SMART Notifier will alert you when your hard drive may be failing.
S.M.A.R.T Drive Failure Notification
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Category Archives: Ubuntu
Standard Temperature Sensors
Network Time Sync
I know it’s really geeky, but I don’t want to worry about setting my time on Ubuntu.
Virtualbox Via Apt
To be sure you always have the latest version of VirtualBox, you can add the official repository.
Flash in 64 bit Ubuntu
As of this writing, Flash does not work in 64 bit ubuntu.
Install Webmin (Web Admin)
Step by Step, installing webmin.
Webmin is a web-based interface for system administration for Unix. Using any modern web browser, you can setup user accounts, Apache, DNS, file sharing and much more. Webmin removes the need to manually edit Unix configuration files like /etc/passwd, and lets you manage a system from the console or remotely.
Some History: Why Ubuntu?
I thought it would seem appropriate to mention some of my reasoning behind choosing Ubuntu as my Linux distribution of choice.
Create Headless VirtualBox VM
VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. You can use it to run ‘Virtual PCs’ that show up as an app on your machine. If you need information on how to get Virtualbox Running take a look at an excellent walkthrough on the UbuntuGeek website
The steps below are what I have found works for me to get a headless virtual-machine running on one of my Ubuntu Servers. The server OS has no gui, so everything has to be done by command-line. The commands below are what’s needed to host an Ubuntu Server in Bridged Networking Mode.
I’ve tested this on Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop edition and Ubuntu 8.04.3 Server Using VirtualBox 3.0.4
I’m listing the tems below in ALL UPPER CASE that (at minimum) you will want to change to fit your own enviroment:
First Register the Virtualbox machine (think of it as a shell we’ll customize later):
VBoxManage createvm --name MACHINE-NAME --register
Set the myriad of options, I believe they’re pretty much self-explanatory if you want to do any tweaking.
If you are planning to run the machine ‘detached’ you will definately need to take care to note the VRD-Port you choose. It must be unique to your machine.
Also, don’t miss pointing the machine to use the correct ethernet card on your machine (last item):
VBoxManage modifyvm MACHINE NAME --memory "512" --ostype "Ubuntu" --acpi on --boot1 dvd --ioapic on -pae on --cpus 1 --audio none --vrdp on --vrdpport 5010 --vrdpauthtype null --usb off --nic1 bridged --bridgeadapter1 eth1
Tell VirtualBox to mount the install ISO of your choosing:
VBoxManage modifyvm MACHINE-NAME --dvd /YOUR-PATH/ubuntu-8.04.3-server-i386.iso
You’ll most-likely be needing a hard-drive on your virtual-machine:
VBoxManage createhd --filename "/YOUR-PATH/MACHINE-NAME.vdi" --size 10000 --remember
You’ll need to tell the Virtual-Machine to use the just-created hard drive:
VBoxManage modifyvm u-sugar --hda "/YOUR-PATH/MACHINE-NAME.vdi"
If you are using the VirtualBox GUI, you can stop now. Your machine will be available to start up the next time you open the VirtualBox GUI.
If you want to start the virtual-machine headless:
VBoxHeadless --startvm MACHINE-NAME
And the way i do it, if you want to start the machine headless and detached in it’s own screen session so it’ll keep running even after you close your terminal session or log out of your machine:
screen -d -m -S MACHINE-NAME VBoxHeadless --startvm MACHINE-NAME
If you started your machine ‘headless’, you will interact with it using remote desktop. To see your machine, use the remote desktop client of your choice to connect to your host machines IP on the VRDP Port you specified above.
On Ubuntu Linux you can issue the command:
rdesktop 127.0.0.1:5010
The above command assumes your connecting from the same linux machine.