Cluttermagnet Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 Isn't there another one in there... "Modem Status"? Well, there's "Modem Monitor". I have that one enabled in my upper panel. It's an icon with a red desktop telephone sitting atop an external desktop modem. But it has only limited usefulness. I see no way to get it to display traffic status or volume at all. Heck it lies, anyway. If you mouseover, it always says "Not Connected", even when I am. It just always says that. It gives you the choices to "Activate" or "Deactivate" the dialup connection. Again it lies- if you had been connected but your dialup connection stalls or is dropped, the little applet is none the wiser. It continues to advertise 'activated', but only in the sense of offering the clickable "Deactivate" menu choice. Useful enough to get the job done, yet near-useless. As you guys have pointed out, most folks are running broadband ISP connections. The dialup part of Ubuntu is not fully developed, looks to me- and it's still a bit buggy IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 Clutter, some krells (how they are called) in gkrellm needs a bit of configuration, for ex. Vcore,+3.3V, +5V, +12V and some others. First see if it is available and if yes, try to make up your mind what you want of it now. Then ask what needs to be configured to be able to see what you wanted to see.Just trying to clear up a good idea, before you rush out to install it only to be confronted afterwards with some krells not functioning, due to a not being configured state of the krell. I have to chuckle- "krell" just sounds so Scandinavian/German, as is much of Linux these days. I guess I can say that, since I have Scandinavian/German ancestors, like a lot of Americans do. Well, no need to make it too very complicated right now. I've just barely taken the training wheels off of this bicycle. All I really, truly need is some sort of better dialup internet activity indicator. Maybe the Ubuntu guys and the Linux guys in general don't put so much emphasis on dialup networking these days. Everyone wants broadband. Heck, I want broadband. I would be a broadband subscriber today if there were any real competition, and an unfettered market. Instead, what we have here in the US is monopolies, collusion, and price fixing. I hate ripoffs! Much of what Americans in my area face daily is total ripoffs. But I'll leave that for the political thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 @ Urmas :Is there something in gnome like kppp in KDE, maybe ... gnome ppp ? Is this package having options to show network activity like Clutter needs ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 (edited) BTW we are now up to 12 pages in this thread. How big can a thread get before it explodes? Seriously, though, I'm having lots of fun now that I decided to get busy with Linux. And after I'm more capable, I'll be spreading the word about Linux. Can you picture it? Clutter holding revival meetings under a big tent, wildly waving live CD copies of Linux about and yelling about how everybody can be 'saved' from the expense and irritations of less enlightened ways... Edited April 7, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 (edited) @ Urmas :Is there something in gnome like kppp in KDE, maybe ... gnome ppp ? Is this package having options to show network activity like Clutter needs ?That would be wonderful, if so- but I think I'm still going to end up at the friend's house with my PC tower, loading up on the KDE desktop environment to use in Ubuntu. Might as well get the whole thing. Then I can configure kppp and I will probably have what I'm asking for. Tell you what, guys- I do love Ubuntu already, even as is. But that is from the perspective of a seasoned Windows user, so my experiences may not be typical. Ubuntu is a good start. I also have my eyes on PCLinux OS, which I hear is pretty well evolved (GUI-ed and automated/ wizarded) for the new user.It's still an open question- is Linux ready for the desktop? My take is- if it isn't already, it is getting really close now- and it's already good enough for me. Sounds like Dell is asking the question in earnest, these days. I hope they start offering PCs with Linux or with no OS. I think they will start to see more and more takers. Edited April 7, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 BTW we are now up to 12 pages in this thread. How big can a thread get before it explodes? We'll have to find out. don't we ? Seriously, though, I'm having lots of fun now that I decided to get busy with Linux. And after I'm more capable, I'll be spreading the word about Linux. Can you picture it? Clutter holding revival meetings under a big tent, wildly waving live CD copies of Linux about and yelling about how everybody can be 'saved' (from that- ahem- other OS...) :hysterical:Whatever you end up with, in KDE the package you want (the network activity indicator shown in the screen shot in my previous post) is called "knemo". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 (edited) It's a "panel applet"... right click on a panel... choose "Add to Panel"... it's waaay down on the "list of applet items".Ahhh, OK. Got it! This is one little application I use so very much in Windows. I have a little utility there called "Blanch". An oldie but goodie, written ~1996. I've never found anything I liked better. It is highly configurable, sort of the Swiss army knife approach. It will hold multiple panels, and each panel can hold up to 13-15 or more 'button launch' icons. As configured, mine will theoretically hold up to 168 launch icons. More are possible, depending mainly on screen size settings. I don't know how I ever got by without it! Edited April 7, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 (edited) I got brave enough to try Eric's suggestion concerning an alternate setup of Zip100 drive recognition by Ubuntu at bootup. So I deleted my original bash script from /etc/rcS.d per Bruno's sample command (Post 224, Page 9). Then I set up a folder /media/Zip100, and made a new "S95Zipnode" bash script and put it in there (Post 245, Page 10). Finally, I set up a new line in fstab per Eric's example (10:245). So far no smoke coming out of the PC tower... Now I'll reboot and see if I have a working Ubuntu with Zip mounting capabilities, or a smoking crater... Edit: No smoke, but also "Unable to mount the selected volume", with the comments "mount: i could not determine the filesystem type, and none was specified". This is with a zip disk inserted in the drive.I can think of one possible problem- when I edited fstab, I copied and pasted Eric's sample line about hdb4 in and then saved. I confirmed that these changes got saved. BUT- during the adding of the new line in fstab, I also added in a few keystrokes with the space bar, to get columns to line up somewhat better. Perhaps the spaces are causing a problem? No big deal here. If I can't get Eric's setup to work for me, I'll clean out fstab to it's original configuration and set up Bruno's recommended installation of the script in /etc/rcS.d once again. Edited April 8, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 The fstab entries should line up with those above it, Clutter, so you didn't do anything wrong there. I will say one thing, though, sometimes Linux needs to be swatted upside the head a couple times till it learns how to mount the Zip. Click on it and attempt to mount two or three consecutive times and see if anything happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Clutter holding revival meetings under a big tent, wildly waving live CD copies of Linux about and yelling about how everybody can be 'saved' from the expense and irritations of less enlightened ways. A linux users group in the town where I went to college, just went round the University campus and slipped 400 Ubuntu CDs under the professors' office doors. At least they might be curious to see what the CD does - I hope they gave instructions about how to boot the live CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 (edited) The fstab entries should line up with those above it, Clutter, so you didn't do anything wrong there. I will say one thing, though, sometimes Linux needs to be swatted upside the head a couple times till it learns how to mount the Zip. Click on it and attempt to mount two or three consecutive times and see if anything happens.Nope, it's not going to have anything to do with that drive tonight, not even from one reboot to the next. These things can be very temperamental about syntax. I'll go back through everything with a fine tooth comb. Might even be a case-sensitive thing. I used upper case "Z" this time for Zipnode- but I think I was consistent everywhere...# /etc/fstab: static file system information.## <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>proc /proc proc defaults 0 0/dev/hda5 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1/dev/hda1 /Win98SE vfat defaults,utf8,umask=007,gid=46 0 1/dev/hda6 /home ext3 defaults 0 2/dev/hda7 none swap sw 0 0/dev/hdc /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto 0 0/dev/hdb4 /media/Zip100 auto rw,user,noauto,sync 0 0 Script /media/Zip100/S95Zipnode #!/bin/bashmknod /dev/hdb4 b 3 64#End script Edited April 8, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 ... I'll be spreading the word about Linux. Can you picture it? Clutter holding revival meetings under a big tent, wildly waving live CD copies of Linux about and yelling about how everybody can be 'saved' from the expense and irritations of less enlightened ways... But... you're already doing it. See ("Clutterquote" from another thread):Further, after only 2-3 weeks of reporting my own positive experiences with Ubuntu, he has already agreed with me that it might be a good idea to have Ubuntu on his drive for safely accessing the internet. Yep! He's going to let me install Ubuntu and temporarily take off his trial install of Bing, in fact. We'll let grub take over for now and see how it works for him multi- booting XP Home 32, XP64, and Ubuntu 6.06. So there's my answer- it's really at least as much- or moreso- about the helpers than it is the potential converts themselves. Think about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 (edited) Me too I agree with Eric here:Simply give the command "sudo passwrd" and it will ask you for a (new) rootpassword . . you have to give it twice and after that you have a password and can do "su" to change to root privileges in the terminal ( see: Su and Root ) and can forget about using "sudo" at every command. BrunoI'm trying to set up a Root password. "sudo paswrd". I enter my intended new Root pasword. I keep getting back "Sorry, try again". It does not create my Root password after two entries of the new password, as you describe. Rather, it appears it is assuming I already have one, or perhaps it is looking for my User password. Anyway, no good. How can I get past this?Now reads "sudo: 3 incorrect password attempts"It never prompted for "rootpassword", it always prompted for "Password:".Request "sudo rootpasswrd" returns prompt "Password:"Reason I want a Root password now is because I installed firestarter, GUI front end for the firewall built into Linux shell. firestarter will ask for Root password every time I ask to launch GUI, Edited April 9, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Clutter,You're using an incorrect command. It should be: Clutter@ClutterSystem:~$ sudo passwd root It will then ask you to type in your new ROOT password. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 (edited) Clutter,You're using an incorrect command. It should be:Clutter@ClutterSystem:~$ sudo passwd root It will then ask you to type in your new ROOT password. Typed and entered as above.Prompt: "Password:"Entered new Root passwordResponse: "Sorry, try again"It is apparently looking for my User password...BTW does the editor or whatever have the ability to distinguish different versions of "password"? I'm up to 3 here- have seen "password", "passwrd", and now "passwd". I figure Linux would be a real stickler for letter perfect syntax(?)I'm off to work, will check back here later...Thanks! Edited April 9, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Clutter, sudo passwd rootasks first your "normal", existing user password... and THEN you can enter the root password of your choice.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Yep sorry for that typo ;)It indeed is "sudo passwd" . . . and like always with sudo it asks for your user-password first . . . . and then for changing the "Unix" ( or "root" ) password, twice . . . Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Urmas has it correct. You have to enter your user password (sudoer) first, then continue on. You don't have a root password at this point. The command that you're attempting to perform requires root privileges, so in order to perform it, you need to do it as a "sudoer" (super user do). As far as I know, the ONLY bash command is "passwd". None of the others (password or passwrd) are recognized on my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) sudo passwd root"Password:" (entered new Root pwd)"Sorry try again"(etc.)"Password:" (entered User password)"Enter new UNIX password:" (entered new Root pwd)"Retype new UNIX password:" (entered new Root pwd)"Password updated successfully"Yay! Edited April 10, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 CONGRATS !!Another step forward . . . great move Clutter Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 CONGRATS !!Another step forward . . . great move Clutter B) BrunoThanks, Bruno-I am presently learning how to run firestarter (firewall GUI) in Ubuntu. Urmas says I really don't need to bother with this stuff, but I'm conditioned to expect attacks from having run Windows for years. I'm on dialup and not behind any hardware router. I understand I might have to be more concerned about not running an antivirus utility on machines which multiboot Windows along with Linux? Something sneaks in under Linux, runs over next door and attacks Windows? Maybe I will try Clam AV, but probably all that stuff is a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) I am presently learning how to run firestarter (firewall GUI) in Ubuntu. Urmas says I really don't need to bother with this stuff, but I'm conditioned to expect attacks from having run Windows for years. I'm on dialup and not behind any hardware router.Battening the hatches is never a bad idea... all I am saying is that the "threat map" looks mighty different. And if you're used to more "complex" software firewalls in Windoze... creating rulesets etc... there are more "versatile" alternatives for Firestarter. Others might be able to tell you more on these.Something sneaks in under Linux, runs over next door and attacks Windows?More like... say you have a (FAT32) storage/docs/etc. partition that is accessible from both Linux and Windows. You put stuff into it using Windoze, you put stuff into it using Linux... because you want to be able to access the stuff from both OS:s. Now... using Linux, you download, say, a "polluted" word document. In Linux, that would be a "so what?" issue, because whatever the nasty, it can't do anything to Linux. If you open the same document with Windoze, however... Of course, you'd have Win AV plus all the other bells and whistles to take care of the situation from within Windows, but the ability to "on-demand scan" the "shared" partition(s) in Linux makes sense. Edited April 10, 2007 by Urmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) Right now, I'm happy with firestarter. It was reasonably easy to set up. It failed the grc.com stealth tests, however. Accepted and responded to pings. I've never had to get geeky with a firewall before. I went into firestarter's online help and started to learn a little about ICMP filtering. I'm still not sure if I have it configured right, as I did end up allowing a couple of services, but at least the firewall is now ignoring pings and passes the grc.com stealth test.I think that bottling up outgoing traffic is going to be harder. I'm not experienced in writing rule sets. In the past, firewalls like Zone Alarm have just tagged everything at first, asking for permissions always, then quickly learning which should have unchallenged outgoing access. I'm not quite sure how I'd do that with firestarter. I think the present default is 'everything that wants to get out does get out'. Heh!Ahhh, OK- shared partitions. Got it! So far, not an issue, but that is a planned addition to this computer, so it does sound like a little on-demand AV checking might be in order. I'll look into Clam AV. Edited April 10, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyj12 Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Firestarter wasn't easy for me to learn either, I prefer things to be simple as possible. I really like shorewall and the pclos gui. It looks like you are coming along very well, it's good to see you sticking it out and learning. Keep it up..... Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) Clam info:https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ClamAVFYI... there is a Gnome GUI for Clam in the reopsitories... it's called "ClamTk", but it's slooooow.As for your failing stealth test... did you run Firestarter's "wizard", when you opened Firestarter for the first time? ... but at least the firewall is now ignoring pings and passes the grc.com stealth test.Not bad! Edited April 10, 2007 by Urmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 . . . but at least the firewall is now ignoring pings and passes the grc.com stealth test. Sorry to interrupt the bliss . . . . . . . . As much as I admire Steve Gibson, the grc.com tests are actually more for Windows computers. If you want some good tests that work on ALL platforms ( Win, Linux, Mac ) go to: pcflank.com Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) Sorry to interrupt the bliss . . . . . . . . As much as I admire Steve Gibson, the grc.com tests are actually more for Windows computers. If you want some good tests that work on ALL platforms ( Win, Linux, Mac ) go to: pcflank.com BrunoAw, maaaan-My bliss has been trashed. No, actually, I'd characterize it as more of a cautious optomism. Heh!Yeah, I like Steve a lot. He's helped a lot of Windows types to become less vulnerable.I do believe in following multiple sources, doing personal research, trying new things.I'll check out pcflank. Thanks, Bruno! Edit: That's a great test site, Bruno. Thanks! Looks like my Ubuntu is pretty well stealthed and locked down, now that I'm running firestarter. But I'll have to look at outbound traffic, since the firewall default is totally permissive. Edited April 11, 2007 by Cluttermagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hey Clutter...Glad you got that ROOT thing squared away. Now, just remember SloppySlacker's sigline: ROOT - The power to destroy... Over and over and over and...He's NOT kidding around, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 He's NOT kidding around, either. I myself am time inexhaustible, and I the creator whose faces are in all directions.I am death the destoyer of all, and the source of what is to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 So, you're saying that Krishna was ROOT, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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