Debian Etch Compiz - Beryl

Although the Debian repos have Compiz available, I have had bad experiences with what should be a routine installation. Although I have had good experiences utilizing the now outdated Beryl repos and software. To install Beryl for Debian Etch AMD64 add the following repos to your apt sources file:

deb http://debian.beryl-project.org/ etch main
deb-src http://debian.beryl-project.org/ etch main

Add the gpg key:

wget -O - http://debian.beryl-project.org/root@lupine.me.uk.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

Install Beryl:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install beryl-manager emerald-themes

Update xorg.conf (sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf):

then added these two lines under the “Screen” section

Option “XAANoOffscreenPixmaps”
Option “AddARGBGLXVisuals” “true”

then added these lines under “Device”

Option “AllowGLXWithComposite” “true”
Option “RenderAccel” “true”

added one line under “Server Layout”

Option “AIGLX” “on”

Finally at the end of the file add these lines

Section “Extensions”
Option “Composite” “Enable”
EndSection

Nagios Virtual Server Monitoring in 15 Minutes - Intro

Nagios allows you to graphically monitor your virtual servers from a single web page. No longer will you have to load each individual website or web service in order to verify consistent operation. Nagios can be downloaded directly from their website at:

http://www.nagios.com

On the Nagios homepage is a link to a 15 minute tutorial, which is relatively straight forward, and works like a charm. My next blog post will cover the same material that is included in their 15 minute tutorial. In this post I want to briefly discuss which guest operating system to use for maximum stability. I highly recommend Ubuntu JeOS for your virtual OS specifically because the kernel works flawlessly with the host operating system. To recap, I currently use Debian Etch as my host OS, and with JeOS as the guest the host CPU load is only active when the guest is actually processing data. I previously used Debian Etch also as the guest OS, and it would have a constant CPU load on the host. This was not at all desirable, and with a quick transition to JeOS the problem was swiftly resolved.

The first step to get Nagios up and running in a VirtualBox guest OS is to install a clean JeOS in a new guest OS.

Step 2 is setting up Nagios. You can follow the 15 minute tutorial on their website, which is indeed perfect, but I will also post the procedures asap.

Debian VirtualBox Guest OS Causes High and Constant Host CPU Load

For the longest time I was using Debian for my guest operating system, and was relatively frustrated that the host OS always had a constant CPU load of over 20%. I tried many times to compile a custom kernel to resolve this issue, and in the end I decided to switch to a new OS. At first I though Ubuntu server edition was the way to go, but when I was installing the system there was all these gnome, and other graphical components being installed. What is the purpose of openoffice files in a terminal based OS? Overall Ubuntu JeOS is the way to go! It will only install the base Ubuntu system, comparable to how Debian can be configure during the installation process. The kernel used in JeOS does not cause the host to have a constant CPU load, therefore I am overwhelmingly satisfied with its performance.

If you are experiencing high host CPU load with your guest OS, I recommend experimenting with different kernels, and possible switching to a different OS if you cannot resolve the issue. There is no reason your host CPU load should be high when the guest is not processing any data. JeOS is the way to go

Debian Locales Error During Boot

If you are receiving locale errors like file not found, during boot, you can repair your system with the following:

sudo /usr/sbin/locale-gen

If this command does not work properly you should first re-install the appropriate files:

sudo apt-get install --reinstall debconf

Then re-run:

sudo /usr/sbin/locale-gen

VirtualBox Creation on Network Drive via SSHFS - VirtLinux

As previously posted there have been great difficulties transferring VirtualBox .vdi images from my my host machine to my guest server. I first tried mounting a remote directory via sshfs, and then copying the .vdi image via VBoxManage clonevdi, but nothing there. Now the current method involved mounting a remote directory via sshfs, and then creating a guest OS directly on the remote server. I have re-added DebianLAMP to the VirtLinux lineup, and it is now available on the specialty page.

http://www.virtlinux.com

Windows Completely Integrated with Linux - VirtualBox Guest OS

I as the vast majority of people grew up with Windows. I had programs that would only run on Windows; for example Napster. Napster requires Windows Media Player because of the DRM (Digital Rights Management) software embedded in the music.

Then I switched to Linux because of Stability reasons. I wanted a system that would work, without needing a restart, for months on end. I wanted a system that could run on a Pentium 2 processor, with 256 megabytes of RAM. Linux was the answer, and it ran extremely well on my first server that had a Pentium 2 processor running at 300 Megahertz. Windows XP is not capable of running on such a low power system, but Linux runs just fine!!!

My current server I also use for blogging, and miscellaneous surfing. It is technically the most powerful machine I have ever owned. While there are many more upgrade I can implement, its current configuration is relatively powerful:

• AMD Athlon 64 x2  @ 1.9 Ghz
• 3 Gigabytes of RAM
• 3 RAID1 160 Gigabyte hard drives (1 SATA, 2 PATA)
• ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard

With this system I have over 1 Gigabyte of RAM left over after Linux, my Virtual Server, and Windows have completely loaded. There is much potential for Virtual OS environments, as it makes for compartmentalization and organizational ease. Also you can have your guest OS .vdi images on your /home partition, allowing the formatting and upgrade of the root “/” partition as easy as a default Linux installation.

I have my Virtual web server running a Debian LAMP setup with 512 Megabytes of allocated RAM. If obviously is utilizing a network tap to the host system. For more information about VirtualBox guest OS host networking see:

http://www.bgevolution.com/blog/index.php/virtualbox-host-networking-script-versus-interfaces/

I have my Windows guest OS running Windows XP, with 1024 Megabytes of allocated RAM. It also utilizes a network tap, but technically this is not really necessary. I use Windows in seamless mode for certain Windows only applications (Napster), and primarily for Windows Firefox and Internet Explorer. My Debian Host OS is 64 bit, and since Macromedia Flash does not have a 64 bit compilation, the 32 bit Windows XP comes in handy rather than installing a 32 bit Debian environment and associated applications.

Debian Etch Revision 2 Update

Debian is well know for its long time periods between releases. It is 100% worth the wait. The stability of Debian is simply UNRIVALED. If you plan to deploy a server environment, or you want your laptop or desktop to run at optimal performance then Debian is for you. The new version is Debian Etch Revision 2. Secure, stable, and reliable is what you’ll get.

http://www.debian.org/News/2007/20071227