Setup VLAN with TP-LINK WR1043ND v1.6 (LibreCMC)

As mentioned before, I have flashed LibreCMC on TP-LINK WR1043ND v1.6 with WiFi disabled. It is my backup router.  Because my ISP support 2 IPs, and the new cable modem does come with 2 ethernet ports, I have one port connecting to my DIR-882 (using Padavan firmware) serving the main floor and my bedroom in 2nd floor with WiFi enabled.  The 2nd port is now connected to TP-Link WR1043 in the study room.  Now, I want to create a separate VLAN for miner, so, it is separated from my test equipment.  So, I update LibreCMC to 1.5.14.  It requires the "Keep Settings" to be unchecked for the upgrade.  Please check the link below before proceed.  Since it was a backup router, it does not matter for me if the settings are wiped.  

Releases - Gogs (librecmc.org)

There is not many guides in the internet for LibreCMC.  Since it is based on OpenWrt 19.x, I check the youtube guide below.  

How to Create a VLAN - A Beginner's Guide // OpenWrt Router (Up to 19.x) - YouTube

How to configure OpenWrt as Firewall for your home network and Guest Wifi and IPTables explained - YouTube

First step is to go to Network > Switches.  You will see VLAN 1 and 2 populated already.  Now, add a new switches with VLAN 5.  I pick LAN port 3 for VLAN 5 which will be used by the miner.  VLAN 1 will be used for test equipment (LAN port 1, 2 4). 

Second step is to go to Network > Interfaces.  Click "Add new Interface" to add a new interface named  VLAN_5.  Below are the rest of settings.

Protocol: static addresses

For my setup, "Create a bridge over Multiple Interfaces" is unchecked since WiFi is disable.  

Cover the following interfaces: select eth0.5 (automatically created when VLAN 5 is created in previous step)

Then, go to Network > Interfaces again.  Click on the VLAN_5 interface and apply the settings below.

Protocol: Static address

Bring up on Boot: checked

IPv4 address: default gateway for subnet VLAN 5

IPv4 subnet mask: select the subnet mask

Then scroll down to DHCP server section.

Select the range for DHCP client IP address and the lease time. 

Click on Advance Settings under DHCP section.  Make sure Dynamic DHCP is checked.  

Now, click on Physical Settings tab.  In my case, Bridge Interface is unchecked since WiFi is turned off and the correct Interface eth0.5 is selected for VLAN 5.  

Next, go to Firewall Settings Tab.  Create a new firewall zone called VLAN5 for VLAN 5.  

Lastly is to config firewall.  For VLAN_5, I don't want the miner to reach the router other than getting IP and DNS resolution but will have access to internet.  Also, it cannot reach to VLAN 1.  

So, setup VLAN5 zone to allow VLAN5 forwarding to WAN to get internet access.  Input and forward are set to reject and Output is set to accept.  

To allow client (miner) in VLAN_5 to reach to router for DHCP and DNS, setup a rule to "Accept Input" from VLAN_5 to router IP at 53, 67 and 68.

There are other exception rules predefined.  You can disable them based on your requirement.  

Cable Modem TC4400 overheated?

Switch to TC4400 cable modem for a few months because DOCSIS 3.0 will not be supported by my cable company.  This is the only one not using Puma chipset and supported by my cable company.  It worked fine until recently.  The internet connection drops few times day.  When I touch it, the modem is really hot.  The quick fix is to put a little 15mm by 15mm fan on the top of modem to draw the heat away from it.  Now, it is much better and has not experienced any more connection drop.  

Installing VMware Workstation Pro in OpenSuSE LEAP 15.4

Now system is up and running fine.  Next is to install VMware Workstation Pro.  Basically, it is my OpenSUSE LEAP 15.4 is my host. 

Make sure system is up to date and install the required packages.  Download the binary and copy it to a tmp folder.  Then add the execute permission to the bundle. 

sudo zypper update
sudo zypper install kernel-source kernel-devel gcc

Download the binary and copy it to a tmp folder.  Then add the execute permission to the bundle.   Run the installation after. 

sudo chmod +x VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.4-20089737.x86_64.bundle
sudo ./VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.4-20089737.x86_64.bundle

Reboot.  Then I receive the errors below one by one.  

 

  

Do some researches and follow instructions in this video.  

First get the VMware version
vmware -v

Then, download the patches needed to build the VMware host modules against the recent kernel.  You may need to rebuild it if VMware does not start after update.   See https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules

wget https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules/archive/workstation-16.2.4.tar.gz

tar -xvzf workstation-16.2.4.tar.gz
cd vmware-host-modules-workstation-16.2.4/
tar -cf vmmon.tar vmmon-only
tar -cf vmnet.tar vmnet-only
sudo cp -v vmmon.tar vmnet.tar /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source
sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all

I setup a script to start vmware every time the host boots up.  

/etc/init.d/vmware start

I found out none of the USB devices list under Removable devices of the VM.  So, I suspect the vmware-usbarbitrator is not started up auto.  Add the following line to the start up script.  Now, I can see the USB device.

/usr/bin/vmware-usbarbitrator start 

One issue I found and other ppl complain in other Linux distro too.  If you try to copy from VM and paste on the Linux host, you will get error below.

There seems to be no solution to it.  However, if you check your /home/user/.cache/vmware/drag_and_drop/ directory, you will actually find the file there.  

Raspberry pi Desktop for Lenovo T400

Other than running Puppy Linux, I decided to try the Raspberry pi Desktop on Lenovo T400 laptop.  Now, I can use my old laptop for browsing and checking email.  Speed is acceptable.  Still hard to believe my T400 is still working fine.  

All the instructions can be found in https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/install-raspberry-pi-desktop

You use the same update command to update the OS periodically.  

sudo apt update

sudo apt full-upgrade

I install 2 additional tools to check HDD status.  

sudo app-get install smartmontools 

sudo app-get install gsmartcontrol

All the hardware are discovered and functioning correctly including the old built in wireless card Intel 5300.  Surprisingly, my old Target USB docking station ACP50US is working with Raspberry pi while there is no driver for Windows 7.  At least, the ethernet port and the sound cards in ACP50US are working fine.  

Connect USB to VirtualBox guest

To connect USB device to guest in VirtualBox.  First is to install Oracle VM extension pack.  I download it from VirtualBox site.  Follow instructions to try to install thru GUI with host running Bodhi 6.0 but it gives me some weird error msg.  So, I try command below instead and it works fine.  

VBoxManage extpack install

After successful installation, I can see option to select USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 in VirtualBox.  

However, it is still not discovering my USB devices.  I check /var/log/dmesg to confirm the USB devices are discovered correctly.  Then I add bodhi to vboxusers group.    

usermod -aG vboxusers bodhi

reboot the host and now, I can see the USB devices.  

Setting up PuppyLinux on my Raspberry

Just receive my Raspberry pi 4 with 4GB of memory.  Decide to install Raspup 8.2 on it.  Details instructions can be found in Raspup page.

I copy the Windows instructions below.

1. Download Raspup image from the Downloads page and check the checksum.
2. Extract the image file from the downloaded .zip file, so you now have "raspup-XXXXXX.img".
3. Insert the SD card into your SD card reader and check what drive letter it was assigned. You can easily see the drive letter (for example G:) by looking in the left column of Windows Explorer. You can use the SD Card slot (if you have one) or a cheap Adapter in a USB slot.
4. Download the Win32DiskImager utility (it is also a zip file). You can run this from a USB drive.
5. Extract the executable from the zip file and run the Win32DiskImager utility; you may need to run the utility as Administrator! Right-click on the file, and select 'Run as Administrator'
6. Select the image file you extracted above.
7. Select the drive letter of the SD card in the device box. Be careful to select the correct drive; if you get the wrong one you can destroy your data on the computer's hard disk! If you are using an SD Card slot in your computer (if you have one) and can't see the drive in the Win32DiskImager window, try using a cheap Adapter in a USB slot.
8. Click Write and wait for the write to complete.
9. Exit the imager and eject the SD card.
10. You are now ready to plug the card into your Raspberry Pi.
11. In Windows, the SD card will appear only to have a fairly small size once written - about 512 MB. This is because most of the card has a partition that is formatted for the Linux operating system that the Raspberry Pi uses which is not visible in Windows. If you don't see this small directory with files such as kernel.img then the copy may not have worked correctly.

PuppyLinux is my favourite Linux and it is a nice desktop for my dad to browse the net.

To read Chinese, just install package fonts_arphic_uming.  

To create Shortcut, go to /usr/share/applications and drag the icon to the Desktop.

Installing Bodhi Linux on Lenovo T400

Used to run Centos on my T400.  Just want to rebuild the laptop with Bodhi Linux.  Try to install Bodhi Linux 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 but the CD only boots to command line for some reason.  Suspect it is the ATI card.  Some people have success with 32 bits.  However, I am only interest in 64 bits.  So, I try the new 3.0 and it works fine.  Boot up the machine with the Live CD first and start the Bodhi Linux Installation.

Hardware
This is a 5 yrs old laptop without SD card reader, webcam and bluetooth.  Only have builtin WiFi.  All hardware are detected correctly.  Wireless work fine however, I don't see a list of access point.  To correct that, I found this link.  It works after I complete step 3.

1. turn on wireless switch
2. in a terminal windows execute the below command sudo rfkill unblock wifi
3. reboot

VMware Workstation 9 installation
After the installation, I add the following packages before installing VMware Workstation 9.
sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`

Download VMware Workstation 9 and copy to my home folder.  Then, follows steps below to complete the installation.

chmod +x VMware-Workstation-Full-9.0.4-1945795.x86_64.bundle
sudo ./VMware-Workstation-Full-9.0.4-1945795.x86_64.bundle

Now, goto /usr/bin and start vmware with "vmware &"

However, you will see vmware failed to build the vmnet.  Search google and see it happens with VMware 10 on Ubuntu.

Download the patch in VMware Community (see post  https://communities.vmware.com/message/2327060.  I download the patch upload by WoodyZ).

cd /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source
tar -xvf vmnet.tar
patch vmnet-only/filter.c < ~/ws1001.vmnet.filter.c.313.patch
tar -uvf vmnet.tar vmnet-only
rm -r vmnet-only
/usr/bin/vmware&

Installation completes successfully.

Java Installation
All the hardware are detected and work fine.  Run the speaker-test to confirm sound card is working fine.  I plan to try the lightweight browser Midori.

To install Java, I run the following command.
sudo apt-get install default-jre  (java 1.7 is installed)
sudo apt-get install icedtea-plugin  (version 1.5 is installed as of today.  From Midori FAQ, icedtea6 version 1.8 and above has been known to crash midori)

Flash Installation
sudo apt-get install flashplugin-installer

Gdebi installation
sudo apt-get install gdebi

Foxit Reader installation
Foxit Reader is used to open Adobe document.  Download a copy and use Gdebi to install it.
sudo gdebi FoxitReader.deb

Office suite installation
Go to AppCenter and select the office you want to install.

VideoLAN installation
The last version I know that will work with rm file is 1.05.  After that, playing rm file with videolan will crash intermittently.  Not sure if it is fixed in version 2.  Find a 1.0.5 deb package but fail to install with dependency issue.  Eventually, install what's available in appcenter.

Disable auto-login
To disable auto-login, open up /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf with epad and comment out the line
#autologin-user=username

DIA installation
sudo apt-get install dia
 

BenQ MiraScan S2W 4300V

Just upgrade my laptop to Windows 7 and my BenQ scanner no longer works.  Since BenQ no longer provides drivers update to the scanner, I am stuck.  Try to install the XP drivers in XP mode but it still fails to detect the scanner.  Search Google for a couple of hours and finally find this link with the drivers that work. 

http://www.eightforums.com/drivers-hardware/16245-old-acer-benq-scanner-drivers-x84-x64.html

Download the driver.  Just use driver update from device manager and it works.  However, I prefer the XP scan GUI. 

Bodhi Linux 2.1 on an old AMD Sempron

Recently read about lightweight Linux and find out about Bodhi Linux 2.1.  So, I decide to install Bodhi Linux 2.1 on it.  The machine spec is 512 MB of memory and AMD Sempron socket A 2500+ CPU.  Install is very straight forward.  The following software are installed from Add Software option.

Firefox 16.0
Java JDK 7 u5
LibreOffice 3.x
Adobe Reader
Printing for my Brother HL-3070CW

This is for basic office application and internet banking.  I am very satisfied with the performance.  At least, boot time and response time is much better than CentOS 3.  Forget about XP, it barely runs on this box.

Here are some of the issue I encounter.

I cannot read Chinese in Firefox.  So, I do some research and it requires the following packages (see reference).  Use Synaptic Package Manager to install them.

• ttf-arphic-bkai00mp
• ttf-arphic-bsmi00lp
• ttf-arphic-gbsn00lp
• ttf-arphic-gkai00mp
• ttf-arphic-ukai
• ttf-arphic-uming
• 
  

For Flash, I see people complaining about viewing youtube (see reference).  I follow the instructions to download and install mint-flashplugin-11 package.  It works flawlessly.

After installed printing package (basically CUPS), then I select the printer from the list.  For some reason, I don't see an option to select Mono or Color printing.  So, download the squeeze package from Brother website and follow the instructions to install lpr package then the cupswrapper driver.

Go back to http://localhost:631/printers to modify the printer to select HL-3070CW again.  This time, I do see the Color/Mono option under Printer Options of Printer properties.

I try to download VMWare WS 7 and test it on this box.  However, it won't compile.  Someone point out similar issue and resolve by installing WS 8.  However, WS 8 requires 64 bit processor even for 32 bit version (see this).  It affects my plan to test Bodhi Linux with VMware WS 7.1.6 on my old Sempron since I plan to replace CentOS on my Lenovo T400 laptop with Bodhi Linux 2.1.

OneKey Recovery 7.0 error code 0xEB1b068A

My gf just purchased a new laptop, and I am helping her to set it up.  When I attempt to create the Recovery DVD, I receive the error 0xEB1b068A after burning the 2nd DVD.  Search Lenovo site and find the answer.

Question

 When I   turned my notebook  on, I've tried to create DVD recovery (Default factory discs) but this error occured during the process: Failed: error code 0xEB1b068A. the software I used was OneKey Recovery 7.0.

What do I do to resolve this issue?

Answer

Open the application with the option "Run as Administrator" To do this you have to right click on the program's icon and select the above mentioned option

website safe to browse

You can check if the website is safe to browse.  Visit the following pages to find out.

http://safeweb.norton.com/
http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/scanner/

rpm for ATI video card

You can download latest executables to create rpm from the AMD website. 
Or you can download the rpm from pkgs.org.  Two required rpm are
flgrx-kmod
flgrx-x11-drv

My machine is running CentOS 5.7. 
I ran rpm -i flgrx-kmod flgrx-x11-drv to install the packages.

If fglrxinfo says “mesa3d.org” instead of “ATI” Like below: (found in Madathil Unni's Blog)


you may need to type this command as root:

#set opengl ati

Now, opening the VM running Windows XP, you should not have no trouble enabling 3D accelerations on your XP VM. 

Reset counters for Brother Colour Laser Printer HL3070

This is not really a Storage or VM issue but it will useful to document it for future.  My laser printer complains it runs out of black toner.  I have reset the toner cartridge as mentioned in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0XplIuGhHo but that does not work. 

The following instructions are found in google by mizlang.   I never try the drum reset, but you can try.

Toner Reset Menu for Brother HL3070:
1. Open Cover where you access toner cartridges
2. Press CANCEL & SECURE PRINT buttons at one time and you'll see the toner menus on screen
3. Press + or - to navigate through to the toners you need to reset. Note that each toner has 2 entries here, and I'm not sure why. Would love to hear what each one does, if anyone knows.
4. I'm guessing that the OK button will be the actual reset of the toners, if not then the go button would be I guess, but I couldn't confirm this, since my toners didn't currently need reset.

I also found the reset menu for the durable parts counters:
1. Open cover where you access toners
2. Press GO and + button at once, you'll see menu come up displaying reset counters for drum, fuser, etc.

Wireless on T400 running CentOS 5.4

Finally, I forced myself to learn Linux by formatting my laptop and installed CentOS 5.4.  Only leave an old and slow desktop for vpn.  Everything runs fine except the wireless.  Google and find Kurt's blog (Thanks Kurt).  

Steps:

First make sure the RPMForge repo is installed

rpm -Uhv http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/x86_64/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-release-0.3.6-1.el5.rf.x86_64.rpm
yum clean all
yum update

Next install the driver for the PRO/Wireless 5100 AGN[Shiloh] card from Intel

yum install iwl5000-firmware

The wireless device should now be working, and you can enable the NetworkManager to start using it

chkconfig NetworkManager on
service NetworkManager start

and you may want to save yourself some wait time at boottime by disabling the network since you don't need that anymore

chkconfig network off

Next you need to configure your wireless connection settings by going to System > Preferences > More Preferences > Network Connections

Free Anti-virus Avira

Since I got my laptop, I need to look for a free anti-virus software that supports 64 bits Windows Vista. I find Avira anti-virus. It is very stable and doesn't take away a lot of memory as Norton. The GUI is pretty easy to follow and very user-friendly for non-technical user.

Bluescreen on T400

I got my Lenovo T400 last Christmas. However, Windows gave BSOD intermittently. Turn out it is the video card causing all these issues. I follow the link

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-71851

I turn off Aero and the switchable graphic card in the BIOS. Instead just use the ATI graphic card. There is no more bluescreen after that.

Note: Check back on the site today and see there is an updated drive posted on April 28, 2009.