If you're a seasoned server administrator then this post will boring beyond oblivion to you; the ingredients: a headless server (no screen, keyboard)years of personal backups on a linux software RAIDa botched system upgradehappy ending The pretext Several years ago I bought an HP Proliant microserver on discount and set up a NAS with Ubuntu … Continue reading A crazy server recovery
Category: linux
parchive: protecting backups against data corruption
As time goes by, my [place appropriate interval] backups may not grow much, but the size of my entire data archive exceeds the largest available hard disks (don't ask). Taking into account correctness guarantees by hard disk manufacturers, transmission errors over the network and who knows what else, I don't feel confident that I'll flip … Continue reading parchive: protecting backups against data corruption
Ubuntu on the ASUS VivoBook 17
Following the proud tradition [1],[2],[3] of documenting Linux installations on all the hardware I break, I'm happy to report that Ubuntu 18.04 works fine on the ASUS VivoBook 17 (model number X705U). Things I tested and that work: OS boots from USB and from harddisk Secure boot WLAN USB On board and external (USB) camera … Continue reading Ubuntu on the ASUS VivoBook 17
Thunderbird forgetting passwords
After a simultaneous Thunderbird upgrade and profile migration from Windows to Linux the mail program permanently forgets passwords. The setting: Thunderbird 52 on Windows Back up profile Restore profile to Thunderbird 60 on Linux Observe that all passwords to all accounts are lost even if entered again This seems to be some … Continue reading Thunderbird forgetting passwords
Unlocking a password-protected hard disk
TL;DR: Recovering data from a password-protected SATA hard disk that was locked by a Thinkpad I wish this post would be as generally valid as the title suggests; at this hour I'm just unspeakably glad to have unlocked a hard disk I didn't even know I had locked and can finally go to bed. What … Continue reading Unlocking a password-protected hard disk
Eclipse freezes on Windows 10 creator’s update
Symptoms: Eclipse used to work fine under Windows 10, suddenly hangs short after start. Solution: uninstall Linux subsystem or don't use Git in Eclipse Explanation: the Eclipse egit plugin looks for bash, which normally doesn't exist on Windows. When the Windows subsystem for Linux is installed, bash does exist, but blocks with a message ("click … Continue reading Eclipse freezes on Windows 10 creator’s update
Linux on the Acer Aspire E15 (E5-571G-51TH)
Having failed the 3rd repair attempt at the Thinkpad E540 [1] I gave up and bought the next best laptop from the nearby store that somehow is usable for programming. Behold: the Acter Inspire E15. 8GB RAM, i5, matte screen (1920x1080). It worked out of the box with the SSD transplant from the old Lenovo, … Continue reading Linux on the Acer Aspire E15 (E5-571G-51TH)
Collection of linux scripts online
Linux scripts from this blog are now available in gitub https://github.com/ggeorgovassilis/linuxscripts
Smaller brightness steps with the Asus N56VB and Ubuntu
Ubuntu on the laptop is definitely maturing. We're way past "at least it boots" and now that survival is ensured, it is time for luxury illnesses. One of those on the Asus N56VB is handling of screen brightness which, for my taste, comes in too steep steps. Especially the minimum brightness is still too bright … Continue reading Smaller brightness steps with the Asus N56VB and Ubuntu
Running windows games with steam on a hybrid graphics card
I don't play much, but when I do, it's Sid Meier's Civilization on a Windows installation boxed into a VM. Earlier this year I got tricked by a Humble-Bundle offer into buying Civilization V, which came with the "trojan horse" of a steam account. Had I known the prerequisite of a Steam account before hand, … Continue reading Running windows games with steam on a hybrid graphics card
