linux software

Install Groupwise 8.0.1 client on Kubuntu 9.10 64 bit

While Novell supports Linux, it mostly supports SuSE, which uses rpm and not deb packages. But it's still fairly easy to install the Groupwise client on an Ubuntu based system.

First, you'll need some software to do this.

$ sudo apt-get install ia32-libs ia32-sun-java6-bin alien

Then download the client. After you download it, use alien to extract the contents

$ alien -t --veryverbose novell-groupwise-client-8.0.1-88138.i586.rpm

Google Chrome..very fast

I installed Google Chrome for Linux, the developer build, just to see what it was like.

It's fast; It is extremely fast. I wasn't planning on using it day to day, but I find myself clicking on it more often than Firefox.

The fact that it has no easy ability to block advertisements is pretty much overshadowed by the browser's sheer speed and usability.

And I don't like advertisements. I wonder if this is what Google is banking on.

Groupwise 8 and java time zone problem

The GroupWise 8 client runs great under Ubuntu, but there is a slight problem with the time zone. Because the GroupWise client is a Java based client, a slight adjustment may need to be made.

Java, for some reason, expects a symbolic link at /etc/localtime. When it doesn't get it, it defaults to, usually, the wrong time zone. This caused issues like the calendar in GroupWise to be off.

To fix this:

sudo cp /etc/localtime /etc/localtime.bak

BFD, iptables, updated rules, and pure-ftpd

I had to setup and secure the new server I am using for my business over the last week. In doing so, I setup BFD to protect the server from automated attacks. It's important to have some sort of automated system to block "brute force," or automated attacks.

Script kiddies (no..not hackers) like to use tools they didn't write with shiny GUIs to try and guess the user name and password of an account on the system. They do this by running programs that guess different passwords for a user name rapidly.

Online backup for Linux: SpiderOak

I have been looking for an online backup solution for Linux for quite some time. There are many solutions out there, but as far as I have found, they are all written for Windows or Mac. I had been using duplicity with a remote server, but to purchase my own server for this use would be cost prohibitive compared to the solution I found.

I then read a post on an Ubuntu forum recommending SpiderOak as an online backup solution for Ubuntu.

Linux games: Open Arena

One of the complaints many users have about Linux is that it isn't for gamers or lacks decent games. Linux has hundreds if not thousands of games, but it is true that major game manufacturers, as most hardware manufacturers, ignore the penguin.

Being an old school Quake III Arena addict, I was very excited to find OpenArena in my list software I can add or remove from Ubuntu's repositories. OpenArena is based on id Software's GPL id Tech 3.

Using smart monitoring for drives on Ubuntu

SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is a technology that implemented by most hard drive manufacturers that records pertinent information about the hard drive, to the hard drive, which aids in the prediction of a failure.

Linux has tools available that harvest that data, perform tests and aide in the prediction of drive failure. Normally, the bios will prompt you if SMART detects a problem with a drive, but you have to reboot in order to get that prompt and many Linux users don't reboot often.

To install the packages under (k)ubuntu, use: