September 2010 - Roundtable

Mac as a web server - part 2
by Mike Pfaiffer 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

One of those moments you get every so often. I fixed the problem without realising it... This brings up several more interesting problems. 1) Webmin is still reporting it is running from Apache 1.3 yet every other indicator says Apache 2 is running. Could Webmin be reading the information from the default configuration files instead of probing Apache directly? Could I use Webmin to point to the MAMP configuration files instead? If so would this mean Apache 2 would start by default instead of Apache 1.3? Specifically, no start-up script needed... By changing the Apache module configuration in Webmin, could I accidentally "mangle" the system? Now I KNOW everything is running, would a reinstall of Webmin be appropriate or should I go through the manual alteration I mentioned earlier? Is there a better administration program than Webmin? I suppose I could ssh in to the machine but everything is collected into one spot with Webmin. 2) I wanted to check out the system web page (http://192.168.x.y) after some changes and it no longer comes up. When I wanted to see if I could get a "<?php phpinfo() ?>" script running I renamed some file in the system area. The default web page no longer comes up. How would I get it back? Yes the files were renamed back to the way they were and restarting the server didn't do anything. Suppose I wanted a different system page. How would I set it up in MAMP? Normally I would have an index.html or index.php in the system directory. 3) As it is, all the web pages are stored under the MAMP directory. This is not such a big deal since in the preferences I can specify another location. However I might like to have different users on the machine at a later date. Is there a way to specify multiple directories? I suppose I could edit some of the files manually if I had to. Comparing this with Ubuntu server, the process should be trivial if I knew where to look. I would like to remove the "/MAMP" from all URLs pointing to the server. How? I haven't found a method of doing so yet. The closest thing I found is messing around with the hosts file and a number of problems were pointed out at that point. *** At that point I think the Mac could be said to be the equivalent to Ubuntu server... The process isn't difficult. It's just a matter of how you know where you are in the process. I'll start playing around with the Apache module in Webmin when I'm a little more awake. No need to risk making dumb mistakes. Later Mike

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Mac as a web server
by Mike Pfaiffer 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

This is just something to keep me occupied for a while. It isn't anything serious (yet). As I said at this months meeting I have a spare G4 server sitting around. Last month I was playing around with the current Ubuntu server. I found some applications which should work as long as the revision level of the software is fine. Which is to say they worked with Ubuntu server but whine and complain about the default revisions on the G4 (OS X 10.4 desktop). It really shouldn't be too difficult to set things up on a Mac... Here is what I've done so far. After a couple of days of reading on the web I found people are suggesting upgrading to 10.5 (out of the question), or updating the software to something close to current. The suggestions are Apache 2.x, MySQL 5.x, and PHP 5.x would be good things to install. The defaults are Apache 1.3, and PHP 4.x. I don't know if MySQL is installed. Oh, and it was suggested Webmin would be good for playing around on a small scale. I tried installing the individual components separately based on what they suggested on the product web sites and had mixed success. Although PHP was in the 5.x range it wasn't near current. Apache 2.x installed but the built in 1.3 wouldn't let it run properly. MySQL just whined. Following some suggestions from the net I looked at a series of programs called MAMP and found the installation to be very easy. All the software it installed was relatively up to date. Everything ran well with a major show stopper. Connecting locally was fine but connecting through the LAN defaulted back to the old software versions. It seems MAMP and another series of programs called XAMPP only want to be run locally as a development environment. There was one web page I found about 20 minutes ago which suggested using Mac Ports to update the software. After getting into the page a little there was a hint I wouldn't have much more in the way of success if I went that route. Oh, I also made sure Personal Web Sharing was turned off in the System Preferences. Now for the request for some advice... If I were running an Intel Mac I would just install a virtual machine with Ubuntu server or something similar and be done with it. Unfortunately the G4 is a PPC and not an Intel box. Does anybody have any advice on where to proceed from here? The Mac Ports idea might be worth a look if I can somehow point the default server away from Apache 1.3 to 2.x. Running MAMP may have some merit since I can change the default port to 80. Unfortunately Webmin wants to run on a different port and defaults back to Apache 1.3. I could install *BSD but I think that's a little more involved than I want to get at this point. Like the problem I was having with PHP last year, it's probably a 10 second fix. The problem is where to apply the fix. ;-) Later Mike

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ssh host checking
by Trevor Cordes 10 Sep '10

10 Sep '10

What security will I lose by using ssh with: -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o CheckHostIP=no ? I have a script that connects automatically to dozens of linux boxen (that I control) on the internet using dsa/rsa keys. Many of these are on MTS DSL and so change their IP's frequently (often many times a week). They all have dynamic dns setup so I can always access them via a DNS domain name (rather than IP). If I use the ssh defaults of StrictHostKeyChecking=ask and CheckHostIP=yes, it mostly works as expected, but sometimes my script will hang with ssh waiting for tty input with the usual: The authenticity of host 'foo.com (141.162.215.81)' can't be established. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? I don't mind this for new boxes where I haven't confirmed the fingerprint yet, but for existing boxes where the IP has changed, it sometimes gives me grief. I can't recall all the particular instances, but the one that just hit me was one of my MTS boxes cycled onto an IP that was previously used by a different box! Seems rather unlikely, but with DSL hanging up all the time, it's bound to happen. I see no way around this occurrence except to use the above -o options to disable all checks. So what attacks am I really opening myseful up to with those settings? Is the worst case that a MitM captures my commands? Or is the worst case that they gain my password/key and access to the remote system? What else? It sure would be nice if I could, on my local box, install a key or something from each of the remote boxen and say that I never care about what IP it has at the moment, just check the key and be happy & secure. For all scenarios assume local + remote boxes have not been compromised. Thanks!

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MUUG Meeting, Sept 14, 7:30pm -- A Trio of RTFM, Part Deux!
by gedetil＠cs.umanitoba.ca 07 Sep '10

07 Sep '10

The Manitoba UNIX User Group (MUUG) will be holding its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 14. The meeting topic for this month is as follows: A Trio of RTFM, Part Deux! Once again this month, were offering you a trio of RTFM presentations! To start, Gilbert Detillieux will be introducing the diff(1) command. Next up, Michael Doob will follow up on Adams RTFM in June on the awk(1) command, showing you how to use it for more substantial scripting. Finally, Sean Cody will present the screen(1) and tmux(1) commands. The group holds its general meetings at 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of every month from September to June. (There are no meetings in July and August.) Meetings are open to the general public; you don't have to be a MUUG member to attend. ********************************************************************** Please note our meeting location: The IBM offices, at 400 Ellice Ave. (between Edmonton and Kennedy). When you arrive, you will have to sign in at the reception desk, and then wait for someone to take you (in groups) to the meeting room. Please try to arrive by about 7:15pm, so the meeting can start promptly at 7:30pm. Don't be late, or you may not get in. (But don't come too early either, since security may not be there to let you in before 7:15 or so.) Non-members may be required to show photo ID at the security desk. Limited parking is available for free on the street, either on Ellice Ave. or on some of the intersecting streets. Indoor parking is also available nearby, at Portage Place, for $5.00 for the evening. Bicycle parking is available in a bike rack under video surveillance located behind the building on Webb Place. ********************************************************************** For more information about MUUG, and its monthly meetings, check out their Web server: http://www.muug.mb.ca/ Help us promote this month's meeting, by putting this poster up on your workplace bulletin board or other suitable public message board: http://www.muug.mb.ca/meetings/MUUGmeeting.pdf -- Gilbert E. Detillieux E-mail: <gedetil(a)muug.mb.ca> Manitoba UNIX User Group Web: http://www.muug.mb.ca/ PO Box 130 St-Boniface Phone: (204)474-8161 Winnipeg MB CANADA R2H 3B4 Fax: (204)474-7609

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wireless N router recommendations?
by Gilles Detillieux 03 Sep '10

03 Sep '10

I was talking to Gilbert about recommendations for wireless N routers, as I'm in the market for one. I'm not particularly interested in running custom firmware (just need good, solid, secure and reliable wireless LAN and basic Internet support), so this post is perhaps slightly off-topic in this forum. But Gilbert did mention that there had been discussion at a recent meeting about Wireless N antenna strength, and some recommendations (mostly negative) about specific routers, though he couldn't recall specific brands mentioned. Any good dual-band models in the $70 to $130 price range? Thanks, Gilles -- Gilles R. Detillieux E-mail: <grdetil(a)scrc.umanitoba.ca> Spinal Cord Research Centre WWW: http://www.scrc.umanitoba.ca/ Dept. Physiology, U. of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9 (Canada)

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Re: [RndTbl] Roundtable Digest, Vol 69, Issue 1
by Steve Moffat 03 Sep '10

03 Sep '10

Hey Gilles; Not sure if you have changed the firmware on your WRT54G, but I've been using tomato for a couple of years now. It is rock solid and, in my opinion, performs better than the original firmware. You might give that a try. http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato Steve Moffat From: roundtable-request(a)muug.mb.ca To: roundtable(a)muug.mb.ca Date: 09/02/2010 12:00 PM Subject: Roundtable Digest, Vol 69, Issue 1 Sent by: roundtable-bounces(a)muug.mb.ca Send Roundtable mailing list submissions to roundtable(a)muug.mb.ca To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.muug.mb.ca/mailman/listinfo/roundtable or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to roundtable-request(a)muug.mb.ca You can reach the person managing the list at roundtable-owner(a)muug.mb.ca When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Roundtable digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: wireless N router recommendations? (Gilles Detillieux) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:55:27 -0500 From: Gilles Detillieux <grdetil(a)scrc.umanitoba.ca> Subject: Re: [RndTbl] wireless N router recommendations? To: Continuation of Round Table discussion <roundtable(a)muug.mb.ca> Message-ID: <4C7ECBCF.6010501(a)scrc.umanitoba.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Thanks, Mike and Sean, for your replies last Thursday. I had been reasonably happy with my Linksys WRT54G until recently, but I find that lately it needs to be reset more than I'd like (once or twice a week). That and the wish for faster wireless data transfers (though no need yet for streaming, so bursty traffic is OK) and hopefully a bit more range prompted me to look into wireless N router options. I had been considering the D-Link 655, even though it's not dual-band (and after what Sean said, perhaps dual-band isn't worth the extra expense), so I appreciate the positive feedback on this model. I'm inclined to give it a shot. Thanks, Gilles On 08/26/2010 04:32 PM, Mike Pfaiffer wrote: > On 10-08-26 02:22 PM, Gilles Detillieux wrote: >> I was talking to Gilbert about recommendations for wireless N routers, >> as I'm in the market for one. I'm not particularly interested in >> running custom firmware (just need good, solid, secure and reliable >> wireless LAN and basic Internet support), so this post is perhaps >> slightly off-topic in this forum. But Gilbert did mention that there >> had been discussion at a recent meeting about Wireless N antenna >> strength, and some recommendations (mostly negative) about specific >> routers, though he couldn't recall specific brands mentioned. >> >> Any good dual-band models in the $70 to $130 price range? >> >> Thanks, >> Gilles >> > > I'm running a D-Link 655. It's OK. Reviews last year put it third from > the top from what the reviewers were looking for. I have to agree with > Sean. I can connect a USB NIC to my Mint box and it works well but if > there is a choice between G and N the NIC will choose G. To be fair I > haven't tried to force an N connection. This particular router has > gigabit (wired) capabilities. As to reliability... It was running for a > couple of months steady last winter. > > As coincidence would have it, I am running it now with a test machine. > If you'd like to try it out as is and you happen to be in Windsor Park > just East of WPC it is there and open. No internet connection though. > I've tried to make the SSID as obvious as possible. If you want to make > arrangements to see what it is like if we force an N connection, let me > know before Friday of next week when the machine goes back. > > Later > Mike -- Gilles R. Detillieux E-mail: <grdetil(a)scrc.umanitoba.ca> Spinal Cord Research Centre WWW: http://www.scrc.umanitoba.ca/ Dept. Physiology, U. of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9 (Canada) ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Roundtable mailing list Roundtable(a)muug.mb.ca http://www.muug.mb.ca/mailman/listinfo/roundtable End of Roundtable Digest, Vol 69, Issue 1 *****************************************

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