etch
Debian Etch Compiz – Beryl
Sep 14th
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 Although I have had good experiences utilizing the now outdated Beryl repos and software.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
VirtualBox 2.6.26 Kernel Support
Sep 13th
With Debian Lenny you can update to the 2.6.26 kernel, but in VirtualBox support for this version is not ready. A kernel panic will not allow the system to boot into a stable state, therefore for the time being users must retain use of 2.6.24. One major drawback is that there are no headers for the 2.6.24 kernel in Lenny. This forces VirtualBox users to wait to install guest additions, thus slightly decreasing stability because of the timing benifits associated with the VirtualBox kernel modules. Overall because of this it is most likely best to still use Etch until Lenny progresses a bit further, specifically including some needed kernel headers or VirtualBox provides an update for better support of the 2.6.26 kernel.
Nagios Virtual Server Monitoring in 15 Minutes – Intro
Feb 26th
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. I recommend Ubuntu JeOS for your virtual OS specifically because the kernel works flawlessly with the host operating system.
Debian Etch Revision 2 Update
Dec 28th
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
Debian – No System Sounds
Dec 18th
First see if your ALSA is muted!! Either use your Gnome volume manager, or type in a terminal: alsamixer Make sure all the channels are illuminated green. Use the “m” key to toggle mute. If this does not work try installing esound built from source. Esound lives in the following repository: http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/gnome/sources/esound/0.2/ And the most recent version, as of this blog post, can be downloaded here: http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/gnome/sources/esound/0.2/esound-0.2.38.tar.bz2 Unzip the file, and install the build dependencies: sudo apt-get build-dep esound Then navigate to the esound folder, configure, make and install: cd Desktop/esound ./configure && make sudo make install Reboot, and most likely hear sounds. This issue was particular to a Debian Etch system with an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe motherboard. If you still don’t hear sound you can try re-installing ALSA from source. Give a google search for ALSA and you will find the homepage to download the source from. Compile and install the alsa-driver package, but first install the build dependencies: sudo apt-get build-dep alsa-driver
Computer Information – Software Versions
Dec 5th
To retreive relatively useful information about software versions use the version proc. It will tell you your kernel, gcc, and OS version. For instance an up to date Debian Etch should read 4.1.1-21 or greater. To view the version proc use cat: cat /proc/version