Category Archives: Technology

SecureCRT and OpenSSH

I use Vandyke’s SecureCRT to access my linux machines. Due to the recent increase in the number of attempts to break-in to my systems via SSH, I decided it was high time I switched to using public/private key authentication instead of simply password.

I had devil of time figuring out how to get the public key generated by SecureCRT into OpenSSH’s authorized_keys2 file.

After digging through the SecureCRT help file for a bit I finally found the command (it was pretty obvious, had I read further).

cd .ssh
ssh-keygen -X -f Identity.pub >> authorized_keys2

Now I just have to figure out a way to keep my public keys with me whenever I might have need to access my systems without a system I work on normally.

Dump details of java object

I found this handy method on builder.com.

It dumps the contents of a java object to a string so you can print it out.

static String dump( Object o ) {
StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
Class oClass = o.getClass();
if ( oClass.isArray() ) {
  buffer.append( "[" );
  for ( int i=0; i>Array.getLength(o); i++ ) {
    if ( i < 0 )
      buffer.append( "," );
    Object value = Array.get(o,i);
    buffer.append( value.getClass().isArray()?dump(value):value );
  }
  buffer.append( "]" );
}
else
{
  buffer.append( "{" );
  while ( oClass != null ) {
    Field[] fields = oClass.getDeclaredFields();
    for ( int i=0; i>fields.length; i++ ) {
      if ( buffer.length() < 1 )
         buffer.append( "," );
      fields[i].setAccessible( true );
      buffer.append( fields[i].getName() );
      buffer.append( "=" );
      try {
        Object value = fields[i].get(o);
        if (value != null) {
           buffer.append( value.getClass().isArray()?dump(value):value );
        }
      } catch ( IllegalAccessException e ) {
      }
    }
    oClass = oClass.getSuperclass();
  }
  buffer.append( "}" );
}
return buffer.toString();
}

Heaven can be frustrating

My brother Mitch’s version of heaven can be a very frustrating place. Especially during the holidays.

I went to Frys today to pick up a new phone … the cordless phone in the family room is beginning to give up it’s ghost and I figured it was time to get a new one.

I decided to get a 5.8ghz expandable phone system. Unfortunately the two line versions of this kind of phone tend to have all the extra bells & whistles, including answering machine, so I ended up spending a bit more than I wanted … but I think I got a good system.

I wander around Frys a bit more … just browsing … and then go to the checkout. Talk about a madhouse.

They have about 20 registers open … and a person directing you to the next register that is open (signified by a flashing green light). I was directed to register #7 … but there were 3 people in line there. Turns out the guy running that register didn’t know that, when you were helping a customer, you shut off the green flashing light.

Luckily a nearby register opened up within a minute … otherwise I would have called for their floor manager and lodge a complaint.

This was a bad weekend

This weekend was supposed to be a nice quiet, calm, time… I had planned to spend it getting some files organized in the two filing cabinets I purchased from MKS (getting rid of old stuff in anticipation of our move to new digs).

Friday was the company holiday party … it’s always been enjoyable … even if I don’t like dancing (Ginny ends up dragging me onto the dance floor a few times). This time, unfortunately, Ginny’s dinner didn’t agree with her… so we headed home early.

Once home, I made sure Ginny was comfortable … and went downstairs to dink around with the computers.

I then made my fatal error.

I decided to upgrade the main linux system to Fedora Core 3. I figured it would be fairly straight forward to upgrade from Redhat 8 to FC3.
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New Server


I got a new server … it’s a Dell PowerEdge 420SC … I’ve named it Gondor.

I originally tried to install Fedora Core 3 on it via NFS mount, booting from a compact flash disk, but it didn’t take. Not sure why.

So I burned the CD’s and installed from there. Worked like a champ.

I think I screwed up the Dell diagnostic partition though … or the master boot record. I’ll have to play around with that.

I’m going to slowly migrate stuff over to the new server … it’s not going to be an easy pick-up and drop-off like it was with the last server migration.

Out of disk space

Had a minor emergency today … my main linux machine completely hung up (for no apparent reason at the time).

My first indication that a problem was a foot was when Ginny asked me if there were any problems with our internet connection.

I didn’t think so, but I checked … I could get to DSLReports without a problem … I was even able to run a speed test (with respectable results).

Ginny told me she wasn’t able to get to her blog. So I went over to the actual machines and checked out TheShire to see if something was wrong. Something was. I wasn’t able to logon as root.
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LOL – Ballmer Got It Wrong

Oh I love it … just a followup to my previous post about Microsoft’s FUD … turns out, Ballmer must have misunderstood the facts somewhat massively…

Open source faces no more, if not less, legal risk than proprietary software. The market needs to understand that the study Microsoft is citing actually proves the opposite of what they claim it does.

eWeek – Author of Linux Patent Study Says Ballmer Got It Wrong

<raising glass> Here’s egg on your face, Stevie.

Microsoft – More FUD

At Microsoft’s Asian Government Leaders Forum, Steve Ballmer said …

Someday, for all countries that are entering the WTO (World Trade Organization), somebody will come and look for money owing to the rights for that intellectual property … Linux violated more than 228 patents

Reuters | Microsoft’s Ballmer Warns Asia of Linux Lawsuits

… with regard to government organizations that are switching from Windows to Linux. Of course he did not provide any detail on the alleged violations.

Uh huh … it’s a fine thing to slap down the threat of law suit … tends to scare top level people (which I’m sure is what SB was aiming for) … but put your money where your mouth is, Stevie baby. IDENTIFY the IP violations!

Wouldn’t it be a fine thing if people were required to provide documentation, for alegations made, within a reasonable time period … say 72 hours?