Linux – Page 3 – Paul's Notepad

New router with DD-WRT

Paul Darr / 2014-04-04 / Leave a Comment

So I had to reset my server a few times. With the normal stability of my server needing to restart is really unusual. I normally only need to restart when updating the kernel but I have recently had the system lock up completely. The only change being that I set up my server to act as a wireless access point in February. I think that was one task too many with all the other network intensive tasks I had it doing. So I felt it was time I just purchase a replacement router/wireless access point.

I decided this time around that I would get a router compatible with DD-WRT an open source Linux based firmware for routers and access points. There is a plethora of router firmware projects out there so you have a wide choice if you want to do a similar project. I decided to just go with DD-WRT because it’s one of the most popular and supports a wide variety of hardware. I also took a look at Tomato and OpenWrt but I have to admit I didn’t try either of them out.

As far as hardware I wanted:
1. The device needed DD-WRT support, since that is what I wanted to put on it.
2. Something inexpensive with a good hardware specs to price ratio.
3. Something that supports wireless N. Most of my devices are wireless B/G devices but I have one or two wireless N devices.

After looking over several reviews I discovered the Belkin N300 Wireless Router F7D3302.The bad reviews on Amazon were all for the stock firmware. All the DD-WRT reviews on Amazon gave it five stars and I also found a post on the DD-WRT forums that spoke well of it. For $20 I figured it was worth a shot. Spec wise the router has: 64 MB of Ram, 8 MB of flash, and a Broadcom BCM4718 @ 480MHz. I downloaded the two firmware files I needed from the DD-WRT Router Database, you just search for the model number to find the correct device. After installation I changed the password and set up wireless security. So far it has been a really solid device. I’m considering connecting my printer to it next because the router has a USB port but I will see. I could also use it as a NAS with a portable HD but my home server does well in that role.

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CyanogenMod 10.1 on my HTC EVO LTE

Paul Darr / 2013-06-11 / Leave a Comment

Last night I flashed the June 8th IRC build of CyanogenMod 10.1 on my HTC EVO LTE. In addition I flashed a modification that will give a transparent status bar on Android 4.2.2 devices. As a launcher I am using Apex Launcher with the dock disabled. Do actually launch my commonly used applications I use Unity Launcher with auto hide enabled. This gives my phones home screen an extremely clean look. If I need an app not on Unity launcher I have my phone configured to bring up the app drawer with a long press of the home button.

Here are a few pictures of what this configuration looks like while in use:

Screenshot_2013-06-11-09-14-45 — Default Screen View

Screenshot_2013-06-11-09-15-04 — Unity Launcher Swiped Out

It’s pretty fun to have such a minimalistic yet functional setup.

Adding in the wallpaper for those that want it:

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My Crunchbang home server

Paul Darr / 2013-05-26 / 8 Comments

I thought I would give a quick update on my home server for my fellow Linux geeks.

I currently have it running Crunchbang Linux. If you are unfamiliar with Crunchbang it is a low resource Linux Distribution based on Debian. I chose Crunchbang because of how much I like Openbox as a low resource window manager and Cruchbang comes with Openbox configured nicely. It’s much quicker to use Crunchbang as a base as opposed to trying to configure Debian to pretty much the same way.

One of the primary purposes that I use the server for is to act as a home webserver for my wife’s blog SarahDarr.org and my blog here at PaulDarr.org. The software I use to support the blog is Apache webserver, MySQL database and WordPress.

Another use I have for my home server is to act as a media and file server. For media I run Plex, which allows me to stream my music, home movies and DVD copies to my Roku boxes and Android Smartphone. I already had several Roku boxes and Plex is currently one of the best ways to stream media to them. As a file server I just connect using SFTP and do manual backups of my data.

Yet another duty for my home server is to act as a print server. That’s taken care of using CUPS and the Chromium web browser. The use of CUPS is a no brainer but some of you might be wondering why I’m using a web browser. Both Chrome and Chromium support Google Cloud Print. Google Cloud Print enables my wife to print from her Chromebook and me from my Android devices. I don’t run Chromium all the time but it does have a service running for cloud print.

On the hardware end of things my home server is running on an Acer Aspire One D255 Netbook. I upgraded my laptop in 2011 and I had this sitting around as a spare. The D255 has a 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 1 GB RAM and 160 GB hard drive. I have an external 320 GB hard drive connected for additional storage. I have the laptop connected to the 32inch TV in the room for extra eye candy and the laptop is suspended on a shelf. As a father of a soon to be 2 year old son it’s good to keep the server out of his reach.

To connect with a keyboard and mouse I use Synergy to use my desktops mouse and keyboard with the Netbook.

So far the Netbook does a surprisingly good job as a multi-role home server. Even with all the extra programs I have running it uses less that 300 MB of RAM while in it’s regular use. Overall I would say I am pretty happy with my hardware and software setup. The only addition I have planned is to automatically sync the backups from my desktop.

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Richard Stallman: Intellectually Dishonest?

Paul Darr / 2012-12-08 / Leave a Comment

In a recent blog post Richard Stallman referred to the Ubuntu Linux Distribution as spyware. Mr. Stallman’s post stemmed primarily from the recent introduction of the shopping lens into Ubuntu 12.10. This lens is on by default and when a user enters a search into the Unity Dash a user will get back results related to their personal files and search results for Amazon.com. This search is passed through Canonical’s servers and they act as a layer of anonymity between Amazon. If a user makes a purchase from Amazon, Canonical then receives the referral bonus for the purchase. Users are informed of the shopping lens when they read the privacy policy linked to in Unity’s dash. If a user objects to this policy they may disable the shopping lens in their privacy settings or remove it altogether using the Ubuntu Software Center. While many share Mr. Stallman’s privacy concern for Canonical’s implementation of the shopping lens, I would have to characterize his assessment of Ubuntu being spyware as intellectually dishonest.

First let’s look at the definition of spyware. Wikipedia defines spyware as a type of malware (malicious software) installed on computers that collects information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user and can be difficult to detect. Some spyware, such as keyloggers, may be installed by the owner of a shared, corporate, or public computer intentionally in order to monitor users.

Ubuntu’s shopping lens does not meet this definition. The shopping lens is easily seen by design and a user can be informed about the privacy policy in Unity’s dash. In addition a user can easily disable or remove the shopping lens with a few clicks.

While I think the shopping lens is badly implemented, I could not honestly call it spyware. It seems most detractors are content to sling about incorrect terminology as opposed to just saying it’s implemented badly or offering a way it could be implemented better.

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