Bash Scripts

Posted: 17th March 2010 by Raymond Mul in Linux

In this post I will describe some useful scripts that I’m using for administrating Linux servers.

Basically I’m using caspar – apt-get install caspar caspar-doc – for maintaining my server park. Great tool, do have a look. Next to that I use some various scripts for for checking the health of the individual servers and nodes.

This first script gives some insight on disk space used and works on regular partitions and also on lvm volumes. You can change the value [ $usep -ge 80 ] to something you find useful. And also you can mail an alert if used space is over the value you specified.

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Howto to install actiTIME on a Debian server

Posted: 30th July 2009 by Raymond Mul in Linux

actiTIME Basic is a free easy-to-use timesheet optimized for your basic time tracking needs. It provides you with functionality for:

  • time tracking and reporting
  • user schedule and overtime control
  • project and task management

For more information visit the website: http://www.actitime.com/fw_features.html

This article describes how to install actiTIME on a Debian server or a Debian derived OS such as Ubuntu. actiTIME comes in three flavors and one of them is freeware ;-) That’s the one we are going to install.

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Ubuntu Hardy Heron – Conky 1.6.1

Posted: 9th October 2008 by Raymond Mul in Linux
Conky 1.6.1 on Hardy Heron

Conky 1.6.1 on Hardy Heron

update: also works on Intrepid Ibex!

Step by step howto install Conky 1.6.1 on Ubuntu Hardy Heron.

Conky is a system monitor for X originally based on the torsmo code. Since its original conception, Conky has changed a fair bit from its predecessor. Conky can display just about anything, either on your root desktop or in its own window. Conky has many built-in objects, as well as the ability to execute programs and scripts, then display the output from stdout.

For more information about conky, visit http://conky.sourceforge.net/

Currently in the Hardy repository there is version 1.5.1 available. However, this version does have some issues and there are a lot of fixes between 1.5.1 and 1.6.1.

So I decided to install the latest version from source. Lateron I will describe howto create an deb file from source.

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Ubuntu Hardy Heron – Novell ConsoleOne 1.3.6h

Posted: 17th September 2008 by Raymond Mul in Linux

update: also works on Intrepid Ibex AND Jaunty Jackalope!

The need for speed! Everyone who uses ConsoleOne for Windows knows that it’s a pain in the ass referring to speed. So, let’s see if it gets better under a linux workstation. I’m using Ubuntu Heron but debian should work as well.

Just follow these simple steps and you have ConsoleOne up and running in no_time.

Screenshot Novell ConsoleOne 1.3.6h

Screenshot Novell ConsoleOne 1.3.6h

Download the latest version from Novell. [I'm using c1_136h-linux.tar.gz 41771356 bytes]

But wait, there’s more

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Ubuntu Hardy Heron – Novell Netware

Posted: 13th August 2008 by Raymond Mul in Linux

update: also works on Intrepid Ibex!

Setup Novell client for a Ubuntu Heron workstation to connect to a Novell Netware Cluster.

First we need to install some additional software which you can find in the default repository :

  1. sudo apt-get install ncpfs

If you like you can find a complete file list here for what is installed:

  1. less /var/lib/dpkg/info/ncpfs.list

Command and tools:

  1. nw tools:
  2. nwauth      nwborm      nwbpset     nwfsctrl    nwmsg       nwpurge     nwtrustee
  3. nwbocreate  nwbpadd     nwbpvalues  nwfsinfo    nwpasswd    nwrevoke    nwtrustee2
  4. nwbols      nwbpcreate  nwdir       nwfstime    nwpjmv      nwrights    nwuserlist
  5. nwboprops   nwbprm      nwdpvalues  nwgrant     nwpqjob     nwsfind     nwvolinfo
  6. ncplogin   ncplogout  ncpmap     ncpmount   ncpumount

But wait, there’s more

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Oracle Calendar on Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.0.4)

Posted: 30th July 2008 by Raymond Mul in Linux

[update apr 2009]:
also works on Debian Lenny. Eric Gerlach mentions the following : If you’re running the amd64 port of Debian or Ubuntu, you have to install ia32-libs and ia32-libs-gtk for the installer to work.


[update dec 2008]: also works on Intrepid Ibex!

Recently I reinstalled my computer at work and missed my Oracle Calendar. Here is a small howto to setup the calendar client.

Download the latest client from the Oracle website. Currently client version is cal_linux_1012.tar.gz (39,732,486 bytes)

Extract the client…

  1. tar xvzf cal_linux_1012.tar.gz

After extraction you find a directory OracleCalendar_inst/ go there and do the following..
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Mediawiki Farm – Administer multiple wiki environments

Posted: 27th July 2008 by Raymond Mul in Linux

2009/07/28 Update: I’m working on a robust version that handles the diversity of mediawiki’s databases. Therefore the script should work with newer versions of mediawiki.
2008/06/19 Update: Added entry, howto setup VirtualHosts / CNAME
2008/04/28 : version 0.4 is available.

Overview

As we all know, wiki’s are hot. And at the University we’ve got request constantly for facilitating them. BUT, there’s also a big issue and that is the fact that there isn’t any easy administration tool for installing and archiving wiki’s. So, with that in mind I started to work on a solution to administer multiple wiki’s, in this case mediawiki’s.

So, what does it need to do

Well basically, I just want to run a command line script that creates a wiki-directory linked to the source directory for easy updating and create a wiki database and user.

If this is what you want….. then read on

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Ubuntu on Dell XPS M1330

Posted: 9th July 2008 by Raymond Mul in Apple OSX, Linux

Latest update: 4 aug 2008

For recapping my findings, I wrote up a small article on how to install Linux Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition (32bit) on a Dell XPS M1330.

Goals:
I switch from 64bit back to 32bit for compatibility reasons. There are to many apps that don’t work and are required to fit my needs. So I set up a boot partition (350MB – unencrypted) and a encrypted partition (100GB). Then I used that partition to set up LVM2 and prepared a root (10 GB), home (86 GB) and a swap partition (4 GB).

Download @ www.ubuntu.com and make sure to check “alternate cd” checkbox. It gives you the opportunity to install lvm2 on a encrypted partition.

Intro: Normally I run OSX os on Macbook Pro’s. However, since these are very pricey, and I smashed mine to smithereens,  I’ve decided to buy a cheap Dell.

  • Hardware
  • Partitioning harddisk (Dual boot: Ubuntu & OSX)
  • Installing OSX
  • Installing Ubuntu

But wait, there’s more

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Howto install vpn on Asus eee pc series

Posted: 27th March 2008 by Raymond Mul in Gadgets, Linux
Tags:

For a colleague of mine at the University of Tilburg (Netherlands) I connected his new gadget to the internet. He wrote the following on his webblog

[communitysense.wordpress.com]

I have to work a lot on Tilburg University campus, and continuously need to access the Internet, which is one main reason I bought my ASUS EEE laptop. However, to get access on campus one needs a VPN connection. On Windows machines, it is no problem to install the Cisco VPN client, but, alas, not so for Linux machines like mine. Raymond Mul, ICT manager at the Faculty of Law, and avid Linux enthusiast, has been so kind to write a short manual (in Dutch) explaining how to make the university network open up for Linux lovers as well.

[download#2#image]

If you find this howto useful, please leave a note. If the Dutch characters look scary to you, purchase me to write this howto in English. ;o)

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Howto Aladdin eToken ssh key authentication

Posted: 27th March 2008 by Raymond Mul in Apple OSX, Security
Tags: , , , ,

Start with installing the software for your mac. The current release is v4.55 [2008-03-27].When installed there are to programs “~/Applications/eToken/”. PKIMonitor, which will be available on your “menu bar”, and an application called eToken Properties.

If you followed the installation procedure then you are at the point for inserting the eToken. While looking at the eToken a red led should lid up. That’s a good thing!

First thing you need to do is “initialize” your eToken.Open up “Open eToken Properties”, click eToken , click “Advanced”, click “Initialize eToken”, Set User and Administrator passwords (both different and strong”, click “Advanced” and check the box “Load 2048-bit RSA key support”. Click Okay, Okay, Okay, I’ve stopped counting….
But wait, there’s more

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