From: adam@address.invalid   
      
   Moe Trin wrote:   
   > On Sat, 14 Jul 2012, in the Usenet newsgroup alt.os.linux.mandriva, in   
   article   
   > , Adam wrote:   
      
   >> if each distro on "eris" is acting as a DNS.   
   >   
   > True - almost sounds as if it would be easier to point to stolid,   
      
   Which I might end up doing.  My usage pattern so far seems to be: stolid   
   & Mandriva 2011.0 for getting anything done, eris & various distros for   
   playing around with.  "stolid" & the router are on pretty much all the   
   time I'm home.   
      
   > but for a home user, most of the DNS work is setting it up in the   
   > first place   
      
   I remember turning eris into its own DNS by typing in about four   
   commands that Dave Hodgins suggested.  OTOH I have no idea what would be   
   involved in doing that for other distros.   
      
   > On stolid, does '/bin/netstat -anptu' show it listening on port 53   
   > on the 192.168.1.x (or 0.0.0.0) interface?   
      
   [root@stolid ~]# /bin/netstat -antpu | grep :53   
   tcp        0      0 127.0.0.1:5380              0.0.0.0:*   
        LISTEN      2963/named   
   tcp        0      0 127.0.0.1:53                0.0.0.0:*   
        LISTEN      2963/named   
   udp        0      0 127.0.0.1:53                0.0.0.0:*   
                    2963/named   
   udp        0      0 0.0.0.0:5353                0.0.0.0:*   
                    2962/python   
   [root@stolid ~]#   
      
   so for now, at least the Fedora install on eris is successfully using   
   one of the Verizon DNSs.   
      
   I did decide to not bother with a boot manager and just let GRUB from   
   the most recently installed distro handle the multibooting.  However I'm   
   running into some confusion with GRUB2 which is new to me, and the drive   
   letters/numbers.  Usually the PATA drive is sda or hd(0,x) and the SATA   
   is sdb or hd(1,y) but not always.  Also, some distros (e.g. Debian)   
   don't seem to grasp the concept of "install boot loader to root   
   partition instead of MBR", so just installing all the boot loaders to   
   the MBR of the SATA drive gets around that problem.   
      
   >> Meanwhile, configuration of both boxes is progressing.  My list of   
   >> computer projects has split things into "now" (aide.config, ssh &   
   >> sftp between machines) and "later" (configure lm_sensors, install   
   >> dialup modem).   
   >   
   > That ought to keep you occupied for a day or two   
      
   At this moment I'm about fed up (temporarily) with eris and its   
   connectivity.  By design, nothing important is on that box anyway.  For   
   now I'll work on setting up stolid in "standalone" mode.  Top priority   
   there is 'aide' but I finally looked at the documentation last night and   
   it's not as bad as I thought.  I can use the config file they supply as   
   a starting point.   
      
   >> On "eris", right now Mandriva 2010.0 can no longer start X (must've   
   >> removed some package) but the Wi-Fi is working.   
   >   
   > Symptoms?   Error messages?   
      
   hostname: Resolver internal error   
   [...]   
   (EE) Failed to load module "v4l" (module does not exist, 0)   
   (EE) Failed to load module "intel" (module does not exist, 0)   
   (EE) No drivers available.   
      
   Fatal server error:   
   no screens found   
      
   OTOH I don't think that's worth looking into (unless it's a trivial fix)   
   as I'd rather get current distros set up on it.   
      
   >> BTW it found 3 or 4 other networks besides mine, all using some   
   >> version of WPA.   
   >   
   > As long as you've got a good authentication key (``password'') on the   
   > link, that should be fine.  Are they on the same channel?   
      
   How can I tell?  My own network has the strongest signal, a little over   
   50% (whatever that means), while the others are in the 30% area, if   
   that's significant.  My wireless connect speed is nearly as fast as a   
   wired connection (my DSL limit).   
      
   [NiCd/NiMH chargers, 16-hr vs. 1-hr.]   
      
   >> I found out that not all AAs like being charged at the 1-hour rate.   
   >   
   > I'd expect that a 1   
   > hour recharge would be generating a lot more heat in the battery.   
      
   That's how I concluded that some of the cells didn't like being charged   
   at that rate -- they got a lot warmer than the ones that came with that   
   charger.   
      
   >> If there was no way to disable "secure boot" and install Linux on it,   
   >> that would have definitely been a return.   
   >   
   > That may have not been a purchase in the first place  ;-).  For what   
   > it's worth, UEFI _by itself_ isn't a show stopper.   
      
   I realize UEFI itself isn't a problem, it was the /requirement/ for   
   secure boot that's the potential problem.  Last I heard, MS backed off a   
   little and the ability to disable "secure boot" is a requirement instead   
   of a vendor option, although the Windows 8 machines have to ship with   
   secure boot enabled.  The BIOS/UEFI on this (Windows 7) box has no   
   mention of secure boot, but there is an option for something like   
   automatic boot ROM upgrading, which I've made sure is disabled.   
      
   [resistive sheet]   
      
   >>> 1 unit apart.  Measured resistance 100 Ohms.   
   >>> Move the probes three units apart - what's the resistance?   Why?   
   [...]   
   > Right concept - it's unchanged.  As you position the probes further   
   > apart, they can see additional paths which (while they do have "more"   
   > resistance) are in parallel.   
      
   I assume a real-world application would be an auto ground.  That would   
   imply that if I want to ground anything in the car, any conductive spot   
   would be equally good, no matter how far it is from the battery's   
   connection to the engine block or chassis.   
      
   [kitty news]   
      
   > Marg seems to be the winner that way, but last night there was an   
   > incident and Good Sam rebelled a bit (lots of noise and posturing).   
      
   It sounds like Marg has become a member of the family.   
      
   [pacemaker]   
      
   >> I'm not sure just where the "sensor" is for kidneys, but it may be   
   >> elsewhere.  I did ask one of the transplant surgeons when the graft   
   >> would start regulating its activity, and he immediately said "never".   
   >   
   > One of my medical encyclopedias seems to imply it's internal.  I wonder   
   > if that's somehow related to the immune system.   
      
   I don't know, but I don't think so.  I'm curious now.   
      
   > Of course, Saturday morning I'm out doing lawn   
   > work, and had to take a break every 15-20 minutes because the humidity   
   > was so high and the sweat wasn't evaporating (when it's dripping off   
   > you, that's the warning to take a break NOW).   
      
   I can work up a sweat just connecting computer cabling indoors, as   
   sometimes I approach it with an intensity wholly out of proportion.   
      
   >> Meanwhile there's no covered parking where I live, suddenly all four   
   >> power windows don't work (yes, I checked all the fuses), and my car's   
   >> A/C is "iffy".   
   >   
   > All windows out?  If it's not a fuse/CB, it sounds like an interlock   
   > of some kind.   
      
   The fuses all look OK and the breaker that's supposed to handle the   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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