For Linux users who don’t need absolute top-notch 3D performance, Intel is considered the preferred graphics solution, not least because the company develops its drivers as open source within the framework of the X.org project. However Intel’s drivers are currently in a state of some disarray.
In episode 6 of our podcast we asked the question, “should netbook manufacturers standardise on a single distro?” Well, as netbook manufactuers continue to find ever more obscure distros to fit onto their systems, Canonical has stepped into the fray wielding a mighty cluestick: Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR).
The latest version of Ubuntu includes some nifty embellishments to the GNU Screen program. These improvements make some of Screen’s more sophisticated features accessible to users and simplify
All of the claims Mark Shuttleworth has made about 9.04 are real. It’s faster than any distribution I’ve seen. It’s more stable than any other Ubuntu release to date. Everything is exactly where you would think it SHOULD be. And it all works perfectly, seamlessly, beautifully.
tobiasly writes “I administer several Ubuntu desktops and numerous CentOS servers. One of the biggest headaches is keeping them up-to-date with each distro’s latest bugfix and security patches. I currently have to log in to each system, run the appropriate apt-get or yum command to list available updates, determine which ones I need, then run the appropriate install commands. I’d love to have a distro-independent equivalent of the Red Hat Network where I could do all of this remotely using a web-based interface. PackageKit seems to have solved some of the issues regarding cross-distro package maintenance, but their FAQ explicitly states that remote administration is not a goal of their project. Has anyone put together such a system?”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The reviews are in, and the just-released Ubuntu 9.04, i.e. “Jaunty Jackalope,” rates as a slick, fully-formed Linux desktop. Looking to get started or upgrade your system? We’re recommending 10 downloads for everyone to try.
“Ubuntu Studio is a multimedia editing/creation flavor of Ubuntu, built for the GNU/Linux audio, video, and graphics enthusiast or professional”
I came home today to find that my computers were powered off. All my clocks were blinking. Power outages suck balls.
I don’t have a UPS but I am running a test web site on my local machine that has been getting some nice traffic lately so I should probably invest. After starting everything up I tried running one of my php scripts that access my mysql database. Error.
Warning: mysql_connect(): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2) in /home/ctaylor/scripts/webcrawl.php on line 8
Why isn’t my database running? I have seen this before. Possible database corruption? I prayed that this wasn’t the case and executed:
codytaylor@desktop:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start
* Starting MySQL database server mysqld [fail]
codytaylor@desktop:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql restart
* Stopping MySQL database server mysqld [ OK ]
* Starting MySQL database server mysqld [fail]
Awesome. So now what?
Hoping to get a handle on what exactly is causing it not to start I first checked /var/log/mysql.err and /var/log/mysql.log.
They were both empty. Useful right?
I then did decided to check syslog. I didn’t find anything at first but then I followed syslog while trying to restart mysql.
codytaylor@desktop:/var/log$ tail -f syslog
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld_safe[8173]: started
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: 090424 19:59:54 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/desktop.lower-test
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: 090424 19:59:54 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/desktop.lower-test
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: 090424 19:59:54 [Warning] One can only use the --user switch if running as root
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]:
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: 090424 19:59:54 InnoDB: Operating system error number 13 in a file operation.
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: InnoDB: The error means mysqld does not have the access rights to
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: InnoDB: the directory.
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: InnoDB: File name ./ibdata1
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: InnoDB: File operation call: 'open'.
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld[8176]: InnoDB: Cannot continue operation.
Apr 24 19:59:54 desktop mysqld_safe[8183]: ended
Apr 24 20:00:08 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[8336]: 0 processes alive and '/usr/bin/mysqladmin --defaults-file=/etc/mysql/debian.cnf ping' resulted in
Apr 24 20:00:08 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[8336]: Could not open required defaults file: /etc/mysql/debian.cnf
Apr 24 20:00:08 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[8336]: Fatal error in defaults handling. Program aborted
Apr 24 20:00:08 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[8336]:
I executed the restart of mysql as root didn’t I? All the folders and files are owned by the mysql user. WTF?
So it’s saying that first it can’t create a test file /var/lib/mysql/dektop.lower-test and then that it can’t open ./ibdata.
My first instinct was to set everything to 777 and just go get a beer. But probably not a good idea.
So obviously this is a permissions error. But seeing as the mysql user owns everything in this folder it’s a little confusing.
I then executed:
codytaylor@desktop:/var/lib/mysql$ sudo chmod -R 755 ./*
I tried starting mysql again. Same error.
I got frustrated and said screw it for the night. This morning while I was trying to get rid of the hangover I tried again to start mysql again and I got a totally different error in my syslog.
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld_safe[31095]: started
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:48 InnoDB: Started; log sequence number 0 60274
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:48 [ERROR] Can't start server: Bind on TCP/IP port: Cannot assign requested address
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:48 [ERROR] Do you already have another mysqld server running on port: 3306 ?
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:48 [ERROR] Aborting
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld[31098]:
Apr 25 20:49:48 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:48 InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
Apr 25 20:49:50 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:50 InnoDB: Shutdown completed; log sequence number 0 60274
Apr 25 20:49:50 desktop mysqld[31098]: 090425 20:49:50 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld: Shutdown complete
Apr 25 20:49:50 desktop mysqld[31098]:
Apr 25 20:49:50 desktop mysqld_safe[31119]: ended
Apr 25 20:50:02 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[31263]: 0 processes alive and '/usr/bin/mysqladmin --defaults-file=/etc/mysql/debian.cnf ping' resulted in
Apr 25 20:50:02 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[31263]: ^G/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed
Apr 25 20:50:02 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[31263]: error: 'Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)'
Apr 25 20:50:02 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[31263]: Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!
Apr 25 20:50:02 desktop /etc/init.d/mysql[31263]:
All of a sudden it’s only a problem with the bind address? What happened to the permissions error? I didn’t reboot or anything.
Easy enough to fix though.
I open up the my.cnf file which resides in /etc/mysql/.
I look for the bind-address and noticed it was set to 192.168.2.10 instead of my new ip 192.168.1.11.
DHCP assigned it a new ip address which sucks.
So I change the line to reflect the change and restart again. All is now well.
-Cody Taylor
Can’t Mount Drive in Ubuntu Linux 8.10. Cannot mount volume. Unable to mount the volume.
mount_point cannot contain the following characters: newline, G_DIR_SEPARATOR (usually /)
After a power outage it seems something got screwed up with my drive mounting.
I got this error when I decided to access my 500gig drive on my ubuntu linux desktop. A quick google and I found the solution.
Type this into the terminal:
codytaylor@desktop:~$ gconf-editor
Looks like a linux regedit a little eh? Scary.
Go to System -> Storage -> drives.
This will show you the value of the mount point. Change it to only one word without any slashes.
Thats it. For me it put it in as /media/disk-4 but it showed up properly in all the menus. I wish it would just auto mount so I don’t have to reconfigure sharing every time this happens.
-Cody Taylor
An anonymous reader writes in with an opinion piece from ZDNet Australia. “Here’s what the official press release won’t tell you about Ubuntu 9.04, which formally hit the streets yesterday: its designers have polished the hell out of its user interface since the last release in October. Just like Microsoft has taken the blowtorch to Vista to produce the lightning-quick Windows 7, which so far runs well even on older hardware, Ubuntu has picked up its own game.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
