Category Archives: Operating Systems

Outages

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I’m migrating this web server to a more modern Fedora from Fedora 14 and there have been problems.  Had to ditch the new MariaDB for community mysql because the former cannot read in a common SQL file describing this simple WordPress database without marking it corrupt.  See:

MySQL to MariaDB migration: handling privilege table differences when using mysqldump

Community mysql works well and all databases read in like SQL should.  There have been memory leak problems bringing down services at random times which might be an OS problem or httpd problem so I’m getting ready to rebuild on a modern CentOS distro which should be more stable.  I don’t feel like debugging this since it should just work when installed.  The latest crash was SELinux which activated itself after a reboot and it doesn’t like anything running on its system.

The Fedora 14 VM has been rock solid since 2010 and I’ll still use it as a backup.  I wanted to create a VM in VirtualBox and Fedora 14 is too old to build from scratch.  This modern Fedora seems very unreliable.

tl;dr This site will be under construction and may fall over every now and then.

“Unauthorized code” in Juniper firewalls decrypts encrypted VPN traffic

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As involved as that process was, getting unauthorized code covertly installed into an official operating system and keeping it there for years would appear to be an even more complicated—and brazen—undertaking. This 2013 article published by Der Spiegel reported that an NSA operation known as FEEDTHROUGH worked against Juniper firewalls and gave the agency persistent backdoor access.

Source: “Unauthorized code” in Juniper firewalls decrypts encrypted VPN traffic | Ars Technica

secmodel_securelevel

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The securelevel mechanism is intended to allow protecting the persistence of code and data on the system, or a subset thereof, from modification, even by the super-user by providing convenient means of “locking down” a system to a degree suited to its environment.

Source: NetBSD 6.1.5 – man page for secmodel_securelevel (netbsd section 9) – Unix & Linux Commands

Highly secure mode may seem Draconian, but is intended as a last line of defence should the super-user account be compromised. Its effects preclude circumvention of file flags by direct modification of a raw disk device, or erasure of a file system by means of newfs(8). Further, it can limit the potential damage of a compromised “firewall” by prohibiting the modification of packet filter rules. Preventing the system clock from being set backwards aids in post-mortem analysis and helps ensure the integrity of logs. Precision timekeeping is not affected because the clock may still be slowed.

Microsoft is downloading Windows 10 to your machine ‘just in case’

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Microsoft told us: “For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.

Source: Microsoft is downloading Windows 10 to your machine ‘just in case’

From: The Appeal of Free: 75 Million Users Download Windows 10 in First Month

Free Windows is proving to be a very attractive price indeed. Seventy-five million users have downloaded Windows 10 to their personal computers and tablets in the first month of its release, Microsoft announced on Wednesday.

Cool, but obscure unix tools

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Just a list of 20 (now 28) tools for the command line. Some are little-known, some are just too useful to miss, some are pure obscure — I hope you find something useful that you weren’t aware of yet! Use your operating system’s package manager to install most of them. (Thanks for the tips, everybody!)

via Cool, but obscure unix tools :: Software architect Kristof Kovacs.

DRIVE IT YOURSELF: USB CAR

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What we are going to do is a basic variant of a process generally known as reverse engineering. You start examining the device with common tools (USB is quite descriptive itself). Then you capture the data that the device exchanges with its existing (Windows) driver, and try to guess what it means. This is the toughest part, and you’ll need some experience and a bit of luck to reverse engineer a non-trivial protocol.

via DRIVE IT YOURSELF: USB CAR | Linux Voice.

Windows 10 to make the Secure Boot alt-OS lock out a reality

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At its WinHEC hardware conference in Shenzhen, China, Microsoft talked about the hardware requirements for Windows 10. The precise final specs are not available yet, so all this is somewhat subject to change, but right now, Microsoft says that the switch to allow Secure Boot to be turned off is now optional. Hardware can be Designed for Windows 10 and can offer no way to opt out of the Secure Boot lock down.

via Windows 10 to make the Secure Boot alt-OS lock out a reality | Ars Technica.

The First Ubuntu Phone Won’t Rely On Apps. Here’s Why That’s Brilliant

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“We’re producing an experience where content and services come directly to the screen in an unfragmented way,” says Cristian Parrino, VP of Mobile at Canonical. “It makes for a much richer and faster user experience

via The First Ubuntu Phone Won’t Rely On Apps. Here’s Why That’s Brilliant | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.

Marines dump Microsoft for Linux OS on Northrop Grumman radar

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In a statement released Friday, she said Microsoft Windows XP is no longer supported by the software developer and the shift to a DOD approved Linux operating system will reduce both the complexity of the operating system and need for future updates.

via Marines dump Microsoft for Linux OS on Northrop Grumman radar – capitalgazette.com.