rootninja

I just spent the last 45 minutes trimming the fat from a default fedora install! Forty-five minutes!!! Well I think it’s a default installation… I didn’t install the image, but one thing is for sure — this image is full of desktop crap.

Apr 17 10:42:55 Erased: rss-glx
Apr 17 10:42:57 Erased: rss-glx-gnome-screensaver
Apr 17 10:43:03 Erased: lohit-fonts-oriya
Apr 17 10:43:06 Erased: lohit-fonts-telugu
Apr 17 10:43:08 Erased: lohit-fonts-gujarati
Apr 17 10:43:11 Erased: lohit-fonts-kannada
Apr 17 10:43:13 Erased: lohit-fonts-punjabi
Apr 17 10:43:15 Erased: lohit-fonts-tamil
Apr 17 10:43:18 Erased: lohit-fonts-bengali
Apr 17 10:43:20 Erased: lohit-fonts-hindi
Apr 17 10:44:07 Erased: neverball
Apr 17 10:44:26 Erased: reiserfs-utils
Apr 17 10:44:55 Erased: pirut
Apr 17 10:45:02 Erased: pykickstart
Apr 17 10:46:14 Erased: hpijs
Apr 17 10:46:14 Erased: sane-backends
Apr 17 10:46:16 Erased: lm_sensors
Apr 17 10:46:18 Erased: hplip
Apr 17 10:46:20 Erased: net-snmp-libs
Apr 17 10:46:21 Erased: gkrellm
Apr 17 10:46:23 Erased: sane-backends-libs
Apr 17 10:46:24 Erased: libsane-hpaio
Apr 17 10:46:48 Erased: bzflag
Apr 17 10:46:57 Erased: rhgb
Apr 17 10:47:23 Erased: nvidia-driver-installer
Apr 17 10:48:26 Erased: compiz
Apr 17 10:49:05 Erased: compiz-gnome
Apr 17 10:49:07 Erased: comps-extras
Apr 17 10:49:42 Erased: vino
Apr 17 10:49:47 Erased: nspluginwrapper
Apr 17 10:50:06 Erased: pulseaudio-esound-compat
Apr 17 10:50:34 Erased: libflashsupport
Apr 17 10:50:49 Erased: alsamixergui
Apr 17 10:51:04 Erased: libbtctl
Apr 17 10:51:04 Erased: gnome-bluetooth-libs
Apr 17 10:51:05 Erased: gnokii
Apr 17 10:51:06 Erased: gnome-vfs2-obexftp
Apr 17 10:51:06 Erased: bluez-utils-cups
Apr 17 10:51:09 Erased: bluez-gnome
Apr 17 10:51:15 Erased: gnome-phone-manager
Apr 17 10:51:17 Erased: bluez-libs
Apr 17 10:52:03 Erased: emacs-common
Apr 17 10:52:04 Erased: emacs-nox
Apr 17 10:52:26 Erased: f-spot
Apr 17 10:52:49 Erased: fedora-screensaver-theme
Apr 17 10:52:50 Erased: fedorainfinity-screensaver-theme
Apr 17 10:52:53 Erased: gnome-screensaver
Apr 17 10:53:33 Erased: gnome-session
Apr 17 10:53:38 Erased: gnome-media
Apr 17 10:53:43 Erased: nautilus-cd-burner
Apr 17 10:53:51 Erased: gnome-volume-manager
Apr 17 10:54:07 Erased: gnome-applets
Apr 17 10:54:10 Erased: pgadmin3
Apr 17 10:54:16 Erased: control-center
Apr 17 10:54:19 Erased: gstreamer-tools
Apr 17 10:54:22 Erased: gstreamer-plugins-good
Apr 17 10:54:27 Erased: gstreamer
Apr 17 10:54:28 Erased: wxGTK
Apr 17 10:54:32 Erased: gnome-power-manager
Apr 17 10:54:35 Erased: gstreamer-plugins-base
Apr 17 10:55:19 Erased: eog
Apr 17 10:56:11 Erased: tetex
Apr 17 10:56:15 Erased: tetex-latex
Apr 17 10:56:17 Erased: sazanami-fonts-gothic
Apr 17 10:56:19 Erased: jomolhari-fonts
Apr 17 10:56:21 Erased: paktype-fonts
Apr 17 10:56:25 Erased: tetex-fonts
Apr 17 10:56:26 Erased: baekmuk-ttf-fonts-gulim
Apr 17 10:56:28 Erased: baekmuk-ttf-fonts-common
Apr 17 10:56:29 Erased: tetex-dvips
Apr 17 10:56:30 Erased: texinfo-tex
Apr 17 10:56:30 Erased: a2ps
Apr 17 10:57:14 Erased: cjkunifonts-uming
Apr 17 10:57:16 Erased: kacst-fonts
Apr 17 10:57:49 Erased: galculator
Apr 17 10:58:05 Erased: opengl-games-utils
Apr 17 10:58:38 Erased: pulseaudio-module-x11
Apr 17 10:58:39 Erased: pulseaudio
Apr 17 10:58:40 Erased: pulseaudio-module-gconf
Apr 17 10:59:37 Erased: gnome-doc-utils
Apr 17 10:59:38 Erased: gnome-desktop-devel
Apr 17 10:59:49 Erased: yelp
Apr 17 10:59:51 Erased: gnome-doc-utils-stylesheets
Apr 17 11:00:49 Erased: gimp
Apr 17 11:00:50 Erased: gimp-libs
Apr 17 11:00:51 Erased: gnome-backgrounds
Apr 17 11:00:52 Erased: doxygen
Apr 17 11:00:56 Erased: gimp-help
Apr 17 11:01:02 Erased: gimp-help
Apr 17 11:01:32 Erased: bug-buddy
Apr 17 11:01:41 Erased: gnome-pilot
Apr 17 11:01:43 Erased: gnome-pilot-devel
Apr 17 11:02:25 Erased: gphoto2
Apr 17 11:02:29 Erased: gthumb
Apr 17 11:02:31 Erased: gnome-audio
Apr 17 11:03:01 Erased: httpd-tools
Apr 17 11:03:01 Erased: httpd
Apr 17 11:03:05 Erased: gnome-user-share
Apr 17 11:03:12 Erased: gutenprint
Apr 17 11:03:13 Erased: gutenprint-foomatic
Apr 17 11:04:17 Erased: gparted
Apr 17 11:04:18 Erased: openvpn
Apr 17 11:04:19 Erased: NetworkManager-openvpn
Apr 17 11:04:20 Erased: parted
Apr 17 11:04:21 Erased: nash
Apr 17 11:04:22 Erased: mkinitrd
Apr 17 11:07:59 Erased: gnome-sharp
Apr 17 11:08:37 Erased: gtweakui
Apr 17 11:09:05 Erased: libXScrnSaver
Apr 17 11:09:06 Erased: libXScrnSaver-devel
Apr 17 11:10:30 Erased: libgnomeprintui22
Apr 17 11:10:34 Erased: gnome-utils
Apr 17 11:10:39 Erased: libgnomeprintui22-devel
Apr 17 11:10:43 Erased: gedit
Apr 17 11:10:47 Erased: libgnomeprint22-devel
Apr 17 11:10:48 Erased: libgnomeprint22
Apr 17 11:11:00 Erased: libtheora
Apr 17 11:11:00 Erased: libvorbis-devel
Apr 17 11:11:01 Erased: libogg
Apr 17 11:11:02 Erased: libogg-devel
Apr 17 11:11:03 Erased: libvorbis
Apr 17 11:13:09 Erased: gpm-devel
Apr 17 11:13:28 Erased: pilot-link-devel
Apr 17 11:13:28 Erased: pilot-link
Apr 17 11:13:51 Erased: pcmciautils
Apr 17 11:14:26 Erased: vnc-server
Apr 17 11:14:32 Erased: vnc-libs
Apr 17 11:14:32 Erased: vnc
Apr 17 11:25:01 Erased: openobex
Apr 17 11:25:21 Erased: vsftpd
Apr 17 11:25:42 Erased: srecord
Apr 17 11:25:59 Erased: xorg-x11-drivers
Apr 17 11:26:00 Erased: synaptics
Apr 17 11:26:18 Erased: samba
Apr 17 11:26:24 Erased: samba-common
Apr 17 11:26:25 Erased: samba-client
Apr 17 11:27:05 Erased: redhat-lsb
Apr 17 11:27:07 Erased: cups
Apr 17 11:27:12 Erased: paps
Apr 17 11:27:12 Erased: libgnomecups
Apr 17 11:27:18 Erased: ntfs-3g
Apr 17 11:27:18 Erased: ntfsprogs
Apr 17 11:28:21 Erased: file-roller
Apr 17 11:28:30 Erased: policycoreutils-gui
Apr 17 11:29:54 Erased: alsa-utils
Apr 17 11:30:09 Erased: gnome-panel-devel
Apr 17 11:30:10 Erased: gnome-libs-devel
Apr 17 11:30:11 Erased: alsa-lib-devel
Apr 17 11:30:12 Erased: libgnomeuimm26-devel
Apr 17 11:30:13 Erased: libgnome-devel
Apr 17 11:30:14 Erased: libgnomemm26-devel
Apr 17 11:30:14 Erased: libbonoboui-devel
Apr 17 11:30:15 Erased: esound-devel
Apr 17 11:30:15 Erased: libgnomeui-devel
Apr 17 11:30:17 Erased: SDL-devel
Apr 17 11:30:27 Erased: curl-devel
Apr 17 11:30:44 Erased: iwl4965-firmware
Apr 17 11:31:00 Erased: paps-libs

Ok, it’s not all junk, but I didn’t need any of this stuff for this server.

Can anyone think of any other audio related packages I can get rid of? I don’t need audio, cd burning, flashy 3d graphics, printing, image or video playback/record capabilities on this machine at all.

Uncategorized bloat, desktop, fedora, junk, server, uninstall, yum

In Ubuntu, Fedora and other systems I’ve seen rsyslog running on, to see the console messages you have to have physical access to the server usually through a KVM or IP-KVM setup. Kernel messages are sent to /dev/console while mail, crit, debug, and others get sent to files.

to tail

Any of these message can be monitored remotely since they’re output as files by using the tail utility. Executing tail with the –follow switch in a shell allows you to watch the ouput as it is written to a file, in real time. So all you have to do is write kern messages to a file too…

or not to tail

But why tail a file when you could just send the kernel messages straight to a user account name. Instead of specifying a path to a file within rsylog.conf, add a user name instead or in addition to a file path.

Now whenever i’m logged in as rootninja it’s just like i’m right there at the console.

log spillage

If you’re spewing out logs faster than rsyslog can handle and you’re comfortable with the possibility of losing data if you get a system crash between the write and the next disk sync, you can begin each file entry with a minus sign to omit syncing and squeeze out that last bit of performance. I wouldn’t suggest this unless you know you need it. When debugging talky apps, this would be better than just writing out your own files. I only mention this because I haven’t convinced any of the developers I work with to write to syslog for any of the apps they’re writing, even when these apps are interrelated… but that’s a whole new story!

advanced stuff

I haven’t even scratched the surface. I like being able to use templates for output and to send logs to remote IP’s, but other features of rsyslog are beyond anything that I have needed. You can use z0 through z9 for compressing messages sent over TCP. Rsyslog will compress any messages over 60 bytes long. I think the CPU overhead is probably a bad trade-off for just a minor improvement. It’s usually safe to try out new settings since misconfigurations in rsyslog.conf are usually ignored (such as using templates before defining them), so your configurations probably won’t fall down go boom, but that also makes it less obvious to know if things are working like you want.

From syslog’s website: http://www.rsyslog.com/

Go here if you want to join the rsyslog mailing list: http://lists.adiscon.net/mailman/listinfo/rsyslog

Uncategorized kernel, messaes, performance, remote, rsyslog, shell, syslog

Found this in the comments posted on http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/02/tesla-teases-us.html” alt=”tesla motors sedan”>wired. The posts were back to back too… I thought this just about sums it up. Even if you can afford a BMW M5, can you afford the upkeep?

The new Tesla sedan does look nice from the partially hidden picture they supplied — if you like aston martin’s in a bmw paint scheme.

Posted Feb 12, 2009 12:37:11 PM

Posted Feb 12, 2009 12:39:55 PM

Uncategorized expensive, rich, tesla motors

For getting a copy of a live system’s postgres databases onto a development platform, it’s easiest to just dump the whole thing and restore it on the dev machine.

I don’t want just one or two databases, or even just all the data, I want everything to match exactly.

To load it onto the new machine (restore), I just copy it over to the remote machine or walk it over on a thumbdrive.

Uncategorized backup, data, databases, pgsql, pg_dumpall, postgres, postgresql

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle
—Mahatma Gandhi

Uncategorized 7, blunders, brilliant, gandhi, world

Tigerdirect has to be the online equivalent to the Haynes furniture store, or maybe the Dump, the dump, the dump dump dump. That place is probably even worse though, because they run local ads that make you think they’re a small town shop that’s only open on sundays, but it’s the same thing in every city they have one. But I have to run now, because Tigerdirect is having an after christmas sale now, i’m sure i’ll never find deals like these ever again. We need to rethink the legal definition of a sale so I can stop getting bombarded with all the sale Sale SALE SALE! crap.

Uncategorized fake, fraud, furniture, haynes, sale, the dump, tigerdirect

I put up a new 404 page. Hopefully Chuck Norris will allow it to live. I’ll make it a regular page linked from rootninja too.

Uncategorized 404, chuck norris

http://blog.rootninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/youtube.jpg” alt=”youtube logo” class=”alignleft” />Video lookup on YouTube accounts for a fourth of all Google hunting queries in the United States. If it were a standalone, YouTube would be the 2nd largest lookup railway locomotive after Google. More searches are through YouTube than many other search engines combined. Locomotive? choo-choo? Wtf, I dont know!

Uncategorized wtf, youtube

The net has been running fast and loose for quite a while now, and hasn’t seen large companies tank since the bubble of the 1990’s. The increment of these advertising-supported “Web 2.0″.” companies has propelled on-line publicizing to twenty-one billion dollars, up from six billion between ‘02 and ‘07. But they pricked the bubble in 2001. What will happen this time around?  I’m not so sure the “recession” has caught up with the web yet.  Only time will tell.

Uncategorized recession, web 2.0

http://blog.rootninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/leds-colorful-bulbs-lights.jpg” alt=”LED LEDs Light Emitting Diodes” class=”alignleft” />A revolution is in the means as we sort out our reality and it is close at hand, well that’s not exactly how they described it, but I like my version better than the newspaper article published this week. Innovations in photonics and unanimous firing will eventually lead to trillions of dollars in price savings, along with a reducing sum for the department of energy to get off homes and businesses around the globe.  Ok, now it’s devil’s advocate time. This isn’t a new idea.  LED’s have been cheap for quite awhile now.  I dunno about this smart lighting bit.  I think people get stuck in their ways and will use their old tried-and-true technology until you pry it from their cold dead hands.

Uncategorized dollars, leds, lighting, save