May 2017 - Talk - lists.gtalug.org

deal for Brother printer
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 25 May '17

25 May '17

Background: I have a Brother DCP7065DN: - laser printer, "duplex" (can print on both sides of paper) - scanner (flatbed + sheet feeder (single-sided)) - (wired) networking (or USB) It works pretty well BUT the printer is a "GDI" printer and thus requires proprietary drivers. Luckilly Brother supports Linux, but it is annoying having to install the drivers on each machine that will access the printer. The deal: <http://forums.redflagdeals.com/brother-ca-brother-ca-refurbished-b-w-laser-…> Brother sells refurbished units online at a good price - free shipping for purchases over $50 - good warranty even though refurbished - if you sign up for their newsletter, you get a 25% off coupon that works for refurbished items even though it is not supposed to. This disappears the end of June 1. Be careful, some of the printers on offer are GDI and some have PCL6 and PostScript emulation. You can find out from the "full feature list" for the printer. Look for "emulations". In my modest experience with older Brothers, using PCL6 is best since most of the hard rendering work would be done by the computer rather than the printer and my computers have more resources than a printer. I know, that would be an argument for GDI, but proprietary drivers are unfortunate. I just bought this one: <http://www.brother.ca/en-ca/MFC/5/ProductDetail/Refurbished/MFCL2720DW> I think that this was the best one still in stock. I expect that it will work with Linux. And it can FAX! It supports PCL and PostScript emulation so I hope that no proprietary driver will be needed for printing. Scanning will likely need a proprietary driver. PS: there are other refurbished things available on the Brother site: just plain printers, sewing machines, etc. <https://www.brother.ca/en-CA/Refurbished/>

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Device Firmware updates getting easier (Logitech users, heads up!)
by Scott Sullivan 25 May '17

25 May '17

http://fwupd.org Firmware Update Deamon. This wonderful utility/service creates a consistent means for hardware vendors to provided and apply firmware updates to devices. Dell is on board and now so is Logitech. The tools and infrastructure a written by the developer that created and released the ColorHug. The ColorHug is an open source color measurement device for monitor color calibration. He initial was fixing his own need to provided easy firmware updates to the ColorHug. fwupd came on my radar a few months ago, when there was news reporting about improved Thunderbolt 3 support for the Dell laptops, and fwupd was the delivery mechanism. But at the time I didn't have any Dell laptops, so it was just a curiosity. Now what I do have is a lot of Logitech K400 keyboards, and no easy means of updating the vulnerable firmware. fwupd now changes that. https://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2017/05/22/updating-logitech-hardware-on-li… My Experience ============= [scott@failfast ~]$ sudo dnf install fwupd # This got me version 0.7.5-1.fc25, which didn't quite work out of box. No matter, were upgrading anyways. [scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr get-devices Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.fwupd: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.Spawn.ChildExited: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 127 [scott@failfast ~]$ sudo dnf update fwupd --enablerepo=updates-testing Failed to synchronize cache for repo 'xvitaly-purple-skypeweb', disabling. Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:19 ago on Thu May 25 08:45:40 2017. Dependencies resolved. ==================================================================================================================== Package Arch Version Repository Size ==================================================================================================================== Upgrading: fwupd x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 updates-testing 256 k replacing libebitdo.x86_64 0.7.5-1.fc25 libdfu x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 updates-testing 88 k Transaction Summary ==================================================================================================================== Upgrade 2 Packages Total download size: 344 k Is this ok [y/N]: y Downloading Packages: (1/2): libdfu-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64.rpm 283 kB/s | 88 kB 00:00 (2/2): fwupd-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64.rpm 489 kB/s | 256 kB 00:00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 438 kB/s | 344 kB 00:00 Running transaction check Transaction check succeeded. Running transaction test Transaction test succeeded. Running transaction Upgrading : libdfu-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 1/5 Upgrading : fwupd-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 2/5 Cleanup : fwupd-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 3/5 Cleanup : libdfu-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 4/5 Obsoleting : libebitdo-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 5/5 Verifying : fwupd-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 1/5 Verifying : libdfu-0.9.2-2.fc25.x86_64 2/5 Verifying : libdfu-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 3/5 Verifying : fwupd-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 4/5 Verifying : libebitdo-0.7.5-1.fc25.x86_64 5/5 Upgraded: fwupd.x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 libdfu.x86_64 0.9.2-2.fc25 Complete! # Let's follow the instructions on the blog post. [scott@failfast ~]$ sudo vi /etc/fwupd.conf [scott@failfast ~]$ sudo service restart fwupd [scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr refresh [scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr get-devices [ Redacted other Devices ] Unifying Receiver Guid: 77d843f7-682c-57e8-8e29-584f5b4f52a1 Guid: 9d131a0c-a606-580f-8eda-80587250b8d6 UniqueID: system/*/lvfs/firmware/com.logitech.Unifying.RQR12.firmware/* DeviceID: /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-2 Description: A Unifying receiver allows you to connect multiple compatible keyboards and mice to a laptop or desktop computer with a single USB receiver. Updating the firmware on your Unifying receiver improves performance, adds new features and fixes security issues. Plugin: unifying Flags: allow-online|supported DeviceVendor: Logitech Version: RQR12.01_B0019 VersionBootloader: BOT01.02_B0014 Created: 2017-05-25 AppstreamId: com.logitech.Unifying.RQR12.firmware Summary: Firmware for the Logitech Unifying receiver UpdateDescription: RQR12.07_B0029:This release addresses an unencrypted keystroke injection issue known as Bastille security issue #11. The vulnerability is complex to replicate and would require a hacker to be physically close to a target.RQR12.05_B0028:This release addresses an force pairing issue, an unencrypted keystroke injection issue and fake mouse issue known as Bastille security issues #1, #2 and #3. The vulnerabilities are complex to replicate and would require a hacker to be physically close to a target. UpdateVersion: RQR12.07_B0029 UpdateHash: d0d33e760ab6eeed6f11b9f9bd7e83820b29e970 UpdateChecksumKind: sha1 License: Proprietary UpdateUri: https://secure-lvfs.rhcloud.com/downloads/938fec082652c603a1cdafde7cd25d76b… UrlHomepage: http://support.logitech.com/en-us/software/unifying Vendor: Logitech Trusted: none [scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr update Downloading RQR12.07_B0029 for Unifying Receiver... Failed to save file: Failed to rename file '/tmp/938fec082652c603a1cdafde7cd25d76baadc70d-Logitech-Unifying-RQR12.07_B0029.cab.RKFS0Y' to '/tmp/938fec082652c603a1cdafde7cd25d76baadc70d-Logitech-Unifying-RQR12.07_B0029.cab': g_rename() failed: Operation not permitted [scott@failfast ~]$ sudo fwupdmgr update Downloading RQR12.07_B0029 for Unifying Receiver... Updating RQR12.07_B0029 on Unifying Receiver... Restarting device… [****************************************] USB error on device 046d:aaaa : No such device (it may have been disconnected) [-4] # at this point removing and reconnecting the USB dongle didn't show it as updated, but this turned to just require a restart of fwupd. [scott@failfast ~]$ sudo systemctl restart fwupd [scott@failfast ~]$ fwupdmgr get-devices Unifying Receiver Guid: 77d843f7-682c-57e8-8e29-584f5b4f52a1 Guid: 9d131a0c-a606-580f-8eda-80587250b8d6 DeviceID: /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-3/1-3.3/1-3.3.2 Plugin: unifying Flags: allow-online|supported DeviceVendor: Logitech Version: RQR12.07_B0029 VersionBootloader: BOT01.02_B0014 Created: 2017-05-25 -- Scott Sullivan

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USB 3.0 - Hubs RMA EOL Notice 96
by Russell Reiter 19 May '17

19 May '17

Re: The linux kernel XHCI compliancy early adoption. End of Life for USB 3.0 Hubs Mandate: Required Effective Date: January, 2017 Vendors that develop USB 3.0 Hubs will be able to certify these hubs until Jan 1, 2017. These hubs shall be clearly marked as USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Hubs. http://compliance.usb.org/index.asp?UpdateFile=USB3#96 For the kernel writing person who was kind enough to correct me off list regarding my unix glue issues while sorting out bulk endpoints. I call this my first Potterling hack. It's a tool button which I add for new users. I use it to quick mute my soundcard. It was not my first TCL/TK or GLADE GUI radio button definition, but it was my favorite. ;-) I still use it. amixer sset Master toggle I have named it a "Potterling hack" because, in some spins, not so long ago, Pulseaudio hooked into alsa but did not unmute the hardware. This caused no end of confusion when the GUI showed mute or unmute but nothing happened to the users sound. Shhh, please don't tell Lennart Potterling, I don't want him to know I often jest while having fun with linux.

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IRC for the 21st century: Introducing Riot
by Justin W. Flory 19 May '17

19 May '17

Hello everyone, I wanted to share a helpful resource with the community about a great way to use IRC. For anyone familiar with IRC, we know its strengths and also its weaknesses, especially for people who are just getting involved with open source for the first time. Over the past year, a new protocol called Matrix has been developed with a front-end client called Riot. It integrates easily with various IRC networks, offering a bouncer-like service and a friendly, easy-to-use interface for various platforms. You can check out more about Riot and see how to use it in the following article on Opensource.com: https://opensource.com/article/17/5/introducing-riot-IRC Hope some people find this useful! Thought I would share it. :) Even if you're already using your own IRC setup, the work going on with Matrix / Riot is still cool to read about. :) Feel free to share this with anyone who might find it useful too. -- Cheers, Justin W. Flory jflory7(a)gmail.com

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For the curious, a ZFS checksum error!
by Scott Sullivan 19 May '17

19 May '17

The Nice thing about ZFS, is it'll tell you exactly which file is borked. You won't get that out of traditional raid/file-system pair, because the two don't know about each other. At best you'll get a notice that block @ meaningless number is bad. [root@muse ~]# zpool status -v pool: muse state: ONLINE status: One or more devices has experienced an error resulting in data corruption. Applications may be affected. action: Restore the file in question if possible. Otherwise restore the entire pool from backup. see: http://zfsonlinux.org/msg/ZFS-8000-8A scan: scrub in progress since Thu May 18 23:46:04 2017 3.48T scanned out of 3.90T at 417M/s, 0h17m to go 0 repaired, 89.25% done config: NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM muse ONLINE 0 0 2 raidz2-0 ONLINE 0 0 4 ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N4TZU5LS ONLINE 0 0 0 ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N5AHPHK8 ONLINE 0 0 0 ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N1VJKLZ5 ONLINE 0 0 0 ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N4TZURA5 ONLINE 0 0 0 ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N3YP9AJL ONLINE 0 0 0 spares ata-WDC_WD30EFRX-68EUZN0_WD-WCC4N3YP95XE AVAIL errors: Permanent errors have been detected in the following files: /data01/backups/1x.jarvis.revident.ca/libvirt/images/vs130.revident.ca.img muse/backups/1x.jarvis.revident.ca@20170423_193849-0400:/libvirt/images/vs130.revident.ca.img This is bit rot in action. -- Scott Sullivan

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systemd: prctl: add PR_{SET, GET}_CHILD_SUBREAPER was Re: Did I buy the wrong network card? (RTL8812AE)
by Russell 18 May '17

18 May '17

I've changed the subject to indicate that I have changed my own system by following the instructions to initialize ifup-wait-all-auto.service and this sub initialization feature seems to have fixed my npdate issue. On my box, I still have a minor memory allocation problem. Although the USB error showing the HID description (usually only one physical Endpoint on a human interface device) is gone. The system.slice also links this error to wpa_supplicant. However, today cron.daily executed ntpdate correctly. root@HECTOR:~# systemctl status ntp.service ● ntp.service - LSB: Start NTP daemon Loaded: loaded (/etc/init.d/ntp) Active: active (running) since Sun 2017-05-14 09:31:35 EDT; 22h ago CGroup: /system.slice/ntp.service └─22736 /usr/sbin/ntpd -p /var/run/ntpd.pid -g -u 120:127 https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?… I've added this to my .bashrc as the authors of systemd recommend for further core troubleshooting. alias psc='ps xawf -eo pid,user,cgroup,args' On Sun, May 14, 2017 at 4:14 PM, Russell Reiter <rreiter91(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Sat, May 13, 2017 at 1:55 PM, Stewart C. Russell via talk > <talk(a)gtalug.org> wrote: >> On 2017-05-13 12:24 PM, Russell wrote: >>> >>> This might be an ILP (Instruction Level Parallelisim) feature of systemd >>> init. >>> >>> Take a look at how systemd deals with IVP routing tables using >>> network.target here. >>> >>> https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/NetworkTarget/ >> >> Thanks, but I'm getting network, then it's periodically cutting out. >> This seems to be more waiting for systemd to say "No, really, we've got >> a network available" to services, rather than the network giving out. We >> get to answer a lot of questions about systemd and network on the >> Raspberry Pi forum, mostly about @reboot cron jobs not finding the >> network. > > For now, perhaps you could help me out? Are you getting this following > usbhid endpoint error? > > usbhid 1-2:1.0: couldn't find an input interrupt endpoint > > Also sorry I wasn't clear in my earlier post. The page link I provided was > to the page NetworkTarget. network.target itself only indicates that the > network management stack is up after it has been reached, It was the stuff > below the "Cut the crap! How do I make network.target work for me", that I > was referring to. > > The reason I ask is that, here on my stock Debian, I seem to have some > confusion as an endpoint buffer, which firstly needs an endpoint descriptor, > doesn't get one. If a service doesn't return NAK or STALL, the result seems > to be a missing link beat. > > Once a core system acquires the target, you should be able to track that > target by its Endpoint device description tables, in theory anyway. > > However, when something tries to shove a big endian bit into a little endian > bucket, stuff is bound to spill over and mux something up. > > So far, I was able to sort out my own printer/scanner and a non-persistent > scanner, by defining /lib/systemd/system > - saned@.service > -saned.socket > > Right now for a NTP issue I'm studying > - After=network-online.target > -Wants=network-online.target > > I dont have network dropping issue but some people who are dropping networks > after the initial poll might have luck with. > > systemctl enable ifup-wait-all-auto.service > > Below is a quote from another link which also contains the suggested > contents of ifup-wait-all-auto.service. > > https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/209832/debian-systemd-network-onli… > > "Throw that beauty in /etc/systemd/system/ifup-wait-all-auto.service, > install it with sudo systemctl enable ifup-wait-all-auto.service, and then > actually have the network-online.target references in your systemd unit > definitions work properly." > > >> >> Thanks, though. I suspect I'll have to make do with a very basic USB >> wifi adapter (I bought Far Too Many for Raspberry Pis) until Scott's >> suggested mPCIe adapter arrives. >> >> cheers, >> Stewart >> >> --- >> Talk Mailing List >> talk(a)gtalug.org >> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk -- Russell Sent by K-9 Mail

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The ultimate Linux Trojan horse: Windows Subsystem for Linux | Network World
by James Knott 17 May '17

17 May '17

Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu are now available in the Windows Store, making life easier for Windows-dominant organizations to run open source software http://www.networkworld.com/article/3197264/open-source-tools/the-ultimate-… Linux/Open Source Alert 2017-05-17&utm_term=networkworld_linux_open_source_alert <http://www.networkworld.com/article/3197264/open-source-tools/the-ultimate-…>

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Did I buy the wrong network card? (RTL8812AE)
by Stewart C. Russell 16 May '17

16 May '17

Hi - For the new computer I just built, I bought a D-Link DWA-582 802.11ac PCIe adapter. It's based on the Realtek RTL8812AE chipset. Does anyone know the particular magic to get these going, please? >From the start on Ubuntu Gnome, the card would work for about 15 minutes, then disassociate itself from the router. It might occasionally spring back to life for a few minutes, but there didn't seem to be anything special I was doing to get it reconnected. I've updated the firmware blob(s) from the Realtek linux maintainer's site. Older posts about this chipset say it's a power management problem, but the newest firmware supposedly fixes this. Should I have bought a different card? What 802.11ac cards work for people here? I'm not super keen on drilling holes in the floor to snake an ethernet cable up from the basement. cheers, Stewart

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[GTALUG-Announce] [SPEAKER CHANGE] Meeting on 13 June at 7:30pm - Intelligent Availability; The evolution of High Availability with Alex Bruneau
by hi＠gtalug.org 15 May '17

15 May '17

<http://gtalug.org/meeting/2017-06/> # Intelligent Availability; The evolution of High Availability with Alex Bruneau Alex will discuss the tenants of and concepts behind "Intelligent Availability" and how it provides "next gen" availability. The "Anvil!" platform is the first full IA platform, combining a fully redundant architecture along with the 100% open source Striker UI and ScanCore "decision engine". A live demonstration of this platform will be used to show IA in action. Various faults will be induced, showing how the Anvil! autonomously reacts to mitigate these changing risks. Attendees will be learn how to apply these IA techniques and concepts, allowing them to make their own IT environments more resilient. Alex Bruneau is the head of customer support at Alteeve. Alteeve is the company of Esteemed Community Member, Madison Kelly. ## Location George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre 245 Church Street, Room 203 Ryerson University <http://goo.gl/maps/16oJ2> <http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/23447525> ## Schedule * 6:00 pm - Please discuss on the general mailing list (i.e. <talk(a)gtalug.org>) where you want to go for dinner. * 7:30 pm - Meeting and presentation. * 9:00 pm - After each meeting, a group of GTALUGers move to The Imperial Pub (54 Dundas St East) for refreshments and more socialising. # Code of Conduct We want a productive happy community that can welcome new ideas, improve every process every year, and foster collaboration between individuals with differing needs, interests and skills. We gain strength from diversity, and actively seek participation from those who enhance it. This code of conduct exists to ensure that diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage and enjoyment. We will challenge prejudice that could jeopardise the participation of any person in the community. The Code of Conduct governs how we behave in public or in private whenever the Linux community will be judged by our actions. We expect it to be honoured by everyone who represents the community officially or informally, claims affiliation or participates directly. It applies to activities online or offline. We invite anybody to participate. Our community is open. Please read more about the GTALUG Code of Conduct here: <http://gtalug.org/about/code-of-conduct/>. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the GTALUG Code of Conduct please contact the GTALUG Board @ <board(a)gtalug.org>. --- GTALUG Announce mailing list announce(a)gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/announce

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new computer (+ thanks to Scott S.)
by Stewart C. Russell 13 May '17

13 May '17

I'd like to send a note of appreciation to Scott Sullivan for taking a couple of hours to spec out a new computer for me, and thinking of issues I wouldn't have even known were things to avoid. Without Scott's help, I'd likely have made some costly mistakes. I needed a fairly CPU-strong desktop on a budget. Though I mostly work in desktop graphics applications, my 3D graphics needs are pretty limited. I need gobs of RAM, mostly because I attempt stuff in OpenSCAD that wiser folks would give up on. Scott noted that with DDR4 being mainstream, there are still some DDR3-based systems available that provide a fair bit of processing power for a good price. Here's what I bought and built: * CPU: Intel i7-4790K at 4 GHz * Motherboard: Asus H97M-E/CSM * SSD: Intel 600p M.2 NVMe PCIe 500 GB * RAM: Adata DDR3, 32 GB (“carefully burn-in tested”, aka secondhand) * PSU: Corsair CX450 (again, “carefully burn-in tested” …) * Monitor: Asus VP247H (on special last weekend at Canada Computers) * Case: Cooler Master micro ATX * Other bits: LG DVD drive, Apple USB keyboard (my own, previously), wired USB "Blade Runner" mouse (surprisingly ergonomic, cheap, and unlike most gamer mice, doesn't look as if I'm trying to push Deadmau5's Nyan Cat Ferrari about the desk). * Distro: Ubuntu Gnome (sorry, Scott …) Observations: * There are fewer retailers selling a smaller range of cases than you might expect in the GTA. NCIX still has its warehouse outlet at Birchmount and 14th in Markham, but moved to the south side of 14th. It's not well advertised, and the building itself looks mostly empty. You'll also need to know exactly what you want, as you order by SKU and their showroom is mostly re-stock special offers. Which is fine if you do actually want a slightly scratched banana-yellow gamer case the size of a beer fridge. * I hadn't built a desktop since 2005. My eyesight hasn't got any better and trying to locate black pin headers inside a flat-black case is somewhat challenging. * The M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD is outrageously fast. Note that there are many (incompatible) M.2 form factors and there are even sneaky SATA ones that offer no real speed increase. The motherboard shipped with a very old BIOS that didn't have M.2 support, which was fun. * You'll note a complete lack of graphics card. Yup, Intel integrated graphics is fine for me, for now. * The Asus motherboard still has AT-style keyboard and mouse ports! These were ‘legacy’ the last time I built a PC. For even more retroness, it has a 16550-based serial port. Bet it doesn't have a FDC, tho. * I think there's some tweaking required to the SATA DVD transport, as I can rip a CD slightly faster on a Raspberry Pi 3 with external USB DVD drive than I can on this new machine. This should not be so! While MP3 encoding is almost instantaneous on the i7, the CD rip process is pedestrian. * I finally tracked down how to make Gnome Tracker desktop search useful again. As I said in my talk in April, I can't operate without desktop search any more. It seems that a couple of Toronto Hydro smart meter data spreadsheets would cause Tracker's indexer to blow up. Re-saving them, excluding them or deleting them did the trick. Details on diagnosing/fixing here: https://askubuntu.com/questions/914581/no-progress-updates-from-gnome-track… * Gnome has gone perhaps a bit too minimalist. It has a top bar, but you can't really add anything to it. I need my Character Map! * Gnome location services are a bit crap. The computer insists I'm operating from Christie Pits Park. * The Apple keyboard will need a bit of configuration because of course it has no Print Screen Key. Gnome's keyboard thingy assumes a PC layout, even if you select a Macintosh keyboard. Again, thanks to Scott for the help. Any other software/hardware decisions are my own fault. cheers, Stewart

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