Network Installation of openSUSE

This will be my main blog entry discussing the best practices (mine anyway) on setting up a network installation server.

What is the Motivation for this setup?

1) Local Area Networks (LANs) are ubiquitous... even in homes where, chances are, you have a modem to the Internet and next to it is a wireless/ethernet router for multiple wifi and ethernet capable devices (PCs, Laptops, Smartphones, Tablets etc) to connect and surf the web.

2) If you are a Linux/OSS enthusiast, you would be constantly downloading the latest ISOs from the web, burning them onto a DVDs and installing them on physical/virtual machines. This is time/resource intensive... time to download, time to burn a DVD, time/money spent on blank DVDs etc. Of course, if you install openSUSE on virtual machines, you avoid the DVD part of the process but you would still have lots of ISOs on your filesystem... if you have a classroom of 20 machines... well, you get the idea.

3) Almost all PCs and Laptops these days have an ethernet port and are capable of booting up from the network (ie PXE-boot). This means you physically power them on, tell it to go into PXE-boot mode and it will go onto the network and seek out an installation server to download and install the openSUSE binaries.

4) This is an efficient way to install openSUSE onto both physical and virtual machines in a LAN environment where there is only one central place for your software binaries.

Pre-requisites:

i) You have a LAN environment connecting a few machines via the network cable. Although booting from wifi is possible but it is out of the scope of this discussion.

ii) You have a physical machine (preferably*) with openSUSE installed and this will be the designated network installation server.
*It is possible to set this up on a virtual machine but you need to ensure it is connected to the physical LAN in a Bridge networking mode and not the usual NAT networking mode for typical virtual machines.

3 Simple^ Steps to Success:
^Simple - it will become more simple as you do this more frequently.

Step 1: Install and configure Apache2 webserver to host and distribute openSUSE binaries.
Please refer to my other blog entry on this subject - Using Apache2 to deploy & maintain SUSE

Step 2: Install and configure tftpboot server to enable initial boot of target machines over the network.
Please refer to my other blog entry on this subject - Install and configure TFTP server for PXE boot environment

Step 3: Install and configure dhcpd server to provide an IP address for target machines and redirect them to the tftpboot server.
Please refer to my other blog entry on this subject - Install and configure DHCP server

Step 4: On the target physical machines, on boot and depending on the BIOS, activate the boot from LAN option and watch it get an IP address from the Installation Server (via Step 3), followed by connecting to the TFTP server and presenting an installation menu (via Step 2). Enter the choice of OS to install and your installation will commence over the LAN (via Step 1).

Additional points of note:

a) Everything discussed here applies to SLES, SLED and openSUSE. The steps documented are based on openSUSE 11.x and should work on older versions and even the enterprise editions of SUSE.

b) Software installation (apache2, tftpboot, syslinux, dhcpd etc) assumes your SLE or openSUSE server have access to their respective binaries, either in DVD (also ISO) or software repository on the web.

References:

• openSUSE.org - SDB:PXE boot installation


• Novell Cool Solutions - Setting Up a SUSE PXE Installation Server in an Existing NetWare Environment


• Novell Article - Setting up a PXE Boot Server
  

Enjoy!

Mummy dearest and my SLED 11 SP1

My 62 year old and Chinese educated mother used my Thinkpad T61p running SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP1 the other day. Her trusty (ie old) PC running Windows & MS Office opted for early retirement while she was half-way through creating a powerpoint presentation for her Chinese Poetry Club.

Desperate to complete her presentation, she asked if she could use the computers at my place... I told her I do not have Windows but if she was open, she could still get her presentation done on a slightly different program and interface.

I powered up SLED 11 SP1, plugged in her USB thumbdrive and opened up her Chinese poetry presentation in OpenOffice v3.2.1. Next, I showed her how to use SCIM for Chinese character input (toggle via Ctrl-Space & HanYu PinYin input). Left her to it for an hour and she successfully completed her assignment, saved it in PPT format and went home. I did warn her that her presentation may not be 100% WYSIWYG when opened on a Windows PC at her club meeting. *fingers crossed*

My mum came back the next evening to add a few more slides and told me (not surprisingly) that the slides did not turn out 100% as planned but she was resourceful enough to copy-n-paste (what a wonderful invention) the characters from the PPT created in OpenOffice and merge it with a PPT created in MS Office. She even managed to get me off my lazy bum and help create transparency effect (using GIMP) for one of her mid-autumn backgrounds used in the presentation.

Wishing her all the best for that final presentation this evening. I'm so proud of her because:

1. She only picked up basic English and basic Windows & MS Office usage a few years ago at around 50+ years of age.
   
2. She is fearless... there are many people half her age who wouldn't even touch a keyboard with a non-Windows screen in front of them.
3. She is adaptable... man, how many people can use cut-n-paste effectively?

Maybe... just maybe... there is still a glimmer of hope for that elusive "Year of the Linux Desktop"... nah!

The YoLD is Dead; Long Live the YoLD!

Twas the first day of Christmas 2009 and my true love gave to me... a Linux-ready USB WebCam!

First, YoLD = Year of the Linux Desktop. This proclamation has been ringing in my ears since 2004... for some of you, even earlier. I think, collectively, we've come to realize that its an evolution and not a revolution... hence my proclamation:

The YoLD is Dead (2009); Long Live the YoLD (2010)!

Much Thanks and Gratitude to the French for inventing the original. See Wikipedia for details here.

Back to my Christmas gift from my wife. She recalled my frustrations 2 years back in getting a brand-new USB WebCam to work with Linux (openSUSE, SLED, Ubuntu etc). She, a non-IT person, went shopping this Christmas and found a WebCam that explicitly supports Linux! Wow!

And it WORKED! No driver installation/compilation required, true plug and play. Worked with Kopete and also with Skype. It worked on openSUSE 11.2 and SLED 11. Pretty sure it will work on many of the current Linux distributions. The box did say Kernel 2.6.21 & above. Here are a few pictures of the box.



Yes, I'm helping to advertise for this vendor because they deserve my support for their explicit Linux support.

Finally, I credit this Blog entry to my wife. Thanks dear, you're the best!

ATI 3D Desktop Effects on SLED 11

This week, I find myself in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This is my first trip to Sri Lanka so its exciting for me to visit new places and people. The event is Novell's India Partner Academy where we see hundreds of partners from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka converge in Colombo to hear Novell's commitment, roadmaps and sharing of experiences so as to be more effective.

Anyway, I never wrote how to enable 3D Dekstop Effects with ATI graphics card as my personal Thinkpad uses nVidia. However, I had the opportunity to help Henry, our India Partner Executive, setup his Thinkpad T60p (with ATI Mobility FireGL V5250) with 3D Effects. As usual, the 3D Effects are already installed on his SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11. Its the graphics driver that is not 3D capable as Novell does not ship proprietary drivers with the base SLED 11.

Usually, the recommended and easy way is to use YaST Novell Customer Center Configuration. Upon successful registration, you will get an ATI repository setup in your YaST Software Repositories. All you need to do next is to install x11-video-fglrxG01 from YaST Software Management.

However, using the recommended method above failed to work for me for this particular Thinkpad T60p. The drivers installed successfully but X refuse to start and after a few flickers we are left with a blank black screen. Thus, I'm forced to go down the manual path where I download the latest ATI Catalyst driver and compiled a driver.

Here's a brief journal of what I did. NOTE that this is the manual method and should only be used if the recommended/easy/painless method described above does not work. The disadvantage of using this method is that you will need to repeat these steps (recompiling the driver) everytime you upgrade your SLE kernel. Here goes:

1) Go to http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx and select Linux (x86 for 32-bit and x86_64 for 64-bit of SLED 11), followed by FireGL and Mobility FireGL V5000 and click GO. Scroll to the bottom and click to download the ATI Catalyst Proprietary Linux Driver (version 9.3 at the time of this writing).

2) Once downloaded, as root, make the file executable < chmod +x ati-driver-installer-9-3-x86.x86_64.run >

3) Next, to list the driver build options (for different Linux Distro) via < ./ati-driver-installer-9-3-x86.x86_64.run --listpkg >. You should see SuSE/SLE11-IA32 amongst the many other SuSE entries.

4) Next, to build the driver for SLED 11, execute < ./ati-driver-installer-9-3-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg SuSE/SLE11-IA32 > (since the installed SLED 11 is 32-bit)

5) The result is a generated RPM called fglrx_7_4_0_SLE11-8.593-1.i386.rpm. Before you install this RPM, please get to runlevel 3 via the command < init 3 >

6) Install the RPM via < rpm -ivh fglrx_7_4_0_SLE11-8.593-1.i386.rpm >

7) Finally, execute SaX2 tool to configure this puppy via < sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx >

8) With SaX2 configuration completed, go back to runlevel 5 via < init 5 > and enable Desktop Effects via the Computer -> Control Center -> Desktop Effects.

A good brief reference is also available at "ATI Installer HOWTO for SUSE/Novell Users" at http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/ati-installer-HOWTO.html

Done.

I was at Computex 2009 too!

Yup, I was there from 3-6 June earlier this month... due to my traveling schedule and procrastination, well... mostly procrastination, I end up posting this "me too" post 2 days before the end of June.

Anyway, I hereby present some SUSE highlights, photos and a video of the event from my perspective:

1) With our close collaboration with Intel on Moblin, we are 1 of 2 software vendors allowed to have a booth on the traditionally hardware vendor ONLY show floor.



2) On display are SUSE Studio (beta) and a whole string of Netbooks from Acer, MSI and ASUS loaded with openSUSE 11.1 with Moblin GUI. Really sweet!



3) I found some time to go up to the 83 or 85th floor on the famous Taipei 101... what a view of the city!



4) Finally, a picture of all the hardworking Novell folks (hackers, managers, sales, marketing) who pulled this first-of-its-kind presence at Computex. Also in the picture are attractive promoters and a dude who was in a Geeko suit.



Speaking of mascots, here is a video of a Computex mascot mixing it up with our SUSE Geeko... looks like we'll need to hire the guy (or gal) in the Computex mascot to our Geeko suit for next year... Enjoy!

Getting caught between China vs Google

Traveling to China for a business trip this week, I found myself caught up between the tug-o-war between China and Google, with China being displeased with the little effort Google makes to filter out porn via certain search words on their site. It also made me realized my dependency for Google services... time for a re-think.

Anyway, I was happily reading my feeds via iGoogle, checking my emails on Gmail and doing lots of searches on Google on Wednesday afternoon (24th June 2009). Things weren't so rosy after dinner as I found that my browser keeps getting connection resent errors to anything related to Google (google.com, blogspot.com and youtube.com).

This went on till Friday morning (26th June 2009) when Google.com services were resumed. However, I still could not get onto Blogspot or YouTube. Even now, as I'm sitting in my hotel lobby waiting for my transportation to the international airport, I still do not have access to Blogspot or YouTube. Not that it matters too much since I'm heading home to Singapore in another few hours.

Astute readers will wonder how did I manage to post this entry on my blog while still behind the Great Firewall of China? Its not the most efficient way (from networking and data perspective) but I managed to gain remote-desktop access to my SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 running on my home PC in Singapore. Here's a link to my previous posts (2008) on the various options for remote desktop access to SLED [Part1 and Part2].

3G Surfing with SLED 11

YES, it works! Out of the box babe!

With reference to my previous entry last year and compared to getting my Telco's(StarHub) 3G mobile broadband modem(Huawei E270) to work [link here], life is so much better in SLED 11. Here are the really simple steps:

1) Plug in my 3G modem(Huawei E270) via USB.
2) Wait 5 seconds and my NetworkManager applet on my desktop picks it up. Select Properties under the device shown and do a 1-time setup (eg click the Connect Automatically checkbox).
3) Wait for the connection and DONE! Its that simple... so simple that I wondered if I should blog about it. Hahaha .

Life is good.

External Projector or Screens with SLED 11, nVidia and Thinkpad T61p

Having setup my SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 on Thinkpad T61p working with Xen previously [link here], I now needed to project my screen (1920x1200) onto an external projector (typically 1024x768). Additionally, I have an external LCD monitor which I would like to use as my secondary monitor (ie Multi-head, desktop spanning blah).

Good news is it WORKS!

Here are my observations and the neat little trick (tool) that worked for me:

Note: After plugging in the VGA cable to Thinkpad T61p, always restart (re-initialized) X11 (Ctrl-Alt-Backspace) before doing anything else. On SLED 11, you will need to hit Ctrl-Alt-Backspace TWICE within 1-2 seconds. I think this is a newly introduced safety feature to avoid accidentally hitting this key combination and killing the entire X11.

1) SAX2 in SLED 11 does not seem to drive the nVidia driver like it used to do in SLED 10, especially the part where we configure Dual Head Mode. Irregardless of how I tried to configure the Dual Head Mode settings in SAX2, when I connect to an external projector or LCD monitor and after re-initializing X11, SLED 11 will project itself onto the external display and my Thinkpad LCD will be blank.

2) The trick to get the display to show on both the Thinkpad LCD (1920x1200) and external screens in the correct resolution is to use the nVidia tool that comes with the driver. As root, you startl it up via nvidia-settings. Below are 2 screenshots of it in action. I run it as root so that any changes I made can be written to the xorg.conf file directly.



If I had an external screen connected to my Thinkpad T61p as I'm writing this, the second screenshot would have 2 screens set side-by-side for me to configure the resolution, position and designate the primary display when using the TwinView mode.

Of course, the SLED 11 3D desktop effects continue to work across screens. Very sweet... so sweet that my good friend, a loyal Windows Vista user and graphics guru, is impressed.

nVidia 3D desktop effects with Xen on SLED 11

YES! I did it! I've moved all my machines from SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 SP2 to SUSE Linux Enterprise 11. As you can see from the screenshot above, 3D effects (Desktop Cube) with Windows XP running as a virtual guest on Xen on the right.

Those who knows me understands that this is not just about popping in a DVD and installing a vanilla OS. To be truly productive in my environment, I need to be sure (ie test, test, test) this new SLE 11 can meet and/or exceed my expectations on function/feature and interoperability with my essential applications.

So here is my first entry on how I customized my SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11. I need desktop applications and eye-candy (3D effects) as well as the Xen virtualization engine. On my Thinkpad T61p, I have an nVidia Quadro FX570M. I want to be able to boot into a Xen kernel and still have the wonderful 3D desktop effects.

Pre-Reqs: Ensure you have installed the C/C++ Compiler and Tools installation pattern and the kernel-source package.

1) Download the latest nVidia Linux driver. At the time of this writing, its version 180.44. To find out which is the latest driver, check out this sticky thread on nvnew.net. Alternatively, you can go directly to nvidia.com, provide information on your card and have it re-direct you to the right driver via this link.

Note 1: Since this is a proprietary driver, obviously it would not be packaged with the default SLED 11. Nonetheless, upon vanilla install, the open source nv driver did a good job and was able to display high-res (1920x1200). Unfortunately, I did not have as much luck enabling the 3D desktop effects.

Note 2: The steps below is considered a manual/hard way of installing nVidia drivers. The advantage is you can use the latest (greatest?) driver from nVidia immediately. However, the down-side is you will need to recompile this driver every time you upgrade your Linux kernel (all other updates are ok). For an easier way, also known as the repository way where we use the nVidia Online Repository via YaST, to download and automatically install pre-compiled drivers. Please refer to these online docs [here and here] for a general idea between these 2 install options.


2) With SLED 11 (default, non-Xen kernel) running, switch to TTY1 (Ctrl-Alt-F1). Login as root and switch to runlevel 3 via the command <init 3>. Execute the NVIDIA driver you have downloaded. You might need to make that driver executable first via <chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-180.44-pkg2.run > and execute it < ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-180.44-pkg2.run >

The driver installation program is rather straight-forward (most of the time just hitting Enter and choosing Yes). The program will inform you it cannot find any pre-compiled driver, just hit Enter and it will go ahead and compile the driver for SLED 11. If you are running a 64-bit SLED 11, it will offer to install 32-bit compatible "stuff", just accept it with Yes. Finally, it will offer to edit your configuration files, accept it with Yes. Easy.

Finally, edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and change "Off" to "On" in the following line:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "on"
EndSection


3) Test that the nVidia driver works by going back to runlevel 5 via the command <init 5>. You should get full GUI. Log in and enable the 3D desktop effects Computer -> Control Center -> Look & Feel -> Desktop Effect. Check the Enable desktop effects checkbox.

Tip: After clicking on the checkbox, a dialog box asking if you want to keep the new settings appear. WAIT! DO NOT click Yes for another 3-5 seconds. This allows time for the 3D engine to initialize and should anything go wrong, it will revert back to 2D in 30 seconds automatically. Only when you see 3D effects (ie try moving the opened windows around), then click Yes on the dialog box to keep these settings.


4) As root, copy the compiled nvidia driver to another location and rename it for safe keeping. This is important because you will need to run the nVidia installer program again against the Xen kernel. This process will over-ride and remove this previously compiled driver for the default kernel.

As root and in your root directory (/root), execute the following command:
< cp /lib/modules/2.6.27.19-5-default/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko ./nvidia.ko.default >


5) Reboot SLED 11 into the Xen kernel. You should fail to enter runlevel 5 (Full GUI) as the required nVidia driver for Xen has not been compiled yet. Log in as root on TTY1 and Re-run the nVidia installation program but do it via this "magic" line:

< IGNORE_XEN_PRESENCE=y CC="gcc -DNV_VMAP_4_PRESENT -DNV_SIGNAL_STRUCT_RLIM" ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-180.44-pkg2.run >

The nVidia driver installation program will run again (see step 2) and this time, it will compile the driver against the Xen kernel. Highly recommend you take a copy of the newly compile nVidia driver:

< cp /lib/modules/2.6.27.19-5-xen/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko ./nvidia.ko.xen >

Once successfully completed, go into runlevel 5 and voila!

6) To ensure that you can have full desktop GUI and 3D effects on both SLED 11 Default and Xen kernel, verify and copy the correct <nvidia.ko> files previously backed up (nvidia.ko.default and nvidia.ko.xen) respectively to:

(nvidia.ko.default) -> /lib/modules/2.6.27.19-5-default/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko
(nvidia.ko.xen) -> /lib/modules/2.6.27.19-5-xen/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko

Done and done!