Category Archives: Operating Systems

Re-read The Partition Table Without Rebooting Linux System

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partprobe command is part of GNU parted software. parted is a disk partitioning and partition resizing program. It allows you to create, destroy, resize, move and copy ext2, ext3, linux-swap, FAT, FAT32, and reiserfs partitions. It can create, resize and move Macintosh HFS partitions, as well as detect jfs, ntfs, ufs, and xfs partitions. It is useful for creating space for new operating systems, reorganising disk usage, and copying data to new hard disks.

via Re-read The Partition Table Without Rebooting Linux System.

# partprobe /dev/sdX

OpenWrt

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OpenWrt is described as a Linux distribution for embedded devices.

Instead of trying to create a single, static firmware, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management. This frees you from the application selection and configuration provided by the vendor and allows you to customize the device through the use of packages to suit any application. For developer, OpenWrt is the framework to build an application without having to build a complete firmware around it; for users this means the ability for full customization, to use the device in ways never envisioned.

via OpenWrt.

Authentication Token Manipulation Error

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if u are running shadowed passwords it might be theres no entry for this user. make a backup of /etc/shadow, delete /etc/shadow and convert /etc/passwd using pwconvert.same goes for /etc/groups.

via Authentication Token Manipulation Error.

I got this error when logging in as root into a system that I think was badly installed (by me).  Anyway, this fixed that problem.  I found it interesting that this came up #1 on the google search and it’s an entry dated May 2001.

Note: The linux command pwconv replaced pwconvert sometime during these last ten years.

Note2:  Here’s a more modern (3 years old) explanation tmhat I found useful.

Note3: I still had to do a complete reinstall since a lot of things went haywire.  I probably shouldn’t have been playing with hot swapping while the install was in progress.

Update:I don’t think the kernel likes this motherboard.  Second install failed.  Have to resort to compiling a kernel by hand.  What started out as a simple hour long task will now take all night.

Configure the GRUB boot loader

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Adding a single user mode option to the GRUB menu

password –md5 $1$U$JK7xFegdxWH6VuppCUSIb.

default 0

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.9-21)

root (hd0,0)

kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.9-21 ro root=/dev/hda6

initrd /initrd-2.4.9-21.img

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.9-21) single user mode

lock

root (hd0,0)

kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.9-21 ro root=/dev/hda6 s

initrd /initrd-2.4.9-21.img

via Configure the GRUB boot loader.

How to build your own Linux distro

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Few new distros are created from scratch, although it is possible – see the Linux From Scratch HOWTOs at www.linuxfromscratch.org if you want to try it. Apart from getting a head start, there are other reasons to hang on the coat-tails of another distro, and probably the biggest is package compatibility. Consider that there are over 18,000 free software packages considered good enough to be in Debian, and many more that aren’t on that project’s radar.

How to build your own Linux distro | TuxRadar Linux.

Inside the Linux boot process

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Summary: The process of booting a Linux® system consists of a number of stages. But whether you’re booting a standard x86 desktop or a deeply embedded PowerPC® target, much of the flow is surprisingly similar. This article explores the Linux boot process from the initial bootstrap to the start of the first user-space application. Along the way, you’ll learn about various other boot-related topics such as the boot loaders, kernel decompression, the initial RAM disk, and other elements of Linux boot.

via Inside the Linux boot process.