[frgeek-michiana] Lab Notes 2007-05-09
- From: Tom Brown <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: FreeGeek Michiana <frgeek-michiana@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 09:58:16 -0400
:: Built-In HDD Security Erase
Mike produced a bootable floppy disk utility which ultimately failed to
wipe one of the 20 GB drives we set aside for testing. Mike, Dale and
Herbert went to the bother of installing Puppy Linux on the drive to
provide something to erase.
Mike surmises the BIOS in the machine turns off the security wipe
utility to protect hapless users from destroying partitions, apps and
data. He will look for another computer with a more test friendly (less
secure?) BIOS.
Apparently, if this built-in wipe program is interrupted in progress,
the utility locks the drive. Only starting the wipe over again and
finishing will unlock the drive.
Also, it seems wipes take 2 hours no matter the size of the drive.
:: Udev on VL 5.8 / LTSP Server Test Bed
Udev can't seem to find the server's NICs without switching the name
assignment (eth0, eth1) every time the machine is booted. Goose and I
researched presetting NIC assignments in udev on Slackware.
The solution is straightforward and elegant. Udev automatically parses
config files in /etc/udev/rules.d/. Goose added a custom config file
there and rebooted the server a few times to make sure all went well.
And it did. Problem solved.
I don't recall the name of the file Goose created, something like
/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules. But, the contents are very much like
this example.
KERNEL="eth*", SYSFS{address}="00:30:1b:b6:11:cf", NAME="eth0"
KERNEL="eth*", SYSFS{address}="01:46:2f:d5:12:c3", NAME="eth1"
:: VL Master Install
Dale and Herbert installed VL 5.8 Standard (final) on an IDE/ATAPI drive
for me to take to Jay to clone. Mike supervised and ensured no network
was configured so we have a clean slate for external modems configs. The
default X config is Vesa driver, 800x600 pixels and16 bit color.
We can readily tweak this minimum configuration to match hardware in any
FreeBox.
:: CRT Recycling
We discussed CRT recycling and the news that CRTs are not considered
hazardous materials for purposes of transport in Indiana.
John constructed a spreadsheet model to refine our profit/loss
projections for CRT recycling. Goose will provide real life figures for
trailer rental and trucker fees as soon as he can.
:: Living with VL 5.8
I vowed to use VL 5.8 for the next 30 days in all my computing which
doesn't require Microsoft indentured slave ware. Dale and Mike have
plenty of Puppy time under their belts so there is no gain in leashing
myself to the Pup.
I chose an IBM Netvista desktop which was sitting on the floor in my
home office: P3/800, 256 MB, 20 GB, nic, sound, usb. This is a
relatively high end FreeBox so I'm not going to suffer much. These lab
notes were composed yesterday using the box.
I also began a 30-day journal to record my experience with VL 5.8 Standard.
####
** This list is PUBLICLY archived. **
PLEASE don't post personal or sensitive information unless you wish for it to
be in the public domain.
To post to the list send email to frgeek-michiana@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The archive is available at //www.freelists.org/archives/frgeek-michiana/
You may unsubscribe or change your list settings by going to the list website
at //www.freelists.org/webpage/frgeek-michiana
Other related posts:
- » [frgeek-michiana] Lab Notes 2007-05-09
