December 2004 - wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Thank you Perry.
by Greig McGill 07 Dec '04

07 Dec '04

Hi all. Perry has hopefully made the meeting reminderbot issue go away for good now. A HUGE thank you to him for doing this. This means you should all be able to start taking the meeting reminders seriously now. :) See you all on Friday. The Fist.

1 0

WLUG Meeting is on monday
by Meeting Reminder bot 06 Dec '04

06 Dec '04

The WLUG meeting is on monday ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !!The Official Annual [WLUG] End of Year Barbeque! In accordance with the prophecy, our end of 2004 [BBQ] is at DaHoose, 3 Liston Crescent, Hillcrest (off Helena Road, by the Gate 1 entrance to Uni/Clyde St roundabout). As the original date of the 4th was wet, we postponed it until the 10th WLUG will provide salad, soft drinks, BBQ, backyard cricket and entertainment. You will need to bring yourself, meat and alcohol should you desire any of these things. Start time of 6pm with BBQ about 7. Check out photos from last years barbeque from [John|http://www.wlug.org.nz/~jrm/wlug-bbq/], [Kyle|http://www.feet.net.nz/gallery/wlugbbq/] or [Phil|http://www.nevada.net.nz/gallery/wlug03].

2 1

Re: wlug Digest, Vol 162, Issue 3
by Roger Oed 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

Hi, Sorry about the lack of detail. It is an external model on COM port 1 (ttyS0) and I have tried a couple. The one I am using at present is a dynalink one. I have tried configuring it using the Network Configuration tool and while it appears that I have been able to activate the PPP link, I don't think it has in reality. How important is an initialisation string for the modem? Thanks Roger wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz wrote: > Send wlug mailing list submissions to > wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > You can reach the person managing the list at > wlug-owner(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of wlug digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Configuring Modem for Email and Internet (Roger Oed) > 2. Re: Configuring Modem for Email and Internet (zcat) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:20:41 +1300 > From: Roger Oed <oed.fam(a)family.net.nz> > Subject: [wlug] Configuring Modem for Email and Internet > To: wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Message-ID: <41AEFA89.60809(a)family.net.nz> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed > > Hi All, > > I am trying to configure my Redhat 8.0 box to work with a modem for > e-mail and Internet access. I have configured my e-mail account > correctly, and have configured a network connection for the modem. When > the machine starts up, during the Bios phase the machine obviously sees > the modem. However, when I try to run the e-mail it immediately returns > an error indicating that it hasn't seen the modem. Can anyone suggest > some tests I can perform to try and identify the source of the error or > any reasons why Linux does not appear to see the modem, please? > > Thanks > Roger > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 09:00:11 +1300 > From: zcat <zcat(a)maxnet.co.nz> > Subject: Re: [wlug] Configuring Modem for Email and Internet > To: oed.tem1(a)family.net.nz, Waikato Linux Users Group > <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Message-ID: <41AF744B.6030408(a)maxnet.co.nz> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Roger Oed wrote: > > >>Hi All, >> >>I am trying to configure my Redhat 8.0 box to work with a modem for >>e-mail and Internet access. I have configured my e-mail account >>correctly, and have configured a network connection for the modem. >>When the machine starts up, during the Bios phase the machine >>obviously sees the modem. However, when I try to run the e-mail it >>immediately returns an error indicating that it hasn't seen the >>modem. Can anyone suggest some tests I can perform to try and >>identify the source of the error or any reasons why Linux does not >>appear to see the modem, please? > > > What sort of modem? External, internal, ISA or PCI? (If you still have > Windows installed, just boot into Windows and tell us what it's > identified as under the Device Manager) > > My first guess is that it's a software-driven modem (aka 'winmodem'; > many of these work in Linux, but almost all require extra drivers and > setting up that aren't part of the standard install. There's probably > helpful info on the wiki if you search for 'winmodem'. > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list > wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > End of wlug Digest, Vol 162, Issue 3 > ************************************ >

3 2

WLUG Xmas BBQ POSTPONED !
by Jamie Curtis 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

Hi All, As the weather looks pretty average, the forcast is for rain developing and we don't have any cover in the back yard, we are going to postpone the BBQ. We will try again for Friday 10th. I'll post an update later in the week. Cheers, Jamie

1 0

WLUG Meeting is tonight
by Meeting Reminder bot 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

The WLUG meeting is this evening ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !!The Official Annual [WLUG] End of Year Barbeque! In accordance with the prophecy, our end of 2004 [BBQ] is at DaHoose, 3 Liston Crescent, Hillcrest (off Helena Road, by the Gate 1 entrance to Uni/Clyde St roundabout). If it's wet, the backup day is Friday the 10th. WLUG will provide salad, soft drinks, BBQ, backyard cricket and entertainment. You will need to bring yourself, meat and alcohol should you desire any of these things. Start time of 3.30 - 4pm with the BBQ starting about 6.30 on Saturday 4th. Start time of 6pm with BBQ about 7 if we need to postpone until Friday 10th. Check out photos from last years barbeque from [John|http://www.wlug.org.nz/~jrm/wlug-bbq/], [Kyle|http://www.feet.net.nz/gallery/wlugbbq/] or [Phil|http://www.nevada.net.nz/gallery/wlug03].

1 0

Configuring Modem for Email and Internet
by Roger Oed 02 Dec '04

02 Dec '04

Hi All, I am trying to configure my Redhat 8.0 box to work with a modem for e-mail and Internet access. I have configured my e-mail account correctly, and have configured a network connection for the modem. When the machine starts up, during the Bios phase the machine obviously sees the modem. However, when I try to run the e-mail it immediately returns an error indicating that it hasn't seen the modem. Can anyone suggest some tests I can perform to try and identify the source of the error or any reasons why Linux does not appear to see the modem, please? Thanks Roger

2 1

In defence of Fedora
by Craig Box 01 Dec '04

01 Dec '04

Hi everyone, The current distro that the WLUG Committee recommend our new users run is Fedora. Mandrake is possibly a 'simpler' distribution, but most of the people who come to help out and post to the mailing list don't run it. In fact, a lot of them don't run Fedora either, but know enough about it to be helpful. If there is enough of a groundswell of people using Mandrake who have learnt it through to expert level and are prepared to help other people, we'd be happier about recommending it. Right now, it's out there, it might suit peoples needs better, but as a club, we can't necessarily help you with it. Fedora is a good combination of useful to new user, well supported, powerful and up to date. Ubuntu is another distribution that fits that bill. Mandrake might be, but I don't know enough to make that call. With regard to yum especially, yum 2.2 in Fedora Core 3 addresses lots of the shortfauls in yum 2.0 (it now has .repo files, which are more like apt's Packages/Releases, instead of thousands of little .hdr files). Perhaps this discussion could be held at http://www.wlug.org.nz/SelectingADistribution which needs an overhaul. We could also perhaps have a list of the top 10 things that are different in each distro (ie how to get security updates, how to get MP3 playback, how to configure your network card). Giving up on the list isn't a good way to stop other people from having problems. Remember also we're more than happy to look at machines at LUG meetings. Just let us know in advance if you need an internet connection so we can arrange one. Craig

3 2

Re: [wlug] Fedora (the one we support) revisited
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 01 Dec '04

01 Dec '04

Hi All, I did make sure that I had a good repo and plenty of mirrors then "yum update" There were 54 items to d/load. at the 11th file, some three hours later (at 47k), a thing called "gzip" failed to down load so it tried mirror after mirror very slowly. Failing on each occasion. I think it was at the fourteenth unsuccessful mirror attempt that I began cutting 25mm lengths off the modem cord. The mirror sites then went by much more quickly as they were unable to connect. The success in this is that there were TONNES of mirrors to try if only I had waited a couple more days things may have been OK and I could have got on with updating yum and possibly installing mplayer. I am finding Fedora to be bad for my self esteem and I note with horror that I have forced myself into the position of the official "idiot question asker". To this end I am unsubscribing from the mailing list so as not to broadcast my ineptitude to all and sundry when doing fubars in the future. The distro that has given me the least grief is "Mandrake"> (yep. Windows user) If any one is willing to burn me a good copy of the latest issue I would be happy if they would contact me off list. Many thanks to all the list members. Regards John. > A bad checksum probably means the file corrupted while you > were downloading it. Possible reasons for this are: > > 1) a web proxy in your path (transparent or otherwise) has > an incomplete copy cached > 2) the file changed while you were downloading it > 3) yum didn't actually finish downloading the file > 4) the copy on the server is incomplete or corrupt. > > To fix this, try running 'yum update' then 'yum install > mplayer' when the update finishes. If that doesn't work, > try adding more yum mirrors to your mirror list - I > notice that your output contained comments regarding 'No > more mirrors to try' etc. > > > As to your second question - it carried on because only > one part of the download failed, the others are all > intact. > > > Thought I was doing fairly good, Wgot the public > key. >Copied freshrpms, fixed a parsing error but now got > a >checksum problem. > >I have saved the whole drama if anyone has time to help I > >would apreciatte it > >Terminal entries follow: > > > >[root(a)localhost john]# yum install mplayer > > > .. > > >http://ayo.freshrpms.net/fedora/linux/3/i386/freshrpms/RP > MS/mplayer-1.0-0.12.20041025.1.fc3.fr.i386.rpm: >[Errno > -1] Package does not match checksum >freshrpms: [Errno > 256] No more mirrors to try. >[root(a)localhost john]# > > > > > >Also why go through the whole download if the thing fails > >the checksum* > >Regards John > > > > >

4 3