Linux: Making Life Easy

[abhi1301]

can anyone give me a link where I can get a good linux .. i mean i also need a suggestion on as to which linux is good PLZ PM me for that

 

[mehulved]

Something interesting I found while googling around Review of KDE 1.0
This review appeared in linuxjournal in 1999.

 

[subratabera]

Configure your Broadband in Ubuntu

BSNL DataOne

Prerequisite

BSNL Dataone provides different types of ADSL modem/router:

1. Huawei ADSL modem/router with ethernet and USB port
2. DareGlobal ADSL modem/router with ethernet port.
3. Huawei ADSL modem/router with ethernet port, USB port and built-in wireless access point.

You should have a working ethernet card to connect the modem/router. No information is available about connecting using USB (PPPoA).

Instructions

Note: The router/modem would trigger the connection if configured this way.(Router on -> Connected)

Ethernet Connection

1. Connect the modem/router to the ethernet card

2. Assign an IP address for the ethernet card; the router has a fixed interface address of 192.168.1.1, so you can use 192.168.1.2 for your ethernet interface.

$ sudo ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.2

3. Add 192.168.1.1 as default gateway.

$ sudo route add default gw 192.168.1.1

4. Enter the address of some DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf. These DNS adresses are provided on BSNL's instruction manual.

$ sudo vi /etc/resolv.conf

The entry will be of type nameserver 61.1.96.71, where the IP will be the one provided in your DataOne instruction manual.

5. Access the router's management interface via a browser by typing the address 192.168.1.1. The admin username/password is admin/admin

-->Set the connection type to `PPPoE'. On my MT882 box, this comes under `WAN Settings'
-->Enter your user name and password (username is of the form xyz@dataone)
-->Reset the router. It will take 2-3 minutes for the box to come up again

Steps 2, 3, 4 can also be done from menu System->Administration->Network in GUI

Alternate Method: 1) Connect your ethernet wire to the port at the back of your computer. 2) Fire up the terminal and type in sudo pppoeconf 3) It should detect your modem. 4) Keep on pressing enter. Fill in your user name and password when indicated. 5) It should be easy to stick on to defaults. 6) You should be prompted back to your terminal when it would say pppoe loaded. Simple. That's the end of terminal.

Now go to System>Administration>Networking. Click on it. You would be asked for your password to carry out the administrative job as root. You should be prompted to enter the following details.

1) Activate the Wired connection. 2) Highlight the wired connection and click on properties. 3) Check the box "enable the connection" 4) Configuration as Static IP. 5) IP Address : 192.168.1.2 6) Subnet mask fills on it's own as 255.255.255.0 7) Gateway address :192.168.1.1

Wireless Connection

1. Assign an IP address for wireless NIC; the router has a fixed interface address of 192.168.1.1, so you can use 192.168.1.2 for your wireless NIC.

$ sudo ifconfig wlan0 192.168.1.2

In some cases you may need to replace wlan0 with with eth0 or eth1.

2. Add 192.168.1.1 as default gateway.

$ sudo route add default gw 192.168.1.1

3. Add network ESSID.

$ sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid WA1003A

Default ESSID for the modem/router provided by BSNL are same as model names. You can change it from modem/router's admin console.

4. Enter the address of some DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf. These DNS adresses are provided on BSNL's instruction manual.

$ sudo vi /etc/resolv.conf

The entry will be of type nameserver 61.1.96.71, where the IP will be the one provided in your DataOne instruction manual.

5. Access the router's management interface via a browser by typing the address 192.168.1.1. The admin username/password is admin/admin

-->Set the connection type to for PVC0 connection as 'PPPoE'. On WA1003A modem/router, this comes under 'Setup'
-->Enter your user name and password (username is of the form xyz@dataone)

*www.ubuntu-in.org/images/thumb/b/b9/PPPoE_Connection.png/640px-PPPoE_Connection.png

-->Set the modulation to GDMT. On WA1003A modem/router, this comes under 'Setup->Modem Setup'

*www.ubuntu-in.org/images/thumb/b/b4/GDMT_modulation.png/640px-GDMT_modulation.png

-->Save and restart the modem/router. On WA1003A modem/router, this can be done under 'Tools->System Commands' It will take 2-3 minutes for the box to come up again

Wireless security

-->In admin console, 'Advanced->Wireless Security' set security to WEP.
-->Add a 64 bit authentication key, 10 characters in hex format i.e 0-9 and A-F

*www.ubuntu-in.org/images/thumb/c/c9/WEP.png/640px-WEP.png

-->Add this key to wireless NIC configuration.

$ sudo iwconfig wlan0 key A1B2C3D4E5

-->Save settings in router and restart it. Reactivate the card, probably using ifdown and ifup

One stop instruction for wireless NIC:
Add following lines to /etc/network/interfaces

iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.10
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.1.1
wireless-essid WA1003A
wireless-key A1B2C3D4E5

auto eth0

Most of the steps can also be done from menu System->Administration->Network in GUI

(Note: Most of the instructions are based on the document at *www.calcuttatelephones.com/dataoneinstall/bb008.html)

Alternative

Note: Ubuntu would trigger the connection if configured this way.(Router on -> Ubuntu on -> Connected)
Make sure your Ethernet card is configured
Open a Terminal: Applications->Accessories->Terminal
Enter sudo pppoeconf
Follow instructions on the screen. The defaults are fine for most cases. Make sure you enter your username and password carefully. Beware : The password will be visible on the screen.

Checking Usage

Casanova has made a python script for checking dataone usage.
NOTE: For bug reports, feature requests go to *code.google.com/p/doufs/
Dataone usage script

===========================

Sify

Obtaining the sify dialer

Download the client from the same place where you got the windows client. This should ideally be *202.144.65.70:8090 , and at the time of writing the file is can be found at *210.18.11.199:81/bbandclient/sifyconnect-1.3-bin.tar.gz.

Installing the dialer

Untar the the dialer using your favorite untar program , or do this :

$ tar -xzvf sifyconnect-1.3-bin.tar.gz

Then run the following commands as root :

$ cd sifyconnect-1.3-bin/
$ bash install.sh

Using the dialer

Run the following commands :

$ sifyd
$ sifyconnect -l

This will prompt you for your username & password , give them. Once you do that your as good as logged in , you can now close the terminal and use the internet.

Autologin

Want to automatically login onto sify everytime you switch on the computer. Just write a shell script. Just make a file (something like sify.sh) in "/usr/bin/". The scriptwill be something like this :

$ sifyd
$ echo -e 'accountname\npassword' | sifyconnect -l

To start this everytime the computer switches on add the following lines to the /etc/rc.local file (untested):

$ bash sify.sh

Troubleshooting

Sometimes the client on trying to log in says something like --

"Login failed : Get the latest version of the client"

This is because after upgrading it's protocol in some places, sify has discontinoued support for the old protocol . It has also stopped development of it's GNU/linux and Mac clients , so you might have to call sify customer care and tell them your problem. They probably just allow you IP and account to use the old protocol It took them about 8 hours to fix the problem when I had it.

Another problem that might occur would be like --

"-bash: /etc/init.d/sifybb: No such file or directory"

If that ever happens all you have to do is Broadband_Howto#Installing_the_dialer again.

External Resources

Configuring Sify Broadband on Ubuntu Configuring Pacenet on Ubuntu

======================

Airtel Broadband

Adsl Router

PPPoE (non bridged)

In this mode, your router will connect as sson as it is switched on. If you are billed for time connected then you need to use bridged mode

-->Go to System->Administartion->Networking and make sure you have configured an ip (192.168.1.2, for example) and have set your DNS (supplied by Airtel) and Default gateway (192.168.1.1). If your router is handling DHCP then you needn't configure an ip.
-->Navigate to *192.168.1.1
-->Enter the username and password (default is admin for both)
-->Click Run Wizard
-->Click Next
-->Select your time zone (+5:30)
-->Click Next
-->Select <PPPoE/PPPoA Choose this option if your ISP uses PPPoE/PPPoA. (For most DSL users)>
-->Click Next
-->Enter your username and password. VPI = 1, VCI = 32, Connection Type = PPPoE LLC
-->Click restart

SOURCE

 

[anantkhaitan]

Video Rotation

One line command for rotating a video by 90 degrees :

$ mencoder -vf rotate=<no> -ovc lavc -oac copy source.mpg -o output.avi

Substitute <no> by a number 0-3 for preferred rotation:

• 0 -> 90 Degree Clockwise + Mirrored
• 1-> 90 Degree Clockwise
• 2-> 90 Degree Anticlockwise
• 3-> 90 Degree Anticlockwise + Mirrored

 

[mayanks_098]

Configure your Broadband in Ubuntu

BSNL DataOne

Prerequisite

BSNL Dataone provides different types of ADSL modem/router:

1. Huawei ADSL modem/router with ethernet and USB port
2. DareGlobal ADSL modem/router with ethernet port.
3. Huawei ADSL modem/router with ethernet port, USB port and built-in wireless access point.

You should have a working ethernet card to connect the modem/router. No information is available about connecting using USB (PPPoA).

Instructions

Note: The router/modem would trigger the connection if configured this way.(Router on -> Connected)

Ethernet Connection

1. Connect the modem/router to the ethernet card

2. Assign an IP address for the ethernet card; the router has a fixed interface address of 192.168.1.1, so you can use 192.168.1.2 for your ethernet interface.


3. Add 192.168.1.1 as default gateway.


4. Enter the address of some DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf. These DNS adresses are provided on BSNL's instruction manual.


The entry will be of type nameserver 61.1.96.71, where the IP will be the one provided in your DataOne instruction manual.

5. Access the router's management interface via a browser by typing the address 192.168.1.1. The admin username/password is admin/admin

-->Set the connection type to `PPPoE'. On my MT882 box, this comes under `WAN Settings'
-->Enter your user name and password (username is of the form xyz@dataone)
-->Reset the router. It will take 2-3 minutes for the box to come up again

Steps 2, 3, 4 can also be done from menu System->Administration->Network in GUI

Alternate Method: 1) Connect your ethernet wire to the port at the back of your computer. 2) Fire up the terminal and type in sudo pppoeconf 3) It should detect your modem. 4) Keep on pressing enter. Fill in your user name and password when indicated. 5) It should be easy to stick on to defaults. 6) You should be prompted back to your terminal when it would say pppoe loaded. Simple. That's the end of terminal.

Now go to System>Administration>Networking. Click on it. You would be asked for your password to carry out the administrative job as root. You should be prompted to enter the following details.

1) Activate the Wired connection. 2) Highlight the wired connection and click on properties. 3) Check the box "enable the connection" 4) Configuration as Static IP. 5) IP Address : 192.168.1.2 6) Subnet mask fills on it's own as 255.255.255.0 7) Gateway address :192.168.1.1

Wireless Connection

1. Assign an IP address for wireless NIC; the router has a fixed interface address of 192.168.1.1, so you can use 192.168.1.2 for your wireless NIC.

In some cases you may need to replace wlan0 with with eth0 or eth1.

2. Add 192.168.1.1 as default gateway.


3. Add network ESSID.

Default ESSID for the modem/router provided by BSNL are same as model names. You can change it from modem/router's admin console.

4. Enter the address of some DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf. These DNS adresses are provided on BSNL's instruction manual.

The entry will be of type nameserver 61.1.96.71, where the IP will be the one provided in your DataOne instruction manual.

5. Access the router's management interface via a browser by typing the address 192.168.1.1. The admin username/password is admin/admin

-->Set the connection type to for PVC0 connection as 'PPPoE'. On WA1003A modem/router, this comes under 'Setup'
-->Enter your user name and password (username is of the form xyz@dataone)

*www.ubuntu-in.org/images/thumb/b/b9/PPPoE_Connection.png/640px-PPPoE_Connection.png

-->Set the modulation to GDMT. On WA1003A modem/router, this comes under 'Setup->Modem Setup'

*www.ubuntu-in.org/images/thumb/b/b4/GDMT_modulation.png/640px-GDMT_modulation.png

-->Save and restart the modem/router. On WA1003A modem/router, this can be done under 'Tools->System Commands' It will take 2-3 minutes for the box to come up again

Wireless security

-->In admin console, 'Advanced->Wireless Security' set security to WEP.
-->Add a 64 bit authentication key, 10 characters in hex format i.e 0-9 and A-F

*www.ubuntu-in.org/images/thumb/c/c9/WEP.png/640px-WEP.png

-->Add this key to wireless NIC configuration.


-->Save settings in router and restart it. Reactivate the card, probably using ifdown and ifup

One stop instruction for wireless NIC:
Add following lines to /etc/network/interfaces


Most of the steps can also be done from menu System->Administration->Network in GUI

(Note: Most of the instructions are based on the document at *www.calcuttatelephones.com/dataoneinstall/bb008.html)

Alternative

Note: Ubuntu would trigger the connection if configured this way.(Router on -> Ubuntu on -> Connected)
Make sure your Ethernet card is configured
Open a Terminal: Applications->Accessories->Terminal
Enter sudo pppoeconf
Follow instructions on the screen. The defaults are fine for most cases. Make sure you enter your username and password carefully. Beware : The password will be visible on the screen.

Checking Usage

Casanova has made a python script for checking dataone usage.
NOTE: For bug reports, feature requests go to *code.google.com/p/doufs/
Dataone usage script

===========================

Sify

Obtaining the sify dialer

Download the client from the same place where you got the windows client. This should ideally be *202.144.65.70:8090 , and at the time of writing the file is can be found at *210.18.11.199:81/bbandclient/sifyconnect-1.3-bin.tar.gz.

Installing the dialer

Untar the the dialer using your favorite untar program , or do this :


Then run the following commands as root :


Using the dialer

Run the following commands :


This will prompt you for your username & password , give them. Once you do that your as good as logged in , you can now close the terminal and use the internet.

Autologin

Want to automatically login onto sify everytime you switch on the computer. Just write a shell script. Just make a file (something like sify.sh) in "/usr/bin/". The scriptwill be something like this :

To start this everytime the computer switches on add the following lines to the /etc/rc.local file (untested):


Troubleshooting

Sometimes the client on trying to log in says something like --

"Login failed : Get the latest version of the client"

This is because after upgrading it's protocol in some places, sify has discontinoued support for the old protocol . It has also stopped development of it's GNU/linux and Mac clients , so you might have to call sify customer care and tell them your problem. They probably just allow you IP and account to use the old protocol It took them about 8 hours to fix the problem when I had it.

Another problem that might occur would be like --

"-bash: /etc/init.d/sifybb: No such file or directory"

If that ever happens all you have to do is Broadband_Howto#Installing_the_dialer again.

External Resources

Configuring Sify Broadband on Ubuntu Configuring Pacenet on Ubuntu

======================

Airtel Broadband

Adsl Router

PPPoE (non bridged)

In this mode, your router will connect as sson as it is switched on. If you are billed for time connected then you need to use bridged mode

-->Go to System->Administartion->Networking and make sure you have configured an ip (192.168.1.2, for example) and have set your DNS (supplied by Airtel) and Default gateway (192.168.1.1). If your router is handling DHCP then you needn't configure an ip.
-->Navigate to *192.168.1.1
-->Enter the username and password (default is admin for both)
-->Click Run Wizard
-->Click Next
-->Select your time zone (+5:30)
-->Click Next
-->Select <PPPoE/PPPoA Choose this option if your ISP uses PPPoE/PPPoA. (For most DSL users)>
-->Click Next
-->Enter your username and password. VPI = 1, VCI = 32, Connection Type = PPPoE LLC
-->Click restart

SOURCE

can u tell 4 sabayon?

 

[praka123]

Stuff for the Linux UnAware


CommandLineBeginners

Ubuntu doc storage got a nice guide for new Linux users introduced to command line and removes the FUD that CLI is very difficult.

Stuff for the Linux UnAware

1. Case Sensitivity is Crucial. For example: Netscape, NETSCAPE and nEtscape are three different commands. Also my_filE, my_file, and my_FILE are three different files. Your user login name and password are also case sensitive. (This goes with the tradition of UNIX and the "c" programming language being case sensitive.)

2. Filenames can be up to 256 characters long and can contain letters, numbers, "." (dot), "_" (underscore), "-" (dash), plus some other not recommended characters.

3. Files with names starting with "." are normally not shown by the ls (list) or dir commands. Think of these files as "hidden". Use ls -a (list with the option "all") to see these files.

4. "/" is an equivalent to DOS "\" (root directory, meaning the parent of all other directories).

5. Under Linux, all directories appear under a single directory tree (there are no DOS-style drive letters).

6. In a configuration file, a line starting with # is a comment which either means its a command that isnt needed to run, or its a text addendum where the developer shows you how funny he is, what he was thinking at the time, or how odd of a person he might be.

read the full guide:
*doc.gwos.org/index.php/CommandLineBeginners

 

[subratabera]

Thread updated with more links...Please visit the first post...

Regards...

Subrata Bera.

 

[mediator]

Here's a nice little read!

Steps to take to fix Linux when it won't start


No matter how much you adore your Linux machine, there will come a time when you will have to rescue your installation. Yes, even a Linux machine could suffer from a disaster: Whether it's because of a corrupt video configuration, a kernel update gone wrong, or a misconfigured init script, it's inevitable. I've seen it happen on a number of occasions -- even on my own machines, mostly from corrupt X configurations -- and it's frustrating.

The best rescue plan, in my opinion, doesn't have to involve reinstalling. Sometimes the best rescue plan doesn't even involve booting up a rescue disk. This article is going to offer up some tips and tricks on how to avoid failure and help you create the tools you need to recover a dead Linux machine.


Start with the right runlevel

After installing a new Linux system, I immediately take steps to ensure disaster won't strike easily. One of the first steps is to edit the system's runlevel. The runlevel tells the system how far to take the boot process. The runlevel is broken down into six levels:


* 0: halt (do not set initdefault to this)
* 1: Single user mode
* 2: Multiuser, without NFS (the same as 3, if you do not have networking)
* 3: Full multiuser mode
* 4: unused

* 5: X11
* 6: reboot (do not set initdefault to this)

Newer Linux distributions almost always default to runlevel 5 (X11), which means that your system will stop at the graphical log-in screen when boot is complete. This is fine until something (or someone) hoses your X configuration; you will then have to find a means to log in. You could press [Ctrl][Alt][F7] to get a text-based virtual screen, but why go through that hassle? Instead, I always change my runlevel to 3 in the file /etc/inittab. The line you change is:

id:5:initdefault:

which will change to:

id:3:initdefault:]

This is a very simple method of saving yourself when X doesn't work properly.


Multiple kernels

The next obvious rescue aid is to always have a working kernel installed. I usually work from a kernel updated via yum. Kernels have occasionally been released with flaws that have caused one or more of my machines to not boot. To this end, I always make sure I have at least one perfectly running kernel on a machine. A great way to handle this is to first add plugins=1 in your /etc/yum.conf file. The next step is to take this script (written by Jeremy Katz from RedHat) and save it as n-installonly.py in /usr/lib/yum-plugins. You can change the number of kernels to retain on the system by changing the tookeep variable (default = 2).

With a known working kernel on your system, you can upgrade safely. If the new kernel is hosed, simply boot the old kernel to solve the issue with the new kernel (be it to remove it, recompile it, or update it).



Rescue mode

If you are using Red Hat and the LILO boot loader, you can boot into rescue mode by inserting Disk 1 of your installation and entering linux rescue at the boot prompt. Once the machine has booted, you will land on the bash# prompt. From this mode, you have a number of tools to use.

As you can see, there are tools to check the integrity of a hard disk, repair hard disks, check kernel modules, mount devices, and create file systems, etc. This is a very good place to start with your rescue attempt (if you're using a Red Hat, or Red Hat-based, system).

The next rescue method is booting into single-user mode, where your computer boots to runlevel 1. Your local file systems will be mounted, but your network will not be activated. You get a usable system maintenance shell. To boot into single-user mode, enter either:

linux single

or

linux emergency

at the LILO prompt.


Creating a rescue CD

If you're using the LILO boot loader, there's a great tool called mkrescue. This tool is typically used to create boot floppies, but can be used to create ISOs as well. Here's how.

If you're using Mandriva:

As root:

mkrescue --iso --initrd /boot/initrd-KERNEL-NUMBER.img --kernel /boot/vmlinuz-KERNEL-NUMBER

Note: Where KERNEL-NUMBER is the actual release number of the kernel.

If you're unsure what kernel release you're using, the numbers for intrd and vmlinuz can be found with the following command:

uname -r

After running the command, you will find a rescue.iso file in the directory where you ran the mkrescue command. You can now burn the image with the following commands:

First, check for the number of the CD burn device with:

cdrecord -scanbus

Now burn the images with:

cdrecord dev=0,0,0 rescue.iso

Note: Where dev=0,0,0 is number discovered with the scanbus command above.

If you're using Slackware, use these steps to make a boot CD:

mkrescue -iso

Note: Slackware automatically knows what kernel to put in the ISO.

You will then burn the image with the same means you did with the Mandriva image.

......More

 

[melody~]

Hey guys,
After reading so many discussions about linux.
I want to know about it.Some basic question
like installing softwares that will run with linux,supporting softwares for gpu
and all other devices,can i run ma all stuff like media files games etc.
Is is worth to install a linux on ma machine.
Also Beginner like me in da computers can work on linux nd many more ques
I'm a Newbie in this all computing stuff So please Help me on this.

 

[praka123]

*getgnulinux.org answers it simple.also see *ubuntu.com

 

[melody~]

Thanx Dude

But i am not able to find answers for my graphic card drivers.
Can i utilize my graphic card while using linux??

 

[praka123]

Ofcourse!NVIDIA is preferred.Ati too does works,but their drivers are not yet to the standard.only VIA chipset mobos with Unichrome IGP sucks in Linux-but that too supported.for ur queries start a separate thread in open source and welcome u to Linux world

 

[melody~]

Thanx dude,
No more ques on this thread

 

[mehulved]

Axel - a CLI download accelerator on Linux
*wilmer.gaast.net/main.php/axel.html
*www.cyberciti.biz/tips/download-accelerator-for-linux-command-line-tools.html

But, it seems to be unmaintained

 

[gary4gar]

Axel - a CLI download accelerator on Linux
*wilmer.gaast.net/main.php/axel.html
*www.cyberciti.biz/tips/download-accelerator-for-linux-command-line-tools.html

But, it seems to be unmaintained

is it faster than wget which is my prime download manager?

 

[subratabera]

There are other DMs available on Linux as well....

wxDownload Fast

wxDownload Fast (also known as wxDFast) is an open source download manager. It is multi-platform and builds on Windows(2k,XP), Linux and Mac OS X(binary still not available). Besides that, it is a multi-threaded download manager. This means that it can split a file into several pieces and download the pieces simultaneously.

Features

Faster downloads (with Segmented/Multi-threaded/Accelerated transfers)
Download resuming (Pause and restart where you stopped)
Download scheduling
Organizes files you have already downloaded
View server messages (HTTP, FTP, file://). No HTTPS support.
Available in multiple languages and easily translated. Now available in Portuguese [Brazil], Spanish, English, German, Russian, Hungarian, Armenian, Indonesian and Dutch
Connection to HTTP/FTP servers which require a password
Calculates the MD5/SHA1 checksum of downloaded files so they can be easily verified
Metalink support
Firefox integration through FlashGot
Can be used as a portable download manager (Windows only)
Can be used over proxy servers(HTTP proxy support)

*dfast.sourceforge.net/images/mainframe-small.png

DOWNLOAD

 

[praka123]

^news for me!

 

[vish786]

PS2 emulator for *nux

PS2 emulator for *nux

*www.pcsx2.net/downloads.php

~~~~~*****~~~~~~

Game: Urban Terror 4

 

[skghosh44]

Due to some problem in Ubuntu 7.04 (Random Application hangs up) I remove Ubuntu 7.04 and installed Kubuntu 7.04. Now I wish to know how to create luncher in Kubuntu. I have to make short cut for DSL on/off either in panel or desktop. I request the linux geek to help me.
thanks

 

[praka123]

i am not a kde user,but u can see there are lot of options(uff!)-u can make it without anyproblem.rightclik on the taskbar free space & try the same.