"Mini Linux Lab"

Intro
I sorted my old PC (read ones that are saved from going into dumpster). Machines I played with:

1. Gateway 2000 P3/700MHz /w 384MB RAM and 30G HDD
   
2. Gateway 2000 Celeron/666MHz /w 256MB RAM and 15G HDD
3. Compaq DeskPro Celeron/466MHz /w 128MB RAM and 4G HDD

I had only little time this weekend so I did not have tim to play in depth with each individual combination.

Just for fun
On the first one I tried several distros. I settled with minimal Ubuntu setup (as described in one of the previous posts). Finally, some of my friends needed a second machine just for surfing net so I gave that one to them. I installed regular Ubuntu desktop (Gnome) 8.04 and that machine behaved OK. Was much faster under Blackbox with "mini" setup, but now it is up to them to play with it. It required "acpi=force" inside /boot/grub/menu.lst file.

The second one I settled with TinyMe (mini version of PCLinux) with Firefox, Flash, Java, and Skype. I will put this one in my kids room (5 and 3 year old) so tha tthey can sometimes play on sites such as PBS Kids and such. They love Curious George and Martha.

Third one was fairly slow one. It came with Windows 2000 on it. Took forever just to boot. The funny thing with Windows is that those machines 8-10 years ago came with those same versions of operating system and at that time they worked OK. Now, you take a PC that originally came with Windows, put that same version of OS on it, run updates (if you do not have life and have time to wait), and then those PCs become so slow that they are completely unusable. I finally put Austrumi Linux on it and it felt all snappy and quick (especially when I added expanded RAM to 256MB).


Distros

• Absolute
  
• Austrumi
• Damn Small
• Puppy
• TinyMe
• Ubuntu (alternate installer)
• Vector

Puppy Linux and its derivatives always amazes me. It works so fast that I always say to myself "other guys should learn from this". Litvanian distro Austrumi, also beautiful and really brought this old machine back to life. One issue I miss with both Puppy and Austrumi is multi-user. Kind of not feeling good with autologin into root account. On the other note, those old PCs ran Windows, can not get less secure than that (Win 98/ME ...). Other nice use for these old PCs ar especialized distros such as firewall, file storage, etc.

Vector just released version 6.0. I love Slackware based distros for older PCs. Both Vector and Absolute are phenomenal. Absolute takes little long to install, but works great. However, with these Gateways there was an issue with video card. For some reason Slackware based distros kept throwing my video card in unreadable mode and I did not have time to try to fix that.

For my kids room I installed TinyMe. Works great and it is very easy to manage. I do not have much experience with it but I was always a fan of PCLinux and its derivatives. Very easy to install, and very easy to add Flash, Java, web core fonts, etc. Not as fast as Puppy and Austrumi, but will do the work just fine.

Instead of Conclusion
The fun thing is that these older PCs (these were from around 1998-2000) can be extremely useful and still have lots of value. All we need to do is replace Windows with Linux. The thing is that these PCs usually come for free (together with monitor, keyboard, mice) and all it takes is little cleaning. Sometimes, you can combine parts from couple of machines and make one with more memory, nicer video card, etc. There are even lighter distros such as Tiny Core and Deli. Those are definitively worth looking at.

Just for fun? Nothing wrong with that, although the answer is no. I hope my friends will have some use of the first machine. They are familiar with Linux and saw a value in having second PC for surfing, music, and work. My kids will definitively enjoy that second one. I picked the worst one for myself to keep playing with those "minimal" variants and learn more on how to tune and configure distros such as Puppy, DSL, Austrumi...

References
http://www.distrowatch.com
http://linuxmini.blogspot.com/

Firmware Update for Verizon Westell VersaLink 327W Router

Intro
I got an used Westell 327W wireless router for my friend. It is identical to the one I got and we are both using Verzion DSL. When I was testing it I noticed it had older firmware 03.02.00a. Funny thing is that mine got updated on its own (maybe by Verizon remotely). Anyhow this is just little reminder on what I did to update this one. The model number is B90-327W15-06. My understanding is that C90-xxx-xxx serial numbers are for AT&T or BellSouth customers (not sure).


Get Update
I tried to click on Check for web update, but it seems it was not finding the server so I opted for "Local" update. I went to:
http://www.verizon.net/versalinkupdate


There I clicked on the link that matched my model number (B90-327W15-06). Check what model number is on the sticker at the bottom of your unit. I saved the update file on my desktop. The file name was:
b90-327w15.rel.upg

Firmware Update
When you click on "Local update now" it opens new window with title "WireSpeed Data Gateway Update software". For the upgrade file, click on browse and select the file you downloaded to desktop. Click on upload file and the magic starts:


Please wait for few minutes.

Once done with updating the firmware, the modem/router unit resets itself. It takes a minute for that.


As you can see here there is totally new and cool interface. The modem is connecting.


The unit with new firmware is now connected. The old settings (wireless network and all that) should be preserved. Please double check. I find this new interface more user friendly.

Admin Password
You might be asked admin ussername and password. By default these units have username: "admin", and password "admin" (do not type in quotes). These are settings that can be changed so if you changed yours before and cannot remember, you can reset the unit by pressing reset button and holding it for 30 seconds. That should restore default values. On some websites I saw people mentioning combination username: "admin", password to be "password". On this unit I obtained it was admin/admin.

Linux?
Yes. The whole process was done using Mozilla Firefox 3.0.6 and Ubuntu 8.04LTS Linux.

UPS Backup?
Recommended. Well I had both the computer I used in the process and the Westell unit powered through uninterrupted power supply (UPS). You see there is this few "moments of truth" when you are actually erasing the existing Flash ROM inside the unit and burning the new firmware. I am not sure how good Westell's routine is and if it provides any security features against power failure during the upgrade. So if you happen to have an UPS please make sure both your PC and the Westell unit are powered through it (Note: if you use laptop with battery, your PC is OK, you need to plug the Westell's AC adapter into UPS protected socket).

"Mini" Ubuntu 8.04 with Blackbox Window Manager

Intro
Last couple of weeks I have been playing with Ubuntu text based alternate installer CD. All that in quest for minimal Linux setup that would run nicely even on older PCs. Machine I was playing on one 700MHz P3 with 128MB, and 1.7GHz P4. I also played on Virtual Box under my regular Ubuntu setup.


Obtaining CD and CLI install
Go to www.ubuntu.com and download Ubuntu 8.04 LTS CD that is labeled as Alternate Installer, which is not a regular Live CD, but actually boots a text based installer.
Once you get the ISO file burn a CD with it and you are ready to start. Boot the PC with the alternate installer CD. You should get the screen below:
Select English, and then type F4 key to enter menu at the bottom where you can select installation type. Select to install a command-line system.

After that you should go through "regular" text based installer (based on Debian setup). Be careful when making option selections, especially when partitioning the hard disk. On this 700MHz P3, I selected Guided Partitioning for the entire disk (had no data to save from it).

You will be asked several questions such as time zone, username and password, etc. Wait for install to finish, then reboot and you should get a screen like this:

Login with you new username and password. Basically what you see is a minimal Ubuntu command line setup. If you type "free -m" command you should get around (only) 17M memory being used.

Update System
Issue following two commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Adding CLI programs
Not very many people would find command-line interface (CLI) user friendly. Although, I have to say there are several very powerful CLI programs that may significantly improve the experience. At the top of my list is Midnight Commander (mc) file manager, that is fairly similar to famous two-pane Norton Commander from DOS era. If you are using this PC as network server for file storage having Samba and Midnight Commander could be sufficient. The thing about MC is that you can even browse and copy to/from network shares with its interface. From command-like tools I like Nano (nano) editor, and htop system info programs.

Issue following command to install these CLI prorgams:
sudo apt-get install htop mc nano

Adding X (GUI)
In order to run some useful GUI prorgams (for example Mozilla Firefox) you will need graphical user interface. By default Ubuntu comes with Gnome, KDE, or XFCE. There are several other window managers that may not be as nice as those three but are much lighter and not as memory and other resources hungry. In this example I will use Blackbox, but IceWM, JWM, Fluxbox, or Window Maker are worht looking at as well.

To install Xorg, Blackbox, and Firefox issue the following command:
sudo apt-get install xorg xterm menu blackbox firefox

To run X and Blackbox use "startx" in command line:

The picture below is Blackbox with selected "Blue" theme and running Htop. I like nice and neat dekstop look as well as the fact that only 27MB of RAM is being used at this point.

Graphical Login
If you want to have graphical login (such as default GDM) you can install gdm, or even lighter wdm or xdm.
In terminal issue the following command (in this example wdm):
sudo apt-install wdm
sudo /etc/init.d/wdm start

You can actually skip this step and keep logging into command-line interface, then starting graphical desktop with "startx".

Adding Sound
To enable sound in your applications issue the following:
sudo apt-get install alsa-base alsa-utils

Then run alsamixer to set master volume and enable mic:
alsamixer

Use left right keys to move from one setting to the next. Pressing M key would toggle on/off selections (green 00 means "enabled", MM means "disabled"). Make sure you selected right outputs and right mic input (important for programs such as Skype for phone over IP).

This can be done either through pure command line interface or inside terminal (xterm) in your Blackbox desktop.

Enable Printing
If you need to print from this machine you will need cupsys:
sudo apt-get cupsys cupsys-client

Once installed you can access cupsys settings via web interface. Open firefox and go to the following address:
http://localhost:631

In this case I selected to access remote printer on my other Ubuntu machine by changing "Manage Server" options (selected show printers shared by other systems).


Additional Repositories
You should edit /etc/apt/sources.list file:

• add "multiverse universe" text to first two uncommented deb-src lines
• uncomment "partner" repositories
• definitively add Medibuntu repositories by adding the following to the end of the file:
  # Medibuntu
  deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ hardy free non-free
  deb-src http://packages.medibuntu.org/ hardy free non-free
  

After this issue the following commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring

Answer with yes when asked, and then issue
sudo apt-get update

Other Programs
Pretty much here you are building your system by adding things to it. Things to imrpve the Internet experience are for example Flash and Java plugins, core fonts, etc. In this case I also installed Skype and VLC video player:
sudo apt-get install adobe-flashplugin msttcorefonts openoffice.org skype sun-java6-plugin vlc

There are definitively other apps you may want to add. I found it useful to have a standard Ubuntu install on another machine so that I can browse the packages and look what might be needed on this light setup. Definitively an interesting approach to add only things you need, while keeping your system lean and mean.


Editing Menu entries
To be added (Skype example)

References
http://www.ubuntu.com
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/minimalold
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/

Lightweight Ubuntu - My first Linux Distro

Lightweight Ubuntu
I am writing this from a Pentium 3 at 733MHz with 256M. I have been playing with alternative setup CD from Ubuntu and followed several instructions on how to make a lightweight Linux installation. Currently running IceWM window manager and Ubuntu 8.04.2. Will provide some notes when I sort them out.


Making a distro (remastersys)
Installed remastersys utility, which is a tool to make a live CD and install ISO based on your current setup. Fairly easy to run. Not sure if I am ready to start yet another Ubuntu based Linux distro. However, it was pretty cool.

I like it
I am pretty excited as I am runing an Ubuntu that reports only 40-50M RAM used when logged in. FireFox is pretty fast. I also installed Flash plugin and Java-JRE. Finally I added OpenOffice.org3 (just to confuse myself), but everything works pretty decent. Skype behaves great. The menus in IceWM need to be sorted out, but I got me a very nice setup and this Pentium 3 PC seems to be fairly useful this way.

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS as Desktop: Installation Notes

Intro
It has been almost a year since Ubuntu's long term release (LTS). I have done several installations since then both related to my work and personal use. Also proud to confirm that I helped "save" several PCs and extend their life by switching them to (not Geico), but Linux.
These are my "quick notes" for installing Ubuntu 8.04. Main purpose is to remind me what could be a typical desktop setup. Please note that Ubuntu and Medibuntu repositories contain several other packages and tons of useful software. Strongly recommend exploring what is available.

Backup

• Make sure you saved all your personal data (files, email, photos, music, specific settings, etc.)

Perform Live CD setup

• Boot Live CD. If running as Live CD goes very slow, select Install directly at the boot time.
  
• Perform "regular" setup.
• Pay attention on the hard disk partitioning.

Adjust time + NTP

• After first boot, adjust time and date, select appropriate time zone
  
• set to synchronize with time servers, this installs NTP support

System update

• Very important to done here.
• Reboot after finished.
  

Additional repositories

• In Synaptic select "partner" options in Third-Party
  
• add Medibuntu
  
• add OpenOffice.org3
• add Remastersys (not needed for most people)
  

Medibuntu
Issue the following in the terminal:
sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

then the following command to import key:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

OpenOffice.org3
Add the following repositories in Synaptic (in Third-Party tab):
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ubuntu hardy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ubuntu hardy main

Remastersys (Optional)
This is only needed if you plan on making your own installation CD.
Add the following repositories in Synaptic (Third-Party tab):
deb http://www.remastersys.klikit-linux.com/repository remastersys/

Install additional software (repositories)
Install the following packages from Synaptic. Accept additional dependencies

• acroread
• apcupsd (from repositories, check conf files)
• avidemux
• audacity
• amsn
• bluefish
• cheese
• compizconfig-setting-manager
• cups-pdf (Ubuntu 8.10)
  
• dia
• envyng-gtk (of interest when configuring ATI or nVidia cards)
  
• filezilla
• gftp
• ghex
• grsync
• gufw (www.getdeb.net) ***
• googleearth
• gtkpod
• htop
• inkscape
• jscalibrator
• libdvdcss2
• mc
• nautilus-open-terminal
  
• ntfs-config (only if you need it)
• non-free-codecs
• planner
• prism
• prism-google-mail
• prism-google-docs
  
• prism-google-calendar
  
• remastersys (only if you really need this)
  
• sbackup
• scribus
• skype
• startupmanager
• ubuntu-restricted-extras
  
• vlc
• w32codecs
• wine
• xchat

Other software (not in repositories)
Additional software I usually install on my desktop. Opera and RealPlayer are probably of interest for general use.

• Netbeans 6.5 (www.netbeans.org)
• Opera 9.6 (www.opera.com)
• RealPlayer 11 (www.real.com)
• Scilab 5 (www.scilab.org)
• xVM Virtualbox (www.sun.com)

Some games
There is large selection of free games under Linux nowadays. These are some:

• chromium
• fretsonfire
• monkey-bubble
  
• neverball
  
• openarena
• scorch3d
• torcs
• wormux
• xmoto

These are not in repositories, but could be of interest for "drivers":

• maniadrive
• racer

Firefox add-ons

• Foxmarks (backup your bookmarks and synchronize them across different computers)
  
• FireFTP (nice FTP client)
  

Add to panel
Right click on the bottom panel and click on "Add to panel...". Following are some I like:

• Weather
• Keyboard indicator
• Sticky notes

VMware Server 2
If you need virtual machines. Quick notes are bellow:

• add package build-essentials
• download server version 2 from VMware website
  
• unpack and run install
• make sure main user is added as admin to vmware during the installation

Tuning
This is my personal preference. You can play with yours.

• turn off desktop effects
• in appearance set icons only, for LCD screen smooth fonts
• Firefox about:config (cache to 10000, disable ip6, pipelining to yes, 8)
• terminal turn off menus

References
http://www.ubuntu.com
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu
http://www.openoffice.org
http://www.scilab.org
http://www.opera.com
http://www.real.com
http://www.sun.com
http://www.netbeans.org
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VMware/Server