From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Thu Oct  1 12:33:23 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Thu Oct  1 12:33:40 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] simple osm contribution
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770909280228r4b6cc36fk457f00a923e2bfa1@mail.gmail.com>
References: <2f3aa2770909280228r4b6cc36fk457f00a923e2bfa1@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <484110.83126.qm@web26106.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

OSM seems to go from strength to strength.

I see that Flickr now has OSM tagging (http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/Where_d_You_Go_Last_Summer__Flickr_Allows_OpenStreetMap__FourSquare_Geotags), 
& here's a pretty interesting related article: 
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327275.300-entire-cities-recreated-from-flickr-photos.html

& on the topic of cool uses for geo-info:
http://layar.com/ - Augmented reality for Android


- J



      

From stuart at hrdnz.com  Fri Oct  2 20:43:41 2009
From: stuart at hrdnz.com (Stuart Mealor)
Date: Fri Oct  2 20:43:49 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing
In-Reply-To: <200808150000.ALB96836@imr3.mail.isx.net.nz>
References: <200808150000.ALB96836@imr3.mail.isx.net.nz>
Message-ID: <50E3A2B2-163F-47D0-A672-78E21EE0A26B@hrdnz.com>

Hi guys :-)

I noticed a couple of partitions on my personal home server were as  
follows:
/usr 4.6Gb (92% full)
/usr/local 4.6Gb (4% full)

So, I installed gparted and resized /usr/local to 2.5Gb
Planning to add the 2.1Gb to the /usr partition.
But there isn't an easy way (in gparted) to then allocate the free  
space to /usr

I'm guessing I'll have to boot up using a boot disk(?) to join this  
space to the (unmounted?) /usr partition?
(I thought it might be easier than that).

Can anyone point me towards some easy reading on this one?
Or share your tips? :-)

Thanks so much, Stuart.

From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Fri Oct  2 21:06:14 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Fri Oct  2 21:06:24 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing
In-Reply-To: <50E3A2B2-163F-47D0-A672-78E21EE0A26B@hrdnz.com>
References: <200808150000.ALB96836@imr3.mail.isx.net.nz>
	<50E3A2B2-163F-47D0-A672-78E21EE0A26B@hrdnz.com>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910020206u29a89a5dp9ad34b20d1520bf8@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/2 Stuart Mealor <stuart@hrdnz.com>:
> I noticed a couple of partitions on my personal home server were as follows:
> /usr 4.6Gb (92% full)
> /usr/local 4.6Gb (4% full)
>
> So, I installed gparted and resized /usr/local to 2.5Gb
> Planning to add the 2.1Gb to the /usr partition.
> But there isn't an easy way (in gparted) to then allocate the free space to
> /usr
>
> I'm guessing I'll have to boot up using a boot disk(?) to join this space to
> the (unmounted?) /usr partition?
> (I thought it might be easier than that).

i'm sure any partition can be resized to use whatever free space is
available? (right clck and select resize)

the free space must adjoin it, but that can be done by shunting
theother partitinos around. of course, the partitions you change must
be unmounted

or is there something else stopping this happening?

From baldwin.bryanmichael at gmail.com  Sat Oct  3 07:51:02 2009
From: baldwin.bryanmichael at gmail.com (Bryan Baldwin)
Date: Sat Oct  3 07:51:21 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing
In-Reply-To: <50E3A2B2-163F-47D0-A672-78E21EE0A26B@hrdnz.com>
References: <200808150000.ALB96836@imr3.mail.isx.net.nz>
	<50E3A2B2-163F-47D0-A672-78E21EE0A26B@hrdnz.com>
Message-ID: <1254513062.4455.10.camel@localhost.localdomain>

You can't perform operations on mounted partitions.  The safest way to
proceed is to;

* reboot with a live cd that has gparted
* resize and/or move any partitions
* mount your "boot" and "/" partitions in the live environment, then;
	-> EDIT /boot/grub/menu.lst AND /etc/fstab as (and if) necessary
	-> remember to check UUIDs if used anywhere
		(use "blkid <device>", see also "man blkid")
* reboot into your native installation and fsck everything

	Bryan

On Fri, 2009-10-02 at 21:43 +1300, Stuart Mealor wrote:
> Hi guys :-)
> 
> I noticed a couple of partitions on my personal home server were as  
> follows:
> /usr 4.6Gb (92% full)
> /usr/local 4.6Gb (4% full)
> 
> So, I installed gparted and resized /usr/local to 2.5Gb
> Planning to add the 2.1Gb to the /usr partition.
> But there isn't an easy way (in gparted) to then allocate the free  
> space to /usr
> 
> I'm guessing I'll have to boot up using a boot disk(?) to join this  
> space to the (unmounted?) /usr partition?
> (I thought it might be easier than that).
> 
> Can anyone point me towards some easy reading on this one?
> Or share your tips? :-)
> 
> Thanks so much, Stuart.
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug


From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sat Oct  3 17:09:03 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sat Oct  3 17:09:20 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>

 I have been running Windows XP Professional on my ASUS F5R laptop. I took
a Ghost image of the primary Windows partition and used Paragon Partition
Manager to reduce the size of the extended Windows partition to create
space for linux. I then installed Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) dual bootable with
Windows.

 Windows no longer connects to my network or the Internet but Linux Mint
accesses the Internet without any problems. In Windows, I used System
Restore and reinstalled the network drivers but that didn't solve the
problem.

 I don't know much about Grub but I am assuming that it is in the primary
Windows partition. Is that correct? What I am thinking of doing is to
remove the linux partitions and recover the Windows primary partition from
the Ghosted image and then reinstall Linux Mint dual bootable with Windows.
Are there any problems with this approach?

 This is the third occasion on which I have had to reinstall Windows after
resizing partitions. Maybe I should use a different partition manager.

 Don Johnston 

 
From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Sat Oct  3 17:38:24 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Sat Oct  3 17:38:33 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/3  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz>:
> ?I have been running Windows XP Professional on my ASUS F5R laptop. I took
> a Ghost image of the primary Windows partition and used Paragon Partition
> Manager to reduce the size of the extended Windows partition to create
> space for linux. I then installed Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) dual bootable with
> Windows.

why are you using mint? there's nothing wrong with it per se, but if
you're fairly new to linux (apologies if you're not), i'd recommend a
mainstream distro which has lots of users and hence lots of support. i
*don't* want to start an idiotic distro war, but you may want to look
at (in no particular order) opensuse, fedora, mandriva and ubuntu.
yes, i realise mint is based on ubuntu, but there are subtle
differences which may well be critical in some situations

> ?Windows no longer connects to my network or the Internet but Linux Mint
> accesses the Internet without any problems. In Windows, I used System
> Restore and reinstalled the network drivers but that didn't solve the
> problem.

sounds perfect - i wouldn't trust windows anywhere near an internet
connection to be honest

have you done a disk check in windows? some partitioners don't behave
that well, and leave a bit of a mess behind.

maybe you can get the network drivers manually on a cd/usb drive and
reinstall them? i always found system restore extremely flaky

are there any red or yellow marks next to items in the windows hardware manager?

> ?I don't know much about Grub but I am assuming that it is in the primary
> Windows partition. Is that correct? What I am thinking of doing is to

unless you changed it in the setup, it's more than likely in the
master boot record of the hard drive which it's installed on (probably
sda), so it will be independent of windows and mint

> remove the linux partitions and recover the Windows primary partition from
> the Ghosted image and then reinstall Linux Mint dual bootable with Windows.
> Are there any problems with this approach?

you might want to install windows first, then linux. if you do it the
other way round, windows doesn't behave itself and tramples all over
grub, requiring that to be reinstalled

> ?This is the third occasion on which I have had to reinstall Windows after
> resizing partitions. Maybe I should use a different partition manager.

the one included with most modern linux distros is very good - i used
it this week to install ubuntu on an hp laptop with a prior windows
install. windows insisted in checking the drive when i rebooted, but
both installs have been fine since

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sat Oct  3 19:15:59 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sat Oct  3 19:16:12 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <13065.1254554159@quicksilver.net.nz>

 I am using Mint for two reasons. One is that I was told that it is more
stable than Ubuntu. The other is that it comes with a driver for the dual
head video card which I have on a desktop machine. I also like the
raindrops on the green background!

 When I reinstalled the network drivers for Windows, I did so manually
from a flash drive.

 "Chkdsk/f" didn't fix Windows. After all, Microsoft has been trying for
about a couple of decades to fix Windows!

 From what Robin is saying (in particular that Grub is not in a Windows or
linux partition), it appears that recovering the Windows primary partition
from the Ghost image is all that I need to do to completely solve the
problem and that there is no need to reinstall linux. Am I correct?

 Don Johnston

 Robin Paulson wrote:

>??I?have?been?running?Windows?XP?Professional?on?my?ASUS?F5R?laptop.?I?took

>?a?Ghost?image?of?the?primary?Windows?partition?and?used?Paragon?Partition

>?Manager?to?reduce?the?size?of?the?extended?Windows?partition?to?create

>?space?for?linux.?I?then?installed?Linux?Mint?7?(Gloria)?dual?bootable?with

>?Windows.

why?are?you?using?mint??there's?nothing?wrong?with?it?per?se,?but?if

you're?fairly?new?to?linux?(apologies?if?you're?not),?i'd?recommend?a

mainstream?distro?which?has?lots?of?users?and?hence?lots?of?support.?i

*don't*?want?to?start?an?idiotic?distro?war,?but?you?may?want?to?look

at?(in?no?particular?order)?opensuse,?fedora,?mandriva?and?ubuntu.

yes,?i?realise?mint?is?based?on?ubuntu,?but?there?are?subtle

differences?which?may?well?be?critical?in?some?situations

>??Windows?no?longer?connects?to?my?network?or?the?Internet?but?Linux?Mint

>?accesses?the?Internet?without?any?problems.?In?Windows,?I?used?System

>?Restore?and?reinstalled?the?network?drivers?but?that?didn't?solve?the

>?problem.

sounds?perfect?-?i?wouldn't?trust?windows?anywhere?near?an?internet

connection?to?be?honest

have?you?done?a?disk?check?in?windows??some?partitioners?don't?behave

that?well,?and?leave?a?bit?of?a?mess?behind.

maybe?you?can?get?the?network?drivers?manually?on?a?cd/usb?drive?and

reinstall?them??i?always?found?system?restore?extremely?flaky

are?there?any?red?or?yellow?marks?next?to?items?in?the?windows?hardware?manager?

>??I?don't?know?much?about?Grub?but?I?am?assuming?that?it?is?in?the?primary

>?Windows?partition.?Is?that?correct??What?I?am?thinking?of?doing?is?to

unless?you?changed?it?in?the?setup,?it's?more?than?likely?in?the

master?boot?record?of?the?hard?drive?which?it's?installed?on?(probably

sda),?so?it?will?be?independent?of?windows?and?mint

>?remove?the?linux?partitions?and?recover?the?Windows?primary?partition?from

>?the?Ghosted?image?and?then?reinstall?Linux?Mint?dual?bootable?with?Windows.

>?Are?there?any?problems?with?this?approach?

you?might?want?to?install?windows?first,?then?linux.?if?you?do?it?the

other?way?round,?windows?doesn't?behave?itself?and?tramples?all?over

grub,?requiring?that?to?be?reinstalled

>??This?is?the?third?occasion?on?which?I?have?had?to?reinstall?Windows?after

>?resizing?partitions.?Maybe?I?should?use?a?different?partition?manager.

the?one?included?with?most?modern?linux?distros?is?very?good?-?i?used

it?this?week?to?install?ubuntu?on?an?hp?laptop?with?a?prior?windows

install.?windows?insisted?in?checking?the?drive?when?i?rebooted,?but

both?installs?have?been?fine?since

 
From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Sun Oct  4 12:28:54 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Sun Oct  4 12:29:04 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <13065.1254554159@quicksilver.net.nz>
References: <13065.1254554159@quicksilver.net.nz>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910031628s29e0ac04q97f3481beae3cd7a@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/3  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz>:
> ?From what Robin is saying (in particular that Grub is not in a Windows or
> linux partition), it appears that recovering the Windows primary partition
> from the Ghost image is all that I need to do to completely solve the
> problem and that there is no need to reinstall linux. Am I correct?

i'm not exactly sure how ghost works, but you said you took the image
before resizing the drive. if that's the case, the image will be the
full size of your drive and won't fit into your newly shrunk windows
partition. correct?
or is the ghost programme you're using smart enough to resize the
image to the space it's intended for?

have you checked the windows hardware manager for broken drivers, this
seems like a huge amount of effort just to install a linux distro?

From blakjak at blakjak.net  Sun Oct  4 14:11:11 2009
From: blakjak at blakjak.net (Mark Foster)
Date: Sun Oct  4 14:11:23 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910031628s29e0ac04q97f3481beae3cd7a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <13065.1254554159@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910031628s29e0ac04q97f3481beae3cd7a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0910041410070.22969@skyhawk.blakjak.net>



On Sun, 4 Oct 2009, Robin Paulson wrote:

> 2009/10/3  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz>:
>> ?From what Robin is saying (in particular that Grub is not in a Windows or
>> linux partition), it appears that recovering the Windows primary partition
>> from the Ghost image is all that I need to do to completely solve the
>> problem and that there is no need to reinstall linux. Am I correct?
>
> i'm not exactly sure how ghost works, but you said you took the image
> before resizing the drive. if that's the case, the image will be the
> full size of your drive and won't fit into your newly shrunk windows
> partition. correct?
> or is the ghost programme you're using smart enough to resize the
> image to the space it's intended for?

Depends on the version of Ghost, most recent ones will cope fine, so long 
as the data part of the image (excluding free space) will fit into the 
free space on the disk.  Eg, a 10 gig partition with 6gig of free space 
will successfully load onto any partition with at least 4 gig available.
From nevynh at gmail.com  Sun Oct  4 14:16:24 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sun Oct  4 14:22:27 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910031628s29e0ac04q97f3481beae3cd7a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <13065.1254554159@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910031628s29e0ac04q97f3481beae3cd7a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910031816o7576b9d8naecf0b480069bb70@mail.gmail.com>

On Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Robin Paulson <robin.paulson@gmail.com> wrote:
> 2009/10/3 ?<admin@ncearevision.co.nz>:
>> ?From what Robin is saying (in particular that Grub is not in a Windows or
>> linux partition), it appears that recovering the Windows primary partition
>> from the Ghost image is all that I need to do to completely solve the
>> problem and that there is no need to reinstall linux. Am I correct?
>
> i'm not exactly sure how ghost works, but you said you took the image
> before resizing the drive. if that's the case, the image will be the
> full size of your drive and won't fit into your newly shrunk windows
> partition. correct?
> or is the ghost programme you're using smart enough to resize the
> image to the space it's intended for?
>
> have you checked the windows hardware manager for broken drivers, this
> seems like a huge amount of effort just to install a linux distro?

I'm not quite seeing the relationship between resizing the partition
and the network card suddenly not working. There's something else
going on here and you're probably best off trying to troubleshoot the
network card rather than aiming a great big gun at your computer.....

Regards,
Nevyn.

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sun Oct  4 15:30:50 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sun Oct  4 15:31:05 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <11407.1254623450@quicksilver.net.nz>

 It is only Windows which is having problems, not Linux Mint which is
managing to access the Internet via the network. The latest problems are
failure to find ports 81 and 3307. If there is a hardware problem then
that will probably necessitate replacement of the laptop. I will work
under the assumption that the problem is that using Paragon Partition
Manager is causing problems with Windows. For that reason, I will try
recovering the Windows primary partition from the Ghost image. That worked
when I had a similar problem on a desktop computer a few weeks ago. The
main difference was that I don't think I had already installed linux on
that computer at that stage. This is the third occasion on which using
Paragon Partition Manager has resulted in Windows needing to be
reinstalled. It has occurred on two computers. Fortunately, my backup
procedures are designed to cater for almost every conceivable disaster.

 Nevyn wrote:

I'm?not?quite?seeing?the?relationship?between?resizing?the?partition

and?the?network?card?suddenly?not?working.?There's?something?else

going?on?here?and?you're?probably?best?off?trying?to?troubleshoot?the

network?card?rather?than?aiming?a?great?big?gun?at?your?computer.....

 
From nevynh at gmail.com  Sun Oct  4 16:27:33 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sun Oct  4 16:27:42 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Guys,

My apologies this is so late - Thanks Don for reminding me.

Where:
Galbraith's Alehouse
2 Mt Eden Road
Auckland
http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-36.865513&mlon=174.761285&zoom=17

When:
Monday 5th October, 2009.
7pm.

What:
General Meet and Greet.

My apologies - I'm unable to make it this month (I've come down with the flu).

Regards,
Nevyn.

From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Mon Oct  5 09:20:32 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Mon Oct  5 09:20:50 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <223379.920.qm@web26107.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Hope you're feeling better, Nevyn.

>General Meet and Greet.

On a related note, Tim (from MindKits) will have a few of those $100 Arduino starter-kits ($60 USB unit w basic breadboard & circuitry-101) available for purchase at the meet (I bought one at the SFD; fun&games :) ).
If you'd like to buy one (either the $100 starter, or a $60 unit), please let either myself or Tim know, so that he has some numbers (there's an Arduino UG meet next Thursday; separate clan)

If enough units are sold, he'd be willing do donate one to a member of the group of our choosing.

Cheers

- J



      

From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Mon Oct  5 09:28:17 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Mon Oct  5 09:28:25 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910020206u29a89a5dp9ad34b20d1520bf8@mail.gmail.com>
References: <200808150000.ALB96836@imr3.mail.isx.net.nz>
	<50E3A2B2-163F-47D0-A672-78E21EE0A26B@hrdnz.com>
	<2f3aa2770910020206u29a89a5dp9ad34b20d1520bf8@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <176421.84133.qm@web26101.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>i'm sure any partition can be resized to use whatever free space is
>available? (right clck and select resize)

Simply resizing a partition can be a tricky proposition; best to backup your data to a separate partition/drive, blow & then recreate the partitions.
I know that LVM(2) allows for dynamic resizing of partitions, but I've not yet had the need to meddle with it

Good luck


      

From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Mon Oct  5 09:41:18 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Mon Oct  5 09:41:26 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>why are you using mint? there's nothing wrong with it per se, but if
>you're fairly new to linux (apologies if you're not), I'd recommend a
>mainstream distro which has lots of users and hence lots of support. 

I use mint on one of my main desktops systems; it *is* a mainstream distro (pretty stock-standard Gnome Ubuntu), with a couple of user & usability tweaks that polishes it really well for the end-user experience.
I'd HIGHLY recommend it as an introductory distro for user that are making *the big switch*

>opensuse
Novell is a bit politically loaded, but not a bad OS in itself

>fedora
Enterprise; & like BSD, not for the faint-hearted.
Re-acquainting myself with it again

>mandriva
heard great things about this

>ubuntu
IMO, always a winner (especially the community & support built around it). 
It is, after all, "for humans"

>differences which may well be critical in some situations
you referring to the whole gratis vs libre argument?

>you might want to install windows first, then linux. 
There are a coupl of very good guides @ help.ubuntu.com & wiki.ubunt.com on setting up multi-boot systems.
Now might be a good time to consider going the VM route, depending on your hardware & software requirements.
VirtualBox is a very good place to start

Also, my making use of a VM, you can contain your win installation to a few files on the linux host, which'll make backup, resizing & portability a lot easier

Hope this helps

- J



      

From nevynh at gmail.com  Mon Oct  5 10:35:33 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Mon Oct  5 10:35:41 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <11407.1254623450@quicksilver.net.nz>
References: <11407.1254623450@quicksilver.net.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910041435y53f6d99bs97337ad3da52d8d0@mail.gmail.com>

On Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 3:30 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
> ?It is only Windows which is having problems, not Linux Mint which is
> managing to access the Internet via the network. The latest problems are
> failure to find ports 81 and 3307. If there is a hardware problem then
> that will probably necessitate replacement of the laptop. I will work
> under the assumption that the problem is that using Paragon Partition
> Manager is causing problems with Windows. For that reason, I will try
> recovering the Windows primary partition from the Ghost image. That worked
> when I had a similar problem on a desktop computer a few weeks ago. The
> main difference was that I don't think I had already installed linux on
> that computer at that stage. This is the third occasion on which using
> Paragon Partition Manager has resulted in Windows needing to be
> reinstalled. It has occurred on two computers. Fortunately, my backup
> procedures are designed to cater for almost every conceivable disaster.

Yes I understand it's only Windows that's having the network problems.

But when you have network problems, you don't troubleshoot by
reinstalling when you could just do some very simple troubleshooting.
Rob's been suggesting that perhaps you should be looking at the device
manager and seeing if there are any issues highlighted there.

If the networking is the only issue you're experiencing, then the
partition is unlikely to be the source.

Pressing a big red button seems so... unnecessary yet encouraged in
the Windows world...

Regards,
Nevyn.

From tobias.gerschner at gmail.com  Mon Oct  5 10:49:54 2009
From: tobias.gerschner at gmail.com (Tobias Gerschner)
Date: Mon Oct  5 10:50:03 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing
Message-ID: <ea7e82ce0910041449p770112d8k660dd9131b020d1f@mail.gmail.com>

> Now might be a good time to consider going the VM route, depending on your hardware & software requirements.
> VirtualBox is a very good place to start
>
> Also, my making use of a VM, you can contain your win installation to a few files on the linux host, which'll make backup, resizing & portability a lot easier
>
> Hope this helps
>
> - J
>

Sorry for the OT drift. Completely concur though. I am using Windows
XP inside VirtualBox for years now. For my use case - plain office /
soho use - it runs faster than a native install.

It is also far more comfortable to use. If you want to do a major
overhaul of your Windows System you simply take a snapshot before you
start experimenting. And if it things go wrong you just roll back.

Regards

-- 
Tobias Gerschner
Yoper Linux - www.yoper.com

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

From blakjak at blakjak.net  Mon Oct  5 12:19:53 2009
From: blakjak at blakjak.net (Mark Foster)
Date: Mon Oct  5 12:20:02 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <223379.920.qm@web26107.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
	<223379.920.qm@web26107.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <23487.119.15.0.26.1254698393.squirrel@webmail.blakjak.net>

this is now on www.linux.net.nz.



On Mon, October 5, 2009 9:20 am, Jaco van der Merwe wrote:
> Hope you're feeling better, Nevyn.
>
>>General Meet and Greet.
>
> On a related note, Tim (from MindKits) will have a few of those $100
> Arduino starter-kits ($60 USB unit w basic breadboard & circuitry-101)
> available for purchase at the meet (I bought one at the SFD; fun&games :)
> ).
> If you'd like to buy one (either the $100 starter, or a $60 unit), please
> let either myself or Tim know, so that he has some numbers (there's an
> Arduino UG meet next Thursday; separate clan)
>
> If enough units are sold, he'd be willing do donate one to a member of the
> group of our choosing.
>
> Cheers
>
> - J
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Mon Oct  5 16:39:59 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Mon Oct  5 16:40:08 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/5 Jaco van der Merwe <freakalad@yahoo.co.uk>:
>>opensuse
> Novell is a bit politically loaded, but not a bad OS in itself
>
>>fedora
> Enterprise; & like BSD, not for the faint-hearted.
> Re-acquainting myself with it again
>
>>mandriva
> heard great things about this
>
>>ubuntu
> IMO, always a winner (especially the community & support built around it).
> It is, after all, "for humans"
>
>>differences which may well be critical in some situations
> you referring to the whole gratis vs libre argument?

no, just that the likelihood of finding help for a distro is generally
correlated to the number of users - the technical differences between
ubuntu and mint may be enough to fubar any advice given, if no-one
knows it's specifics. all the above distros have a pretty large user
base. only a small point

>
>>you might want to install windows first, then linux.
> There are a coupl of very good guides @ help.ubuntu.com & wiki.ubunt.com on setting up multi-boot systems.

ah, i didn't know fo those. i'm purely going on my own experience.
windows doesn't play nice with multi-boot; linux distros generally do

> Now might be a good time to consider going the VM route, depending on your hardware & software requirements.
> VirtualBox is a very good place to start
>
> Also, my making use of a VM, you can contain your win installation to a few files on the linux host, which'll make backup, resizing & portability a lot easier

From duffyd at kokorice.org  Mon Oct  5 22:32:42 2009
From: duffyd at kokorice.org (Tim Knapp)
Date: Mon Oct  5 22:32:58 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi PyCon Media Statement -
 "How a programming language is changing the Web"
Message-ID: <1254735162.6169.584.camel@monty>

NEW ZEALAND PYTHON USER GROUP
Media Statement          October 5, 2009
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"How a programming language is changing the Web"

The main keynote speaker at Kiwi PyCon 2009, Joel Burton, an
internationally recognised trainer and presenter, will explain how the
programming language Python is becoming the language of choice for
developing websites due to its simplicity and flexibility. The
conference will be held at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator in
Christchurch on November 7th and 8th.

Other tracks at the conference will include: GUI, Science & Math, Game,
and Applications. The conference will also have a dedicated Web track,
which will include presentations about many Python web technologies,
such as: Django, Twisted, Zope 3, Grok, and Plone.

The conference has attracted a lot of interest from many universities
throughout the country and staff and students from Auckland, Massey,
Canterbury, and Otago universities will be presenting regarding how
they've used Python in their research.

?As Christchurch has the reputation of being the Silicon Valley of New
Zealand, its been really great to see a number of electronics companies
in Christchurch support the event?, said Tim Knapp, the conference
Director. Tait Electronics, a radio communications manufacturer, is a
Gold sponsor for the event.

?The positive response we've received from the IT community in New
Zealand has been really encouraging? commented Mr. Knapp. ?Really, no
matter what industry your business is in, this conference will be of
benefit to you.?

Registration closes on October 23rd and registrations are limited. For
more information visit nz.pycon.org.

-------------------------------Ends-------------------------------

For media or conference enquiries please contact:
Tim Knapp, NZ Python User Group Vice President and Event Director
Phone: 021 156 6405
Email: kiwipycon@nzpug.org
Website: nz.pycon.org



From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Tue Oct  6 10:02:51 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Tue Oct  6 10:03:01 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>technical differences between ubuntu and mint may be enough to fubar any advice
Could be so (ran into a few of those idiosyncrasies myself), but Mint is pretty close to vanilla ubuntu to make little difference. IMO, Mint is little more than stock-standard Ubuntu with an extra repository or 2 added to implement those usability & end-user experience tweaks

>windows doesn't play nice with multi-boot; linux distros generally do
Although, that being said, there is a WHOLE lot more written on setting up win/lin multi-boot systems than there is for lin/lin. I had a helluva time trying to get Fedora & Ubuntu functioning on my dual-boot system (trying out KVM/libvirt on both); what with shaed partitions (home, tmp, swap, stores) & uniform UID & GID's, & such.
I also don't think it's all that common or well-implemented; for instance, my grub menu went all pear-shaped after a dist-upgrade (assigned a *f11* image to an ubuntu boot option).
But, yea; it's a learning experience


      

From baldwin.bryanmichael at gmail.com  Tue Oct  6 17:10:17 2009
From: baldwin.bryanmichael at gmail.com (Bryan Baldwin)
Date: Tue Oct  6 17:10:32 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>

On Mon, 2009-10-05 at 21:02 +0000, Jaco van der Merwe wrote:
> >windows doesn't play nice with multi-boot; linux distros generally do
> Although, that being said, there is a WHOLE lot more written on setting up win/lin multi-boot systems than there is for lin/lin. I had a helluva time trying to get Fedora & Ubuntu functioning on my dual-boot system (trying out KVM/libvirt on both); what with shaed partitions (home, tmp, swap, stores) & uniform UID & GID's, & such.
> I also don't think it's all that common or well-implemented; for instance, my grub menu went all pear-shaped after a dist-upgrade (assigned a *f11* image to an ubuntu boot option).
> But, yea; it's a learning experience

You cannot make dual boot system using two different GNU+Linux
distributions that share partition locations without risking severe
systems management collisions. To do it sanely, try the following;

	1) Keep everything separately, even the user's home directory. 
	2) Only user created paths unused and untouched by either
distribution's system management can ever be shared safely.
	3) Manage grub with just one GNU+Linux distribution's boot directory. 
	4) Keep other distribution's boot directory separately.
	5) Manually write a boot entry for the kernel and root path of the
other distribution in the menu.lst file in the managing distribution's
grub directory.
	5) Discover a really good reason for having two copies of nearly all
your GNU+Linux program files when the really important stuff is
available on any distribution (M$/Novell patent exemptions
notwithstanding).

Step number six is probably the biggest reason there is almost no
documentation on dual booting two GNU+Linux distributions.

	Bryan


From kiirani at gmail.com  Tue Oct  6 18:21:16 2009
From: kiirani at gmail.com (Kennedy Skelton)
Date: Tue Oct  6 18:21:23 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
Message-ID: <2494ad260910052221l65c93b17q5f53c08c2badf02a@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/6 Bryan Baldwin <baldwin.bryanmichael@gmail.com>:
> You cannot make dual boot system using two different GNU+Linux
> distributions that share partition locations without risking severe
> systems management collisions. To do it sanely, try the following;
>
> ? ? ? ?1) Keep everything separately, even the user's home directory.

Why would the home folder cause issues? User settings for applications
should be the same for all installations shouldn't they?

From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Tue Oct  6 19:31:39 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Tue Oct  6 19:31:47 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <2494ad260910052221l65c93b17q5f53c08c2badf02a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<2494ad260910052221l65c93b17q5f53c08c2badf02a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910052331l7e698439m73a4017c51b350fc@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/6 Kennedy Skelton <kiirani@gmail.com>:
> Why would the home folder cause issues? User settings for applications
> should be the same for all installations shouldn't they?

if they use the same version of the software, yes... if not, some conf
files may be different. you might be ok, you might not

i have music software with a sqlite library, and the db layout changes
pretty much every .01 release

From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Wed Oct  7 10:20:10 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Wed Oct  7 10:20:21 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
Message-ID: <399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Thanks for the info.
Will keep if in mind if/when the box box melts down

>You cannot make dual boot system using two different GNU+Linux
>distributions that share partition locations without risking severe
>systems management collisions. To do it sanely, try the following;
Ah!, but because it's hard/uncommon is another reason why I've attempted it (and with a bit of planing I've managed to avoid abject failure so far). I considered it a challenge

>    1) Keep everything separately, even the user's home directory. 
Trying to lessen double data/space requirements & redundancy where possible.
Because I use Gnome for my interfaces, the structure's largely the same on both F11 & Jaunty
Keeping the same UID & GID values addresses some issues here

>    2) Only user created paths unused and untouched by either
>distribution's system management can ever be shared safely.
This is more-or-less what I've got (will check again tonight)
unique: / (including var, usr, bin, etc)
common:
* /boot : single grub config & kernels are centrally located
* /home : as long ad the values of the user's UID's & GID's are the same (1000, I think), it works OK, for now (took a bit of finessing to get this just right, but it seems OK now)
* swap & /tmp : volatile locations in any case; gets blown with every reboot anyway
* /media & subs : common data, including my KVM images

>    3) Manage grub with just one GNU+Linux distribution's boot directory. 
???
as indicated elsewhere; boot partition is common. is that what you mean?

>    4) Keep other distribution's boot directory separately.
Forgot to mention that /boot was also a common partition.
seems OK, for now

>    5) Manually write a boot entry for the kernel and root path of the
>other distribution in the menu.lst file in the managing distribution's
>grub directory.
I make regular backups of my menu.lst file for manual revision. So far, so good

>    6) Discover a really good reason for having two copies of nearly all
>your GNU+Linux program files...
The principal reason I went this route, is that I want to start using RHEL/Fedora more extensively again, since there are some really great VM admin tools on it. A lot of the tools that are available on Ubuntu first come out on RHEL/Fedora (KVM, libvirt, virt-manager, Enomaly, Eucaliptus, OpenNebula, SolidICE, etc), but I need an OS to fall back on if thing get all pear-shaped (I don't have windows at home any more; well, maybe in a VM somewhere, but it's been a VERY long time since I've fired it up)


It took me a weekend of moderate frustration to get it stable & to this point.
I've basically tried to keep the distro-specific data separate, and share the stuff that's either common or volatile. There where a few little hick-ups, but nothing serious

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results thus far, but it's definitely not something I'd recommend unless one has a fairly good understanding of what's what (or, like me, more stubborn than smart)

Cheers

- J


      

From srdan.dukic at gmail.com  Wed Oct  7 13:24:58 2009
From: srdan.dukic at gmail.com (Srdan Dukic)
Date: Wed Oct  7 13:25:05 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] London Stock Exchange dumps Windows
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50907040200q3968c3d0m41858e9e69dfb24a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4c2ae0690907032016i485097a8j2eb322b1290feca1@mail.gmail.com>
	<bcdb9ee50907040200q3968c3d0m41858e9e69dfb24a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4c2ae0690910061724x796f173dw6892f8d2130bbbe8@mail.gmail.com>

2009/7/4 Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com>

> On Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 3:16 PM, Srdan Dukic<srdan.dukic@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi guys,
> >
> > To anyone that's been asked why they shouldn't go with Microsoft's
> > stack for mission critical software have a read:
> >
> >
> http://blogs.computerworld.com/london_stock_exchange_to_abandon_failed_windows_platform
> >
> > Also, slashdot article here:
> >
> >
> http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/03/1216250/London-Stock-Exchange-To-Abandon-Windows?art_pos=18
> >
> > Cheers
> > --
> > Sr?an ?uki?
>
> The title is misleading. The article does not say at any point that
> they're planning on abandoning Windows in any capacity whatsoever. The
> issue was with the back end application which runs on a Windows stack.
> Despite them abandoning that application, it doesn't necessarily mean
> that Windows is suddenly disappearing.
>
> Regards,
> nevyn.
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>


Just as an update to this story, they did end up going with a Linux/Solaris
system from MillenniumIT

http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=2568
http://www.ibspublishing.com/index.cfm?section=news&action=view&id=13440

-- 
Sr?an ?uki?
From daniel at rimspace.net  Wed Oct  7 13:44:11 2009
From: daniel at rimspace.net (Daniel Pittman)
Date: Wed Oct  7 13:44:27 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> (Jaco van der
	Merwe's message of "Tue, 6 Oct 2009 21:20:10 +0000 (GMT)")
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>

Jaco van der Merwe <freakalad@yahoo.co.uk> writes:

> Thanks for the info.
> Will keep if in mind if/when the box box melts down
>
>>You cannot make dual boot system using two different GNU+Linux
>>distributions that share partition locations without risking severe
>>systems management collisions. To do it sanely, try the following;
>
> Ah!, but because it's hard/uncommon is another reason why I've attempted it
> (and with a bit of planing I've managed to avoid abject failure so far). I
> considered it a challenge

Heh.  As long as you want the challenge, go right ahead. :)

>>    1) Keep everything separately, even the user's home directory. 
>
> Trying to lessen double data/space requirements & redundancy where possible.
> Because I use Gnome for my interfaces, the structure's largely the same on
> both F11 & Jaunty Keeping the same UID & GID values addresses some issues
> here

Actually, keeping the UID and GID for the user identical between the two
distributions is pretty much the *ONLY* requirement.  The rest of it ...

Well, yeah, configuration files can change, but sane software doesn't do that
much because, hey, it hurts in a lot of common cases.  For example, the common
case of a University or large company where you share /home between all the
machines that a user will work on.

[...]

> This is more-or-less what I've got (will check again tonight)
> unique: / (including var, usr, bin, etc)
> common:
> * /boot : single grub config & kernels are centrally located

Keeping the grub configuration updated might be interesting, but otherwise
there are no technical reasons this can't work.  (By interesting I mean:
Debian have their own update process for that file, and presumably so do other
distributions, so new kernel installs may make undesirable changes...)

> * /home : as long ad the values of the user's UID's & GID's are the same
>   (1000, I think), it works OK, for now (took a bit of finessing to get this
>   just right, but it seems OK now)
> * swap & /tmp : volatile locations in any case; gets blown with every reboot anyway
> * /media & subs : common data, including my KVM images

/media is for mountable media; /srv or /opt is probably a better FHS compliant
choice, since it will be less surprising and less prone to the desktop
environment overmounting your directories.

[...]

> Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results thus far, but it's definitely not
> something I'd recommend unless one has a fairly good understanding of what's
> what (or, like me, more stubborn than smart)

You know how you get that good understanding of what is going on?  ;)

        Daniel

-- 
? Daniel Pittman            ? daniel@rimspace.net            ? +61 401 155 707
               ? made with 100 percent post-consumer electrons
   Looking for work?  Love Perl?  In Melbourne, Australia?  We are hiring.

From jonathan.opperman at xtra.co.nz  Wed Oct  7 13:57:55 2009
From: jonathan.opperman at xtra.co.nz (Jonathan Opperman)
Date: Wed Oct  7 13:58:03 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <267467.67797.qm@web96009.mail.aue.yahoo.com>

--- On Sun, 4/10/09, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com>
> Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
> To: "Auckland Linux User Group mailing list" <aucklug@linux.net.nz>
> Received: Sunday, 4 October, 2009, 4:27 PM
> Hi Guys,
> 
> My apologies this is so late - Thanks Don for reminding
> me.
> 
> Where:
> Galbraith's Alehouse
> 2 Mt Eden Road
> Auckland
> http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-36.865513&mlon=174.761285&zoom=17
> 
> When:
> Monday 5th October, 2009.
> 7pm.
> 
> What:
> General Meet and Greet.
> 
> My apologies - I'm unable to make it this month (I've come
> down with the flu).
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
[...]

Damn, missed this, was in Mt Maunganui :( will attend the next one hopefully


From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct  7 15:32:47 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct  7 15:33:00 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <267467.67797.qm@web96009.mail.aue.yahoo.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
	<267467.67797.qm@web96009.mail.aue.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910061932h4663236ayb2b1b2665150abfe@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 1:57 PM, Jonathan Opperman
<jonathan.opperman@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>
> Damn, missed this, was in Mt Maunganui :( will attend the next one hopefully

>From what I heard it was a fairly small turn out of around 6-8 people
though a lot of new faces. Though no new posters that I've seen :/

From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Wed Oct  7 15:32:59 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Wed Oct  7 15:33:09 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>
Message-ID: <598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>Heh.  As long as you want the challenge, go right ahead. :)
challenge accepted; player-2 has entered the game... :D

>configuration files can change
Most configs are confined to the /etc, and it's DEFINITELY not recommended to have is common.
For example, even though the fstab my be nearly identical, network interface config is TOTALLY different (despite both being FHS/POSIX)
There a some configs that do reside in the ~, such as browser & mail setting, which I want consistent throughout the various platforms.
This also makes for an interesting exercise, because the common data is usually the stuff that needs to be backed up; the rest usually get fried on a re-install

>Keeping the grub configuration updated might be interesting
It surely is; there are all sorts of little things that creep in from one update to the next, and over time, they'll likely end up breaking things

> * /home : as long ad the values of the user's UID's & GID's are the same
>   (1000, I think), it works OK, for now (took a bit of finessing to get this
>   just right, but it seems OK now)
> * swap & /tmp : volatile locations in any case; gets blown with every reboot anyway
> * /media & subs : common data, including my KVM images

>/media is for mountable media
safe-enough to be common

>/srv or /opt is probably a better FHS compliant choice
possibly too OS- & version-specific (32 vs 64, references to libs, etc), so I thought it best to keep them separate

>You know how you get that good understanding of what is going on?  ;)
try, fail, do something slightly different, rinse, repeat? (or rtfm?)

- J



      

From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct  7 15:36:18 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct  7 15:36:26 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>
	<598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910061936u2798cfd9l5e1ec5d4dd803137@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 3:32 PM, Jaco van der Merwe
<freakalad@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>You know how you get that good understanding of what is going on? ?;)
> try, fail, do something slightly different, rinse, repeat? (or rtfm?)
>
> - J

First bit of advice I ever got when I brought my computer - Don't be
afraid to break it... Never looked back.

From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Wed Oct  7 15:46:22 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Wed Oct  7 15:46:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910061936u2798cfd9l5e1ec5d4dd803137@mail.gmail.com>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>
	<598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910061936u2798cfd9l5e1ec5d4dd803137@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <214837.60373.qm@web26107.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>First bit of advice I ever got when I brought my computer - Don't be
>afraid to break it... Never looked back.

Just try not to let the magic-smoke/genie escape (it goes "pffft!").
It's really hard to try & get it back in...


      

From daniel at rimspace.net  Wed Oct  7 16:03:58 2009
From: daniel at rimspace.net (Daniel Pittman)
Date: Wed Oct  7 16:04:15 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> (Jaco van der
	Merwe's message of "Wed, 7 Oct 2009 02:32:59 +0000 (GMT)")
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>
	<598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <87my43rjkx.fsf@rimspace.net>

Jaco van der Merwe <freakalad@yahoo.co.uk> writes:

>>Heh.  As long as you want the challenge, go right ahead. :)
> challenge accepted; player-2 has entered the game... :D
>
>>configuration files can change
> Most configs are confined to the /etc, and it's DEFINITELY not recommended
> to have is common.

You cut out all the context, where I was talking about user home directories;
perhaps I wasn't explicit enough, and should have said:

    Configuration files in your home directory, used to store per-user
    settings, can change between releases of the software.

[...]

>>/media is for mountable media
> safe-enough to be common
>
>>/srv or /opt is probably a better FHS compliant choice
> possibly too OS- & version-specific (32 vs 64, references to libs, etc), so
> I thought it best to keep them separate

I don't quit follow you here.  /media is reserved, by the FHS, for mounting
random stuff *automatically*, and /mnt for the sysadmin to mount stuff
manually.

If you stick unrelated content into /media you run the risk of it conflicting
with the assumptions of the desktop environment, which can quite legitimately
expect you to follow those ruls.


/srv is reserved for your private use: following the FHS a distribution pretty
much can't even look at it, let alone anything else.  /opt is more or less the
same.

So, either of those is entirely available for your use.  Yes, you /could/
probably stick OS or version specific stuff in there and cause yourself
grief[1], but that is entirely at your discretion.


So, um, I would suggest you have a greater risk using /media than /srv or /opt
for your shared data like that. :)

>>You know how you get that good understanding of what is going on?  ;)
> try, fail, do something slightly different, rinse, repeat? (or rtfm?)

Exactly.
        Daniel


Footnotes: 
[1]  /opt is, of course, traditionally where third party software went, and is
     still widely used for third party binary-only packages.

-- 
? Daniel Pittman            ? daniel@rimspace.net            ? +61 401 155 707
               ? made with 100 percent post-consumer electrons
   Looking for work?  Love Perl?  In Melbourne, Australia?  We are hiring.

From justin at skull.co.nz  Wed Oct  7 16:06:55 2009
From: justin at skull.co.nz (Justin Cook)
Date: Wed Oct  7 16:07:04 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] PHP/C# jobs
Message-ID: <93a52e0e0910062006y501fc48ao8bcd7f89fb20741d@mail.gmail.com>

Hello everyone

I thought I'd see if anyone heard through the grapevine of any PHP/C#/LAMP
jobs available in central Auckland.

Cheers
Justin
From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Wed Oct  7 16:40:37 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Wed Oct  7 16:40:46 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <87my43rjkx.fsf@rimspace.net>
References: <12606.1254546543@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<2f3aa2770910022238j38865aeaqfbac613e7ae06f75@mail.gmail.com>
	<736309.348.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<2f3aa2770910042039h68a11102kd7ec447fe5f6b646@mail.gmail.com>
	<748624.92459.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1254802217.10480.81.camel@localhost.localdomain>
	<399542.84360.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<87d4509go4.fsf@rimspace.net>
	<598035.81793.qm@web26105.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<87my43rjkx.fsf@rimspace.net>
Message-ID: <535188.17185.qm@web26108.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>Configuration files in your home directory, used to store per-user
>settings, can change between releases of the software.
Yea; saw that with some settings; ie. FF are different versions on different distro's, so it' tends to revert to the lowest-common-demonitator in terms of configs & plugins. 
I can see how this could become a problem.

>/media is reserved, by the FHS, for mounting random stuff *automatically*, 
>and /mnt for the sysadmin to mount stuff manually.
Oh! OK. I never thought about it that way. I simply stuck stuff in /media & was content with it.
Thanks for pointing that out; I'll try & keep it in mind

>If you stick unrelated content into /media you run the risk of it conflicting
>with the assumptions of the desktop environment, which can quite legitimately
>expect you to follow those ruls.
I usually work around this by creating the sub under /media, & the corresponding entry in fstab that refers to the disk's UUID value (or refer to /dev/disk/by-uuid/ or /dev/disk/by-label/).
Under Ubuntu, if a disk is already mounted on what would've been the dynamic mount-point from the desktop, Ubutnu usually takes care of it quite simply by mounting it as /media/disk (& iterations thereof)
It's been a slight annoyance in the past, and now I know why. Thanks

Ubuntu's such a easy & forgiving platform, it's easy to slip into lazy/bad habits (another reason for using Fedora).
It's a gift & a curse..

>So, um, I would suggest you have a greater risk using /media than /srv or /opt
>for your shared data like that. :)
Seems I've got quite a bit of homework/reading ahead of me, and I'll try to implement it properly at the next major overhaul (9.10 & F12?)

>[1]  /opt is, of course, traditionally where third party software went, and is
> still widely used for third party binary-only packages.
yip, though at times it's implementation is pretty lax. I see most/all apps get installer/run from /usr/bin, & /opt usually for stuff installed from source. 
As an example I have skype (something I would consider 3rd-party) running from /usr/bin, but Komodo's installed under /opt

Been at this for a few years now, and still learn something new every day.

Thanks

- J



      

From arbscht at gmail.com  Wed Oct  7 16:47:27 2009
From: arbscht at gmail.com (Abhishek Reddy)
Date: Wed Oct  7 16:47:33 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910061932h4663236ayb2b1b2665150abfe@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
	<267467.67797.qm@web96009.mail.aue.yahoo.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910061932h4663236ayb2b1b2665150abfe@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <6da08ade0910062047l5555e4a7wca3e4274b8c3b698@mail.gmail.com>

Just six, but it was a good couple of hours discussing FOSS and more.  We
were missing one or two people who indicated they would turn up -- I wonder
if anyone arrived but missed us and settled into a different corner or
something?  Given the poor weather, that was a decent turnout, I think.  A
couple of new faces but everyone mentioned at least reading the list.

Galbraiths was excellent and gets my vote as a fallback, lacking a proper
meetup.  Worked out well for a small group, but it should be fine with
more.  Good sound levels, and there was plenty of room for a laptop/netbook
if only anyone had thought to bring one.


On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 3:32 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 1:57 PM, Jonathan Opperman
> <jonathan.opperman@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
> >
> > Damn, missed this, was in Mt Maunganui :( will attend the next one
> hopefully
>
> >From what I heard it was a fairly small turn out of around 6-8 people
> though a lot of new faces. Though no new posters that I've seen :/
>


-- 
Abhishek Reddy
http://abhishek.geek.nz
From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Wed Oct  7 16:58:20 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Wed Oct  7 16:58:27 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] PHP/C# jobs
In-Reply-To: <93a52e0e0910062006y501fc48ao8bcd7f89fb20741d@mail.gmail.com>
References: <93a52e0e0910062006y501fc48ao8bcd7f89fb20741d@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910062058p73c11b5due3f521b4bd02361d@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 4:06 PM, Justin Cook <justin@skull.co.nz> wrote:

> Hello everyone
>
> I thought I'd see if anyone heard through the grapevine of any PHP/C#/LAMP
> jobs available in central Auckland.
>

Hi Justin,

I don't know of any going at the moment but PHP vacancies are sometimes
announced through the local PHP "meetup" users group
http://php.meetup.com/10/

I'm sure that there's a local C# users group as well, I just don't know the
contact details.

Hope that helps

Bruce


-- 
Bruce Clement
From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Wed Oct  7 17:03:08 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Wed Oct  7 17:03:32 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <6da08ade0910062047l5555e4a7wca3e4274b8c3b698@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910032027g877c7b3t60d733a360a40b0e@mail.gmail.com>
	<267467.67797.qm@web96009.mail.aue.yahoo.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910061932h4663236ayb2b1b2665150abfe@mail.gmail.com>
	<6da08ade0910062047l5555e4a7wca3e4274b8c3b698@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <171342.19218.qm@web26103.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

>Galbraiths was excellent and gets my vote as a fallback, lacking a proper
>meetup.  Worked out well for a small group, but it should be fine with
>more.  Good sound levels, and there was plenty of room for a laptop/netbook
>if only anyone had thought to bring one.

Did have trusty netbook, but what sort if working condition it was at that point was a bit suspect (Karmic NBR beta, I think; possibly Android).
Galbraiths is a decent venue, as long as we can get the back-area; the main area's a bit noisy for a meet (not too sure if there are power outlets back there)

- J



      

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Thu Oct  8 21:41:25 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Thu Oct  8 21:41:41 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <12711.1254991285@quicksilver.net.nz>

 I have an ASUS F5R laptop. Whenever I install Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) on it
dual bootable with Windows XP Professional, Windows ceases to be able to
access my LAN. After the first time this happened, I suspected that
Paragon Partition Manager was the culprit so I reinstalled Windows and
then Mint, using only the Windows and Mint partition managers. The same
thing happened again.

 I might give up on dual booting and install Mint as a virtual machine. I
was reluctant to do that for two reasons. One is that installing VMware
disables autorun which I use for my camera but that problem can be
overcome by changing registry settings to re-enable it. The other reason
is the limited scope for upgrading the laptop. However, it has 2 Gb of RAM
and a dual core processor so it will probably be O.K.

 Don Johnston

 
From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Fri Oct  9 19:36:06 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Fri Oct  9 19:36:20 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <10910.1255070166@quicksilver.net.nz>

 Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:41:25 +1300

 I have reinstalled Windows about eight times in the past week, deleting
all of the partitions first. I have since found that the problem usually
occurs even before Linux Mint is installed, in which case the computer
says that the network cable is unplugged. If it does work then installing
Mint dual bootable with Windows always results in the network connection
failing. Reinstallling the ethernet driver, changing the network cable and
changing the ethernet hub port don't fix the problem but sometimes deleting
all partitions and reinstalling Windows fixes it. The other computers on
the network aren't having such problems.

 I told the company that I bought the laptop from that I suspect an
intermittent hardware fault. They didn't believe that. I think I will get
them to look at it and tell me what the problem is.

 When the problem is fixed, I think I will run Mint in a virtual machine.

 Don Johnston
  From: admin@ncearevision.co.nz [1]
 Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
 To: 
 Message-ID: 
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

 I have an ASUS F5R laptop. Whenever I install Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) on it
 dual bootable with Windows XP Professional, Windows ceases to be able to
 access my LAN. After the first time this happened, I suspected that
 Paragon Partition Manager was the culprit so I reinstalled Windows and
 then Mint, using only the Windows and Mint partition managers. The same
 thing happened again.

 I might give up on dual booting and install Mint as a virtual machine. I
 was reluctant to do that for two reasons. One is that installing VMware
 disables autorun which I use for my camera but that problem can be
 overcome by changing registry settings to re-enable it. The other reason
 is the limited scope for upgrading the laptop. However, it has 2 Gb of
RAM
 and a dual core processor so it will probably be O.K.

 Don Johnston

 

Links:
------
[1] mailto:admin@ncearevision.co.nz
[2] mailto:aucklug@linux.net.nz
[3] mailto:12711.1254991285@quicksilver.net.nz
From nevynh at gmail.com  Fri Oct  9 19:48:11 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Fri Oct  9 19:48:19 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <10910.1255070166@quicksilver.net.nz>
References: <10910.1255070166@quicksilver.net.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910082348j4e970605tcabcfcc2b10a117c@mail.gmail.com>

On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 7:36 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
sometimes deleting
> all partitions and reinstalling Windows fixes it. The other computers on

Hi Don,

This isn't fixing it and should never be seen as "fixing" it.

It's a windows problem. I still struggle to see how dual booting with
Linux could possibly cause your networking problems and by your own
admission, the issue sometimes comes up before installing Linux.

What sort of network card is it?

Regards,
Nevyn.

From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Fri Oct  9 20:11:17 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Fri Oct  9 20:11:28 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910082348j4e970605tcabcfcc2b10a117c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <10910.1255070166@quicksilver.net.nz>
	<bcdb9ee50910082348j4e970605tcabcfcc2b10a117c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910090011t69233ad6k98a824741006783b@mail.gmail.com>

On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 7:48 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 7:36 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
> sometimes deleting
> > all partitions and reinstalling Windows fixes it. The other computers on
>
> Hi Don,
>
> This isn't fixing it and should never be seen as "fixing" it.
>
>
Here I agree with Nevyn. Retry, reboot, reinstall isn't a fix for a problem.
Don's issue is that he has been sold a laptop with one or more faulty
components. It really doesn't matter if the problem is the network hardware,
memory, the pre-installed software, or a design fault; if the laptop doesn't
work properly the retailer has a responsibility to repair it, replace it or
refund the purchase price.

The fact that the retailer chooses to sell a product that they don't fully
understand and can't fix isn't Don's problem.


> It's a windows problem.


Not necessarily. It could be dodgy hardware. The fact that Linux doesn't
show the problem could just be that the Linux driver doesn't exercise the
part of the chip that's broken. It could just as easily be the other way
around.

If you can demo the problem on the laptop as supplied (hardware / software
combo) it's the retailer's problem and they should resolve it. Once they've
done that you're free to upgrade to a better operating system if you like.

-- 
Bruce Clement
From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sat Oct 10 13:24:48 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sat Oct 10 13:25:15 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <200910092307.n99N7kXG025216@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910092307.n99N7kXG025216@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD08B20.26865.D8E40C@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 20:11:17 +1300
> From: Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>
> Subject: Re: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows
> 	laptop
> To: Auckland Linux User Group mailing list <aucklug@linux.net.nz>
> Message-ID:
> 	<9da4db1f0910090011t69233ad6k98a824741006783b@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 7:48 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 7:36 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
> > sometimes deleting
> > > all partitions and reinstalling Windows fixes it. The other computers on
> >
> > Hi Don,
> >
> > This isn't fixing it and should never be seen as "fixing" it.
> >
> >
> Here I agree with Nevyn. Retry, reboot, reinstall isn't a fix for a problem.
> Don's issue is that he has been sold a laptop with one or more faulty
> components. It really doesn't matter if the problem is the network hardware,
> memory, the pre-installed software, or a design fault; if the laptop doesn't
> work properly the retailer has a responsibility to repair it, replace it or
> refund the purchase price.
> 
> The fact that the retailer chooses to sell a product that they don't fully
> understand and can't fix isn't Don's problem.
> 
> 
> > It's a windows problem.
> 
> 
> Not necessarily. It could be dodgy hardware. The fact that Linux doesn't
> show the problem could just be that the Linux driver doesn't exercise the
> part of the chip that's broken. It could just as easily be the other way
> around.
> 
> If you can demo the problem on the laptop as supplied (hardware / software
> combo) it's the retailer's problem and they should resolve it. Once they've
> done that you're free to upgrade to a better operating system if you like.
> 
> -- 
> Bruce Clement

I am very pleased to have confirmation that there is reason to 
suspect a hardware fault. I have spent most of the past week trying 
to fix the problem after first being advised by the supplier to 
reinstall the ethernet driver and then being told by them that I 
should reinstall Windows. The graphics "card" is an ATI Radeon 
Express 1100 and is presumably part of the motherboard of the laptop.

Fortunately, the two year old laptop has a three year manufacturer's 
warrantee and the manufacturer has parts in Auckland.

Since the latest installation of Windows has resulted in the problem 
re-appearing, I will leave the laptop alone until I take it back to 
the supplier.

After the problem is fixed, I am thinking of installing Linux Mint 
dual bootable with Windows XP Professional and also as a virtual 
machine with Windows as the host. If I don't have any problems 
running linux on the laptop (not as a virtual machine) then I am 
likely to change to using Mint as the host and install Windows as a 
virtual machine from a Ghosted image of it. The hard disk is large 
enough to make this possible. Any comments about these plans would be 
appreciated.

Don Johnston

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sat Oct 10 14:02:39 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sat Oct 10 14:03:02 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <4AD093FF.25922.FB8B91@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> The graphics "card" is an ATI Radeon 
> Express 1100 and is presumably part of the motherboard of the laptop.

Silly me. I gave the details of the graphics adapter instead of the 
ethernet adapter. This is probably the result of all the sleep I have 
lost while trying to fix the problem. The ethernet adapter is an 
"Atheros L2 Fast Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Controller".

Don Johnston


From nevynh at gmail.com  Sat Oct 10 14:45:56 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sat Oct 10 14:46:06 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <4AD093FF.25922.FB8B91@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <4AD093FF.25922.FB8B91@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910091845i60e52bfbycdbe6a5446198381@mail.gmail.com>

On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 2:02 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>> The graphics "card" is an ATI Radeon
>> Express 1100 and is presumably part of the motherboard of the laptop.
>
> Silly me. I gave the details of the graphics adapter instead of the
> ethernet adapter. This is probably the result of all the sleep I have
> lost while trying to fix the problem. The ethernet adapter is an
> "Atheros L2 Fast Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Controller".
>
> Don Johnston

So the adapter does show up in Device manager?

Provide us with feedback. If you don't provide us with any feedback,
you may as well be talking to a brick wall. You're not helping us to
help you and seem to be looking for quick fixes or labels. How about,
I feel like I've been repeating myself here and it's getting really
frustrating, troubleshooting? Hows that for an idea?

As for hardware problems - have a go at troubleshooting first. Seeing
every problem as potentially a hardware fault is another easy way out.
A few years ago this seemed to be the case for Ubuntu - if you can't
figure out the problem, tell the user it's hardware and the
distribution remains spotless. It might be hardware - chances are,
it's not.

You've tried reinstalling drivers and reinstalling Windows (Please
don't do that again...).

Have you looked at the status of the card? Is it using DHCP or set to
a static IP? We're not even sure at what stage the issue is
happening...

Regards,
Nevyn.

From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Sat Oct 10 15:01:18 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Sat Oct 10 15:01:28 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <4AD08B20.26865.D8E40C@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <200910092307.n99N7kXG025216@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD08B20.26865.D8E40C@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910091901pa54d111h87139b252730d585@mail.gmail.com>

On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 1:24 PM, <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>
>
> I am very pleased to have confirmation that there is reason to
> suspect a hardware fault. I have spent most of the past week trying
> to fix the problem after first being advised by the supplier to
> reinstall the ethernet driver and then being told by them that I
> should reinstall Windows.


Hi Don,

Please don't misinterpret me here. Yes, it might be a hardware problem, or
it could be a software problem.

What's inescapable is that the shop sold you a complete device (laptop
system) that they or their suppliers assembled from diverse components
(case, screen, circuitry, software) and they are responsible for the
functioning of the device.


>
> Fortunately, the two year old laptop has a three year manufacturer's
> warrantee and the manufacturer has parts in Auckland.
>
> Since the latest installation of Windows has resulted in the problem
> re-appearing, I will leave the laptop alone until I take it back to
> the supplier.
>
>
The age of the laptop suggests a hardware problem, but this isn't your
concern. What you are interested in is having the complete device working as
it should. That's the supplier's responsibility. If they try saying the
problem lies with Windows, just remember that they are the ones who
specified and installed the operating system on the laptop, so it isn't your
responsibility.

If the age of the software is mentioned, remember that software doesn't
degrade and your 2007 software has exactly as many bugs in it today as it
had in 2007. This applies to all software, Windows, Linux, etc. It's just
that we now know about more of these bugs than we did then.

Hardware, on the other hand, does degrade over time. That 1964 Cortina on
blocks in the back yard is not in as good a shape as it was in 1964.


> After the problem is fixed, I am thinking of installing Linux Mint
> dual bootable with Windows XP Professional and also as a virtual
> machine with Windows as the host. If I don't have any problems
> running linux on the laptop (not as a virtual machine) then I am
> likely to change to using Mint as the host and install Windows as a
> virtual machine from a Ghosted image of it. The hard disk is large
> enough to make this possible. Any comments about these plans would be
> appreciated.
>
>
This is a Linux User Group mailing list, so we're always going to suggest
that the more Linux and less of other operating systems you have the
better.

Personally I'd go looking for Free alternatives to all the unfree software
you have and switch to 100% Free, preferably in the form of Linux, but I'm
biased.

Cheers

Bruce

-- 
Bruce Clement
From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Sat Oct 10 20:35:28 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Sat Oct 10 20:35:47 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] limit net connections at system level?
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910100035x60fa48acqb9152ba803999f5b@mail.gmail.com>

hi all,
i'm looking for some software (preferably in the standard ubuntu 9.04
repositories), which i can use to limit the net connection to a
certain speed. i don't need application speed limiting, but the total
download/upload rate of everything on the machine

can anyone suggest anything?

the simpler the better

cheers

rob

From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Sat Oct 10 22:03:09 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Sat Oct 10 22:03:37 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] limit net connections at system level?
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910100035x60fa48acqb9152ba803999f5b@mail.gmail.com>
References: <2f3aa2770910100035x60fa48acqb9152ba803999f5b@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910100203q7fe980bay32a4e7b6d87d1d9c@mail.gmail.com>

On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 8:35 PM, Robin Paulson <robin.paulson@gmail.com>wrote:

> hi all,
> i'm looking for some software (preferably in the standard ubuntu 9.04
> repositories), which i can use to limit the net connection to a
> certain speed. i don't need application speed limiting, but the total
> download/upload rate of everything on the machine
>
> can anyone suggest anything?
>
> the simpler the better
>

I've never used it myself but Wondershaper has some good reports
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=25911


-- 
Bruce Clement
From Chilling_Silence at orcon.net.nz  Sun Oct 11 16:00:53 2009
From: Chilling_Silence at orcon.net.nz (Chilling_Silence)
Date: Sun Oct 11 16:01:03 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <9da4db1f0910091901pa54d111h87139b252730d585@mail.gmail.com>
References: <200910092307.n99N7kXG025216@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD08B20.26865.D8E40C@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
	<9da4db1f0910091901pa54d111h87139b252730d585@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2987f0d40910102000n32377149r138301e0f4513869@mail.gmail.com>

On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 3:01 PM, Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>wrote:


> This is a Linux User Group mailing list, so we're always going to suggest
> that the more Linux and less of other operating systems you have the
> better.
>

Perhaps an issue with Windows might be better posted in a generic PC-help
place, not somewhere linux-specific like the LUG mailing lists?
Try PressF1.co.nz
From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sun Oct 11 19:27:48 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sun Oct 11 19:28:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows
In-Reply-To: <200910102311.n9ANBo1p004382@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910102311.n9ANBo1p004382@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD231B4.11775.1A36EE0@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> So the adapter does show up in Device manager?
>
> Provide us with feedback. If you don't provide us with any feedback,
> you may as well be talking to a brick wall. You're not helping us to
> help you and seem to be looking for quick fixes or labels. How about,
> I feel like I've been repeating myself here and it's getting really
> frustrating, troubleshooting? Hows that for an idea?
> 
> As for hardware problems - have a go at troubleshooting first. Seeing
> every problem as potentially a hardware fault is another easy way out.
> A few years ago this seemed to be the case for Ubuntu - if you can't
> figure out the problem, tell the user it's hardware and the
> distribution remains spotless. It might be hardware - chances are,
> it's not.
> 
> You've tried reinstalling drivers and reinstalling Windows (Please
> don't do that again...).
> 
> Have you looked at the status of the card? Is it using DHCP or set to
> a static IP? We're not even sure at what stage the issue is
> happening...
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.

I thought I had been providing a lot of feedback. It is likely, 
however, that I forgot to provide feedback with regard to some of the 
suggestions, etc. which have been made. I think I omitted to mention 
that I have been checking the device manager and that I have been 
using DHCP. I don't know what troubleshooting I can do in relation to 
the ethernet adapter other than what I have said that I have done.

Don Johnston

From nevynh at gmail.com  Sun Oct 11 20:17:21 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sun Oct 11 20:17:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows
In-Reply-To: <4AD231B4.11775.1A36EE0@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <200910102311.n9ANBo1p004382@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD231B4.11775.1A36EE0@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910110017q2405d879tc0b98c3cad4369ff@mail.gmail.com>

On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 7:27 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>> So the adapter does show up in Device manager?
>>
>> Provide us with feedback. If you don't provide us with any feedback,
>> you may as well be talking to a brick wall. You're not helping us to
>> help you and seem to be looking for quick fixes or labels. How about,
>> I feel like I've been repeating myself here and it's getting really
>> frustrating, troubleshooting? Hows that for an idea?
>>
>> As for hardware problems - have a go at troubleshooting first. Seeing
>> every problem as potentially a hardware fault is another easy way out.
>> A few years ago this seemed to be the case for Ubuntu - if you can't
>> figure out the problem, tell the user it's hardware and the
>> distribution remains spotless. It might be hardware - chances are,
>> it's not.
>>
>> You've tried reinstalling drivers and reinstalling Windows (Please
>> don't do that again...).
>>
>> Have you looked at the status of the card? Is it using DHCP or set to
>> a static IP? We're not even sure at what stage the issue is
>> happening...
>>
>> Regards,
>> Nevyn.
>
> I thought I had been providing a lot of feedback. It is likely,
> however, that I forgot to provide feedback with regard to some of the
> suggestions, etc. which have been made. I think I omitted to mention
> that I have been checking the device manager and that I have been
> using DHCP. I don't know what troubleshooting I can do in relation to
> the ethernet adapter other than what I have said that I have done.
>
> Don Johnston

Is it acquiring an IP address?

From nevynh at gmail.com  Sun Oct 11 20:29:15 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sun Oct 11 20:29:23 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910110017q2405d879tc0b98c3cad4369ff@mail.gmail.com>
References: <200910102311.n9ANBo1p004382@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD231B4.11775.1A36EE0@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
	<bcdb9ee50910110017q2405d879tc0b98c3cad4369ff@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910110029v722049clbfb46e8d48984910@mail.gmail.com>

On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 8:17 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 7:27 PM, ?<admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>> I thought I had been providing a lot of feedback. It is likely,
>> however, that I forgot to provide feedback with regard to some of the
>> suggestions, etc. which have been made. I think I omitted to mention
>> that I have been checking the device manager and that I have been
>> using DHCP. I don't know what troubleshooting I can do in relation to
>> the ethernet adapter other than what I have said that I have done.
>>
>> Don Johnston
>
> Is it acquiring an IP address?

Also - sorry about the tone in the email. It's just been very
frustrating trying to help you when you haven't included any details.
i.e. this is the first time that you've said that you're using dhcp.
You've still failed to tell us what's showing up in device manager
(the card is there?).

If the card isn't getting an IP address (there's a range which gets
assigned if it fails - make sure it gets an address which your dhcp
server actually assigns), then chances are there's something going on
with the dhcp server... You could try using a static IP address and
seeing if that helps at all. This is assuming that the network card is
showing up in the hardware manager...

This is a far cry from a hardware problem.

When it does fail, is the light on the network card on? If it's not,
then does a different cable make a difference? I've been worried
lately about my router. Every now and again it just stops assigning an
IP address to my server machine... and then I realised when I looked
at the lights. The network cable is missing the clip and is simply
slipping out of the network port... And here I thought it was a heat
problem... Saves me having to buy a new router when it can be solved
by me replacing the RJ45 plug... Still a hardware problem but easily
solved...

Remember - if we don't hear the results of your testing, it's going to
be hard for us to suggest something else...

Regards,
Nevyn.

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sun Oct 11 22:02:56 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sun Oct 11 22:03:39 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
Message-ID: <4AD25610.15446.231773A@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

I turned on my ASUS F5R laptop a moment ago to do the tests suggested 
below by Nevyn and everything worked perfectly as far as the ethernet 
connection was concerned. Consequently, the problem is intermittent.

"ipconfig" now shows an IP address. I don't know how to check to see 
whether or not it is the one which is assigned by the DHCP server. I 
was using static IP addresses prior to purchasing the Linksys router 
which I started using a month or two ago. I have never managed to use 
that router with static IP addresses.

A faulty ethernet socket sprang to mind as a possible cause so I 
tried plugging and unplugging different ethernet cables but this 
didn't cause the connection to fail.

On the preceding occasion on which I turned on the laptop, there was 
a cross beside the wired LAN icon and hovering over it resulted in a 
message that a cable was disconnected and also the relevant hub light 
was not on. On previous occasions I have tried three cables and three 
hub ports without any luck. None of the other computers in the 
network are experiencing such problems. The laptop does not have an 
ethernet light on the outside.

The device manager is and has been showing the correct ethernet 
adapter.

The wireless LAN is shown as being connected but the status is still 
showing as "Acquiring network address" after half an hour. One 
problem is that I reinstalled Windows. However, an old laptop and an 
EeePC (running Xandros) are also failing to access the network 
wirelessly whereas, if I remember correctly, I managed to get them to 
do so in the past using the Linksys router which I am now using. The 
EeePC and the F5R laptop show my router to be within range.

Don Johnston

On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 8:17 PM, Nevyn <nevynh at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 7:27 PM,  <admin at ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>> I thought I had been providing a lot of feedback. It is likely,
>> however, that I forgot to provide feedback with regard to some of 
the
>> suggestions, etc. which have been made. I think I omitted to 
mention
>> that I have been checking the device manager and that I have been
>> using DHCP. I don't know what troubleshooting I can do in relation 
to
>> the ethernet adapter other than what I have said that I have done.
>>
>> Don Johnston
>
> Is it acquiring an IP address?

Also - sorry about the tone in the email. It's just been very
frustrating trying to help you when you haven't included any details.
i.e. this is the first time that you've said that you're using dhcp.
You've still failed to tell us what's showing up in device manager
(the card is there?).

If the card isn't getting an IP address (there's a range which gets
assigned if it fails - make sure it gets an address which your dhcp
server actually assigns), then chances are there's something going on
with the dhcp server... You could try using a static IP address and
seeing if that helps at all. This is assuming that the network card 
is
showing up in the hardware manager...

This is a far cry from a hardware problem.

When it does fail, is the light on the network card on? If it's not,
then does a different cable make a difference? I've been worried
lately about my router. Every now and again it just stops assigning 
an IP address to my server machine... and then I realised when I 
looked at the lights. The network cable is missing the clip and is 
simply slipping out of the network port... And here I thought it was 
a heat problem... Saves me having to buy a new router when it can be 
solved by me replacing the RJ45 plug... Still a hardware problem but 
easily solved...

Remember - if we don't hear the results of your testing, it's going 
to be hard for us to suggest something else...

Regards,
Nevyn.



From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Sun Oct 11 22:02:56 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Sun Oct 11 22:03:42 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Network access after moving a linux virtual machine
Message-ID: <4AD25610.4772.23176DD@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

I am using VMware Version 1 on a Windows XP host on a desktop 
computer. I moved the virtual machines from one NTFS drive to another 
on the same computer. A Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) virtual machine ceased 
recognising the network. The same problem did not occur with a 
Windows XP virtual machine which I also moved.

I hadn't done much work on the linux VM so re-creating it wouldn't be 
a major problem. However, I would like to find out how to deal with 
this problem because this is far from being the last time I will move 
virtual machines.

Don Johnston

From nevynh at gmail.com  Sun Oct 11 22:58:17 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sun Oct 11 22:58:34 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Network access after moving a linux virtual machine
In-Reply-To: <4AD25610.4772.23176DD@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <4AD25610.4772.23176DD@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910110258k66fb149bkd94a0130dd0b64b@mail.gmail.com>

On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 10:02 PM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
> I am using VMware Version 1 on a Windows XP host on a desktop
> computer. I moved the virtual machines from one NTFS drive to another
> on the same computer. A Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) virtual machine ceased
> recognising the network. The same problem did not occur with a
> Windows XP virtual machine which I also moved.
>
> I hadn't done much work on the linux VM so re-creating it wouldn't be
> a major problem. However, I would like to find out how to deal with
> this problem because this is far from being the last time I will move
> virtual machines.
>
> Don Johnston

There's the possibility that the move disrupted the virtual Ethernet
devices somehow... On the Linux VM go to a console and type in
ifconfig. Check the IP address of the device in there. If there isn't
a device, chances are the virtual network adapter hasn't be
recreated...

Regards,
Nevyn.

From blakjak at blakjak.net  Mon Oct 12 09:31:07 2009
From: blakjak at blakjak.net (Mark Foster)
Date: Mon Oct 12 09:31:18 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <4AD25610.15446.231773A@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <4AD25610.15446.231773A@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <2209.166.179.96.250.1255293067.squirrel@webmail.blakjak.net>

> problem is that I reinstalled Windows. However, an old laptop and an
> EeePC (running Xandros) are also failing to access the network
> wirelessly whereas, if I remember correctly, I managed to get them to

Minor note; I find DHCP intermittantly useful on my Eee running Eee-PC;
Wireless actually connects but the icon goes around and around til it
times out, about every other time I try to associate with the WAP. 
Retrying seems to work eventually.

Only have this problem with my Encrypted Wireless; never seen it on an
open AP. Just a thought.

(Atheros 5K Chipset)

Mark.


From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Mon Oct 12 11:19:46 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Mon Oct 12 11:20:10 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Network access after moving a linux virtual machine
In-Reply-To: <200910112032.n9BKWD2r018756@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910112032.n9BKWD2r018756@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD310D2.10062.CDA870@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> > I am using VMware Version 1 on a Windows XP host on a desktop
> > computer. I moved the virtual machines from one NTFS drive to another
> > on the same computer. A Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) virtual machine ceased
> > recognising the network. The same problem did not occur with a
> > Windows XP virtual machine which I also moved.
> >
> > I hadn't done much work on the linux VM so re-creating it wouldn't be
> > a major problem. However, I would like to find out how to deal with
> > this problem because this is far from being the last time I will move
> > virtual machines.
> >
> > Don Johnston
> 
> There's the possibility that the move disrupted the virtual Ethernet
> devices somehow... On the Linux VM go to a console and type in
> ifconfig. Check the IP address of the device in there. If there isn't
> a device, chances are the virtual network adapter hasn't be
> recreated...
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.

I should have mentioned that I had already tried that and no errors 
were reported but there was no sign of an IP address. I tried to copy 
and paste but couldn't paste outside the virtual machine. I copied 
and pasted into an Open Office document which I then tried to save to 
a flash drive but couldn't find that drive.

Don Johnston

From nevynh at gmail.com  Mon Oct 12 11:34:41 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Mon Oct 12 11:34:50 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Network access after moving a linux virtual machine
In-Reply-To: <4AD310D2.10062.CDA870@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <200910112032.n9BKWD2r018756@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD310D2.10062.CDA870@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910111534r19c70338xecec11455b42da54@mail.gmail.com>

On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 11:19 AM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>
> I should have mentioned that I had already tried that and no errors
> were reported but there was no sign of an IP address. I tried to copy
> and paste but couldn't paste outside the virtual machine. I copied
> and pasted into an Open Office document which I then tried to save to
> a flash drive but couldn't find that drive.
>
> Don Johnston

The important point is that it's not acquiring an IP address. So
you're using dhcp on this as well? This is a little outside of my
experience as it's probably got more to do with the mode you're using
for your network adapter i.e. bridge or nat.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 08:37:44 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 08:38:21 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>

Hello.

I'm new to linux..

I had Ubuntu 8:04 yesterday, & was doing the updates etc...

Last night before bed, I started the process to upgrade to 8.10

This morning, I had an electrician in to fix a problem (unrelated to
my PC ) - But after he went, I noticed both my PC's were turned off (i
left them on) - He must have turned the power off.


My Win XP machine is operating - & hooked into the router (obviously).

But when I boot up my Linux PC, I get an error

[ 0.9480971] kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: unable to mount root fs
on unknown-block(0,0)


As I said I'm Very new / green to Linux.

Is there an easy way to fix this problem ? Will I need my installation
CD again? (I gave it to a friend)...

I'm Central Takapuna

If I need another CD - I'll get it off my friend again.. - are there
instructions on how to re-install from scratch (I'm not even getting
the login screen stage)..

Im off to work - back later...

PS - Yesterday, I had the woosh guy come over to fix my woosh /
router.. (He got it going without a specific Woosh router - I'm on
D-link)

-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From thetoolman at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 08:49:36 2009
From: thetoolman at gmail.com (Tim Toolman)
Date: Tue Oct 13 08:49:45 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>

That error is telling you that it can't find the linux filesystem on hard
disk(0,0) - that is to say, the first partition on the boot disk. Any chance
you know how your disk is partitioned?

if you know where the linux root partition is, at the boot menu you can
press "e" to edit the boot lines for the selected entry (only for that boot
- not saved).  Doing this you can try booting (0,1) .. (0,2) etc, and see if
any of them boots.  Remember that grub is 0-based, so partition 1 is (0,0),
partition 2 is (0,1) etc...

I recommend getting a copy of ubuntu on disc, as it is invaluable in fixing
these kinds of problems.  You don't need to have the exact same version even
- an 8.04 disc can fix an 8.10 install no problems!

- Toolman


On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:37 AM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com>wrote:

> Hello.
>
> I'm new to linux..
>
> I had Ubuntu 8:04 yesterday, & was doing the updates etc...
>
> Last night before bed, I started the process to upgrade to 8.10
>
> This morning, I had an electrician in to fix a problem (unrelated to
> my PC ) - But after he went, I noticed both my PC's were turned off (i
> left them on) - He must have turned the power off.
>
>
> My Win XP machine is operating - & hooked into the router (obviously).
>
> But when I boot up my Linux PC, I get an error
>
> [ 0.9480971] kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: unable to mount root fs
> on unknown-block(0,0)
>
>
> As I said I'm Very new / green to Linux.
>
> Is there an easy way to fix this problem ? Will I need my installation
> CD again? (I gave it to a friend)...
>
> I'm Central Takapuna
>
> If I need another CD - I'll get it off my friend again.. - are there
> instructions on how to re-install from scratch (I'm not even getting
> the login screen stage)..
>
> Im off to work - back later...
>
> PS - Yesterday, I had the woosh guy come over to fix my woosh /
> router.. (He got it going without a specific Woosh router - I'm on
> D-link)
>
> --
> G
> Freecycle Auckland :-
> http://www.freecycle.org/
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Tim Taylor
+64 21 48 1275 - my old-new number!
From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 09:03:02 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 09:03:30 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com> 
	<d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910121303p271e85dep5ed16bc479b4b682@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:49 AM, Tim Toolman <thetoolman@gmail.com> wrote:
> That error is telling you that it can't find the linux filesystem on hard
> disk(0,0) - that is to say, the first partition on the boot disk. Any chance
> you know how your disk is partitioned?

I have no idea :)   I'm learning as I go...

Thanks for the hint - I'm off to work now - back later but i;ll  try &
see how it is partitioned & also ask my workmate to bring me the CD
again (tomorow...)

I do know when it boots up It gives me an option of pressing esc &
going into some menu system (I've not tried that yet).. - Will check
partitions


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From john at og.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 09:17:54 2009
From: john at og.co.nz (john)
Date: Tue Oct 13 09:26:48 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp
Message-ID: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>

Hi

Has anyone successfully got kiwi-ltsp working on openSUSE 11.1?

After years of happily using ltsp (up to version 4.2), I'm flummoxed.
Symptoms:
The thin client contacts dhcp and successfully gets an IP and then tftps
its pxelinux.0
and gets to the point where it has loaded initrd and has a chroot shell.
It falls over trying to use NBD to mount the server root. When I run the
command at the shell prompt on the thin client: nbd-client 192.168.168.4
2000 /dev/nbd0
the server refuses the connection.
I've checked xinet.d and the nbd stuff is enabled.
The nbd log shows the connection requests have been received and lasted
0 seconds.
I've also configured the server to use NFS instead of NBD, but that
fails too.

Any ideas or suggestions?

John O'Gorman

From unclerichard at xtra.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 09:39:32 2009
From: unclerichard at xtra.co.nz (Richard Innes)
Date: Tue Oct 13 09:39:45 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4AD39404.80708@xtra.co.nz>

Gordon Stewart wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I'm new to linux..
>
> I had Ubuntu 8:04 yesterday, & was doing the updates etc...
>
> Last night before bed, I started the process to upgrade to 8.10
>
> This morning, I had an electrician in to fix a problem (unrelated to
> my PC ) - But after he went, I noticed both my PC's were turned off (i
> left them on) - He must have turned the power off.
>
>
> My Win XP machine is operating - & hooked into the router (obviously).
>
> But when I boot up my Linux PC, I get an error
>
> [ 0.9480971] kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: unable to mount root fs
> on unknown-block(0,0)
>
>
> As I said I'm Very new / green to Linux.
>
> Is there an easy way to fix this problem ? Will I need my installation
> CD again? (I gave it to a friend)...
>
> I'm Central Takapuna
>
> If I need another CD - I'll get it off my friend again.. - are there
> instructions on how to re-install from scratch (I'm not even getting
> the login screen stage)..
>
> Im off to work - back later...
>
> PS - Yesterday, I had the woosh guy come over to fix my woosh /
> router.. (He got it going without a specific Woosh router - I'm on
> D-link)
>
>   
You could try Recovery Mode, the second option on the Grub splash screen 
or dosen't Grub boot?

Richard I


From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 10:41:05 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Tue Oct 13 10:41:19 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Re: Network access after moving a linux virtual
	machine
In-Reply-To: <200910112306.n9BN6E3Q011659@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910112306.n9BN6E3Q011659@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD45941.5222.BB231A@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

DHCP and bridged networking are used.
 
> The important point is that it's not acquiring an IP address. So
> you're using dhcp on this as well? This is a little outside of my
> experience as it's probably got more to do with the mode you're using
> for your network adapter i.e. bridge or nat.
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> 
> 
> End of AuckLUG Digest, Vol 53, Issue 15
> ***************************************



From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Tue Oct 13 11:19:07 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Tue Oct 13 11:19:50 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp
In-Reply-To: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>
Message-ID: <200910131119.07666.yorick_@openoffice.org>

> Hi
> 
> Has anyone successfully got kiwi-ltsp working on openSUSE 11.1?
> 
> After years of happily using ltsp (up to version 4.2), I'm flummoxed.
> Symptoms:
> The thin client contacts dhcp and successfully gets an IP and then tftps
> its pxelinux.0
> and gets to the point where it has loaded initrd and has a chroot shell.
> It falls over trying to use NBD to mount the server root. When I run the
> command at the shell prompt on the thin client: nbd-client 192.168.168.4
> 2000 /dev/nbd0
> the server refuses the connection.
> I've checked xinet.d and the nbd stuff is enabled.
> The nbd log shows the connection requests have been received and lasted
> 0 seconds.
> I've also configured the server to use NFS instead of NBD, but that
> fails too.
> 
> Any ideas or suggestions?
> 
> John O'Gorman

If you run the Easy-LTSP to do the install it assumes that the server address is 
10.0.0.254 if memory serves.  You can check this in etc/sysconfig/kiwi-ltsp .

I haven't got mine running at the moment where I am so I can't check the exact 
setup, but mine runs no problem at all on 11.1 other than the fact that it's 
somewhat more resource hungry than 4.2 

Cheers
GL

-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant.

Ambassador for OpenSUSE Linux on your Desktop 

INGOTs Assessor Trainer
(International Grades in Office Technologies)
www.theingots.org.nz


From nevynh at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 12:40:23 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Tue Oct 13 12:40:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <4AD39404.80708@xtra.co.nz>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
	<4AD39404.80708@xtra.co.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910121640v50844509la1e391d2a53678f3@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 9:39 AM, Richard Innes
>
> You could try Recovery Mode, the second option on the Grub splash screen or
> dosen't Grub boot?
>
> Richard I

That error is a post-grub menu error... Grub loads up as it's on the
boot sector, user selects option, grub can't find partition specified.

>From my own experience, disrupting the upgrade process doesn't seem to
do anything major. The error is before anything gets loaded (i.e. not
a X problem or something along those lines). So the most likely cause
is a hard drive corruption. For this, a live cd is needed to fix it.

Trying to boot up into single user mode is unlikely to yield any better results.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From thetoolman at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 14:02:13 2009
From: thetoolman at gmail.com (Tim Toolman)
Date: Tue Oct 13 14:02:37 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910121640v50844509la1e391d2a53678f3@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
	<4AD39404.80708@xtra.co.nz>
	<bcdb9ee50910121640v50844509la1e391d2a53678f3@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <d69be7e20910121802w32954a3dg43a5d0f372607bc5@mail.gmail.com>

Recovery mode is going to attempt to boot on hd(0,0) also, so it is not good
in this case.  It is useful when the root partition is found and boots, and
an error occurs later on the boot process.


On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 12:40 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 9:39 AM, Richard Innes
> >
> > You could try Recovery Mode, the second option on the Grub splash screen
> or
> > dosen't Grub boot?
> >
> > Richard I
>
> That error is a post-grub menu error... Grub loads up as it's on the
> boot sector, user selects option, grub can't find partition specified.
>
> >From my own experience, disrupting the upgrade process doesn't seem to
> do anything major. The error is before anything gets loaded (i.e. not
> a X problem or something along those lines). So the most likely cause
> is a hard drive corruption. For this, a live cd is needed to fix it.
>
> Trying to boot up into single user mode is unlikely to yield any better
> results.
>
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Tim Taylor
+64 21 48 1275 - my old-new number!
From john at og.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 15:06:21 2009
From: john at og.co.nz (john)
Date: Tue Oct 13 15:15:12 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp
In-Reply-To: <200910131119.07666.yorick_@openoffice.org>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>
	<200910131119.07666.yorick_@openoffice.org>
Message-ID: <4AD3E09D.4080406@og.co.nz>

Graham Lauder wrote:
>> Hi
>>
>> Has anyone successfully got kiwi-ltsp working on openSUSE 11.1?
>>
>> After years of happily using ltsp (up to version 4.2), I'm flummoxed.
>> Symptoms:
>> The thin client contacts dhcp and successfully gets an IP and then tftps
>> its pxelinux.0
>> and gets to the point where it has loaded initrd and has a chroot shell.
>> It falls over trying to use NBD to mount the server root. When I run the
>> command at the shell prompt on the thin client: nbd-client 192.168.168.4
>> 2000 /dev/nbd0
>> the server refuses the connection.
>> I've checked xinet.d and the nbd stuff is enabled.
>> The nbd log shows the connection requests have been received and lasted
>> 0 seconds.
>> I've also configured the server to use NFS instead of NBD, but that
>> fails too.
>>
>> Any ideas or suggestions?
>>
>> John O'Gorman
>>     
>
> If you run the Easy-LTSP to do the install it assumes that the server address is 
> 10.0.0.254 if memory serves.  You can check this in etc/sysconfig/kiwi-ltsp .
>   
I set it up using yast to edit the sysconfig file and changed the server
IP to 192.168.168.4 (for historical reasons on my network).
I then used kiwi-ltsp-setup as per the documentation and got no relevant
error messages for the prebuilt files.
The 192.168.168.4 server doles out through dhcp IPs 192.168.168.50 to
100 for the thin clients.
This part is working. I can ping in both directions between server and
thin clients.

I discovered the easy-ltsp GUI later and found that it did nothing
different - it seems to be a GUI frontend to kiwi-ltsp-setup.

If I make no progress soon I will revert it to 10.0.0.254 as you suggest
- but reluctantly!

John O'G
> I haven't got mine running at the moment where I am so I can't check the exact 
> setup, but mine runs no problem at all on 11.1 other than the fact that it's 
> somewhat more resource hungry than 4.2 
>
> Cheers
> GL
>
>   


From stuart at hrdnz.com  Tue Oct 13 15:22:17 2009
From: stuart at hrdnz.com (Stuart Mealor)
Date: Tue Oct 13 15:21:57 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing (follow on)
Message-ID: <9E447945-B17F-413E-AE39-BBA5F0E341A6@hrdnz.com>

Thanks for the posts from Robin and Bryan.

Scenario:
/usr 4.6Gb (92% full)
/usr/local 4.6Gb (4% full)
...I wanted to allocate space from one partition to the other.

For anyone else considering this type of operation...
I used Partition Editor (GUI for gparted).
I resized /usr/local (and moved it 'to the right').
This left a couple of Gb free.

As suggested, I then booted with an Ubuntu 9.04 disk into a Live  
environment.
I then started gparted from the command line (sudo gparted)
Because /usr/ was 'directly to the left' of the free space it was then  
very easy to just drag the diving line and hit the Apply button.

One of the easiest re-sizing exercises I have carried out :-)

When I look at /usr/ it's 4.1Gb (which seems like a lot) considering  
I've got a fairly standard Gnome installation, some audio apps, Skype  
etc. Nothing big really.
/usr/lib/ is 1.3Gb and /usr/share/ is 1.7Gb
Is it possible there are old unnecessary files in these areas (from  
previous upgrades or something?)

I guess my question is really a wider "How can I ensure old  
unnecessary files have been removed?"

From stuart at hrdnz.com  Tue Oct 13 15:34:22 2009
From: stuart at hrdnz.com (Stuart Mealor)
Date: Tue Oct 13 15:34:08 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
Message-ID: <66842392-317A-47E9-A59C-4E8E84B86A2A@hrdnz.com>

I was presenting and exhibiting at ULearn last week in Christchurch.
ULearn is the biggest ICT conference for NZ schools.

There is a LOT of interest in Moodle right now.
Moodle is the open source course management system (used by most  
Poly's and Uni's in NZ).
Government and schools have shifted significantly in the last 12 months.

Last year we were often in conversations with schools 'justifying' the  
selection of open source systems.
This barrier is certainly reducing.
I would suggest the Moodle success can be used as a prime example of  
open source adoption.
...hopefully useful for whoever is involved in the open source in  
schools project on this list?

Cheers, Stuart.

From david.roberts at safecom.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 15:42:33 2009
From: david.roberts at safecom.co.nz (David Roberts)
Date: Tue Oct 13 15:42:42 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing (follow on)
In-Reply-To: <9E447945-B17F-413E-AE39-BBA5F0E341A6@hrdnz.com>
References: <9E447945-B17F-413E-AE39-BBA5F0E341A6@hrdnz.com>
Message-ID: <81837DC590A3B643B5FC0B7533589708078620@tasbe116.advancedsolutions.co.nz>

My apologies if this has already been mentioned, but this is an
excellent example of where LVM would have made life a lot easier, even
being able to resize without taking the box out of production.

Hopefully I will have a primer on LVM implementation (combined with DRBD
and OCFS2 for an awesome redundancy setup) sometime soon which I will
share.

I guess I'm just wanting to put it into the minds of all to contemplate
LVM when partitioning a new system, it's a life saver when required.

-----Original Message-----
From: aucklug-bounces@linux.net.nz [mailto:aucklug-bounces@linux.net.nz]
On Behalf Of Stuart Mealor
Sent: Tuesday, 13 October 2009 3:22 p.m.
To: aucklug@linux.net.nz
Subject: [AuckLUG] Partition resizing (follow on)

Thanks for the posts from Robin and Bryan.

Scenario:
/usr 4.6Gb (92% full)
/usr/local 4.6Gb (4% full)
...I wanted to allocate space from one partition to the other.

For anyone else considering this type of operation...
I used Partition Editor (GUI for gparted).
I resized /usr/local (and moved it 'to the right').
This left a couple of Gb free.

As suggested, I then booted with an Ubuntu 9.04 disk into a Live  
environment.
I then started gparted from the command line (sudo gparted)
Because /usr/ was 'directly to the left' of the free space it was then  
very easy to just drag the diving line and hit the Apply button.

One of the easiest re-sizing exercises I have carried out :-)

When I look at /usr/ it's 4.1Gb (which seems like a lot) considering  
I've got a fairly standard Gnome installation, some audio apps, Skype  
etc. Nothing big really.
/usr/lib/ is 1.3Gb and /usr/share/ is 1.7Gb
Is it possible there are old unnecessary files in these areas (from  
previous upgrades or something?)

I guess my question is really a wider "How can I ensure old  
unnecessary files have been removed?"

_______________________________________________
AuckLUG mailing list
AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
#####################################################################################
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and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient do not
copy, disclose or use the contents in any way. Please let us know by return
e-mail immediately and then destroy this message.
#####################################################################################

From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Tue Oct 13 15:53:57 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Tue Oct 13 15:54:44 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp
In-Reply-To: <4AD3E09D.4080406@og.co.nz>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>
	<200910131119.07666.yorick_@openoffice.org> <4AD3E09D.4080406@og.co.nz>
Message-ID: <200910131553.57309.yorick_@openoffice.org>

> Graham Lauder wrote:
> >> Hi
> >>
> >> Has anyone successfully got kiwi-ltsp working on openSUSE 11.1?
> >>
> >> After years of happily using ltsp (up to version 4.2), I'm flummoxed.
> >> Symptoms:
> >> The thin client contacts dhcp and successfully gets an IP and then tftps
> >> its pxelinux.0
> >> and gets to the point where it has loaded initrd and has a chroot shell.
> >> It falls over trying to use NBD to mount the server root. When I run the
> >> command at the shell prompt on the thin client: nbd-client 192.168.168.4
> >> 2000 /dev/nbd0
> >> the server refuses the connection.
> >> I've checked xinet.d and the nbd stuff is enabled.
> >> The nbd log shows the connection requests have been received and lasted
> >> 0 seconds.
> >> I've also configured the server to use NFS instead of NBD, but that
> >> fails too.
> >>
> >> Any ideas or suggestions?
> >>
> >> John O'Gorman
> >>     
> >
> > If you run the Easy-LTSP to do the install it assumes that the server address is 
> > 10.0.0.254 if memory serves.  You can check this in etc/sysconfig/kiwi-ltsp .
> >   
> I set it up using yast to edit the sysconfig file and changed the server
> IP to 192.168.168.4 (for historical reasons on my network).
> I then used kiwi-ltsp-setup as per the documentation and got no relevant
> error messages for the prebuilt files.
> The 192.168.168.4 server doles out through dhcp IPs 192.168.168.50 to
> 100 for the thin clients.
> This part is working. I can ping in both directions between server and
> thin clients.
> 
> I discovered the easy-ltsp GUI later and found that it did nothing
> different - it seems to be a GUI frontend to kiwi-ltsp-setup.
> 
> If I make no progress soon I will revert it to 10.0.0.254 as you suggest
> - but reluctantly!

No, you don't have to change back. The same applies to the command line kiwi-ltsp-
setup, it sets everything up automatically  with 10.1.1.254. Just means you have to 
edit etc/sysconfig/kiwi-ltsp and lts.conf after install.  I'll be back with my setup 
tonight and I'll check out the files for you. 

> 
> John O'G
> > I haven't got mine running at the moment where I am so I can't check the exact 
> > setup, but mine runs no problem at all on 11.1 other than the fact that it's 
> > somewhat more resource hungry than 4.2 
> >
> > Cheers
> > GL
> >
> >   
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> 
-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant.

Ambassador for OpenSUSE Linux on your Desktop 

INGOTs Assessor Trainer
(International Grades in Office Technologies)
www.theingots.org.nz


From freakalad at yahoo.co.uk  Tue Oct 13 16:03:01 2009
From: freakalad at yahoo.co.uk (Jaco van der Merwe)
Date: Tue Oct 13 16:03:12 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <66842392-317A-47E9-A59C-4E8E84B86A2A@hrdnz.com>
References: <66842392-317A-47E9-A59C-4E8E84B86A2A@hrdnz.com>
Message-ID: <743075.42200.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Are there now Schools in every major city & town that employ FLOSS in some significant shape or form (and I don't mean only GNU/Linux), and a local FLOSS-oriented company able to support them?
I think Auckland, Wellington & Christchurch can be marked off, but that's still not close to a tipping-point/critical-mass.

I think many may be willing to "take the plunge" if they can see that others have successfully made the transition. 
I think it's about assessing & reducing (in addition to addressing their needs) risk associated with such a bold move.

Nevyn is busy with POINTS - an FLOSS 4 Edu effort

- J



      

From nevynh at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 16:44:01 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Tue Oct 13 16:44:12 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <743075.42200.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
References: <66842392-317A-47E9-A59C-4E8E84B86A2A@hrdnz.com>
	<743075.42200.qm@web26104.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910122044o580aedfdufb3b94531522745e@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 4:03 PM, Jaco van der Merwe
<freakalad@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> Are there now Schools in every major city & town that employ FLOSS in some significant shape or form (and I don't mean only GNU/Linux), and a local FLOSS-oriented company able to support them?
> I think Auckland, Wellington & Christchurch can be marked off, but that's still not close to a tipping-point/critical-mass.
>
> I think many may be willing to "take the plunge" if they can see that others have successfully made the transition.
> I think it's about assessing & reducing (in addition to addressing their needs) risk associated with such a bold move.
>
> Nevyn is busy with POINTS - an FLOSS 4 Edu effort
>
> - J

This effort is much like any Linux effort. Year after year we talk
about it being the year of Linux and we keep looking for that big
tipping point. The fact of the matter is that this isn't going to
happen. If it does, it's going to be a slow progression.

Think about how much people use open source software in their everyday
lives. Their cellphones may run Linux, their routers, a lot of the web
pages they visit etc. They don't even know they're using Linux.

There is no single effort which is going to cause that "tipping
point". Moodle is a piece of a puzzle though I do fear it's a bit of a
hammer - when you have a hammer, every problem is a nail. i.e. people
fit their needs around what moodle can do rather than exploring the
options. Plone is often a better choice in the same space, a simple
flat web page might often do etc.

Don't get me wrong - I applaud the efforts of the Moodle team. I just
think people really need to start thinking about what they need from
software rather than accepting the limitations of the software right
in front of them.

This marries up to my big gripes with Spreadsheets. Small businesses
often use a spreadsheet to do up their invoices and then find in a
years time they're paying a secretary a days wages to do up reports or
whatever on the information already contained in the spreadsheets.
This is another case of looking at the tool rather than the problem.

I would rather those from the education sector came and presented
their problem and solutions discussed rather than a straight out
"XApplication solves all of your problems".

So no, I'm not waiting for a tipping point and I'm not promoting
Moodle as a tool to cure what ails you. It's a solution but it's one
of many.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 17:37:47 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Tue Oct 13 17:38:03 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <200910130304.n9D34CEZ029994@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910130304.n9D34CEZ029994@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD4BAEB.4327.80565E@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:34:22 +1300
> From: Stuart Mealor <stuart@hrdnz.com>
> Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
> To: aucklug@linux.net.nz
> Message-ID: <66842392-317A-47E9-A59C-4E8E84B86A2A@hrdnz.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
> 
> I was presenting and exhibiting at ULearn last week in Christchurch.
> ULearn is the biggest ICT conference for NZ schools.
> 
> There is a LOT of interest in Moodle right now.
> Moodle is the open source course management system (used by most  
> Poly's and Uni's in NZ).
> Government and schools have shifted significantly in the last 12 months.
> 
> Last year we were often in conversations with schools 'justifying' the  
> selection of open source systems.
> This barrier is certainly reducing.
> I would suggest the Moodle success can be used as a prime example of  
> open source adoption.
> ...hopefully useful for whoever is involved in the open source in  
> schools project on this list?
> 
> Cheers, Stuart.

I work as a relieving teacher in a few schools. Use of Moodle in N.Z. 
schools appears to have been growing rapidly. I first found out about 
it from a school I was relieving at about five years ago.

Don Johnston

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 18:21:49 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 18:22:16 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com> 
	<d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910122221r26c12874ie412bf7b449eeb59@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:49 AM, Tim Toolman <thetoolman@gmail.com> wrote:
> That error is telling you that it can't find the linux filesystem on hard
> disk(0,0) - that is to say, the first partition on the boot disk. Any chance
> you know how your disk is partitioned?
>
> if you know where the linux root partition is, at the boot menu you can
> press "e" to edit the boot lines for the selected entry (only for that boot
> - not saved). ?Doing this you can try booting (0,1) .. (0,2) etc, and see if
> any of them boots. ?Remember that grub is 0-based, so partition 1 is (0,0),
> partition 2 is (0,1) etc...

OK I'm home now - Will try & get Linux fixed

I just thought now - Reading these posts, I do not have any partitions
- This PC I am on now is all Win XP..

The other PC is all Ubuntu...


I'll try & get into the setup screen & see if I can find anything re
partitions...

I DID find a 'blue' screen this morning - lots of options,  & found
options like boot from Floppy / Hard disk etc - but nothing about
partitions...


Trying now...


Ps - my workmate wasn't at work today, so couldnt ask him - rebringing
the CD in - So it'll be Thursday night at earliest (Unless I buy a new
CD  from PC shop - but Thursday is shopping day anyway... :) )

-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 18:22:50 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Tue Oct 13 18:23:05 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Problem after installing linux on a Windows laptop
In-Reply-To: <200910112032.n9BKWD2r018756@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910112032.n9BKWD2r018756@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD4C57A.2590.A996DB@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

The problem with my laptop disappeared when I tried to demonstrate it 
to the retailer and it hasn't reappeared so far so it is still a 
mystery.

I have abandoned the idea of installing linux dual bootable with 
Windows because, from experience, the networking problem would 
reappear. Unfortunately, it appears that I will only find the problem 
if it reappears and continues. I had intended to try using the linux 
installation as a host for virtual machines. I now intend to do so on 
a desktop machine but first I will need to install bigger hard disks 
in its RAID system.

I am now running Linux Mint 7 in virtual machines with Windows hosts 
on both the laptop and desktop computers.

Thanks for the help which has been provided in relation to the 
problem with my laptop.

Don Johnston


From nevynh at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 18:41:58 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Tue Oct 13 18:42:05 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910122221r26c12874ie412bf7b449eeb59@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com>
	<d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
	<9a3273a00910122221r26c12874ie412bf7b449eeb59@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910122241j6e64c427p4b9e9aa2249c2c3e@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Gordon,

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 6:21 PM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> OK I'm home now - Will try & get Linux fixed

Now there's the attitude! Just get it fixed :)

> I just thought now - Reading these posts, I do not have any partitions
> - This PC I am on now is all Win XP..
>
> The other PC is all Ubuntu...

:) There are still partitions....

> I'll try & get into the setup screen & see if I can find anything re
> partitions...
>
> I DID find a 'blue' screen this morning - lots of options, ?& found
> options like boot from Floppy / Hard disk etc - but nothing about
> partitions...

This sounds like the BIOS - best not to touch anything there...

This is kind of an interesting problem. When you press ESC are you
presented with a few options? As far as I know, the problem should
appear after this point.

If you are able to get to the boot menu, then it's most likely some
sort of corruption to the disk. This does happen and generally you
shouldn't stress.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 18:44:07 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 18:44:34 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com> 
	<d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910122244pb9ac60m2d43b07672e1ebf0@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:49 AM, Tim Toolman <thetoolman@gmail.com> wrote:
> That error is telling you that it can't find the linux filesystem on hard
> disk(0,0) - that is to say, the first partition on the boot disk. Any chance
> you know how your disk is partitioned?
>
> if you know where the linux root partition is, at the boot menu you can
> press "e" to edit the boot lines for the selected entry (only for that boot
> - not saved). ?Doing this you can try booting (0,1) .. (0,2) etc, and see if
> any of them boots. ?Remember that grub is 0-based, so partition 1 is (0,0),
> partition 2 is (0,1) etc...

I've fixed THAT problem...

When you press the 'b'  'e'  etc It gives me a list of things - with
numbers - It WAS on '16' (doesn't work)

I choose '25'  & 'b' - It DOES show up / log into the ubuntu login screen..

HOWEVER - no keyboard activity - I can't  log in :(

Will try other options  (& yes, I have enabled USB Keyboard / mouse )


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 18:49:18 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 18:49:45 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910122241j6e64c427p4b9e9aa2249c2c3e@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910121237p478e3737w94e7dbc35689df71@mail.gmail.com> 
	<d69be7e20910121249k7326ebd2k84f99f522f6e9e9c@mail.gmail.com> 
	<9a3273a00910122221r26c12874ie412bf7b449eeb59@mail.gmail.com> 
	<bcdb9ee50910122241j6e64c427p4b9e9aa2249c2c3e@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910122249i46622234u3095d1e34900638c@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 6:41 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> This sounds like the BIOS - best not to touch anything there...
>
> This is kind of an interesting problem. When you press ESC are you
> presented with a few options? As far as I know, the problem should
> appear after this point.
>
> If you are able to get to the boot menu, then it's most likely some
> sort of corruption to the disk. This does happen and generally you
> shouldn't stress.

Ok - I'll leave BIOS alone...

I've found the 'b' / 'e' scren in Linux - But not the 'partition'
screen - still looking (Though I have to shut down / reboot each
test)...


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From john at og.co.nz  Tue Oct 13 20:38:47 2009
From: john at og.co.nz (john)
Date: Tue Oct 13 20:47:59 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp (solved)
In-Reply-To: <200910131553.57309.yorick_@openoffice.org>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>	<200910131119.07666.yorick_@openoffice.org>
	<4AD3E09D.4080406@og.co.nz>
	<200910131553.57309.yorick_@openoffice.org>
Message-ID: <4AD42E87.5080107@og.co.nz>

Hi Guys

I re-installed the package kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt and everything works as
expected!

The command to re-install was:

zypper in -f kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt

The -f argument forces it to reload even when it is already installed.

What was wrong?
The image had not been sym-linked to /srv/kiwi-ltsp/i386.img
I have no idea why not.

John O'Gorman

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 22:18:53 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 22:19:30 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Update: Now DPKG error - Was Bootup - Not syncing VFS
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:49 AM, Tim Toolman <thetoolman@gmail.com> wrote:
> That error is telling you that it can't find the linux filesystem on hard
> disk(0,0) - that is to say, the first partition on the boot disk. Any chance
> you know how your disk is partitioned?


LONG story short,

Had a chat (online) with a guy in UK  Linux friend & an administrator
of our website.

:- we managed to "e" edit one of the distros - so the login page came up
:- we went into the text-only login of Linux, (the graphic login had
no keyboard or mouse working)..

discovered that the ethernet wasn't going on the linux machine.

- we fixed that...  :)

However, when upgrading & things off the net, we had (& have) problems with dpkg


I have a long chat with him, an hour or more - going through things...
 & have permnission to copy it here (if wanted)..


:- I've texted my workmate, Hopefully bringing my CD to work, & so i
can re-install from scratch tomorow...

QUESTION :-

:- What are the basic instructions on formatting/re-installing the
distro from the CD again ? (I guess there is a 'format' command in
Linux ?)

and / or

If one of you are willing to come over - & see the problem directly,
You may notice something I didn't advise to my UK person..


Q: Would it be helpful to copy the text of our chat - here ??

I've just checked & its 1 1/2 hours  of chat


PS - the "bootup" error has gone - But I have to go into the "e"
screen to get the right version (Hopefully i can remember)

-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From nevynh at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 22:34:41 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Tue Oct 13 22:35:48 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Update: Now DPKG error - Was Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910130234m3a980d82sa907d96eb472379d@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:18 PM, Gordon Stewart >
>
> LONG story short,
>
> Had a chat (online) with a guy in UK ?Linux friend & an administrator
> of our website.
>
> :- we managed to "e" edit one of the distros - so the login page came up
> :- we went into the text-only login of Linux, (the graphic login had
> no keyboard or mouse working)..
>
> discovered that the ethernet wasn't going on the linux machine.
>
> - we fixed that... ?:)
>
> However, when upgrading & things off the net, we had (& have) problems with dpkg
>
>
> I have a long chat with him, an hour or more - going through things...
> ?& have permnission to copy it here (if wanted)..
>
>
> :- I've texted my workmate, Hopefully bringing my CD to work, & so i
> can re-install from scratch tomorow...
>
> QUESTION :-
>
> :- What are the basic instructions on formatting/re-installing the
> distro from the CD again ? (I guess there is a 'format' command in
> Linux ?)
>
> and / or
>
> If one of you are willing to come over - & see the problem directly,
> You may notice something I didn't advise to my UK person..
>
>
> Q: Would it be helpful to copy the text of our chat - here ??
>
> I've just checked & its 1 1/2 hours ?of chat
>
>
> PS - the "bootup" error has gone - But I have to go into the "e"
> screen to get the right version (Hopefully i can remember)
>
> --
> G

Given that you're going to blow it away anyway, you might as well have
a play. From the console, change yourself to root (sudo -i) and type
in: X -configure

This will attempt to figure out the settings for the x server. This
includes keyboard and mouse. If it works you'll be able to use that to
sort our your keyboard and mouse buttons. After the configure bit has
run, it'll give you a command to type in. Type that in and you should
get a gray screen with an X in the middle. Move the x around with the
mouse. If everything looks okay, it's probably a half decent
configuration file. To exit that, press ctrl-alt-backspace (backspace,
not delete).

To make those changes permanent so that you don't have to press ESC-e
and edit everytime you boot, you could just apply the right parameters
in /boot/grub/menu.list

To edit that file, you'll probably find it easiest using nano. Type
in: "sudo nano /boot/grub/menu.list".

You may be able to fix the problems or otherwise, it's a chance to
give it a go anyway and learn something given that there's nothing you
could possibly break even worse given the state of the system.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 22:55:26 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 13 22:55:53 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Update: Now DPKG error - Was Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910130234m3a980d82sa907d96eb472379d@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com> 
	<bcdb9ee50910130234m3a980d82sa907d96eb472379d@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910130255v71bbc1fegbb523c32862939b5@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:34 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> Given that you're going to blow it away anyway, you might as well have
> a play. From the console, change yourself to root (sudo -i) and type
> in: X -configure


Already at root admin/security

can't do X -configure - tells me to remove /tmp/ .XO-lock

(I cant remove it...) - no such file...

best if I just re-format & start again...

PS - the machine itself is fairly new - not old

-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Tue Oct 13 23:30:05 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Tue Oct 13 23:30:57 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp (solved)
In-Reply-To: <4AD42E87.5080107@og.co.nz>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>
	<200910131553.57309.yorick_@openoffice.org> <4AD42E87.5080107@og.co.nz>
Message-ID: <200910132330.05446.yorick_@openoffice.org>

> Hi Guys
> 
> I re-installed the package kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt and everything works as
> expected!
> 
> The command to re-install was:
> 
> zypper in -f kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt
> 
> The -f argument forces it to reload even when it is already installed.
> 
> What was wrong?
> The image had not been sym-linked to /srv/kiwi-ltsp/i386.img
> I have no idea why not.
> 
> John O'Gorman
> 
Hi John,

Excellent, what sort of thin clients are you using?
I'm finding I'm going to have to upgrade the RAM in both my server and clients, but 
the local devices and local apps stuff in KIWI-ltsp certainly seems to have made the 
upgrade worthwhile.

Cheers
GL 

-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant.

Ambassador for OpenSUSE Linux on your Desktop 

INGOTs Assessor Trainer
(International Grades in Office Technologies)
www.theingots.org.nz


From nevynh at gmail.com  Tue Oct 13 23:56:14 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Tue Oct 13 23:56:24 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Update: Now DPKG error - Was Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910130255v71bbc1fegbb523c32862939b5@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910130234m3a980d82sa907d96eb472379d@mail.gmail.com>
	<9a3273a00910130255v71bbc1fegbb523c32862939b5@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910130356p341409d6k7b66ab4018a44c2e@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:55 PM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:34 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Given that you're going to blow it away anyway, you might as well have
>> a play. From the console, change yourself to root (sudo -i) and type
>> in: X -configure
>
>
> Already at root admin/security
>
> can't do X -configure - tells me to remove /tmp/ .XO-lock
>
> (I cant remove it...) - no such file...
>
> best if I just re-format & start again...
>
> PS - the machine itself is fairly new - not old

:) Best time to have a play. Nothing to lose... You're probably in
single user mode which won't let you startX. Singler user mode also
doesn't activate the network adapter which is probably why it appears
not to be working..

Regards,
Nevyn.

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 00:16:15 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Wed Oct 14 00:16:43 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Update: Now DPKG error - Was Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910130356p341409d6k7b66ab4018a44c2e@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com> 
	<bcdb9ee50910130234m3a980d82sa907d96eb472379d@mail.gmail.com> 
	<9a3273a00910130255v71bbc1fegbb523c32862939b5@mail.gmail.com> 
	<bcdb9ee50910130356p341409d6k7b66ab4018a44c2e@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910130416je85ca38me1a8b550b20c2bb4@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 11:56 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> :) Best time to have a play. Nothing to lose... You're probably in
> single user mode which won't let you startX. Singler user mode also
> doesn't activate the network adapter which is probably why it appears
> not to be working..

Yep.. Thats what My UK friend advised.

I'm off to bed - will resume testing / demolishing tomorow -

can someone advise - what is the "usual" procedure to log in WITHOUT
being in 'single user' mode ? - IE networked... (Ie if there were no
issues/problems)



-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 00:23:38 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct 14 00:23:46 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Update: Now DPKG error - Was Bootup - Not syncing VFS
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910130416je85ca38me1a8b550b20c2bb4@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910130218u1e44babfxdc109421953e7f13@mail.gmail.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910130234m3a980d82sa907d96eb472379d@mail.gmail.com>
	<9a3273a00910130255v71bbc1fegbb523c32862939b5@mail.gmail.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910130356p341409d6k7b66ab4018a44c2e@mail.gmail.com>
	<9a3273a00910130416je85ca38me1a8b550b20c2bb4@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910130423p3ca71f6dw142f7bf7f2960319@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 12:16 AM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 11:56 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> :) Best time to have a play. Nothing to lose... You're probably in
>> single user mode which won't let you startX. Singler user mode also
>> doesn't activate the network adapter which is probably why it appears
>> not to be working..
>
> Yep.. Thats what My UK friend advised.
>
> I'm off to bed - will resume testing / demolishing tomorow -
>
> can someone advise - what is the "usual" procedure to log in WITHOUT
> being in 'single user' mode ? - IE networked... (Ie if there were no
> issues/problems)
>
> --
> G

If there are no problems, then you'd let it boot up into gdm. It still
seems odd that you got into single user mode in the first place. No
matter. What are you changing when you edit the boot line?

Regards,
Nevyn.

From Daemonax at orcon.net.nz  Wed Oct 14 08:13:03 2009
From: Daemonax at orcon.net.nz (Josh Martens)
Date: Wed Oct 14 08:13:12 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Wikireader
Message-ID: <1255461183.4104.0.camel@studypad>

Thought some people here might be interested in this.

http://www.thewikireader.com/index.html


From john at og.co.nz  Wed Oct 14 09:47:58 2009
From: john at og.co.nz (john)
Date: Wed Oct 14 09:56:51 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp (solved)
In-Reply-To: <200910132330.05446.yorick_@openoffice.org>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>	<200910131553.57309.yorick_@openoffice.org>
	<4AD42E87.5080107@og.co.nz>
	<200910132330.05446.yorick_@openoffice.org>
Message-ID: <4AD4E77E.2080007@og.co.nz>

Graham Lauder wrote:
>> Hi Guys
>>
>> I re-installed the package kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt and everything works as
>> expected!
>>
>> The command to re-install was:
>>
>> zypper in -f kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt
>>
>> The -f argument forces it to reload even when it is already installed.
>>
>> What was wrong?
>> The image had not been sym-linked to /srv/kiwi-ltsp/i386.img
>> I have no idea why not.
>>
>> John O'Gorman
>>
>>     
> Hi John,
>
> Excellent, what sort of thin clients are you using?
>   
Up till now they have been VIA mini ITX motherboards in small boxes all
sourced from Procase on the North Shore.
Procase are now also offering (although not very publicly) Intel Atom
motherboards which seem very good - faster (although we don't really
need the extra speed) but still fanless and cheaper (maybe because of
the weak US dollar).
Having got the Atom working as a thin client, I added a HDD and a DVD
drive and installed openSUSE 11.1 on it, and I've been using that as my
Kiwi-LTSP server.
I'm impressed at its performance (I had expected it to be very sluggish).
> I'm finding I'm going to have to upgrade the RAM in both my server and clients, but 
> the local devices and local apps stuff in KIWI-ltsp certainly seems to have made the 
>   
A benefit of kiwi-ltsp is that the sound works out of the box. With ltsp
4.2 we had to do a lot of work to get sound working on the thin clients.
Most of the GUI frontends did not support the sound system mandated by
LTSP 4.

Yes I'm pondering the local apps - possibly firefox would take a load
off the server, but it is not a priority for my clients.

John O'G
> upgrade worthwhile.
>
> Cheers
> GL 
>
>   

From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Wed Oct 14 10:39:02 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Wed Oct 14 10:39:12 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <200910130748.n9D7mkpw007001@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910130748.n9D7mkpw007001@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD5AA46.22574.2694A5@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> This effort is much like any Linux effort. Year after year we talk
> about it being the year of Linux and we keep looking for that big
> tipping point. The fact of the matter is that this isn't going to
> happen. If it does, it's going to be a slow progression.
> 
> Think about how much people use open source software in their everyday
> lives. Their cellphones may run Linux, their routers, a lot of the web
> pages they visit etc. They don't even know they're using Linux.
> 
> There is no single effort which is going to cause that "tipping
> point". Moodle is a piece of a puzzle though I do fear it's a bit of a
> hammer - when you have a hammer, every problem is a nail. i.e. people
> fit their needs around what moodle can do rather than exploring the
> options. Plone is often a better choice in the same space, a simple
> flat web page might often do etc.
> 
> Don't get me wrong - I applaud the efforts of the Moodle team. I just
> think people really need to start thinking about what they need from
> software rather than accepting the limitations of the software right
> in front of them.
> 
> This marries up to my big gripes with Spreadsheets. Small businesses
> often use a spreadsheet to do up their invoices and then find in a
> years time they're paying a secretary a days wages to do up reports or
> whatever on the information already contained in the spreadsheets.
> This is another case of looking at the tool rather than the problem.
> 
> I would rather those from the education sector came and presented
> their problem and solutions discussed rather than a straight out
> "XApplication solves all of your problems".
> 
> So no, I'm not waiting for a tipping point and I'm not promoting
> Moodle as a tool to cure what ails you. It's a solution but it's one
> of many.
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.

I found out yesterday that my son's school has started using Moodle. 
So far, the teachers who have been using it have simply been using 
what is there to make information available. Although the manner in 
which this is done could be improved, at least the information has 
become more readily available.

There is a large overlap between the facilities provided by Moodle 
and those provided by Kamar (commercial school administration 
software which is widely used in N.Z.). For that large overlap to be 
useful, an interface or, preferably, a common database would be 
required. An alternative would be a single system. It is likely that 
further development of Moodle would be the most desirable long term 
option, especially in view of the growing popularity of Moodle. 
However, because of the entrenchment of Kamar, an interface would 
probably be necessary for some time to come.

In the school's implementation of Moodle, I noticed provision for 
manual entry of some data which is also held in Kamar. I wonder how 
the school intends to deal with that data.

I have only given first impressions here without any proper 
investigation so I might be talking through a hole in my hat. I have 
not spoken to the school about this.

Don Johnston


From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 11:16:16 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct 14 11:16:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <4AD5AA46.22574.2694A5@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
References: <200910130748.n9D7mkpw007001@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD5AA46.22574.2694A5@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910131516h6587e97cw1b4e296a72b5c948@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 10:39 AM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
>
> I found out yesterday that my son's school has started using Moodle.
> So far, the teachers who have been using it have simply been using
> what is there to make information available. Although the manner in
> which this is done could be improved, at least the information has
> become more readily available.
>
> There is a large overlap between the facilities provided by Moodle
> and those provided by Kamar (commercial school administration
> software which is widely used in N.Z.). For that large overlap to be
> useful, an interface or, preferably, a common database would be
> required. An alternative would be a single system. It is likely that
> further development of Moodle would be the most desirable long term
> option, especially in view of the growing popularity of Moodle.
> However, because of the entrenchment of Kamar, an interface would
> probably be necessary for some time to come.
>
> In the school's implementation of Moodle, I noticed provision for
> manual entry of some data which is also held in Kamar. I wonder how
> the school intends to deal with that data.
>
> I have only given first impressions here without any proper
> investigation so I might be talking through a hole in my hat. I have
> not spoken to the school about this.
>
> Don Johnston

I've continued this conversation here:
http://points.org.nz/pipermail/points-discussion/2009-October/000056.html

I state why Moodle's use should be examined. It's base functionality
isn't looked at before implementing it. Instead, it's touted as a
great tool for schools without it's base functionality examined.
Moodle is an e-learning tool whose lines are blurred by it's
functionality. All sorts of functionality is in there. It can do great
things. The fact that it's touted as a great tool for schools means
that schools adopt it without looking at the alternatives. Plone or
SilverStripe could provide the functionality needed and may be a
better fit in a lot of cases.

So I propose that the issue being solved should be examined before
looking for a solution rather than trying to make the problem fit the
solution.

Sure Moodle can be used and it's base functionality ignored and other
modules used but then, is it a good fit?

I'm not saying Moodle's not a great tool. I'm saying that it's like a
spreadsheet. It's a solution but not a very good one in most
circumstances. In the case of spreadsheets, there's only 3 reasons I
can see for using them in the real world - one offs, prototyping and
doing a half arse job (Thanks Rob for that little gem).

In the case of Moodle, it's been made for elearning. That means
putting up classes grouped by courses.

In a primary school, I can't see this ever fitting the real need. In
secondary school, it'd still be a fairly hard sell. Tech's and
Universities - brilliant as people have chosen a subject and are
likely to go online to do some study. Online courses, brilliant again.

POINTS shouldn't be about a one size fits all solution. That's not the
open source way. Instead, the problem should be examined, the
potential solutions drawn up, and each of those solutions tested for
best fit. We're I.T. people. We can help with this...

Regards,
Nevyn.

From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Wed Oct 14 11:26:17 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Wed Oct 14 11:47:27 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Kiwi-ltsp (solved)
In-Reply-To: <4AD4E77E.2080007@og.co.nz>
References: <4AD38EF2.8030509@og.co.nz>
	<200910132330.05446.yorick_@openoffice.org> <4AD4E77E.2080007@og.co.nz>
Message-ID: <200910141126.17951.yorick_@openoffice.org>

> Graham Lauder wrote:
> >> Hi Guys
> >>
> >> I re-installed the package kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt and everything works as
> >> expected!
> >>
> >> The command to re-install was:
> >>
> >> zypper in -f kiwi-ltsp-prebuilt
> >>
> >> The -f argument forces it to reload even when it is already installed.
> >>
> >> What was wrong?
> >> The image had not been sym-linked to /srv/kiwi-ltsp/i386.img
> >> I have no idea why not.
> >>
> >> John O'Gorman
> >>
> >>     
> > Hi John,
> >
> > Excellent, what sort of thin clients are you using?
> >   
> Up till now they have been VIA mini ITX motherboards in small boxes all
> sourced from Procase on the North Shore.
> Procase are now also offering (although not very publicly) Intel Atom
> motherboards which seem very good - faster (although we don't really
> need the extra speed) but still fanless and cheaper (maybe because of
> the weak US dollar).
> Having got the Atom working as a thin client, I added a HDD and a DVD
> drive and installed openSUSE 11.1 on it, and I've been using that as my
> Kiwi-LTSP server.
> I'm impressed at its performance (I had expected it to be very sluggish).
> > I'm finding I'm going to have to upgrade the RAM in both my server and clients, 
but 
> > the local devices and local apps stuff in KIWI-ltsp certainly seems to have made 
the 
> >   
> A benefit of kiwi-ltsp is that the sound works out of the box. With ltsp
> 4.2 we had to do a lot of work to get sound working on the thin clients.
> Most of the GUI frontends did not support the sound system mandated by
> LTSP 4.
> 
> Yes I'm pondering the local apps - possibly firefox would take a load
> off the server, but it is not a priority for my clients.
> 
> John O'G

The other big one for me was USB on the clients.  That was a hassle with 4.2 to the 
point I gave up on it.  With KIWI-ltsp it worked straight out of the box.  I have 
moments of nostalgia not having to edit dhcp.conf and lts.conf and so on, but 
they're only very brief.  ;)

I'm setting up a boot over the internet setup using NX today. New ground for me so 
it should be interesting to see how it goes.

Cheers
GL

> > upgrade worthwhile.
> >
> > Cheers
> > GL 
> >
> >   
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> 
-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant.

Ambassador for OpenSUSE Linux on your Desktop 

INGOTs Assessor Trainer
(International Grades in Office Technologies)
www.theingots.org.nz


From admin at ncearevision.co.nz  Wed Oct 14 15:05:17 2009
From: admin at ncearevision.co.nz (admin@ncearevision.co.nz)
Date: Wed Oct 14 15:05:26 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <200910132304.n9DN4Ohf027869@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
References: <200910132304.n9DN4Ohf027869@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
Message-ID: <4AD5E8AD.12118.11A5567@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>

> I've continued this conversation here:
> http://points.org.nz/pipermail/points-discussion/2009-October/000056.html
> 
> I state why Moodle's use should be examined. It's base functionality
> isn't looked at before implementing it. Instead, it's touted as a
> great tool for schools without it's base functionality examined.
> Moodle is an e-learning tool whose lines are blurred by it's
> functionality. All sorts of functionality is in there. It can do great
> things. The fact that it's touted as a great tool for schools means
> that schools adopt it without looking at the alternatives. Plone or
> SilverStripe could provide the functionality needed and may be a
> better fit in a lot of cases.
> 
> So I propose that the issue being solved should be examined before
> looking for a solution rather than trying to make the problem fit the
> solution.
> 
> Sure Moodle can be used and it's base functionality ignored and other
> modules used but then, is it a good fit?
> 
> I'm not saying Moodle's not a great tool. I'm saying that it's like a
> spreadsheet. It's a solution but not a very good one in most
> circumstances. In the case of spreadsheets, there's only 3 reasons I
> can see for using them in the real world - one offs, prototyping and
> doing a half arse job (Thanks Rob for that little gem).
> 
> In the case of Moodle, it's been made for elearning. That means
> putting up classes grouped by courses.
> 
> In a primary school, I can't see this ever fitting the real need. In
> secondary school, it'd still be a fairly hard sell. Tech's and
> Universities - brilliant as people have chosen a subject and are
> likely to go online to do some study. Online courses, brilliant again.
> 
> POINTS shouldn't be about a one size fits all solution. That's not the
> open source way. Instead, the problem should be examined, the
> potential solutions drawn up, and each of those solutions tested for
> best fit. We're I.T. people. We can help with this...
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.

I agree wholeheartedly with what Nevyn is saying. However, what 
should be done and what happens in the real world are two very 
different things.

The approach suggested by Nevyn should be promoted strongly, but, in 
reality, it will probably fall on deaf ears.

My son's maths teacher has been doing a far better job using 
http://www.blogger.com than other teachers at his school have done 
using Moodle. I am not aware of any of them using Moodle for what it 
was originally designed for.

Unfortunately, most people look for what they consider to be a "total 
solution" rather than looking closely at their real requirements and 
looking for the best solution for those. Software sales people are 
well aware of this and sell on the basis of lists of features of 
their software rather getting potential customers to examine their 
requirements. The popularity of ERP systems is not surprising because 
they offer what people perceive to be "total solutions".

People want a quick fix now. They tend to be put off by any approach 
which involves them having to do a substantial amount of work 
(including writing down their requirements) in order to get a good 
solution.

In 1983 and 1984, I was working as an EDP (IT) consultant for the 
Computer Services Division (CSD) of the State Services Commission. At 
that time, CSD controlled IT development and procurement in 
government departments. There had been an IT development fiasco in 
the Health Department. Largely as a result of that, CSD insisted that 
government departments use Spectrum (a set of procedures for IT 
projects). The situation changed about 1988 with the restructuring of 
the Public Service. Most organisations do not manage IT projects very 
well.

If the world ends up speaking Moodle then there will be little 
alternative but to improve Moodle just as software developers have 
been developing for Windows because the world speaks Windows. 
However, people should be encouraged to use tools which are more 
appropriate for their needs. What my son's maths teacher has done is 
a good example.

It was once suggested that I use COBOL for the development of 
software for mathematical modelling research because, at that time, 
the world spoke COBOL!

Don Johnston

From stuart at hrdnz.com  Wed Oct 14 18:06:41 2009
From: stuart at hrdnz.com (Stuart Mealor)
Date: Wed Oct 14 18:06:43 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
Message-ID: <108BFC74-15F5-46B1-A22E-BC04EB210C18@hrdnz.com>

Wow.
I am really disappointed by some of the comments here.

Why on earth be so negative about an Open Source product being adopted  
by Schools?
(In New Zealand, as well as the rest of the world).

"Moodle is a piece of a puzzle though I do fear it's a bit of a
> hammer - when you have a hammer, every problem is a nail. i.e. people
> fit their needs around what moodle can do rather than exploring the
> options."
A hammer for what?
It's a CMS - you either want one or you don't.
Same as M$ Excel (and most desktop applications) - only small  
percentage of functionality is used.
But you don't discount the use of an application on that reasoning.

"I just
> think people really need to start thinking about what they need from
> software rather than accepting the limitations of the software"
Yes, that's a staff development issue.
There are no limitation of the software.  It's open source.
It can be interfaced with... well whatever you want really.

> Plone is often a better choice in the same space, a simple
> flat web page might often do etc.
Plone is better in the same space...?  Incorrect.
And "a simple flat web page" being an alternative?!?!?

1. In Moodle you can add a plain web page - it's a standard resource  
type.
2. But what are you talking about here?
Web pages are not what a CMS/LMS is about!
It's about the collaborative and pedagogically driven activities.
The fact that you suggest Plone and web pages are an alternative to  
Moodle is just a reflection that you do not appreciate how Moodle is  
being used (and the wider social constructivist learning models it is  
based on).
There is a reason Moodle is being widely adopted.
Part of the reason is it's got the best functionality.
Part of the reason is it's GPL.

@Don
Yes, the government are directly funding development of Moodle,  
KnowledgeNet, Kamar etc. so they talk to each other.
Moodle is a central and pivotal part of the NZ government's MLE  
(Managed Learning Environment) - which includes front end CMS (Course  
Management Systems) and back-end SMS (Student Management Systems).

The Moodle database is usually on MySQL, although POstgree, MSSQL and  
Oracle are options.
Interoperability is 'open' from the Moodle side.
It's the proprietory tools that need to open their doors to allow  
integration.
That's what the current MLE government funded project is working on.

Stuart Mealor
Managing Director HRDNZ (Moodle Partner)
stuart@hrdnz.com
www.hrdnz.com
Moodle Certification Manager


From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 20:24:30 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct 14 20:24:39 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <108BFC74-15F5-46B1-A22E-BC04EB210C18@hrdnz.com>
References: <108BFC74-15F5-46B1-A22E-BC04EB210C18@hrdnz.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910140024o50c89362lfcb613e845d9f8c2@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 6:06 PM, Stuart Mealor <stuart@hrdnz.com> wrote:
> Wow.
> I am really disappointed by some of the comments here.
>
> Why on earth be so negative about an Open Source product being adopted by
> Schools?
> (In New Zealand, as well as the rest of the world).

I'm not being negative. I'm saying look at your needs first. Moodle is
an e-learning package. Use a CMS if you need a CMS. Use an e-learning
package if you need an e-learning package.

Is it so hard to conceive picking a solution that fits the problem?

From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 20:48:57 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct 14 20:49:07 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910140024o50c89362lfcb613e845d9f8c2@mail.gmail.com>
References: <108BFC74-15F5-46B1-A22E-BC04EB210C18@hrdnz.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910140024o50c89362lfcb613e845d9f8c2@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910140048s44368a57je4539d3f2c0078ff@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 8:24 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 6:06 PM, Stuart Mealor <stuart@hrdnz.com> wrote:
>> Wow.
>> I am really disappointed by some of the comments here.
>>
>> Why on earth be so negative about an Open Source product being adopted by
>> Schools?
>> (In New Zealand, as well as the rest of the world).
>
> I'm not being negative. I'm saying look at your needs first. Moodle is
> an e-learning package. Use a CMS if you need a CMS. Use an e-learning
> package if you need an e-learning package.
>
> Is it so hard to conceive picking a solution that fits the problem?

Okay lets look at this. I'm saying that Moodle is being used for
things other than it's original intent. Great BUT it's not the
solution for everything. When endorsing it, that intent should be
stated. I am not going to start shouting Moodle! at everyone.

It's great in tertiary institutions where there's value to having
their content online. I'm not sure this applies to primary schools. I
don't think it suits a lot of the ways people are using Moodle. I
don't endorse this sort of rubbish because it's very much a
proprietary attitude. Make the problem fit the solution as opposed to
trying to find the right solution to the problem.

If you think this is a big piece of negativity towards open source
software, perhaps you need to go and have a look at the choices out
there. Hell, I was of the impression that one of the big advantages of
Open Source was having choice.

Seriously, encouraging people to look at options can not be a bad
thing unless you stand to make money from endorsing Moodle. Even then,
don't go expecting me to help you push a product with out first
looking at the needs. I've made this sentiment very clear on POINTS.
Moodle's got a mention but it's balanced with a "look at the problem
first". If you're all that concerned, you'd be arguing on there rather
than expecting other people to push a product, which judging from your
email address, you make money from.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 21:24:57 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct 14 21:25:15 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] December Meeting
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910140124k23be9427jf18a2e4e827154c7@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Everyone,

November's meeting is sorted. I'll send out an announcement soon.

I don't think we normally do a meeting in December and things normally
don't get started again until February/March. However.... I was
thinking. How would people feel about something a little different in
December? Kind of a AuckLUG Xmas do. Get out of our
basements/offices/classrooms for a bit and have a bbq in a park or
something.

What do people think and is there anyone who would be willing to lend
s their bbq for a day? Suggestions for a park or beach? This would
even be child friendly. Brilliant. UALUG want to get in on the act?

Regards,
Nevyn.

From talsemgeest at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 21:36:09 2009
From: talsemgeest at gmail.com (Tommy Alsemgeest)
Date: Wed Oct 14 21:36:19 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] December Meeting
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910140124k23be9427jf18a2e4e827154c7@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910140124k23be9427jf18a2e4e827154c7@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <6c4a2bfd0910140136g23579233q15c3205976e2430f@mail.gmail.com>

I'm not 100% sure if it is still there, but there used to be a public BBQ in
Cornwall Park, which I think would be perfect for a Kiwi Xmas get-together.

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 9:24 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> November's meeting is sorted. I'll send out an announcement soon.
>
> I don't think we normally do a meeting in December and things normally
> don't get started again until February/March. However.... I was
> thinking. How would people feel about something a little different in
> December? Kind of a AuckLUG Xmas do. Get out of our
> basements/offices/classrooms for a bit and have a bbq in a park or
> something.
>
> What do people think and is there anyone who would be willing to lend
> s their bbq for a day? Suggestions for a park or beach? This would
> even be child friendly. Brilliant. UALUG want to get in on the act?
>
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 21:37:55 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Wed Oct 14 21:38:05 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] December Meeting
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910140124k23be9427jf18a2e4e827154c7@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910140124k23be9427jf18a2e4e827154c7@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910140137i1080d014v223025f515cf80b1@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/14 Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com>:
> I don't think we normally do a meeting in December and things normally
> don't get started again until February/March. However.... I was
> thinking. How would people feel about something a little different in
> December? Kind of a AuckLUG Xmas do. Get out of our
> basements/offices/classrooms for a bit and have a bbq in a park or
> something.
>
> What do people think and is there anyone who would be willing to lend
> s their bbq for a day? Suggestions for a park or beach? This would
> even be child friendly. Brilliant. UALUG want to get in on the act?

yeah, i'm in!

sorry, i don't have a barbie though. cornwall park would be good, as
would the domain

From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Wed Oct 14 21:59:32 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Wed Oct 14 22:15:24 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910131516h6587e97cw1b4e296a72b5c948@mail.gmail.com>
References: <200910130748.n9D7mkpw007001@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD5AA46.22574.2694A5@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
	<bcdb9ee50910131516h6587e97cw1b4e296a72b5c948@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <200910142159.32491.yorick_@openoffice.org>

> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 10:39 AM,  <admin@ncearevision.co.nz> wrote:
> >
> > I found out yesterday that my son's school has started using Moodle.
> > So far, the teachers who have been using it have simply been using
> > what is there to make information available. Although the manner in
> > which this is done could be improved, at least the information has
> > become more readily available.
> >
> > There is a large overlap between the facilities provided by Moodle
> > and those provided by Kamar (commercial school administration
> > software which is widely used in N.Z.). For that large overlap to be
> > useful, an interface or, preferably, a common database would be
> > required. An alternative would be a single system. It is likely that
> > further development of Moodle would be the most desirable long term
> > option, especially in view of the growing popularity of Moodle.
> > However, because of the entrenchment of Kamar, an interface would
> > probably be necessary for some time to come.
> >
> > In the school's implementation of Moodle, I noticed provision for
> > manual entry of some data which is also held in Kamar. I wonder how
> > the school intends to deal with that data.
> >
> > I have only given first impressions here without any proper
> > investigation so I might be talking through a hole in my hat. I have
> > not spoken to the school about this.
> >
> > Don Johnston
> 
> I've continued this conversation here:
> http://points.org.nz/pipermail/points-discussion/2009-October/000056.html
> 
> I state why Moodle's use should be examined. It's base functionality
> isn't looked at before implementing it. Instead, it's touted as a
> great tool for schools without it's base functionality examined.
> Moodle is an e-learning tool whose lines are blurred by it's
> functionality. All sorts of functionality is in there. It can do great
> things. The fact that it's touted as a great tool for schools means
> that schools adopt it without looking at the alternatives. Plone or
> SilverStripe could provide the functionality needed and may be a
> better fit in a lot of cases.
> 
> So I propose that the issue being solved should be examined before
> looking for a solution rather than trying to make the problem fit the
> solution.
> 
> Sure Moodle can be used and it's base functionality ignored and other
> modules used but then, is it a good fit?
> 
> I'm not saying Moodle's not a great tool. I'm saying that it's like a
> spreadsheet. It's a solution but not a very good one in most
> circumstances. In the case of spreadsheets, there's only 3 reasons I
> can see for using them in the real world - one offs, prototyping and
> doing a half arse job (Thanks Rob for that little gem).
> 
> In the case of Moodle, it's been made for elearning. That means
> putting up classes grouped by courses.
> 
> In a primary school, I can't see this ever fitting the real need. In
> secondary school, it'd still be a fairly hard sell. Tech's and
> Universities - brilliant as people have chosen a subject and are
> likely to go online to do some study. Online courses, brilliant again.
> 
> POINTS shouldn't be about a one size fits all solution. That's not the
> open source way. Instead, the problem should be examined, the
> potential solutions drawn up, and each of those solutions tested for
> best fit. We're I.T. people. We can help with this...
> 
> Regards,
> Nevyn.

Hmm, well I believe the primary reason that Moodle is so good at what it does is 
because it was created by teachers.

I'm with Stuart on this particular issue.  Most times this sort of criticism comes 
from people with little understanding of the pedagogical roots that Moodle comes 
from.  It's not an "Elearning " tool, although it can be that, it's a learning 
environment which uses a distributed network to connect learners, teachers and 
resources to achieve pedagogical outcomes

Now sure, you could hack at Plone and Drupal  to get it to do some things as well 
but probably not in a way it would connect with teachers and it would cost a fortune 
to get a substandard outcome.  

Here is the news, it is not good enough for an opensource application to be better 
than the marketing of a proprietary competitor, god knows I know that better than 
most.  It has to be spectacularly better in a way that cannot be ignored.  Moodle is 
just that, and that's why it's where it is instead of Drupal or Joomla or Plone  
whatever in the place of Blackboard and other proprietary monstrosities. 

There are many reasons why it is so popular, but I think it's because teachers look 
at a feature, at the way it performs some particular function and they think: "If I 
was writing the code for this, that's exactly how I would have done it."  Martin may 
be a hacker but he's an educator first and teachers relate to that. 
 
-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant.

Ambassador for OpenSUSE Linux on your Desktop 

INGOTs Assessor Trainer
(International Grades in Office Technologies)
www.theingots.org.nz


From nevynh at gmail.com  Wed Oct 14 23:36:01 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Wed Oct 14 23:36:17 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <200910142159.32491.yorick_@openoffice.org>
References: <200910130748.n9D7mkpw007001@gaffer.hosts.net.nz>
	<4AD5AA46.22574.2694A5@admin.ncearevision.co.nz>
	<bcdb9ee50910131516h6587e97cw1b4e296a72b5c948@mail.gmail.com>
	<200910142159.32491.yorick_@openoffice.org>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910140336k5341f8d7y1805a07e7815f022@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 9:59 PM, Graham Lauder <yorick_@openoffice.org> wrote:
>
> Hmm, well I believe the primary reason that Moodle is so good at what it does is
> because it was created by teachers.
>
> I'm with Stuart on this particular issue. ?Most times this sort of criticism comes
> from people with little understanding of the pedagogical roots that Moodle comes
> from. ?It's not an "Elearning " tool, although it can be that, it's a learning
> environment which uses a distributed network to connect learners, teachers and
> resources to achieve pedagogical outcomes
>
> Now sure, you could hack at Plone and Drupal ?to get it to do some things as well
> but probably not in a way it would connect with teachers and it would cost a fortune
> to get a substandard outcome.
>
> Here is the news, it is not good enough for an opensource application to be better
> than the marketing of a proprietary competitor, god knows I know that better than
> most. ?It has to be spectacularly better in a way that cannot be ignored. ?Moodle is
> just that, and that's why it's where it is instead of Drupal or Joomla or Plone
> whatever in the place of Blackboard and other proprietary monstrosities.
>
> There are many reasons why it is so popular, but I think it's because teachers look
> at a feature, at the way it performs some particular function and they think: "If I
> was writing the code for this, that's exactly how I would have done it." ?Martin may
> be a hacker but he's an educator first and teachers relate to that.
>
> --
> Graham Lauder,

I really don't subscribe to the idea that it's a golden bullet. A
place to collaborate - I'm sure mediawiki would tout itself in the
same way.

I was saying Plone is suitable for some of what I've seen Moodle used
for. Moodle in these cases has been complete overkill. The site was
just a news letter type thing but the school had heard of Moodle and
how great it was without really looking at what they needed out of the
system and choosing a solution that fit them.

I'm not saying that Moodle isn't suitable - I'm saying that I've seen
examples of Moodle being used where Moodle really isn't necessary. A
news letter site could just about be done on a flat web page. A
simpler CMS even.

If Moodle is being used as a place to collaborate, then fine. But
again, I'm not promoting Moodle for the sake of promoting Moodle.
There has to be a reason for people wanting to go down that path not
just a "because Moodle is great" sentiment. Great solution if you're
using it for the right thing. It's like using a word processor for
accounting. Sure a word processor is a *ahem* great tool, but it's not
so great when you're using it for the wrong thing.

People need to first look at the functionality they want. If they want
the functionality delivered by Drupal or Joomla or Silverstripe etc.
then perhaps Moodle isn't the best fit and Drupal or Joomla or
Silverstripe would be appropriate for them. They occupy completely
different spaces and that's what I'm trying to get at here. Moodle
isn't THE solution. There are choices based on need and we need to
look at the need first before suggesting a solution.

So I am not going to tout a solution without hearing what they want
from a system first. That's not why I've spent so much time on POINTS.
That's not what I consider productive in anyway whatsoever.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 03:02:56 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Thu Oct 15 03:03:40 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Reinstalled
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com>

Hi,

I re-installed Linux to 8.10

and did "updates" for it - all of the night :)

its still going as of now (finished updates) - See if it breaks
tomorow..  - & check on upgrading to next level (But NOT to version
9.xx ) - Dont want to break it again...


:)
-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From stuart at hrdnz.com  Thu Oct 15 09:50:36 2009
From: stuart at hrdnz.com (Stuart Mealor)
Date: Thu Oct 15 09:50:54 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
Message-ID: <91869E75-140B-4661-9829-7E338B2F12BC@hrdnz.com>

I'm starting to tire a little on some of the negatively in this thread.
However for everyone's benefit (people posting constructive comments)  
I will respond here as positively as I can...

Nevyn:
>  Even then,
> don't go expecting me to help you push a product with out first
> looking at the needs. I've made this sentiment very clear on POINTS.
> Moodle's got a mention but it's balanced with a "look at the problem
> first". If you're all that concerned, you'd be arguing on there rather
> than expecting other people to push a product, which judging from your
> email address, you make money from.


1. Anyone can re-read this thread.
I have not made any statements suggesting I "expected anyone to help  
push a product".

2. Yes, our company is a Moodle Partner.
We give 10% of all invoices we raise for Moodle work directly to the  
Moodle development fiund, and we pay an annual fee.
As an New Zealand company we are proud to be involved with Moodle.

FYI we also created the Moodle Course Creator Certificate (MCCC).
This is delivered all around the world by Moodle Partners, whom we  
directly support.
It is a huge and unique contribution to Moodle that is recognised  
globally as being an NZ initiative (let's be happy about that!)

3. As Graham says, Moodle is a fantastic piece of software that leaves  
Blackboard, WebCT, FirstClass, etc. etc. way behind.
Parallels to Open Office (which I use exclusively as my office suite)  
and MS Office.
It's not perfect, of course not.
But it is GPL, free, and driven by teachers.
It's the best tool for the job.
If you are criticising Moodle functionality then you do not understand  
what it is for,
...or you are simply focussing on the inept use of the application.
All other e-learning applications are valid (we regularly use eXe,  
MyUdutu, Wink, Camtasia, Hot Potatoes, etc. etc.)
It's not a 'Moodle or something else' scenario.

4. ULearn last week had 1,800 teachers - half from primary schools,  
25% maybe secondary, and then 'others'.
In every session presentations were being made by teachers using  
Moodle, sharing their experiences.
Teachers love Moodle, it gives them the framework to then go onto  
other things :-)

Conclusion

If anyone goes into schools and is negative towards Moodle it is going  
to set a very bad impression for POINTS (please bear in mind that NZ  
government, and funding, is now solidly behind Moodle as part of the  
NZ MLE).

And note Nevyn, I have not got directly involved with this POINTS  
project for the very reason you suggest above!
Our company makes a living from Moodle support, and therefore it is  
not appropriate for me to be involved with POINTS (it could be viewed  
as 'back-door marketing' or conflict of interest I guess?).
So I elected voluntarily to not get directly involved (although I  
remain happy to contribute here).
I don't appreciate you suggesting my involvement here is to make money  
and persuade others to support Moodle.

I'm happy to step back from this thread if it is distracting for  
people.  Let me know.
I'm not going to spend my time arguing points (no pun intended!) with  
someone who is leading pro open source project for schools, and yet so  
critical of the success of Moodle.

Stuart

Stuart Mealor
Managing Director HRDNZ (Moodle Partner)
www.hrdnz.com
Moodle Certification Manager


From nevynh at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 13:03:31 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Thu Oct 15 13:03:42 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Reinstalled
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910141703r5d90d7e7r8807dc6168b8d94d@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 3:02 AM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I re-installed Linux to 8.10
>
> and did "updates" for it - all of the night :)
>
> its still going as of now (finished updates) - See if it breaks
> tomorow.. ?- & check on upgrading to next level (But NOT to version
> 9.xx ) - Dont want to break it again...
>
>
> :)
> --
> G

Big girls blouse ;)

Really need to get you an updated disk. Normally Jaco would be the one
for this but he left just this morning (getting married in South
Africa). I could possibly send you one in the post if I ever get my
act together.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From thetoolman at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 13:11:02 2009
From: thetoolman at gmail.com (Tim Toolman)
Date: Thu Oct 15 13:11:08 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Reinstalled
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910141703r5d90d7e7r8807dc6168b8d94d@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910141703r5d90d7e7r8807dc6168b8d94d@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <d69be7e20910141711wa916e5bo6ffc50db587e9042@mail.gmail.com>

yep 9.04 is old, and 9.10 (karmic koala) is out in a few weeks.  The kubuntu
karmic beta is very nice, been using for a week now.

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:03 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 3:02 AM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I re-installed Linux to 8.10
> >
> > and did "updates" for it - all of the night :)
> >
> > its still going as of now (finished updates) - See if it breaks
> > tomorow..  - & check on upgrading to next level (But NOT to version
> > 9.xx ) - Dont want to break it again...
> >
> >
> > :)
> > --
> > G
>
> Big girls blouse ;)
>
> Really need to get you an updated disk. Normally Jaco would be the one
> for this but he left just this morning (getting married in South
> Africa). I could possibly send you one in the post if I ever get my
> act together.
>
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Tim Taylor
+64 21 48 1275 - my old-new number!
From nevynh at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 13:16:33 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Thu Oct 15 13:16:40 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: ULearn, Moodle, schools
In-Reply-To: <91869E75-140B-4661-9829-7E338B2F12BC@hrdnz.com>
References: <91869E75-140B-4661-9829-7E338B2F12BC@hrdnz.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910141716g888c335q15feba78bb9dbc54@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 9:50 AM, Stuart Mealor <stuart@hrdnz.com> wrote:
>
>
> I'm happy to step back from this thread if it is distracting for people.
> ?Let me know.
> I'm not going to spend my time arguing points (no pun intended!) with
> someone who is leading pro open source project for schools, and yet so
> critical of the success of Moodle.
>
> Stuart

I think we're talking around each other here.

You said that it may be handy for POINTS. In what context? Without
context I would just be pushing something which I've seen being used
badly. I don't think this reflects negatively on the product itself. I
think it's just people not really thinking about the problem they're
trying to solve.

If you see a comment of "define the context first before pushing a
product" as negative, then perhaps we've got a problem. If you can't
define that context, perhaps it's not as great a tool as you're
suggesting.

I have at no stage said that Moodle is a bad tool, just that it's got
so much functionality it's purpose can be blurred. If you can define
that purpose, then perhaps it's something that would be useful to
POINTS.

It's really not that hard.

I'm not critical of the success of Moodle. I'm critical of the way
it's being pushed without any context being defined. It's like me
saying:

"I love grep. Grep is a fantastic tool".

The statement has no context. Can it wash my dishes? Can it put up a
website? Is it good for word processing? Well then, what is it good
for?

And that's what I'm saying about Moodle. I'm not saying it's a bad
tool and I've never said that (stop inferring). I'm saying, without
looking at the opportunity you're trying to create or the problem
you're trying to solve, Moodle is about as worthless as the mud in my
backyard.

A lot of what Moodle is being used for, because people don't look at
the problem they're solving and you seem to be at the forefront of
this attitude, tends to be overkill for what they need. They could as
easily use a CMS as I suggested and in a few rare cases, even a flat
webpage would suffice. Moodle is as I understand it a brilliant tool.
But give it context!

Regards,
Nevyn.

From vik at catalyst.net.nz  Thu Oct 15 13:18:50 2009
From: vik at catalyst.net.nz (Vik Olliver)
Date: Thu Oct 15 13:19:01 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Reinstalled
In-Reply-To: <d69be7e20910141711wa916e5bo6ffc50db587e9042@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com>	<bcdb9ee50910141703r5d90d7e7r8807dc6168b8d94d@mail.gmail.com>
	<d69be7e20910141711wa916e5bo6ffc50db587e9042@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4AD66A6A.6070608@catalyst.net.nz>

On 15/10/09 Tim Toolman wrote:
> yep 9.04 is old, and 9.10 (karmic koala) is out in a few weeks.  The 
> kubuntu karmic beta is very nice, been using for a week now.

Beware of upgrading peacemeal. If you manually install the current
karmic libc without *all* its dependencies it will delete your
/sbin/ldconfig before the install fails. Then dpkg won't work anymore.
Yes I have raised a bug report.

Vik :v)

From nevynh at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 13:20:35 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Thu Oct 15 13:20:43 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Reinstalled
In-Reply-To: <d69be7e20910141711wa916e5bo6ffc50db587e9042@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com>
	<bcdb9ee50910141703r5d90d7e7r8807dc6168b8d94d@mail.gmail.com>
	<d69be7e20910141711wa916e5bo6ffc50db587e9042@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910141720g3eab451ak8a80a293e697dd0f@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:11 PM, Tim Toolman <thetoolman@gmail.com> wrote:
> yep 9.04 is old, and 9.10 (karmic koala) is out in a few weeks. ?The kubuntu
> karmic beta is very nice, been using for a week now.

I've had mixed results. On one machine it's done wonders, on the
other, it isn't quite up there yet.

The machine it's done wonders on uses an Intel chipset and although
it's still a tad flaky (buttons on blender) it's an improvement.

The other machine I regularly use a set of bluetooth headphones which
I couldn't for the life of me get the a2dp working on meaning I was
stuck with crappy quality sound. Past tense - I've since moved that
machine back to Jaunty.

Regards,
Nevyn

From james.j.graham at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 21:54:24 2009
From: james.j.graham at gmail.com (James Graham)
Date: Thu Oct 15 21:54:33 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
Message-ID: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>

Hey guys,

I'm new to this group , and I'm stuck on step 1 with my recently acquired
VPS. Not sure if this is the right place to be mailing this, but here goes:
I've rented a VPS server from HostingDirect, and the thing is completely
empty. It has a basic management system, but I can't get it to do anything.
They won't help because they say it's right the way it is, despite it not
being what I asked for for my needs. I can't figure out how to install
anything on it to make it work like a normal hosting service.

Anyone able to help? I can't pay much, but I need this server up.

Thanks,

James
From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Thu Oct 15 22:30:25 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Thu Oct 15 22:30:38 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>

I've just had a look at their site & they offer a number of different
hosting plans and operating systems (Freebsd, Ubuntu, Debian, Centos)
Which plan and OS did you choose?

Bruce

2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>

> Hey guys,
>
> I'm new to this group , and I'm stuck on step 1 with my recently acquired
> VPS. Not sure if this is the right place to be mailing this, but here goes:
> I've rented a VPS server from HostingDirect, and the thing is completely
> empty. It has a basic management system, but I can't get it to do anything.
> They won't help because they say it's right the way it is, despite it not
> being what I asked for for my needs. I can't figure out how to install
> anything on it to make it work like a normal hosting service.
>
> Anyone able to help? I can't pay much, but I need this server up.
>
> Thanks,
>
> James
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From james.j.graham at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 22:36:05 2009
From: james.j.graham at gmail.com (James Graham)
Date: Thu Oct 15 22:36:15 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>

Hey Bruce,

                 It's an Ubuntu based OS, with the LAMP open source web
platform, but other than that there is nothing. Does that help?

James

2009/10/15 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>

> I've just had a look at their site & they offer a number of different
> hosting plans and operating systems (Freebsd, Ubuntu, Debian, Centos)
> Which plan and OS did you choose?
>
> Bruce
>
> 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
>
> > Hey guys,
> >
> > I'm new to this group , and I'm stuck on step 1 with my recently acquired
> > VPS. Not sure if this is the right place to be mailing this, but here
> goes:
> > I've rented a VPS server from HostingDirect, and the thing is completely
> > empty. It has a basic management system, but I can't get it to do
> anything.
> > They won't help because they say it's right the way it is, despite it not
> > being what I asked for for my needs. I can't figure out how to install
> > anything on it to make it work like a normal hosting service.
> >
> > Anyone able to help? I can't pay much, but I need this server up.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > James
> > _______________________________________________
> > AuckLUG mailing list
> > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Bruce Clement
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Thu Oct 15 22:59:11 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Thu Oct 15 22:59:22 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>

A little.
This one: https://www.hostingdirect.co.nz/services/virtual-private-servers"Ready
to Go Application Servers based on Ubuntu Server and Webmin" ... LAMP
Turnkey?

Webmin http://www.webmin.com/ is the control panel, it's pretty powerful and
lets you do all the basics for setting up your domains & webservers.  You'll
need to connect to port 10000 on your server (Hopefully this will be set up
on https) https://www.yourdomain.name:10000/ (or possibly
https://your-ip-address:10000/

You'll probably need to upload your application manually. If you're running
KDE at home, you can use the fish:// protocol, otherwise you might like to
consider rsync.

Seriously, this isn't an easy job for a beginner. If you are a beginner you
might be well served asking them if they will do some paid setup for you.
Otherwise expect to rapidly become an expert.

Hope this helps

Bruce

2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>

> Hey Bruce,
>
>                 It's an Ubuntu based OS, with the LAMP open source web
> platform, but other than that there is nothing. Does that help?
>
> James
>
> 2009/10/15 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>
>
> > I've just had a look at their site & they offer a number of different
> > hosting plans and operating systems (Freebsd, Ubuntu, Debian, Centos)
> > Which plan and OS did you choose?
> >
> > Bruce
> >
> > 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
> >
> > > Hey guys,
> > >
> > > I'm new to this group , and I'm stuck on step 1 with my recently
> acquired
> > > VPS. Not sure if this is the right place to be mailing this, but here
> > goes:
> > > I've rented a VPS server from HostingDirect, and the thing is
> completely
> > > empty. It has a basic management system, but I can't get it to do
> > anything.
> > > They won't help because they say it's right the way it is, despite it
> not
> > > being what I asked for for my needs. I can't figure out how to install
> > > anything on it to make it work like a normal hosting service.
> > >
> > > Anyone able to help? I can't pay much, but I need this server up.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > James
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Bruce Clement
> > _______________________________________________
> > AuckLUG mailing list
> > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> >
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From nevynh at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 23:03:14 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Thu Oct 15 23:03:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910150303t3935b43fm15a72cf391c70fe0@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 10:36 PM, James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Bruce,
>
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? It's an Ubuntu based OS, with the LAMP open source web
> platform, but other than that there is nothing. Does that help?
>
> James

This is going to be loads of fun! Can you use ssh to get into the box?

ssh [ip address]

Once you're there, depending on what you're wanting to do, you should
be able to use apt-get to install various bits and pieces on there...

Given that it's a lamp server, you should be able to build a site in
/var/www and it'll show up as http://[ip address].

Regards,
Nevyn

From james.j.graham at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 23:28:46 2009
From: james.j.graham at gmail.com (James Graham)
Date: Thu Oct 15 23:29:15 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>

Hey Bruce,

                 thanks for the help. I will look into what you have said
and see if I can get it to work. Yes, it is that one.

Hey Nevyn,

                I can access the box with the SHH terminal. Assuming I just
want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and Flash based websites,
or website, what applications would I need to install via the  apt-get
command? What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// .....
instead of the IP address?
From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 23:44:37 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Thu Oct 15 23:45:55 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of linux ?
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com>

http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

Basically,  I want to do this :-

http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-configure-synergy-in-six-steps/

But when I get here :-  As root on the Ubuntu machine, create an
/etc/synergy.conf file with the command ?sudo vi /etc/synergy.conf?

Its like mission-impossible to get the right text in the right place.,
(I make 1 mistake & in order to fix it, you create 10 more mistakes)

I have a guy (or 2) in UK - Very experiemced & I'm wondering if its
possible to give them remote-control  & easily set it up..

(I've got my Windows Xp version set up (I think)....  But very minor
tasks on linux, seem to take forever... )

-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Thu Oct 15 23:47:42 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Thu Oct 15 23:48:02 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150347l4d093999oe41ba343e7cdc85d@mail.gmail.com>

"Assuming I just want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and
Flash based websites, or website, what applications would I need to install"
You should already have pretty much everything you need installed to deploy
your websites. I'd strongly suggest against developing them on a production
server, especially if it's a remote one. I'd develop them on a local Ubuntu
desktop (Even if you prefer another distro, use Ubuntu as it most nearly
mirrors your production environment) then copy them to the remote server.

If you don't have rsync loaded, I'd add that, it's invaluable for backups &
moving files between home and the server.

"What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// ..... instead of the
IP address?"

Add DNS for your domain: go into webmin, select servers, select Bind DNS
Servers, Create a master zone for your domain. Add in (At least) A records
for the domain name and the www. subdomain. While you are playing with them
set the times (refresh, expiry, negative cache) fairly low, I usually use
300 seconds (5 minutes) while sorting things out.

If you want all domains to be the same, just use the default document root
for your apache server. If you want multiple domains, in webmin add a
virtual server for your domain: select servers, select apache web server,
select create virtual host. Hint: make the document root a directory inside
your home directory, make life easier later ... you do have a strong
password, don't you.

2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>

> Hey Bruce,
>
>                 thanks for the help. I will look into what you have said
> and see if I can get it to work. Yes, it is that one.
>
> Hey Nevyn,
>
>                I can access the box with the SHH terminal. Assuming I just
> want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and Flash based
> websites,
> or website, what applications would I need to install via the  apt-get
> command? What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// .....
> instead of the IP address?
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From james.j.graham at gmail.com  Thu Oct 15 23:55:46 2009
From: james.j.graham at gmail.com (James Graham)
Date: Thu Oct 15 23:55:53 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <9da4db1f0910150347l4d093999oe41ba343e7cdc85d@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150347l4d093999oe41ba343e7cdc85d@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e288005d0910150355iea760f3t8cdf20dbbc699d30@mail.gmail.com>

Hey Bruce,

                I use Ubuntu 9.04 as my main desktop, so that will come in
handy. I will find and add Rsync.  I appreciate the advice, I will try and
get this to work myself. Yes, I do have a secure password, most of my
official p/ws are over 30 character combinations.  If I manage to fail to
get it to work, how long do you think someone with the skills to set this up
would hypothetically take?

Cheers,

James.

2009/10/15 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>

> "Assuming I just want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and
> Flash based websites, or website, what applications would I need to
> install"
> You should already have pretty much everything you need installed to deploy
> your websites. I'd strongly suggest against developing them on a production
> server, especially if it's a remote one. I'd develop them on a local Ubuntu
> desktop (Even if you prefer another distro, use Ubuntu as it most nearly
> mirrors your production environment) then copy them to the remote server.
>
> If you don't have rsync loaded, I'd add that, it's invaluable for backups &
> moving files between home and the server.
>
> "What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// ..... instead of
> the
> IP address?"
>
> Add DNS for your domain: go into webmin, select servers, select Bind DNS
> Servers, Create a master zone for your domain. Add in (At least) A records
> for the domain name and the www. subdomain. While you are playing with them
> set the times (refresh, expiry, negative cache) fairly low, I usually use
> 300 seconds (5 minutes) while sorting things out.
>
> If you want all domains to be the same, just use the default document root
> for your apache server. If you want multiple domains, in webmin add a
> virtual server for your domain: select servers, select apache web server,
> select create virtual host. Hint: make the document root a directory inside
> your home directory, make life easier later ... you do have a strong
> password, don't you.
>
> 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
>
> > Hey Bruce,
> >
> >                 thanks for the help. I will look into what you have said
> > and see if I can get it to work. Yes, it is that one.
> >
> > Hey Nevyn,
> >
> >                I can access the box with the SHH terminal. Assuming I
> just
> > want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and Flash based
> > websites,
> > or website, what applications would I need to install via the  apt-get
> > command? What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// .....
> > instead of the IP address?
> > _______________________________________________
> > AuckLUG mailing list
> > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Bruce Clement
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Thu Oct 15 23:57:04 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Thu Oct 15 23:57:13 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of linux
	?
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150357ybad2349k29fba6d2e89d6dcd@mail.gmail.com>

Assuming you can trust them, just create them as users & add them to the
admin group. They can then use sudo. This makes them system admins with full
permissions to do anything. At the end of the day, you have to trust your
system admins so there's nothing scary about it.
As a more linux centric approach, rather than using a windows centric remote
control, you might prefer investigating remote X11 windows. You can then
just open remote applications as if they were local windows on your linux
desktop.

Cheers

Bruce

2009/10/15 Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com>

> http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/
>
> Basically,  I want to do this :-
>
> http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-configure-synergy-in-six-steps/
>
> But when I get here :-  As root on the Ubuntu machine, create an
> /etc/synergy.conf file with the command ?sudo vi /etc/synergy.conf?
>
> Its like mission-impossible to get the right text in the right place.,
> (I make 1 mistake & in order to fix it, you create 10 more mistakes)
>
> I have a guy (or 2) in UK - Very experiemced & I'm wondering if its
> possible to give them remote-control  & easily set it up..
>
> (I've got my Windows Xp version set up (I think)....  But very minor
> tasks on linux, seem to take forever... )
>
> --
> G
> Freecycle Auckland :-
> http://www.freecycle.org/
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Fri Oct 16 00:06:20 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Fri Oct 16 00:06:29 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <e288005d0910150355iea760f3t8cdf20dbbc699d30@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150347l4d093999oe41ba343e7cdc85d@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150355iea760f3t8cdf20dbbc699d30@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150406p1b07a673u7c6752450cddbcba@mail.gmail.com>

Assuming everything is already going & they are familiar with webmin, I'm
guessing 15 minutes; but there's usually at least one gotcha in any setup,
so say an hour, tops.

One think I forgot to say, is when you first set up your development
environment, download the default one into your empty local directory :) ...
so you don't forget something vital.

If you're using rsync, always move whole directories with "rsync -avz
source_directory/ target_directory/" as the slashes help it understand it's
dealing with directories. The v gives a running comentary.

Regards

Bruce

2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>

> Hey Bruce,
>
>                I use Ubuntu 9.04 as my main desktop, so that will come in
> handy. I will find and add Rsync.  I appreciate the advice, I will try and
> get this to work myself. Yes, I do have a secure password, most of my
> official p/ws are over 30 character combinations.  If I manage to fail to
> get it to work, how long do you think someone with the skills to set this
> up
> would hypothetically take?
>
> Cheers,
>
> James.
>
> 2009/10/15 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>
>
> > "Assuming I just want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and
> > Flash based websites, or website, what applications would I need to
> > install"
> > You should already have pretty much everything you need installed to
> deploy
> > your websites. I'd strongly suggest against developing them on a
> production
> > server, especially if it's a remote one. I'd develop them on a local
> Ubuntu
> > desktop (Even if you prefer another distro, use Ubuntu as it most nearly
> > mirrors your production environment) then copy them to the remote server.
> >
> > If you don't have rsync loaded, I'd add that, it's invaluable for backups
> &
> > moving files between home and the server.
> >
> > "What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// ..... instead of
> > the
> > IP address?"
> >
> > Add DNS for your domain: go into webmin, select servers, select Bind DNS
> > Servers, Create a master zone for your domain. Add in (At least) A
> records
> > for the domain name and the www. subdomain. While you are playing with
> them
> > set the times (refresh, expiry, negative cache) fairly low, I usually use
> > 300 seconds (5 minutes) while sorting things out.
> >
> > If you want all domains to be the same, just use the default document
> root
> > for your apache server. If you want multiple domains, in webmin add a
> > virtual server for your domain: select servers, select apache web server,
> > select create virtual host. Hint: make the document root a directory
> inside
> > your home directory, make life easier later ... you do have a strong
> > password, don't you.
> >
> > 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
> >
> > > Hey Bruce,
> > >
> > >                 thanks for the help. I will look into what you have
> said
> > > and see if I can get it to work. Yes, it is that one.
> > >
> > > Hey Nevyn,
> > >
> > >                I can access the box with the SHH terminal. Assuming I
> > just
> > > want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and Flash based
> > > websites,
> > > or website, what applications would I need to install via the  apt-get
> > > command? What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// .....
> > > instead of the IP address?
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Bruce Clement
> > _______________________________________________
> > AuckLUG mailing list
> > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> >
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From james.j.graham at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 00:12:47 2009
From: james.j.graham at gmail.com (James Graham)
Date: Fri Oct 16 00:12:54 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <9da4db1f0910150406p1b07a673u7c6752450cddbcba@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150347l4d093999oe41ba343e7cdc85d@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150355iea760f3t8cdf20dbbc699d30@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150406p1b07a673u7c6752450cddbcba@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e288005d0910150412i1068b582q601718b18d79c574@mail.gmail.com>

Hey thanks heaps for the advice, much appreciated. No doubt, I'll be back
when I get to that gotcha.

James


2009/10/16 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>

> Assuming everything is already going & they are familiar with webmin, I'm
> guessing 15 minutes; but there's usually at least one gotcha in any setup,
> so say an hour, tops.
>
> One think I forgot to say, is when you first set up your development
> environment, download the default one into your empty local directory :)
> ...
> so you don't forget something vital.
>
> If you're using rsync, always move whole directories with "rsync -avz
> source_directory/ target_directory/" as the slashes help it understand it's
> dealing with directories. The v gives a running comentary.
>
> Regards
>
> Bruce
>
> 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
>
> > Hey Bruce,
> >
> >                I use Ubuntu 9.04 as my main desktop, so that will come in
> > handy. I will find and add Rsync.  I appreciate the advice, I will try
> and
> > get this to work myself. Yes, I do have a secure password, most of my
> > official p/ws are over 30 character combinations.  If I manage to fail to
> > get it to work, how long do you think someone with the skills to set this
> > up
> > would hypothetically take?
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > James.
> >
> > 2009/10/15 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>
> >
> > > "Assuming I just want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and
> > > Flash based websites, or website, what applications would I need to
> > > install"
> > > You should already have pretty much everything you need installed to
> > deploy
> > > your websites. I'd strongly suggest against developing them on a
> > production
> > > server, especially if it's a remote one. I'd develop them on a local
> > Ubuntu
> > > desktop (Even if you prefer another distro, use Ubuntu as it most
> nearly
> > > mirrors your production environment) then copy them to the remote
> server.
> > >
> > > If you don't have rsync loaded, I'd add that, it's invaluable for
> backups
> > &
> > > moving files between home and the server.
> > >
> > > "What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// ..... instead
> of
> > > the
> > > IP address?"
> > >
> > > Add DNS for your domain: go into webmin, select servers, select Bind
> DNS
> > > Servers, Create a master zone for your domain. Add in (At least) A
> > records
> > > for the domain name and the www. subdomain. While you are playing with
> > them
> > > set the times (refresh, expiry, negative cache) fairly low, I usually
> use
> > > 300 seconds (5 minutes) while sorting things out.
> > >
> > > If you want all domains to be the same, just use the default document
> > root
> > > for your apache server. If you want multiple domains, in webmin add a
> > > virtual server for your domain: select servers, select apache web
> server,
> > > select create virtual host. Hint: make the document root a directory
> > inside
> > > your home directory, make life easier later ... you do have a strong
> > > password, don't you.
> > >
> > > 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
> > >
> > > > Hey Bruce,
> > > >
> > > >                 thanks for the help. I will look into what you have
> > said
> > > > and see if I can get it to work. Yes, it is that one.
> > > >
> > > > Hey Nevyn,
> > > >
> > > >                I can access the box with the SHH terminal. Assuming I
> > > just
> > > > want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and Flash based
> > > > websites,
> > > > or website, what applications would I need to install via the
>  apt-get
> > > > command? What would I have to do to make show up with a http://.....
> > > > instead of the IP address?
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Bruce Clement
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > >
> > _______________________________________________
> > AuckLUG mailing list
> > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Bruce Clement
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Fri Oct 16 00:17:16 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Fri Oct 16 00:17:26 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Regarding Bare VPS
In-Reply-To: <e288005d0910150412i1068b582q601718b18d79c574@mail.gmail.com>
References: <e288005d0910150154v261c73ccg8a8c449816d7a6ba@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150230x409b5cefp6e27a9bf49a44bc8@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150236s19d781a5jd61d27ca73b6f362@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150259g1c4a19f3n52242a213d709c48@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150328s4d3a5497u3001ce6fc867f70f@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150347l4d093999oe41ba343e7cdc85d@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150355iea760f3t8cdf20dbbc699d30@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150406p1b07a673u7c6752450cddbcba@mail.gmail.com>
	<e288005d0910150412i1068b582q601718b18d79c574@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150417p28145bvb4d607537a34e71d@mail.gmail.com>

Good luck,
Presumably I'll read about it when I get up in the morning.

BTW: Have you considered if a VPS is really the right platform for you?

Shared hosting with ssh access to your local storage might be a better
option. That way someone else manages the server & you just worry about the
application. Later when you're ready & your business has grown to that point
you can migrate to a VPS or even a real server.

That's basically what I did & I had time to learn my way around before
moving onto a VPS.

Bruce


2009/10/16 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>

> Hey thanks heaps for the advice, much appreciated. No doubt, I'll be back
> when I get to that gotcha.
>
> James
>
>
> 2009/10/16 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>
>
> > Assuming everything is already going & they are familiar with webmin, I'm
> > guessing 15 minutes; but there's usually at least one gotcha in any
> setup,
> > so say an hour, tops.
> >
> > One think I forgot to say, is when you first set up your development
> > environment, download the default one into your empty local directory :)
> > ...
> > so you don't forget something vital.
> >
> > If you're using rsync, always move whole directories with "rsync -avz
> > source_directory/ target_directory/" as the slashes help it understand
> it's
> > dealing with directories. The v gives a running comentary.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Bruce
> >
> > 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
> >
> > > Hey Bruce,
> > >
> > >                I use Ubuntu 9.04 as my main desktop, so that will come
> in
> > > handy. I will find and add Rsync.  I appreciate the advice, I will try
> > and
> > > get this to work myself. Yes, I do have a secure password, most of my
> > > official p/ws are over 30 character combinations.  If I manage to fail
> to
> > > get it to work, how long do you think someone with the skills to set
> this
> > > up
> > > would hypothetically take?
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > >
> > > James.
> > >
> > > 2009/10/15 Bruce Clement <subscribed@gnuzealand.com>
> > >
> > > > "Assuming I just want to use this server for building say HTML, Php
> and
> > > > Flash based websites, or website, what applications would I need to
> > > > install"
> > > > You should already have pretty much everything you need installed to
> > > deploy
> > > > your websites. I'd strongly suggest against developing them on a
> > > production
> > > > server, especially if it's a remote one. I'd develop them on a local
> > > Ubuntu
> > > > desktop (Even if you prefer another distro, use Ubuntu as it most
> > nearly
> > > > mirrors your production environment) then copy them to the remote
> > server.
> > > >
> > > > If you don't have rsync loaded, I'd add that, it's invaluable for
> > backups
> > > &
> > > > moving files between home and the server.
> > > >
> > > > "What would I have to do to make show up with a http:// .....
> instead
> > of
> > > > the
> > > > IP address?"
> > > >
> > > > Add DNS for your domain: go into webmin, select servers, select Bind
> > DNS
> > > > Servers, Create a master zone for your domain. Add in (At least) A
> > > records
> > > > for the domain name and the www. subdomain. While you are playing
> with
> > > them
> > > > set the times (refresh, expiry, negative cache) fairly low, I usually
> > use
> > > > 300 seconds (5 minutes) while sorting things out.
> > > >
> > > > If you want all domains to be the same, just use the default document
> > > root
> > > > for your apache server. If you want multiple domains, in webmin add a
> > > > virtual server for your domain: select servers, select apache web
> > server,
> > > > select create virtual host. Hint: make the document root a directory
> > > inside
> > > > your home directory, make life easier later ... you do have a strong
> > > > password, don't you.
> > > >
> > > > 2009/10/15 James Graham <james.j.graham@gmail.com>
> > > >
> > > > > Hey Bruce,
> > > > >
> > > > >                 thanks for the help. I will look into what you have
> > > said
> > > > > and see if I can get it to work. Yes, it is that one.
> > > > >
> > > > > Hey Nevyn,
> > > > >
> > > > >                I can access the box with the SHH terminal. Assuming
> I
> > > > just
> > > > > want to use this server for building say HTML, Php and Flash based
> > > > > websites,
> > > > > or website, what applications would I need to install via the
> >  apt-get
> > > > > command? What would I have to do to make show up with a http://
> .....
> > > > > instead of the IP address?
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Bruce Clement
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > AuckLUG mailing list
> > > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Bruce Clement
> > _______________________________________________
> > AuckLUG mailing list
> > AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
> >
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 00:20:14 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Fri Oct 16 00:20:41 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of linux
	?
In-Reply-To: <9da4db1f0910150357ybad2349k29fba6d2e89d6dcd@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com> 
	<9da4db1f0910150357ybad2349k29fba6d2e89d6dcd@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910150420y298c083ai7e5d04754ace6d90@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 11:57 PM, Bruce Clement
<subscribed@gnuzealand.com> wrote:
> Assuming you can trust them, just create them as users & add them to the
> admin group. They can then use sudo. This makes them system admins with full
> permissions to do anything. At the end of the day, you have to trust your
> system admins so there's nothing scary
about it.

But how do they log into my PC in the 1st place ?

I've registered now with dyndns.com - & its working - but its bringing
up the login screen of my router....


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 00:24:49 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Fri Oct 16 00:25:17 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Reinstalled
In-Reply-To: <4AD66A6A.6070608@catalyst.net.nz>
References: <9a3273a00910140702m190dea4fve17e5509f6261bf1@mail.gmail.com> 
	<bcdb9ee50910141703r5d90d7e7r8807dc6168b8d94d@mail.gmail.com> 
	<d69be7e20910141711wa916e5bo6ffc50db587e9042@mail.gmail.com> 
	<4AD66A6A.6070608@catalyst.net.nz>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910150424w65ffe281qb13cc638da3c8999@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:18 PM, Vik Olliver <vik@catalyst.net.nz> wrote:

> Beware of upgrading peacemeal. If you manually install the current
> karmic libc without *all* its dependencies it will delete your
> /sbin/ldconfig before the install fails. Then dpkg won't work anymore.
> Yes I have raised a bug report.


Thats probably what happened last time.. Had all sorts of dpkg probs...


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From subscribed at gnuzealand.com  Fri Oct 16 00:27:16 2009
From: subscribed at gnuzealand.com (Bruce Clement)
Date: Fri Oct 16 00:27:25 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of linux
	?
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910150420y298c083ai7e5d04754ace6d90@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150357ybad2349k29fba6d2e89d6dcd@mail.gmail.com>
	<9a3273a00910150420y298c083ai7e5d04754ace6d90@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <9da4db1f0910150427o2626923fn884357a7667c2fe7@mail.gmail.com>

If you want to spend a lot of time configuring you can set up a VPN for them
to use. The cheap (in terms of blood, sweat, tears and excessive profanity)
option is to use SSH or ssh tunneling.

Most routers permit a passthrough port to be set up on the router.
You can specify that port xxx on the router is to pass through to port 22 on
your ubuntu machine. Then ask your remote admins to ssh to port xxx at your
dyndns address. They should be able to get in with the user/password options
you supplied them.

If you don't already have ssh server set up on your ubuntu box you might
need to add it first.

2009/10/16 Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com>

> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 11:57 PM, Bruce Clement
> <subscribed@gnuzealand.com> wrote:
> > Assuming you can trust them, just create them as users & add them to the
> > admin group. They can then use sudo. This makes them system admins with
> full
> > permissions to do anything. At the end of the day, you have to trust your
> > system admins so there's nothing scary
> about it.
>
> But how do they log into my PC in the 1st place ?
>
> I've registered now with dyndns.com - & its working - but its bringing
> up the login screen of my router....
>
>
> --
> G
> Freecycle Auckland :-
> http://www.freecycle.org/
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>



-- 
Bruce Clement
From stuart at hrdnz.com  Fri Oct 16 10:03:18 2009
From: stuart at hrdnz.com (Stuart Mealor)
Date: Fri Oct 16 10:03:18 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] ULearn, Moodle, and Schools (final post)
Message-ID: <CF222D43-7464-4D5E-A5AD-2FF89BDBC042@hrdnz.com>

@Nevyn
Yet again you fall back to inaccurate personal remarks (I'm  
disappointed):

people don't look at
the problem they're solving and you seem to be at the forefront of
this attitude, tends to be overkill for what they need

That's laughable - suggesting I am at the forefront of this thinking.
We provide training and education to Moodle teachers all over the world.
It's our main focus.
Personally I've been in education over 20 years.
Selecting the right tool for the right job is a foundation.

I have never once said anything on this list like:
"We should put Moodle in every school",
or
"Hey Nevyn, you seem to know everything there is about education, can  
you promote Moodle please?"
It is not valid to say I have been pushing Moodle.
I haven't, and everyone reading this thread can see that.
I just offered advise and information.
Clearly this does not fit with your personal opinions and agenda.

I hope you employ a more collaborative than confrontation style of  
communication when you interface with schools directly under the  
'POINTS' banner as it reflects on the whole AuckLUG community.

Topic ends.

Stuart Mealor
Managing Director HRDNZ (Moodle Partner)
www.hrdnz.com
Moodle Certification Manager
From david.roberts at safecom.co.nz  Fri Oct 16 14:32:05 2009
From: david.roberts at safecom.co.nz (David Roberts)
Date: Fri Oct 16 14:32:40 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of linux?
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910150420y298c083ai7e5d04754ace6d90@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com>
	<9da4db1f0910150357ybad2349k29fba6d2e89d6dcd@mail.gmail.com>
	<9a3273a00910150420y298c083ai7e5d04754ace6d90@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <81837DC590A3B643B5FC0B7533589708078737@tasbe116.advancedsolutions.co.nz>

You're probably trying to test from your own LAN instead of externally.
Try externally and it should work.

-----Original Message-----
From: aucklug-bounces@linux.net.nz [mailto:aucklug-bounces@linux.net.nz]
On Behalf Of Gordon Stewart
Sent: Friday, 16 October 2009 12:20 a.m.
To: Auckland Linux User Group mailing list
Subject: Re: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of
linux?

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 11:57 PM, Bruce Clement
<subscribed@gnuzealand.com> wrote:
> Assuming you can trust them, just create them as users & add them to
the
> admin group. They can then use sudo. This makes them system admins
with full
> permissions to do anything. At the end of the day, you have to trust
your
> system admins so there's nothing scary
about it.

But how do they log into my PC in the 1st place ?

I've registered now with dyndns.com - & its working - but its bringing
up the login screen of my router....


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

_______________________________________________
AuckLUG mailing list
AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
#####################################################################################
Important: This electronic message and attachments (if any) are confidential
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copy, disclose or use the contents in any way. Please let us know by return
e-mail immediately and then destroy this message.
#####################################################################################

From nevynh at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 14:36:22 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Fri Oct 16 14:36:32 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] December Meeting
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910140137i1080d014v223025f515cf80b1@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910140124k23be9427jf18a2e4e827154c7@mail.gmail.com>
	<2f3aa2770910140137i1080d014v223025f515cf80b1@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910151836h5e05f1b1nf311b9ef84e3aeeb@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 9:37 PM, Robin Paulson <robin.paulson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> yeah, i'm in!
>
> sorry, i don't have a barbie though. cornwall park would be good, as
> would the domain

Another suggestion (sent to me offlist with the provision that I not
include the person's name - not going to ask...):

===

Venue Suggestion location 3: Outhwaite park
Corner Park Rd, Carlton Gore Rd Grafton

Advantages:
Sheltered BBQ Plates, Free Gas Cooking, Public Toilets
Swings and Climbs for the young kids
Recreational Area for Blanket layouts.

Proximity to Domain for larger scale energetic pursuits of Cricket or
touch Rugby.
Proximity to Central Traffic Thoroughfares [Link Bus Goes Past],
Limited Free Onsite parking upto 10 Vehicles, and More close by within
 100m walking distance at Old Shell Site Opposite.
Proximty to Hospital in case of accidents [though a Simple First aid
kit should be at hand, any one got one in car boot ?]

Should Rain Invade a quick relocate over road to Vacant Shell Site for
Covered area currently avail whilst Park Rd Bridges under
Reconstruction at Khyber Pass. Distance less than 100 m away.

===

I Do like the idea of having a few facilities nearby and hey, if it's
that close to the domain, it'd be great to do a walk with the kids
down to the duck pond...

Regards,
Nevyn.

From john at ber.net.nz  Fri Oct 16 17:52:03 2009
From: john at ber.net.nz (John @ BER Ltd)
Date: Fri Oct 16 17:51:31 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
Message-ID: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>

Hi all,
 
I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
software that's installation friendly.
I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
accounts for volume tracking.
I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features but
not the cost.
http://www.message-media.com.au/
 
Hope I've made myself clear.
 
Thanks John
From bagpussnz at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 18:00:09 2009
From: bagpussnz at gmail.com (bagpuss)
Date: Fri Oct 16 18:07:27 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
Message-ID: <3f7786a0910152200w1fa0a44fu3d3b89614260971e@mail.gmail.com>

Hi,
I use smsglobal. They have a php interface which I have wrapped scripts
round. Works really well - and fast. I used to use clickatell - but we could
wait up to 3 hours for an sms to come through.
We use the scripting via our Nagios monitoring to inform us of critical
problems.

Regards,
Ian.

I really hate this damned machine,
I really wish they'd sell it,
It never does quite what I want,
But only what I tell it.


2009/10/16 John @ BER Ltd <john@ber.net.nz>

> Hi all,
>
> I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
> software that's installation friendly.
> I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
> accounts for volume tracking.
> I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features but
> not the cost.
> http://www.message-media.com.au/
>
> Hope I've made myself clear.
>
> Thanks John
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From nevynh at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 18:08:37 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Fri Oct 16 18:08:49 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 5:52 PM, John @ BER Ltd <john@ber.net.nz> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
> software that's installation friendly.
> I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
> accounts for volume tracking.
> I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features but
> not the cost.
> http://www.message-media.com.au/
>
> Hope I've made myself clear.
>
> Thanks John

Is this the sort of thing? http://www.net24.co.nz/isms.php
$10 minimum monthly charge. $0.18 per sms..

There's also a thread here:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=11&topicid=7100
that might be useful.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From gareth.fletcher at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 18:41:48 2009
From: gareth.fletcher at gmail.com (Gareth Fletcher)
Date: Fri Oct 16 18:41:58 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
	<bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <ea7175c50910152241g2c5b3b6cifc22810c08bd93c1@mail.gmail.com>

We use txtmail. Quite expensive compared to the other options mentioned, but
have never had any problems.

Started using it for monitoring (with volume tracking built into the sending
script) but scapped it for Prowl - which is neat for iPhones with push,
since its free!

Good luck
Gareth

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 6:08 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 5:52 PM, John @ BER Ltd <john@ber.net.nz> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> > Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
> > software that's installation friendly.
> > I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
> > accounts for volume tracking.
> > I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features
> but
> > not the cost.
> > http://www.message-media.com.au/
> >
> > Hope I've made myself clear.
> >
> > Thanks John
>
> Is this the sort of thing? http://www.net24.co.nz/isms.php
> $10 minimum monthly charge. $0.18 per sms..
>
> There's also a thread here:
> http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=11&topicid=7100
> that might be useful.
>
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From justin at skull.co.nz  Fri Oct 16 18:41:29 2009
From: justin at skull.co.nz (Justin Cook)
Date: Fri Oct 16 18:41:59 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
	<bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <93a52e0e0910152241h4460c42cn43e55ff9b24738@mail.gmail.com>

Just as long as we all remember that SMS isn't guaranteed delivery,
especially in high-usage areas.


2009/10/16 Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com>

> On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 5:52 PM, John @ BER Ltd <john@ber.net.nz> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> > Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
> > software that's installation friendly.
> > I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
> > accounts for volume tracking.
> > I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features
> but
> > not the cost.
> > http://www.message-media.com.au/
> >
> > Hope I've made myself clear.
> >
> > Thanks John
>
> Is this the sort of thing? http://www.net24.co.nz/isms.php
> $10 minimum monthly charge. $0.18 per sms..
>
> There's also a thread here:
> http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=11&topicid=7100
> that might be useful.
>
> Regards,
> Nevyn.
>
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>
From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Fri Oct 16 19:56:23 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Fri Oct 16 19:56:32 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <93a52e0e0910152241h4460c42cn43e55ff9b24738@mail.gmail.com>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
	<bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>
	<93a52e0e0910152241h4460c42cn43e55ff9b24738@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910152356j766fb9a5n7dfe827bd81d8845@mail.gmail.com>

2009/10/16 Justin Cook <justin@skull.co.nz>:
> Just as long as we all remember that SMS isn't guaranteed delivery,
> especially in high-usage areas.

indeed. and if you're on vodafone it can take a week for a prepay text to arrive

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Sat Oct 17 19:53:14 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Sat Oct 17 19:53:42 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Synergy - Linux & winXP
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910162353ofb01054k4f6841bc14dec351@mail.gmail.com>

Hi,

i'm testing / installing the 'synergy' programme - Allowing me to
access both PC's / screens from the one keyboard/mouse.

Issue :- its set up OK - & both systems say its "running" - but its
not letting me switch screens.

QUERY :-

I know how to 'ping' - but if I use that, it tells me that "something"
is at that address - But i don't know where..

Is there a command in Linux (& in WINXP) - so I can 'ping' the other
machine - & some message pops up saying i'm 'receiving' on the other
PC..  (that way, I know - at least, ) i have my IP addresses
correct...


PS - I have a D-link router  (300)


-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From nevynh at gmail.com  Sun Oct 18 00:46:54 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sun Oct 18 00:47:04 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Synergy - Linux & winXP
In-Reply-To: <9a3273a00910162353ofb01054k4f6841bc14dec351@mail.gmail.com>
References: <9a3273a00910162353ofb01054k4f6841bc14dec351@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910170446w79b0bb2fpb53f317434afb61f@mail.gmail.com>

On Sat, Oct 17, 2009 at 7:53 PM, Gordon Stewart <gordonisnz@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> i'm testing / installing the 'synergy' programme - Allowing me to
> access both PC's / screens from the one keyboard/mouse.
>
> Issue :- its set up OK - & both systems say its "running" - but its
> not letting me switch screens.
>
> QUERY :-
>
> I know how to 'ping' - but if I use that, it tells me that "something"
> is at that address - But i don't know where..
>
> Is there a command in Linux (& in WINXP) - so I can 'ping' the other
> machine - & some message pops up saying i'm 'receiving' on the other
> PC.. ?(that way, I know - at least, ) i have my IP addresses
> correct...
>
>
> PS - I have a D-link router ?(300)

Generally speaking you should never really need to do that. You ping
from one machine and if you get a response back, you know that the
machine you pinged has gotten the message and sent something back.

if you want to find out the ip address for each machine - I normally
use my dhcp server to figure it out. Otherwise, on the Windows machine
you could run ipconfig from the command line and on the Linux machine,
ifconfig (interface config).

So long as you're using one of the private ranges - normally
192.168.x.x for something small (though 10.x.x.x is also used -
there's another set starting with 172 which is also used for this
purpose. 127.x.x.x is always a loop back meaning that it refers to the
machine you're working on and anything with the last number as 255 is
a broadcast address), you can be assured that it's a machine on your
network responding. That's because these ip ranges are reserved for
private networks meaning that these ip ranges don't refer to any
machine on the Internet.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From Chilling_Silence at orcon.net.nz  Sun Oct 18 08:09:48 2009
From: Chilling_Silence at orcon.net.nz (Chilling_Silence)
Date: Sun Oct 18 08:09:56 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <ea7175c50910152241g2c5b3b6cifc22810c08bd93c1@mail.gmail.com>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
	<bcdb9ee50910152208j700d4d6bl1f8be9bb9209f65c@mail.gmail.com>
	<ea7175c50910152241g2c5b3b6cifc22810c08bd93c1@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2987f0d40910171209m5d453179s9a64ecf0f8484ae5@mail.gmail.com>

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 6:41 PM, Gareth Fletcher
<gareth.fletcher@gmail.com>wrote:

> Started using it for monitoring (with volume tracking built into the
> sending
> script) but scapped it for Prowl - which is neat for iPhones with push,
> since its free!
>

What an excellent looking service! Now *that* is something I'd be keen to
hook in to NagiOS instead of SMS alerts.

That said, APNS isn't always the most reliable either, on occasion alerts
such as that from the iSip Softphone don't arrive until 20-30 seconds later,
even though we can see asterisk passing the call to their server. After that
long, chances are you've answered a call elsewhere.
From nevynh at gmail.com  Mon Oct 19 13:36:05 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Mon Oct 19 18:22:22 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] November's Meeting Announcement
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910181736l70b82f3cnf2927ee2fba157eb@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Everyone,

Well it's finally upon us - the last formal meeting for the year.

Subject:
  PXE booting.
  PXE booting allows to you boot from a network resource. This can be
used to provide a way of installing OSes in a large organisation or to
provide a desktop on low end machines.

Who:
  Glen Ogilvie

When:
  November 2nd, 2009. Monday at 7.

Where:
  Open Systems Specialists.
  Level 1, 162 Grafton Road. (The Compass Building, corner of
Grafton Rd and Khyber Pass, opposite the Southern Cross Healthcare
building)
 http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-36.863399&mlon=174.764503&zoom=16
 (look at the streets rather than the arrow...)
 Please be punctual as someone needs to come down to the door to let
you in and late comers can make things a tad awkward.

Other Notes:
  There is a chance for this meeting to be a bit more interactive.
Feel free to bring your laptops along and have a go at pxe booting for
yourself.

Regards,
Nevyn.

From vik at catalyst.net.nz  Tue Oct 20 12:27:18 2009
From: vik at catalyst.net.nz (Vik Olliver)
Date: Tue Oct 20 12:27:30 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
Message-ID: <4ADCF5D6.9020801@catalyst.net.nz>

On 16/10/09 John @ BER Ltd wrote:
> I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some 
> open software that's installation friendly.

If you want to do this in bulk, it's the sort of thing I do for my day
job. And no, I don't do SMS-spam :)

Vik :v)



From robin.paulson at gmail.com  Tue Oct 20 15:24:26 2009
From: robin.paulson at gmail.com (Robin Paulson)
Date: Tue Oct 20 15:24:35 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] sort of OT: replacement laptop screens
Message-ID: <2f3aa2770910191924x76815315t57e3d6bc71d2adee@mail.gmail.com>

ok,
this is tenuously linux-related - in my defence though, the laptop in
uestion does run ubuntu

i broke the screen on my work's hp/compa nx6120.

can anyone recommend a decent/cheap place to go in akl for replacement parts?

cheers

From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Tue Oct 20 15:38:28 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Tue Oct 20 15:39:22 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] sort of OT: replacement laptop screens
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910191924x76815315t57e3d6bc71d2adee@mail.gmail.com>
References: <2f3aa2770910191924x76815315t57e3d6bc71d2adee@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <200910201538.28612.yorick_@openoffice.org>

On Tuesday 20 October 2009 15:24:26 Robin Paulson wrote:
> ok,
> this is tenuously linux-related - in my defence though, the laptop in
> uestion does run ubuntu
>
> i broke the screen on my work's hp/compa nx6120.
>
> can anyone recommend a decent/cheap place to go in akl for replacement
> parts?
>
> cheers

I've had reasonable deals on parts from NZlaptops 

http://www.nzlaptops.co.nz


-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

INGOTs Moderator New Zealand
www.theingots.org.nz


From david.roberts at safecom.co.nz  Tue Oct 20 15:39:56 2009
From: david.roberts at safecom.co.nz (David Roberts)
Date: Tue Oct 20 15:40:09 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] sort of OT: replacement laptop screens
In-Reply-To: <2f3aa2770910191924x76815315t57e3d6bc71d2adee@mail.gmail.com>
References: <2f3aa2770910191924x76815315t57e3d6bc71d2adee@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <81837DC590A3B643B5FC0B75335897080B9A43@tasbe116.advancedsolutions.co.nz>

Visual Group (used to be called VTS) were the HP repairers a while back,
probably still are. They're not the cheapest (by far) but should be able
to source the part. Again, not cheap by far, but should be able to quote
(if they still do the repairs) and you can use that as your upper
threshold.

-----Original Message-----
From: aucklug-bounces@linux.net.nz [mailto:aucklug-bounces@linux.net.nz]
On Behalf Of Robin Paulson
Sent: Tuesday, 20 October 2009 3:24 p.m.
To: Auckland Linux User Group mailing list
Subject: [AuckLUG] sort of OT: replacement laptop screens

ok,
this is tenuously linux-related - in my defence though, the laptop in
uestion does run ubuntu

i broke the screen on my work's hp/compa nx6120.

can anyone recommend a decent/cheap place to go in akl for replacement
parts?

cheers

_______________________________________________
AuckLUG mailing list
AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
#####################################################################################
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e-mail immediately and then destroy this message.
#####################################################################################

From gordonisnz at gmail.com  Tue Oct 20 20:47:29 2009
From: gordonisnz at gmail.com (Gordon Stewart)
Date: Tue Oct 20 20:48:02 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Hi... - Is there a way to allow remote-control of 
	linux?
In-Reply-To: <81837DC590A3B643B5FC0B7533589708078737@tasbe116.advancedsolutions.co.nz>
References: <9a3273a00910150344l16ef903bmcf09e373d1f02f00@mail.gmail.com> 
	<9da4db1f0910150357ybad2349k29fba6d2e89d6dcd@mail.gmail.com> 
	<9a3273a00910150420y298c083ai7e5d04754ace6d90@mail.gmail.com> 
	<81837DC590A3B643B5FC0B7533589708078737@tasbe116.advancedsolutions.co.nz>
Message-ID: <9a3273a00910200047n14fa865ar96ba23d88eec6e86@mail.gmail.com>

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 2:32 PM, David Roberts
<david.roberts@safecom.co.nz> wrote:
> You're probably trying to test from your own LAN instead of externally.
> Try externally and it should work.
<

After a long bout - I managed to get Synergy going - allows me to use
1 keyboard but manage both the linux machine & the Win XP one...

Only takes me 1 minute to log in & start the programme, - Easy (once i
know what to do...)

I'm getting to like Linux more & more :)

Next :-

Is there any beginners guides / tutorials to start "packaging" & how
to do that - with lots of examples


I don't mind lots of reading - to get background information.. - but I
learn best by actual / practical examples

I've found this :-  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PackagingGuide/HandsOn  -
But is/are there any beginners-guides to packaging - to advise WHY /
WHAT etc -


the above URL has lots of codes / commands etc - But I guess its more
focussed on people who are already familiar with Linux.

Thanks

-- 
G
Freecycle Auckland :-
http://www.freecycle.org/

From zaf at nrc.co.nz  Tue Oct 20 20:53:16 2009
From: zaf at nrc.co.nz (Nick 'Zaf' Clifford)
Date: Tue Oct 20 20:53:29 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
Message-ID: <4ADD6C6C.9020406@nrc.co.nz>

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Built my own, using a vodafone mobile connect USB dongle, a prepay
sim, and gammu. - Gammu does all the heavy lifting. Have an email
interface to the system as well, but obviously locked down. Have no
desire to receive txt's in the middle of the night letting me know
about my $10,000,000 lotto ticket win.

Works very well, very very cheap, and as an added bonus, can  deploy
multiple dongles, one for each network, and have it even cheaper still
(with some significant capital costs). (we have people on different
networks - joy). If you do need to deal with different networks, then
2 degree's 9c per txt is a good deal. If you are only vodafone, then
obviously the 2000txts per month plan is the winner.

Use it for system alerts.

As I said, gammu does the heavy lifting, the only real code is (a) a
patch to gammu (which was accepted into trunk ages ago and should be
in all modern binaries), (b) Exim router/transport to accept the
email, pass it to a local perl script, which strips the subject, and
writes the first 160 characters to the appropriate file location for
gammu smsd to pickup and send.

Also hooked it up, so incoming txts are emailed to my account. Nothing
like getting an email reminder to top up the prepay card :) That
required the afore mentioned patch, and another script to send the email.


Oh, as added geek factor - configured my cellphone to make different
noise on txt's from the gateway, as compared to regular txts, so now
have my cellphone beeping like a pager when a gateway txt comes in.

Nick


John @ BER Ltd wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
> software that's installation friendly.
> I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
> accounts for volume tracking.
> I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features but
> not the cost.
> http://www.message-media.com.au/
> 
> Hope I've made myself clear.
> 
> Thanks John
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug

- --
Nick "Zaf" Clifford
http://zaf.geek.nz/

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From zed at zed.net.nz  Wed Oct 28 11:17:15 2009
From: zed at zed.net.nz (zed)
Date: Wed Oct 28 11:17:33 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Mail merge - form letters...
Message-ID: <gemini.ks71wr004aypc04bs.zed@zed.net.nz>

LinuxMint v.7 (Gloria) is my distribution of choice.

I would hazard a guess that, at some time, small business need to send
"personalised" letters to their customers and use a form of mailmerge to do
this.  When I used RISC OS it was easy by using a database program (Impact)
and a document processing program (OvationPro).

It appears that OpenOffice only allows one to create addresses, as I've
tried creating other fields and placing them into the body of a letter,
without success.

AbiWord has the facility and I can create the form letters but cannot print
them, as there appears to be an error in AbiWord version 2.6.8, which comes
as the default with my distribution.

To initiate print one must used the command line and the appropriate
commands for my case are

zed@zed-desktop ~ $ abiword -m /zed/Temp/Customers-HKI.csv -p /
home/zed/Temp/Christmas-2009.p /home/zed/Temp/Christmas-2009.abw

but invoking these commands results in the error

** (abiword:7904): WARNING **: Could not GPAReference Printer to
/home/zed/Temp/Christmas-2009.p

I have searched the AbiWord mailing lists and there appears to be an
unresolved bug in v2.6.X  A request for assistance from the mailing list
produced no solution.

Are members aware of any programs I can use to do a simple
mailmerge/formletter, please.

Zed

-- 
zed

From yorick_ at openoffice.org  Wed Oct 28 14:13:37 2009
From: yorick_ at openoffice.org (Graham Lauder)
Date: Wed Oct 28 14:14:51 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Mail merge - form letters...
In-Reply-To: <gemini.ks71wr004aypc04bs.zed@zed.net.nz>
References: <gemini.ks71wr004aypc04bs.zed@zed.net.nz>
Message-ID: <200910281413.37922.yorick_@openoffice.org>

On Wednesday 28 October 2009 11:17:15 zed wrote:
> LinuxMint v.7 (Gloria) is my distribution of choice.
>
> I would hazard a guess that, at some time, small business need to send
> "personalised" letters to their customers and use a form of mailmerge to do
> this.  When I used RISC OS it was easy by using a database program (Impact)
> and a document processing program (OvationPro).
>
> It appears that OpenOffice only allows one to create addresses, as I've
> tried creating other fields and placing them into the body of a letter,
> without success.

I'm not sure what you're trying to do here.  But  OOo does this real 
easy........

First thing you need is a list of addressees.  A spreadsheet or a delimited 
text file will work fine. (Just a note put field headings in the first line 
of a spreadsheet or text file, you'll see why further on)
 It will use a Thunderbird address book and I think Evolution as well, 
(although I'm not positive about that.  I don't have Evolution installed on 
my machine so I can't check) on Windows it will use an Outlook address book 
as well.  

go file > wizards > address data source

if you're using the spreadsheet / text file option click "Other external data 
source" then "settings"  from the "Database type" dropdown select the type of 
data source, go "next" and type in the path or browse to the document that 
your addresses are listed in.  click finish.  


Now click "Field Assignment" 
If you have used a text file or a spreadsheet OOo will assume that the first 
line contains field headings.  Once you've assigned the fields click next and 
OOo will create a database.  The default is Addresses.odb but you can call 
the file whatever you like.  The Address book name also defaults 
to "Addresses", I tend to give this a distinctive name, like "xmas_list", but 
that's up to you.

Click Finish.

Now, if you hit "F4" the Data source window will open and you'll your "Address 
book name" in the explorer tree on the left. click the '+' sign  and then 
tables, if you used a spreadsheet click "sheetx" and the address list will 
appear 

You only have to go through the above if you alter your address list in any 
way.  If you add more contacts to your list then address data source again 
just before you send off your form letter.

Now create your form letter or email.  With your datasource explorer window 
open simply drag and drop the "Field Headings" into position. (Remember to 
put a white space between first name and last.  Forgotten that one myself, to 
the point now that I include a trailing space in the names in the 
spreadsheet.  :) ) You can leave this and insert an address block at a later 
point but I find that doing that always throws the document out of kilter 
getting a bloody great lump of text dumped it.

When you have finished your letter(or you can do this with one you've done 
before) click tools > Mail merge wizard.  The default radio button is "Use 
current document" but there are other choices, we'll go with this for now.

Next will take you to "select document type", the choices are letter or email 
(Yes OOo will send HTML emails if you feel the need, just don't send me 
one. ;) ) 

Letter is selected by default.

If you have drag and dropped the address fields as described before you can 
skip straight to 6.Edit document just by clicking that in the left pane of 
the Mailmerge Wizard window.

Here you can exclude selected recipients from your list and you can do final 
edits to the document (these edits affect notes to all receivers)

Clicking "next" or going to "Personalise document" will create however many 
letters there are needed for everyone in your mailing list and by 
clicking "Edit individual document" you can scroll through and little 
personal touches so beloved of Car and Insurance salesmen.

Print them out or save as a file or whatever your need.

Cheers GL     



> Are members aware of any programs I can use to do a simple
> mailmerge/formletter, please.
>
> Zed



-- 
Graham Lauder,
OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

INGOTs Moderator New Zealand
www.theingots.org.nz


From steven at openmedia.co.nz  Thu Oct 29 14:49:03 2009
From: steven at openmedia.co.nz (Steven Ellis)
Date: Thu Oct 29 14:49:25 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
Message-ID: <48108.60.234.49.2.1256780943.squirrel@webmail.stevencherie.net>


On Fri, October 16, 2009 5:52 pm, John @ BER Ltd wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt services.
> Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some open
> software that's installation friendly.
> I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users with
> accounts for volume tracking.
> I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the features
> but
> not the cost.
> http://www.message-media.com.au/

These guys provide a variety of services, and have local connectivity with
carriers here and in AU.

http://www.bulletin.net/sms-from-computer.html




--------------------------------------------
Steven Ellis - Technical Director
OpenMedia Limited - The Home of myPVR
email   - steven@openmedia.co.nz
website - http://www.openmedia.co.nz

From ronw at paradise.net.nz  Thu Oct 29 16:26:06 2009
From: ronw at paradise.net.nz (ronw@paradise.net.nz)
Date: Thu Oct 29 16:27:24 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Linux gateway Email to SMS software
In-Reply-To: <48108.60.234.49.2.1256780943.squirrel@webmail.stevencherie.net>
References: <003201ca4e1c$67f8f460$0202fea9@dad>
	<48108.60.234.49.2.1256780943.squirrel@webmail.stevencherie.net>
Message-ID: <1256786766.4ae90b4eb6592@www.paradise.net.nz>

I use a gsm modem from Harvest Electronics http://www.harvest.com/modules.htm
Using GSM Tools it is fairly easy to set up your linux box so that mail is
delivered into the GSM send queue and it will then pick up the messages and send
them to a cellphone number.


Quoting Steven Ellis <steven@openmedia.co.nz>:

> 
> On Fri, October 16, 2009 5:52 pm, John @ BER Ltd wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm looking into setting up a Linux gateway for email to txt
> services.
> > Does anyone have any experience in this and could recommend me some
> open
> > software that's installation friendly.
> > I would like to setup a gateway that would enable me to setup users
> with
> > accounts for volume tracking.
> > I came across this one in OZ and was really impressed with the
> features
> > but
> > not the cost.
> > http://www.message-media.com.au/
> 
> These guys provide a variety of services, and have local connectivity
> with
> carriers here and in AU.
> 
> http://www.bulletin.net/sms-from-computer.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------
> Steven Ellis - Technical Director
> OpenMedia Limited - The Home of myPVR
> email - steven@openmedia.co.nz
> website - http://www.openmedia.co.nz
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AuckLUG mailing list
> AuckLUG@linux.net.nz
> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>  



-
Ron Wilson

From zed at zed.net.nz  Fri Oct 30 09:58:11 2009
From: zed at zed.net.nz (zed)
Date: Fri Oct 30 09:58:24 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Mail merge - form letters...
In-Reply-To: <200910281413.37922.yorick_@openoffice.org>
References: <gemini.ks71wr004aypc04bs.zed@zed.net.nz>  
	<200910281413.37922.yorick_@openoffice.org>
Message-ID: <gemini.ksankz001q5nk045z.zed@zed.net.nz>

Graham Lauder <yorick_@openoffice.org> wrote:

> On Wednesday 28 October 2009 11:17:15 zed wrote:
> > LinuxMint v.7 (Gloria) is my distribution of choice.
> >
> > I would hazard a guess that, at some time, small business need to send
> > "personalised" letters to their customers and use a form of mailmerge to
> > do this.  When I used RISC OS it was easy by using a database program
> > (Impact) and a document processing program (OvationPro).
> >
> > It appears that OpenOffice only allows one to create addresses, as I've
> > tried creating other fields and placing them into the body of a letter,
> > without success.
> 
> I'm not sure what you're trying to do here.  But  OOo does this real
> easy........
> 
> First thing you need is a list of addressees.  A spreadsheet or a
> delimited text file will work fine. (Just a note put field headings in the
> first line of a spreadsheet or text file, you'll see why further on)
>  It will use a Thunderbird address book and I think Evolution as well, 
> (although I'm not positive about that.  I don't have Evolution installed
> on my machine so I can't check) on Windows it will use an Outlook address
> book as well.

[snipped remainder of the excellent instructions which were read and printed
for future use.]

Thank you, Graham.  Your very comprehensive tutorial was of immense help and
after following them step-by-step, it was as you stated, 'real easy'.

All the "personalised" letters have been printed and will be sent to our
customers later today.

Regards

Zed

-- 
zed

From nevynh at gmail.com  Sat Oct 31 18:31:46 2009
From: nevynh at gmail.com (Nevyn)
Date: Sat Oct 31 18:31:58 2009
Subject: [AuckLUG] Re: November's Meeting Announcement
In-Reply-To: <bcdb9ee50910181736l70b82f3cnf2927ee2fba157eb@mail.gmail.com>
References: <bcdb9ee50910181736l70b82f3cnf2927ee2fba157eb@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <bcdb9ee50910302231v29fb6efau300a2ef642a228b@mail.gmail.com>

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 1:36 PM, Nevyn <nevynh@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Well it's finally upon us - the last formal meeting for the year.
>
> Subject:
> ?PXE booting.
> ?PXE booting allows to you boot from a network resource. This can be
> used to provide a way of installing OSes in a large organisation or to
> provide a desktop on low end machines.
>
> Who:
> ?Glen Ogilvie
>
> When:
> ?November 2nd, 2009. Monday at 7.
>
> Where:
> ?Open Systems Specialists.
> ?Level 1, 162 Grafton Road. (The Compass Building, corner of
> Grafton Rd and Khyber Pass, opposite the Southern Cross Healthcare
> building)
> ?http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-36.863399&mlon=174.764503&zoom=16
> ?(look at the streets rather than the arrow...)
> ?Please be punctual as someone needs to come down to the door to let
> you in and late comers can make things a tad awkward.
>
> Other Notes:
> ?There is a chance for this meeting to be a bit more interactive.
> Feel free to bring your laptops along and have a go at pxe booting for
> yourself.
>
> Regards,
> Nevyn.

Hello.... Consider this the meeting reminder. You're strongly
encouraged to bring laptops along to join in. Glen has indicated that
this presentation should be fairly interactive. (Ha! Knew I had done
an announcement)