OpenWrt

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

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

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

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

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.

Create Your Own Web Server With BIND And Apache On CentOS 5 (Simplified)

Installing necessary packages

yum install bind bind-chroot bind-libs bind-utils caching-nameserver -y

After installing the necessary packages you are ready to start configuring named.conf. You may check and see that there is no named.conf in your /etc/ directory in Centos 5. No worries here you can see a sample named.conf file. Now create the file /etc/named.conf and copy/paste the content of the sample config file – just make sure you replace website.com with your own domain name.

via Create Your Own Web Server With BIND And Apache On CentOS 5 (Simplified) | HowtoForge – Linux Howtos and Tutorials.

Centos making things difficult again.