Ceci n'est pas une pipe

There are no uncertain terms: my experience with VirtualBox Sun Microsystems was simply amazing! Now I can use the software that run better under Windows XP without having to reboot every time my Linux box. Essential, try to believe! Unnecessary loss in explanations on how to install because it is an embarrassingly simple: just install the package using dpkg. In this way, even those who - like me - use a kernel compiled ad hoc will be assisted in the compilation (fully automatic) the necessary forms to virtualization. Here are the steps:

1. visit http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads and click Binaries (all platforms)
2. accept the conditions of use and download the correct file (in my case: virtualbox_1.6.4-33808_Debian_etch_i386.deb)
3. install it with dpkg:
   #dpkg -i virtualbox_1.6.4-33808_Debian_etch_i386.deb

[See presentation]

It came on the fourth update of Debian GNU / Linux 4.0:

The Debian project is pleased to announce the fourth update of its stable distribution Debian GNU / Linux 4.0 (codename etch). In addition to correcting several security problems and a few serious defects in the stable release, for the first time in Debian's history an update for a stable distribution also adds support for newer hardware by giving users the option to install newer drivers. Existing Debian GNU / Linux 4.0 installation CDs and DVDs can continue to be used to install this update. After installation, upgrading via an up-to-date Debian mirror will cause any out of date packages to be updated. However, users of the network-console installation method are strongly encouraged to update their media, see the "Debian Installer" portion of this announcement for more information. Those who frequently install updates from security.debian.org will not have to update many packages and most updates from security.debian.org are included in this update.

For a detailed changelog, as always consulted 's announcement of the official release.

Attention! This is just the update of a post published months ago, which strongly recommend reading before proceeding further, unless you know enough already the subject. Click here to enter the old post.

Made this small - but necessary - premise, here are instructions for building the new kernel 2.6.25 for the current stable release of Debian GNU / Linux (code name: Etch).

First you must download the source of the new Linux kernel 2.6.25:

# apt-get -t etch-backports install linux-source-2.6.25

Then proceed as usual:

1. Change to the directory where I placed new sources and scompattiamoli:
   # cd /usr/src
# tar xjf linux-2.6.25.tar.bz2
# ln -s linux-2.6.25 linux
# cd /usr/src/linux
2. Reset (optional) all parameters of compiling and rivediamoli for greater security:
   # make clean && make mrproper
# cp /boot/config-`uname -r` ./.config
# make menuconfig
3. Compile the sources and prepare packages. Deb:
   # make-kpkg clean
# fakeroot make-kpkg --initrd --append-to-version=-tetragono kernel_image kernel_headers
4. We install packages. Deb:
   # cd ..
# dpkg -i linux-image-2.6.25-tetragono_2.6.25-tetragono-10.00.Custom_i386.deb
# dpkg -i linux-headers-2.6.25-tetragono_2.6.25-tetragono-10.00.Custom_i386.deb

And here's the kernel installed and fully functional:

That's all, folks

I state that this will not be a comprehensive tutorial, but only a sort of manabile - but I remember the manabili them? - Especially useful for those who want to try to rebuild itself from a Debian package and not have the time to learn the theory.

First you must install the basic packages for this type of operation:

# apt-get install devscripts build-essential

Then go download the source package that we want to rebuild:

# apt-get source nome_pacchetto

Warning! The package will be downloaded in the current directory!

The name of the package you can easily get greppando the output of dpkg:

# dpkg -l | grep -i openoffice

Here we have carried out a search to find the correct name of the package openoffice.org.

Now we must proceed with the generation of dependencies:

# apt-get build-dep nome_pacchetto

Straight! In the debian are some scripts and configuration files that may require specific changes, maybe just those for which it was decided to rebuild the package. Among these are the most important rules (compilation options) and changelog (the name should be self).

To rebuild the package:

# cd nome_pacchetto
# debuild -us -uc

Once terminatala compilation, you'll find packages. Deb in the directory, ready for installation:

# cd ..
# dpkg -i *.deb

For greater clarity we see a concrete example:

# apt-get source mysql-server-5.0
# apt-get build-dep mysql-server-5.0
# cd mysql-dfsg-5.0-5.0.32
# debuild -us -uc
# cd ..
# dpkg -i *.deb

Have a lot of fun!

RTFM for the series, following the instructions set out on the Italian official Debian documentation for the recovery of the root password. I do use and consumption of a very lazy person that I asked.

8.1.1 "I forgot the root password!" (1)

E 'can boot the system and access to the root, even if we do not know the password, you have access to the keyboard. (Given that there are no other requests from the BIOS password, or boot-loader type lilo that would prevent the system.)

This procedure does not require any boot disk and no change in BIOS. In this context, "Linux" is the label for booting the Linux kernel in the standard Debian install.

At the lilo boot screen, as soon as boot: (you must press a shift key to Prevent automatic booting) and if lilo uses the framebuffer you have to press TAB to see the options you type), date:

boot: Linux init=/bin/sh

The system starts the kernel and run / bin / sh instead of its standard init. Now you have gained root privileges and root shell. Since / is mounted read-only and many disk partitions have not been mounted yet, you must do the following to have a reasonably functioning system.

init-2.03# mount -n -o remount,rw /
init-2.03# mount -avt nonfs,noproc,nosmbfs
init-2.03# cd /etc
init-2.03# vi passwd
init-2.03# vi shadow

(If the second data field in / etc / passwd is "x" for every username, your system uses shadow passwords, and you must edit / etc / shadow.) To disable the root password, edit second field in the password file so that it is empty. Now you can reboot and log in as root without a password. When booting into runlevel 1, Debian (at least after Potato) requires a password, while some older distributions did not.

It 'good idea to have a minimal editor in / bin where / usr is not accessible (see Rescue editors, Section 11.2).

Also consider installing the sash. If the system becomes unbootable, execute:

boot: Linux init=/bin/sash

sash serves as an interactive substitute for sh even when / bin / sh is unusable. It has a link, and includes many basic utilities into it (type "help" to prompt for a reference list).

8.1.2 "I forgot the root password!" (2)

Boot from any disk set of emergency boot / root. If, for example, / dev/hda3 is the original root partition, the following will help open the files password easily as above.

# mkdir fixit
# mount /dev/hda3 fixit
# cd fixit/etc
# vi shadow
# vi passwd

The advantage of this approach over the previous method is that it does not need to know the lilo password (if any). But one must be able to set the BIOS, if it is not already, so the system to boot from floppy or CD.

Source: http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-tips.it.html

Last week I was from a customer and is a nice thing happened. I put to work on a cluster of Debian server that handles the disk drive backup for the VPN, a machine rather critical because the company has offices across Canada and all - or nearly - sooner or later must pass through that server .

The coach entrusted to me by the company is a good computer with a sound system of home server Microsoft. One shortcoming: zero knowledge of English. He studied French. I wonder how we can make the computer without a very good knowledge of English. But no matter.

Since we were one to the other side and that I was going to do a translation on the fly every `man is open, I launched the command:

dpkg-reconfigure locales

and I set the language for system-on en_GB.UTF 8.

Well, I'm still trying to explain the technical, which in the meantime I have made friends, like Debian administer this type of operation without the need to reboot the server. But I will not the mai: speak another language just me and him. Do not you take!

Over time each operating system tends to accumulate portions of code that - because of the normal activities of installation, upgrade and uninstall the software - becomes obsolete and not intended to be used anymore. The so-called distribution "Debian based" offer a powerful and yet simple to solve the problem: the `` deborphan.

This application does is provide the complete list of packages that do not depend on any other package, not even the core operating system, whose presence is absolutely unnecessary:

ziovanja:~# deborphan
opensyncutils
libalut0
libsynaptics0
plib1.8.4c2
libicu36
libxt-java
libportaudio0
libportaudio2
libdivxdecore0-binary
libneon26-gnutls
gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3
libhsqldb-java
libavahi-compat-howl0
gstreamer0.10-pitfdll
libdivxencore0-binary
php5-ming
libmdbtools
kdebindings-java
libdvdplay0
bsdtar
libdivx0-binary

By combining the `deborphan` with `apt-get` one can easily obtain the withdrawal of all unused packages:

apt-get remove --purge `deborphan`

Warning! For obvious reasons, the removal of a package can in turn generate new deborphans, then you need to launch education over several times, until you get the complete removal of all packages orphans. Try to believe!

This time the vulnerability reported by the Debian Security Advisory Team is to those who have to run the shelter - it must be said - even the most sysadmin easy!

As rarely happens, this time the problem is specific Linux distributions, even if it is an indirect consequence of the bug is not Debian-specific discovered a few days ago in OpenSSH. To put it simply, all the host and user keys generated for each SSH connection from the `openssh` Buggiano are completely unreliable, because their generation did not take place following a randomization algorithm valid and are therefore easily predictable. "

For people wise, attached at the bottom of this post the release of DSA.

Solving the problem is child's play. Just run:

apt-get dist-upgrade

and confirm the prompt that play below:

Here, finally, the Debian Security Advisory DSA-1576-1. Happy reading!

An important update to my post yesterday: instead of using the version of `youtube-dl` that's in Debian repository, the Board strongly download the latest version which is located at this address:

http://www.arrakis.es/ rggi3/youtube-dl ~ /

This version is resolves some problems with the new formats selected by YouTube to identify the video. To use the new version is simply download it on your workstation (this is a simple text file) and run it as shown below:

# python youtube-dl http://youtube.com/watch?v=wruhbPe-FOA

Here's an example of what can be achieved by interacting `youtube-dl` and `` ffmpeg:

Click here for the AVI and brand without the YouTube video "Tony Brindisi"

This is the same video I posted a few days ago, but this time the file was downloaded in local and converted to AVI. Important that the downloaded version does not appear over the logo of YouTube.

For those who want to download a copy of a YouTube video, perhaps to change it to your liking, there is a python script packaged with the name `youtube-dl is available in the default repository of Debian GNU / Linux. To install it on your workstation is sufficient comandini the usual magic:

# apt-get install youtube-dl

Once installed the package to download videos from YouTube just run the command:

# youtube-dl [video_url]

For example:

# youtube-dl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLHjT5-XM9o

What we get is a file format Flash Video (FLV), without the logo of YouTube, which can be viewed with MPlayer. If you want to convert the file to Flash Video (FLV) to xvid (AVI) you can always use the mythical, `essential` ffmpeg:

# ffmpeg -i video.flv -vcodec xvid -acodec mp3 video.avi