nixCraft Linux Sys Admin Blog

Doom 4 Game Announced

Vivek — 2008-05-09T09:13:50+01:00

Cool! I hope Linux version will be released just like Doom 3. Doom 4 is the upcoming installment of the Doom series by id Software. It was announced as in production on May 7, 2008.

From the ID software web site:

Production has begun on DOOM 4â¢, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe. We are expanding our internal team and are currently hiring to work on this highly anticipated title.

( Image Credit: Wikipedia )

Linux will get buried by Apple and Windows

Download of the day: OpenOffice 3.0 beta Software

Vivek — 2008-05-09T05:13:07+01:00

OpenOffice 3.0 beta has been released and available for download. With Version 3.0, OpenOffice.org is now able to run on Mac OS X without the need for X11. Thus, OpenOffice.org behaves like any other Aqua application. OpenOffice.org 3.0 already supports the features of the upcoming version 1.2 of the ISO standard OpenDocument Format (ODF). In addition to read and write support for the Microsoft Office binary file formats (.doc; .xls, .ppt, etc.), OpenOffice.org 3.0 is now capable of opening files created with Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac OS X (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.).

=> You can download latest version here

Mozilla Firefox Addon Shipped With Malicious Adware Virus Code

Vivek — 2008-05-08T19:05:29+01:00

The addons has been downloaded several thousands of time over past 3 months. Mozilla warned that a malicious program inserted adware code into a Firefox plugin. According to Mozilla security chief Window Snyder:

Everyone who downloaded the most recent Vietnamese language pack since February 18, 2008 got an infected copy. Mozilla does virus scans at upload time but the virus scanner did not catch this issue until several months after the upload.

=> Virus found in Vietnamese language pack (Via Y! news)

How To Find Out If ISP Is Throttling BitTorrent Traffic

Vivek — 2008-05-08T11:34:57+01:00

You can now easily determine if your ISP throttling and shaping Bittorrent traffi with simple online tool.

From the project web page:

Certain ISPs have been shown to rate limit or block BitTorrent traffic sent by their customers. While there are multiple reports of this on the web, only a few ISPs have admitted that they manipulate BitTorrent traffic. And, to date, it is hard for users without networking expertise to gain evidence about the behavior of their ISP.

This test suite creates a BitTorrent-like transfer between your machine and our server, and determines whether or not your ISP is limiting such traffic. This is a first step towards making traffic manipulation by ISPs more transparent to their customers.

=> Glasnost: Test if your ISP is manipulating BitTorrent traffic

You can also load this tool on your own server or laptop computer running Apache and PHP 4.3 or above:
$ cd /var/www/ $ sudo apt-get install libpcap0.8 libpcap0.8-dev $ wget http://broadband.mpi-sws.mpg.de/transparency/glasnost-1.1.tgz $ tar -zxvf glasnost-1.1.tgz $ cd glasnost $ make $ su -c "chmod a+s bt_client" $ mkdir 0777 logs
Fire a web browser and type http://localhost/glasnost/selftest.php or http://your-domain.com/glasnost/selftest.php

Why many MCSEs won't learn Linux

Vivek — 2008-05-08T00:34:58+01:00

Paul has responded to MCSE mike. Checkout my stand on Linux admin vs Microsoft Windows admin.

There are few basic principals under UNIX and Linux. Any MCSE must understand and follow them.

a) Everything is a file - Including your hardware.

b) All server / desktop configuration stored in text files - /etc, /usr/local/etc and ~/.dot-files. So learn to edit and search text files. Learn basis of grep, awk and sed along with vi. Same way all errors are logged in a text file located at /var/log/ directory

c) One small utility performs one single task at a time - Typical Linux box may have 2000-4000 command installed. Each command provides a single functionality.

d) Linux / UNIX is designed for simplicity - Add complexity only where you must.

e) Filters - Ability to chain programs together to perform complex tasks.

g) Interactive commands and dialog boxes are rare in UNIX / Linux - Learn to use commands, command line arguments and man pages.

Let the flame war begun

Emergency Server Management With Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

Vivek — 2008-05-07T23:49:24+01:00

« « Previous in series

Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) is a hardware level interface specification that defines a common, abstracted, message-based interface to platform monitoring and control functions. Both IPMI and KVM over IP can be used in emergency situations.

You can use IPMI to:
a] Monitor system health
b] Manage the system
c] Access system when network is down
d] Install new os
e] Power on / off system
f] Retrieve hardware logs etc
g] Read sensors data such as CPU temperature, fan speed, and voltage
h] Serial over LAN etc

How do I access server using IPMI?

You need IPMI client. This is supplied by your server manufacturer such as HP, Dell, IBM etc. You can also use ipmitool command to manage Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) functions of either the local system, via a kernel device driver, or a remote system, using IPMI V1.5 and IPMI v2.0.

How do I login to remote server using ipmitool?

ipmitool command is included in most Linux distributions Use the syntax as follows:
$ ipmitool -U root -I lan -H Server-IP -E shell
OR
$ ipmitool -U root -I lan -H 10.5.1.2 -E shell

If you have a Windows server, you will have access to the Windows Special Administration Console (SAC). If you have a Linux / BSD / UNIX server, you will have access via a console login.

How do I login to remote server using server manufacturers client?

Supermicro provides IPMI command line client called ipmicli.x86. To use this client you must have Supermicro based server or use above generic client.
$ ./ipmicli.x86 ipmi-server-ip $ ./ipmicli.x86 10.5.1.2
Sample output:

Welcome to Supermicro IPMI Command Line Interface Rev 2.13 (build 06072101)
Copyright(C) 2002-2006 Supermicro Computer Inc., All rights reserved

User Name: root
Password: *********
connect ok
ipmi>

Type help command to view supported commands:
ipmi>help
Sample output:

Usage:
 open [ip address]      (if ip is not specified in the command line)
 close                  (close the connection)
 powerdown              (power down the system)
 powerup                (power up the system)
 reset                  (reset the system)
 gshutdown              (graceful shutdown the system)
 greboot                (graceful reboot the system)
 gpowercycle            (graceful power cycle the system)
 user username password (set new user)
 password name password (change password)
 console                (Text Remote Console Redirection)
 sensor                 (read the sensors)
 sel                    (read the system event log)
 clearchassis           (clear chassis intrusion)
 log [filename]         (log msg, ipmi.log is default if no filename specified)
 ver                    (display version)
 help                   (display usage)
 quit                   (quit the program)

To view sensor data, use sensor command:
ipmi>sensor
Sample output:

CPU Temp Temperature (C)=5.00      Min=0.00      Max=75.00    ok
Sys Temp Temperature (C)=29.00     Min=0.00      Max=75.00    ok
CPU Vcore Voltage (V)=1.24      Min=1.08      Max=1.61     ok
1.5V Voltage (V)     =1.52      Min=1.44      Max=1.64     ok
3.3V Voltage (V)     =3.34      Min=2.96      Max=3.63     ok
5V Voltage (V)       =4.99      Min=4.48      Max=5.49     ok
12V Voltage (V)      =11.90     Min=10.75     Max=13.24    ok
-12V Voltage (V)     =-12.30    Min=-13.20    Max=-10.80   ok
VDIMM Voltage (V)    =1.80      Min=1.68      Max=1.98     ok
5VSB Voltage (V)     =4.80      Min=4.48      Max=5.49     ok
Vfsb Voltage (V)     =1.20      Min=1.08      Max=1.32     ok
VBAT Voltage (V)     =3.21      Min=2.96      Max=3.63     ok
Fan1 Fan (RPM)       =11100.00  Min=600.00    Max=25500.00 ok
Fan2 Fan (RPM)       =11500.00  Min=600.00    Max=25500.00 ok
Fan3 Fan (RPM)       =10900.00  Min=600.00    Max=25500.00 ok
Fan4 Fan (RPM)       =0.00      Min=600.00    Max=25500.00 fail
Fan5 Fan (RPM)       =11000.00  Min=600.00    Max=25500.00 ok
Fan6 Fan (RPM)       =0.00      Min=600.00    Max=25500.00 fail
Chassis Intrusion = Intrusion Occurs
Power Supply = ok
ipmi>

Start text remote console redirection i.e. open login prompt. This is useful if server locked down because of wrong iptables / pf firewall settings. You can simply login using console and flush out all firewall rules. Type console at ipmi prompt:
ipmi>console
Sample output:

You can press Ctrl-B to terminate Text Remote Console Redirection.
Press [Enter] to continue...

Just press [Enter] key and you can login to your Linux box remotely even if access is blocked via IPtables or network connectivity issue.

login: root
Password:
May  7 13:31:47 bull login: ROOT LOGIN (root) ON ttyd1
Last login: Tue May  6 16:46:13 from 10.10.29.66
Copyright (c) 1992-2008 The FreeBSD Project.
Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
        The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

FreeBSD 7.0-RELEASE-p1 (bull) #1: Fri Apr 25 18:22:31 CDT 2008

Welcome to FreeBSD!

Before seeking technical support, please use the following resources:

o  Security advisories and updated errata information for all releases are
   at http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/ - always consult the ERRATA section
   for your release first as it's updated frequently.

o  The Handbook and FAQ documents are at http://www.FreeBSD.org/ and,
   along with the mailing lists, can be searched by going to
   http://www.FreeBSD.org/search/.  If the doc distribution has
   been installed, they're also available formatted in /usr/share/doc.

If you still have a question or problem, please take the output of
`uname -a', along with any relevant error messages, and email it
as a question to the questions@FreeBSD.org mailing list.  If you are
unfamiliar with FreeBSD's directory layout, please refer to the hier(7)
manual page.  If you are not familiar with manual pages, type `man man'.

You may also use sysinstall(8) to re-enter the installation and
configuration utility.  Edit /etc/motd to change this login announcement.

You have new mail.

I can now stop my FreeBSD firewall by typing following command:
# /etc/rc.d/ipfw forcestop
If you are using Linux, enter:
# service iptables stop

Next, time I will write about setting up IPMI for Intel / AMD boxes under Linux.

What Can You Do With A Second Linux Server Ethernet port?

Vivek — 2008-05-07T00:45:51+01:00

Nathan has published an interesting article at Linux.com about second Ethernet port:

Purchase a new PC or motherboard soon, and the chances are good that it will come with two built-in network interfaces -- either two Ethernet jacks or one Ethernet and one Wi-Fi. Tossing in a second adapter is an inexpensive way for the manufacturer to add another bullet point to the product description -- but what exactly are you supposed to do with it? If you are running Linux, you have several alternatives.

My second Ethernet port usage

What's your second Ethernet port usage?

mplayer: Play All Mp3 Files In Reverse Order

Vivek — 2008-05-07T00:23:19+01:00

mplayer lacks an option for selecting files in a reverse order. So here is a quick way to playback all mp3 files in reverse order:
$ ls -1 -r *.mp3 > mp3.rev $ mplayer -playlist mp3.rev
Where,

-r reverse order while sorting
-1 list one file per line
-playlist file : Play files according to a playlist file

Let's hear your shell hack in the comments.

Download of the day: Puppy Linux CD / ISO Images

Vivek — 2008-05-05T23:45:38+01:00

Puppy Linux is a Live CD Linux distribution that is very small and focuses on ease of use and small size (50-90MB). Puppy Linux version 4.0 has been released and available for download from official project web site. From the announcement page:

Puppy has all drivers built-in for scanning, digital camera, printing (Gutenprint), audio recording/editing/conversion, making it a complete multimedia environment ...yet is only 87.1MB!!! Of course this is in addition to being a complete office environment, in addition to having a huge collection of useful utilities, in addition to anything else you can think of.

Download Puppy Linux CD / ISO Images

Download from official project page (87MB)

Linux / OSS Readers' Choice Awards 2008 Announced

Vivek — 2008-05-05T23:08:19+01:00

Thousands of readers have voted and results are out now. Here are the tools you and me use every day in work and play. It is a good list and as expected FireFox is the best browser, Ubuntu Linux is the best distro and Thunderbird is the best mail client

See all the results online at Linux journals website.

How To Use Proxy Server To Access Internet at Shell Prompt With http_proxy Variable

Vivek — 2008-05-09T18:15:52+01:00

I'm behind a squid proxy server. How do I access internet via proxy server when I use wget, lynx and other utilities from a shell prompt?

Answer to "How To Use Proxy Server To Access Internet at Shell Prompt With http_proxy Variable"

OpenBSD Change / Set IP Address For Network Interface

Vivek — 2008-05-08T18:13:41+01:00

How do I configure or change existing IP address under OpenBSD operating system? How do I configure TCP / IP under OpenBSD?

Answer to "OpenBSD Change / Set IP Address For Network Interface"

How do I find a Unix / Linux command?

Vivek — 2008-05-07T16:41:12+01:00

How do I find UNIX / Linux command for particular task?

Answer to "How do I find a Unix / Linux command?"

OpenBSD Set / Change Default Gateway

Vivek — 2008-05-06T17:59:08+01:00

How do I change or set a default gateway under OpenBSD operating system?

Answer to "OpenBSD Set / Change Default Gateway"

Explain Usage Of The Linux Left Bracket /usr/bin/[ Command

Vivek — 2008-05-06T07:13:47+01:00

I see [ command in /usr/bin directory. What is the /usr/bin/[ command used for?

Answer to "Explain Usage Of The Linux Left Bracket /usr/bin/[ Command"

Linux Change Default User Home Directory While Adding A New User

Vivek — 2008-05-05T22:22:40+01:00

By default user is added to /home directory. I'd like to add user to /iscsi/home/${user} directory instead of default /home. How do I force useradd to add user to /iscsi/home under CentOS / RHEL / Fedora Linux?

Answer to "Linux Change Default User Home Directory While Adding A New User"

Linux Read CPU Temperature Sensor Chip Data

Vivek — 2008-05-05T18:51:04+01:00

How do I read CPU core temperature data from a shell prompt under Linux operating system? How do I monitor my cpu hardware?

Answer to "Linux Read CPU Temperature Sensor Chip Data"

MySQL Run SQL Queries From A Shell Prompt / Command Line

Vivek — 2008-05-04T20:37:33+01:00

How do I specify MySQL SQL queries on the UNIX / Linux command line?

Answer to "MySQL Run SQL Queries From A Shell Prompt / Command Line"

OpenBSD Install Ports Collection

Vivek — 2008-05-03T16:25:56+01:00

How do I install package ports collection under OpenBSD operating system?

Answer to "OpenBSD Install Ports Collection"

OpenBSD Change Hostname

Vivek — 2008-05-03T15:53:00+01:00

How do I change or set my hostname ( computer name ) under OpenBSD operating system?

Answer to "OpenBSD Change Hostname"

nixCraft Linux Sys Admin Blog

Doom 4 Game Announced

Related Posts:

Download of the day: OpenOffice 3.0 beta Software

Related Posts:

Mozilla Firefox Addon Shipped With Malicious Adware Virus Code

Related Posts:

How To Find Out If ISP Is Throttling BitTorrent Traffic

Related Posts:

Why many MCSEs won't learn Linux

Related Posts:

Emergency Server Management With Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

How do I access server using IPMI?

How do I login to remote server using ipmitool?

How do I login to remote server using server manufacturers client?

Further readings:

Contents

Related Posts:

What Can You Do With A Second Linux Server Ethernet port?

My second Ethernet port usage

Related Posts:

mplayer: Play All Mp3 Files In Reverse Order

Related Posts:

Download of the day: Puppy Linux CD / ISO Images

Download Puppy Linux CD / ISO Images

Related Posts:

Linux / OSS Readers' Choice Awards 2008 Announced

Related Posts:

How To Use Proxy Server To Access Internet at Shell Prompt With http_proxy Variable

OpenBSD Change / Set IP Address For Network Interface

How do I find a Unix / Linux command?

OpenBSD Set / Change Default Gateway

Explain Usage Of The Linux Left Bracket /usr/bin/[ Command

Linux Change Default User Home Directory While Adding A New User

Linux Read CPU Temperature Sensor Chip Data

MySQL Run SQL Queries From A Shell Prompt / Command Line

OpenBSD Install Ports Collection

OpenBSD Change Hostname