Problems with MySQL after an unattended-upgrades

Wake up this Labor Day to a couple of emails from the Monit on remote a server, reporting a problem with the MySQL process.
Checking the emails from that server, this is what the unattended-upgrades email reported:

Checking if update is needed.
Checking server version.
Error: Server version (5.7.25-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) does not match with the version of
the server (5.7.26) with which this program was built/distributed. You can
use --skip-version-check to skip this check.
mysql_upgrade failed with exit status 3
dpkg: error processing package mysql-server-5.7 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script\
 returned error exit status 1

Got onto the server, and this is what the MySQL error log (/var/log/mysql/error.log) reported:

2019-05-01T06:25:42.111425Z 0 [ERROR] InnoDB: Unable to lock ./ibdata1 error: 11
2019-05-01T06:25:42.111470Z 0 [Note] InnoDB: Check that you do not already have another mysqld\
 process using the same InnoDB data or log files.

So, this usually means that there are more than one MySQL server running.
First thing first, stop MySQL, and then, kill any other MySQL process by hand.
Then, run apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade, this finished the MySQL update A Ok.
Then started the MySQL server, and everything was kosher.

Frankuntu Ye Olde Sony Vaio PCG FRV37

A bit of a Frankenstein experiment with the really ancient Sony Vaio... Sort of a continuation of my stupid and time wasting experiments with slimmed down Linux installations on old boxes, just because it can be done.

Installed Ubuntu Server 16.04 from a Mini CD install, and then added a minimal GUI.
The base installation took about an hour choosing: Standard System utilities, OpenSSH server and Basic Ubuntu Server.

As usual, the installer detected the PCIA WiFi card, but after the was over it left me with a system without Wifi and using 1.3 GB of HDD (from a 60 HDD one).

Setting up the WiFi card manually took a minute, and on onto the GUI install we go!
Issued a:

sudo apt-get install xorg

That downloads 44.6 MB of files, and then expands those onto 256 MB.

Executing a startx (and not X you old fart!!!) starts X Window with no window (the thing actually looks like a full screen xterm), the mouse pad works, but I can't type dink on that huge xterm.

Switched to a virtual console, and killed X. or, you know, startx :p

Installed a window manager, and the program to configure it:

sudo apt-get install openbox obconf

That downloads 21 MB of files, and then expands those onto 104 MB.

Installed a little panel and a small Calendar program:

sudo apt-get install tint2 gsimplecal

It downloads 2 MB of files, and then expands those onto 8 MB.

sudo apt-get install thunar thunar-volman thunar-archive-plugin thunar-media-tags-plugin gvfs gvfs-backends

The thing downloads 22 MB of files, and then expands those onto 103 MB.

Logged out of X Window, restarted it, but still no Tint2 Panel nor a way to access Thunar yet.

So copied the file "/etc/xdg/openbox/autostart:  to "~/.config/openbox/autostart".

And then added to the bottom of the file:

tint2 &

thunar &

And then startx once again!

Out of the box, the whole thing looks as if a demon from hell has vomited scorpions on my eyes...

LXDE Woes

I've been using a bit of tiny Lubuntu install on the small Dell XPS M1330 for the last week or so.
Things have been pretty much Ok with it, but there are a couple of things, small annoyances really, but annoyances nevertheless...

1- Emacs keybindings:
You can't setup global Emacs keybindings on LXDE.
You can, however, add this:

gtk-key-theme-name=Emacs

To the "~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini" file.

2- Circle thru Desktop Pager on LXPanel:
I can't for the life of me, find a way to circle thru virtual desktops on the Desktop Pager, that is, when I reach the end of the desktops, I can't go back to the first one without going thru the previous ones.

No big deals, maybe... Maybe, yeah, but to me the lack of Emacs keybindings it is a major PITA, actually.

VLC: vdpau_display errors

So, like I've already posted, installed a customized mini Lubuntu from an Ubuntu Mini CD the other on the Dell XPS M1330, after cleaning and de-gunking the hell out of its guts.

Pretty much everything went A Ok with the install, but I've had problems playing videos with VLC.

It refused to play any video (audio was OK) all videos went to a black screen, and generated this continuously onto the log:

vdpau_display error: output surface creation failure: A catch-all error, used when no other error code applies.

The solution?
Set VLC to use OpenGL video output.

Openboxing The Trusty Dell M1330 (II)

Made an upgrade to the "Openboxing The Trusty Dell M1330" project.
Installed Lubuntu's key components on the little lappie.

sudo apt-get install lubuntu-core

After that apt-get, downloaded 221 MB and once extracted, used 805 MB of HDD.
With the whole thing on (Chromium, VLC, etc, etc) I'm using about 5 GB of the disk.
After that, pretty muchs everything works on the lappie, and, BTW, it performs amazingly, but really amazingly well for the hardware it has, (I mean c'mon, it only has 2 GB of freakin' RAM!!!!!).
I had to fight a bit with VLC to get it to play videos, un-mute by hand the sound card, and edit the "/etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf" to get the WiFi card to work using the GUI, but things are golden so far...
Also, in order to customize themes easily, had to install this too:

sudo apt-get install lxappearance

Openboxing The Trusty Dell M1330

A little fun with the old and trusty Dell M1330, yes it returned home after Mother got her Chromebook.
Slapped and old SATA drive and installed an Ubuntu MIni, after that:

Filesystem                  Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/vacui--vg-root  291G  1.1G  276G   1% /

Just a little bit over 1 GB of HDD was used.
Added X Window, Openbox, Emacs, Elinks, OpenVPN, Tint2, PCmanfm, after all that, HDD usage jumped to:

Filesystem                  Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on

/dev/mapper/vacui--vg-root  291G  1.7G  275G   1% /

Now comes the fun part... Configuring Openbox, hell, the whole system to my likings...

Kernel Crud Delete Mode For the T140

This time for the GF's lappie, the faithful T410.
Reclaimed 7 freaking amazing GB of HDD space after this.

Say Hello To 2003

So today I got to play a bit with the old (really old) Sony Vaio PCG FRV37...
Wanted to test a bit the whole "Ubuntu Minimal install thing" (once again and just for old time sakes...) and make me a nice, slow, over burned and noisy Openbox lappie.
Well, yeah, no problem at all during the install, pretty much stock setup for nowadays (Encrypted LVM & encrypted $HOME) all things honky dory.
That is until the installation finished and the WiFi driver nightmare started...

Back to 2004 or so stuff...
The dreaded ath5k refused to give an stable connection, not even a ping to my GW, not to mention 8.8.8.8... Drop packets all around, 70% to simply begin with...
And no matter what options I gave to the /etc/modprobe.d/ath5k.conf file and how many times I'd modprobed -r the module back and forth...
The same laptop with Linux Mint 17 works A Ok, will keep shitting with this, just because, since the hardware is way, way more than prehistoric...
Funny thing, once you enable the WiFi Card during the install, it works flawlessly...

Installing Themes on Emacs (nox)

Piece of cake, at least, on my experience...

Emacs 23:
(Tested on "GNU Emacs 23.4.1" (nox) - Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS and on "GNU Emacs 23.3.1" - Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS)
Get the theme file and copy/ upload it to the box, and then add this to your ~/.emacs file:

(load-file "~/emacs/lisp/zenburn-theme.el")

Pointing -obviously- to the theme file.
Start Emacs, enjoy.

Emacs 24:
(Tested on "GNU Emacs 24.5.1" (nox) - Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS)
Get the theme file and copy/ upload it to the box, and then add this to your ~/.emacs file:


(setq load-path (cons  "~/emacs/lisp/" load-path))
(require 'labburn-theme)

I've placed the *-theme.el file on the directory listed above.

Stop ~/.bashrc From Telling Your Username

By default, Bash will print your username on every Terminal you open (as well as the hostname)... I hate that, I find no reason to do so, really, it uses screen real estate, and, besides whoami is just a type away.
In order to stop that, edit the file ~./.bashrc as in the picture above, basically, remove all of the "u@" from that file.

The Unity Desktop

Another desktop screenshot...
This time on the T60p, showing the hyper trendy Papirus Icons.
The Linux Desktop look sexier and sexier...

Evolution on Xenial: TLS belches continuously

The reported error was "Error running STATUS: TLS connection closed unexpectedly".

I'm getting this error all the time on Evolution (on Xenial)...
Its driving me nuts.
Happens on all my Xenial boxes so far, and on any network I happen to be connected, so its not a problem related to a specific box or place...
Another one of those hints... I'm sure no one uses Evolution anymore...

The Unity Desktop

The current Desktop on the X140e, or I should say, the Moka icons beauty (specifically, the Faba Mono)!
Changed the GTK theme aswell, this is the "Ambiance-Minimal" which works amazingly well on Xenial.

The Unity Desktop

The hunt for the perfect Ubuntu/ Unity theme (on Xenial) continues...
This time Arc Black Ubuntu, a dark, yes, but not as dark as the theme I was testing a week ago or so: OSX Arc Shadow.
The icons are still the Moka magnificence.
Like I said, this new theme is not as dark as the previous, it seems it has just the right amount of darkness... The later had a couple of problems dealing with web forms, you know, black text on black background, which made things rather annoying to deal with.

Xenial Wallpapers

Guess I could say that any of those, I mean the stock ones, are my cup of tea...
On Trusty at least, there was one wallpaper (see screenshot) that IMHO was rather good, and I've used it a lot.
Now on Xenial I don't get to stay on any of the stock wallpapers, all of them are sort of boring.

The Unity Desktop

My trusty T60p, Stilgar, now with a new Xenial Xerus install on its SSD.
Running a long time icon companion here... The Moka icons, but this time with the OSX-Arc-Shadow theme.
I would say the thing looks rather nice.

Get Rid of (Notifications of) Updates, updates, updates & more updates...

So, it looks like I finally found the source of those annoying update Notifications I posted a couple of weeks ago...
Simply click on the Install button for the "OS Updates" entry (the other two will go away automagically later on) be done with.

Stilgar Got a Solid Drive

 Time to upgrade!
Yesterday got an SSD drive (the cheapest one I could find around here) for my old, trusty, clunky and beloved Thinkpad T60p.
Installed Ubuntu, Xenial Xerus, 32 bits of course.
Yeah, I know... I wanted to hold a minute or two until Xenial, but, what a hell, time for new things I guess!

Not So Global Menu for VLC on Xenial

There is a glitch with the Global Menu and VLC on Xenial.
When you stop a movie (it only happens on video files), all the menu options are reproduced on the VLC window as well.

Last.FM: It Works on Xenial's Rhythmbox

Another good hit!
Just after I found out -a couple of days ago- that Rhythmbox works with Last.FM on Trusty, now I see that it also works out of the box on Xenial.
Rhythmbox version on Xenial is 3.3, while on Trusty is 3.2.