Monkeying around systems, scratching my needs

Perl – How to install CPAN module, the easier way

monkey — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:32:00 +0000

Following IronMan Challenge posts not only for the sake of seeing What Color of Hair & Shirt ends up with Matt but the posts have been much enlightening. Recently in IronMan Challenge, there’s been much talk about one of Miyagawa’s project, App::cpanminus. Basically, cpanminus is a tool to install perl module from CPAN, without the [...]

FreeBSD – Make ports not to include X11 or GUI related library

monkey — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:12:54 +0000

FreeBSD is an excellent operating system, be it on a Desktop (PC-BSD) or Server. Its stability and flexibility was never an issue, nor even software availability (21135 ports currently available to deploy). Most of the time, ports will install the necessary dependencies to fulfill its requirement. But certain ports installs the X11 (X window system) libraries. [...]

FreeBSD – How to manage ports in FreeBSD using portmanager

monkey — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:21:47 +0000

There are various way of managing ports, using utilities. The usual “cd /usr/ports/<ports directory>; make; make install; make clean“, portmaster, portupgrade and others. Today, this post will brief on how to use portmanager to install, upgrade and delete ports. Using portmanager to manage ports have a few advantage : portmanager scans for what dependencies are needed and [...]

OSX – How to arrange Menu Bar icons

monkey — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:19:58 +0000

When too many icon clogging on the Menu Bar, re-arrange them might look better. The shortcut key to arrange the icons is : Cmd + mouse left click on an icon then start arranging them. Adios !!!

FreeBSD – How to setup ports using wget to download

monkey — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:42:44 +0000

The default download program for ports is using fetch. fetch is fine but my personal preference is wget. wget uses 1 connection to download, unlike my previous post that mentioned “Download ports simultaneously with multiple connections“. But wget gives extra bell and whistle like date/time of the download, log to file, continue from a partially downloaded [...]

FreeBSD – Tips to prepare large ports installation

monkey — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:52:51 +0000

Ports gets it’s sources from internet. If the sources is big or there are multiple tens of sources, the tendency to fail in the mid of the ports installation increases. Scenario 1: Bumpy internet broadband internet connection, like mine, will disconnect halfway when downloading big files (> 10 MB) Scenario 2: Large ports that depends on tens if not [...]

FreeBSD – Ports is fetching from slow servers

monkey — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:46:34 +0000

Ports randomly gets it’s source server list from /usr/ports/Mk/bsd.sites.mk, as defined by the port maintainer. But the top 1st choice of the list may not be the one physically near to us and thus the download speed is much desirable. Most of the time compiling ports doesn’t necessary takes a long time (like my 3 [...]

Gimp – How to convert background of logo or picture into transparency

monkey — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:58:49 +0000

Gimp stands for “GNU Image Manipulation Program“, which is an open source image editing problem. It’s capability often compare to professional software but fortunately, Gimp acceptance as Pro image editing software is getting better. Even so, Gimp is still popular among beginner up to hobbyist user. Gimp’s available on multiple platform and since it is open [...]

FreeBSD – Compilation errors on port KDE4 in FreeBSD 8.0

monkey — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:40:43 +0000

While adding GUI Desktop environment into my development box, an error encountered when compiling KDE4, the stable and nice looking Desktop environment. Compiling KDE4 can take quite some time as it depends on few hundred other ports. Alternatively, you can install KDE4 from the packages by using the command : pkg_add -r kde4 But installing programs using [...]

FreeBSD – How to check swap space or partition info

monkey — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:04:55 +0000

Use the command : swapinfo Specified the parameter “-h” to convert the bytes to “h”uman readable form : swapinfo -h Sayonara !!!

FreeBSD – ports install Exim email server with patch error

monkey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:36:56 +0000

Learned another thing today. The ports tree is just a repository of available software, it can be deleted & regenerated. Why would some one wants to delete the ports tree? It needed to be delete and regenerated because some patch was downloaded incorrectly and the problem stubbornly persists. Sample of the error : ===> Applying FreeBSD patches [...]

FreeBSD – Backup and restore FreeBSD using Fixit CD

monkey — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:31:58 +0000

Since FreeSBIE have not been updated since year 2007, its kernel recognizing new hardware starts to worry me as it is based on FreeBSD 6.2 and it is going to reach EoL (end of life) by end of this year, 2010. Is time to experiment on new way restoring backup. The FreeBSD installation process does mentioned [...]

FreeBSD – Ports complain about Checksum Mismatch error

monkey — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:30:49 +0000

File integrity checking has been built in for ports, checksum of file. Comparing checksum of a file is automatically done when ports is going to extract the compress file. It’s a important process to make sure that the file downloaded are not altered in anyway, be it missing bits during download or some one maliciously [...]

FreeBSD – Fundraising for FreeBSD Foundation

monkey — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:53:54 +0000

This will be the last post from me of this year and i think i owe my favorite OS too much and hopefully this will slightly, tiny, little, bitty post make my conscience feels better. Please donate to FreeBSD Foundation. About the FreeBSD Foundation What is the FreeBSD Foundation? The FreeBSD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization [...]

FreeBSD – Known Vulnerabilities audit check on FreeBSD Ports

monkey — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:32:06 +0000

The FreeBSD Ports repository have a rich base of software. As of today, it has 21000 ++ ports. As we all know, all software have bugs. Some bugs leads to vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities opens door to unwanted access, at least not to those have ill intentions. Every now and then, FreeBSD sysadm tends to install or upgrade [...]

OpenID – How to find out OpenID URL

monkey — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:36:23 +0000

Any of us easily owned a dozen accounts on different services on the internet. Be it Google, Yahoo, WordPress.com and others, these are just a few well known service providers. How about others? e.g. Slashdot (http://slashdot.org/), Stack Overflow(http://stackoverflow.com/), Server Fault(http://serverfault.com/) and the list goes on. Luckily these sites are equip with OpenID. OpenID make our life [...]

Perl – Connect using SSH with Perl & CPAN module

monkey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:13:23 +0000

It has been weeks since the last time blogging about Perl. My day to day job has been tying most of my free time and blah blah blah excuses … :p My job deals with FreeBSD server, 90% of my time. Daily routines includes checking server health status. FreeBSD has these periodic scripts that will report [...]

Ubuntu – How to change default menu for Net Book Remix

monkey — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:13:30 +0000

Net Book Remix is another spin off of Ubuntu. It’s strength is to make Ubuntu to run on Netbook, miniature laptop which target for internet applications users. Typically, the screen size are small (from 9″ – 12″), thus it is light (0.8kg – 1.5kg) and runs on Atom processor. The kernel and programs on NBR [...]

FreeBSD – For the love of all

monkey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:32:20 +0000

For the love of the world, please do this. Step 1 : cd /usr/src Step 2 : make love Enjoy the output World Peace !!!

FreeBSD – Download ports simultaneously with multiple connections

monkey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:59:04 +0000

By default, ports uses 1 connection to download and thus unbearably slow when a server rate limit the connection. Alternatively, we can tell ports to use external utility in order to open multiple connections and download simultaneously. Firstly, install the utility “axel” by : cd /usr/ports/ftp/axel ;make install clean Next, tell ports to use the external utility to [...]

vim – Commenting multiple lines, block comment

monkey — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Perl does not have block comment feature. The Acme::Comment module was the easiest way to make Perl do block commenting, with additional features, it allows customization of open & close punctuation mark. Until yesterday, my first Perl code got some problem and had to seek help from the IRC channel perl-help @ irc.perl.org (these guys are [...]

Network IP address calculator – for subnet and range of host

monkey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:01:52 +0000

One of the task installing a new FreeBSD box was dealing with IP addresses. Usually, google a web based calculater would do the trick. But today’s task is a bit different. IPv6. A whole row of hexadecimal spinning in front of my eyes, just to figure out what is the range of IP that is usable. [...]

Perl – How to install Perl module using CPAN shell

monkey — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:40:22 +0000

One of Perl’s strength is it’s repository of modules, thousands of modules. No need to re-invent the wheel, just think of what you wanna do and search for it (http://cpan.perl.org). The CPAN modules are available through the CPAN shell. In this post, we will talk briefly about how to install the CPAN shell and show an [...]

The Perl Ironman Challenge

monkey — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:25:11 +0000

Ironman Challenge. An effort to promote Perl within its community. Accidentally stumble upon the challenge while searching for Perl’s mailing lists and blogs. I have always wanted to pick up a programming language. To buck up my system administration skill by scripting daily routines and system monitoring. And most importantly, write some web application with this much [...]

BIND – name server error “the working directory is not writable”

monkey — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:28:16 +0000

Recently, there has been a few incident on vulnerabilities of DNS server being exploited. Fortunately, Bind have release patches soon enough for the rest of us to start covering up the loop holes. After an upgrade or installations of ISC Bind DNS server 9.6 on a FreeBSD box, we will need to stop and start “named” [...]

Technorati blog claim fail error

monkey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:13:00 +0000

This post is to record how to claim your blog in Technorati. The instruction received was to create a post with the codes provided then the claim process should complete. But it does not. The error below was showed when checking the status : There was a problem finding your claim code. If you have already verified [...]

FreeBSD – How to use Meta Ports to install group of ports

monkey — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:37:02 +0000

Often, after a fresh new installation of FreeBSD, we have a set of programs we want to install. The conventional method would be installing it one by one in /usr/ports. Today, we will use meta ports to install the set of applications by just one “make install clean” rather then “cd” into individual directories and [...]

Apache – [warn] _default_ VirtualHost overlap on port 80, the first has precedence

monkey — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:55:16 +0000

Virtual Host. A feature that enables Apache to configure multiple domain into one web (http) server. This feature saves the need to run multiple instances of web server and thus saves resources. After configuring the <VirtualHost> directives, some may encounter an error message : Error : [warn] _default_ VirtualHost overlap on port 80, the first has precedence This [...]

MySQL – Passwordless login within bash script

monkey — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:45:36 +0000

As like the previous post about passwordless login within Bash script, this post is about how to connect to MySQL database server using Bash script without MySQL client prompting for login. Here it is : Create a hidden file (in home directory where the user would run the script) named ~/.my.cnf with the below sample contents : [mysql] user=bob password=secret In [...]

ssh – How to encrypt/tunnel internet traffic through ssh

monkey — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:07:08 +0000

When using an insecure internet connection (e.g. wireless), it is a good practice to tunnel internet traffic through ssh. Tunneling through ssh provide encryption of the traffic starting from local computer to the point ends where ssh server is. It is especially important to encrypt the traffic out of the local PC when using un-secure [...]

SmokePing – How setup logging (or debuging)

monkey — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:28:49 +0000

SmokePing is an utility to keep track of the network latency from your network to various site. Its output are recorded in graph, for analysis purpose. Its configuration are simple and easy to setup. But some times, logging are needed to debug some probes failed to output to graph. The logging setup will need to [...]

WordPress – wp-cache plugin not working

monkey — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:08:47 +0000

WordPress plugin wp-cache is a plugin that caches the WordPress post the first time when someone visits it then it uses the cache next time when the same post needs to load again. This saves processing power and also improves user experience as WordPress posts are loaded faster. For some reason, wp-cache stop working. The “Cache [...]

FreeBSD – Quick install guide (aka How to install FreeBSD)

monkey — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:19:31 +0000

Much great have been said on FreeBSD; the license has all the freedom you need server apps setup are mostly manual. no wizard of oz, no gui. Which makes the administrator have control over everything. it boots faster its stability is like rock, hard to crash default installation are lean and mean. Is meant to be built from [...]

Linux – Shorewall firewall with PPTP VPN dialup client

monkey — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:56:34 +0000

PPTP VPN uses protocol GRE on two way, both inbound and outbound. Setting up the firewall to allow PPTP VPN dialup client (e.g. Ubuntu’s NetworkManager) to use protocol GRE is just a few steps in adding rules and interfaces. This post is based on the previous post “How to set up Shorewall firewall (alternate to [...]

Linux – How to set up Shorewall firewall (alternate to FireStarter)

monkey — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:08:24 +0000

There are a few option of firewall interface available on Linux for iptables, both GUI (Graphical User Interface) and CLI (Command Line Interface). FireStarter user interface on GUI is easy to use and configure. The only problem is it does not work properly with PPTP VPN dialup, it blocks protocol GRE. It does provide a [...]

FreeBSD – Error installing KDE4 or Xine

monkey — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:46:28 +0000

Halfway through installing KDE4 or any ports that is related to Xine, ended fail with the below error message : ===> Found saved configuration for libxine-1.1.16.3_1 => xine-lib-1.1.16.3.tar.bz2 doesn't seem to exist in /usr/ports/distfiles/. => Attempting to fetch from http://superb-east.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/xine/. xine-lib-1.1.16.3.tar.bz2 [...]

Ubuntu – How to resume NetworkManager managing network interface

monkey — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:03:29 +0000

After manually editing /etc/network/interfaces for dynamically assigned IP or static IP, Network Manager (the icon sits on the upper panel with 2 monitor) stops working. Specifically it stop managing interface, but manually assigning IP through “ifconfig” or editing config files (/etc/network/interfaces) still works. Another reason NetworkManager stop working is after applying some updates between Intrepid [...]

FreeBSD – How to install flash plugin or player to work with FireFox

monkey — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:17:22 +0000

This post is part of the “How to install FreeBSD as your Desktop” series and it shows how to install flash plugin onto FireFox internet browser in FreeBSD. Here it is : Execute the below as root Installing Linux emulators that will run the Linux version of flash plugin on FireFox: echo compat.linux.osrelease=2.6.16 >> /etc/sysctl.conf echo OVERRIDE_LINUX_BASE_PORT=f8 >> /etc/make.conf echo [...]

Freebsd – How to install FreeBSD as your Desktop

monkey — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:59:06 +0000

UPDATE : After testing PC-BSD for a while (more then 6 months), PC-BSD indeed is a FreeBSD variant that is superior in Desktop environment. Its user friendly installation and configuration have make FreeBSD so much more suitable running as an Desktop. Unless you’re interested in figuring out how to tweak and turn FreeBSD to work [...]

FreeBSD – How to disable or turn off the keyboard beep sound

monkey — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:14:38 +0000

A reminder to myself on how to disable the keyboard beep sound (serve as an alert) when ever an error occured in the console command line. It is control by a sysctl value. To stop it now on all console, execute : sysctl hw.syscons.bell=0 To make it permanent, such as every time FreeBSD boots, disable the beep [...]

Freebsd – How to install or add sound card driver module

monkey — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:22:30 +0000

FreeBSD is getting more and more attention due to its stability and (well done) documentation. Geeks and nerds are getting their hands into installing FreeBSD onto their Desktop or Laptop. Some might ask “Eh ??? Why ain’t ya mentioning the servers? Is BSD.”. Sound card, sound card belongs to multimedia. It’s mostly meant for entertainment [...]

FreeBSD – How to upgrade the kernel or base system

monkey — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:01:45 +0000

The nature of FreeBSD is so rock-solid stable that some system administrator adopt the philosophy “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”, others, beg to differ. Upgrading & patching of servers should be diligently carry out so that security vulnerabilities are minimize to the least (who can be sure of their servers are 100% secure [...]

Freebsd – Backup & restore for disaster recovery

monkey — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:49:28 +0000

Data are all around servers.. To name a few, file server, email server, LDAP server, web server, DNS server and these are just a few essential servers that make up part of IT section of your company. ERP, CRM, financial projection system, database server, accounting & payroll system are the example of business application. Imagine, [...]

FreeBSD – Combine 2 (or more) NIC using network link aggregation and load balance (aka round robin)

monkey — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:22:52 +0000

Hard disk are getting bigger and bigger. Network interface card (NIC) and switch are getting cheaper and cheaper. It usually means more services can squeeze into a server. Combining multiple network interface into 1 big pipe would be a big plus for services that is bandwidth hungry. e.g. file server, email server & etc Combining 2 [...]

How to check hard disk transfer speed or timing

monkey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:13:06 +0000

Storage are getting cheaper and cheaper. Almost a year ago, a 250 GB 2.5″ portable hard disk would cost 120 bucks. But now, it only cost 100 bucks for a 500 GB hard disk. Size are getting bigger and bigger with the same monetary value but does the hard disk spins fast enough to fetch [...]

Mozilla Firefox – common keyboard shortcut keys

monkey — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:55:56 +0000

Firefox have all the bells & whistles to make our internet life happy. Tabs, plugins, portability and keyboard shortcuts. Firefox keyboard shortcuts make browsing addictive, especially to system administrator, which our hands are on the keyboard most of the time. We could use mouse to browse it but wouldn’t you think by keeping your hands [...]

WordPress – plugin upgrade requesting “Connection Information”

monkey — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:11:43 +0000

This common error happens normally after a WordPress version upgrade. Upon upgrade of plugins, which normally we click on the “upgrade automatically” link on the plugins page, it prompt for “connection information” (with another line of “To performed the requested action, connection information is required.“) with “hostname“, “username“, “password” & “Connection Type” required. This issue is [...]

PostgreSQL – How to reset user name “postgres” password

monkey — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:13:23 +0000

PostgreSQL is an open source RDBMS (Relational DataBase Management System) that is not only feature rich, fast and light but also easy to use. Its documentation available at its website is a superb way of learning as well. Browsing the documentation and you will find that its way of explaining is no “bullshit” approach, short [...]

Nokia E71 and E63 tips – shell or command line access using ssh (secure shell)

monkey — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:00:35 +0000

The Nokia E71 & E63 is a versatile phone for people that needs the business suite of application, e.g. email, messenger, documents & spreadsheet, camera and most importantly, the symbian platform. The symbian platform is widely used on mobile phones. Symbian’s platform also have a wide variety of applications. For *NIX system administration, shell access to [...]

Nagios – Error “Error: Could not open command file ‘/var/spool/nagios/rw/nagios.cmd’ for update”

monkey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:23:17 +0000

After an upgrade of Nagios, Nagios re-schedule function for next service check is not working. The Nagios web interface complained “Error: Could not open command file ‘/var/spool/nagios/rw/nagios.cmd’ for update“. Its problem lies on the webserver was unable to access the file to update the schedule. Change the ownership of the file to the webserver so that [...]