[GTALUG] Apr 14th - Hacklab Junk Independence Day

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Hacklab Junk Independence Day

Drop off / swap old electronic and e-waste, remainders will be recycled.

 * Sunday April 15th
 * 2PM – 7PM

https://twitter.com/hacklabto/status/1777909304260968539
https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day-4/

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Sun. Oct. 15th - Hacklab Junk Independence Day

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Hacklab Junk Independence Day
https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day-3/

Come drop off / swap old electronic and e-waste.

 * Sunday October 15th
 * 2PM – 7PM

--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Feature Highlight - Wayland Compositor Hand-Off

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

http://blog.davidedmundson.co.uk/blog/qt6_wayland_robustness/

This is a robustness improvements that let Wayland clients 
(applications/programs) gracefully survive and reconnect with the 
Wayland Compositor after a crash / restart or even complete replacement 
with a different Wayland compositor.



X11 Server, from what I understood in my old explorations, 
architecturally it would not have been possible to get there from within 
the limits of X11's design.


As someone who daily drives KDE Plasam Wayland, I'm really looking 
forward to this coming down stream. I've at various time suffered the 
pain of loosing my whole session over crash bugs. A frustrating, but 
thankfully brief example was a combination of PrusaSlicer and the QT 
file dialog triggering a compositor crash. It really takes me back 15 
years, when the same level of instability was in X11's ecosystem. But I 
switched to KDE's Wayland compositor because there are meaningful parts 
that are already surpassing the prior art, and competing with what the 
commercial OSes are putting out.


--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Favorite desktop manager?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2023-07-25 14:45, BCLUG via talk wrote:

mwilson--- via talk wrote on 2023-07-25 11:18:


what do other people use and like?


KDE Plasma.


+1 on KDE Plasma Wayland

I have to echo my support of all the KDE Connect features.

But for me, the real wins are all the massive quality of life around 
mixed monitor + docking station situations. This typically had massive 
draw backs and caveats under X11, that 'just work' correctly under KDE's 
wayland implementation.


My daily driver is a GPD Pocket 3 [1], a high-performance 11th Gen Intel 
system, in an 8" form factor.


For context, the GPD Pocket 3, has a 1200x1920 panel (portrait) 
installed at a 90° rotation. Sensor based Auto-rotation from the 
laptop's sensor works out of the box under KDE wayland implementation.


Current X11 doesn't handle per display output UI scaling, so all 
displays get scaled equally. The GPD's screen is best used at 150% UI 
Scaling for me, so having extended monitors also scaled at 150% is just 
aweful. KDE Wayland doesn't suffer from this and does per-display scaling.


Additionally I have some high-rez external 8" screens [2] (that also 
need their own independent UI scaling), with touch input. Touch Screen 
Assignment also work well from the KDE System Settings GUI. No fiddling 
with xinput commands or xorg.conf snippets.


System Settings => Input Devices => Touchscreen

Just select 'Device' and 'Target Display', and your done. The 
association is remembered through re-connections of the display.


[1]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GPD_Pocket_3
[2]: https://www.waveshare.com/8inch-1536x2048-lcd.htm

--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Anybody using rclone?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2023-06-05 09:14, Alvin Starr via talk wrote:
Does anybody know of an volume based backup solution that can work in 
an incremental manner?


This questions has big unstated conditional. Are you looking for

A) 'volume based backup that agnostic of the volumes it is backing up'

For which I have no answers.


B) 'An alternative filesystem / volume solution that can support 
incremental backup'


ZFS snapshots fit the bill here. Most folks will jump to the conclusion 
that you have to stream from one ZFS to another. But in reality zfs send 
is just standard out, that is only connected to a zfs receive by 
convention. You can just dump the incremental stream as a file/object 
that  doesn't need to be applied to a receiving ZFS immediately. You are 
then into the same know problem set of full vs incremental offline 
database backups.


--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Apr 30th - Hacklab Junk Independence Day

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Dropping this here as it's a favorite of much of this crowd.

Hacklab Junk Independence Day

Come drop off / swap old electronic and e-waste.

 * Sunday April 30th
 * 2PM – 7PM

https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day-2/

--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Is there a digest format for the GTALUG talk mailing list?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Thanks for looking into this folks. I'll be highlighting this oversight 
as we review and renew the GTALUG infra.


On 2022-12-18 13:59, BCLUG via talk wrote:

sciguy via talk wrote on 2022-12-18 09:04:


BCLUG via talk wrote on 2022-12-18 05:08:

I just tested it, and it doesn't switch me to digest, would need
to unsubscribe and resubscribe:


I just tried unsubscribing and resubscribing -- I was never given
the option to have a digest format there either.




Probably the option wasn't set at the first item this page:

https://gtalug.org/mailman/admin/talk/digest


Can list members choose to receive list traffic bunched in digests?




I tried subscribing to the digest with a different account:


- Results:
    No one can subscribe to the digest of this list!

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list 
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk



--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Hacklab - Junk Independence Day - Nov. 27th.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Knowing the popularity of these events with this crowd.

    November 27th
    2PM – 7PM

https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day/

--
Scott Sullivan

---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Upgrading SSD -> NVMe

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

It's well in to the area of diminishing returns for daily application 
use. You really need an I/O intensive workload (Data Crunching, Video 
Production) to see a benefit.



Does a Faster SSD Matter for Gamers?? - $h!t Manufacturers Say - Linus 
Tech Tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA

On 2021-11-27 11:40, William Park via talk wrote:
Has anyone upgraded from SSD SATA to NVMe M.2?  Spec says it's 10x the 
speed.  What did you really see?

--William
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk



--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] UPS brand recommendations?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

The UPS was deliberately tripped while I was flipping breakers. But it locked 
up with a vague F04 error, which is some internal circuit fault. The internet 
'wisdom' on resetting UPS has not resolved the fault. The unit is 5 years old 
and out of warranty. This could just be old age... but I've got seperate 
evidence of a wiring fault on that and the adjacent circuit. So I'm getting an 
electrician in.

I've never been thrilled with the proprietary 10p4c ended usb cable APC insists 
on. But otherwise have been happy enough. Just in the market again, curious if 
it had changed in any meaningful ways.


On November 8, 2021 10:29:06 a.m. EST, Ansar Mohammed via talk 
 wrote:
>APC generally.
>Are you considering just changing the battery?
>
>On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 10:28 AM Scott Sullivan via talk 
>wrote:
>
>> For the first time in half a decade, I find myself needing a new UPS. My
>> 1500VA APC UPS gave up the ghost this weekend.
>>
>> What brands are folks favoring theses days?
>> --
>> Scott Sullivan
>> ---
>> Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
>> Unsubscribe from this mailing list
>> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
>>

-- 
Scott Sullivan---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] UPS brand recommendations?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

For the first time in half a decade, I find myself needing a new UPS. My 1500VA 
APC UPS gave up the ghost this weekend.

What brands are folks favoring theses days?
-- 
Scott Sullivan---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] [GTALUG-Announce] Call for Candidates for the GTALUG Board

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

October 12th is GTALUG's Annual General Meeting.

There are 4 seats opening, for 2 year terms (2021-2023).

There are two formal qualifications that candidates need to satisfy:
 - Must be a GTALUG member in good standing
 - Must not have any undischarged bankruptcy

Please submit your intention to run to the email address:
board  gtalug.org

You are expected to attend Board/Operations meetings where we plan 
GTALUG meetings and activities. These meetings normally take place on 
the Wednesday evening, one week following the regular Tuesday meeting.



Board members are involved in and support the following activities.
 - Ensuring the Legal obligation as a non-profit.
 - Organizing the volunteers that run our internet infrastructure 
(website and mailing lists)

 - Organizing the volunteers that run our annual Linux in the Park picnic
 - Our involvement as a member organization of ICANN

The incumbents whose previous terms are expiring are:
- Alan Heighway
- Warren McPherson

--
Scott Sullivan
GTALUG Secretary
---
GTALUG Announce mailing list
annou...@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/announce
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] intel graphics announcement

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On August 25, 2021 11:23:16 a.m. EDT, Lennart Sorensen 
 wrote:
>On Tue, Aug 24, 2021 at 06:20:45PM -0400, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
>> The High Preformance cards are still to hit the market. And while it's going
>> to be a while for Game developers to smooth over the rough edges in software
>> support, we're already seeing real products leveraging the new graphics for
>> gaming on hand held PC platforms.
>
>It should not be up to game developers to fix issues, the driver
>developers should make the drivers work properly.
>

Not implying that they will hands on code for the drivers. But as the biggest 
consumers of the APIs, they drive the cycle of support and improvement.
-- 
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] intel graphics announcement

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2021-08-17 09:37, Lennart Sorensen via talk wrote:

On Mon, Aug 16, 2021 at 03:49:08PM -0500, o1bigtenor via talk wrote:
Found an announcement from INtel that they are getting back, I think, 
into

graphics cards - - - in a big way.

Did some searching - - - - all I can find is 'purdy pitchers' and swag 
for

sale.

Is this some more fud or is intel serious?

Anyone out there know - - - if so I'm guessing it will be 24 months 
before

anything useful shows up - - -yes?

Please advise


Hasn't intel been supposed to get back into graphics cards many times 
now?


I won't hold my breath. :)


The physical hardware is already out there. The DG1 is a spun out 
version of the Xe graphics in the 11th Gen CPU/iGPUs, and is already 
shipping in OEM systems.
A low end card that meets the bottom tier of dGPU from Nvidia, but as a 
test of the waters, it's showing good promise for scaled up cards.


Gamers Nexus
We Got an Intel GPU: Intel Iris Xe DG1 Video Card Review, Benchmarks, & 
Architecture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSseaknEv9Q

Intel GPU A Real Threat: Adobe Premiere, Handbrake, & Production 
Benchmarks on DG1 Iris Xe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW4U6n-r3_0


The High Preformance cards are still to hit the market. And while it's 
going to be a while for Game developers to smooth over the rough edges 
in software support, we're already seeing real products leveraging the 
new graphics for gaming on hand held PC platforms.


LowSpecGamer
Heavy Gaming on the GPD Win 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNfbfPhOiE0

Intel is dead serious on entering the market for dedicated high 
performance graphics cards.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Youtube-dl self updates (Was: Kurzweil Reading Edge)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2021-06-01 10:00 a.m., Lennart Sorensen via talk wrote:

On Mon, May 31, 2021 at 06:32:48PM -0400, Znoteer via talk wrote:

And, if your instance of yt-dl is out-of-date and poutube serves you some 
errors,

"youtube-dl -U"

will update your instance for you.  Here's a brief description from

https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/blob/master/README.md#options

--- begin documentation quote ---
-U or --update

Updates the youtube-dl program to its latest version.  Make sure that you have 
sufficient permissions (run with sudo if needed).
--- end documentation quote ---

Are you sure you don't want to hear the Reading Edge rap? :)


Well at least my version doesn't have a -U option, which is good, since
I would expect Debian (Well DMO rather than Debian in this case) to have
removed that kind of misfeature from a program.



Lennart,

I'm fascinated by your characterization of a program's self updating as 
a misfeature. In youtube-dl's case, this is a necessary feature, due to 
the rapidly changing nature of it's targets. Video host deliberately 
don't supply any stable API to download videos from, and tools like 
youtube-dl are day-to-day arms race with the sites to keep them working.


When I worked back at the VFX studio it was common practice to be 
downloading videos to add as reference material artists would use to 
understand what they were animating (so many dolphin videos...). But the 
versions of youtube-dl would regularly break if your on a long term 
stable like CentOS or an EoL Fedora (we had both).


So granting a sudo policy to let the editors do an update of the 
application with -U when youtube broke the application was essential in 
our case.


I understand that it creates a different channel of trust, outside the 
distros, but in the case of 'it breaks regularly with no upgrade path 
from the distro' vs 'managed by upstream developers which your trusting 
anyways', I see this as the exception that proves the rule.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] ThinkPad P15 -- crap?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2021-06-26 2:42 a.m., ac via talk wrote:

On Sat, 26 Jun 2021 01:06:23 -0400
William Park via talk  wrote:

Hi guys,
I'm using ThinkPad P15 Gen 1 at work.  The keyboard, touchpad, and
trackpoint are not what I expected.  They feel cheap.  My old T450 is
better.
Is it just me?  Or, has anyone notice this also?


not just you, I also am of the opinion that it is cheap crap :(
personally I have now started using HP, the quality is just better


Over the last three years my employer has issued me both an HP Elitebook 
G3 (Intel) and a G6 (AMD). Both have run linux well, both have had 
trackpoints. The build quality was decent on both, plastic on the G3, 
aluminum on the G6. The G3 machines had a common screen defect were one 
corner would develop a backlight hotspot, but it was readily ignorable.


HP's dedicate dock for them also worked well, and the USB-C dock option 
has also been working well on the G6.


Getting into the cases has always been easy with just a few screws on 
the back panel and no-nonesense access to RAM and M.2 slots.


The BIOSes include a handy option to swap the fn and ctrl keys, which 
are reversed compare to thinkpad layouts. Handy for me as I'm used to 
the thinkpad layout. I do miss the dedicated middle click button that 
the HPs lack, but middle button emulation (holding buttons 1 & 3) works.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Rocky Linux (CentOS's replacement) goes GA

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Yesterday, Rocky Linux made their rebuild of RHEL 8.4 Generally 
Available.


https://rockylinux.org/news/rocky-linux-8-4-ga-release/

This was following a round of RCs for 8.3 and 8.4.

My colleagues and I have been testing it out on both our personal and 
company work loads. And it's working as expected.


For those whom need a quick reminder on the situation. The chain used to 
look like this.


Upstream Sources => Fedora (Cherry picked and Forked ever few years) => 
CentOS Stream => RHEL => CentOS


At the start of the Year, RedHat announced that all effort on CentOS (as 
a downstream rebuild of RHEL) would cease at the end of 2021. Half a 
decade earlier then the community was expecting. And that there would be 
no CentOS to go with RHEL 9 when it eventually comes. This left a huge 
community of users and developer, whom were never going to become RHEL 
customers, without their long term stable distro.


Moving to CentOS Stream is effectively becoming beta testers for what 
will become RHEL.


Some of original founders of the CentOS project, established Rocky Linux 
to fill the position CentOS used too, just slightly trailing RHEL.
This returns the community to where it was before RedHat stepped in to 
support the CentOS project. Support that was eventually betrayed, having 
effectively abandoned the CentOS position in the ecosystem and walked 
away with the trademarks. This position in the ecosystem is always going 
to exist, RedHat abdicating it is ultimately unfortunate for RedHat.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] OpenWRT 21.02 is on it's way!

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Release Candidate 1 for OpenWRT 21.02 dropped last week.

https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/21.02.0-rc1/

Notable Features that mattered to me:
* Kernel Upgrade, 4.14.221 => 5.4.111
* Availability of more 10G NIC drivers (bnx2x)
* UEFI boot images for x86 targets
* Raspberry Pi 4 support


I recently have been working on building out some beefier firewalls for 
two sites with Fiber services. I needed something that could do 
wireguard without being terribly CPU bound. I also wanted to support 
greater then 1Gbps networking.


I went with some used Dell SFF 3020 machines. i5-4570, 4G RAM, and two 
low profile PCIe slots (x16 & x1). Paired with some surplus BCM57840 
cards and Intel 1G cards, these are turning into robust firewall boxs.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Raspberry Pi High-Availability / Remote Serviceable Solution

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

This is a follow on from my talk back November. Which at the GTALUG this 
evening I gave a small follow up.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwESAjUBuj0


At the end of the original talk I discussed having issue with electrical 
isolation on the USB serial adapter. I've since solved that with an 
inexpensive part that's exactly fit for purpose.


Below is the parts list:

* USB-C to Serial Port UART Board Module Isolated USB to TTL Module 3.3V
  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001644508314.html

* TP-Link Jetstream 10-Port Gigabit Smart Switch with 8-Port PoE+
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0141JX92G/

* Dupont Crimping Tool
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B087QY413W/

* JST-XHP Housings and Connectors
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07MBCLPBK/

* USB C to USB 2.0 A Cables
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01ASXBY62/

* GeeekPi Raspberry Pi 4 PoE HAT
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0833PP65P


I also showed off my Build of the Raspberry Pi modular rack, constructed 
from the design by Uptime Labs.


https://uplab.pro/2020/12/raspberry-pi-server-mark-iii/


I have a second one of these I printed and assembled but don't actually 
need. If someone interested, I'd sell if for $100 to cover the cost of 
the 5 case fans, steel rod and full spool of filament used in it's 
construction.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] micro controllers

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2021-02-16 1:55 p.m., Giles Orr via talk wrote:

I think when you said "Raspberry Pi" above you were referring to the
SBC, but they have very recently issued their own microcontroller
board, "the Raspberry Pi Pico:"

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/pico/getting-started/

In fact they don't seem to have shipped yet, but they're going to be
selling for $5.25CA each.


I snagged two of them already, purchased two weeks ago (at launch) from 
the usual local supplier.

https://elmwoodelectronics.ca/products/raspberry-pi-pico

Of course, who know when the re-stock will happen.

On that note, we can expect short supply and rising prices for 
electronics for the next year or two. The fabs that actually produce all 
the chips are swamped. Labor was initial constrained due to the 
pandemic, followed by heavy increase in demand from the consumer market. 
This couple with no new capacity. The auto makers are making noises 
about this because they tended not to keep much stock on hand. The 
buffer of which has been draining out of the wholesalers for the last year.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] USB-C Dock Experience Sharing

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

This came up in another conversation. Just want to share some of my 
thoughts on dealing with USB-C docks / dongles. I think since COVID a 
lot of folks are doing these docked laptop setups for work at home.


I've had three different devices I've worked with that have type-C. I've 
seen some very mixed results so far.


Devices:
GPD P2 MAX (9" Ultrabook)
One Netbook A1 (8" Netbook)
HP x360 15"

#1

Cable Matters Dual Monitor USB C Dock (USB C Docking Station) for 
MacBook Pro with Dual 4K HDMI and 80W Laptop Charging (USB-C and 
Thunderbolt 3 Port Compatible)

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07MKPP1W4/

I currently own two of these, worked reliably under linux with the P2 
MAX. Which is why I got a second one for my partner Trent and his HP 
2-in-1 convertible laptop. The latter had all sort of driver issues 
under windows. Those stabilized after finding the drivers from the 
manufacturer, but the Ethernet only works for a while, then disappears.


It does not work with the One Netbook A1, going into a power negotiation 
loop. (*)



#2

UGREEN USB C Hub 8 in 1 Type C Dock Station Multiport Adapter to 4K 
HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, SD TF Card Reader, 3 USB 3.0 Ports

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07BFWHPBG

This little guy has worked flawlessly on every machine I've thrown at 
it. Not built to handle really high current charging that the HP machine 
can demand, but great for out an about. Is currently serving desktop 
duty with the A1.



#3

J 5 in 1 USB C Hub, Portable 5 Ports Aluminum Type C Hub with Power 
Delivery PD Type C Charging Port, 4K HDMI Port, RJ45 1000Mbps Ethernet 
Port, USB 3.0 USB 2.0 Port Adapter Gray

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07V1M2JXQ

I filed a complaint against this listing, as it's only a 100Mbps 
Ethernet, not 1Gbps. It's never been corrected. Works mostly well enough 
and was used for desktop duty with the P2 Max before the Cablematters 
dock came into the picture. Would need to be power cycled ever once in a 
blue moon. Would not recommend.



#4

CalDigit USB-C Gen2 10Gb/s SOHO Dock - Up to 4K 60Hz, HDMI 2.0b, HDR, 
DisplayPort 1.4, 10Gb/s USB A & USB C, UHS-II microSD and SD Card 
Readers, Bus Power and Passthrough Charging Support

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08FF3BDW5

This one is on my buy-next List. It's built to support the higher 
bandwidth USB spec, so you not fighting with the 4K-30Hhz limitations of 
all the above for HDMI.


Based on this quick impressions video from LTT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2r10vOzxh4



---

*: My Spare Cable Matters Dock is for sale, on a try before you buy 
basis. Contact me off-list.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] [GTALUG-Announce] On the recent GTALUG Outage

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Folks,

As many of you have noticed, GTALUG's mailings and website were down 
since Dec 17th. This was the result of the operations/executive failing 
to act in a timely manner after Chris's passing. A payment was missed, 
and our server was shutdown by the hosting provider.


Over the holidays an attempt was made to recover the account, but we 
came under the mistaken impression that the server had been deleted.
And so we focused our efforts on recovering DNS and establishing a new 
server from our regular backups.


We have great thanks to express to Hugh Redelmeier. A steadfast 
volunteer and contributor of our community. Uncoordinated with the 
board, he reached out our provider and offered to pay the bill. 
Successful by-passing our misunderstandings, hotfixing the situation, 
and bringing us back on-line. He will be compensated for an out of 
pocket costs.


Speaking personally, these are hard times. I as I've returned to help 
bridge the gap from Chris's passing, I've found to many functions and 
knowledge and pool in to few people and was not being effectively taught 
to new contributors.


We failed to get enough visibility into our areas of risk.
We failed to effectively communicate with our community via our other 
social media channels about our situation.


I'm personally working with the current board to full on-board our 
lastest board members. Establish handbooks for the various functions and 
roles.



In the past, the board was just the voting head of a rotating group of 
some 10-15 individuals that contributed and attended the executive 
meetings. If you want help spread the load, or be involved in how the 
group functions. Please see and consider joining the operations mailing 
list.


https://gtalug.org/mailing-list/#operations

Meeting Minutes of the Executive meetings can be found here:
https://board.gtalug.org/

Executive / Board Meetings have always, and continue to be open to 
attendance from our community.


--
Scott Sullivan
Wearing the Hats of, A Director & Secretary
---
GTALUG Announce mailing list
annou...@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/announce
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] [GTALUG-Announce] Meeting Tomorrow

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 12/7/20 1:21 PM, hi--- via talk wrote:



# The state of Mozilla with Mike Hoye

We will be meeting on Zoom:
* Join Zoom Meeting -- 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89306740154?pwd=V0xGekxFWGFpMExXUDdFQnVPbGNPZz09
* Meeting ID: 893 0674 0154P

893 0674 0154

No 'P', that's a typo introduces when this was transcribed for the announce.

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] colocation downtown. Shared rack, non-profit price. Toronto Free-Net.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Passing this along for my friends at the Toronto Freenet.


 Original Message 
Subject: colocation downtown.  Shared rack, non-profit price.  Toronto Free-Net.

Toronto Free-Net is moving its servers to bigger digs and can offer
colocation in a *shared* rack, at the premier carrier hotel, downtown.

TFN is a non-profit, so price is *extremely* reasonable.  Starting at:

  1 rack unit = $100 setup + $100/month  +HST

Contact Iain:
  * voice:  416 665 6259
  * email:  tfna-colo at the Toronto Free-Net (torfree.net)

EOF

-- 
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] for multi-hop ssh/scp: option "ProxyJump"

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 8/29/20 6:31 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
FYI, the ProxyJump directive was only introduces in OpenSSH version 7.3. 
As we had a lot of legacy RHEL/CentOS 6 systems, which were not yet on 
that version, we had to use the older pattern of ProxyCommand and NetCat 
(nc).


While I was looking for that version number, I actually pulled up a more 
generalized version that uses only SSH, no netcat required.


Host remote-host
  ProxyCommand ssh bastion-host -W %h:%p

From this 2019 redhat article.
https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/ssh-proxy-bastion-proxyjump

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] for multi-hop ssh/scp: option "ProxyJump"

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I've had to do the kinda of multiple proxy jumps Hugh is alluding too. 
It was common in a Managed Service Provider I worked for.


FYI, the ProxyJump directive was only introduces in OpenSSH version 7.3. 
As we had a lot of legacy RHEL/CentOS 6 systems, which were not yet on 
that version, we had to use the older pattern of ProxyCommand and NetCat 
(nc).


Combining ProxyJump along with User, Port and IdentityFile directives in 
your .ssh/config file, you can preform some amazing back-flips and 
lateral moves through infrastructure. I think my record was 5 layers of 
depth, but a don't have those config files any more.


Dropping your public keys, and 'ForwardAgent yes' in .ssh/config in ever 
user/system along the proxy chain means you can have a single SSH 
command take you all the way to the end of the chain without being 
prompted for a password at each hop.


---
# === SITE 1 ===
# Best-practice firewall rules means jump-box is the only host reachable 
via VPN, so is always our first hop.


Host jump-box
HostName jump-box.example.org
User someone

Host stargate
ProxyCommand ssh -q someone@jump-box nc stargate.example.org 22

Host stargate2
ProxyCommand ssh -q someone@jump-box nc 192.168.133.7 22

# === SITE 2 ===
Host jump.site2.other.org
ProxyCommand ssh -q someone@stargate2 nc 10.30.40.20 22

# === SITE 3 ===
Host 192.168.3.*
ProxyCommand ssh -q someone@stargate nc %h 22

# === SITE 5 ===
Host 10.90.5.*
ProxyCommand ssh -q someone@stargate nc %h 22
User differentuser

# Examples
# ssh someone@192.168.3.12
# A double jump, host/ip wildcard says we need to connect via 
'stargate', which will resolve further to 'jump-box' which is 
canonically 'jump-box.example.org'


---

On 8/29/20 11:55 AM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:

I'm away from home, regularly accessing my computers at home.
Easy: ssh into a gateway machine and ssh from there into the internal
machine of my choice.  Nested ssh sessions.
It gets a little more annoying when I want to transfer a file.

The new-to-me ssh/scp option "ProxyJump" handles this conveniently.

Consider the example of transferring a file "f" from machine "home"
through machine "gw" to machine "away", all done from an xterm on
"away".

Note: because "away" is behind NAT, "gw" cannot scp to it.
Note: -A enables ssh-agent to avoid some manual authentication
Note: things become more complicated if f has slashes.

[away] $ ssh -A gw
[gw] $ scp -p home:f .
[gw] $ exit
[away] $ scp -p gw:f .
[away] $ ssh -A gw
[gw] $ rm f
[gw] $ exit

This can be simplified because the ssh command allows shell commands
as arguments.  That's not a habit I've developed.

[away] $ ssh -A gw scp -p home:f .
[away] $ scp -p gw:f .
[away] $ ssh -A gw rm f

The ProxyJump option makes this a lot simpler:

[away] $ scp -p -o 'ProxyJump gw' home:f .

I have no need for more than one intermediate hop so I haven't figured out
how that would work.
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk




--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 8/8/20 11:21 AM, Kevin Cozens via talk wrote:

On 2020-08-08 10:49 a.m., Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
When you also factor in Keyboard, Mouse, and USB boot drive, your left 
with only one spare USB port, which could likely be taken up by a webcam. 


You can use a USB type web cam with a Pi but you can don't need to. 
There is a special onboard connector that is meant to be used with a 
camera module.




With the Desktop usage scenario laid out by Aruna, the short delicate 
ribbon cable of the camera module would not be a practical choice. Hence 
my inclusion of a USB webcam in the list.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 8/8/20 9:27 AM, Aruna Hewapathirane wrote:
On Fri, Aug 7, 2020 at 9:11 PM Scott Sullivan via talk <mailto:talk@gtalug.org>> wrote:


On 8/7/20 6:49 PM, Aruna Hewapathirane via talk wrote:

[.SNIP.]


 > How easy or difficult would it be to boot off an external hard
disk as
 > compared
 > to the SD card that comes with the Pi ?

Typically, the Pi does not come with an SD card or any accessories.
Which is why you will often see is bundles with an SD card, case and
power supply.

But to answer your question. SD cards are the default way to boot.
While
support for USB boot was recently introduced. It may require you to
update the firmware first, and doesn't look like it 'just works'.
Caveat, I've not tried it myself yet.

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/boot-raspberry-pi-4-usb
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/booteeprom.md

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/bcm2711_bootloader_config.md


So it has USB boot with the Pi 4 I just have to change the 
FIRMWARE_RELEASE_STATUS value from "critical" to "stable."


I would err on the side of sticking with just a high quality SD card. 
There far less chance of the accidental removal while the machine is in 
operation.


When you also factor in Keyboard, Mouse, and USB boot drive, your left 
with only one spare USB port, which could likely be taken up by a 
webcam. Sticking to the SD keeps one more port free for incidental use.



Alright I will shop around for a fan and aluminium case.



It's a bit on the pricey side, but this Argon ONE is nice desktop style 
case. The power button also helps to make sure it's not being hard 
powered off, possible leading to corruption of the boot filesystems.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VlE654abDo
https://www.buyapi.ca/product/argon-one-pi-4-raspberry-pi-case/



That being said, I will give one further thing to consider.

A Raspberry Pi 4 - 8GB is going to run you around $100 Canadian, +
$30-50 for a good case, $15 for PSU, $30-80 for SD card or other
storage. That's $200 or more. Well with in the lower ends of the
used or
refurbished desktop and laptops.

- https://www.freegeektoronto.org/shop/
- https://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=7_158_1934=3a
- https://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=710_374=3a

Can you tell us more about how you expect to use the computer?
That would let us help narrow down your options more.


This is not for me. My uncle lives in Edmonton. He is in his late 70's 
and getting on.
I visited him recently and he has an ancient desktop and my aunty has a 
laptop. Both
run Windows 10. The modem+router is in their basement. The house has 3 
levels. So
the wifi signal has to get through two floors for my uncle and one floor 
for my aunty. Most
times things are extremely slow. I could run an ethernet cable from the 
basement and wire

a direct connection but did not have the time to do that this time.

I have a couple of desktops lying around but Canada Post or Fedex or UPS 
will be
very expensive if I was to ship them to Edmonton from Toronto and both 
my uncle and aunt
are not technically savvy or inclined so even if I get it across someone 
has to hook up and test

things before handing over to them.

This is when I started exploring possible alternatives. A Pi has a very 
small form factor. Easily
packaged and can be sent through Canada Post. Or if I manage to save 
enough to fly to Edmonton
carrying a Pi or two will not be a issue as compared to checking in two 
desktops :-)



Yup, remote support and shipping requirements really do lean into the 
Raspberry Pi's favor here.



And since everything will be set to go all they have to do is plug in 
the keyboard+mouse+monitor
or TV and things should just work ? I still have to run a ethernet cable 
from the basement up
to his room and my aunt's laptop which has no fixed location. Most times 
she uses it in the

kitchen or dining table.

Oh one more question, what can I do to increase the wifi signal from the 
basement up 3 floors ?

I have very limited experience with modems and routers.


There are wifi repeaters, but I've not had much experience with them to 
make a recommendation.


A more practical approach is to move the ISP modem/router onto the 
middle floor so that it's coverage is more consistent across the property.


If it's not practical to do so, because of where their internet service 
enters the property, consider getting a second dedicate WIFI router. 
Turn off the WIFI on the ISP modem/router. Setup WIFI on the new router, 
disable it's DHCP services, and connect one of its LAN side ports back 
to one of the LAN side ports of the ISP modem/router.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 8/7/20 6:49 PM, Aruna Hewapathirane via talk wrote:

Hello,

I stumbled across this recently:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/

I can use some guidance and advice from folks who have experience
with Raspberry Pi's. What I read so far looks good but I have questions.

If 'you' were to use a Raspberry Pi as a desktop replacement which one
would you recommend?


Hello Aruna, I'll try to answer your questions in-line below.


Is there a major difference in response times between the 4Gb and 8Gb
models ?


The amount of RAM does make a difference for performance. The software 
is able to keep more of the active data cached in RAM for faster access 
and more applications (or web browser tabs) can be kept open and 
actively used. As the ram is not upgradable, going for more RAM is 
advisable.



How hot does the unit become ? Does it require an add on fan shim ? Or
will work fine without one ?


Rather Hot. There a lot options, including some very effective all 
aluminum cases that act as passive heat sinks.


I recommend going through some of the reviews by ETAPRIME.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ETAPRIME/search?query=heatsink

How easy or difficult would it be to boot off an external hard disk as 
compared

to the SD card that comes with the Pi ?


Typically, the Pi does not come with an SD card or any accessories. 
Which is why you will often see is bundles with an SD card, case and 
power supply.


But to answer your question. SD cards are the default way to boot. While 
support for USB boot was recently introduced. It may require you to 
update the firmware first, and doesn't look like it 'just works'. 
Caveat, I've not tried it myself yet.


https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/boot-raspberry-pi-4-usb
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/booteeprom.md
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/bcm2711_bootloader_config.md

Any other things to watch out for and be aware of before I purchase ? 
Instead of buying
the kit would it be cheaper to buy each item separately from different 
vendors ?


I would certainly shop around. The case options are considerable, and 
getting either an aluminum case or one with a Fan is strongly recommended.


- https://elmwoodelectronics.ca/collections/raspberry-pi
- https://www.creatroninc.com/category/raspberry-pi/
- https://www.buyapi.ca/



That being said, I will give one further thing to consider.

A Raspberry Pi 4 - 8GB is going to run you around $100 Canadian, + 
$30-50 for a good case, $15 for PSU, $30-80 for SD card or other 
storage. That's $200 or more. Well with in the lower ends of the used or 
refurbished desktop and laptops.


- https://www.freegeektoronto.org/shop/
- https://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=7_158_1934=3a
- https://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=710_374=3a

Can you tell us more about how you expect to use the computer?
That would let us help narrow down your options more.

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Editing Browser Text boxes in external editors.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Just sharing my experience post.

So, my father used to do this with an extension call It's All Text. It 
didn't make the jump to web extensions and security model now requires 
an external helper application.


Drew and I have come to very different conclusions about the solutions.

Style #1 - Update on Write

This style is where the text is sent out to the editor of choice, and 
isn't written back into the text box until you save/write out the file.


* Works with any editor generically through tempfiles
* Allows multiple text boxes to be worked in independently


Example:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/addon/external-editor/


Style #2 - Live Sync

This style actively updates the editor window and the browser textbox 
with the current working text.


* Requires more setup with per editor plugins.
* No tempfiles, everything is in the browser context.
* Switching browser tabs updates the editor to the current text box your 
working on. Friendly if have a single VIM session open in A single terminal


Example:
https://github.com/GhostText/GhostText


I've tested this one with the following plugin, installed via the vundle 
plugin system,

https://github.com/pandysong/ghost-text.vim
https://github.com/VundleVim/Vundle.vim#quick-start



I'm curious:
Have you used this before?
Do you still use this?
What Styles have you used?
What were your personal pros and cons for each style?

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Adding all users to the "disk" group: bad idea, or terrible idea?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

With an attacker mindset, I wouldn't give users persistent access to the 
disks group. udev creates disks in /dev with the disk group, and r+w 
group permissions. So, if I want to screw around with the root 
filesystem, I can now go indirectly via which ever /dev/ has 
the root fs and monkey with the bits on disk. This is now a continuously 
open hole for those users granted into that group.


With sudo, practically speaking, most personal computers are single 
owner, so the users already have it. And then there is an explicit 
privilege escalation for the one task, and no persistence of unneeded 
privilege.


I feel your developer is making the choice of convenience over security 
and explicit/relatable action of the user.



On 2/17/20 4:42 PM, John Sellens via talk wrote:

The developer seems to be insisting on an answer, rather than
a need.  The need is to allow easy writing when appropriate.

Consider a wrapper script that uses sudo to call the actual command.

And then set sudoers(5) to allow appropriate people to run the command
as root without a password.

That means that it's easy for the user, and access to the disk
devices is only provided through the (presumably) tested and
well-functioning command.

Remember: you can solve any problem in computer science with
another level of indirection.

I suspect that there's a way via udev or dbus to accomplish the
appropriate thing.  But I'm not smart enough for that.

Hope that helps!

John


On Mon, 2020/02/17 04:28:52PM -0500, Stewart C. Russell via talk 
 wrote:
| So I'm working with a developer making a simple cross-platform graphical
| program to write Raspberry Pi OS images to SD card. This is meant for
| beginners to use. The developer is adamant that their program doesn't need
| to run under 'sudo' but that every user should be added to the disk group
| instead.
|
| This means that every user can write directly to system disk devices at any
| time. The Debian-based systems I use don't add regular users to "disk". Is
| it reasonable/common for regular users to be set up this way?
|
| cheers
|
|  Stewart $(export HAVE_ACCIDENTALLY_OVERWRITTEN_ROOT=1) Russell
|
|
|
| ---
| Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
| Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Remove drive, system won't boot

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 1/4/20 11:24 AM, William Park via talk wrote:

Looks like your HDD1 (Seagate 4TB) is failing, so can't mount /var,
/home, etc.  But, the actual mounting order goes like
 sda -- Adata 60GB
 sdb -- WD 10TB (the new disk)
 sdc -- Seagate 4TB

1. Try swapping the SATA connectors of 10TB and 4TB disks.
2. Replace 4TB as well.
-- William Park  On Sat, Jan 04, 2020 at 


Evan,

You don't outline which HDDX is which. But as William points out, your 
4TB Seagate drive is not behaving well. Sometimes these errors can be a 
the result the sata port going bad, or a bad cable. But mostly it's the 
drive failing. Is that the drive with your /var partition? Because if it 
is, that is what's hanging your boot.



Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: ATA-8: ST4000DM000-1F2168, 
CC52, max UDMA/133


Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: exception Emask 0x10 SAct 
0x2000 SErr 0x409 action 0xe frozen
Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: irq_stat 0x00400040, connection 
status changed

Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3: SError: { PHYRdyChg 10B8B DevExch }
Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: failed command: READ FPDMA QUEUED
Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: cmd 
60/00:68:00:b4:c0/01:00:d1:01:00/40 tag 13 ncq 131072 in
 res 
40/00:68:00:b4:c0/00:00:d1:01:00/40 Emask 0x10 (ATA bus error)

Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: status: { DRDY }
Jan 04 08:06:35 bluejay kernel: ata3: hard resetting link

Jan 04 08:06:45 bluejay kernel: ata3: exception Emask 0x10 SAct 0x0 SErr 
0x409 action 0xe frozen
Jan 04 08:06:45 bluejay kernel: ata3: irq_stat 0x00400040, connection 
status changed

Jan 04 08:06:45 bluejay kernel: ata3: SError: { PHYRdyChg 10B8B DevExch }
Jan 04 08:06:45 bluejay kernel: ata3: hard resetting link
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ata3: link is slow to respond, please be 
patient (ready=0)
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ata3: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 
SControl 300)
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ACPI Error: [DSSP] Namespace lookup 
failure, AE_NOT_FOUND (20150930/psargs-359)
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ACPI Error: Method parse/execution 
failed [\_SB.PCI0.SAT0.SPT2._GTF] (Node 8802174d61e0), AE_NOT_FOUND 
(20150930/psparse-542)
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ACPI Error: [DSSP] Namespace lookup 
failure, AE_NOT_FOUND (20150930/psargs-359)
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ACPI Error: Method parse/execution 
failed [\_SB.PCI0.SAT0.SPT2._GTF] (Node 8802174d61e0), AE_NOT_FOUND 
(20150930/psparse-542)

Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ata3.00: configured for UDMA/133
Jan 04 08:06:51 bluejay kernel: ata3: EH complete


09:49:58AM -0500, Evan Leibovitch via talk wrote:

Hi again,

Sorry for two system problems over the holidays, but this last one truly
has me stumped.

Last week I had a problem trying to back up files onto a large drive using
a USB enclosure.

This week I've tried to complete the install, and of course it could not go
without problems

The config is:
SDD with /boot and /
HDD1 with /var, /home and swap
HDD2 has one data partition
HDD3 has one data partition
I am trying to replace HDD2 with HDD3.

HDD3 installs and mounts just fine. But if I unplug HDD2, the machine
refuses to boot. Taking it to recovery mode eventually ends up in a
hardware freeze. Plugging it back in goes to a normal boot, even though the
HDD2's partition is no longer mounted to anything.

I've tried to eliminate the BIOS as a source of the problem, have updated
it to the latest version and ensured that the disk-to-be-removed is not
seen in any BIOS configurations.

I attach the one log file I am able to capture, since it freezes before
mounting /var.

As best as I can tell the freeze happens during the point of the bootup
where it's running fsck on the drives. It may be looking for the removed
HDD2 but I don't know where it's remembering to look for it. HDD2 is no
longer in /etc/fstab and I searched in vain for any instance of the UUID of
HDD2 in either /boot or /etc.

Any suggestions?


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] 10TB drive seen as a 2TB drive (twice?)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Although I don't have recent testing experince, after the whole 2TB 'thing', 
the marketing became about the largest drives tested at time of release.

Someone else can look into this further but I think it was not handling 
Advanced Format Drives (4k sectors) that was the crux of limitation.


On December 30, 2019 8:13:57 a.m. EST, Evan Leibovitch  wrote:
>Hi Scott (and everyone else who replied),
>
>As other on the thread have zero'ing in on, it is likely an issue with
>whatever
>> USB/SATA adapter your using. This was a known limitation of early
>> chipsets, and I recall the marketing shift to 'supports larger then
>2TB!'.
>>
>
>Pretty sure that's it. As I look around at what's available, even
>finding
>one now that supports 10TB is not so easy, many top out at 8.
>Since I can't yet put the drive in the chassis I have this enclosure
>
>on order which will be useful later anyway.
>Thanks for the feedback.
>
>Anyone want my existing enclosure? I can bring it to the next meeting.
>You
>all know its limitations, but can't beat the price,
>
>-- 
>Evan Leibovitch, Toronto Canada
>@evanleibovitch or @el56

-- 
Scott Sullivan---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] IPv6 only WiFi hotspot

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 9/25/19 1:00 PM, James Knott via talk wrote:

On 2019-09-25 12:37 PM, Val Kulkov via talk wrote:

I found myself connected to an IPv6-only WiFi hotspot a couple of
weeks ago. In a small town in Greece.

At first, I could not understand why I was getting DNS errors for so
many sites. Then it occurred to me to check my connection with
ifconfig, and voila: I had an IPv6 address, but no IPv4.


A network colleague of tipped me off an a browser extension that shows 
you at a glance how much of a site your getting via IPv4 vs IPv6.


IPvFoo

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ipvfoo-pmarks/
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ipvfoo/ecanpcehffngcegjmadlcijfolapggal

Throwing out there for those that are interested, and may find 
themselves is such situations as Val mentions here.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] CentOS 8 - Sept 24th

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

With the release work for 7.7 completed, we now have a release date for 
CentOS 8. Tuesday Sept. 24th.


https://wiki.centos.org/About/Building_8


As I already run a split CentOS/Fedora environment, I'm looking forward 
to the usual reduction in differences for my Ansible playbooks.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org
Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] SSH Host tab completion

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I suspect you have indeed run into the difference between:

Interactive Login shell
Interactive Non-Login shell
Non-Interactive Login shell
Non-Interactive Non-Login shell

.bashrc is called in almost all cases, .bash_profile only in some and 
bash completions likely only in some. TMUX is lunching another shell 
that may be non-login shell / non-interactive. So the question is why 
load completions, if it's not a person the shell is responding to.


When I was learning about this I started adding checks like these:

***

# .bashrc
if [[ $- = *i* ]]; then
echo 'Interactivity!'
fi

if shopt -q login_shell ; then
   echo 'Logged In!'
fi

***

# .bash_profile
echo ".bash_profile executed!"

***

https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/38175/difference-between-login-shell-and-non-login-shell/46856#46856


On 5/31/19 4:54 PM, Giles Orr via talk wrote:
I've had a very similar problem with ssh host tab completion - the 
primary difference seemed to be that it worked on Mac and not on Linux.  
(I never use console these days, so I couldn't tell you about that.)  I 
solved it as you did - by a more specific call to the completion file(s) 
in by bashrc.  Although I think I sourced the one specifically for SSH 
hosts.


I can't remember if it was here (ie. TLUG) or somewhere else that I saw 
a conversation about the incredibly tortuous routing of Bash startup.  
It was months or even a couple years ago.  Essentially, someone had 
attempted to map out the decision process behind what files got parsed 
when Bash started depending on all the little check-boxes: is it 
interactive, is it console, is it login, dozens of others.  The flow 
chart created was enough to make a hardened system administrator cry.  
So the direct route - add what you want to the bashrc - is definitely 
preferred to trying to actually debug what happened.


On Fri, 31 May 2019 at 11:02, Daniel Wayne Armstrong via talk 
mailto:talk@gtalug.org>> wrote:


Resolved the issue by adding ...

source /etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh

... to my ~/.bashrc, though I still don't know why it would
auto-complete OK inside tmux.

On Thu, May 30, 2019 at 4:24 PM Daniel Wayne Armstrong
mailto:dan...@circuidipity.com>> wrote:

Hello all ... I am currently running Debian Buster and Bash
shell. I have a few Host aliases defined in my ~/.ssh/config.
Example: Host test-server. So when, in console, I type ...

$ ssh tes

... and hit Tab, then auto-completion fills out ...

$ ssh test-server

When I try to do the same thing in a terminal (urxvt), tab
completion does *not* work. The complete host alias has to be
entered.

*But* tab completion for ssh host aliases *does* work if entered
within tmux running in the terminal.

Any idea how I can get tab completion working for ssh host
aliases in the terminal?

-- 
Daniel Wayne Armstrong https://www.circuidipity.com


Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts. -- Lao Tzu



-- 
Daniel Wayne Armstrong https://www.circuidipity.com


Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts. -- Lao Tzu

---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org 
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk



--
Giles
https://www.gilesorr.com/
giles...@gmail.com 

---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk




--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Boeing India software engineers

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Forgive the lack of signature.

This is a jointly drafted statement of GTALUG's board of directors.

We apologize for the confusion that omission may of caused. This comes from all 
of us, not just Alex.

On March 13, 2019 3:36:23 PM EDT, Alex Volkov via talk  wrote:
>Folks,
>
>
>In accordance with our code of conduct, we feel it's necessary to 
>intervene on this thread. It has not been conducted in a constructive 
>manner, and veered into racism.
>
>
>Those that have stepped out of line have been notified, and put under 
>the moderation queue. Further attempts to perpetuate this unacceptable 
>behaviour will result in bans.
>
>
>Here is our Code of Conduct if anyone needs a reference on how to
>behave 
>appropriately --https://gtalug.org/about/code-of-conduct/
>
>
>

-- 
Scott Sullivan
w/ GTALUG President Hat on
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Hacklab Toronto - Moving Crowd Fund

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Howdy Folks,

Hacklab Toronto has been a great friend to the GTALUG community. We had 
over lap of member of our community. The last few GTALUG Linux in Parks 
have been hosted by them. GTALUG's board and volunteers have used it as 
meeting space. Hacklab has co-hosted some of our out-of-cycle guest 
spearks (last years bash talk). Many of you have found treasures, or 
divested yourself of junk at the Junk Independence Days.


We've been forced to move out of 5 year home due to long term 
construction that will the leave building uninhabitable until completed.


Hacklab has found a new permanent home and we're looking for assistance 
in funding the work to make the space function for our needs.


https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hacklab-to-is-moving-again/x/2472524#/



w/ Hacklab Member Hat on, and GTALUG president hat off.
--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Security cams question

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2/9/19 8:25 AM, o1bigtenor via talk wrote:

Greetings

I am looking into using a security cam to observe animal behavior in an area.

So I would like to use a camera that is IR capable to 30 m but what
I'm not finding is anything that I can run on Linux - - - just M$ is
listed.

Has anyone out there played with security cams that might be able to help?

TIA

Dee


You've not given us a lot of information to work with, and I see folks 
are making a lot of educated guesses to try and help you. Could you help 
us by adding some additional information?


What's your budget?

What is some example software / hardware you've looked at (links please)?

What kind of data do you expect to have at the end?

Video, time lapse photos, other?

Do you want this recording all the time, or just on motion detection?

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] nmcli is rather pleasant with tab completion

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

This morning I was in a scenario where just done an install (Fedora 29 
Server), and the device had no wired network, only wifi. I was feeling 
lazy and didn't want to pull out my USB ethernet dongle and a cable. So 
out of curiosity, I was wondered how far I could get with the new nmcli 
(Network Manager CLI) tools, and tab completion.


The answer, all the way to working wifi networking. So I thought I'd 
share the FYI. I see this coming in really handy for Raspberry Pi 3/3+ 
and Zero-W owners.


Example output:
[root@dna ~]# nmcli device wifi list
IN-USE  SSID MODE   CHAN  RATESIGNAL  BARS 
SECURITY
ItsAWifi Infra  6 195 Mbit/s  100 ▂▄▆█ 
WPA2
*   The_Terrace  Infra  149   405 Mbit/s  97  ▂▄▆█ 
WPA2
ItsAWifi Infra  36405 Mbit/s  94  ▂▄▆█ 
WPA2
--   Infra  153   540 Mbit/s  69  ▂▄▆_ 
WPA2
N.InetSamura_5G  Infra  153   540 Mbit/s  69  ▂▄▆_ 
WPA2
AC.InetSamurai_5.825GHz  Infra  165   195 Mbit/s  65  ▂▄▆_ 
WPA2


[root@dna ~]# nmcli device wifi 
connect  help hotspot  list rescan
[root@dna ~]# nmcli device wifi connect
00:19:BE:1E:C6:183C:17:10:22:AE:1E80:2A:A8:18:2E:52 
  AC:84:C9:FD:27:95BC:4D:FB:E2:8D:E8The_Terrace
24:F5:A2:77:89:D36C:19:8F:C5:12:D8A6:84:C9:FD:27:95 
  B4:75:0E:3F:CC:9EBELL270  ItsAWifi

[root@dna ~]# nmcli device wifi connect ItsAWifi 
bssid hiddenifnamename  password 
private   wep-key-type

[root@dna ~]# nmcli device wifi connect ItsAWifi password *
And that worked!

Best part, it also created all the needed files in 
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ for this network, set to start onboot 
even! Very handy.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Various Tech looking for Good Homes

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 10/25/18 9:39 PM, Gmail wrote:

I’ll take the GnuBee PC2 NAS Deluxe Kit off you still got it. If you’re at 
FSOSS tomorrow, I can even get it right then!

--
dave.s.do...@gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone


On Oct 25, 2018, at 9:23 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk  wrote:

GnuBee PC2 NAS Deluxe Kit


SOLD, See you tomorrow.
--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Various Tech looking for Good Homes

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I have the following items for sale. I just don't have a use for them 
anymore, and would like to give this community first crack.


Contact me off-list if your interested or have questions.

ACER Aspire easyStore H340
* Intel Atom 230, 2GB RAM, No Drives
* Includes added Compatible Graphics card, to make linux installs easy.
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_204544.jpg
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_204607.jpg
[$80]

Lenovo Thinkpad Ultra Dock
* Power Supply and Original Keys included.
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_204034.jpg
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_204046.jpg
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_204232.jpg
[$160]

APC Back-UPS ES 350
* Battery will need to be replaced.
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_203922.jpg
[$15]

StarTech 2.5" Hotswap Bay, Expansion Card slot mount.
* Used to add rear I/O access SATA drives, good for space constrained cases.
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_204650.jpg
[$25 for all three]

GnuBee PC2 NAS Deluxe Kit
* Never used, bought for a purpose that wasn't ultimately needed.
* BONUS: 6x 750GB Seagate ST3750640AS, free with purchase.
* All drives have passed a recent badblocks run.
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_205118.jpg
https://revident.net/images/IMG_20181025_205125.jpg
https://www.crowdsupply.com/gnubee/personal-cloud-2
[$260]

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] (Informal Announcement) GTALUG Meeting on Tuesday (2018 Oct 8)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I don't know who we got on the same wavelength, but we both posted 
within a minute of each other. Cute.


Somehow, having sent the AGM call for canadites, my mind had check off 
'announce for this month'. Silly me.


On 10/8/18 10:42 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:

The meeting will start with the Annual General Meeting.

After that, Mike Hoye of Mozila will speak on "Firefox: What's Next

Time: 2018 at 07:30 PM

Location:
George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre at Ryerson University
245 Church Street, Room 203 (second floor).

More details: 

Informally, many of us will meet for dinner at 6:00 PM.
I'm not sure where.  Probably Kabul Express on Dundas, just east of
Church.
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk




--
Scott Sullivan
GTALUG President
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Replacement keys (was Lenovo ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with TrackPoint)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I had that happen to one of mine as well. Had the ~ and 1 keys break 
off. It's currently a parts spare, contact me off list.


On 9/26/18 9:56 PM, Michael Hill via talk wrote:

On Tue, Aug 28, 2018 at 6:35 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk
 wrote:


I've had a number of folks express interest after seeing me use mine.
So I'm just going to drop the links here for general reference.

Lenovo ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with TrackPoint


Mine has been indispensable for five years. Last week, sadly, the X
key was dislodged and fell out of my backpack somewhere. Can anyone
recommend a supplier for replacement keys? I took a look on eBay and
the selection seemed pretty spotty.

Mike
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk



--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] [GTALUG-Announce] In The Community

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I've been told to ignore the 'tickets' statement as this is a free event.

On September 15, 2018 6:23:38 PM EDT, "D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk" 
 wrote:
>| From: Scott Sullivan via talk 
>
>| Privacy and security on the 21st Century Internet: a big picture view
>
>Thanks!
>
>Interesting.  I did not know of this.
>
>Unfortunately tickets are no longer available.
>---
>Talk Mailing List
>talk@gtalug.org
>https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

-- 
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] [GTALUG-Announce] In The Community

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-09-13 8:52 a.m., Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote:

On 2018-09-12 04:41 PM, hi--- via talk wrote:

# In the Community

# September


## Toronto Public Library

Privacy and security on the 21st Century Internet: a big picture view
* Sat Sep 22, 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
* North York Central Library - Auditorium
* 
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT361685=EVT361685


Your Privacy and the Law in Canada
* Sat Sep 22, 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
* North York Central Library - Auditorium
* 
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT361686=EVT361686


Talking Privacy Tech: a round-table with leading technologists
* Sat Sep 22, 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
* North York Central Library - Auditorium
* 
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT361687=EVT361687


Spyware and Malware: an insider's perspective
* Sat Sep 22, 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
* North York Central Library - Auditorium
* 
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT361688=EVT361688


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] November preso open?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Hi Aren,

speak...@gtalug.org is the contact point for that.



On September 6, 2018 9:50:42 AM EDT, "Aren.deJ via talk"  
wrote:
>Hey all,
>
>Curious if the November meet day already has a presenter or if I might
>be
>able to jump in there?
>Is there a different email to send this to?
>
>Thanks

-- 
Scott Sullivan
GTALUG President / Speaker Coordinator ---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Swappiness

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-09-05 06:52 AM, o1bigtenor via talk wrote:

On Tue, Sep 4, 2018 at 11:16 PM, Evan Leibovitch via talk

I was referring to this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swappiness


Greetings

Article looks interesting except the systemd provisions are attributes and and
are not mentioned. Bottom of  the article indicates a somewhat recent editing
date but with no mention of systemd I have further questions.


Dee,

Swappiness is a tuning parameter of the kernels memory management 
algorithms. So there is no reason for systemd to be mentioned as systemd 
has nothing to do with how application memory is managed.



The article
mentions places to change 'swappiness' and I can find the actual file but there
is nothing in the sysctl.conf (IIRC the name) file re: swappiness. Somehow I
would prefer something that did refer to systemd foibles as well for a guide so
as not to really pooch anything.


Your correctly that sysctl.conf is the correct place, for setting kernel 
tunables, at boot time. For run time use the sysctl command, or parts of 
/sys file system interface.


In general you can expect sysctl.conf to be very empty, because it 
should only contains kernel parameters you (our your distro) are 
altering from the defaults.

Additionally it would be impractical to list all of them in such a file.

1) New parameters are being add all the time as hardware drivers are 
updated, or subsystems mature.
2) Parameters are exposed in a dotted-tree (first.second.third_level) 
and parts of that try will be system specific based on the hardware 
enumerations.


eg.
net.ipv6.conf.eno1.forwarding and net.ipv6.conf.enp3s0.forwarding for my 
two network interfaces, eno1 and enp3s0.


$ sudo sysctl -a | wc -l
1499

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Which Distro is Best for Running a ZFS-on-Linux Fileserver.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-08-31 05:15 PM, David Mason wrote:
OK, so I have an 8TB Seagate USB disk and have created a zpool on it 
called backup1. My main pool is called tank. I tried:


: ~ ; sudo zfs snapshot -r tank@2018-08-31
: ~ ; sudo zfs list
NAME            USED  AVAIL  REFER  MOUNTPOINT
backup1         508K  7.14T   136K  /backup1
tank           1.66T   916G   412K  /tank
tank/audio     12.1G   916G  12.1G  /audio
tank/cvs       32.7M   916G  32.7M  /tank/cvs
tank/etc       18.1M   916G  18.1M  /tank/etc
tank/home       531G   916G   531G  /home

: ~ ; sudo zfs list -t snapshot
NAME                        USED  AVAIL  REFER  MOUNTPOINT
tank@2018-08-31                0      -   412K  -
tank/audio@2018-08-31          0      -  12.1G  -
tank/cvs@2018-08-31            0      -  32.7M  -
tank/etc@2018-08-31            0      -  18.1M  -
tank/home@2018-08-31           0      -   531G  -
and now I try (after some research):

: ~ ; sudo zfs send -R tank@2018-08-31 | sudo zfs recv -vd backup1
cannot receive new filesystem stream: destination 'backup1' exists
must specify -F to overwrite it
warning: cannot send 'tank@2018-08-31': Broken pipe


Any quick help?

Thanks  ../Dave


That's expected Dave.

Because backup1 is a new filesystem, it is inherently not a decedent of 
of your source zfs data set and is so a name collision. So -F to force 
is perfectly reasonable to remove the empty dataset and replicate your 
source into the pool.


In following backups, you'd use the last common snapshot and most recent 
snapshot as arguments to 'zfs send -I'.


An example from my own shell history:
zfs send -I 
jarvis-charlie/backups/failfast.revident.ca@20180325_224731-0400 
jarvis-charlie/backups/failfast.revident.ca@20180401_121435-0400 | ssh 
r...@example.someplace.revident.ca "zfs receive -d jarvis-dr"



--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Which Distro is Best for Running a ZFS-on-Linux Fileserver.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-08-29 11:43 PM, Amos H. Weatherill wrote:

Scott,

My reasoning for / on ZFS is pretty Simple ... the machine that is 
becoming my first NAS only has 4 SATA Ports, so I can't afford to Waste 
one on a boot drive.


Recommended best Practice is to use ZFS with whole disks. That said, 
most of the arguments for that are 'because the manual says so', 
'because zfs datasets are far more flexible then partitions' and 
references to Solairs taking advantage of disk caches. I throw that all 
out the windows in favor of doing at rest encryption, with whole luks 
partitions(*).


My more practical argument is choice of MBR vs GUID partitioning. The 
latter is just cleaner (and the default when ZFS manages the disk), and 
works well with large disks (>2TB).


But if your booting from that disk, you either need to be:
"BIOS / CSM" + MBR + /boot
or
UEFI + GUID + "biosboot (partition)" + /boot

Either of those makes for some lopsided partitioning, compared to the 
remainder of your data disks. A work around is to use a USB drive for 
your /boot. But in general your creating a more complex setup to 
maintain either way.


Not knowing what hardware your using, if you have PCIe slots additional 
sata ports can be had for a low a $10/port.


I've been using the Syba / IOCrest cards for a variety of needs, 
including ZFS arrays without issue.


https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124064

For Distro, I think I'll go with Fedora, as long as the / on ZFS guide 
is sufficiently detailed.


Fedora was not one of the ones I listed as having a guide to do rootfs 
on ZFS. If you found one, can you post the link?


I'd also not recommend fedora in general for a NAS. CentOS would be a 
more dependable choice. LTS Ubuntu would be more reasonable as they 
ship(**) ZFS and support rootfs on it.



===
* Native encryption in ZFS was added after the OpenZFS split from 
Sun/Oracle. So work to re-added it has been happening for a while. We're 
likely to see a stable version in the v0.8.x series.


** This is due to their adoption of a minority legal opinion about 
compatibility of the CDDL and GPL licenses that has not been tested in 
court.

https://blog.ubuntu.com/2016/02/18/zfs-licensing-and-linux
https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2016/feb/25/zfs-and-linux/

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Lenovo ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with TrackPoint

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I've had a number of folks express interest after seeing me use mine.
So I'm just going to drop the links here for general reference.

Lenovo ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with TrackPoint

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823218058CVF
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/accessories-and-monitors/keyboards-and-mice/keyboards/KEYBOARD-US-English/p/0B47189

The also make a USB only version, which I have two of as daily drivers 
for at home and work.

https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/accessories-and-monitors/keyboards-and-mice/keyboards/KEYBOARD-US-English/p/0B47190

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Which Distro is Best for Running a ZFS-on-Linux Fileserver.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Having read through the thread to date, I'm actually a little 
disappointed at the number of linux users pushing towards a Solaris or 
BSD for ZFS.


My primary File servers (4 of them) are all using ZFS for their data 
partitions.



Amos,

## Couple of Answers to your questions

A) Disto?

I regularly run ZFS on CentOS and Fedora on a mix of SSDs and HDDs of 
both the internal and external varieties. Fedora has some caveats, only 
in that sometimes the kernel releases get ahead of what the ZFS on linux 
team will support. And it's just a matter of waiting on a working kernel 
zfs combination a week or two for them to catch up.


But frankly, just pick your favorite distro and follow the relevant 
getting started guide.


https://zfsonlinux.org/


B)  Distro with ZFS root support (at install time)?

No distro install supports this yet as I've seen. Although the do it 
yourself ubuntu guide is lengthy, but very well detailed.


https://github.com/zfsonlinux/zfs/wiki/Ubuntu-18.04-Root-on-ZFS

Arch also support ZFS root, but their installation is all largely manual 
to begin with.


https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installing_Arch_Linux_on_ZFS


## Couple of my own Questions

1) Why root (/) on ZFS, what is your use case / risk your trying to 
mitigate?



On 2018-08-24 02:26 PM, right.maple.nut via talk wrote:


Hello All,

Like the Subject Line says, I'm setting up a ZFS File Server for my Home 
Network.


Given that I will have to go to the trouble of setting up the Distro and 
Migrating the Linux Install to ZFS Root, I don't want to have to do this 
too many times.


So, which Distro are the favourite for Running ZFS-on-Linux?

Also, is there such a thing as a Linux Distro that is smart enough to 
give you a choice if you are willing to use non-GPL'ed code in the 
Installer, so that I can just Install Directly on a ZFS Pool?


Thank You in Advance for your Input.

Regards,
Amos



---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk




--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] OpenWRT 18.06 Released

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

https://openwrt.org/

To Quote:

 The OpenWrt Community is proud to present the OpenWrt 18.06 stable 
version series. It is the first stable version after the OpenWrt/LEDE 
project merger and the successor to the previous stable LEDE 17.01 and 
OpenWrt 15.05 major releases.


The OpenWrt 18.06 series focuses on modernizing many parts of the 
system, on backporting network offload support for eligible targets and 
on laying the groundwork for regular future release updates.


===

I personally had switched to LEDE a very early in 2017. It was fresh and 
they met their goal of regularly updating the router distro. I've done 
periodic updates from 17.01.1 to 17.01.4. 17.01.5 is out, but I'm going 
to jump to 18.06.


OpenWRT / LEDE has been keeping my D-Link DIR-825 in service for almost 
a decade now. Originally my home router for a several years, and then an 
upgrade (replacing a WRT54G) at my boyfriends home (until earlier this 
year, when an Archer C7 went in). It now sits as my test router, and 
humming happily away with 18.06.


I'll start rolling this out to my fleet of TP-Link Archer C7 routers soon.

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Hacklab Junk Independence Day, Sunday July 22nd

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

This is a popular event in our community, and it comes around one again.

Hacklab Toronto's Junk Independence Day!

July 22nd from 2pm-7pm.

https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day-july-22nd/

Bring your e-waste and dig through other people’s for treasures.
Anything left at the end will be picked up on following Monday and 
responsibly recycled.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Gnome on Fedora 28 silent change blindsided me

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-05-06 01:56 AM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:

I'm used to notebook touchpads emulating left and right buttons with the
lower portion of the touchpad.  Clicks elsewhere on the touchpad count as
left clicks.

Silently, the new gnome that comes with Fedora 28 defaults to treating all
clicks as left clicks.  At least on my Acer Apire E11's touchpad.  To get
a right click, one is supposed to tap with two fingers.

It can be configured back to the old behaviour, but this requires the
gnome-tweak-tool (or a weird command in a shell window).  Not very
"discoverable"!

This took me a while to figure out.





I was aware this was coming, as I keep tabs on Peter Hutterer's blog. He 
is the lead author and maintainer of libinput.


https://who-t.blogspot.ca/2018/04/gnome-328-uses-clickfinger-behaviour-by.html

And this is the upstream GNOME commit, that came down stream with Fedora 28.
https://git.gnome.org/browse/gsettings-desktop-schemas/commit/?id=77ff1d9

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Turris MOX: Commercially supported OpenWRT, Modular Router

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-04-18 03:25 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:
I've been CZ.NICs previous router, the OMNIA for over a year and a half 
now. It's been reliable, self-updating, and very solid with it's WIFI 
performance.


Their launching a next generation, that more flexible in configuration 
so you can only what you need. Or all the features you want.


https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/turris-mox-modular-open-source-router-security-computers/x/2472524#/ 


Some published documentation about how the modules connect and pin-outs.

https://doc.turris.cz/doc/en/howto/mox/start

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] USB-C/3.1 Video and Linux

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 2018-03-23 12:50 PM, Giles Orr via talk wrote:

A couple days ago I got a Best Buy flyer, and they have this item:

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-zenscreen-15-6-fhd-60hz-5ms-gtg-ips-lcd-monitor-mb16ac-dark-grey/10737845.aspx 
?


It's a portable IPS LCD screen from Asus.  I have a similar item from 
about three years ago that has two connectors, one for USB power-only 
and the other for VGA/HDMI.  There were other models at the time that 
used only one connector, USB for both data and power - but that required 
a driver (and would have been painfully slow if it was USB2).


But now here's this new model: it's one connector only, USB-C.  And 
presumably USB3.1.  And USB3.1 can carry video.  But at this point I get 
lost among the standards and their implementations and which one 
supports what.  I have an Asus Zenbook (it's Linux-only at this point) 
that has a USB-C connector, but I suspect it's USB3.0.  So the first 
question is: how do I check that?  Second, does Linux support 
video-over-USB3.1?  Do I need a special cable?  Is this "Thunderbolt?"  
How can I check if my machine would support this?


The Spec you linked say it's DisplayLink, which is the software based 
video solution that requires a driver.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayLink

USB-C is only a specification for a cable and connector, and somewhat 
agnostic about the data communications spec used across it. The cables 
are of high enough quality that they can support multiple data 
communications specs, generally referred to as alt-modes.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#Alternate_Mode_partner_specifications

Thunderbolt 3 for example co-oped the USB-C cable spec for it's cables, 
much like in the previous generations it co-oped the mini-displayport 
cable spec.


Intel makes a point that a port carrying Thunderbolt 3 should also be 
cross wired with USB 3.X and Display Port hardware to output those 
signals as well.


So if you want a monitor that uses a Type-C connector, your looking for 
a display-port monitor. Which your not likely to find in the portable 
market yet.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Someone has a Unihertz Jelly Pro smartphone?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 25/10/17 10:35 PM, znoteer--- via talk wrote:

Hi,

Was it on this list that someone said they had a Jelly Pro phone from Unihertz? 
 If so, would you mind answering a few questions?


That was I, and yes, I will.


1) How is the general build quality of the phone (as rugged as any other 
smartphone, or flimsier)?


I find it's rather sturdy. But the optional case is good to have, the 
key-ring loop makes it easier to withdraw from my pockets.



2) 240x432 pixels is not terribly high res.  How is this for browser, app and 
general phone use?


It's a very small device, so the pixel density is decent. Better then my 
old flip phone for comparison. You'd not use this for everything you'd 
use a traditional smartphone for. My primary uses are as a dedicated 
hotspot, and remote control for home automation.


Call quality is decent from the tests I made. But note that I'm using 
this as a secondary purposed device, while keeping my OnePlus One as a 
primary.



3) Given the small screen, how is typing on the on-screen keyboard with big 
fingers?


Surprisingly good, but not error free. I've had some colleagues test 
with, much fatter fingers then mine, and they were also surprised at how 
usable it was.



If I've got the wrong list, sorry for the noise.


You got it and happy to answer.
--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] FSOSS Speakers, we welcome you!

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

If you, or someone you know, was planning to speak at FSOSS.
We'd love to hear from you, GTALUG is always looking for speakers.

Please contact me off list at 'speaker-coordinator[AT]gtalug.org'.

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Kernel and/or X upgrade broke my video setup

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 11/10/17 12:02 PM, Evan Leibovitch wrote:

This is the output of my xrandr:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
HDMI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-0 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis 

  \---/

This chunk here, tells you what part of the framebuffer the monitor is 
occupying. In this case, it's 1920 wide, 1080 tall, and it's top-left 
offset is 0,0.


VGA-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 


Same here, 1920 wide, 1080 tall, and it's top-left offset is 0,0.So 
they're on top of each other, and showing the same video output.


Before the updates, both screens were able to report maximum resolution 
and even the make/model.


Do you mean that there used to resolutions available higher then 1920x1080?


Now that's only reported for the main (HDMI-connected) screen
Your Xrandr out does not say your using an HDMI output. Just your VGA 
and DVI outputs.


I'm assuming the driver has correct labels for your card. But you could 
also be using adapters, or evening the built in support for DVI that is 
mandatory HDMI equipment.


Old, but still good explanation:
https://gtalug.org/pipermail/legacy/2013-September/061899.html


I attach a screenshot of the config window that I once used to make it 
work under KDE.


KDE user here myself, as both monitors are position at 0,0 they are 
going to be drawn one on top of the other in the UI. You should be able 
to drag the top one off the other. Although, it says their not unified, 
so clicking unify, and then 'break unify' (same button, different 
states), might pop them apart for you in the UI (does for me at least).


But failing that, there is also the direct approach.

# xrandr --output DVI-0 --auto --primary --rotate normal --output VGA-0 
--auto --right-of DVI-0


That should put the VGA-0's output on relative right of the DVI-0's 
output. This would make VGA-0's size and position 1920x1080+1920+0


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Kernel and/or X upgrade broke my video setup

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On October 11, 2017 10:19:28 AM EDT, ac via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
>On Wed, 11 Oct 2017 10:01:07 -0400
>Scott Sullivan via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:.
>> Desktop implement UIs that talk to this functionality, and handle the
>
>> 'memory' of layouts. KDE's for example will remember transient
>> moinitor configureations, like my two different laptop docks at home
>> and work, and will restore the right layout for each, matching
>> against the Vendor IDs of the monitors.
>> 
>Okay, but after a kernel update / distro update - no configs 'should
>have' been over written... 
>
>as it seems there has been config changes (both screens are still
>working & mouse moves to both screens, etc etc)
>
Not necessarily. Software is free to mangle your configs at run time. Distro 
will knowingly or unknowingly push updates from the upstream that 'upgrade' 
preferences files in ways that don't roll back. Especially in desktop 
applications.

Firefox will be doing this with the 57 release as we learned last night.

But another factor is driver updates can also result in the Output names 
changing. I've seen this in my own laptop. Usually as the generic drives gets 
tweaked to be aware of the specific model.

In that case the old config doesn't match the remembered state and would 
reasonable fall back to defaults. And defaults are the convention of the person 
that wrote the software.
-- 
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Kernel and/or X upgrade broke my video setup

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 11/10/17 09:10 AM, ac via talk wrote:

Hi Evan :)

i did not bite as I am not that knowledgable on kde...  but as nobody
is saying anything maybe try:
mv /home/scott/.config /home/scott/oldconfig

let us know?


That's a very broad approach with the disadvantage of moving settings 
for a whole lot of unrelated applications.



Evan Leibovitch via talk  wrote:


What's stranger (to me) is that when logged out (running LightDM) the
system DOES recognize my mouse pointer going from one screen to the
next. So somewhere it IS being recognized as a separate screen, but
once I log in that goes away and I'm back to a mirroring situation..


xrandr is command line too for handling multi-monitor arrangements. 
Desktop implement UIs that talk to this functionality, and handle the 
'memory' of layouts. KDE's for example will remember transient moinitor 
configureations, like my two different laptop docks at home and work, 
and will restore the right layout for each, matching against the Vendor 
IDs of the monitors.


The X Rotation and Reflection extensions are how multi-monitor modes are 
handled. In current times, functionally X has one giant display buffer, 
and monitors are small cutouts of that, arranged relative to each other.


This is the output of my currently 'mirrored' two outputs.

scott  ~  xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192
eDP-1 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis 
y axis) 256mm x 144mm

   1920x1080 59.99*+
   1400x1050 59.98
   1280x1024 60.02
   1280x960  60.00
   1024x768  60.0460.00
   960x720   60.00
   928x696   60.05
   896x672   60.01
   800x600   60.0060.3256.25
   700x525   59.98
   640x512   60.02
   640x480   60.0059.94
   512x384   60.00
   400x300   60.3256.34
   320x240   60.05
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-2 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y 
axis) 477mm x 268mm

   1920x1080 60.00*+  59.94
   1680x1050 59.88
   1400x1050 59.95
   1600x900  60.00
   1280x1024 75.0260.02
   1440x900  59.90
   1280x800  59.91
   1152x864  75.00
   1280x720  60.0059.94
   1024x768  75.0360.00
   800x600   75.0060.32
   720x576   50.00
   720x480   60.0059.94
   640x480   75.0060.0059.94
   720x400   70.08


It shows the available outputs, and any that have monitor detected, will 
have their supported Resolutions and refresh rates shown. The '+' is the 
recommended resolution reported by the hardware, and the

*' is the currently operating resolution and refresh rate.

An example invocation. Which turns off all but my laptops primary 
display. Note the missing '*' in the HDMI-2 resolution section.


xrandr --output eDP1 --auto --primary --rotate normal --output HDMI-1 
--off --output HDMI-2 --off


 scott  ~  xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192 

eDP-1 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 
256mm x 144mm
   1920x1080 59.99*+ 

   1400x1050 59.98 

   1280x1024 60.02 

   1280x960  60.00 

   1024x768  60.0460.00 

   960x720   60.00 

   928x696   60.05 

   896x672   60.01 

   800x600   60.0060.3256.25 

   700x525   59.98 

   640x512   60.02 

   640x480   60.0059.94 

   512x384   60.00 

   400x300   60.3256.34 


   320x240   60.05
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-2 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
   1920x1080 60.00 +  59.94
   1680x1050 59.88
   1400x1050 59.95
   1600x900  60.00
   1280x1024 75.0260.02
   1440x900  59.90
   1280x800  59.91
   1152x864  75.00
   1280x720  60.0059.94
   1024x768  75.0360.00
   800x600   75.0060.32
   720x576   50.00
   720x480   60.0059.94
   640x480   75.0060.0059.94
   720x400   70.08


I'm not familiar with what GUI application LightDM to manipulate xrandr, 
but with some research you can figure that out, and set your preferred.


I had to do a lot of work with this stuff when I worked at the VFX 
studio. Let's just say there were some painful combinations of hardware, 
binary Nvidia drives and artists insisting on Vertical monitors.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] touch screens

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 11/10/17 09:34 AM, Jason Shaw via talk wrote:



On Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 8:08 AM, o1bigtenor via talk > wrote:


Greetings

Reading of the announcement of 2 new 'smart' phones at the meeting
prompts me to ask the question.


What are the new phones?  I'm guessing they are the Libre M from Purism 
( https://puri.sm/ ) and possibly the Sony SailfishX in cooperation w/ 
Jolla ( https://jolla.com/sailfishx/ ) but I'm always keen to hear of 
others.


Announce is the wrong term, because it was idle conversation on the 
sidelines and at the social. But Dee is referencing my post with the 
subject "In Conversation".


https://gtalug.org/pipermail/talk/2017-October/005364.html

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] touch screens

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 11/10/17 08:31 AM, ac via talk wrote:

On Wed, 11 Oct 2017 07:08:40 -0500
o1bigtenor via talk  wrote:

Am I the only person who finds that touch screens don't work worth
a !@#$%^ using my fingers?



you are not alone. for some basic stuff they are fine, but, in addition to
your valuable observations, I frequently find that my fingers are simply
just too big and the effort required to operate the various screens
accurately, is simply too much...



maybe the 2020's will be better after all the kids grow up (and some of
the present old people have shuffled off the mortal coil / outran the
other rats)


I agree this is a problem in the North American market.

In Korea, Samsung does seem to be paying attention to this issues 
though. The Samsung Galaxy Folder 2, is a hybrid smartphone/flipphone 
with full keys, and larger UI.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYC0gw7g1zA=4m5s

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] MBR and GTP Drives

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 10/10/17 11:33 AM, Lennart Sorensen wrote:

On Mon, Oct 09, 2017 at 10:53:13AM -0400, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

I've developed a habit of zeroing the area where the two partition tables
may live. Then letting my system boot normally, the install will offer to
partition the disk appropriately for the type of disk, and manner in which
we booted (UEFI vs MBR).

dd bs=1M count=5 if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX
\  \ \   \\- Your disk.
  \  \ \   \- A special device file that is infinite zeros
   \  \ \ 5 blocks worth from 'if', number is larger then needs to be
\  \ Copy in block sizes of 1 megabyte
 \ 'Convert and Copy'


Remember the GPT is at the start AND end of the disk.  You have to wipe
both or the second copy of the GPT may bite you later.



Wat?! ((*runs to wikipedia*))... Okay then.

I wonder under what conditions that secondary table is used. I've never 
had a front wiped disk continue to report a table afterwards. I see it 
mentions CRC checks, so maybe only when there is corporation in first 
table? A question for source code reading on another day.


Anyways I haven't had to pull this sucker out in a few years...

dd if=/dev/zero of=$YOUR_DEV bs=512 seek=$(( $(blockdev --getsz 
$YOUR_DEV) - 34 )) count=34 #adjust bs=4K for advanced format disks.


Mostly only needed it for drives with dmraid, which stores it's config 
at the end of disks. Usually found on drives pulled from enterprise HP 
or DELL servers and/or the odd workstation.


Thankfully in most cases, I'm installing a new GPT partition tables, so 
it would be reasonable assumption the backup would be over written.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] [GTALUG-Announce] Reminder: Board Elections Today

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Today's meeting is special, it is the AGM. It's where members reaffirm
their commitment to this community. Where volunteers step up to the
board in order to guide month to month operations.

Three of our five board seats will be open this year, for two year
terms. Two of the incumbents, Myles Braithwaite, and Stewart Russell,
have indicated that they will not be running for another term. We want
to invite you as members to take a new, or even renewed, active role.

Please consider running for the board, and keep in mind the following.

The formal qualifications that must be satisfied:
   - Must be a member in good standing
   - Must not have any undischarged bankruptcy

It is also important to be able to be available most months for
Board/Operations meetings where we plan GTALUG meetings and activities.

Board members are involved in and support the following activities.
   - Finding speakers for our monthly presentations
   - Running our internet infrastructure (website and mailing lists)
   - Organizing and running our annual Linux in the Park picnic

If you are interested, we'd appreciate it very much if you can submit
your intention to run to bo...@gtalug.org

The current list of Candidates (Alphabetical by Lastname):
- Gordon Chillcott
- Scott Sullivan

Potential Candidates are still welcome to announce their intention to
run at the AGM.

--
Scott Sullivan
GTALUG President
---
GTALUG Announce mailing list
annou...@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/announce
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] OnePlus OxygenOS built-in analytics

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Looks like OnePlus is phoning home identifiable information. I know these 
devices are popular among our community.

https://www.chrisdcmoore.co.uk/post/oneplus-analytics/

It can be disabled with a little work. But another option is to switch to 
LineageOS. This the continuation of the Community that was CyanogenMod.
-- 
Scott Sullivan---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] MBR and GTP Drives

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 07/10/17 08:53 PM, Howard Gibson via talk wrote:

From fdisk, I could see that the Western Digital drive was GTP.  The new Seagate 
drive identified itself as "dos", which means it is MBR.  Best Buy offered me a 
newer Seagate at a slightly lower price but one is claimed explicity to support Linux, 
and it supports some older protocols.  When I told the people at the store I wanted MBR, 
not GTP, they just stared at me.


Partitioning is not a property of the hardware, but of the data written 
to it. Manufactures my preformat a disk with MBR or GPT but your under 
no obligation to use it.


As you've pointed out, you can change it after the fact, but that is a 
destructive operation. MBR and GPT are mutually exclusive. Picking on 
must be done before installation or writing of data you'll want to keep.


I've developed a habit of zeroing the area where the two partition 
tables may live. Then letting my system boot normally, the install will 
offer to partition the disk appropriately for the type of disk, and 
manner in which we booted (UEFI vs MBR).


dd bs=1M count=5 if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX
\  \ \   \\- Your disk.
 \  \ \   \- A special device file that is infinite zeros
  \  \ \ 5 blocks worth from 'if', number is larger then needs to be
   \  \ Copy in block sizes of 1 megabyte
\ 'Convert and Copy'

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Cheap vs Inexpensive (Was: router upgrade)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 13/07/17 05:32 PM, James Knott via talk wrote:

On 07/13/2017 05:17 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

I also for the most part replace the software on my routers. These
days that's LEDE, the fork of OpenWRT that's actually getting things
done, and making regular releases.


Well, there's this:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/10/openwrt_and_lede_peace_plan/


http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/lede-dev/2017-May/007336.html

Ah, nice, their keeping all the good bits of the new Infrastructure 
built by the LEDE team. Happy to see that.

---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Cheap vs Inexpensive (Was: router upgrade)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 13/07/17 05:17 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

On 13/07/17 05:09 PM, James Knott via talk wrote:

On 07/13/2017 05:03 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

 From my own experience, this is not the case. I'v been using TP-Link
gear for over a decade, in personal and professional settings (having
worked at an ISP). I find TP-Link to be of good quality. Some of my
personal units I've had in service for 5 years.


I have a TP-Link TL-WA901ND access point.  While it generally works
well, it has one bug.  It supports mulitple SSIDs and VLANs.  However,
the native LAN leaks into the VLAN, so that anything connected to the
2nd SSID gets the wrong DHCP etc. info.

I also have a TL-SG105E managed switch that generally does what it's
supposed to, but also has some bugs.

So, I'd put them at the lower end of the quality spectrum.


Ah, this is a fair point, where I have to clarify myself.

I was speaking mostly to the quality of their hardware. Which is above 
average for similarly priced products.


Yes, their software has bugs, and their about where I expect them to be 
in coverage for their target market.


Cisco has equally numerous number of bugs, but their more obscure in odd 
edge cases because their users push that it harder, and pay to be able 
to push extremes.



On the subject of decent hardware, ruined by bad software

DO NOT BUY ZyXEL!

You may have fond memorys from the 80s, well their software hasn't 
changed since then!


I recently bought this, and I was the sucker.

ZyXEL GS2210-24 Managed 24-port GbE L2 Switch
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833181415CVF


My goal was to find a decently featured switch, with the on requirement 
of it being Fan-less. This was because it was going to live in my 
livingroom / office of my apartment. I didn't want to have high speed 
fans next to my head. (I used to have a 24-port Dell PowerConnect at my 
last residence).


Fuck I've never been so pissed off by a piece of kit.

No tab completion, no proper backspacing, UI terminology that doesn't 
make sense. SSH implementation, with out of date algorithms and key 
sizes. That require special flags to decrease modern ssh's security, 
just to connect.


Only ever one firmware update published.

The webUI was even worse, it would make a UX designer cry. You want to 
configure your admin password, drill down the menu, then click a link on 
page to get an almost web-ring like set of page that aren't in the menu. 
Now repeat for every setting, so that it's a literal maze.


Oh you want to create a VLAN, we'll select every port, and not give you 
a toggle all button!


Yeah, that got RMA'd fast.

--
Scott Sullivan


---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Cheap vs Inexpensive (Was: router upgrade)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 13/07/17 05:09 PM, James Knott via talk wrote:

On 07/13/2017 05:03 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

 From my own experience, this is not the case. I'v been using TP-Link
gear for over a decade, in personal and professional settings (having
worked at an ISP). I find TP-Link to be of good quality. Some of my
personal units I've had in service for 5 years.


I have a TP-Link TL-WA901ND access point.  While it generally works
well, it has one bug.  It supports mulitple SSIDs and VLANs.  However,
the native LAN leaks into the VLAN, so that anything connected to the
2nd SSID gets the wrong DHCP etc. info.

I also have a TL-SG105E managed switch that generally does what it's
supposed to, but also has some bugs.

So, I'd put them at the lower end of the quality spectrum.


Ah, this is a fair point, where I have to clarify myself.

I was speaking mostly to the quality of their hardware. Which is above 
average for similarly priced products.


Yes, their software has bugs, and their about where I expect them to be 
in coverage for their target market.


Cisco has equally numerous number of bugs, but their more obscure in odd 
edge cases because their users push that it harder, and pay to be able 
to push extremes.



I also for the most part replace the software on my routers. These days 
that's LEDE, the fork of OpenWRT that's actually getting things done, 
and making regular releases.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Cheap vs Inexpensive (Was: router upgrade)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 12/07/17 12:07 AM, William Park via talk wrote:

TP-Link is cheap and disposable.


When I see this phrasing, I think poor quality, and I'm curious if that 
is your intention?


From my own experience, this is not the case. I'v been using TP-Link 
gear for over a decade, in personal and professional settings (having 
worked at an ISP). I find TP-Link to be of good quality. Some of my 
personal units I've had in service for 5 years.


Wireless Router:
Archer C7 (x2)
TL-MR3020 (x3)
TL-MR3040 (x1)
Tl-WR810N (x1)

Switches:
TL-SG1008D (x2)
TL-SG105 (x2)
TL-SF1005D (x1)

Managed Switch:
TL-SG2008 (x1)

Let's not confuse cheap and inexpensive. I've take part routers sold 
under Bell's name, and various TP-Links. TP-Link has made an art of 
minimizing costs, without compromising the end product.


Tricks like, standing the LEDs on the leads up to the case, instead of 
using light pipes. Or my favorite, not populating the JR-45 contacts for 
ports that are only 10/100. This saves half the copper cost per port. 
There was a point they even did that with the cable shipped in the box, 
but those days are long behind us.


TP-Link waits for a technology and chipset has been proven by a higher 
tier OEM. They takes advantage of lower cost volume purchasing after the 
ramp up is done by the chip vendor.


TP-Link keeps software costs low, by using and then releasing the 
open-source code that makes part of their firmware.


TP-Link don't waste money on Marketing, or building 'Performance' 
products that appeal to Egos and number chasers.


The are inexpressible, and uninteresting, because it's the tech that's 
already been shown to work and is known.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] router upgrade

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 11/07/17 07:25 PM, o1bigtenor via talk wrote:

So - - - I should just buy another one? (asus rt-n16)

I'm thinking the one I have might get another 2 years and the next one 
would need to
last until at least 2024 to give good value. Was thinking that an 
upgrade would be nice

by 2019.

Dee


I'm kinda disappointed that no one has asked what you hope to get out of 
your upgrade?


# Faster Wifi?

We are on 802.11ac Wave 2 new, two generation beyond N, and with AD 
coming in a year or so. Do you have devices that would take advantage of 
that?


# Better Networking?

What are your current Internet Speeds, are you expecting to upgrade them 
to 100Mbps, or lucky enough to get 1Gbps?



# IPv6 Support?

Do you have a provider offering this? (Yes, if on Teksavvy DSL)


# Budget?

$50, $150, $500, I've got recommendation in each category.


People are throwing out suggestion without understanding your needs.
Please tells us more about why your upgrading, beside just 'it's old'.
If the current hardware is mostly meeting your needs, what are your 
concerns or pain points?


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Backing up Windows Machines to Linux NAS,

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I'm sure many of us have friends and family with Windows Machines. And 
the savvy among us run our own Linux Backup server / NAS boxes.


How do you get regular, automated copies of data off said Windows machines?

I would like to only hear from folks that actively using a solution.
Not a list of 'exercise for the reader' google results.


# Goal:

To recover from a ransom-ware infection, by pulling the last clean 
snapshot of user data from the NAS.


# Assumptions:

Snapshots are handled by the Backup Server / NAS at a FS layer (ZFS / 
BTRFS), or by the server side backup software.


# Nice to haves:

* In-transit encryption.

# Not an Acceptable Answers:

Open Samba on the windows box, mounting it on the backup server, and 
running rsync regularly.



Thanks in advance!
--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Dinner options?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Google Maps lists that location as permanently closed.

There is the Steak & Cheese Factory next-door. Not sure what the seatings like.

And "Love at First Bite"'s successor other side of church.

I'll look for folks at the former then the latter.

On June 13, 2017 3:08:14 PM EDT, Ivan Avery Frey via talk  
wrote:
>Zteca is OK with me.
>
>On Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 13:38 Christopher Browne via talk
>
>wrote:
>
>> I just did a bit of updating of the wiki
>>  ; we need to see about
>> what sort of option to take...
>>
>> I'm thinking z-teca, 66 Gerrard E, but certainly would be happy to
>> entertain strong opinions otherwise.
>>
>> --
>> When confronted by a difficult problem, solve it by reducing it to
>the
>> question, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
>> ---
>> Talk Mailing List
>> talk@gtalug.org
>> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
>>

-- 
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Device Firmware updates getting easier (Logitech users, heads up!)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

http://fwupd.org

Firmware Update Deamon. This wonderful utility/service creates a 
consistent means for hardware vendors to provided and apply firmware 
updates to devices. Dell is on board and now so is Logitech.


The tools and infrastructure a written by the developer that created and 
released the ColorHug. The ColorHug is an open source color measurement 
device for monitor color calibration. He initial was fixing his own need 
to provided easy firmware updates to the ColorHug.


fwupd came on my radar a few months ago, when there was news reporting 
about improved Thunderbolt 3 support for the Dell laptops, and fwupd was 
the delivery mechanism. But at the time I didn't have any Dell laptops, 
so it was just a curiosity.


Now what I do have is a lot of Logitech K400 keyboards, and no easy 
means of updating the vulnerable firmware. fwupd now changes that.


https://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2017/05/22/updating-logitech-hardware-on-linux/



My Experience
=

[scott@failfast ~]$ sudo dnf install fwupd
# This got me version 0.7.5-1.fc25, which didn't quite work out of box. 
No matter, were upgrading anyways.


[scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr get-devices
Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.fwupd: 
GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Launch helper 
exited with unknown return code 127


[scott@failfast ~]$ sudo dnf update fwupd --enablerepo=updates-testing
Failed to synchronize cache for repo 'xvitaly-purple-skypeweb', disabling.
Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:19 ago on Thu May 25 08:45:40 2017.
Dependencies resolved.

 PackageArch   Version 
  Repository   Size


Upgrading:
 fwupd  x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 
  updates-testing 256 k

 replacing  libebitdo.x86_64 0.7.5-1.fc25
 libdfu x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 
  updates-testing  88 k


Transaction Summary

Upgrade  2 Packages

Total download size: 344 k
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
(1/2): libdfu-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64.rpm 
   283 kB/s |  88 kB 00:00
(2/2): fwupd-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64.rpm 
   489 kB/s | 256 kB 00:00


Total 
   438 kB/s | 344 kB 00:00

Running transaction check
Transaction check succeeded.
Running transaction test
Transaction test succeeded.
Running transaction
  Upgrading   : libdfu-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 
1/5
  Upgrading   : fwupd-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 
2/5
  Cleanup : fwupd-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 
3/5
  Cleanup : libdfu-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 
4/5
  Obsoleting  : libebitdo-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 
5/5
  Verifying   : fwupd-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 
1/5
  Verifying   : libdfu-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 
2/5
  Verifying   : libdfu-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 
3/5
  Verifying   : fwupd-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 
4/5
  Verifying   : libebitdo-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 
5/5


Upgraded:
  fwupd.x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 
libdfu.x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25


Complete!

# Let's follow the instructions on the blog post.

[scott@failfast ~]$ sudo vi /etc/fwupd.conf
[scott@failfast ~]$ sudo service restart fwupd
[scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr refresh

[scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr get-devices
[ Redacted other Devices ]

Unifying Receiver
  Guid: 77d843f7-682c-57e8-8e29-584f5b4f52a1
  Guid: 9d131a0c-a606-580f-8eda-80587250b8d6
  UniqueID: 
system/*/lvfs/firmware/com.logitech.Unifying.RQR12.firmware/*

  DeviceID: /sys/devices/pci:00/:00:14.0/usb1/1-2
  Description:  A Unifying receiver allows you to connect 
multiple compatible keyboards and mice to a laptop or desktop computer 
with a single USB receiver. Updating the firmware on your Unifying 
receiver improves performance, adds new features and fixes security 
issues.

  Plugin:   unifying
  Flags:allow-online|supported
  DeviceVendor: Logitech
  Version:  RQR12.01_B0019
  VersionBootloader:BOT01.02_B0014
  Created:  2017-05-25
  AppstreamId:  com.logitech.Unifying.RQR12.firmware
  Summary:  Firmware for the Logitech 

[GTALUG] For the curious, a ZFS checksum error!

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

The Nice thing about ZFS, is it'll tell you exactly which file is 
borked. You won't get that out of traditional raid/file-system pair, 
because the two don't know about each other. At best you'll get a notice 
that block @ meaningless number is bad.


[root@muse ~]# zpool status -v
  pool: muse
 state: ONLINE
status: One or more devices has experienced an error resulting in data
corruption.  Applications may be affected.
action: Restore the file in question if possible.  Otherwise restore the
entire pool from backup.
   see: http://zfsonlinux.org/msg/ZFS-8000-8A
  scan: scrub in progress since Thu May 18 23:46:04 2017
3.48T scanned out of 3.90T at 417M/s, 0h17m to go
0 repaired, 89.25% done
config:

NAME  STATE READ 
WRITE CKSUM
muse  ONLINE   0 
 0 2
  raidz2-0ONLINE   0 
 0 4
ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N4TZU5LS  ONLINE   0 
 0 0
ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N5AHPHK8  ONLINE   0 
 0 0
ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N1VJKLZ5  ONLINE   0 
 0 0
ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N4TZURA5  ONLINE   0 
 0 0
ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N3YP9AJL  ONLINE   0 
 0 0

spares
  ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N3YP95XEAVAIL

errors: Permanent errors have been detected in the following files:


/data01/backups/1x.jarvis.revident.ca/libvirt/images/vs130.revident.ca.img

muse/backups/1x.jarvis.revident.ca@20170423_193849-0400:/libvirt/images/vs130.revident.ca.img


This is bit rot in action.

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Did I buy the wrong network card? (RTL8812AE)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I wish we'd covered wifi when building out your machine. It somehow just 
got missed/assumed by me you would be wired.


I've got a Intel 7260 mPCIe card sitting spare. It came off a mini-itx 
board that wasn't going to need it (I substituted in a mPCIe 4-port USB3 
card instead).


This one specifically.
https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Intel_Dual_Band_Wireless-AC_7260_(7260HMW)

Just needs an adapter like this for your purposes. I have the Antenna it 
came with.

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9UP3HC0702

Or if you want to buy a complete set outright:
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7RD2WW7170
https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Intel_Dual_Band_Wireless-AC_7260_(7260HMWDTX1)



On 13/05/17 07:40 AM, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote:

Hi -
For the new computer I just built, I bought a D-Link DWA-582 802.11ac
PCIe adapter. It's based on the Realtek RTL8812AE chipset. Does anyone
know the particular magic to get these going, please?

 From the start on Ubuntu Gnome, the card would work for about 15
minutes, then disassociate itself from the router. It might occasionally
spring back to life for a few minutes, but there didn't seem to be
anything special I was doing to get it reconnected.

I've updated the firmware blob(s) from the Realtek linux maintainer's
site. Older posts about this chipset say it's a power management
problem, but the newest firmware supposedly fixes this.

Should I have bought a different card? What 802.11ac cards work for
people here? I'm not super keen on drilling holes in the floor to snake
an ethernet cable up from the basement.

cheers,
  Stewart
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk



--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] new computer (+ thanks to Scott S.)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 13/05/17 10:10 AM, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote:

* Distro: Ubuntu Gnome (sorry, Scott …)


I'd enjoyed sharing the worthwhile features of KDE, but will never 
begrudge someone for making an informed choice in their own interests.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] April 9th Junk Day at Hacklab.to

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day-april-9th/

Bring you used or broken electronics. Swap meet from the pile, leftovers go to 
proper recycling after.
-- 
Scott Sullivan---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Raspberry Pi Zero w/ Wifi + Bluetooth Released today...

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

... I managed to get through and order one. Anyone else?

https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-zero-w-joins-family/

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Intel Baytrail systems may become stable under Linux!

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 12/02/17 03:34 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

The Vensmile battery powered miniPC. I went out of my way to get the
model with 64GB of storage, which has a different (harder to open) case.

http://www.banggood.com/Vensmile-W10-Quad-Core-2GB-RAM-64GB-ROM-Windows-8_1-Wintel-TV-Box-p-975963.html

https://androidtvbox.eu/vensmile-ipc002-w10-mini-pc-with-64gb-or-32gb-and-battery-promo/


So I have second of this type of baytrail battery powered mini PC. This 
one from ainol which has a much bigger battery, but crappier wifi.


http://www.ainol-novo.com/ainol-mini-pc-black.html

Anyways, I went digging for ubuntu on baytail, and came across some 
builds from a third party that intergrating all the various bits and 
pieces, along with patching in progress kernel support.


https://linuxiumcomau.blogspot.com/

I remember hearing about this guys work years ago, and it seems the dev 
community is getting closer to sorting out almost all the kinks.


Gave the alpha of lubuntu 17.10 a try, and wifi and battery info work 
out of box. These were my biggest wants.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Intel Baytrail systems may become stable under Linux!

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 12/02/17 10:47 PM, William Park wrote:

On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 03:34:06PM -0500, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

Popped the latest multi-arch Debian ISO (8.7.0) into my trusty ZALMAN
external drive with virtual CD/DVD function.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235059


What is "virtual CD"?  You mean, you dd ISO to a disk, and the device
identifies itself to PC as "CD drive" with the ISO image as "CD"?



Your describing dumping an ISO on any mass-storage device, and hoping 
that the BIOS is new enough[1] to go 'awh fuckit' and boot the image 
anyways.


The ZALMAN enclosure does something far more clever. It report two 
separate USB devices. One is a Mass Storage devices, the hard drive in 
the enclosure. The other is a CD/DVD rom drive.


The firmware in the ZALMAN, then knows how to read FAT or NTFS file 
systems. It will read from a predefined directory on the harddrive, and 
let you select iso files to 'place in the tray' of the CD/DVD rom drive 
it's pretending to be.


The computer legitimately sees a USB CD/DVD rom, and I can use the 
controls on the ZALMAN to eject and insert different 'disks' at will.




[1]: You go far enough back in PC firmware history, you'll find that 
BIOS didn't originally and won't do that. It's extra code, but came 
along as a good idea somewhere to just be agnostic about the storage 
media, and that propagated forward. There only really a 3-5 companies 
that write PC bios firmware.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS#Vendors_and_products

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Intel Baytrail systems may become stable under Linux!

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 12/02/17 11:49 AM, Michael Hill via talk wrote:

On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 10:56 AM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk
 wrote:


A few days ago, entry 724 (!) in that bug report noted the submission
of a kernel patch that strongly reduces the problem.


Good to hear. Thanks for the update, Hugh.

Mike


Hugh, I took this as a cue to revisit one or my own baytrail devices.

The Vensmile battery powered miniPC. I went out of my way to get the 
model with 64GB of storage, which has a different (harder to open) case.


http://www.banggood.com/Vensmile-W10-Quad-Core-2GB-RAM-64GB-ROM-Windows-8_1-Wintel-TV-Box-p-975963.html
https://androidtvbox.eu/vensmile-ipc002-w10-mini-pc-with-64gb-or-32gb-and-battery-promo/

Popped the latest multi-arch Debian ISO (8.7.0) into my trusty ZALMAN 
external drive with virtual CD/DVD function.

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235059

Added USB hub for a USB-Ethernet adapter and my keyboard/mouse, and was 
off to the races.


I must report successful 64-bit install, even so far as to get the 
wireless working.


My setup notes are attached for the curious.

--
Scott Sullivan




Installed from debian-8.7.0-i386-amd64-source-DVD-1.iso


Updated sources.list to remove install dvd, add jessie-backports
```
--- /etc/apt/sources.list~  2017-02-12 13:46:57.914441487 -0500
+++ /etc/apt/sources.list   2017-02-12 14:36:34.231994305 -0500
@@ -1,2 +1,23 @@
+# 
 
-deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 8.7.0 _Jessie_ - Official Multi-architecture i386/amd64/source DVD #1 20170114-17:45]/ jessie main
+# deb-src cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 8.7.0 _Jessie_ - Official Multi-architecture i386/amd64/source DVD #1 20170114-17:45]/ jessie main
+# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 8.7.0 _Jessie_ - Official Multi-architecture i386/amd64/source DVD #1 20170114-17:45]/ jessie main
+# 
+
+#deb-src cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 8.7.0 _Jessie_ - Official Multi-architecture i386/amd64/source DVD #1 20170114-17:45]/ jessie main
+#deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 8.7.0 _Jessie_ - Official Multi-architecture i386/amd64/source DVD #1 20170114-17:45]/ jessie main
+
+
+deb http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ jessie main
+deb-src http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ jessie main
+
+deb http://security.debian.org/ jessie/updates main
+deb-src http://security.debian.org/ jessie/updates main
+
+# jessie-updates, previously known as 'volatile'
+deb http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main
+deb-src http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main
+
+# jessie-backports --20170212 sc...@revident.net I want the newer Kernels. 
+deb http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ jessie-backports main contrib non-free
+deb-src http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ jessie-backports main contrib non-free
```

Get the latest Kernel:

```
apt-get install -t jessie-backports linux-image-amd64
```

and reboot.


Wireless


Drivers
---
It's been so long since I bought this device, I had no recall/idea what wifi 
was in it. Buy sheer dumb luck, and read through these instructions, and 
confirmed a matching vars nvram UUID.

https://wiki.debian.org/InstallingDebianOn/Asus/T100TA#WiFi


apt-get update && apt-get install firmware-brcm80211

mount -t efivarfs efivarsfs /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/
cp /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/nvram-74b00bd9-805a-4d61-b51f-43268123d113 /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac4330-sdio.txt


Interfaces
--

Followed the debian instructions.
https://wiki.debian.org/WiFi/HowToUse#wpa_supplicant

```
wpa_passphrase The_Terrace XXX >> wlan0
```


/etc/network/interfaces.d/wlan0
```
# The wireless network interface
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-ssid The_Terrace
wpa-psk XXX
```
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Dinner for the 14th?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Let's get this ball rolling.

My personal criteria is adequate seating and low noise.

These two stand out as reasonable, from my memory.

Thai on Yonge

Address: second floor, 370 Yonge Street (South of Gerrard St.)

Basil Box

Address: 351 Yonge St. (part of Ryerson SLC building)

Any leanings towards on in particular folks?

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Boot problem

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 21/01/17 12:58 PM, Anthony de Boer via talk wrote:

Michael Galea via talk wrote:

I am seeing a problem at boot time that has appeared in kernels after
4.3.0-1-amd64.

My system will boot, show the available debian kernels, select the
latest and then jump into initramrs.  It claims it can not mount dev and
other partitions and, indeed, an ls on the mounted /dev/sda1 shows that
my esata drive has been mounted as root!


Debian generates an initramfs at kernel-install time; is it possible
that the esata was mounted when you installed that kernel?  Maybe run
update-initramfs again after booting without the esata connected.

Linux can get its own weird ideas about enumeration order of disks,
network cards, PCI slots, etc, and that's why we have UUIDs and I
thought the Debian initramfs ought to remember the specific UUID of the
root device it was generated to use.  However, I don't have any
Debian-amd64 hardware to check at home here.



Anthony's advise is good, as it's a path to resolving the problem.

To but it does not include how to diagnose how the root device is 
selected, or how to tell if it's been change successfully too what you 
desire.


For myself, I would look at the following places.

1) at boot time, interrupting and appending or editing the boot entry.

2) checking your boot loaders config, which is easy with grub, grub2 
configs on the other hand are terrible opaque to read.


3) At run time, by looking at the cmdline file under /proc which is the 
kernel's command line after booting.


Some samples form my machines:

[scott@failfast ~]$ cat /proc/cmdline
BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.8.16-300.fc25.x86_64 
root=/dev/mapper/fedora_failfast-root ro rd.lvm.lv=fedora_failfast/root 
rd.luks.uuid=luks-e37ae023-0aba-417d-82df-157338c8515d 
rd.lvm.lv=fedora_failfast/swap rhgb quiet LANG=en_US.UTF-8


[root@muse ~]# cat /proc/cmdline
BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.10.0-514.2.2.el7.x86_64 
root=UUID=4530cd0d-10ed-4fca-a056-534a38e1e717 ro crashkernel=auto 
rd.md.uuid=1a674618:ee5747c9:08996bc7:5fff0b7d 
rd.md.uuid=7b9c4991:59009b72:0980bbc3:1ccacf58 
rd.md.uuid=18e8b34b:857cab8d:b85d6f0b:30f32d9d rhgb quiet LANG=en_CA.UTF-8



In all cases your looking for the root= parameter.

Further reading:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Kernel_parameters
and the bootparam man page.

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] War Story: UEFI Boot Failure and Fix

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

I was recently issue an new laptop from work. Of course, being in a 
sysadmin position, and giving the latitude to use the tools I deem 
necessary, I replaced the disk and installed Fedora 25.


I felt it was also time to take the plunge with UEFI booting.

The Problem
===

After installation, the first boot was successful. After applying 
updates, boot failed.


This was repeatable after a second re-install, and following updates.

Symptoms


System boots, and goes to a blue and white UI called 'MokManager.efi'.

Research revealed this to be a UI for enrolling encryption keys for 
secure boot.


http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/secureboot.html
MOKs—A Machine Owner Key (MOK) is a type of key that a user generates 
and uses to sign an EFI binary. The point of a MOK is to give users the 
ability to run locally-compiled kernels, boot loaders not delivered by 
the distribution maintainer, and so on.


Trouble Shooting


Firstly, I confirmed that secure boot was disabled in the laptops firmware.

Next, I booted a rescue image. Mounted the EFI partition and investigated.

mkdir /mnt/boot
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot # grub2 boot partition
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi # EFI partition

We then find the MokManager.efi under the following path in our rescue 
environment.

/mnt/boot/efi/EFI/fedora/MokManager.efi

I removed this executable to see what I could discover from the boot 
process.


Upon reboot, I was greeted with message of grub2-x64.efi listed as being 
corrupt, failing through to MokManager.efi that was now missing, and 
another optional efi executable that was also missing.



Repair
==

fsck.vfat /dev/sda1
- preformed removal of dirtybit>
- FATs didn't agreed, selected the first one at random. Going to restore 
firmware anyways.


mkdir /mnt/chroot
mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/chroot  # root filesystem
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/chroot/boot # grub2 boot partition
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/chroot/boot/efi # EFI partition

# Make devices and process table avaliable
for j in /dev /dev/pts /sys /proc; do mount -B $j /mnt/chroot$j; done

# Make DNS avaliable inside the chroot
cp /etc/resolve.conf /mnt/chroot/etc/resolve.conf

chroot /mnt/chroot

# re-install grub2 EFI executables
yum reinstall grub2-efi shim

# leave the chroot
exit

umount /mnt/chroot/boot/efi

fsck.vfat /dev/sda1 # just to sanity check that it's still clean.

reboot


Success
===

Machine booted normally with the latest kernel form updates.


Notes
=

1) I've simplified my device names for convince of conveying the process 
followed. Adjust appropriately for your circumstances and disk layout.


2) In Fedora 25 is a symylink, /etc/resolv.conf -> 
/var/run/NetworkManager/resolv.conf, I had to copy this instead, your 
distro may vary.


3) There was no left over EFI partition from a previous system. This was 
all done on a blank hard drive.


4) Frankly, I found all of this far simpler to manage then a classical 
MBR based boot loader. I was able to use standard tools to investigate 
and repair the boot chain. No special gurb-install commands or dinking 
with config files.


5) None of this explains why a normal update left the boot partition in 
a unclean state to being with. But if it happens again, it's an easy 
enough repair, just a little time consuming.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Where are the Slides?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

A common question for any presenter is where can the audience get the 
slides?


GTALUG works with the presenter to make those slides available, when 
possible. These end up on the Wiki, under the meetings section.


https://wiki.gtalug.org/meeting:start

With deep audience interest in Peter's talk this month, those slides are 
now up, and a link to his in depth blog series as well.


If you are a past speaker, and would like to send me your slides for 
inclusion. Please contact me.


--
Scott Sullivan w/ GTALUG President Hat
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Dinner Choice for December Meeting?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Although it was a bit on the crowded side, I like the food Banh Mi Boys.

Banh Mi Boys (Vietnamese and Asian Fusion)
Address: 399 Yonge St.


Better suggestions?


Slush list of food places:
https://wiki.gtalug.org/pre-meeting_dinner

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Experience Upgrading From Fedora 24 to Fedora 25

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Odd follow up to this.

While doing that T-420, I also performed the upgrade on my daily laptop. 
Although what I failed to notice was that I jumped directly from 23 => 
25, skipping 24. D'oh!


Thankfully, the transition went very well from my perspective. Been 
running the last whole week without issues. This is with third-party 
repos like RPM Fusion, Dropbox, Chrome, Adobe, and some Fedora COPR 
repos as well.


Your millage may very, but it interesting to see the result in my case.


On 27/11/16 03:12 PM, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

On 24/11/16 07:12 PM, CLIFFORD ILKAY via talk wrote:

I just followed the directions here
<https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/DNF_system_upgrade> to upgrade from 24
to 25. Within 20 minutes, I had a flawlessly working system. I'm very
impressed.


I have a little do nothing arm system stashed away that I only interact
with remotely.

https://linux-sunxi.org/Mele_A1000
Allwinner A10 single core with 512MB of RAM.

I did the initial install on Fedora 23, previously upgraded this way to
24, and just yesterday to 25. All remotely, rebooting without hiccup.

I've also done the 23 => 24 Jump on a T-420 thinkpad I own. And will
likely do the 24 => 25 jump after posting this.



---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Experience Upgrading From Fedora 24 to Fedora 25

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 24/11/16 07:12 PM, CLIFFORD ILKAY via talk wrote:

I just followed the directions here
 to upgrade from 24
to 25. Within 20 minutes, I had a flawlessly working system. I'm very
impressed.


I have a little do nothing arm system stashed away that I only interact 
with remotely.


https://linux-sunxi.org/Mele_A1000
Allwinner A10 single core with 512MB of RAM.

I did the initial install on Fedora 23, previously upgraded this way to 
24, and just yesterday to 25. All remotely, rebooting without hiccup.


I've also done the 23 => 24 Jump on a T-420 thinkpad I own. And will 
likely do the 24 => 25 jump after posting this.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] OK, where are we having dinner, folks?

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On November 8, 2016 11:44:29 AM EST, "D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk" 
 wrote:
>How about 
>
>Raijin (Ramen)
>
>Address: 3 Gerrard St E
>visited 2016 February 9

+1 for Ramen
-- 
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] Hardware Password Wallet - Mooltipass Mini

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 26/10/16 03:12 PM, Lennart Sorensen wrote:

On Wed, Oct 26, 2016 at 12:35:43PM -0400, Scott Sullivan via talk wrote:

If folks have any questions about the device, I'd be happy to answer from my
experiences.


I see some of the comments complaining that the 31 character limit on
password length isn't good enough for some users.  I wonder if they are
going to change that.


I personally don't know, and that's a question best answered with a code 
review and questions to the developers.


The code is on github here:
https://github.com/limpkin/mooltipass/


Where do they enter the pin?  Using the wheel?


Correct, the pin is hex 0-9,A-F and is entered using the wheel. I don't 
yet know if it has fast scrolling, or if I have to press each time to 
change character.


The original mooltipass used a capacitive wheel and buttons, best 
thought of as the cheaper cousin of the ipod click wheel. But it in 
practice I found it easy to over spin to my target character. So I'm 
looking forward to this physical click wheel.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Hardware Password Wallet - Mooltipass Mini

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

So this a size reduced version of the Mooltipass device I helped fund 
nearly 2 years ago.


https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limpkin/mooltipass-mini-your-passwords-on-the-go/

I'll let the campaign video sell you on it's virtues.

The advantage I find for me is that it's usable universally with any 
device. When I updated my google credentials, one USB-OTG cable, and I 
had the new passwords entered into my phone. If I need to store BIOS 
passwords, I can enter them with out having to read them off.


Really like it for password I only use once every few years.

The important habits with a device like this, is to back up encrypted 
credentials database, make spare access cards with different pins and 
have a spare mooltiplass to restore too should you loose your primary one.


If folks have any questions about the device, I'd be happy to answer 
from my experiences.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Hacklab Junk Independence Day, Sun. Oct 23rd

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Hacklab is hosting it's next Junk Independence Day on October 23rd.

https://hacklab.to/archives/junk-independence-day-sunday-october-23-2016/

This a recurring event where electronic junk or e-waste can be brought 
down, swifted through swap-meet style, and the reminder is sent to 
recycling company on the following Monday.


I've a had lot of odds and ends that have lost utility to me, but found 
new homes with others. On the other hand, I once took down a half-broken 
Stereo, and came back with a better working Stereo.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] Voting with our Dollars on Computing Future that Respects our Freedom.

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

There is a common refrain on this list, "Vote with your Dollars". We'll 
I'm going to put my money where my mouth is.


The EOMA-68 effort is something I've spoken on before. It's a real 
earnest attempt to put together a hardware project that meets the ideals 
of the free software community. It's matter of principle, much like 
recycling is matter or principle (recycling is not cheaper then new 
materials).


https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop

I've been watching Luke, the project lead, fail and succeed in various 
ways for nearly 5 years now. He's had hardware prototypes built, small 
productions runs of the A20 card done.


This is a early adopter scenario, it's going to be rough around the 
edges, and it's not going to be the fastest hardware. But it's got the 
heart.


Spend sometime reading into the details.

https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop/updates/fsf-ryf-background

In Five years, I've not seen Luke give up. He's finally found a partner 
company with a good track record (Think Penguin). And the design is done 
and tested. It just has to be built in mass.


I'm not asking that folks go for the laptop. But maybe just a Card, and 
a Cable Set for Standalone Operation. The costs of Hardware won't come 
down until we show that we are willing to put a down payment on future 
we've been asking for.


I'm backing this project, not because its the cheapest, or the fastest. 
But because I want to see more projects like in the future that will be 
faster and possibly cost competitive in the market.


--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] TP-LINK TL-WR810N (Was: (question) TP-Link TL-WR802N)

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Peter,

Nice find.

Looks like support has landed in Trunk (which will become the next 
stable release in the future)

https://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-wr810n

The USB port does support data.
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/TL-WR810N.html#overview

And NewEgg has it on special for $25 dollars at the moment.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704290CVF

... and ordered one.

Really, can't wait till trickle down brings 5Ghz to devices like these. 
I personally want to abandon the 2.4Ghz spectrum due to over crowding. 
There are only 4 AP's in the 5Ghz bands near my apartment, and there is 
no competition because of how wide the spectrum is.


On 08/13/2016 12:57 AM, Peter Renzland via talk wrote:

Depending on your intended use, there is also this:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01CVOLGOG/ref=pe_386430_202053160_TE_item
TP-Link TL-WR810N 300 Mbps Wireless N Mini Router $35

It has a built-in power supply, 2 ethernet ports, and a USB port.

It can operate in several modes:

1. Router
2. Hotspot
3. Range Extender
4. Client
5. Access Point

Right now it is acting as a wireless client bridge (no NAT) for the MPB and a 
Grandstream VOIP ATA, while powering a USB fan.

I got it mainly to run the VOIP phone off WiFi.

-- Peter


---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk



---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] (answer) TP-Link TL-WR802N 300Mbps Wireless-N Nano Router

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 08/11/2016 11:52 PM, William Park via talk wrote:

Anyone have this one?

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_1046_365_id=087761
http://www.tplink.ca/en/products/details/TL-WR802N.html
If so, have you ever used its "Client Mode" and can you confirm that it
works?


Frankly,

This device costs so little, just buy it, try it and if it's unsuitable, 
return it. Your well with in your rights to return a product for it 
being 'unsuitable for intended purpose', Canada Computer won't bat an 
eyelash.


--
Scott Sullivan

---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

[GTALUG] TL-MR3020

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

Just out of the recent thread "TP-Link TL-WR802N 300Mbps Wireless-N Nano 
Router", wanted to pull together useful links on one of my favorite 
pieces of travel kit. It's aged very well, still doing what every random 
job I throw at it 4 years on.


The most recent triumph, involved using as it as a PXE boot server, 
tethered to my phone for internet access to network boot an old Pentium 
II Dell Optiplex, from https://boot.rackspace.com/



TL-MR3020
=

Product Page:
http://www.tplink.ca/en/products/details/cat-4691_TL-MR3020.html

WebUI simulator(*):
http://www.tp-link.com/resources/simulator/TL-MR3020/index.htm

OpenWRT:
https://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-mr3020

Vendors(**):
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704127CVF
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3446927=YYS2-4888153
http://www.ncix.com/detail/tp-link-tl-mr3020-portable-3g-3-75g-wireless-39-68296.htm
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=690_id=047186
https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps=TL-MR3020


*: TP-Link doesn't put up the interface for all their devices, and 
sometimes you have to go digging to find them (this one was linked of 
the Sri Lanka page, but not the Canadian).


**: I certainly doubt TP-link is still producing these, but there is 
still some stock at vendors.

---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Re: [GTALUG] (question) TP-Link TL-WR802N 300Mbps Wireless-N Nano Router

[Scott Sullivan via talk]

On 08/12/2016 09:09 AM, James Knott via talk wrote:

On 08/12/2016 08:17 AM, William Park via talk wrote:

I downloaded user's manual for this one also.  It talks about DHCP in
"Client Mode", which means it's client NAT, not bridge.


It has multiple modes, including "Wireless Client Mode".  This is the
Scenario 1 mentioned in another note that is what you said you wanted.
In this mode, you connect one or more Ethernet devices via WiFi to an
existing WiFi connection.  The DHCP server is used only in Router Mode.
The other mode is Access Point, where it's just a plain access point,
providing WiFi to an existing Ethernet network.  Further, this is
designed as a portable device and comes with a nice case.  It can be be
powered either with an AC adapter or USB.


James,

Client Mode is usually Scenario 2, where the portable router box 
(TL-MR3020 or TL-WR802N in these examples), is a client of the WIFI AP, 
and is NATing that connection like a traditional router.


William, is correct in that 'client mode' is not what he's seeking, 
although he's not hit on the correct term yet.



From what I understand so far, William can correct me, he wants 
Scenario 1, where its a transparent bridge. I've been re-acquainting 
myself with this all morning.


While it can still be called confusingly 'bridged client mode', the 
specific term is a WDS client.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_distribution_system



From the OpenWRT documentation, this seems to require hardware support.

https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/recipes/bridgedclient
https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/recipes/atheroswds


Atheros chip-sets (which the TL-MR3020 and TL-WR802N both are), do seem 
to have that support through the mac80211 drives.


I've pulled out one of my TL-MR3020's running OpenWRT 15.05.1 (the 
latest stable). The LUCI webui does seem to configure it all nicely and 
correctly, when compared to the linked recipe above (second line). That 
said... I've not yet gotten this to work for me, yet. Still playing 
around with it though.


/etc/config/wireless
config wifi-device 'radio0'
option type 'mac80211'
option hwmode '11g'
option path 'platform/ar933x_wmac'
option htmode 'HT20'
option disabled '0'
option txpower '18'
option country 'US'
option channel '1'

config wifi-iface
option device 'radio0'
option ssid 'Teksavvyc862'
option mode 'sta'
option wds '1'
option network 'lan'
option key ''
option encryption 'psk2'

--
Scott Sullivan
---
Talk Mailing List
talk@gtalug.org
https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk