[frgeek-michiana] Lab Notes, 05/24/05

  • From: Tom Brown <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: FreeGeek Michiana <frgeek-michiana@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 09:34:08 -0500

:: Sound configuration

Alsa almost always detects a sound card and seems to install a driver, but sound often doesn't work. John has discovered that moving a sound card from one expansion slot to another often causes VL 4.3 sound to work.

:: Floppy automount

The 2.4.x kernel is configured with autofs support. In some way, VL 4.3 is using autofs to automatically mount cdrom and floppy removable media. However, when logged in as the "guest" user, the kernel fails to automount the floppy disk yet it always automounts cdroms. When logged in as root, the kernel always mounts floppy disks.

This behavior is annoying. Users would have to learn to mount and unmount floppies to take work saved on diskette to and from school or the office. We are unlikely to teach how to su to root, mount and unmount media at the FreeBox classes. I developed a work around which is not perfect, but buys us time.

Mike and I are researching the automount problem. Mike is also compiling a list of problems he and others have found with VL 4.3. Once we have identified and corrected or worked around the problems, we will post a report to Vector Linux developers and to our own web site.

:: Norton Ghost

Jay copied Norton Ghost and an image of a working VL 4.3 hard drive installation to a bootable cdrom. Goose burned 4-5 copies of the cd and bootable floppies of Tom's Root Boot (tomsrtbt). The Ghost/tomstrbt combination works well.

We noticed some tweaks which should be made to the image.

1. Add root password and guest account.
2. Configure cups and install standard HP 4L or 5L laser
    printer driver for parallel port.
4. Add the floppy automount work around.
5. Install and setup grub. Grub automatically finds the
    bootable Linux kernel image. This would eliminate the
    step of booting from a tomstrbt floppy and running /sbin/lilo to
    make VL 4.3 bootable.

There may be other tweaks.

:: Testing

I will print a quality control check sheet for us to document that a system has been inspected and meets the FB2 spec. The check sheet will also document that the system passes standard tests, such as: playing sounds, writing to a floppy disk, reading a cdrom, printing a test page, accessing a network with NIC or modem and so forth.

:: Latest Kroc Center grant news

The good news is the church is going to set up offices for the crew that is working on the Kroc Center grant. This will help them in the grant process. The bad news is we must empty the upstairs storage room within two weeks so the crew will have adequate office space.

We need to schedule an additional night or weekend lab to move the inventory from upstairs to our offices at the Chippewa warehouse. I'll announce the extra lab after I talk to Capt. Jody.

:: Wireless at warehouse

Cyberlink will soon install a wireless antenna and radio at the River Bend Hose Specialty (RHBS) warehouse on Chippewa. The warehouse will have sub-1.5 mbps Internet and WAN connectivity. Cyberlink is running CAT5 to our offices inside the building for $100. Jay donated a Linksys router to FGM months ago. We will install the router in our Chippewa offices.

I will work out an arrangement with RBHS re sharing Internet access. We may get it for nothing or for a small co-pay.

The warehouse space is coming together. Most of RBHS's materials are on pallet racks along the walls. Our stuff is still clumped on the floor. I think it will be 2 weeks at best before our material is moved to the inside wall close to our offices.

:: Free Geek Portland 501c3 sponsorship

The current administration at FGP thinks it may not be legal to offer 501c3 sponsorship outside the state of Oregon. So we may lose our tax-free status as a sponsored affiliate of FGP. Jay and I plan to submit our IRS 501c3 application by the end of this month. Jay has been advised that we may be better off doing the application ourselves rather than having a CPA fill it out -- it will look more authentic if we do it. I don't know about that, but it fits our need to get an application to the IRS asap.

Tom




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