Window Manager for AIX

A time a go, I’m discuting with some friends about if it’s time (or not) to change my default window manager for AIX installations.
I’m working with AIX about 10 years or more (I don’t remember). My default installation for graphic system is CDE (I’m always install x-server + cde, because there’s lot of applications that need some libraries). But since the first release of AIX 5.3 you can install Gnome or KDE from oficial DVD/CD. I personally like CDE because its easy to work, and you don’t even need a powerful desktop system in AIX.
Unless some applications ask for more compatibility libraries or dependencies, CDE will be my default.

Discuss.

AIX Instalation pre-req (5.3 and 6.1)

Just some pre-req that I do in my AIX installations (I use some necessary Oracle reqs, just in case):

Ok.. just a warning, use at your own risk (all tunings are oracle and ibm based, so I’m not responsible if you mess the things up). After that, ask your customer for some different tunings, if needed.

Partitions requisites for IVM

The LUN reserve_policy must be set to “no_reserve” on the hdisks (on both JS22s) before the logical partition is created. Open a virtual terminal for the VIOS Partition (Partition 1) from the IVM GUI and type the following:

chdev –dev hdisk# -attr reserve_policy=no_reserve

To verify this attribute has been changed type the following:

lsattr –dev hdisk# -attr

WordPress recover

My blog has been recovered from WordPress support, after some problems.

Thanks.

Smit Fast Paths

You can access SMIT tasks and sub-menus directly by using a fast path.

Example: smit mkuser takes you directly to the menu Add a User.
At any menu in SMIT, you can show the fast path to that menu by pressing the F8 key.
This table is pretty good to print them and keep it.
Source: http://archive.rootvg.net/smit.htm

The Dante’s Inferno Test has banished you to the Seventh Level of Hell!

Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 – Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Extreme
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Extreme
Level 6 – The City of Dis (Heretics)	Extreme
Level 7 (Violent)	Extreme
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 – Cocytus (Treacherous)	Extreme

Take the Dante’s Inferno Hell Test

Avahi/mDNSResponder war

If you’re using gnome and trying to compile something like media-sound/amarok in your gentoo, you know what I mean.

To fix this, just enable avahi USEFLAGS for kdelibs, so kde will not use mDNSResponder and you’ll be able to use amarok inside gnome (sorry guys, but gnome lacks a good media player, and yes, I also test every mediaplayer like exaile, etc.).

Zine

Hi all (after a long time).

Actually Im trying to start a zine with help of some friends. At least, something like Full Circle but with more General Linux, and most more Gentoo related stuff at all.

I’ll try to do something about server and desktop, special configurations, tuning and so on.

If anyone reading this are able to help or wants to contribute, feel free to drop a message and I’ll give a feedbak ASAP.

Thanks all

How to creating your custom *nix CD:

Building a custom, patched FreeBSD ISO install image

Howto build a Gentoo-LiveCD from scratch

HOWTO Gentoo LiveCD and LiveUSB

Howto create a bootable NetBSD image

Howto install FreeBSD under ZFS (including root) (Part 2)

I think you know what you doing. If you mess your system up, it’s your own problem. You’ve been warned.

Requirements

Minimum processor: 1.2Ghz (Pentium4/Athlon-XP works fine)
Minimum memory: 768Mb of RAM (1Gb or more is recommended).

Instalation

Let’s suppose that you have a 40Gb HD to use:

1. Boot FreeBSD 7.0 CD
2. Partition the whole disk
3. Make 3 slices
   / -> 1Gb
   swap -> you decide with your own practices (or FreeBSD best practices)
   The rest of the disk.
4. Now install the Minimal, then reboot.

Creating the pool

After the installation is complete, jump to single user mode and mount your / rw:

# mount -w /

Now we create the disk pool, let’s suppose that the 3rd partition that you create is ad0s1d:

# zpool create rootvg /dev/ad0s1d

But after start creating the filesystems, stop the automount:

# zfs set mountpoint=none rootvg

Now we’ll create the mount points:

# zfs create rootvg/root
# zfs create rootvg/usr
# zfs create rootvg/var
# zfs create rootvg/tmp

Now, we can set the first set of mountpoints (to install data):

# zfs set mountpoint=/rootvg rootvg/root
# zfs set mountpoint=/rootvg/usr rootvg/usr
# zfs set mountpoint=/rootvg/var rootvg/var
# zfs set mountpoint=/rootvg/tmp rootvg/tmp

Use a df and you’ll understand.

Now, copy the whole filesystem from / to /rootvg (there’s a lot of methods to do that)

*DON’T BOOT YOUR OS, YET*

Booting FreeBSD

I don’t remeber where I get this trick: You know, FreeBSD bootloader doesn’t know what ZFS is (yet), so, we need to do some tricks:

Remove the boot from the /rootvg:

# rm -fr /rootvg/boot

Create a new dir inside the /rootvg and link the outside-boot with the inside-boot:

# mkdir /rootvg/bootdist
# cd /rootvg
# ln -s bootdist/boot boot

Now, tell the loader to get the ZFS support and mount the ZFS root partition
Don’t forget to set vm stuff (since ZFS in FreeBSD is experimental, it’s easily to run out of memory and crash the kernel).

# echo ‘zfs_load=”YES”‘ >>  /boot/loader.conf
# echo ‘vfs.root.mountfrom=”zfs:rootvg/root”‘  >>  /boot/loader.conf
# echo ‘vm.kmem_size_max=”512M”‘ >> /boot/loader.conf
# echo ‘vm.kmem_size=”512M”‘ >> /boot/loader.conf
# echo ‘vfs.zfs.zil_disable=1′ >> /boot/loader.conf

Don’t forget to put the boot into the first line of fstab:

/dev/ad0s1a  /bootdist        ufs     rw      1       1

Now, let’s do the magic:

# cd /
# zfs set mountpoint=/tmp rootvg/tmp
# zfs set mountpoint=/usr rootvg/usr
# zfs set mountpoint=/var rootvg/var

Set root  to legacy because the loader will to the job:

# zfs set mountpoint=legacy rootvg/root

All done. Now you can reboot your FreeBSD and start to install things.