Mandriva

[viking60]

Ok False alarm:
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=636231
On the other hand that makes it sloppy development doesn't it? Sending out a distro that gives positives on a rootkit is not my Idea of good PR
But I guess it will be fixed real fast now - that is the good thing (it better be ).

[rolf]

I have imagined xguest would be useful if I wanted to let a visitor use the computer w/o worrying about exposing personal data or files.

[rolf]

Good find!

[jkerr82508]

chkrootkit and rkhunter have both always reported the occasional "false positive". If that is indicative of an excess of caution on the part of the dev's, then I would say that is preferable to missing a "real positive". Of course, it may just be down to sloppy coding.

Jim

[viking60]

Hmm Yes that is a difficult one.....If it shows to many false positives, people will ignore it and the program loses it's value.
And if it lets a real rootkit through it will be even worse.
But chkrootkit and rkhunter seem to be fine instruments. Mageia cheks out fine and I ran a rkhunter -c on my Arch and it did a very detailed job:
Some warnings and no infections in both cases.
Arch:

Code: Select all

 Performing check for possible rootkit strings
[09:45:35] Info: Using system startup paths: /etc/rc.d /etc/rc.local /etc/inittab
[09:45:36]     Checking for string 'LOGNAME=root'            [ Not found ]
[09:45:36]     Checking for string 'phalanx'                 [ Not found ]
[09:45:36]     Checking for string '/dev/proc/fuckit'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:36]     Checking for string 'word my grandmother dislikes'                    [ Not found ]
[09:45:36]     Checking for string 'backdoor'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:37]     Checking for string '/usr/bin/rcpc'           [ Not found ]
[09:45:37]     Checking for string '/usr/sbin/login'         [ Not found ]
[09:45:37]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.proc'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:37]     Checking for string 'vt200'                   [ Not found ]
[09:45:37]     Checking for string '/usr/bin/xstat'          [ Not found ]
[09:45:38]     Checking for string '/bin/envpc'              [ Not found ]
[09:45:38]     Checking for string 'L4m3r0x'                 [ Not found ]
[09:45:38]     Checking for string '/lib/libext'             [ Not found ]
[09:45:38]     Checking for string '/usr/sbin/login'         [ Not found ]
[09:45:38]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/.tbd'           [ Not found ]
[09:45:39]     Checking for string 'sendmail'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:39]     Checking for string 'cocacola'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:39]     Checking for string 'joao'                    [ Not found ]
[09:45:39]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.file'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:40]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.file'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:40]     Checking for string '/dev/sgk'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:40]     Checking for string '/var/lock/subsys/...datafile...' [ Not found ]
[09:45:40]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/.tbd'           [ Not found ]
[09:45:40]     Checking for string '/dev/proc/fuckit'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:41]     Checking for string '/lib/.sso'               [ Not found ]
[09:45:41]     Checking for string '/var/lock/subsys/...datafile...' [ Not found ]
[09:45:41]     Checking for string '/dev/caca'               [ Not found ]
[09:45:41]     Checking for string '/dev/ttyoa'              [ Not found ]
[09:45:41]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/ldlibns.so'     [ Not found ]
[09:45:42]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.addr'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:42]     Checking for string 'syg'                     [ Not found ]
[09:45:42]     Checking for string 'sshd_config'             [ Not found ]
[09:45:42]     Checking for string '/var/lock/subsys/...datafile...' [ Not found ]
[09:45:42]     Checking for string '/dev/pts/01'             [ Not found ]
[09:45:43]     Checking for string 'tw33dl3'                 [ Not found ]
[09:45:43]     Checking for string 'psniff'                  [ Not found ]
[09:45:43]     Checking for string 'uconf.inv'               [ Not found ]
[09:45:43]     Checking for string 'lib/ldlibps.so'          [ Not found ]
[09:45:43]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/ldlibpst.so'    [ Not found ]
[09:45:44]     Checking for string '/var/lock/subsys/...datafile...' [ Not found ]
[09:45:44]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:44]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.proc'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:44]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.proc'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:44]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:45]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:45]     Checking for string '/bin/bash'               [ Not found ]
[09:45:45]     Checking for string 'cant open log'           [ Not found ]
[09:45:45]     Checking for string 'sniff.pid'               [ Not found ]
[09:45:46]     Checking for string 'tcp.log'                 [ Not found ]
[09:45:46]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx'              [ Not found ]
[09:45:46]     Checking for string '/.config'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:46]     Checking for string '\$.*\$\!.*\!\!\$'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:47]     Checking for string '/dev/xdta'               [ Not found ]
[09:45:47]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/.tbd'           [ Not found ]
[09:45:47]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.proc'        [ Not found ]
[09:45:49]     Checking for string 'in.inetd'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:50]     Checking for string '#<HIDE_.*>'              [ Not found ]
[09:45:52]     Checking for string 'bin/xchk'                [ Not found ]
[09:45:54]     Checking for string 'bin/xsf'                 [ Not found ]
[09:45:55]     Checking for string '/usr/bin/ssh2d'          [ Not found ]
[09:45:57]     Checking for string '/usr/sbin/xntps'         [ Not found ]
[09:45:58]     Checking for string 'ttyload'                 [ Not found ]
[09:46:00]     Checking for string '/etc/rc.d/init.d/init'   [ Not found ]
[09:46:01]     Checking for string 'usr/bin/xfss'            [ Not found ]
[09:46:03]     Checking for string '/usr/sbin/rpc.netinet'   [ Not found ]
[09:46:04]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/.fx/cons.saver' [ Not found ]
[09:46:06]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/.fx/xs'         [ Not found ]
[09:46:08]     Checking for string '/ssh2d'                  [ Not found ]
[09:46:10]     Checking for string '/dev/kmod'               [ Not found ]
[09:46:12]     Checking for string '/crth.o'                 [ Not found ]
[09:46:14]     Checking for string '/crtz.o'                 [ Not found ]
[09:46:16]     Checking for string '/dev/dos'                [ Not found ]
[09:46:17]     Checking for string '/lpq'                    [ Not found ]
[09:46:19]     Checking for string '/usr/sbin/rescue'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:21]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/lpstart'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:23]     Checking for string '/volc'                   [ Not found ]
[09:46:25]     Checking for string 'sourcemask'              [ Not found ]
[09:46:26]     Checking for string '/bin/vobiscum'           [ Not found ]
[09:46:28]     Checking for string '/usr/sbin/in.telnet'     [ Not found ]
[09:46:30]     Checking for string 'hdparm'                  [ Not found ]
[09:46:30]     Checking for string '/lib/ldd.so/tkps'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:31]     Checking for string 't0rnkit'                 [ Not found ]
[09:46:31]     Checking for string '/dev/proc/fuckit'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:31]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:31]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:31]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:32]     Checking for string '/usr/lib/ldlibdu.so'     [ Not found ]
[09:46:32]     Checking for string '/dev/ptyxx/.file'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:32]     Checking for string 'libproc.so.2.0.7'        [ Not found ]
[09:46:32]   Checking for possible rootkit strings           [ None found ]
[09:46:33]


The warning;

Code: Select all

 Checking if SSH root access is allowed          [ Warning ]
[09:53:34] Warning: The SSH configuration option 'PermitRootLogin' has not been set.
           The default value may be 'yes', to allow root access.


No problem there

[viking60]

Ok time to share something that really has annoyed me. That Rosa-panel menu bar can be adjusted like other menu panels. In fact there is a demand for it:
Many complain that it is to big. And many want to add the good old KDE menu to it. And so did I......
So I happily danced to the bottom of my monitor and draged the menu starter to the Rosa menu.panel.
That worked but the icon looked ridiculously small So I found out a way to fix it and take care of the way to big menu-panel at the same time.
Just reduce the size of the menu-panel and the menu starter icon will pop up to full size.
Like this:

[rolf]

Nice. I almost went partway to 2011, upgrading all sorts of python in order to try a new kernel in 2011 testing but backed out. I will stay in a very capable 2010.2 for some more time.

On icons, they have been a thorn in my side from time to time. The logout applet icon (I don't display the 'lock' part, asking for trouble ) is too small, doesn't use the vertical space available. I tried your height-toggle trick just in case but it stays out of step, too small, at all heights. At some point in the previous incarnation of 2010.2, it magically changed to a good size but I don't know what triggered that.

On the kernel thing, I have been having a problem with KDE startup on boot (autologin) wherein pulse seems to only half start; notifications play sometimes, sometimes not, and the phonon popup tells me something like "The audio playback device HDA Intel does not work. Falling back to default." Google has shown some relationship between intel-hda chip/driver like I have and audio problems, so I thought a newer kernel might solve this.

A work-around is to crash X with [Ctrl-Alt-Bckspace] x 2 --> autologin --> kde-phonon just works, but this is annoying. It made me think startup is trying to make kde-phonon start before other things are ready for it, so I looked to /etc/xdg/autostart/pulseaudio-kde.desktop which is the controlling start-up file, I think. My scheme was to inject a delay into this, which I tried, which made no difference. I have put comments in the file, including what was the ineffectual delay, now reverted to the stock exec command:

Code: Select all

$ cat /etc/xdg/autostart/pulseaudio-kde.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=PulseAudio Sound System KDE Routing Policy
Comment=Start the PulseAudio Sound System with KDE Routing Policy
#original exec statement follows
Exec=start-pulseaudio-kde
#experimental exec follows
#Exec=sleep 8;start-pulseaudio-kde
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=
GenericName=
OnlyShowIn=KDE;


Sometime later, I got to thinking about speedboot, found necessary background here: http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/2009.1-speedboot and did this:

Code: Select all

$ cat /etc/sysconfig/speedboot
#possible values : auto / yes / no / probe
#probe should only be used on kernel commandline : speedboot=probe
#to reset speedboot status for current kernel
SPEEDBOOT=no

First boot with that configured and phonon is ok. Time will tell if this is a solution.

[viking60]

Sounds like a solution to me
But I agree with you I will not upgrade my HW before there is a Gnome version and I also need to find out how to switch between KDE and Gnome. That is gone from the login window
So I guess this thing can do with a bit more "maturing".

[viking60]

One small stroke on the part of the Mandriva devs is that there is no default Desktop switcher on the standard menu panel. What were they thinking?
That windows has only one desktop therefore we must also have only one?
The one thing I always miss the most in Windows is the ability to have several desktops. So I cannot find any intelligent defense for hiding that option.The desktop switcher must be there

[rolf]

I think multiple desktops and tabs are great. There's no way to add the desktop pager applet to Sputnik?

[viking60]

OK I am conservative so I want my good ol' Gnome back. I installed task-gnome and logged out in the expectation that I could now log into Gnome.
But there was no alternative to pick Gnome there! So I installed gdm and went to the Mandriva control centre and set gdm to handle the login. (Just a click).

Reboted and my good ol' login screen with the option to pick between KDE and Gnome was back
No problem and life is good

Now I am really going to push it I am going for the Gnome-shell 3.0.2...
.... And that just does not work! It is there to pick in the repos - but I am told I cannot pick that package:

Code: Select all

Denne pakka kan ikke velges:

- gnome-shell-3.0.2-1-mdv2011.0.x86_64

OK then - good ol' Gnome2 it is.

[viking60]

I thought I should update the Norwegian Mandriva wiki pages with that new Easy Urpmi adress:
http://urpmi.mandriva.ru/?language=en
Because the good old:
http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/
Did not have the option to pick 2011.

Just to check: I double checked and now http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/ does have 2011 as an option. This leaves me with the following question: What is the official Mandriva Easy Urpmi??
What do we write in the wiki
Since http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/ is updated last does that mean that it is not the main service anymore? Oh yes I have searched the Mandriva forums and wikis but that does not makes things crystal clear to me. MiB takes every opportunity to demonstrate their world famous modesty (nothing wrong in that - but it does not help me on this issue), discussing kernel 3 etc.
The Russians are not all that fluid in their english and start an internal discussion with MiB on a very foreign language that has some resemblance to english but I dunno
I think it is the new http://urpmi.mandriva.ru/?language=en though.

(Currently I use Mdv -MiB and restricted. )

Edit:
It seems to be only the Russian site that adds the correct (or more) repos for Mandriva 2011. So the "auto add" repos site has changed.