Upgrade to LM11 desktop from W7 laptop =keep

My Win 7 laptop was zippy a couple years ago with 8 Gig Ram, fast single core processor. Win 7 updates and a couple years of use have taken its toll on current speed so that now I struggle sometimes listen to streaming music while entering receipts into a database. Don't get me started about my frustrations about trying to watch Netflix or Hulu and do ANYTHING else. Used to work fine even on dual monitors. On the plus side, I am more productive while doing the anything else, but then again sometimes it is nice to mostly relax while doing a little mundane business accounting in the evening.

So I decided to drop my laptop and move to a faster desktop running Linux Mint 11 (Gnome, 64bit). I already use Linux Mint LXDE on several older laptops at home which were bogging down with Win XP, but now are quite zippy, thanks to LXDE's responsive GUI. I also have a couple desktops for the kids to play on which dual boot XP and Linux Mint 9 (Gnome, 64bit) which I have been very happy with, especially the Linux Mint 9 portion of that.

OK, so down to it.

Install:

Standard DVD install. Started off trying to use bios (software) raid after determining Linux Mint does not have Linux RAID options in the setup menu as is available during the Ubuntu Server install process. Maybe I could setup Linux software raid using PartitionMagic or SystemRescueCD, but unsure. I got bogged down in implementation of the bios software raid, specifically in setting up the boot manager, so after thinking about it decided to install to a single hard drive, which will be more energy efficient anyway, then setup regularly scheduled backups using a rsync type product.

Syncing and Bacup:

First needed to get my files from my Win 7 laptop.

Failed Attempt - But only because not mounted locally, so LuckyBackup cannot reach them
start by trying to mount by GVFS

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=42713

GVFS moutn

install needed programs and add self to fuse group, then log off and on

sudo apt-get install gvfs-bin sudo gpasswd -a [user] fuse

open the samba share in Nautilus via File/Connect to Server... then select Windows share and put in computer info, then unmount and mount from terminal

MOUNT FROM TERMINAL

gvfs-mount smb://[ip address]/share_name

Create script with the above command 

#! /bin/sh
gvfs-mount smb://[ip address]/share_name

You need to logoff and login again for the group to actually change.

this allowed me to mount samba shares, but not to local directory, so lucky backup which does not directly support samba was not able to use these mounts.

Final  Working Solution for Mounting Samba Shares:
referenced:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/luckybackup/forums/forum/873563/topic/3891886

temporary local mount created with:

sudo mount -t cifs

sudo mount -t cifs //172.30.30.104/homeshare /home/chenier/LanShare/homeshare_104

sudo mount -t cifs //172.30.30.50/data /home/chenier/LanShare/data_50

then

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MountWindowsSharesPermanently

created credentials file entries

edited /etc/fstab [sudo gedit etc/fstab] by adding the following lines:

did not work

#samba mount for Win7 laptop using hidden username and password

//172.30.30.50/data /home/chenier/LanShare/data_50 cifs credentials=/home/chenier/.smbcredentials,dmask=777,fmask=777 0 0

this works

#samba mount for Win7 laptop using hidden username and password

//172.30.30.50/data /home/chenier/LanShare/data_50 cifs username=chenier,password=[password],iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777 0 0

Change Samba Shares for new FreeNAS storage device -- alternately could have used SSH for share
Able to see Samba shares on the FreeNAS storage device via Nautilis, so do the following to mount to permanent location for backup software access

• mkdir /home/chenier/LanShare/data_20
• creates the directory used for sharing
• sudo gedit /etc/fstab
• comment out the Windows 7 share, no longer needed
• add the following 2 lines:
• #samba mount for FreeNAS storage
• //172.30.30.20/mnt/store /home/chenier/LanShare/data_20 cifs username=[user], password=[pass], iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777 0 0
• alternates of the above that worked when guests allowed on Samba share are:
• //172.30.30.20/mnt/store /home/chenier/LanShare/data_20 cifs 0 0
• //172.30.30.20/mnt/store /home/chenier/LanShare/data_20 cifs guest,uid=1000,iocharset=uif8,codepage=unicode,unicode 0 0
• using this last option for now as I am not getting the results I want for file permissions otherwise.
• save file and exit gedit
• sudo mount -a
• remounts everything

Changed network layout so edit one more time:

• gksudo gedit/etc/fstab
• change IP address of FreeNAS storage device to the new one
• saved file
• sudo mount -a   = to remount everything
• success

Sharing Directories as NFS
I will use this to access some files on my computer with my KVM servers.  Resource for this: http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Sharing_Ubuntu_11.04_Folders_with_Remote_Linux_and_UNIX_Systems

• on Desktop
• sudo apt-get istall nfs-kernel-server   =installs nfs server package, which is not installed by default on Linux Mint... go figure
• Service nfs-kernel-server status   = showed "nfsd running" message ... if not see above document to fix
• define shares from the /etc/exports file
• gksudo gedit /etc/exports
• add share lines as per documentation included in comments in file or via above reference
• sudo exportfs -a    
• sudo exportfs
• returns exported files information (to verify)
• Firewall configuration changes if needed (not needed in default setup of Linux Mint)
• on Server
• log into server
• sudo apt-get install nfs-common   =installs nfs-common which was not installed on my default server setup

Playing Amazon Prime Videos

• Did not work right away. 
• Need to use Firefox browser for latest flash support
• plus install hal and libhal1 packages:  http://saravananthirumuruganathan.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/fixing-updating-player-issue-in-amazon-instant-video-on-linux/

Install OpenProj
Ubuntu/Linux Mint does not yet have link to openproject install via Software manager so use:
wget http://nchc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/openproj/openproj_1.4-2.deb
sudo dpkg -i openproj_1.4-2.deb

Install ClamTK
This is the front end for ClamAV, installed so I can scan files on removable media for viruses as I have several Windows computers at home.

Other Programs Installed:

• BibleTime - very nice bible, etc reading program
• Calibre - ebook management software to sync with and manage ebooks for my Sony reader.... I actually have not tested this yet for syncing, but I can add my titles just fine.  I intend to test next time I want to sync.  Looks like a very nice application with cool features like converting books and sharing with multiple devises.
• ClamTK - Antivirus front end
• Dia - Diagram editor -- although, the Google docs program, LucidChart is even better!
• DigiKam - I use this program for batch renaming my photos to something based on the day it was taken.
• Filelight - (not necessary) nice light weight disk usage analysis tool, but Disk Usage Analyzer (Baobab 2.32.0) works just as well or better even, so did not need this extra program... though will keep using it on lighter weight installations.
• FileZilla - Very nice tool for moving files from local to remote locations using SSH and other connection schemes.
• FreeMind -  mind mapping tool
• Furious ISO mount - for mounting virtual disks
• Guake Terminal - terminal access using f12 and more -- very nice!  Set it to launch when I log in.
• Hamster-applet (or Time Tracker) - Keeps track of time spent on various tasks while on computer
• KeePass X - nifty password storage program
• LibreOffice 3.5.3.2 - latest version right now.... installed by adding additional repository - see Ubuntu help sources for how to do this -- do not try adding .deb packages from LibreOffice web site as it is too time consuming and confusing
• LuckyBackup - very nice rsync based backup utility
• MySQL stuff:  see my blog on MySQL setup :)
• OpenProj - see above
• PuTTy - for those times I want an SSH session outside of terminal (I prefer this for just a couple things)
• Remmina - Remote desktop application with support for VNC, RDP, SSH and more
• SweetHome 3D - not a great program, but good for a free layout/design program
• Vinagre - another remote desktop application, mainly for VNC.... works very nice in Gnome.
• Xournal - cool program for mixing hand writing and text together... too bad there isn't a cloud version yet or it doesn't work with google docs.
• Xiphos Bible Guide - another bible study tool

Stuff I tried and didn't like
Either these apps were not for me or did not work well on my version of mint

• aclock - graphics poor, menu system broken in this Gnome, so hard to close, gets in the way.
• Krusader - twin panel file management a little too old school for my tastes, plus added a lot of KDE desktop stuff I didn't need otherwise.  I also generally use Filezilla for moving stuff from local to remote locations.
• Tomboy Notes - very nice program.... just not how I organize my thoughts.

Various References:

• Configuring KVM Bridged networking in Ubuntu, both Static and Dynamic dhcp IP address examples: Some of the stuff may be no longer needed, but the interfaces setup examples are good http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Creating_an_Ubuntu_10.x_KVM_Networked_Bridge_Interface
• 7 Useful references for Linux Beginners:  http://ostatic.com/blog/seven-useful-resources-for-linux-beginners
• Ubuntu Pocket Reference Guide: http://ostatic.com/blog/seven-useful-resources-for-linux-beginners

MineOS Notes

Minecraft server via MineOS.--- notes

Main Page - http://minecraft.codeemo.com

• Filesystem, etc http://minecraft.codeemo.com/architecture.html
• in terminal [./30_paths.sh] to show paths for server
• Tutorials http://minecraft.codeemo.com/tutorials.html
• Server Commands (can use some in web interface, others from console or in play) http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/SMP_Server_commands
• - to use from console, first need to enter screen with [screen -r]

Community Page -- http://minecraft.codeemo.com/community/

• Feature Requests
• Bugs and Support
• Other Garbage

Bug tracker -- http://codeemo.com/mantis/view_all_bug_page.php

• has helpful hints and user error resolutions as well

Bukkit -- http://bukkit.org/

current problems & fix: http://minecraft.codeemo.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=195

Minecraft Forum - server (general)

http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewforum.php?f=10&sid=aaf4c65dbf915dfaf925d187b8fde5d4

View Screens - for troubleshooting, etc

• from terminal window
• [cd]
• [./findscreens.sh]
• then select screen corresponding to server and press enter
• (not sure how to exit screen without killing server)

Firewall:

• http://minecraft.codeemo.com/config_firewall.html
• need to add a firewall rule if run a world on port other than 25565
• VI help http://www.cs.colostate.edu/helpdocs/vi.html

Saving files - permanence of temporary files

• Files listed in /opt/.filetool.lst must have the following command run to persist past reboot
• [sudo filetool.sh -b] this permanently saves file - past reboot
• firewall setting, uservars, etc. This is because these OS and files run from memory. Exception are files running from hard drive like /mnt/sda1/...
• to change list [sudo nano /opt/.filetool.lst]

memory

To change how much RAM a world will use requires editing of the /usr/games/minecraft/uservars file.

Adjust the DEFAULT_MEM=1024
to match the desired amount of memory in MB.

Save changes with 'sudo filetool.sh -b'
Stop and restart any running worlds.

Automatic Backup

• [sudo crontab -u tc -e] enters crontab as user tc in edit mode
• [i] to enter insert mode
• [0 4 * * * cd /usr/games/minecraft: python /usr/games/minecraft/admin_console.py backup three] performs the listed commands according to the schedule
• 0 minute, of every 4th hour, every(*) day, every month, every day of week
• [esc] escape key to enter command
• [:wq] then enter for write and quit
• [crontab -l] list crontabs
• [sudo filetool.sh -b] this commits the file to permanent storage

Backup - revisited

• Cronjobs were not running so needed to change directory for cron start command
• [sudo nano /opt/bootlocal.sh]
• change cron start line to the following
• "/etc/init.d/services/crond start"
• save and exit
• [sudo filetool.sh -b] ommand to commit changes to permanent
• reboot [sudo /home/tc/90_reboot_sudo.sh]

Date - change to correct

• [date] showed incorrect time zone so to change to proper
• [sudo nano /mnt/hda1/boot/grub/menu.lst]
• add the following to the kernel line
• "tz=EST4EDT,M3.2.0,M11.1.0"
• save and exit
• reboot [sudo /home/tc/90_reboot_sudo.sh]

CloneZilla on Ubuntu 10.10

Install Ubuntu Base

Install Ubuntu Server AMD64 as a virtual machine in VMware ESXi. Take default options and when get to the software selection screen only choose 'OpenSSH Server'

References following are some of the sites I pulled ideas and info from. None of these sites had all the information I needed in one step by step formula plus I setup in virtual environment with 2 network cards.

http://www.apollon-domain.co.uk/?p=174

http://drbl.sourceforge.net/one4all/

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Clonezilla_Server_Edition

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-install-and-configure-dhcp-server-in-ubuntu-server.html

http://packratstudios.com/index.php/2008/04/20/how-to-setup-clonezilla-on-linux-ubuntu-quick-start-guide/

Network Configuration

When completed type [sudo ifconfig] and discover IP address. The default of getting IP address from DHCP server is acceptable. Write down MAC address and IP address of eth0. I wanted to assign a specif IP address from my router, so I made the entry there then ran the following commands to renew IP address

• [sudo dhclient -r]
• [sudo dhclient]
• or I could have used [sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

In VMware I had provisioned 2 Ethernet cards. Eth0 is setup to access my main office network using the default setup. Eth1 is setup to manage the DRBL environment as DHCP server. First, I add the following lines to the network setup configuration file.

• [sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces] then add the following:
• #eth1 used for DRBL / Clonezilla environment
• auto eth1
• iface eth1 inet static
• address 172.30.40.1
• network 172.30.40.0
• netmask 255.255.255.0
• broadcast 172.30.40.255
• ctrl-O to save, ctrl-X to exit
• [sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart] to restart networking
• [sudo ifconfig eth1] to verify changes

DHCP Server

Now to setup the DHCP server on eth1

• [sudo apt-get install dhcp3-server] installs DHCP server
• [sudo nano /etc/default/dhcp3-server] edits the server config file
• change interface line to read 'INTERFACES="eth1"'
• save and exit

Now configure DHCP server to dole out addresses from an address pool for any computer connecting to it.

• [sudo cp /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf.bak] creates backup of configuration files just in case
• [sudo nano /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf] opens configuration file for editing
• uncomment the 'authoritative;' ine
• add the following lines
• option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
• option broadcast-address 172.30.40.255;
• option routers 172.30.40.1;
• subnet 172.30.40.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
• range 172.30.40.10 172.30.40.100;
• }
• save and exit

Well, now that I am reading ahead, I find out that Clonezilla automatically installs DHCP server.... oh well.. the above may not have been needed, let's see what happens.

Install DRBL

• [sudo -i] allows me to stay as super user without retyping sudo each time
• [nano /etc/apt/sources.list] edit the sources to add the clonezilla repository to it via addition of the following two lines to the file
• # needed for clonezilla
• deb http://drbl.sourceforge.net/drbl-core drbl stable
• then save (ctrl-o) and exit (ctrl-x)
• [wget http://drbl.sourceforge.net/GPG-KEY-DRBL] downloads the GPG key for the clonezilla source
• [apt-key add GPG-KEY-DRBL] adds the key
• [apt-get update] updates the available packages list
• [apt-get install drbl] installs DRBL
• [apt-get upgrade] updates all packages

Setup drbl

[/opt/drbl/sbin/drblsrv -i] starts the setup process, then answer the following questions

• [n] network installation boot images? [n] since I intend to only suck up and spit out pre-configured machines
• [n] serial console output on client computers?
• [n] upgrade the OS? [n] since I just did that
• 
  

Configure Clonezilla

[/opt/drbl/sbin/drblpush -i] starts the clonezilla configuration, then answer the folowing questions

• defaults used for the first several questions
• Clonezilla determined (or guessed) correctly that my Internet connection was through eth0
• for the eth1 DRBL environment, I received a warning that my IP address was a class A or B private network. It wanted me to use the class C private network of 192.168.*.* and warned me that performance of multicasting clone "will be terribly worse!" with current configuration. ... interesting.... I'll leave it alone for now and see what happens or read up a bit more.
• Collect MAC addresses of clients? No
• Offer same IP address? No since this is related to last question
• Initial number in the last digit set? 11
• number of clients? 20
• accept setup? y
• Diskless Linux service? 2, since we are only using DRBL for cloning, not for providing diskless linux services to client computers
• Clonezilla mode? 1 [box mode] since it uses less server resources and is adequate for cloning
• default directory to store your images? /clonezilla --since this is easier to remember than /home/partimag
• pxelinux password? no
• boot prompt for clients? no
• graphic background for PXE menu when boot? yes
• DRBL server as NAT server? no, since clients do not need to access the Internet through the DRBL server... just using for cloning and not for live usage
• ready to deploy? yes
• I now get a message that "The config file is saved as /etc/drbl/drblpush.conf. Therefore if you want to run drblpush with the same config again, you may run it as: /opt/drbl/sbin/drblpush -c /etc/drbl/drblpush.conf"

Starting Clonezilla

[sudo /opt/drbl/sbin/dcs] this starts clonezilla

• 1st screen: select All
• 2nd screen (switch the mode): select clonezilla-start
• 3rd screen (mode): select Beginner mode as I am doing normal system cloning
• 4th screen(clonezilla mode): select select-in-client which allows choosing of save or restore from client.
• 5th screen: leave default
• 6th screen: choose poweroff - shut down client when the clone finishes

Results

• Working... able to PXE boot on computers connected to second NIC
• Problems... cannot PXE boot computers which don't support x64
• Resolution... reinstall 32 bit server to be backward compatible with the older computers I need to image

FOG Server

• Decided to try FOG server as well, so install on Ubuntu server image 32 bit
• Generally following these two guides but without the GUI:
• http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/373
• http://www.fogproject.org/wiki/index.php?title=Ubuntu_10.04
• I had a bit of a challenge setting up a seperate lan on eth1 as I did for Clonezilla, so abandoning for now.
• I think I will even consider setting up FOG on the same network. There are a couple ways of having FOG coexist with your current DHCP server and network. The preferred method is to have your existing DHCP server forward PXE requests to the FOG server. An alternate method is to setup FOG as a DHCP proxy server which pickups on PXE requests.
• I'll leave this for another project for now, but go back to the more familiar clonezilla with easy dual NIC setup. FOG does look otherwise polished and promising so definitely worth a revisit.

Clonezilla on 32 bit Ubuntu server

• Again based on Ubuntu 10.10, but 32 bit version.
• Follow similar steps for Installation as listed above
• while setting up the DRBL server was also asked which archetecture to install, I chose i486 (instead of i386 or same as DRBL server options)
• Add second ethernet settings
• [sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces] then add the following:
• • #eth1 used for DRBL / Clonezilla environment
  • auto eth1
  • iface eth1 inet static
  • address 172.30.45.1
  • network 172.30.45.0
  • netmask 255.255.255.0
  • broadcast 172.30.45.255
  • ctrl-O to save, ctrl-X to exit
  • [sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart] to restart networking
  • [sudo ifconfig eth1] to verify changes

Needed to perform steps under network configuration (above)

But did not need to perform steps listed in DHCP server configuration (above), this was setup automatically during the DRBL and Clonezilla server setup

SUCCESS

Offline Encyclopedia Content - Spanish

For the last couple years I've been looking for a good source of encyclopedia content in Spanish for Linux with pictures included. In the past I've used downloaded wikipedia dumps, but these did not include photos and did not include smart searching functionality.

I then stumbled across CDPedia in Spanish. I downloaded CDPedia project and found it worked well on Win XP machines, but did not work on the Ubuntu or Linux Mint machines I had. Additionally, it took days to download the CD version and weeks for the DVD version as there were limited torrent seeders with limited bandwidth.

Most recently a couple new programs with a lot of promise have shown up: Kiwix and Okawix. Both of these are opensource with free content. Both are relative newcomers.

Kiwix

Kiwix uses the open source ZIM format. It can be installed in Ubuntu derivative OS's natively from a personal package archive as follows.

• sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kiwixteam/ppa
• sudo apt-get update
• sudo apt-get install kiwix
• download ZIM file from http://www.kiwix.org/index.php/Main_Page
• Open ZIM file after moving to desired location.
• Before performing first search the system will ask you to index the file which will take a while.

Kiwix shows a lot of promise and seems to be quite stable and simple to use. Tested version is 0.9 alpha. After opening the Spanish wikipedia for the first time, it reopened the same file then next time it was launched. I am excited to see how this will progress. The one drawback is that there seems to be limited zim files created for Spanish content. There is the Spanish Wikipedia, but none of the other wiki content that I have yet found, but I imagine that is just a matter of time. This is definitely a strong contender for inclusion on my remastered DVD.

Okawix

Okawix is similar to Kiwix. I tested version 0.7. You need to download then run its executable. If you want to access this program from the menu you need to manually make make the entries which makes setup more labor intensive and not for the novice. However, adding content is easier than Kiwix since it is literally point and click first language then type of content desired. This is a huge feature and there is much broader Spanish language content available. Also you actively choose whether to include photos or not and the files include indexes so the indexing step of installation is not required. Once a okawix wiki is included (by downloading or linking ot local source) it is included in the list of available corpus and switching between the installed wikis is simply point and click. In my last test, Okawix froze up a couple times over several days for unexplained reasons.

Leanings

I'm excited to watch both of these. For Kiwix I like that is installs easily with a menu entry, seems quite stable, and has slightly simpler controls when only a single corpus is desired. For Okawix I like the broader content available. Since Wikipedia is the principal content desired, for now, I will be moving forward with Kiwix and watching Okawix waiting for a little further development.

Games not chosen for Spanish Distro

Here is my list of games that had good reviews or seemed promising but I decided not to include in my distribution for Spanish kids. I am including names and reasons so I don't have to revisit my work here again.

Games

• einstein - logic game quite challenging, but perhaps too much so
• flight of the amazon queen - very dos like cheesy game
• freecol - like colonization but was more complicated than other similar turn based strategy games included
• freedink - all English and not very entertaining
• micropolis - city sim but complex and no Spanish language
• singularity - too complex
• widelands - not the best rts available... currently not polished enough
• teeworlds - not sure how to setup LAN server otherwise fast, cartoon like multi-player shooter
• yofrankie - very processor intensive
• 
  

Programs

• 
  

Linux Mint 10 setup for Spanish Educational Use

This is an old post:  See this post for my latest build notes see the following...
http://techtips-tom.blogspot.com/2012/06/xfce-desktop-for-spanish-education.html

I decided on Linux Mint 10 Gnome 64 bit for the base distribution to use in formatting better caliber used computers for donation to orphanages in Honduras and elsewhere. I chose computers with over 2 GHz processor, 1 Gig RAM, 128 Mb Video RAM and 40Gb Hard drive as the target of this compilation. For anything under these specs, I will install my LXDE compilation.

Installation:

Install using the 64 bit LM10 Gnome Install CD. Set the user to Maestra

Upgrade to the DVD edition by clicking on the link after setup is complete. Not all packages downloaded the first time and the upgrade failed, so needed to do this a second time after rebooting. Installed all updates.

Users:

Maestra is installed as the principal user with Admin privileges.

Listo will be used as the non privileged child user.

General Changes:

ScreenSaver = change screensaver options so it doesn't lock screen on screensaver

Auto Login = modify system so login happens automatically. From Administration - Login Screen choose to login automatically as the desired user. For setup the Admin user was used. This is changed to the child user after setup is complete.

Number of Desktops = change the number of destops as multiple desktops easily confuse novice linux users

• Open Administration - Simple CompizConfig Settings
• Set both Desktop columns and rows to 1

Tricky Programs Installed:

Childsplay: A current problem with Childsplay is loading it to run other language sounds. First step to download the Spanish Language sounds for Childsplay. Open Synaptic manager and select/install the the package "childsplay-alphabet-sounds-es". You need to modify the menu to run the command "LANGUAGE=es childsplay" (caps lock are important) or "childsplay --language=es" to run it with Spanish as the spoken language. Gnome menu items where command options must be run are a bit tricky to create and requires configuration file manipulation since the GUI does not enable this modification.

1. [sudo mkdir /usr/local/share/applications] creates this directory. This is needed to make shared non-standard menu items. The normal location for menu items is /user/share/applications (without the local). Changing the menu item in the default location does not work well.
2. [sudo cp /usr/share/applications/childsplay.desktop /usr/local/share/applications/childsplayes.desktop] This copies the menu item file to the local/share directory structure. "something.desktop" files are the configuration files used to launch menu items. The file was copied and renamed to keep the configuration files distinguished.
3. [sudo nano /usr/local/share/applications/childsplayes.desktop] This opens the new menu item. The following changes are made:
• Change the name and GenericName to ChildsplayES. This allows quick identification of the correct menu item.
• Change the Exec line to be one of the above examples. I used "Exec=childsplay --language=es".
• ctrl-O to write out (save) then ctrl-x to exit.
4. Logout and log back on for the menu changes to take effect.
5. Enter the Preferences/Main Menu program and deselect showing the original childsplay.

Dosbox: For playing old dos games and programs. For now, not installing any old DOS games, but am including this program for possible future inclusion of old DOS programs on older computers.

iTalc: classroom computer management software

For now I just installed iTalc client. To use it correctly I would need to setup public and private keys. I will do this for the next remaster. (can be done to each computer after installing as well, just takes more time :)

see my instructions in another blog for iTalc install including public and private key distribution.

Kiwix: I debated whether to include Kiwix or Okawix in this remaster, but decided on Kiwix based mostly on current stability. Both options show promise, but for now Kiwix is a great option for offline Spanish Wikipedia. See my other blog comparing the two.

http://www.kiwix.org/index.php/Main_Page

To Install:

• [sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kiwixteam/ppa]
• [sudo apt-get update]
• [sudo apt-get install kiwix]

Because of the size of the zim file, I am not including it in the remastered image, but will add it to the cloned image.

• login as itadmin
• download the Spanish Wikipedia zim from the kiwix web page.
• move to the /share/wiki directory
• set owner as follows [sudo chown -R itadmin.users /share/wiki/]
• give read permission at the group level
• log in as each user, open the Wikipedia zim file and choose to index it, which must be done for each user and takes some time. This way it will be ready to use on each computer.
• (from home I am transferring this file from one computer to another using the following command): sudo scp chenier@172.30.30.91:/home/chenier/share/wikipedia_es_all_09_2010_beta1.zim /share/wiki/
• then change permissions as above

Play on Linux: Installed this package to make it easier in case there are Windows programs that are seen as a must have without a good Linux counterpart. They can then be installed afterwards as needed.

Khelpcenter: Install this package so the KDE applications installed have access to their help files. Otherwise Klavaro, et all produce an error when clicking on help.

BibleTime: Need to download books and references after installing.

The first step is to create a shared directory for common media shared between users. See above to complete this.

• create shared directory as described above
• open BibleTime then open its book administrator
• click on the tool to edit installation directories and add /share/bible directories to the install directories
• Login as all users to add this directory to the installed directories
• Selected a few bibles from the CrossWire list and installed them to the /share/biblia directory. I did this as itadmin so I did not need to change user ownership rights and with the sticky bits only the itadmin would be able to delete these files.
• This was giving some trouble, so also logged in as maestra and listo and downloaded bibles and commentaries for each user separately into the default directory of each user.
• Included the GLOSSARY Ergane "Spanish to English Glossary" This give a quick translation from Spanish to English.

PROGRAMS

Accessorios

• installado mas
• furious ISO mount
• Filelight

Educational Programs Installed

• Atomix - game for constructing molecules
• BibleTime - see install notes above
• Childsplay - see install notes above
• El Pequeno Mago (little wizard) - introduction to programming using actions to move a clown... Great program with decent Spanish translation
• JFraction Lab -
• KAlgebra -
• KBruch - practice exercises with fractions
• KTurtle - introduction to programming using scripts to move a turtle
• Kalzium - periodic table of elements
• Kiwix - see install notes above
• Klavaro - typing tutorial with good Spanish support
• KmPlot - graphing program
• Marble - simple off line globe showing countries, capitals and major cities
• Setllarium - real time star chart
• Tux Paint - painting program for young chidren
• Tux Typing - fun typing practice game
• TuxMath -fun math practice game

Drawing Programs Installed

• GIMP Image Editor - advanced drawing program
• Inkscape - vector drawing
• OpenOffice.org Dibujos - OpenOffice drawing program
• Picasa -
• Scribus - Desktop publishing

System Tools / Internet

• Oracle VM Virtualbox -
• Chromium -

Multimedia Programs Installed

• Picasa - popular photo editing & viewing program
• Brasero -
• VLC -
• the default programs for the rest

Office Programs Installed

• Chromium - a fast Web browser
• FreeMind - mind mapping program
• OpenOffice - full open office suite

Internet Programs Installed

• included programs: chestnut Dialer
• Chromium web browser

Games Installed

• Aisleroit Solitaire - a group of solitaire card games under a common interface
• Atomix - educational puzzle creating molecules from elements
• BZFlag - Multiplayer Tank battle game works on somewhat older macines
• Berusky - Ladybug puzzle game
• BurgerSpace - classic arcade game
• Chess (glchess) - faster chess game for slower computer
• Childsplay (also under Educaton)
• Emulator DOSBox - see notes above - for running old DOS games
• Enigma - puzzle game controlling marble with the mouse
• FloboPuyo - clone of puyopuyo, similar to tetris
• Freeciv - Civilization game for Linux (installed gtk client)
• Frozen-Bubble - entertaining marble matching game
• Gamine - Game for VERY young children teaching mouse usage by sounds and colors
• gbrainy - logic game in English (prior version was translated) but very good game
• Gweled - like Diamond Mine
• glTron - Tron bike game
• gPlanarity - game of untangling lines
• LBreakout2 - breakout clone
• Maelstrom - arcade game like Asteroids
• Mahjongg (gnome-mahjongg) - classic
• Mastermind - similar to the classic logic testing board game
• Mines - just like Mines for other platforms
• Monsterz - arcade puzzle like Bejeweled
• Moon-lander - ship landing game
• Nibbles (gnibbles) - simple worm game my daughter loves
• OpenTTD - transport tycoon with good Spanish translation
• Pingus - game like lemmings but with penguins - great Spanish translation
• Play on Linux - see separate section
• Quadrapassel - falling block game like Tetris
• Ri-li - toy train simulator with fun game play and excellent translation
• Secret Maryo Chronicles (SMC) - platform Super Mario clone
• Sudoku (gnome-sudoku) - numbers & logic game
• Suite educativa GCompris - educational games for young children
• SuperTux-stable - Mario like platform (older version for older hardware)
• Tremulous - combination RTS & FPS with great reviews and works on older hardware
• Warzone 2100 - real time strategy with decent translation and works on somewhat dated hardware

• Wessnoth 1.8 - Turn based strategy (under La Batalla por Wesnoth) translated very nicely and great gameplay on older machines
• ZaZ - arcade marble game

Young Children - Games and Educational

• Gamine - a mouse interaction game for very young children
• gCompris - an educational suite for young children
• Tuxpaint - an child friendly painting program

Other Programs Installed - Educational & Office

• Atomix - game for constructing molecules
• Stellarium - a star viewing application
• Tuxmath - a child oriented math game
• Tuxtype - a child oriented typing game -- installed program, then opened program and changed the language option to Spanish

Other Programs Installed - Games

• Ballz - simple Indy platform game
• Frozen-Bubble - a fun to play matching marble game

Configure Netgear FSM7352S for VLAN

Reset Switch [Linux]
The switch I received had an unknown admin password so I needed to hard reset. I decided to upgrade the firmware at the same time.

• downloaded firmware file from website: fsm73xxs_7.3.1.7.stk
• plugged null modem cable into switch and computer serial port
  
• discover serial port information [dmesg | grep tty]

• install Minicom [sudo apt-get install minicom]
• configure Minicom [sudo minicom -s -c on], which opens a color minicom window
• Enter Serial port setup menu
  
• Change serial device (option A) to that discovered above
  
• Change option E to rate, parity and bits to match switch: 9600 8N1
  
  
• Save Minicom configuration by "save setup as dfl" on main menu
• Choose Exit from menu
• If you exit all the way out of Minicom, you can restart with [minicom -c on]
  
• Plug switch in, wait for it to autoboot, then choose option 2 for Utility menu
  
• Utility Menu for the switch:

• Choose "Erase Current Configuration" or "Erase Permanent Storage" depending on how drastic you want to be. I chose the latter after which the switch is missing its stack code for operation, so is dead till reloaded.
• To update the firmware, choose option 2 "Load stack code update package". Follow the prompts to select Zmodem.
• Start file upload *** tricky in Minicom *** need to press Ctrl-A then S in sequence which opens a file upload dialogue box from which you select the file you
• Help for Minicom special keys is found by pressing Ctrl-A then Z in sequence
• Quitting Minicom is via Ctrl-A then Q
  
• Firmware upload takes quite some time at that speed!
• When done and rebooted, I noticed the utility menu is different: (password recovery exists instead of erase permanent storage option)

• I'm also noticing that I could have changed serial speed and significantly reduced the time I had to wait for firmware upload!

Reset Switch [Windows]

• Install a terminal program. Following are a couple options.
  
• TeraTerm http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html
  
• PuTTy
• Follow steps described for Linux above (with necessary modifications)

Configure Switch - Basic Config

• Enter switch console and allow the FSM73xxS Application to start
• enter User name "admin" and blank password
• Helpful commands:
• show hardware = displays hardware version and info
• show network = displays network info including existing IP address
• reload = reboots system
  
• logout = logs out current user
• ezconfig = starts ezconfig utility to set basic configuration
  
• Run [ezconfig]
• choose Y to change password
• choose N to assign IP address if you want DHCP assigned address
• Assign switch name and location as desired
• choose Y to save changes
• run [show network] to get IP address to connect to Http Interface

Configure Switch - VLAN Config

• Point browser at switch IP address and login
• to be continued