I’d like to buy a new 1TB disk to replace my old 150GB disk.
Is there an easy way to copy my Ubuntu installation with

• my home folder content,
• system settings,
• applications,
• and so on…

so at the end I can just unplug my old disk and plug the new one without having to re-install everything?

Source: system installation – How to replace my disk without having to rebuild my Ubuntu install? – Ask Ubuntu

Firstly VirtualBox is simply fantastic. I’ve been using Parallels on OSX and it beats it hands down, even with less RAM.

I have a small issue. I’m using VirtualBox on Ubuntu and virtualising the VPC images made available by Microsoft here for browser testing purposes. http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=21eabb90-958f-4b64-b5f1-73d0a413c8ef&displaylang=en

Everything works really well but if I try to add more than one of the XP images to the virtual media manager I get the following error.

Source: virtualbox.org • View topic – [SOLVED] Duplicate UUID issue with vhd images

Source: Live mp3 streaming from audio-in with DarkIce and Icecast2 on Raspberry Pi

Hi –

I am looking for a way to generate multiple mp3 streams to icecast.

From my research, it seems that the most common way to generate one stream is mpd/icecast2 and that can support either mp3 or ogg format. It also seems that the most common way to generate multiple streams is ices2/icecast2 but that only supports ogg format.

I have a lot of mp3s – and I still intend to use them as mp3s. So at least for me personally, re-encoding all of them as ogg files is not an option. Storage space is cheap these days but the replication effort to keep things in sync would be a nightmare for me.

I’ve seen reference to the fact that ices streams mp3s but I’ve not been able to get it to compile – it seems likely that ices is so old that the package dependencies no longer align. Has anyone successfully compiled ices on Raspian or a Debian distro lately? Or does anyone have a suggestion of a different program to feed multiple streams to icecast2?

Source: Raspberry Pi • View topic – Multiple streaming mp3 radio stations

Hi Folks,
I browsed the forums topics, but can’t manage to find a simple answer to this question :

Does anyone know if there’s a pre-built package (ISO form), which includes VBox ?
I’d like to have a minimal core (let say a Linux kernel, with all necessary stacks (Network, USB, …), but without all unnecessary crap like heavy GDM). This minimal(ist) core, should be able to launch a fully functionnal VBox instance and let me choose which Virtual appliance I’d like to run.

I can build one from a basic Linux distro (for example, Dam small, LInux), but I fear to miss some important package to run VBox.

Any ideas someone ?

Source: virtualbox.org • View topic – Minimalist OS to run VirtualBox and Launch VM

I’m trying to access a server on my LAN via its public IP address. External clients can connect just fine, but I’m unable to do so from within the LAN. There is a separate rule in the NAT settings of my gateway (which translates subnet addresses to the public interface IP, but is otherwise identical), but it doesn’t appear to be working properly.How would I correctly set things up to access a local resource via a public IP address?

Source: How to implement Nat loopback/reflection? – Server Fault

Occasionally users cannot log into web based applications using a URL that contains their external IP address inside their network. This is typically a result of security measures put in place by routers/modems, and referred to as a NAT (Network Address Translation) Loopback issue or constraint. This article will discuss what this means for ScreenConnect users and available configuration options.

Source: Cannot access external IP address from LAN – ScreenConnect Online Help

HowTo: Configure an APC UPS to communicate with your Ubuntu Desktop or Server

It’s been a while since I’ve written something here, so time to break the drought.

APC make some great UPS products and they all have the ability to communicate with a host PC to advise of its state, eg: on mains, on battery, fault, etc. The support software is available aplenty for Windows and Mac, but what about Linux?

This guide will show you how to hook up an APC UPS to an Ubuntu-based Desktop or Server PC and allow your UPS to email you when mains power has failed, when mains power has been restored, and also give your PC ample opportunity to shutdown when battery on the UPS gets to a critical low.

Pre-requisites:

• Ubuntu-based PC. I am using Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx in this guide.
• An APC UPS. I’m using a Back-UPS RS 800 in this guide.
• Details about your ISP’s mail server, or your own local mail server.

Configuration:

1. Setup your APC UPS as outlined in the instruction manual. Ensure that the USB or serial cable is connected from the UPS to the PC. This is what the UPS uses to communicate with the PC.
   .
2. On your Ubuntu PC, go into a Terminal. If you are using Ubuntu Desktop, you can do this by going to the Applications menu, then Accessories and then Terminal. If you are using Ubuntu Server, simply login to your server by the console or SSH in remotely.
   .
3. The Ubuntu repositories contain a UPS daemon specifically designed with APC UPS units in mind called APCUPSD, so let’s install it:

   $ sudo apt-get install apcupsd

4. Once installed, we need to configure it to suit your UPS. Bring up the configuration file by typing in:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apcupsd/apcupsd.conf

5. In the editor, scroll down to UPSNAME and give the UPS a name, eg:

   UPSNAME MyAwesomeUPS

6. Scroll down to UPSCABLE and change the parameter to the type of cable you are using to connect to your UPS. In my case, I use a USB cable that came with the UPS, so I changed this line to read:

   UPSCABLE usb

7. The next line to modify is the UPSTYPE line. Again, because I’m using USB I specify:

   UPSTYPE usb

   If you have a DEVICE /dev/ttyS0 line after the UPSTYPE line, comment it out by adding a hash symbol at the start of the line like so:

   #DEVICE /dev/ttyS0

8. We do not need to modify anything else, so press CTRL+X, then “Y” and then Enter to save your changes and exit the Nano text editor.
   .
9. Now we need to tell the system that the UPS daemon has been setup and is essentially ready to go. Type in:

   $ sudo nano /etc/default/apcupsd

10. In the file that appears, modify the ISCONFIGURED line to say Yes”, ie:

    ISCONFIGURED=yes

11. Press CTRL+X, then “Y” and then Enter to save your changes and exit.
    .
12. We’re pretty much done here. Start the daemon now with the following command:

    $ sudo service apcupsd restart

    …or simply reboot your PC. Your PC is now monitoring the state of the UPS.
    .

13. Let’s check the UPS now. Type in the following command:

    $ apcaccess

    …and you will get output similar to the following:

    $ apcaccess
    APC      : 001,043,1045
    DATE     : Tue Feb 01 00:02:36 EST 2011
    HOSTNAME : lamaar
    VERSION  : 3.14.6 (16 May 2009) debian
    UPSNAME  : LAMAAR
    CABLE    : USB Cable
    MODEL    : Back-UPS BR  800
    UPSMODE  : Stand Alone
    STARTTIME: Mon Jan 31 23:43:37 EST 2011
    STATUS   : ONLINE
    LINEV    : 250.0 Volts
    LOADPCT  :  40.0 Percent Load Capacity
    BCHARGE  : 100.0 Percent
    TIMELEFT :  19.9 Minutes
    MBATTCHG : 5 Percent
    MINTIMEL : 3 Minutes
    MAXTIME  : 0 Seconds
    OUTPUTV  : 230.0 Volts
    SENSE    : Medium
    DWAKE    : 000 Seconds
    DSHUTD   : 000 Seconds
    LOTRANS  : 194.0 Volts
    HITRANS  : 264.0 Volts
    RETPCT   : 000.0 Percent
    ITEMP    : 29.2 C Internal
    ALARMDEL : Always
    BATTV    : 27.4 Volts
    LINEFREQ : 50.0 Hz
    LASTXFER : Low line voltage
    NUMXFERS : 0
    TONBATT  : 0 seconds
    CUMONBATT: 0 seconds
    XOFFBATT : N/A
    SELFTEST : NO
    STATFLAG : 0x07000008 Status Flag
    SERIALNO : xxxxxxxxxxxx  
    BATTDATE : 2001-09-25
    NOMOUTV  : 230 Volts
    NOMINV   : 230 Volts
    NOMBATTV :  24.0 Volts
    NOMPOWER : 540 Watts
    FIRMWARE : 9.o5 .I USB FW:o5
    APCMODEL : Back-UPS BR  800
    END APC  : Tue Feb 01 00:02:41 EST 2011
    $

14. Pat yourself on the back, you’re basically done.

But hang on, what about setting up email notifications? Read on.

Setting up Email Notifications

By default, APCUPSD is configured to use sendmail to send emails, but sendmail is finicky. There is a better way using a similar application called sendemail instead.

Why use sendemail instead of sendmail? Well, sendemail is a simple command-line SMTP client. You construct a simple message with a recipient and off it goes, but the key difference here is that sendemail is a CLIENT, not a SERVER. This means for sendemail to work, you need a third-party mail server to send it through. You may already have a mail server on your network running Postfix or similar. If not, your ISP will most certainly have one that you can use.

1. Let’s start by installing sendemail:

   $ sudo apt-get install sendemail

2. Now we need to configure apcupsd to use it. If you have a look inside the /etc/apcupsd directory, you will see several important files as follows:
   • changeme – notifies you if the UPS battery needs changing.
   • commfailure – notifies you if the PC loses communication with the UPS.
   • commok – notifies you if lost communication is restored with the UPS.
   • onbattery – notifies you if the UPS engages battery mode due to mains power failure.
   • offbattery – notifies you if the UPS returns to mains mode after a mains power failure.
     .
3. Let’s modify the onbattery message:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apcupsd/onbattery

4. You will notice there are some lines in this file that define some variables followed by a message and then finally a command that sends an email using the sendmail app. Since we are not using sendmail, we need to modify a number of areas. Replace the content of the entire text file with the following:

   #!/bin/sh
   #
   # This shell script if placed in /etc/apcupsd
   # will be called by /etc/apcupsd/apccontrol when the UPS
   # goes on batteries.
   #
   SYSADMIN=jbloggs@mydomain.com.au
   APCUPSD_MAIL="/usr/bin/sendemail"
   HOSTNAME=`hostname`
   MSG="Ubuntu PC Power Failure !!!"
   #
   (
   echo " "
   echo " ====================================="
   echo " POWER FAILURE ON $HOSTNAME !!"
   echo " ====================================="
   echo " "
   echo " The UPS on your Ubuntu PC has experienced a power problem that has required the UPS to engage battery mode."
   echo " "
   echo " Do not panic! Remain calm..."
   echo " "
   echo "Current UPS status:"
   echo " "
   /sbin/apcaccess status
   ) | $APCUPSD_MAIL -u "$MSG" -f MyUbuntuPC@mydomain.com.au -t $SYSADMIN -s mail.myisp.com:25
   exit 0

   So what have we done here? The first part of the file sets some variables, namely the email address(es) of the people required to be notified. If you need to send to more than one recipient, separate email addresses with a comma, eg:

   SYSADMIN=jbloggs@mydomain.com.au,fredsmith@thatotherdomain.com

   We then define the path to the sendemail app, the hostname of the PC running the UPS daemon, a subject line for the email in question, and then a big email body explaining what’s going on, in this case that the UPS battery mode has been engaged.

   All this is then piped into the sendemail application with a fake sender’s address to give you an idea where it came from and we also specify the mail server that the email will be sent via. In this case, we are using our ISP’s mail server that has the address mail.myisp.com
   .

5. Save your changes by pressing CTRL+X, then “Y” and then Enter.
   .
6. You can now test the script by simply executing it (we don’t have to disconnect the UPS’ mains cable to trigger this until we’re ready to test that). Execute the file using the command:

   $ sh /etc/apcupsd/onbattery

7. Check for any errors and then check to see if you got an email in your mailbox advising that the UPS is on battery (the UPS of course is not, we’re just testing the email).
   .
8. If all is well, continue to change the other four message files to be similar to the above, changing the message as you go of course.
   .
9. Pat yourself on the back – you now have custom, explicit messages to let you know what’s going on with the UPS.

Setting up your own mail server to use instead

If, in your testing, you discover that your ISP’s mail server does not allow you to randomly spam messages to it using fake from addresses, you have two choices – either specify a valid email address as the sender’s address, or you can setup a simple email server of your own using Postfix:

$ sudo apt-get install postfix

In the case of setting up your own email server, simply go with Postfix and set it up as an “Internet Site”. The basic configuration is good enough to deal with our needs, but make sure your basic network security is adequate to prevent outsiders from trying to use your mail server to send unsolicited mails, or spam, through it.

This article will not describe how to setup or secure Postfix as it is beyond the scope of this article, however you do need to modify the outgoing mail server name in all your communication messages to reflect the change of name or internal IP address of your mail server instead of mail.myisp.com.

Testing

You can test your daemon setup easily enough by doing any of the following:

• Remove mains power cable from UPS.
• Remove the USB cable to the UPS.
• Verify that an email is sent for either of the error conditions above.

Enjoy!

Source: HowTo: Configure an APC UPS to communicate with your Ubuntu Desktop or Server | The HyRax Macrocosm

Hello everyone, The neighborhood that I live in has a problem with people speeding and I would like to find a way to easily monitor the speed of cars going by my house. I would like to use a camera connected to the pi to detect when a object enters/exits the viewing area and the pi determine the speed and save it to a database. Any ideas on how feasible this would be and how to do it? Thanks in advance for any help….

Source: Raspberry Pi • View topic – Project idea: Vehicle Speed Detection with a camera

What is Glade?

Glade is a RAD tool to enable quick & easy development of user interfaces for the GTK+toolkit and the GNOMEdesktop environment.

The user interfaces designed in Glade are saved as XML, and by using the GtkBuilder GTK+ object these can be loaded by applications dynamically as needed.

By using GtkBuilder, Glade XML files can be used in numerous programming languages including C, C++, C#, Vala, Java, Perl, Python,and others.

Glade is Free Software released under the GNU GPL License

Source: Glade – A User Interface Designer

What is GTK+, and how can I use it?

GTK+, or the GIMP Toolkit, is a multi-platform toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces. Offering a complete set of widgets, GTK+ is suitable for projects ranging from small one-off tools to complete application suites.

Where can I use it?

Everywhere! GTK+ is cross-platform and boasts an easy to use API, speeding up your development time. Take a look at the screenshots to see a number of platforms GTK+ will run.

What languages are supported?

GTK+ is written in C but has been designed from the ground up to support a wide range of languages, not only C/C++. Using GTK+ from languages such as Perl and Python (especially in combination with the Glade GUI builder) provides an effective method of rapid application development.

Are there any licensing restrictions?

GTK+ is free software and part of the GNU Project. However, the licensing terms for GTK+, the GNU LGPL, allow it to be used by all developers, including those developing proprietary software, without any license fees or royalties.

Get an overview of GTK+. Understand who started it, the basic architecture and why we use the license we do.

GTK+ has been involved in many projects and some big platforms. To get a glimpse of what people think of GTK+ and how it has been used in commercial projects, read the success stories…

To find out how more about what GTK+ can do for you, visit our features page. If you want to contribute, you are more than welcome.

Source: The GTK+ Project