From jimbo at ucc.asn.au Sun Feb 3 04:44:19 2019 From: jimbo at ucc.asn.au (jimbo) Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2019 04:44:19 +0800 Subject: [tech] Cerberus shutdown due to hardware fault Message-ID: <3a27ce2d9d16a12e5ef0efa74ac99bec@ucc.asn.au> Hi tech, wheel, At around 4 am this morning, the machine powering the 3-screen display board (Cerberus), began making an loud mechanical screeching noise which I believe to be a fan failure of some kind. To prevent possible damage and mitigate noise I have powered off the machine for the time being. This means the display board is now blank, but to the best of my knowledge no other services were run from Cerberus. I will likely be in the clubroom at some point in the latter half of next week and can look into it further, but if anyone else would like to investigate the issue before then it would be appreciated. Cheers, James Arcus [MPT] UCC Committee & Wheel Member From melissa at melissastar.com.au Mon Feb 4 23:37:13 2019 From: melissa at melissastar.com.au (Melissa Star) Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2019 23:37:13 +0800 Subject: [tech] Getting 5 x "Mr Coffee" Sun Thin Client Machines working Message-ID: Hi, I'd like to pass on what I've done so far towards getting the five little Sun "thin client machines running". We have located a guide here, which includes both the full set of instructions to configure and network boot the machines, and Linux kernel images: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/other-formats/html_single/JavaStation-HOWTO.html If you want to see what the machines have inside and look like starting up, go to: https://hackaday.com/2018/04/10/the-forgotten-workstation-sun-javastation/ The effort to get these machines booted would probably be a half day to whole day of work, but once done ALL FIVE machines will work, and any simple PC, even a window box, can serve them the O/S images they need in order to boot up. They are fairly low spec, with 100Mhz CPUs, 32MB of RAM, and a 10Mbps ethernet port as well as a serial port. But they can definitely run Linux and perform certain tasks, such as being a low-end X-terminal. Each needs a PS/2 style mouse and keyboard, and a VGA monitor. Regards, Melissa Star -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/pipermail/tech/attachments/20190204/3a554d71/attachment.htm From trs80 at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au Tue Feb 5 00:14:20 2019 From: trs80 at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au (James Andrewartha) Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2019 00:14:20 +0800 (AWST) Subject: [tech] Upgraded SOGo on mussel In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Sat, 1 Dec 2018, James Andrewartha wrote: > In other news, I upgraded to SOGo 4.0.4 from testing before I worked this > out and it has a lovely Material Design look now. It's also still pointing > at LDAP, not AD. But I've shaved enough of the yak to get my contacts > synced from my old phone to my new, so I'll leave it for the time being. With the death of LDAP, moving it to AD wasn't too hard. First step was to create a service account with /home/wheel/bin/ucc-addserviceaccount-ad (thanks to [FVP] for adapting the existing user script). This sets a random password, I lost a bit of time trying to get samba-tool user getpassword to work but in the end I just set a password and updated mussel:/etc/sogo/sogo.conf This didn't work, it was still trying to connect to LDAP. Some digging around found https://salsa.debian.org/debian/sogo/blob/debian/SoObjects/SOGo/SOGoSystemDefaults.m which implied I should move the .GNUstepDefaults and sogod.plist files in /home/other/calendar/GNUstep/Defaults out of the way, and now it's working fine again. The log does note "Feb 05 00:05:16 sogod [17165]: <0x0x1a602f8[NGImap4Client]> Could not start TLS." I see that SOGo is pointing at imapproxy on localhost (mussel), is it worth pointing it at motsugo directly? -- # TRS-80 trs80(a)ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au #/ "Otherwise Bub here will do \ # UCC Wheel Member http://trs80.ucc.asn.au/ #| what squirrels do best | [ "There's nobody getting rich writing ]| -- Collect and hide your | [ software that I know of" -- Bill Gates, 1980 ]\ nuts." -- Acid Reflux #231 / From zanchey at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au Tue Feb 5 21:40:01 2019 From: zanchey at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au (David Adam) Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2019 21:40:01 +0800 (AWST) Subject: [tech] Getting 5 x "Mr Coffee" Sun Thin Client Machines working In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Mon, 4 Feb 2019, Melissa Star wrote: > I'd like to pass on what I've done so far towards getting the five little > Sun "thin client machines running". > > We have located a guide here, which includes both the full set of > instructions to configure and network boot the machines, and Linux kernel > images: > > http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/other-formats/html_single/JavaStation-HOWTO.html > > > If you want to see what the machines have inside and look like starting up, > go to: > > https://hackaday.com/2018/04/10/the-forgotten-workstation-sun-javastation/ > > The effort to get these machines booted would probably be a half day to > whole day of work, but once done ALL FIVE machines will work, and any > simple PC, even a window box, can serve them the O/S images they need in > order to boot up. > > They are fairly low spec, with 100Mhz CPUs, 32MB of RAM, and a 10Mbps > ethernet port as well as a serial port. But they can definitely run Linux > and perform certain tasks, such as being a low-end X-terminal. > > Each needs a PS/2 style mouse and keyboard, and a VGA monitor. Cool. These were donated to us back in 2006 by CSSE, along with a Netra server to run them. I don't remember how far we got; there's some work in murasoi:/tftpboot/javastation (including a Linux image dated 2009). It looks like it's still set up to serve the PROLL and image to 130.95.13.93, if you want to try, though DHCP isn't set up. Meersau (the Linux terminal server) was originally an LTSP endpoint, and is the logical X server if you are looking for one. David Adam zanchey at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au From bob at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au Mon Feb 11 19:21:05 2019 From: bob at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au (Andrew Adamson) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2019 19:21:05 +0800 (AWST) Subject: [tech] Clownfish needs an upgrade Message-ID: Hi all, Does anyone have some time to upgrade mint on clownfish to version 19? It has 17.3, which is pretty old. Probably best to do a clean install rather than bothering with taking it through all the intermediate versions. Andrew Adamson bob at ucc.asn.au |"If you can't beat them, join them, and then beat them." | | ---Peter's Laws | From frekk at ucc.asn.au Sat Feb 23 10:12:55 2019 From: frekk at ucc.asn.au (Felix von Perger) Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 10:12:55 +0800 Subject: [tech] Tech talks Message-ID: <9ea29c9a-c0ee-d1f5-dc00-3488a992d023@ucc.asn.au> Hi all, Just a quick request on behalf of UCC - Would anyone be interested in running a tech talk or workshop for UCC sometime in the next couple of months? We have reserved a weekly slot on Thursday evenings starting on March 21st for this sort of event and it would be absolutely fantastic if anyone would be willing to volunteer their time to help. If you are not available on Thursdays but are still keen then please let me know and we can probably sort out something else. Thanks! Best regards, Felix von Perger [FVP] UCC President From frekk at ucc.asn.au Sat Feb 23 10:12:55 2019 From: frekk at ucc.asn.au (Felix von Perger) Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 10:12:55 +0800 Subject: [tech] Tech talks Message-ID: <9ea29c9a-c0ee-d1f5-dc00-3488a992d023@ucc.asn.au> Hi all, Just a quick request on behalf of UCC - Would anyone be interested in running a tech talk or workshop for UCC sometime in the next couple of months? We have reserved a weekly slot on Thursday evenings starting on March 21st for this sort of event and it would be absolutely fantastic if anyone would be willing to volunteer their time to help. If you are not available on Thursdays but are still keen then please let me know and we can probably sort out something else. Thanks! Best regards, Felix von Perger [FVP] UCC President From andrew at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au Sat Feb 23 21:01:03 2019 From: andrew at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au (Andrew Williams) Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 21:01:03 +0800 Subject: [tech] Tech talks In-Reply-To: <9ea29c9a-c0ee-d1f5-dc00-3488a992d023@ucc.asn.au> References: <9ea29c9a-c0ee-d1f5-dc00-3488a992d023@ucc.asn.au> Message-ID: On 2019-02-23 10:12 AM, Felix von Perger wrote: > Would anyone be interested in running a tech talk or workshop for UCC > sometime in the next couple of months? > > We have reserved a weekly slot on Thursday evenings starting on March > 21st for this sort of event and it would be absolutely fantastic if > anyone would be willing to volunteer their time to help. If you are not > available on Thursdays but are still keen then please let me know and we > can probably sort out something else. Yep, I can do a talk on the electronics/python internals of the Murchison Widefield array telescope, and coding in astronomy. That's assuming there are enough people - if it's a only a handful that are interested, they might as well just come visit the lab at Curtin and have a look around. Andrew From frekk at ucc.asn.au Wed Feb 27 09:42:55 2019 From: frekk at ucc.asn.au (Felix von Perger) Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2019 09:42:55 +0800 Subject: [tech] Downtime & R.I.P. Maltair (again!) In-Reply-To: References: <000d01d42fe7$c03d9840$40b8c8c0$@ucc.asn.au> Message-ID: Hi all, Unfortunately our dear Maltair has suffered the same fate as it did just a few months ago, again - in other words, the builtin regulator on the /replacement/ motherboard has failed in the exact same manner as in the original system. Given that the recommended firmware upgrade had been applied, which was supposed to prevent (or at least reduce the chance of) this particular mode of failure, and it cooked itself anyway, I would imagine we should avoid purchasing more secondhand IBM x3550 M4 servers. Since Maltair is no longer in service, we have a noticeable decrease in available VM hosting resources (particularly RAM), and it would be nice to still try to re-use some of the still-functional hardware from the now-dead Maltair in another server of similar vintage (but preferably of a different brand). Something like a Dell R620 or R720 would probably be worth considering - although it would definitely pay to check that the exact CPU and RAM types from Maltair will be compatible with whatever we purchase. Alternatively we could splash out a bit and invest in something new, suggestions are welcome. Best regards, Felix von Perger [FVP] UCC President & Wheel Member On 14/8/18 6:25 pm, bob at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au wrote: > Update: I managed to find the VT261 on the mobo last night. I looks like > the one in the aliexpress link in my last email. I've ordered a couple off > aliexpress, but they will take a few weeks to get here. When they arrive, > we have some Damn Finnicky soldering to do (it's surrounded by 0402 sized > components). Oh, and [TPG] had a chat to a rep from Maxim, and apparently > datasheets for the Volterra VT261 were never made public, so we kinda just > have to hope that this chip is the thing that's broken. > > Andrew Adamson > bob at ucc.asn.au > > |"If you can't beat them, join them, and then beat them." | > | ---Peter's Laws | > > On Thu, 9 Aug 2018, Bob Adamson wrote: > >> Felix and I de-racked maltair tonight and I pulled its mobo out. The Lenovo >> page lists only a "VT261" 5V regulator as probably being damaged, so I >> figured we should just be able to find and replace it. Famous last words. >> >> Google turns up VT261WFQR-ADJ as (the only) possible candidate for what >> VT261 refers to. Unfortunately, googling further for the VT261WFQR-ADJ >> datasheet only shows up a Maxim datasheet, which makes sense since they >> bought out Volterra in 2013. Just to make things really interesting, the >> kynix site (the only result that has a datasheet) links to an Intersil >> datasheet: https://www.kynix.com/uploadfiles/pdf8827/ICL7660ACBA-T.pdf . >> The maxim site was a bit more forthcoming once I knew a newer part number ( >> https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/ICL7660-MAX1044.pdf ), but I >> didn't have any luck looking for 7660 on any of the mobo chips. >> >> More googling later, and even turning to countries that have a robust market >> for *ahem* aftermarket goods, shows up this: >> https://ru.aliexpress.com/item/VT261WF-VT261MF-VT261WFQX-ADJ-QFN-1-integrate >> d-circuit/32818058390.html , which is possibly-maybe the thing we should be >> looking for on the mobo. There were a few shiny chips on the board, but I >> need to return at a later date with my shiny new USB microscope to check >> further. >> >> If anyone else wants to take a look at it, please be careful about flexing >> the board while handling (it's very big) and also be careful not to knock >> off any components (they're very small, and I mean like >.< this big). >> >> Oh, and I manually migrated all network-stored VM's to medico today, and I >> believe Felix did the remaining locally stored VM's this evening. >> >> --Bob >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: tech-bounces+bob=ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au >> [mailto:tech-bounces+bob=ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au] On Behalf Of >> Felix von Perger >> Sent: Wednesday, 8 August 2018 11:51 PM >> To: tech at ucc.asn.au >> Subject: [tech] Downtime & R.I.P. Maltair >> >> Dear tech subscribers, >> >> For those of you who have not been following the committee discussions of >> the last week or so, there was a total service outage this morning between >> 8:00 and 10:00 which was due to RCD testing in Cameron Hall. >> Apologies for any inconvenience. >> >> Sadly, in the process of turning things back on after the power was >> restored, an IMM2 firmware bug on Maltair seems to have rendered it >> permanently unbootable (see >> https://support.lenovo.com/au/en/solutions/ht118532). [CFE] performed a >> firmware upgrade this evening to the latest version (v6.8) from v4.3 however >> it seems like the damage has already been done and either the entire >> motherboard or the builtin 5V voltage regulator will need to be replaced or >> repaired. >> >> Due to Maltair being presently out of action, additional downtime may be >> experienced for certain services that were previously hosted on Maltair. >> Since Maltair accounted for most of our RAM availability, member VMs with >> large RAM requirements may remain powered off for the time being or have >> their maximum RAM reduced. >> >> Any suggestions for replacement hardware for Maltair are welcome. The >> existing server is a 1RU IBM System x3550 M4 (7914/7915), and it is likely >> that the majority of its parts (CPU, RAM, RAID, 10Gb NIC, PSUs) are still >> functional despite the system board being fried. >> >> Best regards, >> >> Felix von Perger [FVP] >> UCC Secretary & Wheel Member >> >> _______________________________________________ >> List Archives: http://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/pipermail/tech >> >> Unsubscribe here: >> http://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/mailman/options/tech/bob%40ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au >> >> _______________________________________________ >> List Archives: http://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/pipermail/tech >> >> Unsubscribe here: http://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/mailman/options/tech/bob%40ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au >> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/pipermail/tech/attachments/20190227/1c8a553f/attachment-0001.htm