The Linux Questions Thread: a bunch of pitfalls, but technically it's possible

JawnV6 · # ¿ Apr 24, 2007 00:47

Let me preface this by saying that I know what I'm trying to do is stupid.

I'm running Ubuntu 7.04, and I have a VirtualBox with WindowsXP that has a bridged connection to the outside world, it's own IP from the router and everything. If I have a Samba share on the ubuntu machine and the Windows image accesses it, is that traffic going to go out to the network and bounce back or is the whole setup going to be smart enough to avoid putting it on the wire and just transfer it internally? How could I tell?

Adbot · # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 04:09

JawnV6 · # ¿ Mar 5, 2008 23:24

I wrote a simple program with ncurses to call a command that generates a lot of output and refreshes it every few seconds. This avoids filling up a terminal with nothing but that output and having to manually push up and enter to refresh the output. It seems general and simple enough to have some simple unix command to do this, is there something like what I'm talking about?

On a completely different note, if I have a MCE in hardware I know that Windows bluescreens. What does Linux do?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Mar 5, 2008 23:42

ShoulderDaemon posted:

watch(1) runs a program every few seconds and refreshes the screen.

Linux kernel panics on unrecoverable errors.

Yep, that's it. Thanks.

Is a kernel panic going to display the MC registers? I'm going to want a screenshot showing specific information, if it's not there where would I look to start adding to that output?

JawnV6 fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Mar 5, 2008

JawnV6 · # ¿ Apr 25, 2008 03:15

My hard drive is dying. I have another of the exact same size already in the system, completely unused (I'm stupid like that). The biggest files on there are a 10G VM image and a bunch of dvd images that i don't feel like reripping.

My grand plan is to unplug the failing one, use the 8.04 Live CD to format the blank one, then attempt to boot with the live cd and the bad drive attached and do a full copy. Exactly how stupid is this to attempt or is there any better method?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Apr 25, 2008 16:35

I've gotten the LiveCD to boot (after stupid pains), and just installed 8.04 onto the blank drive. Now when I let Ubuntu take a shot at mounting the drive, it either shows me just a few files or fails to mount entirely. I can't get it to show most of the files again like it did.

I'm screwed, right? There's no "Like, really mount it now, k?" command line magic?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Apr 25, 2008 21:32

chryst posted:

Does it throw any errors? Watch your syslog as it mounts.

It might be as simple as specifying a few mount options, or fsck. You might also just be out of luck.

Thanks. I'm at work, I'll check that when I get home.

I can always just get a magnifying glass and rebuild the inodes myself.

JawnV6 · # ¿ Apr 26, 2008 01:56

Well, guess it's completely dead:

quote:

code:

Apr 25 17:45:45 jawn-desktop hald: mounted /dev/1 on behalf of uid 1000
Apr 25 17:45:57 jawn-desktop kernel: [  172.361780] ata3.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
Apr 25 17:45:57 jawn-desktop kernel: [  172.361786] ata3.00: BMDMA stat 0x25
Apr 25 17:45:57 jawn-desktop kernel: [  172.361792] ata3.00: cmd c8/00:08:3f:01:0c/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
Apr 25 17:45:57 jawn-desktop kernel: [  172.361794]          res 61/04:08:3f:01:0c/00:00:00:00:00/e0 Emask 0x1 (device error)
Apr 25 17:45:57 jawn-desktop kernel: [  172.361797] ata3.00: status: { DRDY DF ERR }
Apr 25 17:45:57 jawn-desktop kernel: [  172.361799] ata3.00: error: { ABRT }
Apr 25 17:45:58 jawn-desktop kernel: [  173.896298] ata3.00: failed to read native max address (err_mask=0x1)
Apr 25 17:45:58 jawn-desktop kernel: [  173.896303] ata3.00: revalidation failed (errno=-13)
Apr 25 17:45:58 jawn-desktop kernel: [  173.896308] ata3: failed to recover some devices, retrying in 5 secs
Apr 25 17:46:03 jawn-desktop kernel: [  178.887091] ata3: soft resetting link
Apr 25 17:46:06 jawn-desktop kernel: [  181.174580] ata3.00: failed to read native max address (err_mask=0x1)
Apr 25 17:46:06 jawn-desktop kernel: [  181.174585] ata3.00: revalidation failed (errno=-13)
Apr 25 17:46:06 jawn-desktop kernel: [  181.174590] ata3: failed to recover some devices, retrying in 5 secs
Apr 25 17:46:11 jawn-desktop kernel: [  186.165964] ata3: soft resetting link
Apr 25 17:46:11 jawn-desktop kernel: [  186.330722] ata3.00: failed to read native max address (err_mask=0x1)
Apr 25 17:46:11 jawn-desktop kernel: [  186.330727] ata3.00: revalidation failed (errno=-13)
Apr 25 17:46:11 jawn-desktop kernel: [  186.330731] ata3.00: disabled

Then tons of other fun errors after that.

I'll just start with this fresh install, should have most of my stuff on disks somewhere :saddowns:

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 6, 2009 04:25

I have my 8.04 Ubuntu computer hooked up to my 50" DLP tv with a DMI-to-HDMI cable. The edges of the screen are cut off, I can't see the taskbar or the upper bar, and there's some cutoff on the sides as well. The TV has an 'overscan' option, but it only has 3 settings and the +1 and +2 just make the problem worse. Changing the resolution from 1900x1080 (what it defaulted to) to 1280x720 just gave me a very small screen with the same stuff cut off.

I just plugged it in and it got 90% of the way there, any ideas how to fix the rest?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 6, 2009 05:42

juggalol posted:

$ nvidia-xconfig --tv-standard=HD1080p

(Or whatever TV standard you're trying to work with - I don't know which resolution corresponds to which HDTV mode)

Thanks for the quick reply!

Tried this, no dice. I am running on nVidia, with what I think are the latest drivers. It's still cutting off the same amount (cutting through the d in "edit" on this firefox window to give a horizontal estimate). Any other solution ideas?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 6, 2009 19:23

sund posted:

Run nvidia-settings and check "X Server Display Configuration" section and the GPU scaling options for the screen under the GPU0 section. I've had this utility mess up my X configuration, so backup the original xorg.conf if you get it working and decide to save the config.

nvidia-settings never brought up the GUI, it just ran from the console and quit. Broke X, whatever it did, and the system came back up in reduced graphics mode which ironically showed the full screen at 640x480. I restored my old xorg and it booted fine, I'm thinking this isn't worth the effort anymore. I'll screw around with it a little longer when I get home tonight, but I'm probably going to end up going back to my monitor. Thanks for the help!

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 6, 2009 20:35

juggalol posted:

Dunno if that helps you on your hunting or not.

Sort of, I'm googling around now and seeing some people who are very close to my problem. I'm guessing I need to add a 'modeline' to the xorg.conf, but getting the specs for it seems tough. This guy got the closest (same model TV I think), my guess is he figured it out and didn't post.

As a bonus, there's this last post:

quote:

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but this is the DRM world we live in, and Sony is one of its biggest champions. That's why I never buy anything with Sony written on it. The rootkit fiasco was what really highlighted for me how evil they really are.

Awesome. Very helpful and relevant to the problem at hand.

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 7, 2009 04:45

juggalol posted:

I can just picture his supple bosom jiggling while he typed that sentence out, his pock-marked & sweaty face twisted in rage.

Edit: I know the 'gtf' tool can be used to generate modelines that can be put into xorg.conf, but you'll need to know specific parameters to put into gtf for it to work.
code:
usage: gtf x y refresh [-v|--verbose] [-f|--fbmode] [-x|--xorgmode]
The x and y inputs are obviously whatever resolution you want the display put out at, but the refresh is the piece that would give you more trouble (I think). I doubt you can find the refresh rate for the TV on Sony documentation ... but you might have some luck if you call their tech support. It won't cost anything but some of your time, and it might actually get the answer.

I tried a couple suggested refresh rates from googling, every attempt at putting a modeline into xorg.conf ended in 'safe graphics mode'. I'm throwing in the towel, too frustrated to figure it out.

fake edit: I think the TV's just being retarded. nvidia-settings even decided to play nice and open up, it can pull the EDID, knows it's a Sony TV and all the relevant specs, it's just the TV overscanning and not giving any useful options to pull it back. The system looks like it's generating the perfect signal.

Thanks for trying.

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 8, 2009 23:19

Saukkis posted:

Yes, I don't think there is much the computer can do if the TV doesn't support disabling overscan. The way Nvidia drivers do it on the Windows side is by actually sending out a picture with black borders. That way the TV overscan only cuts off the borders leaving the real picture intact.

This is what a modeline is supposed to do though, right? I'm just making sure I understand, but it looked like modelines would specify the 'desired' resolution, then how much fluff was on the borders to be cut off. If I get really ambitious this evening I might pull this video card (it's sorta flakey to begin with), throw in my old 7800 and see if nvidia-settings can do a better job.

JawnV6 · # ¿ Jan 9, 2009 19:52

Just wanted to post my resolution, for anyone interested.

I never got the DVI-HDMI working, but I switched to the 7300 and VGA and got something I'm satisfied with. The colors are right, it's pixel-accurate and the sound works. The only downside is that the TV won't accept 1900x1080 over VGA, it's limited to 1280x720, so I've got a black border around the edge. Still, better than the stretched mess that I had, I'm content to leave it like that.

JawnV6 · # ¿ Feb 24, 2010 00:49

Yeah, I associate "jerky web scrolling" with lack of video drivers on a fresh install, clears right up once I get them. "Flashblock" as a workaround won't do anything to help that.

Right now I'm "dual booting" with two separate drives and just unplugging the one I don't want. How difficult is it to put in a LiveCD and make the changes to grub to let me dual boot through software?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Nov 29, 2011 03:25

I'm using a USB wireless dongle with drivers through ndiswrapper. When ubuntu boots half the time it sees my wireless network, which it knows the password to, and connects. Groovy. But occasionally it'll see a neighbor's wireless, which it has never connected to and doesn't know a password for, and prompt me for the password to that. How do I get it to wait the microseconds it takes to see my wireless network and not sit there dumbly waiting for another password?

JawnV6 · # ¿ Nov 30, 2011 19:09

Zom Aur posted:

Linux usually doesn't try to connect to random networks. Maybe you tried connecting to it by mistake. Either way, if you go to the network settings, you should see a profile for you neighbours network. Delete it, and it should never try connecting to it again.

No, it's not just connecting to one particular network, it's a random pick. Whichever it sees first I'd imagine. But thank for assuming I'm incompetent and lying about it!

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JawnV6 · # ¿ Dec 1, 2011 20:27

Underflow posted:

Can you initialise it earlier? I had endless trouble with a USB wireless dongle until I added just a minimum of iwconfig lines to rc.local (essid/mode/ap/rate/key).

I don't really see how that would help? The fact that it's USB/ndiswrapper doesn't seem too relevant as it's the higher-level software that's choosing the bogus network?

Bob Morales posted:

Are you using network manager? Is there a 'only connect to preferred networks' box you can check?

Just the default wireless manager that comes with ubuntu. I don't see any such box.

Zom Aur posted:

So, again I ask, did you check your network profiles? That'd be the first step to ruling out a misconfiguration.

Yeah, it's just the single one I've told it to connect to sitting there. That I checked before asking the question. I can take a screenshot if you're still convinced I'm a moron though.

Eh, forget it. It's a low percentage failure and it's not too big a deal to cancel the password prompt and let it see my network and connect. I thought it would be possible to ask a simple linux question without having my intelligence continually questioned, but, welp.