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Guide to setup a Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) on Ubuntu Dapper (optionally within VMWare) to remotely boot a diskless Linux Media PCs running Freevo. Useful for people who plan to manage 2 or more Media PCs in the house. Also works as a regular terminal server with sound and local media (such as USBs & CD/DVD-ROMs)

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Here is an excellent concise guide to master how to use apt-get to manage your linux machine and keep it up-to-date. A truly informative read.

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Checking your Linux host name

First, see if your host name is set correclty using the following commands:

uname -n
hostname -a
hostname -s
hostname -d
hostname -f
hostname

If the above commands return correctly with no errors then all may be well; however, you may want to read on to verify that all settings are correct.

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Configuring /etc/hosts

If your IP address is assigned to you by a DHCP server, then /etc/hosts is configured as follows:

127.0.0.1	mybox.mydomain.com	localhost.localdomain localhost mybox

If you have a static IP address, then /etc/hosts is configured as follows:

127.0.0.1	localhost.localdomain localhost
192.168.0.10	mybox.mydomain.com	mybox

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Setting the Host Name using “hostname”

After updating the /etc/hosts file correctly, the “hostname” command should be run as follows to set your hostname:

hostname mybox.mydomain.com

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Checking /etc/HOSTNAME (if present)

You may or may not have the file /etc/HOSTNAME:

mybox.mydomain.com

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Checking /etc/sysconfig/network

If you have a static IP address, then /etc/sysconfig/network is configured as follows:

NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME="mybox.mydomain.com"
...

If your IP address is assigned to you by a DHCP server, and you wish to update the local DNS server through Dynamic DNS, then /etc/sysconfig/network is configured as follows:

NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME="mybox.mydomain.com"
DHCP_HOSTNAME="mybox.mydomain.com"
...

It makes more sense to move this “DHCP_HOSTNAME” variable into /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 (or appropriate NIC cfg file). So the above section has been moved, see below. If you have only 1 NIC, then the above struck section works fine, but with more than 1 NIC it makes no sense. Maybe this is true for the “‘HOSTNAME” line too, maybe that line should be moved into /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 as well. I will investigate further. By default RHL places HOSTNAME=localhost.localdomain in /etc/sysconfig/network.

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Checking /proc/sys/kernel/hostname

This is checked with the following command:

cat /proc/sys/kernel/hostname

If you need to set this file, you can either reboot or set it now with the following command:

echo mybox.mydomain.com > /proc/sys/kernel/hostname

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Dynamic DNS – Updating the local DNS server with your host name and DHCP IP

For Red Hat Linux if you receive your IP address from a DHCP server, you may update the local DNS server by adding the following line to the correct ifcfg file in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts, such as ifcfg-eth0 or ifcfg-eth1:

DHCP_HOSTNAME="mybox.mydomain.com"

or if running Debian, edit /etc/network/interfaces as follows (adding the hostname line):

iface eth0 inet dhcp
    hostname mybox.mydomain.com

Updated information about ddns:
Kill the dhclient process (“killall dhclient”) – make sure it is gone
Then restart networking – “service network restart”

Thanks to Jack for the Gentoo information!

For more info in Debian, see “man interfaces” and scroll down to”The dhcp Method”.

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WINS – Updating the local WINS server with your host name and IP

If you wish to update the local WINS server, then use SAMBA, and configure it to point to the local WINS server. samba.html i.e. update the /etc/samba/smb.conf “wins server = ” entry with the WINS server addresses for your network – be sure not to enable “wins support = yes” as that will make Linux a WINS server.

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Changing the hostname while in X-Windows

Changing the hostname while in X-Windows can be problematic. Most often, new windows cannot be opened. Either
1. change the hostname while the X-Windows is not running or
2. in X-Windows change the hostname, then restart X-Windows.

This document covers SSH on the Linux Operating System and other OSes that use Openssh. If you use Windows, please read the document SSH Tutorial for Windows If you use Mac OS X, you should already have openssh installed and can use this document as a reference.

This is one of the top tutorials on SSH on the Internet. It was originally written back in 1999 and was completely revised in 2006 to include new and more accurate information. It has been used by over 115,000 people and consistently appears at the top of Google’s search results for SSH and Linux.

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I want one! This makes me a little worried :p

“Acme Systems is shipping a Penguin-shaped case for a tiny SBC (single-board computer) powered by an innovative MCM (multi-chip module) that runs Linux. The 6.7-inch tall, 30-Euro “Tux Case” houses the company’s “Acme Fox,” a 2.6 x 2.8-inch, 100-Euro, RISC-based board with Ethernet and dual-USB interfaces, and surface-mount connectors for other I/O. ”

Tux-shaped computer runs Linux:

My MTA (exim4) was taking about 10-20 seconds to start, holding back the boot process so I’ve tried this simple hack: Make Debian boot faster

Edit the startup script /etc/init.d/rc.
Changing the line:

startup $i start

to the following:

startup $i start &

Launching the startup scripts in parallel rather than waiting for each to complete first before running the next could cause problems with dependencies but on a vanilla 3.1 install it hasn’t caused any trouble (so far) and the system boots noticeably faster.

This is the driver to mount your ReiserFS file system under Windows. Very useful when exchanging files between partitions.

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Another defenseless gadget has fallen prey to the relentless march of the Penguinistas. With some skill, you can build a cartridge lets you boot an unmodified Mattel JuiceBox teen-targeted portable media player into Linux.

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My first encounter with Howtoforge began with “The Perfect Setup” for Debian Sarge by Falko Timme. I found a site loaded with fundamentally sound and easy to follow setups for Linux administration. This is a location on the WEB that people needing to administer Linux should bookmark. But then there’s more.

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