Tips_n_Trixx for Debian GNU/Linux

Debian GNU/Linux MBR rescue steps
1. Boot LINUX (Debian or SuSE install CD or Knoppix)
2. mount root-drive (e.g. mount -t ext3 /dev/hda2 /mnt)
3. chroot root-drive (e.g. chroot /mnt)
4. check /boot/grub/menu.lst
5. grub-install /dev/hda
6. exit
7. reboot

Alien
 allows to convert RPM packages to DEB packages
* alien -d -c -v "nameofrpm".rpm  (-d: to debian package; -c: incluse scripts; -v:verbose, show each command)
--> install deb-packages in Debian with "dpkg -i <package>.deb"
--> package is available in synaptic/aptitude

Evolution
Email/Contact/Calendar tool (like Outlook in Windows)

Firestarter
GUI to set up the firewall settings
!!! Somtimes the ICMP filter blocks FTP
(especially for FTP connections to "1und1.de" --> allow MS Traceroute")


Krusader
(also install "kdebase" for full functionality e.g. sftp ...)
* File managment tool (like TotalCommander in Windoof)

* FTP tool
* ZIP tool

K3B
CD/DVD writer programm with GUI
(can be executed with su-permission in user-mode)

855Resolution
(is replaced by 915resolution in debian 4.0)
Display driver for some laptop graphic chipsets


Java Development
sun-java-jdk is included in Debian GNU/Linux since the "Etch" release!

Free Java Development
free-java-sdk

Totem
Video player
* For Sound, make sure that under "Gnome-Anwendungen --> Desktop-Einstellungen --> Komplex --> Multimediasystem Audio Default Sink:  ALSA Sound"
 

OpenSSH
* for secure remote login (including sftp, scp)
* usage "ssh username@ip"
Client setup (/etc/ssh/ssh_config):
   RhostsRSAAuthentication no
   RSAAuthentication yes
   PasswordAuthentication yes 
   HostbasedAuthentication yes
   CheckHostIP yes
   Port 22
   Protocol 2,1

Server setup (/etc/ssh/sshd_config):
  ListenAdress 192.168.2.33 (IP on which the server is listening for incoming connections)
  PasswordAuthentication yes (for User/Password login)
Host setup ( /etc/hosts.allow)
  sshd: 192.168.2.34 (allows this client IP to connect)
*after changing settings (e.g. IP adress), restart "sshd" with full path like "/usr/bin/sshd"

dosfstools
* to create and check MSDOS and FAT filesystem

* to format (e.g. mkfs.vfat /dev/sda1)

tor and privoxy
privoxy
Anonymity in the internet via http:// and https:// (no ftp, or filesharing)
1) Install the privoxy package from the stable release
2) edit the file /etc/privoxy/config and
- disable all "forward" entries
- disable "jarfile jarfile"
- disable "logfile logfile"
- disable "debug 1 # show each GET/POST/CONNECT request
- enable only "forward-socks4a  / 127.0.0.1:9050 ."
#  From the company example.com, direct connections are made to all
# "internal" domains, but everything outbound goes through their
# ISP's proxy by way of example.com's corporate SOCKS 4A gateway
# to the Internet.
#
#       forward-socks4a   /              socks-gw.example.com:1080   www-cache.example-isp.net:8080
#        forward           .example.com   .
#
#      A rule that uses a SOCKS 4 gateway for all destinations but no
#      HTTP parent looks like this:
#
#        forward-socks4   /               socks-gw.example.com:1080  .
#
#      To chain Privoxy and Tor, both running on the same system,
#      you should use the rule:
# To chain Privoxy and Tor, both running on the same system,
#      you should use the rule:
#
        forward-socks4a             /     127.0.0.1:9050 .
...
# jarfile jarfile
...
# logfile logfile
...
# debug 1 # show each GET/POST/CONNECT request
tor
The "tor" package is included in the unstable release only (no stable)! 
Therefore a package for the stable release must be built by our own:
2)  add the unstable release source to our sources list
"deb-src  ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ unstable non-free contrib main"
3) create a working directory and get the source
$ mkdir tor
$ apt-get source tor
5) get the depended packages
$ apt-get build-dep tor
4) change in the directory and check the dependencies
$ cd tor-0.1.2.14/
$ dpkg-checkbuilddeps
5) build the package
$ dpkg-buildpackage -b -uc -us -rfakeroot
should finish without errors
6) document changes
$ debchange --nmu 'Backport for Etch'
8) install the "tsocks" package via apt, aptitude, synaptics
7) install the new "tor" package
(as root) $ dpkg --install tor_0.1.2.14-1.1_i386.deb
8) remove the source directory
$ rm -r tor-0.1*
9) set the state of the installed "tor" package to "hold"
 $ echo "tor hold"|dpkg --set-selections

10) in the browser configure your proxies to:
http://    localhost       Port 8118
11) optinal install the "SwitchProxy Tool" in firefox to easily switch between proxies

VirtualBox
Thats the GNU/GPL replacement for VMWare. It allows to install different guest OS in a virtual machine.
* Add the line "deb http://www.virtualbox.org/debian etch non-free" to your debian-package-sources list
* Get the innotek archive signing key "innotek.asc"
* Install the "innotek.asc" key as root with "apt-key add innotek.asc"
* List all keys with "apt-key list"
* Get and install the package from this source
! No hardware drivers are needed. Graphics and network cards are emulated by VirtualBox.
! To use shared folders, use "Network: NAT" and install the guest additional applications, and use
"net use d: \\vboxsvr\mysharedfolder" where mysharedfolder is the name of the shared folder given by VirtualBox-Main-Window!

Timidity
* Usage as midi-emulation-deamon for alsa requires module "snd_seq" to be activated. If this module is not loaded at boot time, add line snd_seq to file /etc/modules.
* In file /etc/defaults enable timidity TIM_ALSASEQ=true and set the parameters to  TIM_ALSASEQPARAMS="-iA -B2,8 -0s1l -s 44100"

Iceweasel Java-Plugin
* Requires a java-jre installation
* In /usr/lib/iceweasel/plugins/ create a symbolic link to the java-plugin ($ ln -s /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-sun/jre/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so)
* Enable JAVA in the Iceweasel preferences
* Restart Iceweasel and enjoy the plugin


Gnome Panel applets missing
* When it occurs that in the Gnome Panel some Icons are missing (e.g. volume-control, network-manager) one way to reconrigure the panel is to set it to its default settings by using the commands
    $gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/panel
    $pkill gnome-panel
* The panel will loose all custom configurations and will start as a default setup (like after the installation)

Gnome users-admin (Benuzter und Gruppen)
* In the new Gnome-Versions (since version 2.17) in the users-admin GUI the button "show all users" is missing and only the users with UID > 1000 are shown
* To enable the display of all users again, do as ROOT start the "gconf-editor" and under "apps --> gnome-system-tools --> users" enable the "show all users" key

Siemens A50 is supported by "scmxx" and "gnokii"
* It is supported via the AT modem commands - very basic AT commands are supported by the Siemens A50 (vendor id, operator, model, start call ...)
* unfortunately the important commands (read and write telephonebook, sms ...) are not supported by this mobile phone