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Archives For October 31, 2013

Linux Kernel 3.12 Released, Install it in Ubuntu & Linux Mint

Last updated: November 5, 2013

Linux Kernel 3.12

Linus Torvalds finally announced Linux Kernel 3.12. Here’re the new features and how to install / upgrade to Kernel 3.12 in Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 12.10 and Linux Mint.

Linus Torvalds wrote on the mailing list (read the announcement):

I was vacillating whether to do an rc8 or just cut the final 3.12, but
since the biggest reason to *not* do a final release was not so much
the state of the code, as simply the fact that I’ll be traveling with
very bad internet connection next week, I didn’t really want to delay
the release. Sure, we had a number of driver reverts, and there was an
annoying auto-NUMA memory corruption fix series, but none of it was
really worth delaying 3.12 for.

But the fact that I’m going to be (effectively) off-line next week
means that I’m *not* opening the merge window for 3.13 yet …

…

What’s New in Linux Kernel 3.12:

  • The Radeon open-source kernel graphics driver has improved Dynamic Power Management, but it won’t be until Linux 3.13 where Radeon DPM is enabled by default along with HDMI audio.
  • A brand new DRM/KMS driver in the form of the Snapdragon MSM driver written by Rob Clark to go along with his reverse-engineered Freedreno driver for Qualcomm Snapdragon/Adreno graphics.
  • Run-time GPU power management so NVIDIA Optimus systems can dynamically power on/off the secondary GPU.
  • Experimental DRM render nodes support done by David Herrmann over the summer.
  • AMD Berlin APU support as the first APU built upon AMD’s Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA).
  • The EXT4 file-system now supports aggressive extent caching and better recovery capabilities.
  • Random F2FS, XFS, and Btrfs file-system improvements. This kernel does deliver on disk improvements.
  • zRAM has been promoted out of the staging area of the kernel. ZRAM supports a compressed block device in RAM to avoid paging to disk and is mostly of benefit for systems with limited amounts of system memory.
  • Various staging driver updates and sound driver work and other glorious work.

    • Install / Upgrade Linux Kernel 3.12

    The DEBs for Linux Kernel 3.12 has been made into kernel-ppa. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal and follow the steps below to download and install them.

    1. Download DEBs for this kernel:

    For 32-bit Ubuntu, Linux Mint and alternatives run commands below one by one:

    wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-saucy/linux-headers-3.12.0-031200-generic_3.12.0-031200.201311031935_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-saucy/linux-headers-3.12.0-031200_3.12.0-031200.201311031935_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-saucy/linux-image-3.12.0-031200-generic_3.12.0-031200.201311031935_i386.deb

    For 64-bit Ubuntu, Linux Mint and alternatives run commands below one by one:

    wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-saucy/linux-headers-3.12.0-031200-generic_3.12.0-031200.201311031935_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-saucy/linux-headers-3.12.0-031200_3.12.0-031200.201311031935_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-saucy/linux-image-3.12.0-031200-generic_3.12.0-031200.201311031935_amd64.deb

    2. For both 32-bit & 64-bit install the Kernel via:

    sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-3.12.0-*.deb linux-image-3.12.0-*.deb

    Once installed, restart your computer and done.

    If for some reason the new kernel does not work properly, run command below to remove Linux Kernel 3.12:

    sudo apt-get purge linux-image-3.12.0-* linux-headers-3.12.0-*
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    Install Google Calendar indicator in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy

    Last updated: November 4, 2013

    Calendar-indicator is a system tray applet which integrates Google Calendar into Ubuntu Unity Desktop. It allows to quickly add new calendar / event, sync with Google Calendar, and more.

    The developer has made this app with Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy support, and this tutorail shows you how to install it via PPA repository.

    Tutorial Objectives:

    • Install Google Calendar indicator in Ubuntu 13.10
    • Enjoy!

    To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command below to add the PPA:

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao

    Then update system package lists:

    sudo apt-get update

    Finally install the indicator:

    sudo apt-get install calendar-indicator

    Once installed, open calendar-indicator from Unity Dash. Turn on “Allow access to Google Calendar” and authenticate with your Google account.

    Google Calendar indicator ubuntu 13.10

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    Wireshark 1.10.3 released, Install in Ubuntu & Linux Mint via PPA

    Last updated: November 3, 2013

    Wireshark, the most popular network protocol analyzer has reached v1.10.3. Wireshark 1.10.3 fixed lots of bugs and updated many protocols support.

    This tutorial shows how to install Wireshark 1.10.3 via PPA in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal, Ubuntu 12.04 Precise, Linux Mint and their derivatives.

    What’s New in Wireshark 1.10.3:

    The following vulnerabilities have been fixed:

  • The IEEE 802.15.4 dissector could crash.
  • The NBAP dissector could crash. Discovered by Laurent Butti.
  • The SIP dissector could crash.
  • The OpenWire dissector could go into a large loop. Discovered by Murali.
  • The TCP dissector could crash.

    •  
    The following bugs has been fixed:

  • new_packet_list: EAP-TLS reassemble does not happen when NEW_PACKET_LIST is toggled.
  • TLS decryption fails with XMPP start_tls.
  • Wrong Interpretation of GTS starting slot.
  • “Follow TCP Stream” shows only the first HTTP req+res.
  • The value of SEND_TO_UE in the DIAMETER Gx dictionary for Packet-Filter-Usage AVP is 0 instead of 1.
  • Crash then try to delete the same entry (length range) twice.
  • Crash if wrong “packet lengths range” entered.
  • Bssgp ⇒ SGSN-INVOKE-TRACE use the wrong function…
  • Minor correction to dissection of DLR frames in Ethernet/IP dissector.
  • WebSphere MQ V7 Bug Fix 8322 TSHM_EBCDIC.
  • EDNS0 “Higher bits in extended RCODE” incorrectly decoded in packet-dns.c.
  • Files with pcap-ng Simple Packet Blocks can’t be read.
  • Bug in RTP dissector if RTP extension is present.
  • Improve “eHRPD Indicator” NVSE dissection in 3GPP2 A11 Registration Request.
  • “make debian-package” fails, missing wsicon32.xpm.
  • Fix typo in MODCOD list of DVB-S2 dissector.
  • Ring buffer crash when tshark gets too far behind dumpcap.
  • PTP Dissector Wrongfully Reports Malformed Packet.
  • Wireshark lua dissector unable to load for media_type=application/octet-stream.
  • Wireshark crash when dissecting packet with NTLMSSP.
  • Padding in uint64 field in DCERPC protocol wrongly reported.
  • DCERPC data_blobs are not correctly dissected when NDR64 encoding is used.
  • Multiple PDUs in the same DCERPC packet are not correctly decrypted.
  • The tshark summary line doesn’t display the frame number or displays it sporadically.
  • Bluetooth: SDP improvements and minor fixes.
  • Duplicate IRC header field abbreviation breaks filter (example: irc.response.command).

    •  
    Updated Protocol Support:

    3GPP2 A11, Bluetooth SDP, BSSGP, DCERPC, DCERPC NDR, DCERPC NT, DIAMETER, DNS, DVB-S2, Ethernet, EtherNet/IP, H.225, IEEE 802.15.4, IRC, NBAP, NTLMSSP, OpenWire, PTP, RTP, SIP, TCP, WiMax, and XMPP

    Read Wireshare 1.10.3 release note.

    Install Wireshark 1.10.3:

    It’s recommended to upgrade to this version because it fixed lots of vulnerabilities and bugs that affected in versions that are available by default in Ubuntu repository.

    To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run commands below one by one to install Wireshark 1.10.3 from PPA:

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pi-rho/security

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install wireshark

    For Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty, the version of Wireshark is available in Ubuntu Software Center.

    wireshark 1.10.3 in ubuntu 13.10

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    Virtualbox 4.3.2 released, How to Upgrade in Ubuntu Linux Mint

    Last updated: November 3, 2013

    Virtualbox 4.3.2, the first maintenance release of virtualbox 4.3 was released with lots of bugfixes. Here’s how to upgrade it in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, Ubuntu 12.04 Precise, Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal and Linux Mint.

    What’s New in Virtualbox 4.3.2:

    • VMM: fixed restoring of the auxiliary TSC MSR in VT-x that caused host BSODs on Windows 8.1 hosts and unpredictable behavior on other hosts
    • VMM: provide fake values for a couple of MSRs to make more guests happy on certain hosts
    • VMM: fixed detection of VT-x on certain machines where the BIOS would not set the VMX LOCK feature bit, which affected the VM settings in the GUI
    • VMM: fixed TPR threshold which caused BSODs on Windows XP guests that use the I/O APIC (VT-x only;
    • VMM: fixed PATM saved state incompatibility for software virtualized VMs
    • VMM: don’t fail if AMD-V isn’t available if the VM is configured to use software virtualization
    • GUI: fixed guest resize breakage on visual representation mode change (when switching from normal to fullscreen etc)
    • GUI: make sure the guest screen is resized after restoring a VM from a saved state if the host screen size changed
    • GUI: disabled SCROLL LED sync from HID LEDs synchronization (Mac OS X hosts only)
    • Webcam passthrough improvements including GUI support (see the manual for more information)
    • Guest Control: implemented more IGuestSession methods
    • Guest Control: added support for deleting and renaming guest files + directories in VBoxManage
    • Guest Control: various bugfixes
    • API: incorrect handling of hardware UUID default value, resulting in an all zero DMI/SMBIOS UUID, which leads to Windows requesting re-activation
    • 3D support: fixed crash on shutdown if 2D video acceleration is enabled (Mac OS X hosts only)
    • 3D support: miscellaneous fixes
    • Storage: fixed detection of CD/DVD media when switching from an empty to a host drive with passthrough enabled
    • Storage: fixed hang of the VM process when the disk is full under certain circumstances
    • NAT: listen for changes of NAT Network setting at runtime
    • NAT: NAT Network DHCP server now saves leases to a persistent storage
    • Main: monitor changes in host DNS configuration
    • Mac OS X host: reworked a mechanism of adding a VM desktop alias from the VM selector
    • Mac OS X installer: remove old kernel extensions during upgrade
    • Linux Additions: correctly set umask before installing
    • X11 Additions/3D: fix freezes starting 3D desktop
    • X11 Additions/3D: fix depth buffer support
    • X11 Additions/3D: fix Age Of Empires 3 rendering
    • Windows Additions/3D: fix Google Earth plugin rendering
    • Windows Additions/WDDM: autoresize fixes

    Install or Upgrade Virtualbox 4.3.2:

    You can easily get this version from Virtualbox for Linux official download page.

    Or install it from Virtualbox repository for Linux. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run commands below one by one to add the repository:

    sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -sc) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

    In the code, change $(lsb_release -sc) to:

    • raring for Ubuntu 13.10, Linux 15 & 16.
    • quantal for Linux Mint 14
    • precise for Linux Mint 13 & Elementary OS Luna.

    After that, update packages list and install Virtuablox via:

    sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install virtualbox-4.3

    virtualbox 4.3.2 in ubuntu 13.10

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    How to Reinstall Grub When Ubuntu or Linux Mint Won’t Boot

    Last updated: November 1, 2013

    Grub 2, the Ubuntu and Linux Mint’s default bootloader typically gets overridden when you install Windows as a dual-boot OS. To make Ubuntu and its derivatives boot again, you need to reinstall (repair/restore) Grub using a bootable Ubuntu/LinuxMint CD or USB.

    Typically you’ll get the following error boot screen:

    error: no such partition.

grub rescue> _

    Tutorial Objectives:

    • Reinstall Grub 2 when Ubuntu or Linux Mint won’t boot
    • Enjoy!

    To get started, insert your Ubuntu USB into computer and boot up. When you’re in, follow the steps below to reinstall grub 2:

    1. Open Gparted Partition Editor from Unity Dash to check out which partition your Ubuntu/Linux Mint system installed. It is usually a EXT4 Partition.

    In my case, there’re 3 Ext4 partitions. We can check the user names on each partition after step 2 by command cd /mnt/ && ls home/

    gparted partition editor

    2. Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command below to mount the partition:

    sudo mount /dev/sda7 /mnt

    3. Now reinstall Grub2 via command below:

    grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda

    If the installation is successful, you will get the similar output:

    Installation finished. No error reported.

    4. Finally update grub boot loader and done!

    sudo update-grub
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    Install Gpaste 3.2.2 via PPA in Ubuntu 13.10, 13.04 Gnome

    Last updated: November 1, 2013

    Gpaste is a clipboard manager allows you to keep a trace of what you’re copying and pasting. It is really useful when you go through tons of documentation and you want to keep around a bunch of functions you might want to use, for example. The clipboard manager will store a history of everything you do, so that you can get back to older copies you now want to paste.

    Gpaste 3.2.2 and the couple of following ones (3.3 and maybe 3.4) are the last releases supporting GNOME Ubuntu Unity applet.

    What’s New in Gpaste 3.2.2:

    • “Paste and Pop” is now only “Pop”
    • Fix SEGV at startup
    • Fix SEGV when deleting last item of history

    gpaste extension in Ubuntu 13.10 gnome shell

    Install Gpaste entension for Gnome Shell in Ubuntu 13.10

    Ubuntu Gnome 13.10 uses GNOME 3.8, so your can run commands below one by one in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to install paste 3.2.2:

    sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:webupd8team/gnome3

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-gpaste

    Then log out and back in. Enable this extension in Gnome Tweak Tool:

    enable gpaste in gnome shell

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