XFCE: Start Dropbox on Login

This drove me nuts, because it failed randomly, so, a quick one liner added to the Session Startup seems to take care of this problem.

Dropbox on ChromeOS

It turns out it is really simple... As in 1,2,3...
- Add new service
- Install new service
- Then select "File System for Dropbox", add you credentials, you are done.

At What Price Backups? (II)

A little update to this post At what price backups? (it's been 7 years man!!!)...
The thing is last week had a similar problem, but the solution posted there didn't help at all...
That means that issuing a:

sudo dmsetup remove udisks-luks-uuid-50508a07-7d38-4be4-975e-ee1d048c1cd6-uid1000

Did nothing at all, refused the umount the encrypted drive.
so What I had to do get rid of the hang volume was:

sudo lsof | grep xxx,x

And then issue a kill:

kill -9 xxx

Without sudo, it was my regular user the one executing what got hung, which incidentally, was the process that generates thumbnails in Thunar.

Un-encrypt Your $HOME

This is how I move my $HOME from encrypted to un-encrypted,  in order to be able to keep using Dropbox... Yes, in the end, choose to keep it.
Done this on all of my Linux Mint boxes that had an encrypted $HOME (still running an encrypted LVM, tho).

- Login as your regular user thru GUI.
- Disable Dropbox autostart.
- Logout.
- Drop to a TTY, login as the root user .
- Issue: umount /home/$USER
- Edit the text file "/home/.ecryptfs/$USER/.ecryptfs/Private.mnt".
Change "/home/$USER" to "/home/$USER/Private"
- Issue:

mkdir /home/$USER/Private
chown $USER:$USER /home/$USER/Private
chmod 0700 /home/$USER/

- Reboot
- Login regular user (TTY), issue:

  shopt -s dotglob
  mv Private/* .

Be sure there is enough free space on the disk.
I have run out of space on a couple of boxes, no sweat, simply delete the partial one, and then move once again.

- Login thru GUI and start Dropbox, it'll force a re-connect thru the webfront once again and then sync everything, but not a download.

Dropbox Vs Encrypted EXT4: Dropbox Wins...

Yes, well, in the end. I've chosen to remain with Dropbox...
What can I say, the practicality of what it offers is pretty much addictive, I have a ton of HDD with them, thanks to recs, so... I have to put that available space to work, right?
So, I'm in the process of switching the encrypted $HOMEs of the lappies to regular ones, since all of them are installed on encrypted LVM to begin with, I guess there is not a big security risk.
The whole thing is not as hard as I thought it would be, but, a bit of a PITA nonetheless.

The Way of The Rsync

A day full of Rsync is a good day.
Backup review and testing day... Yeah... One of those days.

Slowly and one server at a time, the way to go thru this.

Fuck You, Dropbox!

Dropbox will become unusable for me in November.
There is no way I'll not use encryption on my laptops, so bye & bye and fuck off.
Back to local external HDD and custom made scripts to sync stuff between boxes.
What a fucking piece of shit move, man.

Links:

• Dropbox Is Dropping Support For All Linux File Systems Except Unencrypted Ext4

• Dropbox client warns me that it'll stop syncing in Nov, why?

Lost Another Soldier

It's a pale year for the HDDs around here...
It seems like I've lost another one. Yesterday the HDD from the old Studio XPS 1340 went kaput.
It switched to read-only, and after a reboot -and while passing the prompt for the LVM encryption- it fails after that.
Didn't lose that much info with it. Actually like, really, none at all... Backups, backups and more backups, you know...

The current Linux Mint desktop

In the process of propagating the Dropbox comeback on all of my lappies and stuff, I've stumbled upon what I consider this beautiful Linux On The Desktop Moment.

Out With The Sneakernet

After, I guess, some 5 years or so, I'm back onto the Dropbox.
Luckily, I've kept my account active all thru this years, and I'm truly, sincerely fed up with my current manual backup setup (but I'll keep it as well, just to be safe).

Change root's Password on Rackspace's Rescue Mode

Login onto the Rackspace webfront.
Go to:
Cloud Servers > select server > Actions > Enter Rescue Mode
Save (like Gold) the dinamically generated password!
Login via SSH using root user: ssh -l root pub.ip.address.of.server
There will be an SSH warning, edit the ~/.ssh/known_hosts file.

Once you are logged in onto the server issue a

fdisk -l

Example:

Disk /dev/xvdb: 21.5 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders, total 41943040 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00021ebb

    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/xvdb1   *        2048    41940991    20969472   83  Linux

Disk /dev/xvda: 21.5 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders, total 41943040 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00021ebb

    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/xvda1   *        2048    41940991    20969472   83  Linux

Disk /dev/xvdd: 67 MB, 67108864 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 8 cylinders, total 131072 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/xvdd doesn't contain a valid partition table
Mount the drive:

mount /dev/xvdb1 /mnt/

Check if this is the correct drive on which you have to actually make the password change: less /mnt/etc/shadow
It has to have the users that already have an account on the server.
This took me a while, all the docs, links and references from even the same Rackspace point you to use the /dev/xvda1 but on my case, I had to use /dev/xvb1, YMMV.

chroot /mnt/

Change root's password: passwd
Exit the SSH session
On the Rackspace page, click on "Exit Rescue Mode".
Login via SSH using the regular user once again.
There will be an SSH warning, edit the ~/.ssh/known_hosts file.
Issue a: su - to become root, use the password you just set and so whatever you have to do being root.

Persistent Files

As of today,  these Files I need to keep from a host before updating the OS...

• /etc/hosts
• /etc/fstab
• /etc/rc.local
• /etc/sysctl.conf (In case I've fumbled the swappiness)
• Information regarding where does the ~/Desktop/sync.local.sh points to.

Basically thats it.
The rest of the files, of everything actually, gets restored/ pulled/ sync'ed from the backups.

Finally! ~/Desktop/sync.local.sh

I can't believe I haven't done this before...
I've been doing local backups to a series of external USB drives for ages and ages, I have way too much data to make backups on internet or to a remote server, what I do is that I simply stored on a different location one os those USB drives.
Of course, one of the boxes is the Master, and it pushes to the external USB drives the changes, and the other boxes are the Slaves, getting the changes from the USB drive.
Problem was that, since obviously the function changed, I had to remember which script file was the one I was supposed to execute on each box.
What I finally did was to create an alias on the Desktop of each of the lappies I'm using at the moment, pointing to the correct script for either backing up or restoring to or from the external USB drive.

Backup Evolution Email By Hand

I have been an Evolution user for as long as I can remember...
One thing I've noticed is that the built-in backup tool gets worse and worse as time goes by... On the latest Evolution, the one on Linux Mint 17/ Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, the backup simply backups configuration files, the whole tgz file only has something like 2 MB in size, while I really have some serious shit load of emails and data...

So, it was time to do a and old fashion backup by hand on the thing...
This is the script I'm using...

#!/bin/sh
## --------------------------
## Copies all Evolution files to the Dillinger external USBD HDD
## --------------------------

## -----------------------------------------------------
## Kill all Evolution procs BEFORE executing this script
## -----------------------------------------------------

## https://help.gnome.org/users/evolution/stable/data-storage.html.en

## The user's data files
## ~/.local/share/evolution
## 27 MB

## Various configuration and state files
## ~/.config/evolution
## 4 MB

## Account settings
## ~/.config/evolution/sources
## 100KB

## Disposable data caches
## ~/.cache/evolution
## 4.6 GB

## Configuration settings in GSettings
## ~/.config/dconf
## 1.2 MB

## ~/.gconf/apps/evolution

RSYNC="/usr/bin/rsync"
RSYNC_FLAG_00="-avzr"
RSYNC_FLAG_01="--progress --delete"
LOG="/tmp/_sync.local.evo.log"

## -----------------------------------------------

echo "BEGIN user's data files... "

EVO_USER_DATA_FILES_SRC="/home/USER/.local/share/evolution/"
EVO_USER_DATA_FILES_DEST="/media/USER/Dillinger/Backups/home/USER/.local/share/evolution/"

cd ${EVO_USER_DATA_FILES_SRC}
${RSYNC} ${RSYNC_FLAG_00} ${RSYNC_FLAG_01} * ${EVO_USER_DATA_FILES_DEST} > ${LOG}

## -----------------------------------------------

echo "BEGIN Various configuration and state files... "

EVO_CONFIGURATION_STATE_FILES_SRC="/home/USER/.config/evolution/"
EVO_CONFIGURATION_STATE_FILES_DEST="/media/USER/Dillinger/Backups/home/USER/.config/evolution/"

cd ${EVO_CONFIGURATION_STATE_FILES_SRC}
${RSYNC} ${RSYNC_FLAG_00} ${RSYNC_FLAG_01} * ${EVO_CONFIGURATION_STATE_FILES_DEST} >> ${LOG}

## -----------------------------------------------

echo "BEGIN Account settings... "

EVO_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS_SRC="/home/USER/.config/evolution/sources/"
EVO_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS_DEST="/media/USER/Dillinger/Backups/home/USER/.config/evolution/sources/"

cd ${EVO_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS_SRC}
${RSYNC} ${RSYNC_FLAG_00} ${RSYNC_FLAG_01} * ${EVO_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS_DEST} >> ${LOG}

## -----------------------------------------------

echo "BEGIN Disposable data caches This one is BIG... "

EVO_DISPOSABLE_DATA_CACHE_SRC="/home/USER/.cache/evolution/"
EVO_DISPOSABLE_DATA_CACHE_DEST="/media/USER/Dillinger/Backups/home/USER/.cache/evolution/"

cd ${EVO_DISPOSABLE_DATA_CACHE_SRC}
${RSYNC} ${RSYNC_FLAG_00} ${RSYNC_FLAG_01} * ${EVO_DISPOSABLE_DATA_CACHE_DEST} >> ${LOG}

## -----------------------------------------------

echo "BEGIN Configuration settings in GSettings... "

EVO_CONFIGURATION_SETTINGS_GSETTINGS_SRC="/home/USER/.config/dconf/"
EVO_CONFIGURATION_SETTINGS_GSETTINGS_DEST="/media/USER/Dillinger/Backups/home/USER/.config/dconf/"

cd ${EVO_CONFIGURATION_SETTINGS_GSETTINGS_SRC}
${RSYNC} ${RSYNC_FLAG_00} ${RSYNC_FLAG_01} * ${EVO_CONFIGURATION_SETTINGS_GSETTINGS_DEST} >> ${LOG}

## -----------------------------------------------

# EoF #

Hard Disk Pr0n

Backups galore will follow!
the newest acquisition, a 2TB external drive.
Two fucking Terabytes!
Haven't formatted it to EXT4, yet.

Linux Mint 17 install notes

Some notes and tests from the Linux Mint Qiana Saturday installation on the Thinkpad T430.

• Base install the OS.

• Remove unwanted programs.

• Install updates & kernel (test screensaver & blank screen -to power off the LCD- while dloading and waiting).

• Change installation passwords.

• Change login window theme to the Linux Mint one (and set to NOT remember the previous user).

• Reboot.

• Install "extra" programs.

• Test Skype (no problems, even tho I haven't installed the IA-32 Libx package yet, go figure...).

• Suspend the lappie.

• Test return from Suspend.

• Test all USB ports after the Suspend.

• Install Virtualbox (sudo apt-get install virtualbox-nonfree).

• Restore previos VB image to ~/VirtualBox/ & test it.

• Install IA-32 Libs (and test Skype once again).

• Install Fortigate Client.

• Test Fortigate connecting to VPN.

• Restore backups (the most annoying and time consuming of all..).

T430: Installation log

Some stupid notes and a time log of last night's Linux Mint install on the T430.
One word comes to mind: Blazing fast!



04/03/2013 11:53:12 PM
Boot from USB

04/03/2013 11:58:33 PM 
Setup WiFi & start the Linux Mint installation... The usual stuff, the whole HDD for Linux, only a / partition and swap and, of course, an encrypted $HOME for this travelling laptop.

04/04/2013 12:07:33 AM
The installation is done. Mighty fast...

04/04/2013 12:08:57 AM
First Linux Mint boot on the lappie (!)

04/04/2013 12:13:22 AM
Start removing unwanted programs (Banshee, Thunderbird, Firefox, stuff like that...)

04/04/2013 12:24:15 AM 
Install updates - Need to get 426 MB of files...

04/04/2013 01:01:01 AM
Install dist-upgrade updates. Kernel and a couple of VLC packages.

04/04/2013 01:06:07 AM
Kernel reboot... The first one on the lappie (!)

04/04/2013 01:17:04 AM
Install extra programs - Need to download something like 340 MB of files...

sudo apt-get install openssh-server emacs23-nox openvpn virtualbox wine rar\
unrar gip chromium-browser gimp ia32-libs evolution skype rhythmbox

04/04/2013 01:49:25 AM
Start restore from USB external drive... On this case, only 73 GB of files, mostly music and some crap from work.

04/04/2013 03:01:35 AM
Finish restoring files.

DropBox conflicts

Hate when this crap happens...

Isn't DropBox specifically designed to actually avoid this??? Why the hell there is a conflict to begin with??? The whole idea of DropBox is to avoid these conflicts and make the newest file "win"...

The only solution I can think of when I see that something like this happens, and to play it safe, is to actually erase the whole thing on the DropBox server and start from scratch from the source once again.

Restore to infinity

Either I have way too much stuff, or the Sony Vaio it about to have its final round...

Re-installed Lucid on the antique Sony Vaio yesterday (had to, but that's another story), and today spent, literally, the whole day copying back files onto the little lappie...

Took me about 9 hours to get those files from the USB drive to the box... And we are talking about 250 GB of files...

UbuntuNotOne (2)

I've said bye bye to UbuntuOne about a month and a half ago, but it still buggered my boxes once in a while trying to sync to the server (even tho I've have long ago unliked my boxes).
So that was enough... Slowly removing all the UbuntuOne programs from my Lucid Lynx installations.