07/15: SSHFS
I saw this come through my Inbox today: Cool User File Systems, Part 1: SSHFS
I recently used SSHFS and a RIPLinux and Clonezilla Live CDs to move a physical Linux machine into a VMware VM. Very neat and has a lot of other cool ad hoc uses.
Basically, I used RIPLinux to boot up the physical machine, mount the existing root filesystem read-only (to keep the copy consistent), and run an SSH server for use with SSHFS. I used RIPLinux because it supports Linux MD RAID (and LVM) and also includes modules for XFS (which I needed), JFS, Reiser and other non-Ext Linux filesystems. Believe it or not, I couldn't find another CD distro with a decent selection of packages and such broad filesystem support.
I then used Clonezilla on the target machine and only used the SSHFS mount functionality to mount the old machine's filesystem and copy the installation over. After that it was just a matter of fixing up /etc/fstab, removing the mdraid package (because of the old version of Debian Linux involved and a bug related to missing MD-based swap and auto-resume from suspend), booting once more from RIPLinux - this time on the target - and chroot'ing to the target filesystem and setting up the grub boot loader.
It worked wonderfully for a gross hack and the "new" version of the existing "old" machine is up and running in VMware.
RIPLinux is great too. If you're a sysadmin and you beat on boxes regularly or just want a great recovery aid, RIPLinux should definitely be in your toolbox.
RIPLinux: http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/
Clonezilla is quite ugly but can be very useful as well: http://clonezilla.org/
I recently used SSHFS and a RIPLinux and Clonezilla Live CDs to move a physical Linux machine into a VMware VM. Very neat and has a lot of other cool ad hoc uses.
Basically, I used RIPLinux to boot up the physical machine, mount the existing root filesystem read-only (to keep the copy consistent), and run an SSH server for use with SSHFS. I used RIPLinux because it supports Linux MD RAID (and LVM) and also includes modules for XFS (which I needed), JFS, Reiser and other non-Ext Linux filesystems. Believe it or not, I couldn't find another CD distro with a decent selection of packages and such broad filesystem support.
I then used Clonezilla on the target machine and only used the SSHFS mount functionality to mount the old machine's filesystem and copy the installation over. After that it was just a matter of fixing up /etc/fstab, removing the mdraid package (because of the old version of Debian Linux involved and a bug related to missing MD-based swap and auto-resume from suspend), booting once more from RIPLinux - this time on the target - and chroot'ing to the target filesystem and setting up the grub boot loader.
It worked wonderfully for a gross hack and the "new" version of the existing "old" machine is up and running in VMware.
RIPLinux is great too. If you're a sysadmin and you beat on boxes regularly or just want a great recovery aid, RIPLinux should definitely be in your toolbox.
RIPLinux: http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/
Clonezilla is quite ugly but can be very useful as well: http://clonezilla.org/
11/10: Crapometrics
YouTube - MythBusters - Hacking a fingerprint scanner
I've also read an online report finding the Thinkpad scanner can be defeated with silly putty or scotch tape.
I've also read an online report finding the Thinkpad scanner can be defeated with silly putty or scotch tape.
Someone sent me a Microsoft Publisher file this weekend and I don't have Publisher so I tried to find an input filter for OpenOffice or a conversion program and couldn't find anything. I thought I was SOL until I ran across this website:
http://convert.neevia.com/
I wouldn't recommend using it for something very private or that otherwise needs to remain secure but it might be handy to have sitting in a bookmark...
http://convert.neevia.com/
I wouldn't recommend using it for something very private or that otherwise needs to remain secure but it might be handy to have sitting in a bookmark...
There's speculation that Apple is building a tablet PC.
Here's the Register's take.
Personally, I'm hoping that the Intel switch means we're going to see an ultralight laptop. The 12" PowerBook is pretty sweet and I'd love to have one (don't get me wrong) but I'd love to see a really slim/small/light unit running OS X that I can take with me anywhere... Something that would fit in a small bag and was rugged enough to toss in a backpack without much thought. In my ideal world it would be somewhere between these:
The Toshiba Libretto U100
The Sony Vaio TX series
And this type of thing:
http://www.ruggednotebooks.com
I already own an older PowerBook G4 15" and I love it. It's my main day-to-day browsing and e-mail machine. I just move it around the house wherever I need it using my wireless network. Safari and the Mail application are nice but I prefer to stay cross-platorm with my browser and e-mail so I use Firefox and Thunderbird. This way I can have the same bookmarks, address book, and other settings on my Windows box at work (ugh.) and my Linux machines around the house.
My only problem with it is that I would love to always have it with me but it's still a pain to drag around all day and I don't like just shoving it into my backpack, especially if I'm going to the gym or something. It would have to share space with my shoes and get bounced around. If it were smaller, I could put it in one of the smaller outside pockets and spare it the beating. Better yet, we'll get to that point soon where monitors and input devices are "dumb" backplanes that you just walk up to with your keychain-sized CPU unit on which all your data and OS are stored. ;)
Here's the Register's take.
Personally, I'm hoping that the Intel switch means we're going to see an ultralight laptop. The 12" PowerBook is pretty sweet and I'd love to have one (don't get me wrong) but I'd love to see a really slim/small/light unit running OS X that I can take with me anywhere... Something that would fit in a small bag and was rugged enough to toss in a backpack without much thought. In my ideal world it would be somewhere between these:
The Toshiba Libretto U100
The Sony Vaio TX series
And this type of thing:
http://www.ruggednotebooks.com
I already own an older PowerBook G4 15" and I love it. It's my main day-to-day browsing and e-mail machine. I just move it around the house wherever I need it using my wireless network. Safari and the Mail application are nice but I prefer to stay cross-platorm with my browser and e-mail so I use Firefox and Thunderbird. This way I can have the same bookmarks, address book, and other settings on my Windows box at work (ugh.) and my Linux machines around the house.
My only problem with it is that I would love to always have it with me but it's still a pain to drag around all day and I don't like just shoving it into my backpack, especially if I'm going to the gym or something. It would have to share space with my shoes and get bounced around. If it were smaller, I could put it in one of the smaller outside pockets and spare it the beating. Better yet, we'll get to that point soon where monitors and input devices are "dumb" backplanes that you just walk up to with your keychain-sized CPU unit on which all your data and OS are stored. ;)
