UbuntuHandbook

Install / Setup Google Authenticator in Ubuntu 13.04, 12.04

Last updated: August 4, 2013

This simple tutorial is going to show you how to install and setup Google Authenticator to secure your Ubuntu SSH remote login by two-factor authentication.

Google provides this application for various smartphone platforms. With it, you can secure your account by logging in with a frequently-changing authentication code. So far, I’m using this in WordPress Login, Ubuntu Server SSH Login, Linode VPS Login. As I know, Google Authenticator also works on Amazon Web Services, App.net, Dropbox, and more.

Install Google Authenticator in Ubuntu:

Since Ubuntu 12.04 Precise, the Google Authenticator PAM module is available in the universe repository by default. Just open Ubuntu Software Center, search for and install libpam-google-authenticator package

Once installed, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal. Run below command to create a key and display a QR code which you can scan using the smartphone app. The emergency codes can be used when you don’t have your phone.

google-authenticator

To enable two-step authentication for SSH login, add the line “auth required pam_google_authenticator.so” (witout quotes) into /etc/pam.d/sshd. To do so, run below command in terminal:

sudo sh -c 'echo "auth required pam_google_authenticator.so" >> /etc/pam.d/sshd'

Also add the line “ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes” (without quotes) to /etc/ssh/sshd_config, you can do it by running below command:

sudo sh -c 'echo "ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config'

Finally restart SSH service on Ubuntu:

sudo /etc/init.d/ssh restart

In Ubuntu Server google authenticator in ubuntu, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 13.10

Songbird Discontinued, Nightingale is Recommended

Last updated: May 20, 2024

UPDATE 2024: Nightingale is also discontinued! Try Clementine Music Player which is available in Ubuntu Software / App Center.

Here I’m going to tell you that the popular Songbird Music Player project has been discontinued. For those who are looking for an alternative, check out Nightingale which is built upon Songbird.

Eric Wittman announced on the Songbird blog, “Unfortunately, the company has found ourselves unable to fund further business operations and as of June 28, 2013 all of Songbird’s operations and associated services will be discontinued.”

Songbird is a music player originally released in early 2006 with the stated mission “to incubate Songbird, the first Web player, to catalyze and champion a diverse, open Media Web”. On June 3, 2010, official Linux support for Songbird was dropped.

While thanking the users, investors, partners, developers of Songbird, Eric Wittman openly recommends the open source desktop media player Nightingale as an alternative.

To access the open source for the Songbird Desktop player, you can go here:

~~http://getsongbird.com/desktop/index.php?download=source~~ (Domain expired)

Nightingale is an open source media player based on Songbird and focused on Linux. It has a beautiful interface with a wide range of supported audio formats, all with multi-platform support!

Nightingale is available for downloading at: getnightingale.com/all-versions.php

For Ubuntu 13.04, 12.04, 12.10 and Linux Mint 13, 14, 15 users, run below commands in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) to install nightingale from PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nightingaleteam/nightingale-release

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install nightingale

In News nightingale, songbird, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 13.04

How to install Cisco VPN client on Ubuntu 13.04, 13.10

Last updated: August 3, 2013

This tutorial shows you how to install Cisco VPN on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring or 13.10 Saucy. You don’t have to do anything special to install Cisco VPN client, because network manager supports Cisco IPSec VPNs after installed the vpnc plugin.

To get started, search for and install network-manager-vpnc package from Ubuntu Software Center. It installs the Cisco-compatible VPN client as well as the plugin for network manager.

Once installed, you can follow below steps to setup Cisco VPN for Ubuntu:

1.) Move your cursor to right-top corner system tray area, click on Network Manager icon and choose VPN Connections -> Configure VPN

2.) In next window, click on Add button to add a new connection and then choose Cisco Compatible VPN (vpnc) from the drop-down menu.

3.) Click on Create and you’re able to type in your Cisco VPN details in next window. After all, check off “Use this connection only for resources on its network” otherwise your traffic significantly slowed down

In Unity install Cisco VPN ubuntu, setup Cisco VPN ubuntu, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 13.10

Typhoon: Best Free Weather Widget for Ubuntu 13.04

Last updated: August 3, 2013

Want to display weather on Ubuntu Desktop? Well, the best choice should be Typhoon since Stormcloud is not available in Ubuntu 13.04 due to dependency problem.

Typhoon is a free and open-source weather application, which displays a HTC-like weather widget on your Ubuntu desktop. It uses Yahoo! weather service

Typhoon is a fork of discontinued Stormcloud 1.1 with some changes. It excludes the multiple locations feature because no one can live in more than one places in a specific time except electrons! It also removes ‘chameleonic background’ as it would make the app resource hungry.

Install Typhoon in Ubuntu:

To install this weather app for Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, 12.04 Precise, 12.10 Quantal and Linux Mint users. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to add the Typhoon ppa:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/typhoon

Then update package lists and install it via:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install typhoon

Once installed, open it from Unity Dash and enjoy!

Typhoon project homepage: https://launchpad.net/typhoon

In App Review tyhpoon, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 13.10, weather app for ubuntu

LinSSID: Graphical Wifi Scanner for Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Last updated: August 2, 2013

LinSSID is a graphical and functional wifi scanner for Ubuntu Linux, which is similar to iwscanner and Inssider. It can be easily installed in Ubuntu and Linux Mint via PPA repository.

LinSSID is written from scratch entirely in C++ using Linux wireless tools and Qt4. It displays the information available from iwlist tool in graphical format. LinSSID displays a table of all of the local wireless networks that your device can receive, and information about them. It also displays charts of the signal strength of each network by channel number and over time. LinSSID will work with more than one wireless device attached to a system, but only one at a time (selectable).

LinSSID requires root privilege to run the iwlist tool. So you’ll be prompt to input the user password when start the program from Unity Dash.

Install LinSSID wifi scanner for Ubuntu & Linux Mint users

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below command to add the LinSSID ppa. So far, the ppa supports for Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, 12.10 Quantal, 12.04 Precise and Linux Mint 13, 14, 15.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wseverin/ppa

After that, you can use your favorite application manager to install the wireless scanner. Or just run below commands:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install linssid

Once installed, you’re able to open it from Unity Dash Home. Enjoy!

In App Review wifi scanner, wifi scanner for Linux Mint, wifi scanner for ubuntu

How to Install Sigil Epub Editor For Ubuntu via PPA

Last updated: December 1, 2014

This simple tutorial shows you how to install Sigil WYSIWYG epub editor on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring, 12.04 Precise via Sigil PPA repository.

Sigil is a free and open-source EPUB ebook editor. It runs on Linux, Windows and Mac with full EPUB 2 spec and UTF-16 support.

Multiple Views: Book View, Code View and Preview View
WYSIWYG editing in Book View
Complete control over directly editing EPUB syntax in Code View
Table of Contents generator with multi-level heading support
Metadata editor with full support for all possible metadata entries (more than 200) with full descriptions for each
User interface translated into many languages
Spell checking with default and user configurable dictionaries
Full Regular Expression (PCRE) support for Find & Replace
Supports import of EPUB and HTML files, images, and style sheets,
Documents can be validated for EPUB compliance with the integrated FlightCrew EPUB validator
Embedded HTML Tidy: all imported files have their formatting corrected, and your editing can be optionally cleaned

Install Sigil Epub Editor:

There is only a personal Sigil PPA for Ubuntu users. Now supports Ubuntu 14.10 and Ubuntu 14.04. ~~Supports Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 12.10.~~ Use it at your own risk!

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to add the ppa:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sunab/sigil-release

For Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 12.04, you’ll need the Ubuntu SDK PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-sdk-team/ppa

After adding the ppa repository, you’re able to install the editor via below commands:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install sigil

In Howtos epub editor for ubuntu, sigil epub editor, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 13.04

List of Software for Watching Live TV Channels on Ubuntu

Last updated: August 2, 2013

Want to watch Live TV Channels on your Ubuntu desktop? Well, here I’ll give a list of free software to do it. I’ve tested them in my 32-bit Ubuntu 13.04 laptop. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good suggestion.

1. Me TV

Me TV is a user-friendly desktop application for watching digital television services that use the DVB standard. It works with DVB-T, DVB-S, DVB-C and ATSC devices that are supported by Linux kernel drivers. Application uses GTK+ libraries for user interface and VLC or Xine libraries for DVB TV.

Me TV is available in Ubuntu Software Center by default. Just search for and install the package. Or click the link below:

click to install Me TV

2. FreetuxTV television channels player

FreetuxTV is a free GTK+ WebTV and Web Radio player for Linux. It can be used by french people to watch ADSL TV on the PC with ISPs or by other people to watch WebTV and Web Radio in many languages. The GUI is developed in GTK2+ and is using the VLC engine to display the channels.

FreetuxTV is available in Ubuntu Software Center. Just search for and install the package. Or click the below link:

Click to install FreetuxTV

3. Livestation

Livestation is a platform for distributing live television and radio broadcasts over a data network. A number of channels can be watched for free on the Livestation website or on their desktop player, a freely downloadable video application that presents all the channels through one interface. You need to register (for free) to use this software.

To install it in Ubuntu:

For 32-bit, run below 2 commands:

wget http://updates.livestation.com/releases/Livestation-3.2.0-i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i Livestation-3.2.0-i386.deb

For 64-bit, run below 3 commands:

wget http://updates.livestation.com/releases/Livestation-3.1.0.run

chmod +x Livestation-3.1.0.run

./Livestation-3.1.0.run

4. Zattoo

Zattoo is a free Live TV on PC and Mac. Zattoo service is currently restricted to Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Norway (closed again in 2008), United Kingdom and France, but was in 2007 expected to expand to other European countries, (with Austria and Poland being at the top of that list) then to Canada and the US while adding fee-based channels to its list.

Zattoo only provides 32-bit app , download and install it via below 2 commands:

wget http://download.zattoo.com/zattoo-4.0.5-i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i zattoo-4.0.5-i386.deb

5. Sopcast Player

Sopcast is a free P2P internet service. It is a simple, free way to broadcast video and audio or watch the video and listen to radio on the Internet. Adopting P2P(Peer-to-Peer) technology, It is very efficient and easy to use. Let anyone become a broadcaster without the costs of a powerful server and vast bandwidth.

Sopcast is available from the PPA repository, but only support from Ubuntu 8.04 to Ubuntu 12.04:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jason-scheunemann/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install sopcast-player

I can install this player in Ubuntu 13.04 by downloading and installing the sopcast-player and sp-auth packages from the ppa, but it doesn’t player channels for me.

In Unity watch live TV on Ubuntu

How to Repair MBR (Windows Boot Loader) From Ubuntu

Last updated: June 1, 2016

This simple tutorial shows you how to repair your Windows 7 boot loader (MBR) from Ubuntu dual boot or Ubuntu Live CD / USB. This can be useful if you don’t have a Windows CD or DVD on hand.

To do so, first boot into your Ubuntu system. When you’re in Ubuntu, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal and follow below steps:

1.) First run below command to check your disk:

sudo fdisk -l

The output tells you the disk information:

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders, total 625142448 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x016c8108

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 39054014 19526976 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

2.) Now run commnad to install syslinux, which is a suite of lightweight IBM PC MBR bootloaders for starting up computers with the Linux kernel.

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install syslinux

3.) Once installed, you can fix your Windows bootloader by running below command in terminal:

sudo dd if=/usr/lib/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sda

Replace the startup disk name /dev/sda in the above command according to the output in step 1.

Enjoy!

In command skills repair mbr, repair mbr in ubuntu

Connect to Ubuntu 13.04 From Windows 7 via RDP Protocol

Last updated: August 1, 2013

Here I’ll show you how to connect to Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail from Windows 7 via Remote Desktop Connection. All you need to do is install xRDP server in Ubuntu, then use Windows RDP to connect to Ubuntu without any configuration.

xRDP is a rdesktop project which uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to make it easy to connect Ubuntu from remote client especially not having to log into Ubuntu first.

xRDP is available in the universe repository, just search for and install it from Ubuntu Software Center.

Or you can install it via below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install xrdp

After that, open Windows 7’s Remote Desktop Connection and type in Ubuntu hoastname or IP address.

Then type in Ubuntu username and password to login to xrdp:

You’re done. Enjoy!

In Howtos rdp, Ubuntu 13.04, ubuntu rdp, ubuntu remote desktop connection

Install Facebook Messenger App in Ubuntu 13.10, 13.04, 12.04

Last updated: August 1, 2013

This simple tutorial shows you how to install Facebook Messenger App in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, 13.04 Raring, 12.04 Precise and 12.10 Quantal via PPA repository.

As you may know, Facebook Messenger is an instant messaging service and software application which provides text and voice communication. Integrated with Facebook’s web-based Chat feature and built on the open-source MQTT protocol.

Here’s a Linux clone of Facebook Messenger for Windows. It gives you a chat sidebar, chat popup windows, and notification toasts outside of the browser. Ubuntu users can install it from a PPA created by Webupd8Team.

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

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8

Then update your package lists and install:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install fbmessenger

Project Homepage:https://github.com/oconnor663/linuxmessenger

In Ubuntu Server facebook messenger, facebook messenger ubuntu, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 13.10

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