LINUX AND MICROCONTROLLER BLOG

Howto Password Protect Grub in Ubuntu / Debian Linux

2009-08-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Some recent posts showing that your linux box is not secure unless you installed a grub Password.
If you are an administrator of a highly sensitive server, you must do it.
To add a password for grub, first you must generate an md5 password hash using the grub-md5-crypt utility: grub-md5-crypt

The command will ask you to enter a password and offer a resulting hash value as shown below:

Password: (enter new password)
Retype password: (repeat password)
$1$s3YiK$M3lxAbqA6JLm2FbDWnClQ0

Add the resulting hash value to the file /boot/grub/menu.lst in the following format:

password --md5 $1$s3YiK$M3lxAbqA6JLm2FbDWnClQ0

To require use of the password for entering single user mode, change the value of the lockalternative variable in the file /boot/grub/menu.lst to true, as shown in the following example.

# lockalternative=true

Howto make Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) Multimedia Ready

2009-08-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

AS per the request from my readers I am re-publishing this article

Ubuntu 9.04 Required the foll0wing steps to Run Multimedia files like MP3, AVI, Mpeg, Flash file etc...

In Ubuntu 9.04 "Jaunty jackalop", the universe, multiverse and restricted repositories are activated by default.

For installing Multimedia files you need to add medibuntu repositories.

Run the follwing in command mode it will add medibuntu repositories in your sources list

$ sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/jaunty.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

then Add the GPG Key:

$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

Run

$ sudo apt-get update

Now you can Install non-free-codecs

$ sudo apt-get install non-free-codecs

It will enables your system to support for MP3 and various other audio formats, unrar. Java runtime environment, Flash plugin, Microsoft fonts, w32codecs etc!

You can install more codecs and DVD Support by using

$ sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 libxine1-ffmpeg gxine mencoder

It will help you to run DVDs, AVI files and other mpeg codecs.

Now Install Famous VLC player and Mplayer

$ sudo apt-get install vlc mplayer

You can Install following interesting and useful utilities

Audio Editing Software Audacity

$ sudo apt-get install audacity

Adobe Acrobat Reader

$sudo apt-get install acroread acroread-plugins

Origin of Famous Linux Distibutions

2009-08-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am trying to collect the Origin of famous Linux Distributions.
Linux is Now World Wide, Most of the Countries are Trying to make their Own Distribution. In India BOSS Linux is trying to attach 18 regional language support.

Debian --> World(No official Owner)
Ubuntu --> Isle of Man( UK) (Canonical ltd.)
Mandriva --> France (Mandrake Soft.) + Brazil(Conectiva Linux)
Fedora --> USA (RedHat Corp.)
OpenSUSE --> Germany (SUSE) + US (Novell)
FreeBSD --> USA
PCLinuxOS --> USA
Gentoo Linux --> USA
CentOS --> Global
Slackware --> USA
MEPIS --> USA
Puppy Linux --> Australia
Linux Mint --> Ireland
Pardus Linux --> Turkey
Sabayon Linux --> Italy
Turbo Linux --> Japan
Miracle Linux - Japan
YOPER Linux -- New Zeland
Knoppix --> Germany
Red Flag Linux -- China
BOSS LINUX --> India

Adding Open in Terminal to Nautilus right click menu

2009-08-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu uses nautilus as the default file manager. You can effectively use nautilus to increase your productivity. Here I am telling about a useful hack for power users for opening folders in terminal . See the screen shot below
It allows user to open a selected folder in a terminal window by right clicking on the folder.
For installing "open in terminal" feature you need to install package "nautilus-open-terminal" .
open a terminal

$sudo apt-get install nautilus-open-terminal

or you can use synaptic package manager.

After installing the package you have to logout and login back , Now you can right click on a folder you will get "open in Terminal option.

Howto setup Second IP address or Virtual IP address to your Networkcard in ubuntu

2009-08-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

If you are a Network Administrator some time you need to assign more than ONE ip address (second ipaddress) to your network card of Ubuntu machine. For this you need to edit the /etc/network/interfaces file by adding the following lines . See the example below and make change according to your ip address settings

#vi /etc/network/interfaces

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.0.5
netmask 255.255.255.0
network x.x.x.x
broadcast x.x.x.x
gateway x.x.x.x

auto eth0:1
iface eth0:1 inet static
address 192.168.0.50
netmask 255.255.255.0
network x.x.x.x
broadcast x.x.x.x
gateway x.x.x.x

after entering the values save this file and you need to restart networking services in ubuntu using the following command to take effect of our new ipaddress.

After entering all the details you need to restart networking services using the following command

#/etc/init.d/networking restart

Install Educational Suite for Children aged 2 to 10 : GCompris in Ubuntu / Debian Linux

2009-08-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

GCompris is a excellent educational software suite for children aged 2 to 10. Most of the activities are game orientated educational. GCompris offers more than 100 activities in differentclassifications like classified into mathematics, puzzles, computer discovery, amusement activities,strategy games, experimental activities and reading activities. Gcompris is available in more than 40 Languages.

Children can learn Basic Mouse movement, Colour Identification, Basic Asthmatic, Picture drawing and lot more.

More than 20 activities in Mathematics like calculations, geometry , numeration and Money Usage etc.

Install gcmpris in Ubuntu / Debian
Install from Synaptic or

$ sudo apt-get install gcompris

More Screen Shots

Bible Study Tool Now in Ubuntu / Debian Linux : gnomesword

2009-08-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Gnomesword is a bible study tool for Linux. Latest version known as Xiphos will available now, But I have tested gnomesword and found it is good and stable. By default it is in arabic bible with english commentary. It is open-source software, and available free-of-charge to all.

To install in ubuntu
System->Administration->Synaptic package manager and search for gnomesword

also add sword-language-pack-en for English bible , lot of athor language support also available

or

open a terminal and type

$ sudo apt-get install gnomesword sword-language-pack-en

Quran Study Tool for Ubuntu / Debian Linux : Zekr

2009-08-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

Quran Study Now Available in Linux, Arabic Quotes and English Translation. It is fully featured with advanced searching, navigation, recitation, and commentary. Principle of the Zekr project Never Profit Off The Prophet. All programs are and will always be Free and Open Source. That means that anyone can see and contribute to developing Zekr.

Howto Install Zekr in Ubuntu

System->Administration->Synaptic package manager and search for zekr

or

Open a terminal and type

$ sudo apt-get install zekr

How to Change the default "Open with" program for a file type in Ubuntu Nautilus

2009-08-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

How to Change the default "Open with" program for a file type Ubuntu Nautilus

Open Nautilus,
Right click on the file you want to change and choose Properties from the menu .
In Properties , select Open With tab. Now You can see One or More Applications.
Now you can select your option, for default application.
Suppose the application is not in the list, use the Add button to add application.

Universal Webcam support for Ubuntu / Debian Linux

2009-08-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

Michel Xhaard made a good job for Linux webcam Support

The project objective is to provide Spca5xx a module for the Linux kernel with a wide support for different webcams "market"

Supporting webcams

see this site for More details

How to Install Graphical Front End for Iptables in Ubuntu /debian Linux : Vuurmuur

2009-08-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Vuurmuur is graphical front end for famous firewall software iptables. You can make complex firewall rules in simple steps. Vuurmuur supports traffic shaping, has powerful monitoring features, which allow the administrator to look at the logs, connections and bandwidth usage in realtime.

install in ubuntu (jaunty and later)
$ sudo apt-get install vuurmuur

official site http://www.vuurmuur.org/

Utility for Arranging Multiple Terminals in ubuntu / Debian Linux : Terminator

2009-08-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Terminator is a useful tool for arranging Terminals. It offers more features to Your Terminal.

Features:

Arrange terminals in a grid
Tabs
Drag and drop re-ordering of terminals
Lots of keyboard shortcuts
Config file to override gnome-terminal settings
Simultaneous typing to arbitrary groups of terminals

For Install in Ubuntu / debian

$ sudo apt-get install terminator

manpages
$ man terminator
$ man terminator_config

More Details Here

AutoScan Network :Network Monitoring and Management Tool for Linux / Windows / Mac

2009-07-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

AutoScan-Network is a network discovering and managing Tool. No Special configuration is required to scan your network.

Main Features:
•Multithreaded Scan
•Automatic network discovery
•Realtime detection of any connected equipment
•Supervision of any equipment /service (router, server, firewall, smtp, http, pop)
•Automatic detection of known operatic system (brand and version)
•Intruders detection (in intruders detection mode, all new equipments blacklisted) •
•Telnet Client •
•Vnc Client

How to install autoscan-network in ubuntu / Debian
Download the package from Here
Unzip the tar.gz file in a folder
Official site here
then execute the .bin file
( installation is very simple just double click on files)

Rapache : Graphical Front end for Apache Webserver in Linux

2009-07-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

Rapache is a utility used for remotely managing Apache webserver.
Rapache is a free software, developed with Python + GTK, usong this utility you can very easily create a virtual host, enabling / disabling modules and quickly review the logs etc.

For installing rapache in ubuntu / debian

open a terminal

$ sudo apt-get install rapache ( or use synaptic package manager)

see https://launchpad.net/rapache for more details

How to Share Files quickly in Ubuntu / Debian Linux

2009-07-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

In the very first day of my python study, I wondered!!!
Some time we need to share files to other systems in our computer center quickly with out any tools in hand. If you have a python installation in your system, file sharing is very simple by implementing a little http server, using a single line command.

Suppose If you want to share the folder /home/shibu/ and my IP address is 192.168.0.4

open a terminal then type following
$ cd /home/shibu

$ python -m SimpleHTTPServer

Now your http server will start in port 8000
( You will get a message - Serving HTTP on 0.0.0.0 port 8000 ... )

Now you can open a browser in the remote machine and type the following in the address bar

http://192.168.0.4:8000

If you are a network administrator it is very useful, normal users can also use this trick.

you can test it locally by using
http://127.0.0.1:8000

Smile : Video Slide Show Creator For Ubuntu / Debian Linux

2009-07-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Smile is a simple tool for creating Video Slide show in Linux.

First you have to install smile-data using gdebi package manager
Download Smile-data From here
(9.6 MB)

After that Install Smile
Download Smile from here
(1.1 MB)

gshutdown : Graphical Shutdown Utility

2009-07-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

gshutdown is a Graphical Shutdown Utility, you can set the shutdown /restart time graphically. Beginners can easily schedule shutdown time using this utility.

$ sudo apt-get install gshutdown ( or use synaptic package manager)

Howto Change Wallpapper Automaticaly in ubuntu Linux : Drapes

2009-07-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

Desktop Drapes will change your wallpaper randomly. It will select wallpaper from a list, or you can point it to a directory.

$ sudo apt-get install drapes

Virtual Makeup Software for Ubuntu / Debian Linux : jkiwi

2009-07-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

jkiwi is a very unique software ever seen in linux. It won the national open source contest in Portugal. It can be used for hairstyling, concealer paint, eye shadows, blush, contact lenses for eye colors, change lip colors. Yes you can share it with your friend after loading it in your laptop.

Kiwi works best with images in .jpg or .png format and you should use a vertical image in one of the resolutions (480x640, 600x800, 768x1024). Larger images is not recomended due to memory size and overall application speed.

How to install jkiwi in ubuntu / debian
Download the .deb file from here (32 MB in size)
now
$ sudo dpkg -i jkiwi_0.9.5_ubuntu.deb
official site
It requires jre 5 or greater to run.

Ohh My God !! Debian / Ubuntu Package for S-e-x/ p-o-r-n Download : Gnaughty

2009-07-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

FOSS Community knows what stuff people looking for!!!
I Cannot Believe, But it is true, because I have Tested this package in my ubuntu box and removed it . It is looking for an entry in Gnome. It is a sourceforge project !!! Click to enlarge the picture (my screen shot) for understanding How much serious it is!!
See the project description
Fast and Easy P-o-r-n Downloader

Gnaughty is a program to automatically download a-d-u-l-t s-e-x content, i.e. p-o-r-n movies and pictures, from a known Internet porn directory.

Providing a friendly interface, users who feel like having some p-o-r-n can have it served fastly and directly to their desktop.

Beware Network Administrators

IT WILL EAT YOUR BANDWIDTH !!!!!!

http://gnaughty.sourceforge.net/

HowTo find Duplicate files in Ubuntu Linux : Fslint

2009-07-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Finding Duplicate files in linux is a difficult job. FSlint is a very good utility for find and clean duplicate file in linux. FSlint can use for one click removal of duplicate files, empty folders, temporary files, check the packages installed, incorrect connections etc..

For Installing FSlint in Ubuntu
$ sudo apt-get install fslint ( it is version 2.26)

Install latest version
wget http://www.pixelbeat.org/fslint/fslint_2.40-1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i fslint_2.40-1_all.deb

For Fedora and Readhat
wget http://www.pixelbeat.org/fslint/fslint-2.40-2.noarch.rpm
sudo rpm -Uvh fslint-2.40-2.noarch.rpm

Collection of Hardware Connectors and Sockets

2009-07-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Very good effort from sonic84. See Large picture here
Picture includes most of all Hardware Parts, Connectors, Sockets, Modules etc... Click to enlarge
original site

Howto Find Maximum memory capacity of Your Computer

2009-07-24T02:06:00.000-07:00

Before Upgrading your Computers Memory capacity, You have to check maximum memory capacity of your system supports.
see this also

How to check your maximum memory capacity

it is simple
$ sudo dmidecode | grep Maximum

output

Maximum Size: 32 KB
Maximum Size: 4096 KB
Maximum Size: 0 KB
Maximum Capacity: 8 GB

Howto Restore Ubuntu After Windows Installation Using LiveCD

2009-07-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Windows will overwrite the grub boot loader , So You cannot access Linux partition after Windows Installation.
Tools Required : Ubuntu LiveCD

First you have to boot your system with a ununtu LIVECD

Then Open a terminal ( Applications --> Accessories --> Terminal)

($sudo -i Will give # Prompt then you can avoid sudo in every command)

Now you can start
$ sudo grub this will give you a new prompt

Type the command
> find /boot/grub/stage1 This will give you a output like (hd0,2) in this case it will vary depends on your system

> root(hd0,2) ( use your hd number and there is no space between root and (hd0,2)

now type
> setup (hd0,2)

then
> quit
Now you can restart your system

Web based (Http) Network Traffic / Bandwidth Monitoring Tool: Darkstat

2009-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

DarkStat is a simple Packet Sniffing Network Traffic/Bandwidth monitoring Tool for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions. DarkStat gives simple web based output with nice graphs and statistics , it will automatically refreshed. Darkstat uses a very low footprint and the memory, CPU usage.

How to install darkstat in Ubuntu / debian
$ sudo apt-get install darkstat ( or use Synaptic package manager)

For Running darkstat
$ sudo darkstat -i eth0
or for wireless
$ sudo darkstat -i wlan0
Now darkstat will start and run in background (You will not get any output now!!!!!)

Open your Browser
type http://127.0.0.1:667 in address bar