DataBook® for OS/2 Returns – in part


Posted by dboth

Thanks to WD “Bill” Loughman of Berkeley, California for sending me his downloads of some of the pages of the original DataBook for OS/2. Using that data, I have recreated the pages that he has saved. This is a great boon for anyone still using OS/2.

Unfortunately, much more data is still missing. If you, by any chance, have downloaded and saved any pages from the DataBook for OS/2, I would be very appreciative if you would zip them up and send them to me.

Not many people use OS/2 any more, but a bank I worked for recently just retired their last OS/2 ATM a few months ago. So it is still around.


New “Linux Expert” Website


Posted by dboth

There is a brand new web site named Linux Expert. It is a very cool gathering place for—you guessed it—Linux Experts.

Visit Linux Expert

Currently in Beta test at http://www.c1.linuxexpertcommunity.com/, the web site encourages participation with chat capabilities, forums, personal blogs and an area in which anyone can ask questions.

This is the place I have been looking for for a long time. It is a community of people with a common interest in Linux and a lot of individual interests within the larger one. Each one of us has differing expertise that we bring to the table. Within hours of joining the brand-new web site as one of the first few users, there were discussions, new groups, and people were asking questions while others were providing answers.

I like Linux Expert because it combines all of the best ways of communicating on the web.

If you are a Linux Expert, I hope to see you there. Click on the image above to join.


Next “Theory and Practice of Linux System Administration” Class Starts Feb. 13


Posted by dboth

The next session of my class, “Theory and Practice of Linux System Administration” will be run February 13 through 17, 1012.

Taken from my own experiences accumulated during more than 14 years of using Linux, and developed using my knowledge and experience as a course developer and trainer for both IBM and Red Hat, this class covers the practical aspects of Linux System Administration. It builds upon the foundation of the “Philosophy of Linux” in a way that helps the student understand how and why things are done as they are.

Our courses are always highly rated and well reviewed. Here are some comments from previous students taken directly from the course evaluation forms.

Seats Available

There are still seats available for my Theory and Practice of Linux System Administration class which starts on Monday, January 23 and runs for five days.

Course Description

The student will learn about the history of Linux and the philosophy of Linux and how it applies to the everyday tasks that she will be expected to perform. The student will install a current Fedora Linux system on common Intel hardware, using various installation options to customize the final result. The students will learn to use the command line interface (CLI) and many basic Linux commands along with the vi editor. More advanced commands such as sed and awk will be covered and combining all of these commands into short command line programs will be discussed and the student will have opportunity to use them in lab projects.

This course covers the Linux boot sequence and the traditional SystemV init scripts as well as an introduction to the new systemd daemon for startup and daemon management. The student will learn to manage users and software packages. Networking, security, processes, filesystems and Logical Volume Management will be covered in detail.

Schedule

Please check the Training page for complete class schedules and seat availability. Please contact us to sign up for classes as soon as possible. Our classroom facilities are very limited so class sizes are very small.


Theme Change


Posted by dboth

As you can probably see, if you have been here before, I have made a major change in the look and feel of the DataBook web site. I have changed to a new WordPress theme and have made some minor customizations of that new theme.

You may even notice changes when you move from page to page. That is just me making a few tweaks to the theme.

I really like WordPress, which is the Free Open Source Software (FOSS)  I use for all of my web sites, because I can change the look and feel—the theme—with a couple clicks of a mouse.

I hope you like the new theme, and appreciate your patience if things do not quite work right. Please let me know via the Contact page if you notice a problem.


SOPA Protest


Posted by dboth

This website will participate tomorrow, January 18, 2012, in protest of the SOPA law. That law would restrict the Internet freedoms of everyone for the somewhat questionable  financial benefit of a few media companies. In order to restrict alleged piracy, they would restrict the entire Internet. Web sites could be closed without any warning or even proof that they were in violation of any law—except the laws of greed.

Read about SOPA and the protest.

This bill will break the Internet as we know it.


Training Classes for Q1, 2012 Scheduled


Posted by dboth

My Company, Millennium Technology Consulting LLC, has set its Linux training schedule for the First Quarter of 2012. We will be presenting one session of our highly acclaimed “Theory and Practice of Linux System Administration” class each month.

Classes are set for the following dates:

  • January 23-27, 2012
  • February 13-17, 2012
  • March 12-16, 2012

Please refer to the Millennium Technology Consulting LLC Training Page for complete schedules and prices.


Now Forming: Linux Administration Class


Posted by dboth

I am in the process of forming a class roster to test a new Linux Administration course I am creating. This 5-day class will be held in Raleigh, NC, July 25 through 29. The normal cost for this course would be $1995 per student, but because this is a test class, there will be an $800 discount for a cost of $1195 per student. This is a one time offer. All future classes will be at the full rate. To obtain this discounted rate you must be enrolled and course fees paid no later than 5:00 PM on July 15, 2011.

I have a couple students committed to this class and would like to have a few more.

This class is based upon material I have put together over several years for a number of different specialized reasons. I am in the process of filling out the areas needed to cover all aspects of an Introduction to Linux  System Administration.

Course Synopsis

This course is intended for  junior Linux Systems Administrators who wish to advance their knowledge, and administrators of other Unix versions or Windows who wish to become Linux System Administrators. This class is heavily oriented towards hands-on activities. At least half of the class time is allotted to lab projects. The class is based on Fedora because it is the upstream distribution for Red Hat Linux.

The student will learn about the history of Linux and the philosophy of Linux and how it applies to the everyday tasks that she will be expected to perform. The student will install a current Fedora Linux system on common Intel hardware, using various installation options to customize the final result. The students will learn to use the command line interface (CLI) and many basic Linux commands along with the vi editor. More advanced commands such as sed and awk will be covered and combining all of these commands into short command line programs will be discussed and the student will have opportunity to use them in lab projects.

This course covers the Linux boot sequence and the traditional SystemV init scripts as well as the new systemd daemon for startup and daemon management. The student will learn to manage users and software packages. Networking, security, processes, filesystems and Logical Volume Management will be covered in detail.

The course outline (subject to change) is shown below:

  • Introduction To Linux
  • The Linux Way
  • Installation
  • Getting logged in
  • Using the Console
  • The Command Line Interface (CLI)
  • Basic Linux Commands
  • Boot Sequence
  • Startup
    • Upstart
    • SystemV init
    • systemd
  • The vi Editor
  • Managing Users
  • Advanced CLI Commands
  • Processes
  • Task Scheduling
  • Filesystems
  • Logical Volume Management (LVM)
  • Disk management
  • CLI Programming
  • Package Management with RPM and YUM
  • Network
  • Security
  • Problem Solving

Please contact dboth {at} millennium-technology {dot} com to register for this class or call 919-389-8678.


Fedora 15 on the Horizon


Posted by dboth

Fedora 15 is in Beta testing now and will be available—barring unforeseen complications—by the end of May. There are some interesting new features including desktops GNOME 3 and KDE 4.6.

The feature that will probably make the most difference to Linux Administrators and almost none to end users is the new systemd daemon. This “System Daemon” will replace the SystemV Init scripts which have been around forever; it also replaces the much newer Upstart which has barely gotten a toehold.

Fedora, being the sometimes bleeding edge distribution that it is, Fedora 15 will be the first distribution to include systemd.

The primary purpose of systemd is to launch and manage other needed daemons and processes, but it does it much more intelligently by only starting them as they are needed. Thus much of the systemd function can replace that of the Internet Superdaemon, xinetd or inetd, depending upon your distribution. The xinetd daemon simply hangs around waiting for an Internet connection attempt on one of its supported servers such as Telnet. It then starts the appropriate server and passes off the connection to that server and then waits for another connection attempt.

The systemd works much the same way, only not just with network-based services. It works together with UDEV and D-Bus to determine when a local daemon is needed and then starts it. Starting local daemons only when required saves system resources and can significantly improve boot time. This improved boot time is the only thing that most users will notice.

For a little closer look at Fedora 15 see 7.5 Reasons to Look Forward to Fedora 15 at Linux.com.

For all of the gory details of systemd, see http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/systemd.html. This German web site also has an excellent multipart series, systemd for Administrators.


Fedora Frog 2.0-14.0.0 Released


Posted by dboth

I have released version 2.0-14.0.0 of Fedora Frog.

This interactive, text mode, menu-driven Bash program provides the Linux administrator an easy way to install applications not installed by default during a Fedora Core installation procedure, and applications that are not part of the standard distribution. Additional repositories are required beyond the normal Fedora ones, and they are automatically added by Fedora Frog as well.

Frog installs media players such as RealPlayer, Mplayer, VLC, Kaffiene and Xine. It also installs Thunderbird, Firefox, GNUCash, Adobe Reader and Yumex, and some things specifically for System Admins such as chkrootkit, iotop and more.

Fedora Frog currently supports Fedora 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Support for all previous versions of Fedora has been removed.

New features in this release include:

  • Added support for Oracle VirtualBox-4.0 with extensions and keep support for VirtualBox 3.2 which is still available.
    Set this up for selection in a new Radio Button menu due to choice complexities.
  • Added the screen program.
  • Added support for Fedora 13 and 14.
  • Resolved minor issues with VirtualBox.
  • Added nVidia PAE support.
  • Added more Admin programs such as ntop, powertop, iptraf, etc.

Fedora Frog is distributed under the GPL2 license. Fedora Frog can be downloaded from SourceForge at https://sourceforge.net/projects/fedorafrog/.


Working on Fedora Frog 2.0-14


Posted by dboth

If you are waiting for the next version of Fedora Frog I am testing the latest code right now. It should be ready in a few days.

This version of Fedora frog will support Fedora 10 through 14.

This interactive, text mode, menu-driven Bash program provides the Linux administrator an easy way to install applications not installed by default during a standard Fedora installation procedure, and applications that are not part of the standard distribution.

Frog installs media players such as RealPlayer, Mplayer, VLC, Kaffiene and Xine. It also installs Thunderbird, Firefox, GNUCash, Adobe Reader and Yumex, and some things specifically for System Admins such as chkrootkit, iotop, powertop and others.

As always, this latest version of Fedora Frog will be available on SourceForge.


Page Sequence Problems


Posted by dboth

There are currently some problems with the way in which WordPress displays pages in the order I specify. As a result many pages do not appear in the order in which I would like them to appear.

This is not about the posts, of which this is one, but about the pages that appear in the Table Of Contents section in the right-hand column.

Please be patient as I try to get this problem resolved.


Fedora 13 is Now Available


Posted by dboth

Fedora 13 has been available for a few weeks now. I have started installing it on some of my systems and it seems to work very well.

The Internet upgrade procedure works well but it does take a bit of time. You won’t want to use this method unless you have a fast Internet connection. A standard installation from DVD works well also. There are some differences in the installation procedure, but they are welcome ones including the restoration of the old “minimal” install option, which will be good for creating routers and other appliances.

The latest version of KDE is also very nice and provides a couple interesting new features as well as some new and improved widgets.

I will try to write a more complete critique as time permits.


Fedora Frog 1.0-12.0.0 Released


Posted by dboth

I have released version 1.0-12.0.0 of Fedora Frog.

This interactive, text mode, menu-driven Bash program provides the Linux administrator an easy way to install applications not installed by default during a Fedora Core installation procedure, and applications that are not part of the standard distribution. It also tweaks some configuration items. Additional repositories are required beyond the normal Fedora ones, and they are automatically added by Fedora Frog as well.

Frog installs media players such as RealPlayer, Mplayer, VLC, Kaffiene and Xine. It also installs Thunderbird, Firefox, GNUCash, Adobe Reader and Yumex, and some things specifically for System Admins such as chkrootkit.

Fedora Frog currently supports Fedora 10, 11 and 12. Support for all previous versions of Fedora has been removed.

New features in this release include:

  • Added support for Fedora 12.
  • Added more Admin programs such as ntop, powertop, iptraf, etc.
  • Added support for VirtualBox.
  • Added support for Skype.

Fedora Frog is distributed under the GPL2 license. Fedora Frog can be downloaded from SourceForge at https://sourceforge.net/projects/fedorafrog/.


Spammers Force End to Open Registration


Posted by dboth

Due to a significant increase in bogus registrations by spammers, I have ended the capability for open registration. If you wish to register for this web site send an email to dboth {at} millennium-technology {dot} com.

You must have a registration on this site to contribute comments, but all content is always open and free and you need not be registered just to view content.

I apologize for the inconvenience but it seems the only way to control the spam problem at this time.


Linux+ Training in Charleston


Posted by dboth

I will be teaching a 4.5 day Linux+ training class in Charleston, SC, the week of September 21.

CompTIA Linux+ is a vendor-neutral certification, generic across distributions, targeted to individuals with a minimum of six to 12 months of practical Linux experience. The CompTIA Linux+ exam covers fundamental management of Linux systems from the command line, user administration, file permissions, software configuration and management of Linux-based clients.

This class is preparation for that exam using Fedora Linux. Even if you do not take the exam this is an excellent training class for relatively new Linux administrators.

The class will be held at DTC Charleston, a local training center.

1064 Gardner Road
Suite 212
Charleston, SC 29407

Sales: 843-402-0983
Main: 843-225-3494
Toll-free: 866-705-4522
Fax: 775-370-0477

Email: martha_nye@dtccharleston.com

If you are interested in attending this class, please contact DTC.


DataBook® Navigation Improved


Posted by dboth

I have installed a new WordPress plugin which provides easier navigation for the DataBooks. At the top and bottom of the text portion of each page you will now find three new options:

  • Up one Level
  • Previous
  • Next

These options allow you to navigate through the Databooks more like you would a hard-copy book. You can now navigate to the next page of the previous page just by clicking on the respective link. You can also navigate to the next higher level by clicking on the Up One Level link.

Each link also has the name of the page to which you will turn when you click on it.

I hope this improves your experience of the DataBooks.


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CDs and DVDs that Won’t Mount


Posted by dboth

Have you ever had a CD/DVD, whether data, video or audio that would not mount or play? Me too.

Fedora Linux (and others) is supposed to recognize that a CD or DVD has been inserted into the drive, and the Device Notifier will pop up a small window that displays “Devices recently plugged in.” This allows you to open the device with Dolphin or some other application.

The Device Notifier window pops up when a new storage device is plugged in or inserted into a drive.

The Device Notifier window pops up when a new storage device is plugged in or inserted into a drive.

Sometimes you can insert a CD or DVD and nothing happens; it is as if the disk does not exist. This can happen if there is a problem with the disk itself or the drive. The most common reason for this problem is dirt or dust, although scratches can cause problems like this, too.

If the DVD drive is one that exposes the read/write head when it is open, such as the very thin ones used in laptops, you can clean the DVD drive read optics with a very soft camel hair brush, or use a can of compressed air to blow the dirt off the lens. Drive cleaning CDs can be used on other types of DVD drives. The other thing you can do is clean the bottom surface (the surface without the printing on it) of the CD or DVD with a soft, dry cotton cloth. Rubbing it on a clean cotton tee-shirt works well.


Warning about Lexmark Printers and Linux


Posted by dboth

If you are considering using Linux at any time in the near future, you should definitely not purchase a Lexmark printer of any kind. The company does not support Linux in any way and there are no working drivers of any kind available for most Lexmark printers.

I use Brother and HP for my printing needs and they work quite well. Even the HP All-in-one printers work very well. Xerox printers are also well supported and I have a large network attached Xerox copier/fax/printer working at one of my customers.

That is not to say you won’t have to do some fussing to get even some supported printers to print, but most Lexmark printers will never print under Linux.