Server Woes...

The other day, I turned my system on because i was going to access the server remotely using XDMCP. I noticed that when i did a scan of the any systems that had XDMCP running, that my sever was not showing up. i didn't think any thing of it. So i brought up my terminal and decided to ping my local server. The ping results were showing up, that it couldn't find the requested host. Knowing that i have backups of my server i wasn't too worried. I walked over to the server, turned it off, and restarted it again. Once again, i couldn't't get the server to ping. I walked over to the server again, and hooked up a monitor, mouse, and keyboard; because i run my server headless (no monitor/keyboard/mouse, so anybody walking by cant touch buttons and screw anything up). On the screen there was the typical login screen, I decided to log in with one of my basic level entry accounts (I do not like using powerful user acounts just to check settings).

There was an error message that came up saying:

"GDM could not write to your authorization file. This could mean your
out of disk space or that your directory could not be opened for
writing. In any case, it is not possible to login. Please contact
your systems administrator."

I was a little "confused" at this point, being that, I know that i have two hard drives. The installation drive being a 20Gb, and the Sharing/Backup drive is an 80Gb. How could i run out of space. I restarted the system (in recovery mode), and logged in that way through the root prompt. at the prompt, i typed "startx" and it allowed me to access gnome using full root privileges. I brought up Nautilus (Gnome's File manager), and looked at the bottom of the window. The status bar said i only had 209Mb FREE!. I was amazed!!! I hadn't touched my server in weeks. I hadn't't installed any software on it. I quickly checked the second "serving" drive, and I received an error saying that the disk wasn't accessible or something and that it may be bad... Great, all my server data is on that hard drive, and i may have to install a new one and reload the backup data, but something really bothered me.. why was the main "installation" drive full? First thing i wanted to make sure before i go into any other diagnostics, is to get the "serving" drive to were it is accessible again. I rebooted the system once more, and luckily, i was able to access that drive. I'm probably thinking that there might be some read errors with that drive, so while i still had access to that drive, I figured, I'd better get that data off there and move it over to a new drive.

I downloaded a program called partimage, and was able to make an image file of the second hard drive. I installed a new 80Gb hard drive, and seamlessly transferred the data over with no problems what so ever. I was relieved, now I had to make sure what was taking up all my space on the main hard drive.

I had heard of a program called "FileLight," so i typed in the terminal:

(i didn't have to type sudo because i was already logged in as root)
apt-get install filelight

It downloaded pretty quickly, and I clicked on "Applications" > "Accessories" > "FileLight". Even though this program was designed for KDE, it still worked under Gnome because it also downloaded some KDE libraries with it. The program displayed all of my disk's and their usage. I clicked on /dev/hda1 drive, and it showed that there was a huge section being taken up under /var/lib/backuppc.. apparently, i was testing different backup software programs originally, when i first set the server up, and forgot to remove the old programs that i wasn't using. I brought up my synaptic package manager, and did a search of "backuppc" and found that it wasn't uninstalled. I removed the package, and any unneeded packages that it depended on. Then, I removed the folder out of /var/lib. I then did a rescan with "FileLight" and it showed that i now had something around the figure of 15Gb free on the "Installation" drive. I shut down the system, and rebooted it normally. I was then able to type in a basic level entry user account and password, and it allowed me to log in. I was so relieved!

I looked at the backup processes on the "server" drive, and noticed that i was only a day behind in backups, so i know that the hard drive hasn't been dead for incapacitated for long. So, i ran another backup process just to be safe.

I wasn't too fond of backuppc because you had to go through so many hoops to just get it to work. I'm still using sbackup which is working great for what i need. The new hard drive is working just fine, and I have had no problems since. With all of these tools accessible (FOR FREE, even) i don't know what i would do. My problems only consisted of "user neglect", and hardware failure. Why backuppc libraries took up so much space, i will never know, but I do know one thing... I will not be installing it back on the server anytime soon.

The Joy's, of open source (Part 2)

Since that little trip to Russelville, Arkansas, I have been using Linux on my own systems. I have made open source software a pillar in my business. The tools that I use from day to day are all open source and/or free.

This very webpage was created completely with opensource software. I use a program called NVu to do all my web-editing and publishing. Its just as good as Dreamweaver. Just about every peice of software out there that is closed source, there is an open source replica/version waiting for me to use. My total cost of ownership is very low. I can now afford to build big beefed up systems, without having to worry about a great expense for software.

I use Openoffice.org to do all my wordprocessing /spreadsheet /presention /database work. Instead of using an expensive program like Photoshop, I use Gimp (Gnu Image Manipulation Program), which is just as good, with the proper understanding of the program.

Hardware recognition for most opensource software is getting more and more expansive everyday. The quality of software that we will see in the future will just be phenomenal! With a community (group) effort like the opensource community has, im confident that we can accomplish any task.

I use to run Windows for managing servers for customers. I always had to tell them how to use the darn thing as well. With Linux based systems, i can make everything automated with ease, and much quicker than windows, without having the worry of restarting the system and something doesnt come up right.

I dont have to worry about spyware. I know that its just a matter of time before someone will make spyware and viruses for linux... but im not to worried. Most Linux distributions come with a firewall built into the O.S.

I can easily manage servers remotely due to so many opensource programs, and keep them up-to-date, and secure.

My friends, the future of opensource software will be great. It has already made so many leaps and bounds over the years. Im glad i can say that im one of the people who can delcare themselves as free, and not bound to some End User License agreement.

Because of opensource software, my knowlege in computers, and software has increased so much over the years. I just keep wanting more.

The Joy's, of open source (Part 1)

Have you ever wanted to live in a fantasy world were you could buy a bag of potato chips, or get a free bag from a friend, and along with it, came an instruction sheet on how they made those potato chips?

Have you ever lived in a fantasy world that if, you wanted to build a bridge that connects two cities separated by a body of water, but you wanted to get input on how to make that bridge better and stronger than any other bridge in the world? Knowing that you have the assurance of having other skilled engineers to help you solve problems and make that goal achievable?

What if we lived in a world were software didn't have to come from some big shot corporation that kept all their source code behind closed doors? What if we wanted to have the ability to make that software free, and maybe not in the sense of free, as in not paying for anything which you could) but free as in freedom, the freedom to use that source code, edit it, modify it, make it better, and add your 2 cents...

Some people out there think that we live in a world were none of this happens. Fantasy has actually come to reality. Sure, we don't have Lays Potato chips providing the recipe's for their potato chips, but there is software that we can have for free.

For years, I have worked with Microsoft Windows. I like to think I can troubleshoot a lot of the problems that Windows has. I like to think that the software I purchase, I can make any kind of modifications to without having to worry about violating some End User License Agreement. The truth is, I cant do a damn thing with that software. If a customer calls me up, with a problem, and maybe that problem consists of some type of error that was caused by a programmers lack of commitment. What am I suppose to do?

Some people might say, "durr, call Microsoft, they will fix the problems!" It may seem logical that, if the problem is caused by the manufacturer of the software, is to call the manufacturer. BUT HAS ANYBODY EVER TRIED TO CALL THESE COMPANIES FOR HELP??? I don't speak Indian, Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic!!! The people you call are not programmers, and before you even start the "problem solving," you usually have to give them a credit card number and even then it might end up with inconclusive results.

In 1997, I started my business. The market was great, and there were so many possibilities. I was in the lookout for computer parts suppliers. I had some very reliable sources, and I still do. I was on a trip visiting some relatives in Arkansas in the summer of 1997, and being a new, and young entrepreneur, I wanted some advice on how I could run my business, and maybe implement new ways of thinking. My uncle took me to a local computer store in Russelville, and told me the owner was a very good friend of his. I met up with the owner, and He, like me was also very young. He took me back in the shop area and gave me the tour of everything. It was amazing to see that, everything that they were doing, I was doing pretty much the same. Everything was the same, except, the companies local server. At the time, they were an ISP as well (I was not), and the young man took me into the wiring closet to show me their server. He moved the mouse around, it pulled the system out of screensaver mode, and brought up and interesting interface. It was an interface called Gnome. I asked him, what version of windows are you using? He replied (with a laugh) and said, this isn't windows, we use Linux. I'm thinking Linux... I've heard of it, I've never used it, and yet, it sounds a lot like Unix or something. I gave him a lost look.

He told me, that it was kind of like Unix, but with a graphical interface. I was so intrigued, I wanted to know more. I asked him were I could buy this Linux. He said, oh, Ill just burn you a copy and you can install it on an old system and try it out. I was kind of set back, and then all of a sudden the mad rush of fear set in. I'm thinking to myself... "Oh no, the guy is a software pirate, id better not get involved with this... I could go to jail or be fined if I were caught with this. " He told me it would be fine, and I kindly, declined from the offer and asked if I could buy a copy. He still looked at me with uncertainty, and sighed and said, well, we do have retail copies of Mandrake Linux 6.0. I smiled and said, I will buy a copy then.

I took the copy of Mandrake Linux back to my Uncle's house, and formatted his system (sorry Gerald), and Installed it. I was amazed! There was so much software with it. Games, Text Editors, Spreadsheet programs... And all of this for about $30. I searched the CD's to see what else I could find out about this Linux. I noticed that the last CD was labeled source code disc. On that CD was also a copy of what is known as a GPL (GNU Public License) I read it, and with a smile, my mind was now opened. Then I thought... Crap!!!! I DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS!

I now realized that I was able to take the source code of the whole O.S. and recompile it, modify it, and make it my own. I was in heaven.

End of Part 1

The Little Server That Could

I run a small company, and even though i may not put a lot of data on my systems that get me through the day... the data on the systems is still, very important. With that small company, i run a small network of about 10 computers. The majority of them are windows 98/xp systems. 2 of them are Linux systems. I also have a server that runs Linux as well. Here is my hardware setup for my business. I don't require that much for a server... just enough to do nightly backups and to share folders across the network to each system:

AMD Athlon 900MHz
256MB RAM
20GB Hard Drive - For Linux Installation and Updates
80GB Hard Drive - For File Sharing and Backups
10/100 Ethernet Card
a Small ATI Graphics card.

Like i said, I don't require that much, and I could probably run on a lot less if i wanted to. This system suits me just fine though.

Here are some of the things i need my server to do.

1.) Share files
Whether this would be database files, images, music (grr), Documents, spreadsheets.

2.) Make Backups
And not only backups on the server, but remotely backup files on individual computers, because some people are Idiots and wont listen to me teach them how to use the server for those purposes.

3.) Remote Configuration
More on this later

I now run Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 LTS on my server. It has absolutely all the applications that i need to get me through my daily life. It also has all the necessary tools i need to keep my server and network secure and to keep intruders and other scary stuff out.

Being that the majority of the computers on my network are MS Windows based, i decided to install "Samba" on the server. I made a few shares with the tool under "System" > "Administration" > "Shared Folders" easily. So that's great, all my users can now access their shares and do what they want with them. the next and probably most tricky part was the backup.

It wasn't that tricky really, I just downloaded a program called "sbackup" Its a great little utility that allows you to not only backup local system files, but also, I can remotely backup systems (if i already mounted the remote computers hard drive through /etc/fstab). It was a piece of cake! I now have it so, every night at 2:00am it will backup directories over the network and store them to the backup hard drive. and then i come in, in the morning, take the compressed folder, and burn it onto CD, and store it in the safe. I kind of get hairy when it comes to important data, so i usually take extra precaution.

As for the Remotely configuring the server, I use XDMCP. I only have a network patch cable and a power cable hooked up to the server, i do not have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse hooked up. because i don't want anybody messing around with it. I also have it set up so, if the power goes out, it will restore its session automatically. So, i need to remotely configure the server if I'm going to edit anything, or i could always keep re-hooking up a keyboard, mouse and monitor, to operated it. With XDMCP, i have full control of the system almost as if i were right there in front of it. It runs a little slow sometimes, but i have no complaints. I'm not really spending a whole lot of time configuring.. only if someone wants another shared directory or if there are updates to be made.

I'm proud of this server. I wish all businesses could take the opportunity to use some type of Linux for there networks. instead, they insist on spending ridiculous amounts of money for software that breaks down all the time.

If my server goes down, I have backups. its also the reason why i have a separate hard drive for file sharing and backups. Its so I can take that hard drive and put it into another system quickly to get the data up and going again.

links for used programs:
SAMBA
sBacup
XDMCP

My review of Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 LTS (Part Two)

After i brought back my system, i downloaded several applications.

XGL & compiz - for a totally cool desktop effect

Nvu – for web page authoring

Thunderbird – Email, i don't like to use Evolution because I feel the junk mail filters don't work as well

and many other applications.

I found it so nice to update with Ubuntu, compared to Red Hat / Fedora.. It doesn't bog down my Internet connection like YUM does. And it is so easy to add and remove programs, just by clicking (get this) “Add and Remove...” on the Applications Menu on the main gnome panel.

As far as network support... I found that to be one of the best items of all time. I can just go to “Places” > “Network Servers” and I can browse my local network of 10 computers with ease. If i need to connect to remote servers, i can just click on “Connect to Servers” and it will allow me to connect to my FTP connection with no problems, and it will allow me to just drag and drop files just like the remote computer was on my own network.

I wanted to put Ubuntu Dapper Drake to its ultimate test and installed on my small file server (keep posted because i will soon have a blog about my experiences with using Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 for server purposes) that I use for file serving and backup purposes, and had a full operation server running in less than an hour with very little to download.

All in all, I am very satisfied with Ubuntu Linux. It will probably be my one and only Linux distribution for a while. The only downfall to the whole installation that i find is that Gnome has horrible redrawing problems, and can be quite slow, if I hadn't downloaded XGL and Compiz, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. But for the most part, its a solid little operating system. I give kudos to Ubuntu for not installing so much crap at the initial installation. I like a clean desktop, but i also like to have options for other software which they have given me that flawlessly.

My review of Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 LTS (Part One)

Over the years, I have used a lot of Linux distributions to fit my needs (something that wont lock up and that i can play with and use for just about any situation). For the past 3 years, i have used mostly Linux OS's that have been strictly based on Red hat Recently (within the last year) i was browsing www.gnome-look.com trying to find themes for gnome, and noticed that there was an abundance of themes dedicated to Ubuntu Linux I wasn't really familiar with this distribution, but i thought i would try it out, since so many people were using it these days. Since i operate pretty much over a satellite connection, I'm limited on how much i can download due to Direcway's Fair Access Policy. I couldn't download ISO's from the Ubuntu mirrors, and I had begun to search around to see if i could find pre-burned cd's with Ubuntu Linux. I didn't have to look far, for there was a link on Ubuntu's main page for Shipit. The shipit site will allow you to order free cd's with free shipping if you are willing to wait about 4 to 6 weeks. At the time of just finding out about Ubuntu, I ordered 5 cd's of Ubuntu Breezy Badger 5.10. When the cd's arrived at my workplace, i quickly scrambled to my computer, and installed it. Little did i know that i would fall so deeply in-love with a Debian based Linux Distribution.

A few months went by, and I noticed a little pop up caption near the time on my main gnome panel saying there was a new version of Ubuntu Linux. Since i still couldn't download it, i, once again, went to shipit.ubuntu.com and ordered 5 cd's of Ubuntu Linux 6.06 codenamed - Dapper Drake. The new cd's arrived and I installed them. Here is my review of the new installation, and my experience:

I put the CD into my drive, rebooted my system. The system booted back up asking me of what boot options i would like to select. I just chose the first option, which was the default option. It booted up to the live CD version quite quickly, and I was looking at the desktop of a new version Ubuntu. I clicked the Install icon and went through the setup procedure. Apparently from the forums, there has been a lot of complaints as far as the partitioning program is concerned. That it was too hard to use. I found it very easy to use, and found it to be a very quick installation. it took about 15 minutes over all. finally after the installation it asked me to reboot and remove the CD, which I did.

After the system restarted, it came up to a nice tan colored login screen requesting me to enter my user name and password. I logged in and it loaded the Gnome Desktop 2.14 environment. I downloaded the updates which came to approximately 95mb. After all the updates were finished downloading and installing, it asked me to restart (mainly because there was a kernel update for my hardware). I restarted and it came back up again.

This ends Part I. keep posted for Part II

My new blog/webpage

Greetings everyone,
This is my first blog post, and i would like to take this time to tell you that i will be using this page to post regular things that are happening in my life. I will also be posting some rather geeky stuff that involves open source information, and other things that interest me. thanks for visiting, and keep posted.