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The Mailbag

HELP WANTED : Article Ideas
Submit comments about articles, or articles themselves (after reading our guidelines) to The Editors of Linux Gazette, and technical answers and tips about Linux to The Answer Gang.

KDE Multihead configuration

Sun, 6 Feb 2005 21:07:58 +0000
Pete Jewell (pete from phraxos.nildram.co.uk)

Hi

I've been trying in vain to do something very simple, but have been unable to find the answer via excessive googling, so I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

I am trying to configure my system so that I can utilise the TVout on my graphics card. I want to be able to display to the TV while still retaining use of the desktop via a CRT. Eventually I intend to run MythTV on the TV screen (mainly for the movie and ogg playing capabilities).

To this end I don't want KDE to bother running a window manager & desktop on the TV screen. I have setup X such that I have :0.0 and :0.1 display devices, with :0.1 being the TVout screen. Unfortunately I end up with a KDE desktop on the TVout, along with my usual KDE desktop on the CRT.

I can successfully run a movie on the TV screen using - 

$ DISPLAY=:0.1 vlc -f --video-on-top ./movie.avi

However, if I then try and run something on the CRT it steals the focus from the vlc display on the TV (which in itself wouldn't be a huge problem if the KDE panel didn't then put itself to the front on the TV screen).

The only hint at a solution I've managed to find indicates that I /must/ run two instances of X, one for each screen, if I want to solve the problem. However, another person has managed to do this with one instance of X (with MythTV on the TV) but runs WindowMaker as their WM, which accepts a -display parameter when run so it limits itself to :0.0

First things first, my configuration:

Relevant parts of XF86Config-4

See attached jewell.XF86Config-4.txt

I hope one of you can help - if you need more info just let me know.

Thanks.

Know any LDAP/Apache Gurus?

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 22:46:17 -0800
Owen DeLong (owen from delong.com)

I've managed to muddle through getting all the really nasty stuff working...

OpenLDAP works

OpenLDAP directory contains appropriate user entries

Users can authenticate through PAM against their OpenLDAP records (and I can even control what they can log into using the authorizedService attribute, so, some users get FTP, some get SSH, some get SMTP, some IMAP, etc.)

Anyhow, I'm down to one thing I need to make work that isn't. I need to get Apache (2.0.53, Fedora Core 3) to authenticate users against LDAP. I think I know how to make the Apache queries work and query the right things from the LDAP server and such, but, here's the rub:

Apache LDAP support is divided into two parts. mod_auth_ldap which seems pretty straightforward (at least after dealing with everything else), and, mod_ldap (which unlike the rest of apache modules is util_ldap.c instead of mod_ldap.c WHEE!!).

My problem is that mod_ldap is refusing to make SSL connections to the LDAP server, and, my LDAP server (deliberately) won't allow authenticated binds using cleartext passwords without SSL.

Any ideas how to make this all work together or know anyone who knows this stuff cold and could help me?

Thanks,

Time passes, this is pretty late in the month that it was sent, one TAG member offers a little bit of aid, but...

I got some help from an openLDAP list finally... I was able to make the dynamic group thing work. (Just got it working last night).

The 24th, on the edge of our TAG deadline. -- Heather

Thanks for your assistance.

I wasn't able to get sets working (if anyone knows appropriate set voodoo, please feel free to contact me off-line and I'll share what I learn)...

However, for dynamic groups, I was able to create the following group:

See attached owen.ldap-dynamic-group.txt

Hope this is enough to be useful as a short blurb. Much more useful full information coming (hopefully) soon.

Owen

If you're an LDAP user with an answer to the remaining part of his puzzle - and not already involved with his thread on the OpenLDAP mailing list... by all means drop him a line!
Otherwise, look forward to what chef Owen's been cooking up, next month.

MoinMoin seeks translators

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 22:46:17 -0800
alex (xorAxAx on #moin)
I was lurking in #moin sometime recently, and was asked to pass this request along to you gentle readers -- Heather

We can always use more people to help us not only translate but to make sure the translations are readable, and mean what we think they do...

Relevant URL for a potential translator to take a look at, so you can get involved:

http://moinmoin.wikiwikiweb.de/MoinDev/Translation

A description of moin and the list of languages we currently support is described at:

http://www.python.org/pypi?:action=display&name=MoinMoin&version=1.3.1

Please also feel welcome to join us in IRC on #moin at freenode.

irc.debian.org, the default destination of IRC clients in debian, also goes to freenode. Your distro may vary. MoinMoin is a python based wiki package with themes, access control lists, and other antispam abilities. -- Heather
GENERAL MAIL

Fvwm

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:34:02 +0100
Heather Stern (The Answer Gang's Editor Gal)

I've been seeing happy cross references from the FvwmForums about the articles our 'zine has about FVWM. Since the Forums themselves have an unusual URL:

http://fvwm.lair.be

I figured other readers who enjoyed these articles might enjoy reading their bulletin board - turnabout's fair play. Thanks for the thanks :)

Re: after installing new kernel running lilo crushes system

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:34:02 +0100
Pedro Fraile Pé (pfrailepe from wanadoo.es)

Hello,

This is regarding http://linuxgazette.net/111/tag/2.html.

Peter Ridder wrote:

/dev/hda1 contains a file bootsec.lin which is a copy.

dd if=/dev/hda8 bs=512 count=1 of=/boot/bootsec.lin cp /boot/bootsec.lin /mnt/hda1/bootsec.lin=20 [...] and running /sbin/lilo results after a restart in: L 99 99 99 etc.

I think that the missing step is that you are not repeating the "dd" and "cp" operations every time you run lilo. After running lilo, you have to transfer again the first 512 bytes of /dev/hda8 to the file bootsec.lin in /dev/hda.

If I may digress a little bit, I have to say that it is here where I have found the greatest advantage between lilo and grub: this step is not needed with grub.

I hope this helps. Best regards,

Pedro.

GAZETTE MATTERS

Regarding: linux gazette

Thu, 3 Mar 2005 13:16:01 -0500
Jim Doutt (reply to the Linux Gazette .net Editors)

On Sun, Feb 27, 2005 at 09:50:00AM -0500, Jim Doutt wrote:

to Phil Hughes of SSC, Inc, cc'ing our editorial staff

Phil,

I am MOST distressed to hear you are trying to close down linuxgazette.net by appropriating their name. The fact that you HOSTED them awhile back gives you NO RIGHT to the name. And in fact you have linuxgazette.com already.

I ENJOY reading BOTH linuxgazette.net, and my subscription to "Linux Journal", to which I am a long-time subscriber (and bought the CD of back issues). There is room for BOTH of you in this big world. Please lay off linuxgazette.net. I'd hate to have to drop my subscription to "Linux Journal" which I enjoy reading every month.

Jim Doutt

Jim -

Thank you very much for your support, and for restating our position with regard to SSC's unwarranted attacks. Here at the Linux Gazette, we believe that there is indeed room for both - and our actions have consistently reflected that belief. SSC, via their hired guns, have closed off all avenues for peaceful coexistence by their threats; we shall simply continue to stand firm against their baseless accusations - the law and the public sentiment happen to coincide in support of us.

Your support, and the support of all our readers who have written to us in regard to the present situation, serves to underscore and reinforce our determination to see this through. Thank you, Jim... thank you, everyone.

Regards,
* Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://linuxgazette.net *
We received many letters from readers and responded to some directly. I believe this exchange was the best summary of how we feel. Thank you, gentle readers, thank you all. -- Heather
This page edited and maintained by the Editors of Linux Gazette
HTML script maintained by Heather Stern of Starshine Technical Services, http://www.starshine.org/

 

Copyright © 2005, . Released under the Open Publication license unless otherwise noted in the body of the article. Linux Gazette is not produced, sponsored, or endorsed by its prior host, SSC, Inc.

Published in Issue 112 of Linux Gazette, March 2005

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