Category Archives: os

VPN Connection from Ubuntu 13.04 to AVM Fritzbox

Pre Requisites

Install Cisco compatible VPN Client with

sudo apt-get install vpnc network-manager-vpnc network-manager-vpnc-gnome

Fritzbox

  • Login into your Fritzbox as admin
  • Go to System -> Fritzbox Users
  • Click on the edit icon from one of your users
  • Check the VPN Checkbox
  • Click on the Link in the last line for showing the VPN settings
  • Leave the Popup with the settings open

Ubuntu

  • Click on the Connections Menu icon in the toolbar on top
  • Go to VPN Connections -> Configure VPN
  • Click on Add Button at the right side
  • Choose from the list under VPN the Cisco compatible VPN client type
  • Click on create button
  • Enter the following values (<Ubuntu>: <Fritzbox>)
    • Connection Name : Fritzbox
    • Gateway: <Server Adress>
    • User Name: <IPSec Identifier>
    • User Password :<User Password>
    • Group Name: <IPSec Identifier>
    • Group Password: <IPSec Pre-Shared Key>
  • Set the Password Option to “Saved” (optional)
  • Click on save button
  • Cut the cable connection if established
  • Establish a mobile connection
  • Choose from VPN menu the new created VPN connection
  • Try accessing the Fritzbox web interface with your favorite browser

Ubuntu 13.04 on Lenovo Thinkpad X60

Hardware Spec

  • 4GB RAM
  • 120 GB Samsung SSD 830 (AHCI Mode)
  • Dual Core L7500 @ 1.6 Ghz

Used Distro

Ubuntu 13.04 x64 Desktop Edition

Installation

Download the iso file and use unetbootin to install on a usb stick. Leave the stick in the laptop. Reboot. Go into bios by pressing ThinkVantage button and then F1. Choose Startup -> Boot If the usb hdd is excluded then include them with x button and move up with F6. Press F10 to save and exit. Power on the laptop and choose “Install ubuntu” to start installation process.

After installation

recommended additional software (install with “apt-get install <name>”)

  • ntp (for correct date and time)
  • xournal (tablet programm for writing combined with stylus notes)
  • libxss1 (prerequisites for google chrome)
  • lingconf2-4 (prerequisites for google chrome)

Google Chrome

Open Download page and click on chrome download button. Choose “64bit .deb” and click on “accept and install” button

Get rid of anoying shopping hints in unity

apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping

Click on the amazon icon in the unity starter with right click and choose remove from starter

Getting special Hardware to work

Hibernate on closing laptop

Test if it works by running

pm-hibernate

If the laptop suspend to disk and start at the current state after reboot everything is fine to go on.

Edit file /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/com.ubuntu.enable-hibernate.pkla

[Re-enable hibernate by default]
Identity=unix-user:*
Action=org.freedesktop.upower.hibernate
ResultActive=yes

Reboot machine and open Energy menu (click on the battery in the top bar and choose energy settings) to define the hibernate state if the laptop cover is closed.

Gnome Buttons on the left side

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout ‘:minimize,maximize,close’

Fingerprint Sensor

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:fingerprint/fingerprint-gui && sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install libbsapi policykit-1-fingerprint-gui fingerprint-gui

run the fingerprint.gui:

  1. Show Vendor => Choose STMicroelectronics and click next
  2. Choose a finger and click next
  3. Repeat five times to scan and click next
  4. Click on the test button and see if it works

Now you can login or authenticate for sudo with your fingerprint

Source:

 

Centos 6.2 with Firefox 9 and Google Chrome 16

Centos recently published v6.2

 

Out of the box is Firefox 3.x and no Google Chrome installed.

Steps to install Google Chrome 16 (as root)

Steps to install Firefox 9 (as before as root).

To install the Virtual box Guest Additions:

  1. yum update
  2. yum install gcc
  3. yum install kernel-devel
  4. Mount Guest Additions iso image
  5. Run autostart on the cd
  6. Enter root password
  7. After install reboot vm

 

Chrome OS 0.4.237 beta under vmware server 2.x

A beta version of Chrome OS is available as VMX/VMDK image for vmware or virtualbox and live cd. Chrome OS is a OpenSuSe based operating system around the Google Chrome browser.

Steps to test VM image of chrome os beta

  1. Download VMDK image
  2. Extract tar.gz File to standard folder of vmware
  3. Start vmware server
  4. Choose from “Virtual machine” menu “add Virtual machine to inventory”
  5. Choose VMX file inside extracted image of chrome os
  6. Upgrade Virtual machine to newest “hardware” by choosing link on right side from the vm summary page
  7. Remove Network Connection from VM and Add new one with “Add Hardware” and type “Network Adapter” with “Nat” mode
  8. Boot VM and cornfirm warning about IDE geometry and scsi controller
  9. Click on “Make Goggle chrome default browser” and confirm dialog
  10. Click on computer button (down left side) and click under status on network connection
  11. Enter root password: root
  12. confirm warning about network manager with ok
  13. Choose under “Global Options” network setup method “traditional method with ifup”
  14. Go to “Overview” tab and click on “edit” button below
  15. click on “next” button
  16. go back to “global options” and change back to “user controlled with networkmanager”
  17. Reboot machine by clicking on computer and shutdown with type reboot
  18. After reboot you can surf with google chrome without any problem

chrome_os

Migrating Microsoft Virtual Server/PC image to VMware Server

Microsoft has for free the Virtual Server or Virtual PC 2007 SP 1 as virtualization software. I wanted to test Microsoft Windows 2003 R2 Server. On the Virtual Appliance Marketplace at VMware is only a VHD from Microsoft available. A VHD is the Microsoft vm image type. I installed the Microsoft Virtual Server and had no luck to start the vhd image successfully. Virtual PC 2007 works instead. I can start the VM and configure this vm server as active directory, DNS and WINS server like described in this howto. The networking functionality in Microsoft Virtual Server/PC is a pain in my ass. For active directory and dns server is a fixed ip configured inside the vm. No clue on which ip i can reach my vm from the host system. Sun virtualbox works in that aspect more like expected. You can switch between NAT and hostonly mode. With the host only networking mode has the VM a fixed ip inside the host system. So far so good. I tested this with a ubuntu 9.04 server as guest os inside virtualbox. For updates you need to shutdown, reconfigure to use NAT and start the vm again. In NAT mode is the vm only accessible via the virtualbox window. You have to define each port manually if you want to access the NAT vm from outside the virtualbox. Typically i use such a vm ubuntu server as subversion, maven artifactory, … server for development. VMware server 2.x works for me like expected. NAT networking to have internet access from the guest os and full access on all ports from the hostsystem. The guest os see a DHCP networking interface and the host os has a fixed ip to access the vm. So how do i get the 30 days trial edition from Microsoft Windows 2003 server get to run inside VMware server? After setting up the server inside Virtual PC you had to remove the Virtual Machine additions via the menu. This additions are not available as software package inside the software overview in windows 2003 server. Now shutdown the guest os and close virtual pc. With the VMWare vCenter Converter 3.0.3 (Starter Edition) you can convert the VHD to a VMX image for VMWare Server or Player. Select in the last step of the wizard to remove all checkpoints inside the guest os, to install VMWare tools and to setup the networking interface (NAT on one instead of two nic). The VHD image has 1,5 GB and needs on my laptop round about 1h to convert. After that i can start VMWare server and register this new guest os image. The converter has set the type correct to MS Windows 2003 server 32bit. A little bit annoying is that my bluetooth connected mouse works perfect inside Virtual PC but not out of the box inside the VMWare window 🙁 So i grabbed my old usb mouse to have a running mouse. With the Sysinternals ADExplorer i can examine my new active directory from my host os. Inside eclipse 3.5 is Apache Directory Studio a good choice to to access the AD via LDAP.