me; if anyone knows of any possible problems from this change, or has any objections to it, please let me know. _ Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee® Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: xterm
From: Aaron Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald S. Stoller [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: xterm Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:49:34 -0500 (EST) I use xterm a lot and I always set the font size to tiny which requires (to my current knowledge) an additional action (this action is particularly reprehensible to me because it requires that I use both hands, one on the mouse and one on the keyboard) after the window is opened. Is there anyway I can specify this along with the xterm invocation, say by setting an environment variable appropriately? you might check into setting options for xterm in the .Xdefaults file of your home directory... I don't have an .Xdefaults file in my home directory nor have I found any description of what goes in there. Anyway, problem solved (via the -fn option someone wrote me about but that email disappeared somehow [may have been deleted accidentally] so I can't thank him). _ Find things fast with the new MSN Toolbar includes FREE pop-up blocking! http://clk.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200414ave/direct/01/ ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: xterm
From: Quintin Riis [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald S. Stoller [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: xterm Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2004 03:59:50 -0600 -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 `man xterm' `man xfontsel' :) Read man xterm a long yime ago, it didn't help (although it mentions the -fn option, it doesn't tell me how to use it nor give an example). Read man xfontsel now, but it didn't help. Anyway, problem solved (via the -fn option someone wrote me about but that email disappeared somehow [may have been deleted accidentally] so I can't thank him). Quintin Gerald S. Stoller wrote: | I use xterm a lot and I always set the font size to | tiny which requires (to my current knowledge) an additional | action (this action is particularly reprehensible to me because | it requires that I use both hands, one on the mouse and one on | the keyboard) after the window is opened. Is there anyway I | can specify this along with the xterm invocation, say by | setting an environment variable appropriately? | | _ | Get business advice and resources to improve your work life, from | bCentral. http://special.msn.com/bcentral/loudclear.armx | | ___ | [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list | http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions | To unsubscribe, send any mail to | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | | | -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFASaEWkt6kXuDr+LcRAhCfAKCDaXUMkdJG3nrseB+gV2E137VX+QCfWUlE GvmMAgq1d4/KXxG0c+7nu6Q= =jEEg -END PGP SIGNATURE- _ One-click access to Hotmail from any Web page download MSN Toolbar now! http://clk.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200413ave/direct/01/ ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
xterm
I use xterm a lot and I always set the font size to tiny which requires (to my current knowledge) an additional action (this action is particularly reprehensible to me because it requires that I use both hands, one on the mouse and one on the keyboard) after the window is opened. Is there anyway I can specify this along with the xterm invocation, say by setting an environment variable appropriately? _ Get business advice and resources to improve your work life, from bCentral. http://special.msn.com/bcentral/loudclear.armx ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: your mail
On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 18:27:44 +1300 Jonathan Chen [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: On Sun, Nov 02, 2003 at 11:47:58PM -0500, Gerald S Stoller wrote: FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 I received this message on my FreeBSD system in root windows: sendmail[897]: h9V0K0r00897: forward /home/sstoller/.forward: Group writable directory It doesn't tell me which directory it is complaining about so I don't know which one to fix. Very likely /home/sstoller. -- Jonathan Chen [EMAIL PROTECTED] Turns out that it was two directories,, /usr/usr/homes . /home is a link to /usr/homes . When I have to do things in a directoryowned by root or the system, I make it group writable ( wheel ) and use the user sstoller (who is in wheel ) to make the changes. Thus I avoid having root do much, since work done by root can turn to disaster with typos. Later I change the directories back, but I have had the system crash and I could have forgotten about the directories when I next booted. Anyway, I still maintain that the message should name the directories that it is complaining about. -- If everything's under control, you're going too slow - Mario Andretti ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[no subject]
FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 I received this message on my FreeBSD system in root windows: sendmail[897]: h9V0K0r00897: forward /home/sstoller/.forward: Group writable directory It doesn't tell me which directory it is complaining about so I don't know which one to fix. (Naturally I presume that it is one owned by a system user, e.g. root , say /etc or the like.) This should be corrected to tell root which directory it is complaining about. ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WINDOWID
FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 I run XFree86 on my system. Each process has an environment variable named WINDOWID . What purpose does this variable serve? How is it used? What can I do with it ((redirect output to another window, no! for that I can use /dev/tty )? I noticed (by converting several values to hex) that the form of this variable is 2 * y * 16^5 + 14 , and I never saw y 22 ; this is a result of looking at around a dozen values. ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
relational data base
I have read some stuff stating that there is code to handle a relational data base in FreeBSD . Where can I find some documentation for this? What do I call to use this feature and how do I pass it a (sql) program? How do I receive the results? Maybe there is a package group (or port group) that i should contact? ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: color in Xwindows
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 08:54:16 + Nathan Kinkade [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: On Thu, Sep 11, 2003 at 06:03:19PM -0400, Gerald S Stoller wrote: FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 I am trying to put color in some of my messages (I am using Xwindows ). One place where I found mention of color is in the manual page of the ls command (search in there for the string COLOR. I picked a window and in it set TERM to xterm-color and exported it, set CLICOLOR to a nonnull value and exported it, set LSCOLORS to the default value mentioned there and exported it. Did an ls -l but it showed up as usual. Then tried changing TERM to cons25 (also mentioned in the man page) and exported it. Still nothing. Can anyone direct me to documentation that will tell me how to insert color in messages, both the fone and the backgroun, or write to me how to do it? Thanks in advance. Try using `ls -G` for color output in ls. If that works, just put I tried it, still the same output, no color. an alias in your shells config file. For bash it would look something like: alias ls='ls -G' don't know about other shells, though. Nathan -- gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys D8527E49 ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
color in Xwindows
FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 I am trying to put color in some of my messages (I am using Xwindows ). One place where I found mention of color is in the manual page of the ls command (search in there for the string COLOR. I picked a window and in it set TERM to xterm-color and exported it, set CLICOLOR to a nonnull value and exported it, set LSCOLORS to the default value mentioned there and exported it. Did an ls -l but it showed up as usual. Then tried changing TERM to cons25 (also mentioned in the man page) and exported it. Still nothing. Can anyone direct me to documentation that will tell me how to insert color in messages, both the fone and the backgroun, or write to me how to do it? Thanks in advance. ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: set user-id
From: Dan Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald S. Stoller [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: set user-id Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 14:23:05 -0500 (snip) Well, why don't you just chmod 4755 /bin/ksh, then. :-D with a slight change, I copied ksh to /bin with the name kshroot , made sure that the group on it is the group of root , and then did chmod 4750 /bin/kshroot Thus only the users who are 'close to' root (e.g., generally users who have the root password so they can become root if necessary) can run this shell whenever they need to act as root , and can use it in scripts (first line: #!/bin/kshroot). Again note that these scripts can only be invoked by users who are 'close to' root. For the other users, I'd have to use a sudo. That will work, too. -- Dan Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] I suggest that the FreeBSD system have an argument (or option, if arguments are not allowed) on the kernel which will have it (when the setuid/setgid is on a script and the shell/interpreter is hallowed/sanctioned) invoke the interpreter and express the setuid/setgid of the script on it, and then have it interpret the script. If it cant be done this way, then make the feature a configuration option at the time of building the kernel. Care must be taken in implementing the setuid feature. As a friend noted: Suppose current use is U /bin/prog is setuid to P script is setuid to S and begins #!/bin/prog then the ksh command prog script runs as P prog script runs as P script runs as S . script runs as U That's the way it is on Unix systems that I use, and the freeBSD man page seems to agree. _ Compare Cable, DSL or Satellite plans: As low as $29.95. https://broadband.msn.com ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Booting CDROM of FreeBSD 5.0
I purchased the book The Complete Reference FreeBSD (published by McGraw Hill Osborne) which contained a CDROM of FreeBSD 5.0 . I read a few of the text files on it and then tried to boot it. Shortly after starting this, it wrote (to the screen) CD loader 1.01 Building the boot loader arguments Relocating the loader and the BTX , then there was a pause of about 15 minutes and then it wrote (to the screen) Starting the BTX loader . I waited another 35 minutes and nothing else happened, though the hard-disk light seemed to be on all this time (50 minutes). Anyone know what is going on? Is this a bad boot loader or a bad CDROM , or a poorly designed CDROM? (it takes this long and longer, and it gives you no comments to warn you about the length of time needed)? _ MSN 8: Get 6 months for $9.95/month http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: set user-id
From: Dan Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Ryan Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: Gerald S. Stoller [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], FreeBSD Questions [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: set user-id Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 14:37:29 -0500 In the last episode (Jul 22), Ryan Thompson said: If you *really* want to have suid scripts, your binary wrapper idea is quite a common trick. Don't get fancy with it, though. A one-liner to execve(2) should really be all you need. Either that, or re-code the whole thing in C (or some other compiled language). C can introduce insecurities of its own, but at least you'd (arguably) have put them there yourself. :-) I use sudo for stuff like this. I add a line like this in sudoers: I don't understand the next line! ALL ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/local/bin/thescript ??? Setting a variable?? Okay, invoking the script and put this it the top of thescript: #! /bin/sh if [ $(id -u) -ne 0 ] ; then if [ $TRYINGSUDO = 1 ] ; then echo Cannot get admin priviledges! Exiting exit 1 else export TRYINGSUDO=1 exec sudo $0 $@ fi fi -- Dan Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] I tried a suggestion by Ryan (slipping in something from his email) Well, why don't you just chmod 4755 /bin/ksh, then. :-D with a slight change, I copied ksh to /bin with the name kshroot , made sure that the group on it is the group of root , and then did chmod 4750 /bin/kshroot Thus only the users who are 'close to' root (e.g., generally users who have the root password so they can become root if necessary) can run this shell whenever they need to act as root , and can use it in scripts (first line: #!/bin/kshroot). Again note that these scripts can only be invoked by users who are 'close to' root. For the other users, I'd have to use a sudo. _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
set user-id
FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 As root, I made a text file (named t ) that did something like echo $USER | tee xx and then had it set user-id (I did 'chmod 4755 t'). As a plain user, I made a directory that only root can write my current directory and then invoked t (by giving a path-name to it). It reported that the USER was the plain user and couldn't write into the directory. It appears that the set user-id didn't work, but I also checked t with ls -l and the permissions were rwsr-xr-x , exactly like that of passwd and xterm (except maybe for the write permission of the owner). How do I get set user-id to work? _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
xterm
FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE #0: Sat Apr 21 10:54:49 GMT 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/GENERIC i386 When working in a Unix system, I like to work with several windows (if possible) and organize my work among them. I use xterm (as on the line 'xterm ') to open new windows. Recently, I wanted to check on my processes and issued the command 'ps -l' and was surprised to not find any xterm processes among them. So I issued the command 'ps -la' and there I found the xterm processes but they were owned by root , not by me who had issued the command. Even though I wasnt listed *by the ps la command as the owner, I could still kill the xterm processes. I dont know where the incongruity is, in the kernels tables or in the reporting by ps . In multi-user (commercial) systems, I believe that the user who invokes the xterm processes is (listed as) its owner. I prefer that all processes running in FreeBSD be owned by the user who invoked them, the exceptions being some system ( root ) processes used in the login process. (The xterm processes are included here as non-system processes, so they should be owned by the user who invoked them.) I would like to see FreeBSD changed to reflect this, but the bug reporting site is down now. If anyone knows of any reasons why the current operation is correct and should be left as is, please inform me. _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
