Tag: Linux

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There is always a tool

Recently, a friend gave me a recent model of a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion laptop. He said, “It turns on but goes off almost immediately. Maybe you could use it?” I gladly accepted the gift and took it home, and it performed as he described. I got CMOS battery errors from the BIOS and decided to take the computer apart. Inspection revealed no separate CMOS battery, and subsequent internet searches revealed that this unit didn’t have a separate CMOS battery but instead relied on the main battery. The battery would not hold a charge and I decided to purchase a new one from an online retailer.

It took a couple of days for the new battery to arrive, and when it did, I removed the cover again and removed the old battery, installed the new one, replaced the cover, and started the laptop with a USB drive with Fedora 41 KDE Plasma. Pressing the ‘escape’ key on the keyboard got me to the BIOS menu, and I chose F9 to boot from USB. The unit has a six core AMD Ryzen 5 with 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon graphics, and a 497 GB NVME drive. I started the Fedora installation process but was halted with an error message that stated, “Error occurred while activating your storage configuration – device is active.” I restarted the machine and tried again. It’s the same error message.

Internet searches of Fedora forums made me realize that the NVME drive was encrypted with Bitlocker and would not allow me to continue the installation until I could ‘decrypt’ the drive. What was I going to do? I tried to remove the encryption with GParted, Parted, and lost the ability to rebuild the drive with the Windows 11 restore partition. I briefly considered purchasing a replacement NVME drive for the unit. Further internet searches led me to consider using ShredOS. After researching several options, I devised an approach that suggested using the ‘dd‘ command. I used ‘lsblk‘, which lists block devices and solid state drives on a Linux system.

I booted the laptop with a live USB drive, opened a terminal, and issued the following command:

$ sudo dd if=/dev/uvrandom of=/dev/nvme0nX

Be sure to replace ‘X’ with the appropriate drive designation on your system. The process took 7021 seconds to complete, which is approximately two hours. When it was done, the decrypted partition was gone. I used the Fedora41 KDE-Plasma live drive and installed it without difficulty. I learned much from this experience and am grateful for all the excellent resources and tools available for Linux distributions.

Screen Picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

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Unlocking the power of Linux

My initial reaction to Linux was that I did not fully understand its range of tools. At that time, I was the technology director for a small K-12 public school district with limited resources but a growing number of classrooms, learning labs, and administrative offices. I came from a social science background, and although I was willing to learn, I was acutely aware of how little I knew. It did not take too long to understand what powerful tools enabled me to discover our network and learn the intricacies of TCP/IP.

Here’s a list of ten tools that became a significant part of my repertoire. I used them to teach others about network computing and the power of Linux.

The ping command is one of the most frequently used by sysadmins. It utilizes ICMP packets to verify whether two machines are connected.

$ ping 192.168.86.1

I learned that I could also ping a domain. 

$ ping donwatkins.info

The traceroute command displays the route from your current machine to the remote server/system, showing each hop along the way.

$ traceroute donwatkins.info

Traceroute can identify the network path, detect latency, locate network issues, and visualize network topology. Here is the result of the traceroute command:

1   192.168.1.1  1.114ms  0.234ms  0.125ms 
2   67.252.48.1  21.260ms  12.357ms  20.123ms 
3   24.58.217.101  29.425ms  32.921ms  32.608ms 
4   24.58.38.176  10.866ms  11.450ms  10.017ms 
5   24.58.32.62  25.848ms  25.377ms  15.594ms 
6   66.109.6.2  24.275ms  *  30.399ms

The mtr command is a combination of ping and traceroute. It is used to track for packet loss. MTR is a versatile and dynamic tool that provides sysadmins with valuable insights into network performance and helps them identify and resolve issues efficiently. 

$ mtr donwatkins.info

You can use the ifconfig tool to find your IP address. It provides TCP/IP information for all your network addresses, including the loopback address. 

$ ifconfig

The netstat (network statistics) command-line tool provides detailed information about network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships on a system. If you want to see all the network activity on your system, consider using the following command. 

$ netstat -a

If you are looking for DNS information, dig is the tool you should use. It is a flexible tool for interrogating DNS name servers. It performs DNS lookups and displays the answers returned from the name server(s) that were queried.

$ dig donwatkins.info

One of my favorite tools for discovering what traffic is coming across my network is tcpdump. It is a powerful command-line packet analyzer used for network traffic monitoring and analysis. It captures and displays the packets being transmitted or received over your network. You need administrative privileges to run the command. 

$ sudo tcdump

The whois command queries databases that store registered domain names and related information. This command is useful if you need information about a specific domain, such as its registrar.

$ whois donwatkins.info

If you are looking for a powerful and versatile tool for network discovery and security auditing, then Nmap is for you. It can discover devices on a network, identify their IP addresses, and collect information about them, creating a detailed network inventory. Be sure to check the Nmap project website for excellent documentation on its use. I use nmap to scan my router to check for open ports. 

$ nmap 192.168.1.1

One of my favorite network monitoring tools is ntopng. It is a web-based application for monitoring network traffic released under the GPLv3 license. Ntopng is the modern version of the original tool, ntop, created by Luca Deri in 1998. It has been significantly improved in performance, usability, and features.

I am a graphical learner, and Etherape helped me visualize TCP/IP traffic across our network. Etherape is easy to install on either .deb or .rpm based systems. 

$ sudo apt install etherape
or 
$ sudo dnf install etherape

Only an administrator can run Etherape, so you must add sudo to your command when executing it. 

$ sudo etherape

Be sure to consult the documentation and Linux manual pages for all these commands to explore all the different options open to you as a Linux system administrator.

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An Introduction to Krita: A Powerful Tool for Digital Artists

Welcome to the exciting world of digital art! Whether you are an experienced artist or a curious beginner, Krita is a name you should know. Developed by the KDE community, Krita is free and open-source digital painting software that has gained immense popularity in art. It has powerful features and is easy to use, with a user-friendly interface and extensive customization options.

What is Krita?

Krita is digital painting software designed for artists of all skill levels. Although I wouldn’t consider myself a well-known digital artist, Krita allows me to easily create high-quality graphics for my presentations. It is available for download and installation on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Key Features

Customizable brushes: One of Krita’s standout features is its extensive collection of brushes. With over 100 preloaded brushes and the ability to customize and create your own, you have endless possibilities.
Layers and masks: Krita features a powerful layer system that enables non-destructive editing, allowing artists to experiment and refine their artwork easily. Additionally, masks let you apply effects or adjustments to specific areas without changing the original layer. This level of flexibility is a significant advantage for artists who enjoy fine-tuning their work.
Intuitive Interface: Krita’s user interface is designed with artists in mind. It’s clean, intuitive, and highly customizable. You can arrange your workspace to suit your preferences, ensuring all your essential tools are within easy reach.
Advanced color management: Krita offers a variety of color spaces and profiles for artists who need precise color accuracy. Whether you’re working on a project for print or digital display, Krita’s advanced color management tools ensure your colors appear exactly as intended.
Animation capabilities: Krita provides animation features along with its powerful painting tools. Users can create traditional hand-drawn animations utilizing the timeline and onion-skinning tools.

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

Community and Resources

One of Krita’s best aspects is its vibrant and supportive community and excellent documentation. Numerous tutorials, forums, and resources are available to help you get started and enhance your skills. The Krita website is a valuable source of information, providing user guides, tutorials, and galleries that showcase stunning artwork created with Krita.

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Ventoy: The Ultimate Multi-Boot USB Tool

Giving friends and neighbors a bootable USB drive containing your favorite Linux distribution is a great way to introduce neophyte Linux users to the experience we all enjoy. Many people have never heard of Linux, and putting your favorite distribution on a bootable USB drive is a great way to break the ice.

I taught an introductory computer class to a group of middle schoolers a few years ago. We used old laptops, and I introduced the students to Fedora, Ubuntu, and Pop!_OS. When the class was over, I gave each student a copy of their favorite distribution to take home and install on a computer of their choice. They were eager to try their new skills at home.

A friend introduced me to Ventoy, which (according to its GitHub repository) is “an open-source tool to create bootable a USB drive for ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files.” Instead of creating separate drives for each Linux distribution I want to share, I can make a single drive with all my favorite Linux distributions on the drive!

As you might expect, a USB drive’s size determines how many distributions you can fit on it. On a 16GB drive, I placed Fedora Cinnamon and Fedora KDE Plasma and still have over nine gigabytes free to hold other distributions.

Get Ventoy

Ventoy is open source, with a GPL v3 license, and available for Windows and Linux. There is excellent documentation on downloading and installing Ventoy on Microsoft Windows. The Linux installation happens from the command line, so it can be a little confusing if you’re unfamiliar with that process. Yet, it’s easier than it might seem.

First, download Ventoy. I downloaded the archive file to my desktop. Next, extract the ventoy-x.y.z-linux.tar.gz archive (but replace x.y.z with your download’s version number) using the tar command (to keep things simple, I use the * character as an infinite wildcard in the command):

$ tar -xvf ventoy*z

This command extracts all the necessary files into a folder named ventoy-x.y.z on my desktop.

You can also use your Linux distribution’s archive manager to accomplish the same task. After downloading and extracting, you can install Ventoy to your USB drive.

Install Ventoy and Linux on a USB

Insert your USB drive into your computer. Change the directory into the Ventoy folder, and look for a shell script named Ventoy2Disk.sh. For this script to work correctly, you must determine the correct mount point for your USB drive. 

$ lsblk

The results show that my USB drive is mounted at /dev/sda. On your computer, the location could be /dev/sdb or /dev/sdc or something similar.

Once you’re sure of your drive’s location, run the script:

$ sudo sh Ventoy2Disk.sh -i /dev/sdX

This formats the drive and installs Ventoy to your USB. Now, you can copy and paste all the Linux distributions that will fit on the drive. If you boot the newly created drive on your computer, you’ll see a menu with the distributions you have copied to your USB drive.

Build a portable powerhouse

Picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

Ventoy is your key to carrying a multiboot drive on your keychain, so you’ll never be without the distributions you rely on. You can have a full-featured desktop, a lightweight distro, a console-only maintenance utility, and anything else you want.

I never leave the house without a Linux distro, nor should you. Grab Ventoy, a USB drive, and a handful of ISOs. You won’t be sorry.

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MyTop Five KDE Apps

I’ve been using Fedora 41 KDE Plasma for awhile now and I’ve already discovered some of the great available apps that I use daily. My top five are: Okular, Spectacle, Gwenview, Dolphin and Konsole.

Okular is a versatile and powerful document viewer. It supports many document formats, including PDF, EPUB, DjVu, and Markdown, as well as image formats like JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Okular has great annotation tools that make adding inline and popup notes and highlighting text easy. I can easily add my text to PDFs. Okular can speak the text if I choose that option. Okular is available on other platforms, including MacOS and Windows. It is open source with a GPL v2 license.

Spectacle is a simple yet powerful screen capture utility. I can capture the entire desktop or just a specified rectangle. I can easily copy and paste the image or save it by default to the ‘screenshots’ folder inside my ‘Pictures’ folder. I can also save images in various formats, including PNG, TIFF, JPEG, PCX, WebP, and many more. I can also annotate and edit screenshots before saving them. The spectacle is available on Linux with a GPL v2 license.

Gwenview is a user-friendly image viewer that includes many powerful tools. I can open images with a double-click, rotate them left or right, crop, flip, adjust colors, remove red-eye, and even annotate. I can view pictures in full-screen mode and even create a slideshow. Gwenview has a ‘Share’ option in the menu bar that lets me send images directly to Google Drive, NextCloud, Imgur or via Bluetooth to another device or user. Gwenview is open source with a GPL v2 license.

Dolphin is a powerful graphical file manager. Dolphin is packed with productivity features designed to save you time. With multiple tabs and split view capabilities, you can easily navigate multiple folders simultaneously, allowing for efficient drag-and-drop file operations between views. The right-click menu offers a plethora of quick actions, such as compressing, sharing, and duplicating files. You can even add your own custom actions for additional functionality. Dolphin is open source with a GPL v2 license.

Konsole is a terminal that runs a command shell. It’s easy to use. It supports a great deal of option with a right click that include tabs, multiple profiles, bookmarks support, saving output. It is available on macOS and Windows. It is open source with a GPL v2 license.

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Fedora 41 KDE Plasma: A Fusion of Performance and Elegance

It has been some time since I last enjoyed a Fedora spin. I began my journey with Fedora when it was first introduced in 2003, having previously used Red Hat Linux versions 7, 8, and 9. In my work for the Franklinville, New York school district, I utilized Fedora to develop content filters, data storage systems, and various other devices. Interestingly, during a trip to Portland, Oregon, I visited a school district that had adopted a Fedora-based Linux terminal server project.

During that trip, we were invited to the Portland Linux User Group, and that night they distributed CD-ROMs with Ubuntu 5.04, Hoary Hedgehog. At the time, I purchased a white-box laptop from a nearby custom builder, and I was having trouble getting its wireless card to work smoothly with Fedora. That particular version of Ubuntu just worked right out of the box. My workflow then revolved around Fedora, but I decided to make this Ubuntu distribution work—and I did.

Recently, after listening to Linux Unplugged and the rave reviews, Fedora 41 was getting along with positive reviews of KDE Plasma from Felim Whitley on Linux After Dark that I decided to download and try Fedora 41 KDE Plasma.

I downloaded the ISO onto my Linux Mint Cinnamon daily driver and created the live USB drive with Fedora. I took a spare Dell Latitude 5410 that I had, and in about ten minutes, I had a Fedora KDE Plasma installed. I have used Kubuntu, and long before that, I had experienced the K-Desktop and decided I liked Gnome better. You could say I was prejudiced. But that prejudice was overcome by the design and layout of this particular Fedora spin.

I have used many Linux distributions since installing Red Hat 6.1 in the late 1990s. I’ve consistently been a Linux Mint Cinnamon user since 2020. Mint Cinnamon is still running on my main machine. Nonetheless, I found this version of Fedora compelling. The workflow is very similar to Mint Cinnamon—the location of the main menu and the panel where I can launch frequently used applications. I have complained about the mirrors supporting Fedora in the past and found mirrors for Ubuntu more responsive. That situation seems to have changed for Fedora.

I have found Fedora’s software center helpful and have installed applications from there. I have also used ‘dnf’ to install applications from the command line. The installation times have been great. I love Fedora’s implementation of Wayland and PipeWire. I also installed Cronopete, which is my go-to backup utility for Linux. I don’t know whether it is the Dell or Fedora, but I have found using my Soundcore Bluetooth headphones easier. I added my Brother multifunction color laser quickly with no additional software installation necessary. I enjoy this version of Fedora.

I’m still kicking the tires. I’m familiar with many software choices and learning to use new KDE software like Gwenview and Spectacle. The beauty of Linux and open source is that so many choices and options don’t exist in proprietary software.

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My Favorite Linux and Open Source Podcasts

I spend a lot of time on the road or walking around my village and enjoy listening to podcasts about various topics. One of my interests is keeping up with the latest news and information about Linux and open source, and that led me to Jupiter Broadcasting, an open-source (both in topics covered and its license) podcasting network. I met Jupiter’s cofounder Chris Fisher when I visited System76 headquarters in 2018.

I am a regular listener to Linux Unplugged, billed as “Your Weekly Linux Talk Show.” Each week, Chris Fisher is joined by Brent Gervais and Wes Payne to discuss the latest developments in Linux and open source. I learn something new with every show, including great show notes with links to all topics covered in the shows. All the shows are released with Creative Commons share-alike licenses.

Jupiter Broadcasting has a family of shows, which includes Coder Radio, which is a weekly show about software development. The network also produces another of my favorite podcasts, Self Hosted which features hosts Chris Fisher and Alex Kretzschmar as they share their experience with self hosting and guide you through their latest adventures. In the show they chat about innovative software and cutting-edge hardware to optimize your network, manage smart devices, and ensure the security of your data on cloud services.

Late Night LInux is a family of shows started by producer Joe Ressington. The Late NIght Linux family includes Late Night Linux, 2.5 Admins, Linux After Dark, Linux Matters, Linux Dev Time, Hybrid Cloud and Ask the Hosts.

All the shows are great, and I started listening to Late Night Linux about five years ago. I look forward each week to engaged conversations and rollicking good times with host Joe Ressington, joined by Sysadmin Felim,  technical writer Graham, and engineering manager Will as they delve into the latest developments and releases in the world of free and open-source software. They also tackle broader issues and trends with a candid approach. Expect colorful language, strong opinions, and ribbing aimed at Félim over AI and the cloud.

2.5 Admins has become another favorite since it debuted. Each week features two sysadmins called Allan Jude and Jim Salter and Joe Ressington, producer/editor who can just about configure a Samba share.

Linux After Dark is another favorite. On each show, Sysadmin Chris Pearse, cloud consultant Gary, and developer/admin May join Joe to talk about their recent Linux-related experiences and discuss some of the more philosophical aspects of being a Linux user.

All the Late Night Linux family podcasts are released with Creative Commons share-alike licenses.

Immersing yourself in Linux and open-source podcasts is a fantastic way to stay updated, learn from experts, and connect with a passionate community. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or a curious newcomer, these podcasts offer invaluable insights, tips, and stories that can help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of open-source technology.

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Beyond Code: Ways to Contribute to Open Source Projects

I have been using open-source software for almost twenty-five years now. I was a user and an evangelist for open source for the first fifteen years that I used open source software. I didn’t see myself as a coder so how could I give back to the community. That changed in 2011 when I began writing for Opensource.com. I felt guilty that I didn’t do more to support the community.. I failed to realize that there is much more than coding and evangelizing that contributes to an open source community.

Here are some ways you can contribute to open source without being a community evangelist or a programmer. Documentation is one of the most important aspects of any project. It may not be intuitive how to use the software. Take WordPress and Drupal for example. It’s become easier now that you can spin up a virtual machine or a Docker image but there are still many nuances that are not intuitive and that is where good documentation plays an important role.

User testing is another way to contribute. How does the software operate on a variety of different platforms and operating systems. Providing feedback on usability and bugs. Community support by participating in forums and wikis by answering questions and provide support to other users. I have been a Linux user since the late 1990’s and in the early days before the World Wide Web existed the chief method of support was joining listservs and bulletin board. Now there are more resources for users but community support continues to be a great help even for experienced users.

Financial contributions help maintain and develop the project. One of the ways you can support open source is through the Github Secure Open Source Fund. I am a Linux Mint user and I have made regular contributions to the project. GnuCash is another project I contribute to. Consider contributing to podcasters like LateNight Linux. You can support Fosstodon and other Mastodon instances.

Advocacy is one of the principal ways I support open source. You can too. Advocate for the adoption of open-source solutions in organizations, educational institutions, and among peers. There are still many folks in communities around the globe that know nothing of open source and the benefits of using open source software. Thirty-three years after the advent of Linux a majority of the folks I come in contact with everyday have never used it nor do they understand the tremendouse personal and professional benefits they might enjoy as a user.

I advocated for the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System to move away from a proprietary library system. The system adopted Koha which is supported by Bywater Solutions. The library system saved over $60,000 per year and were ready for the pandemic when libaries were forced to close their doors. Moving from an expensive client-server proprietary system to an open source one that needed only a FireFox browser to navigate was a game changer. I learned about Bywater and Koha from an open source using library director.

Consider sharing your open source experience by writing and sharing your journey with technology blogs like Allthingsopen.org. You might consider sharing your journey with others. Volunteer at meetups, workshops and hackathons and open source conferences. Offer others your open source journey at public libraries. There are many ways to give back.

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Essential Linux Commands

I started using Linux in late 1990’s when there were few books around that explained the basics. One of my favorite hand guides back then was the One Page Linux Manual. It had lists of many basic commands that I needed to navigate the files system. Here’s a list of some of the most basic commands than any new users needs to get started using Linux divided into useful categories. Happy learning!

Basic Commands:

  • pwd: Print the current working directory.
  • ls: List files and directories.
  • cd: Change directory.
  • mkdir: Create a new directory.
  • rmdir: Remove an empty directory.
  • rm: Remove files or directories.
  • cp: Copy files or directories.
  • mv: Move or rename files or directories.
  • touch: Create an empty file or update the timestamp of an existing file.
  • cat: Concatenate and display file contents.

File Permissions:

  • chmod: Change file permissions.
  • chown: Change file owner and group.
  • ls -l: List files with detailed information including permissions.

Process Management:

  • ps: Display information about active processes.
  • top: Display real-time system usage and processes.
  • kill: Terminate a process

System Information:

  • uname: Print system information.
  • df -h: Display disk space usage.
  • free -m: Display memory usage.
  • uptime: Display system uptime.

Networking:

  • ifconfig: Configure network interfaces.
  • ping: Send ICMP echo requests to test connectivity.
  • netstat: Display network connections, routing tables, and more.
  • ssh: Securely connect to a remote system.

Text Editing:

  • nano: Simple text editor.
  • gedit: Text editor for the Gnome environment
  • less: View file contents one page at a time.
  • grep: Search files for a text pattern.

Compression and Archiving:

  • tar: Archive files.
  • gzip: Compress files.
  • bzip2: Compress files with better compression.
  • unzip: Extract compressed files.

Package Management:

  • apt: Manage packages on Debian-based systems.
  • dnf: Package manager for Fedora.

This cheat sheet covers the most commonly used commands to help you get started with Linux.

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Mastering space management with ‘dfc’

The dfc command in Linux is a powerful tool that provides users with file system space usage information. It is a tool similar to df which provides a snapshot your file system. Here is a look at my file system using the df command:

don@Jude:~$ df
Filesystem     1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs            6548596      2272   6546324   1% /run
/dev/nvme0n1p2 959786032 288646724 622311100  32% /
tmpfs           32742976     84192  32658784   1% /dev/shm
tmpfs               5120        12      5108   1% /run/lock
efivarfs             192       125        63  67% /sys/firmware/efi/efivars
tmpfs           32742976         0  32742976   0% /run/qemu
/dev/nvme0n1p1    523248      6284    516964   2% /boot/efi
tmpfs            6548592       208   6548384   1% /run/user/1000

I can tell with a quick glance that I still have a lot of space available on my system. Using dfc offers additional features such as color-coded output and graphical representations, making it easier to visualize disk usage at a glance. Here is a quick look at my system using dfc:

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

You can easily see that dfc provides more information and it color and in a format that is more readable for the user. You can turn off the default color option by issuing the following command:

$ dfc -c never

This provides a non color read out of the same data.

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

You can display all the file systems including pseudo, duplicate and inaccessible filesystems by using the following command:

$ dfc -a
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

The dfc command was not included with my distribution and had to be installed from the command line for Ubuntu based distributions.

$ sudo apt install dfc

installation for .rpm based distributions would be the following:

$ sudo dnf install dfc

The command is open source with a BSD-Clause License. You can export the output of the command in HTML, JSON, Tex and CSV formats. The man page provides excellent documentation and explanation of the various switches for the command. Use the dfc -h command display an excellent help menu with all the options for the command.