Using Debian from a USB Drive

There are various ways to try Debian before you ‘buy’ it. One is the live CD either Debian or Ubuntu, and the other is to run a self contained install from a USB drive. Seeing as these handy little gadgets are getting larger and cheaper as time goes in, this is a pretty viable method of doing things.
When I first tried this a year or so ago, I found it almost impossible to figure it out. Luckily a little further down the line, it is as easy as it could be. If you can complete an install on a normal hard drive, you can complete is on a USB drive. If I can do it then anyone can! Previously there were lots of command line action needed to get anywhere with a USB install. Now it’s pretty much the same as a standard one!

Caution: You should have all of your important files backed up before you try this or any other installs…use at your own risk.

I will now describe the basics of putting this altogether, assuming you have a decent speed USB drive with a capacity larger than 256mb. Decent speed is quite important as you are running almost everything from the drive. My first install used a cheapo slow-o drive that seemed to take an eternity to do anything. Then I upgraded to my 8gb Patriot Xt and now it flies.
To get started, load the Debian installer disk as usual and choose graphical install. Go through the normal install routine until you get to Partition Method. Here you want to choose your USB drive. In my case it came up as /sda.

Select ‘All files in one partition’ at the next option. This is the easiest way to run things on an external drive. You can partition if you want to, but it complicates life somewhat so I’m not going to cover it here.

Complete the process as you would a normal install. Make all the selections you would do on an HDD, just make them relevant where necessary to you /sda mount point. Also ensure you install the Grub bootloader onto the USB drive, otherwise it won’t work.
Once you have made your selections, the install process begins. It may take a while depending on the speed of your USB drive. Once done remove the drive and reboot your machine. When your machine reboots access the BIOS and add the selection to be able to boot from a removable device or USB drive. Where this is will vary depending on your motherboard.
Save and reboot once more making sure you plug your USB drive in. Grub should then load and you get the option to boot into Debian from the drive! Worked for me!
When using Debian in this way you don’t really notice the difference from a standard install. Space may become an issue if you use this method for a prolonged period of time, but that will depend entirely on the size of the USB stick you use.

Desktop Publishing with Scribus: Adding Links

Scribus is an excellent Desktop Publishing tool. This Open Source project provides a great way to create document, brochures, etc. This tutorial will show you how to set up links to web sites in your document that will link to the actual web site.

The best way to learn how to insert links is to open a template so you have something to work with. Go to File/New from Template and select a template to work with. Next Select Insert PDF Annotations, note the work “Link” next to it on the Menu Bar. Make sure the feet are showing in the button.

Now you will be able to create a box over an existing image, as you see in the illustration. If you do not do this with an existing image you will not be able to see the link.

Right click the box and select PDF Options and Annotation Properties. Now in the drop down menu select external Web-Link and type in your website. Choose Save As,so you do not destroy your template, and give it a name. Next go to File Export and export as a PDF with the same name. Now go to the location where you saved the PDF and double-click and it will open with an active link.

Petition: Proprietary Software In US Schools

What’s holding back US schools from catching on to the open-source software wave like the rest of the world?

Some say the replacement applications are just not available on the Linux platform. However some apps like OpenOffice.org could be implemented without even switching away from Windows. The savings in even a small computer lab not buying licenses for MS Office has got to be worth it.

Others argue that the software is there but the support isn’t and that a switch would cause too much confusion amongst students. Wake up people. These kids are all using Openoffice and booting Ubuntu on Live CDs. We need to brings open-source into our schools and teach our children about sharing, community, and freedom. Your kid could be heading up the Ubuntu 15.04 Kruzin’ Kangaroo project or could be a proprietary zombie, with no skills, no options, and no future. The choice is yours.

Please Sign My Proprietary Software Petition

Many good points about why schools are resisting this practical change are detailed in this article: U.S. Schools: Not Ready For Linux

Newbies: What to Look For

As a Linux newbie sure you have a lot of choices out there but what should you look for in a distro? I’ve come up with a few tips to help the new guy decide what he’s going to try first.

Hardware
From full Debian DVD sets to lightweight Mini distros, Linux distributions come in about every size possible. So one of the first things you’ll need to decide is what you’ll be installing this disto on. If it’s an older computer or your hardware is outdated be sure to look at the large selection of lightweight distros like Damn Small Linux, Tiny Core, xPUD, Puppy and many others. Linux distros like this are known for getting the most out of older hardware so you should see some significant improvements on computers that were previous running older versions of Windows.

Desktop Environment
You may have noticed that many Linux distros offer releases that feature GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and many other desktop environments. These desktop environments are basically the interface of your Linux desktop. It is important to decide what environment will work best for you so you can be matched to the best distro. Once you’ve experienced KDE on OpenSUSE for example, that knowledge will be useful while using other distros that offer KDE. Most users find a desktop environment they like and stick to it regardless of distro.

Language
This one seems obvious but needs to be mentioned. Not so much for English speakers but for everyone else. A Linux user that speaks Spanish may have a much more gratifying experience on Mandriva because Spanish languages support has been included in Mandriva for a long time. Some distros have been optimized for specific languages like the recent version of Greenie Linux which focuses on Czech and Slovak speakers. If you’re more comfortable in another language check around to see if distros optimized in your language are available.

Support
I see Linux newbies selecting distributions that aren’t very popular based on one or two things they like about them. Keep in mind that you can make distros like Ubuntu and Fedora do just about anything. How? Support. Without a base of other users that you can talk to in the forum, chat room or at your local LUG, it’s pretty hard to figure things out when you’re stuck. With such a huge number people using distros like Ubuntu finding help will be much easier than if you pick the latest and greatest from distrowatch and try to figure it out on your own.

Many factors go into choosing a distribution, taking some time to think about your needs first may save you some time in the long run.

New Linux Help Resource

At some time during your adventure as a Linux newbie you’re going to hit a bump in the road. Sooner or later you’re going to have a problem that you can’t fix. you might even become confused, frustrated and overwhelmed!

Before you hit this point, seek support, get help, and tap into what makes Linux great. If you’re a Linux user and you have a problem you’re not the first. Use this new Linux resources and you’re sure to find others that have a solution to your Linux related problems.

The BeginLinux community includes many resources for all types of Linux users. Linux videos, screenshots, and courses have been mixed into the community setting. Users can gain access to additional Linux training products through participation at the forum, course and quiz completions, and more. This makes getting access to Linux training products like PDFs, and training CDs as easy as submitting an article, opinion or review. This is all in addition to thousands of Linux desktop and server tutorials, screenshots, and Linux training videos available to everyone..

Greenie 5j Default Desktop

Greenie 5j Linux Desktop

Burning DVDs in Debian Lenny

Burning DVDs in Debian
Every now and then every user needs to make a permanent copy of something. A system backup, important pictures or documents, backups for the car or whatever. You can still enjoy this burning love with Debian, you just need to install a couple of things first.
There are third party packages that take care of all the burning for you like ‘K3b’ or ‘xcdroast’, but my linux ‘tutor’ insisted I try it this way first.
There is a package called dvd+rw-tools which will install ‘growisofs’ to burn DVD images or create a data DVD, ‘dvd+rw-format’ to format a DVD+RW and ‘dvd+rw-mediainfo’ to give details about the disks.
To install:
#apt-get install dvd+rw-tools
To initialize the disk:
#dvd+rw-format /dev/scd1
To write a directory to DVD:
#growisofs -Z /dev/scd1 -R -J /home/music Change the directories to suit your needs
To burn an image to DVD:
#growisofs -Z /dev/scd1=image.iso
If you want to burn media DVDs then you will need a few other packages. Check your Synaptic package manager for libdvdcss2. This will enable your system to read encrypted media if you want to make a backup of one of them.
If you want to burn movies then you will need gstreamer and w32codecs. These allow you to play around with the source files a bit more. If those two files don’t appear in your repository then you can search for them using the keyword ‘codec’. Worked for me.
The software option we will be using is K9Copy. I like it because it’s simple, straightforward and just does the job. Not much configuration needed. As above, someone also suggested I try K3b for the burning as it is another ‘newbie friendly’ package for burning media. I tried it and liked it. Very easy!

So, to burn a movie DVD, launch K9Copy and select the settings menu, then Configure. Select DVD and change the destination directory to whatever you need. Select MP4, the then Xvid option,2 pass. Set the audio to AC3 and your desired file size. The default for a standard DVD is 4.4Gb.
With the configuration done, now it’s time to choose. Do you really need Spanish subtitles or the little interviews or DVD extras? Now you can choose exactly what you want on your new disk. I would suggest ticking the ‘Keep original menus’ box however.
The idea here is to not copy all the stuff you don’t need This will leave more space for a better quality copy. You only have so much space and the more you dedicate to the movie and sound files, the better quality movie you will end up with.
Ensure the ‘ISO image’ output is selected and click on Copy. Then you can sit back and relax as the software takes care of everything else for you!
As usual, I’m not advocating piracy here, but you are allowed to make a single backup of original media you own. For you car pc lovers out there you wouldn’t want all your original DVDs in your glovebox would you?

We have Debian DVDs sets

Network Troubleshooting Using Ping

If your physical network is set up correctly then the Debian install should pick up all the settings needed to get you straight on to the internet. Connecting you to a network may take a little more input, but is still quite straightforward.
Network protocols and hardware are pretty standard no matter what operating system you use. You still need the same hardware you would if you were still using Windows or Mac. If the machine you installed Debian on was already part of a network then there should be nothing you need to do. When I installed my version of Debian it found all the settings automatically and connected me to the internet without input from me.
As with any system, things can go wrong. You have to troubleshoot in Linux in the same way you would with any other system. Examine the symptoms, figure out the most likely causes and work through them. You have tools which can help in these situations, and one of the most important ones for network issues is Ping.

Ping stands for Packet Internet Groper.
It is usually the first port of call when troubleshooting network issues. Think of it as a virtual wave to the device you are trying to connect to. All it does is send a short ‘hello’ message to the destination asking if it exists or is alive. Then it feeds back the results to you. If it receives a reply then it will tell you how long it took. If it doesn’t receive as reply then you know there is something wrong with the connection.

The command is: ping –c 5 192.169.102.134
Ping is the command. –c 5 is to ping the destination 5 times. If you don’t add this then the ping will be continuous until you press Ctrl C. 192.169.102.134 is the destination address you want to reach.

You can ping to a destination hostname if you like, but it then brings DNS into the mix and that’s a whole other post!

That command would be: ping –c 5 www.google.com
In this example the ping succeeds and even tells you how long it took to get a response. The lower the number, the better the network.

$ JKavanagh>ping www.google.com

Pinging www.l.google.com [209.85.227.147] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 209.85.227.147: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=242
Reply from 209.85.227.147: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=242
Reply from 209.85.227.147: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=242
Reply from 209.85.227.147: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=242

Ping statistics for 209.85.227.147:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 25ms, Maximum = 29ms, Average = 26ms

You can see that the system queries the DNS server and gets the IP address of 1.google.com [209.85.227.147]. Then it sends a ping request and gets a reply.

Pinging a known working device will then tell you whether the problem is at the local end, i.e. the machine you are using or the destination or far end. If your ping returns from the known working machine then you know the problem is likely at the far end or somewhere in between depending on your network routing. If the ping doesn’t return then you should look a little closer to home!

Creating Secure Passwords You Can Pronounce

Generating and using good passwords is a security problem for everyone. The program pwgen helps you with that problem of managing passwords.

Aspects of a Good Password
1. 8 characters or more
2. use numbers in the password
3. use letters in the password
4. use case in the password
5. avoid dictionary words

These five aspects are critical because software programs can employ “brute force” tactics to try to guess passwords on your network. Using the five aspects above will make it more difficult to crack your passwords. Security usually begins with most systems at the user level. One of the most important aspects of user security is the user password. A lot of security can go down the drain with poor passwords that can be easily cracked. Several important elements of a user password are length of the password, randomness and the forced creation of new passwords at regular intervals. Most users resist all of these elements.

Along comes pwgen to help with that problem. The basic advantage of pwgen is that it generates passwords people can pronounce, thus remember more easily. The default will include numbers but as you can see in the options, it will easily create passwords which are secure without numbers.

pwgen
Pwgen is an application you can install from synaptic Package Manager. It will help you create random passwords that people can pronounce. The idea is that good passwords are difficult to create in that either they are too easy and can be broken too easily or they are so difficult they are written down and taped to the bottom of a keyboard.

pwgen

Foh5Nhit shei2aiK Mae4kahD IeHai9ae auDo8oor aede0Ufu eayieH3o bei3EiSo

Uhei7Cea Seeyi8oo Yei0AeBe wo2Vei8i Aex0sohf Ua3XahQu EPo6eija Ooth6ohH

ahd3eiDe Ieb7eeBu Aer1ethu miT5Aiyu eoM9daen ShaiKah3 Taed9iex shaiCoh5

quiP5nae ooPie5ge Ue8reibu ohGoofu7 Ach6aime woh4dahX ooTh3Nin aeg7PuMa

eshuw3Ei Pi3eichu eeTun6ri eez3wa6A zuv8doDi ahV8eice iediaP1e Iugh5apa

Options
-0 Do not generate words with numerals

pwgen -0

vahChaib JaeghoPu iluoKeeW EiVoozee hahConei uveeDaMo huQuahth OoShofie

-B Do not use characters that can be confused

pwgen -B

nai9uJ4O jei3ieNg taeJie4A Doo4phoo Eiy9ain4 ee4Cei4X Ohphai4k too9IFog

-c Include as least one capital letter

pwgen -c

ud3zi1Oo OhLieb0I Xaigh6ri yu7OoT0A ahf4PaeW oid8Ohch iKied7Pa ye2Wu6ah

-C Print the generated passwords in columns

-N Generate this many passwords

pwgen -N5

Ho1faCh0 iuYeene4 ooYud6ie resuu9Ah Kae7aija

-n Include numerals

pwgen -n

Livoh1ph nahl3Toe aaph9iVi hooNaj3k Aed8shue mev6Ebup tho1As8a pohVu5eS

-s Generate completely secure passwords

pwgen -s

nG7d4pCE ZMu45HYh Ieg5B6hP Xkmr3bPE SxE14Mv5 pR8ccVfL TwRIt5GE HgIsNh5W

-v Generate passwords without vowels
pwgen -v

9bc4GFnC XBwQFR42 LSq49Z8s LSW6RGzZ 8jrHHbbq dLC2Q2hQ qwbrfX6x vDTzGqS3

Saving Changes for iptables

Whenever you make a change to your firewall, on a Fedora/CentOS type system, you will want to save the changes.

The output can be redirected to a file.

# iptables-save > /root/firewall-rules
The following command line restores all rules from /root/firewall-rules assuming that the file /root/firewall-rules exists.

# iptables-restore < /root/firewall-rules

By default, iptables-restore deletes all existing rules before restoring the saved rules. If the saved rules are to be appended to existing rules, use the -n or –noflush option.

Save Your Firewall and Load on Restart
You will need to edit the /etc/sysconfig/iptables-config as root to help iptables save and reload your firewall correctly. Be sure the following settings are changed to “yes”.

# Unload modules on restart and stop
# Value: yes|no, default: yes
# This option has to be ‘yes’ to get to a sane state for a firewall
# restart or stop. Only set to ‘no’ if there are problems unloading netfilter
# modules.
IPTABLES_MODULES_UNLOAD=”yes”

# Save current firewall rules on stop.
# Value: yes|no, default: no
# Saves all firewall rules to /etc/sysconfig/iptables if firewall gets stopped
# (e.g. on system shutdown).
IPTABLES_SAVE_ON_STOP=”yes”

# Save current firewall rules on restart.
# Value: yes|no, default: no
# Saves all firewall rules to /etc/sysconfig/iptables if firewall gets
# restarted.
IPTABLES_SAVE_ON_RESTART=”yes”

iptables Configuration Files

CentOS and other Red Hat based distributions set iptables rules in /etc/sysconfig/iptables, which may be generated by redirecting the output of iptables-save as follows.

# iptables-save > /etc/sysconfig/iptables
The rules are automatically restored by the script /etc/init.d/iptables at startup. No modification to /etc/init.d/iptables is required.

Note that Red Hat based distributions place iptables and related executables in /sbin, not in /usr/sbin.

iptables is not a daemon but it does load rules into memory. This means that rules will not be persistent over a restart. However, if you do the save command it will save the currently loaded rules into a file called: /etc/sysconfig/iptables

service iptables save