1 Install grml to harddisk:
5 Notice: You can pre-select the partition for the partition selector
6 and mbr dialogs inside grml2hd using:
7 # grml2hd /dev/hda1 -mbr /dev/hda
9 See: man grml2hd + http://grml.org/grml2hd/
11 Install grml on software RAID level 1:
13 Create /dev/md0 (and some more /dev/md* devices) first of all:
14 # cd /dev && MAKEDEV dev
17 # mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=raid1 \
18 --raid-devices=2 /dev/hda1 /dev/hdc1
20 Finally install grml on it:
21 # SWRAID='mbr-only' grml2hd /dev/md0 -mbr /dev/md0
23 See: man grml2hd + http://grml.org/grml2hd/
25 Install grml in non interactive mode with grml2hd:
27 Adjust configuration as needed:
28 # vim /etc/grml2hd/config
32 # GRML2HD_NONINTERACTIVE=yes grml2hd
38 Use with care and only if you really know what you are doing!
40 See: man grml2hd + http://grml.org/grml2hd/
46 Boot grml via network:
50 See: man grml-terminalserver + http://grml.org/terminalserver/
52 Deactivate error correction of zsh:
56 Run zsh-help for more information regarding zsh.
58 Disable automatic setting of title in GNU screen:
62 Set it manually e.g. via:
64 % screen -X title foobar
66 Run zsh-help for more information regarding zsh.
68 Do not use menu completion in zsh:
72 Run zsh-help for more information regarding zsh.
74 Run GNU screen with grml-configuration:
80 % screen -c /etc/grml/screenrc
82 Print out grml-version:
90 Configure mutt-ng / muttng:
94 Set up Inode-PPTP connection:
98 # grml-pptp-xdsl-students
100 Set up VPN / WLAN connection at TUG (TU Graz):
102 Set ESSID and request for ip-address via DHCP:
103 # iwconfig $DEVICE essid tug
106 Now run the main script:
109 After running the script an init script is available:
111 # /etc/init.d/vpnctug [start|stop]
113 Set up PPTP connection at VCG (Virtual Campus Graz):
123 # grml-vpn -k 2005 add 1000 192.168.20.1 192.168.20.2
127 Use encrypted files / partitions:
129 # grml-crypt <options>
135 # grml-crypt format /mnt/external1/encrypted_file /mnt/test
136 # cp big_file /mnt/test
137 # grml-crypt stop /mnt/test
141 # grml-crypt start /mnt/external1/encrypted_file /mnt/test
142 # grml-crypt stop /mnt/test
146 Change resolution of X:
148 % xrandr -s '1024x768'
150 Change resolution of framebuffer:
154 Configure newsreader slrn:
158 Configure grml system:
162 Or directly run scripts:
167 Lock screen (X / console):
171 Press ctrl-alt-x to lock a GNU screen session.
173 Change wallpaper in X:
175 % grml-wallpaper <press-tab>
177 Start X window system (XFree86 / Xorg / X.org):
179 % grml-x $WINDOWMANAGER
184 % grml-x -mode '1024x768' wmii
185 % grml-x -nosync wm-ng
187 Collect hardware information:
191 or run as root to collect some more information:
195 will generate a file named info.tar.bz2.
197 Configure hardware detection features of harddisk installation:
201 or manually edit /etc/grml/autoconfig[.small]
203 See: man grml-autoconfig
205 Bootoptions / cheatcodes / bootparams for booting grml:
207 On the grml-ISO if not running grml:
208 % less /cdrom/GRML/grml-cheatcodes.txt
211 % most /usr/share/doc/grml-docs/grml-cheatcodes.txt.gz
213 Report bugs to Debian's Bug Tracking System (BTS):
215 % reportbug --bts debian
217 or adjust /etc/reportbug.conf to your needs.
221 http://grml.org/bugs/
222 http://www.debian.org/Bugs/
224 Offline documentation:
228 Online documentation:
231 http://grml.org/docs/
232 http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php
234 Mount ntfs partition (read-write):
237 # ntfsmount /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1
239 Overwrite specific file on an NTFS partition:
241 ntfscp /dev/hda1 /tmp/file_source path/to/file_target
243 Resize an NTFS partition:
249 ntfsresize -n -s 10G /dev/hda1 # testcase
250 ntfsresize -s 10G /dev/hda1 # testing was successfull, now really resize partition
251 cfdisk /dev/hda # delete partition hda1, create new one with 10000MB and fs-type 07 (NTFS)
253 Modify resolution for intel graphic chipsets:
259 # 915resolution 4d 1400 1050
261 Connect bluetooth mouse:
265 ... and press 'connect' button on your bluetooth device.
267 Connect bluetooth headset:
271 ... and press 'connect' button on your bluetooth device.
273 Secure delete file / directory / partition:
279 Also take a look at shred(1), sfill(1) and http://dban.sourceforge.net/
281 Use grml on Samsung X20 laptop:
283 # apt-get install grml-samsung-x20
285 See: http://www.michael-prokop.at/computer/samsung_x20.html
287 Development information regarding grml:
289 http://grml.supersized.org/
293 #grml on irc.freenode.org - http://grml.org/irc/
294 http://grml.org/contact/
296 Join the grml mailinglist:
298 http://grml.org/mailinglist/
302 http://grml.org/donations/
304 Commercial support / system administration / adjusted live-cds:
306 grml-solutions: http://grml.org/solutions/
308 Information regarding the kernel provided by grml:
310 http://grml.org/kernel/
312 SMTP command-line test tool:
318 % swaks -s $MAILSERVER -tlsc -a -au $ACCOUNT -ap $PASSWORD -f $MAILADRESSE -t $MAILADRESSE
322 NTFS related packages:
328 Modify service through init script:
335 # /etc/init.d/lvm start
339 # jstest /dev/input/js0
343 % mplayer /path/to/movie
345 Use webcam with mplayer:
347 % mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l:width=352:height=288:outfmt=yv12:device=/dev/video0
349 Powerful network discovery tool:
353 Grab an entire CD and compress it to Ogg/Vorbis,
354 MP3, FLAC, Ogg/Speex and/or MPP/MP+(Musepack) format:
358 Show a console session in several terminals:
362 Switch behaviour of caps lock key:
366 grep with Perl-compatible regular expressions:
370 ncp: a fast file copy tool for LANs
375 Remote (receive file):
378 utility for sorting records in complex ways:
382 a smaller, cheaper, faster SED implementation:
390 See: http://grml.org/zsh/
392 zsh reference card for grml system:
395 /usr/share/doc/grml-docs/zsh/grml-zsh-refcard.pdf.gz
399 % for i in foo* ; do mv "$i" "bar${i/foo}" ; done
401 % prename 's/foo/bar/' foo*
403 % zmv 'foo(*)' 'bar$1'
405 Test TFT / LCD display:
413 Improved grep version:
417 glark grep extract-matches
424 Output text as sound:
427 % xsay # when running X and text selected via mouse
429 Adjust a grml harddisk (grml2hd) installation:
433 Get information on movie files:
435 % tcprobe -i file.avi
437 Get an overview of your image files:
439 % convert 'vid:*.jpg' thumbnails.jpg
441 List all standard defines:
443 % gcc -dM -E - < /dev/null
445 Send a mail as reminder:
447 echo "mail -s 'check TODO-list' $MAILADDRESS < /dev/null" | at 23:42
449 ncurses-based presentation tool:
453 See: man tpp and /usr/share/doc/tpp/examples/
455 Use ICQ / Jabber / Yahoo! / AIM / MSN /... on command line:
459 Use IRC on command line:
465 % vimdiff file1 file2
471 Moving between diffs:
481 Hardware monitoring without kernel dependencies:
485 Install grml-iso to usb-stick:
487 % grml2usb grml.iso /mount/point
489 Use mplayer on framebuffer console:
491 % mplayer -vo fbdev ...
493 Use links2 on framebuffer console:
495 % links2 -driver fb ...
497 Switch language / keyboard:
499 * use the bootparam lang to set language environment ($LANG, $LC_ALL, $LANGUAGE)
500 * use the bootparams keyboard / xkeyboard to activate specific keyboard layout
501 Usage example: 'grml lang=us keyboard=de xkeyboard=de'
503 Or run one of the following commands:
507 # loadkeys i386/qwertz/de-latin1-nodeadkeys.kmap.gz # console
510 Switch setting of caps-control key (switch between ctrl + shift) on keyboard:
514 Mount usb device / usb stick:
516 % mount /mnt/external1 # corresponds to /dev/sda1
518 % mount /mnt/external # corresponds to /dev/sda
520 Install Sun Java packages:
522 Download j2re.bin-file from http://java.sun.com/downloads/index.html and run
524 # apt-get install java-package
525 # fakeroot make-jpkg j2re-*.bin
526 # dpkg -i sun-j2re*.deb
527 # update-alternatives --config java
531 ddrescue is an improved version of dd which tries to read and
532 if it fails it will go on with the next sectors, where tools
539 How to make an audio file (e.g. Musepack format) out of a DVD track:
541 % mkfifo /tmp/fifo.wav
542 % mppenc /tmp/fifo.wav track06.mpc &
543 % mplayer -vo null -vc null -ao pcm:fast:file=/tmp/fifo.wav -dvd-device /dev/dvd dvd://1 -chapter 6-6
545 Adjust the mppenc line with the encoder you would like to use,
546 for example 'oggenc -o track06.ogg /tmp/fifo.wav' for ogg files.
550 % mplayer -vo null -dumpaudio -dumpfile track06.raw -aid N -dvd-device /dev/dvd dvd://1 -chapter 6-6
551 to extract audio without processing, where 'N' is the corresponding audio channel (see 'man mplayer')
553 Usage example for getting a PCM/wave file from audio channel 128:
554 % mplayer -vo null -vc null -ao pcm:fast:file=track06.wav -aid 128 -dvd-device /dev/dvd dvd://6
556 Create simple chroot:
558 # make_chroot_jail $USERNAME
560 Convert DOS formated file to unix format:
562 sed 's/.$//' dosfile > unixfile # assumes that all lines end with CR/LF
563 sed 's/^M$//' dosfile > unixfile # in bash/tcsh, press Ctrl-V then Ctrl-M
564 sed 's/\x0D$//' dosfile > unixfile # gsed 3.02.80, but top script is easier
565 awk '{sub(/\r$/,"");print}' # assumes EACH line ends with Ctrl-M
566 gawk -v BINMODE="w" '1' infile >outfile # in DOS environment; cannot be done with
567 # DOS versions of awk, other than gawk
568 tr -d \r < dosfile > unixfile # GNU tr version 1.22 or higher
569 tr -d '\015' < dosfile > unixfile # use octal value for "\r" (see man ascii)
570 tr -d '[\015\032]' < dosfile > unixfile # sometimes ^Z is appended to DOS-files
571 vim -c ":set ff=unix" -c ":wq" file # convert using vim
572 vim -c "se ff=dos|x" file # ... and even shorter ;)
573 recode ibmpc..lat1 file # convert using recode
574 echo -e "s/\r//g" > dos2unix.sed; sed -f dos2unix.sed < dosfile > unixfile
576 Save live audio stream to file:
578 % mplayer -ao pcm:file=$FILE
582 % mencoder mms://file.wmv -o $FILE -ovc copy -oac copy
588 % avimerge -i *.avi -o blub.avi
592 % cat *.mpg > blub.mpg
596 % mencoder file1.wmv -ovc lavc -oac lavc -ofps 25 -srate 48000 -mc 0 -noskip -forceidx -o file1.avi
597 % mencoder file2.wmv -ovc lavc -oac lavc -ofps 25 -srate 48000 -mc 0 -noskip -forceidx -o file2.avi
598 % avimerge -i file1.avi file2.avi -o blub.avi
600 Display MS-Word file:
602 % strings file.doc | fmt | less
608 Convert MS-Word file to postscript:
610 % antiword -p a4 file.doc > file.ps
612 Convert manual to postscript:
614 % zcat /usr/share/man/man1/zsh.1.gz | groff -man > zsh.1.ps
616 % man -t zsh > zsh.ps
620 % dd if=/dev/mem bs=1k skip=768 count=256 2>/dev/null | strings -n 8
622 Read HTTP via netcat:
624 echo "GET / HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n" | netcat $DOMAIN 80
626 Get X ressources for specific program:
628 % xrdb -q |grep -i xterm
630 Get windowid of specific X-window:
632 % xwininfo -int | grep "Window id:" | cut -d ' ' -f 4
634 Get titel of specific X-window:
638 check locale - LC_MESSAGES:
640 % locale -ck LC_MESSAGES
642 Create random password:
646 % dd if=/dev/urandom bs=14 count=1 | hexdump | cut -c 9-
648 Get tarballs of various Linux Kernel trees:
651 to get the current stable 2.6 release
654 to get a list of all supported trees
656 Transfer your SSH public key to another host:
658 % ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub user@remote-system
660 % cat $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh user@remote-system 'cat >> .ssh/authorized_keys'
662 Update /etc/fstab entries:
666 See "man grml-rebuildfstab" for more details about
667 generation of /etc/fstab (including stuff like
668 fs LABELs / UUIDs,...).
670 Fetch and potentially change SCSI device parameters:
676 reclaim disk space by linking identical files together:
680 Find and remove duplicate files:
684 Perform layer 2 attacks:
690 Guess PC-type hard disk partitions / partition table:
694 Perform a standard scan:
697 Write back the guessed table:
698 # gpart -W /dev/ice /dev/ice
700 Develop, test and use exploit code with the Metasploit Framework:
703 wget http://www.metasploit.com/tools/framework-2.7-snapshot.tar.gz
704 unp framework-2.7-snapshot.tar.gz
708 Useful documentation:
710 % w3m /usr/share/doc/Debian/reference/reference.en.html
712 % xpdf =(zcat /usr/share/doc/Debian/reference/reference.en.pdf.gz)
714 http://grml.org/docs/ grml Documentation
715 http://wiki.grml.org/ grml Wiki
716 http://www.debian.org/doc/ Debian Documentation
717 http://wiki.debian.org/ Debian Wiki
718 http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/ Gentoo Documentation
719 http://gentoo-wiki.com/ Gentoo Wiki
720 http://www.tldp.org/ The Linux Documentation Project
724 % fortune debian-hints
728 % fortune debian-hints
729 % dpkg -L funny-manpages
731 Backup master boot record (MBR):
733 # dd if=/dev/ice of=/tmp/backup_of_mbr bs=512 count=1
735 Backup partition table:
737 # sfdisk -d /dev/hda > hda.out
739 Restore partition table:
741 # sfdisk /dev/hda < hda.out
743 Clone disk via network using netcat:
746 # nc -vlp 30000 > hda1.img
748 # dd if=/dev/hda1 | nc -vq 0 192.168.1.2 30000
750 Adjust blocksize (dd's option bs=...) and include 'gzip -c'
753 # dd if=/dev/hda1 bs=32M | gzip -c | nc -vq 0 192.168.1.2 30000
755 Backup specific directories via cpio and ssh:
757 # for f in directory_list; do find $f >> backup.list done
758 # cpio -v -o --format=newc < backup.list | ssh user@host "cat > backup_device"
762 This one uses CPU cycles on the remote server to compare the files:
763 # ssh target_address cat remotefile | diff - localfile
764 # cat localfile | ssh target_address diff - remotefile
766 This one uses CPU cycles on the local server to compare the files:
767 # ssh target_address cat <localfile "|" diff - remotefile
769 Useful tools for cloning / backups:
771 * dd: convert and copy a file
772 * dd_rescue: copies data from one file (or block device) to another
773 * pcopy: a replacement for dd
774 * partimage: back up and restore disk partitions
775 * dirvish: Disk based virtual image network backup system
776 * devclone: in-place filesystem conversion -- device cloning
777 * ntfsclone: efficiently clone, image, restore or rescue an NTFS
778 * dump: ext2/3 filesystem backup
779 * udpcast: multicast file transfer tool
780 * cpio: copy files to and from archives
781 * pax: read and write file archives and copy directory hierarchies
782 * netcat / ssh / tar / gzip / bzip2: additional helper tools
784 Use grml as a rescue system:
788 * dd: convert and copy a file
789 * ddrescue: copies data from one file or block device to another
790 * partimage: Linux/UNIX utility to save partitions in a compressed image file
791 * cfdisk: Partition a hard drive
792 * nparted: Newt and GNU Parted based disk partition table manipulator
793 * parted-bf: The GNU Parted disk partition resizing program, small version
794 * testdisk: Partition scanner and disk recovery tool
795 * gpart: Guess PC disk partition table, find lost partitions
799 * e2fsprogs: ext2 file system utilities and libraries
800 * e2tools: utilities for manipulating files in an ext2/ext3 filesystem
801 * e2undel: Undelete utility for the ext2 file system
802 * ext2resize: an ext2 filesystem resizer
803 * recover: Undelete files on ext2 partitions
807 * reiser4progs: administration utilities for the Reiser4 filesystem
808 * reiserfsprogs: User-level tools for ReiserFS filesystems
812 * xfsdump: Administrative utilities for the XFS filesystem
813 * xfsprogs: Utilities for managing the XFS filesystem
817 * jfsutils: utilities for managing the JFS filesystem
821 * ntfsprogs: tools for doing neat things in NTFS partitions from Linux
822 * salvage-ntfs: free NTFS data recovery tools
823 * scrounge-ntfs: data recovery program for NTFS file systems
824 * ntfsresize: resize ntfs partitions
826 Get ASCII value of a character with zsh:
828 % char=N ; print $((#char))
830 Convert a collection of mp3 files to wave or cdr using zsh:
832 % for i (./*.mp3){mpg321 --w - $i > ${i:r}.wav}
834 Convert images (foo.gif to foo.png) using zsh:
836 % for i in **/*.gif; convert $i $i:r.png
838 Remove all "non txt" files using zsh:
842 Remote Shell Using SSH:
845 % ssh -NR 3333:localhost:22 user@yourhost
848 % ssh user@localhost -p 3333
850 Reverse Shell with Netcat:
853 % netcat -v -l -p 3333 -e /bin/sh
856 % netcat 192.168.0.1 3333
858 Reverse Shell via SSH:
860 local host (inside the network):
861 % ssh -NR 1234:localhost:22 remote_host
863 remote host (outside the network):
864 % ssh localhost -p 1234
866 Remove empty directories with zsh:
868 % rmdir ./**/*(/od) 2> /dev/null
870 Find all the empty directories in a tree with zsh:
874 Find all files without a valid owner and change ownership with zsh:
876 % chmod user /**/*(D^u:${(j.:u:.)${(f)"$(</etc/passwd)"}%%:*}:)
878 Display the 5-10 last modified files with zsh:
880 % print -rl -- /path/to/dir/**/*(D.om[5,10])
882 Find and list the ten newest files in directories and subdirs (recursive) with zsh:
884 % print -rl -- **/*(Dom[1,10])
886 Find most recent file in a directory with zsh:
888 % setopt dotglob ; print directory/**/*(om[1])
890 Tunnel all traffic through an external server:
892 % ssh -ND 3333 username@external.machine
894 Then set the SOCKS4/5 proxy to localhost:3333.
895 Check whether it's working by surfing e.g. to checkip.dyndns.org
897 Tunnel everything through SSH via tsocks:
899 set up the SSH proxy on the client side:
901 % ssh -ND 3333 user@remote.host.example.com
903 Adjust /etc/tsocks.conf afterwards (delete all other lines):
908 For programs who natively support proxying connections (e.g. Mozilla
909 Firefox) you can now set the proxy address to localhost port 3333.
911 All other programs which's connections you want to tunnel through your
912 external host are prefixed with tsocks, e.g.:
914 % tsocks netcat example.com 80
915 % tsocks irssi -c irc.quakenet.eu.org -p 6667
917 If you call tsocks without parameters it executes a shell witht the
918 LD_PRELOAD environment variable already set and exported.
920 smartctl - control and monitor utility for harddisks using Self-Monitoring,
921 Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART):
923 # smartctl --all /dev/ice
925 If you want to use smartctl on S-ATA (sata) disks use:
927 # smartctl -d ata --all /dev/sda
930 # smartctl -t offline /dev/ice
933 # smartctl -t short /dev/ice
935 Display results of test:
936 # smartctl -l selftest /dev/ice
938 Query device information:
939 # smartctl -i /dev/ice
941 Mount a BSD / Solaris partition:
943 # mount -t ufs -o ufstype=ufs2 /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1
945 Use ufstype 44bsd for FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD (read-write).
946 Use ufstype ufs2 for >= FreeBSD 5.x (read-only).
947 Use ufstype sun for SunOS (Solaris) (read-write).
948 Use ufstype sunx86 for SunOS for Intel (Solarisx86) (read-write).
950 See /usr/share/doc/linux-doc-$(uname -r)/Documentation/filesystems/ufs.txt.gz
953 Read BIOS (and or BIOS) password:
955 # dd if=/dev/mem bs=512 skip=2 count=1 | hexdump -C | head
957 Clone one of the kernel trees via git:
959 git clone rsync://rsync.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git
960 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
961 This path defines the tree. See http://kernel.org/git/ for an overview.
963 Mount filesystems over ssh protocol:
965 % sshfs user@host:/remote_dir /mnt/test
969 % fusermount -u /mnt/test
971 (Notice: requires fuse kernel module)
973 Install Gentoo using grml:
975 See http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/altinstall.xml
977 Install (plain) Debian (sarge release) via grml:
979 Assuming you want to install Debian to sda1:
981 mkfs.ext3 /dev/sda1 # make an ext3 filesystem on /dev/sda1
982 mount -o rw,suid,dev /dev/sda1 /mnt/test # now mount the new partition
983 debootstrap sarge /mnt/test ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian # get main packages from a debian-mirror
984 chroot /mnt/test /bin/bash # let's chroot into the new system
985 mount -t devpts none /dev/pts # ...otherwise running base-config might fail ("Terminated" or "openpty failed")
986 mount -t proc none /proc # make sure we also have a mounted /proc
987 base-config # now configure some main settings
988 vi /etc/mkinitrd/mkinitrd.conf # adjust $ROOT (to /dev/sda1) for your new partition, autodetection will fail in chroot
989 cd /dev ; ./MAKEDEV generic # make sure we have all necessary devices for lilo
990 apt-get install lilo linux-image-2.6.12-1-386 # install lilo and a kernel which fits your needs
991 cp /usr/share/doc/lilo/examples/conf.sample /etc/lilo.conf # let's use a template
992 vi /etc/lilo.conf && lilo # adjust the file for your needs and run lilo afterwards
993 umount /proc ; umount /dev/pts # we do not need them any more
994 exit # now leave chroot
995 cp /etc/hosts /etc/fstab /mnt/test/etc/ # you might want to take the existing files...
996 cp /etc/network/interfaces /mnt/test/etc/network/ # ...from the running grml system for your new system
997 umount /mnt/test && reboot # unmount partition and reboot...
999 See also: http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/apcs04.html.en
1000 Avoid all of the above steps - use grml-debootstrap(8) instead!
1002 Install (plain) Debian (etch release) via grml
1004 Assuming you want to install Debian to sda1:
1006 mkfs.ext3 /dev/sda1 # make an ext3 filesystem on /dev/sda1
1007 mount -o rw,suid,dev /dev/sda1 /mnt/test # now mount the new partition
1008 debootstrap etch /mnt/test ftp://ftp.tugraz.at/mirror/debian # get main packages from a debian-mirror
1009 chroot /mnt/test /bin/bash # let's chroot into the new system
1010 mount -t proc none /proc # make sure we have a mounted /proc
1011 apt-get install locales console-data # install locales
1012 dpkg-reconfigure locales console-data # adjust locales to your needs
1013 apt-get install vim most zsh screen less initrd-tools file grub \
1014 usbutils pciutils bzip2 sysfsutils dhcp3-client resolvconf \
1015 strace lsof w3m # install useful software
1016 apt-get install linux-headers-2.6-686 linux-image-686 # install current kernel
1018 echo "127.0.0.1 localhost" > /etc/hosts # adjust /etc/hosts and network:
1019 cat >> /etc/network/interfaces << EOF
1020 iface lo inet loopback
1021 iface eth0 inet dhcp
1026 ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Vienna /etc/localtime # adjust timezone and /etc/fstab:
1027 cat >> /etc/fstab << EOF
1028 sysfs /sys sysfs auto 0 0
1029 proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
1030 /dev/sda1 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1
1031 /dev/sda2 none swap sw 0 0
1032 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom0 iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
1034 passwd # set password of user root
1036 mkdir /boot/grub # setup grub
1037 cp /usr/share/doc/grub/examples/menu.lst /boot/grub
1038 cat >> /boot/grub/menu.lst << EOF
1039 title Debian Etch, kernel 2.6.18-3-686 (on /dev/sda1)
1041 kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-3-686 root=/dev/sda1 ro
1042 initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-3-686
1044 vim /boot/grub/menu.lst # adjust grub configuration to your needs
1045 cd /dev && MAKEDEV generic # create default devices
1046 cp -i /usr/lib/grub/i386-pc/* /boot/grub/ # copy stage-files to /boot/grub/
1047 grub install # now install grub, run in grub-cmdline following commands:
1051 umount -a # unmount all filesystems in chroot and finally:
1052 exit # exit the chroot and:
1055 If you want to use lilo instead of grub take a look at
1056 /usr/share/doc/lilo/examples/conf.sample or use the following template:
1058 cat > /etc/lilo.conf << EOF
1059 # This allows booting from any partition on disks with more than 1024 cylinders.
1062 # Specifies the boot device
1065 # Specifies the device that should be mounted as root.
1068 # use Debian on software raid:
1069 # raid-extra-boot=mbr-only
1077 image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-grml
1081 initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-grml
1084 See also: http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/apcs04.html.en
1085 Avoid all of the above steps - use grml-debootstrap(8) instead!
1087 Convert files from Unicode / UTF to ISO:
1089 % iconv -f utf8 -t iso-8859-15 < utffile > isofile
1093 % iconv -f iso-8859-15 -t utf8 < isofile > utffile
1095 Assign static setup for network cards (eth0 and eth1) via udev:
1097 First method - manual:
1098 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1099 Get information for SYSFS address:
1100 # udevinfo -a -p /sys/class/net/eth0/ | grep address
1102 Then create udev rules:
1103 # cat /etc/udev/network.rules
1105 KERNEL=="eth*", SYSFS{address}=="00:00:00:00:00:01", NAME="wlan0"
1106 KERNEL=="eth*", SYSFS{address}=="00:00:00:00:00:02", NAME="lan0"
1107 # do not match eth* drivers but also e.g. firewire stuff:
1108 ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="net", SYSFS{address}=="00:00:00:00:00:03", NAME="1394"
1110 Now activate the rules:
1111 # cd /etc/udev/rules.d/ && ln -s ../network.rules z35_network.rules
1113 Unload the drivers, restart udev and load the drivers again to activate
1116 Second method - automatic:
1117 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1118 Run /lib/udev/write_net_rules shipped with recent udev versions:
1120 # INTERFACE=wlan1 /lib/udev/write_net_rules 00:00:00:00:00:04
1122 This command will create /etc/udev/rules.d/z25_persistent-net.rules containing:
1124 SUBSYSTEM=="net", DRIVER=="?*", SYSFS{address}=="00:00:00:00:00:04", NAME=wlan1
1126 See /usr/share/doc/udev/writing_udev_rules/index.html for more information.
1128 Change the suffix from *.sh to *.pl using zsh:
1131 % zmv -W '*.sh' '*.pl'
1133 Generate SSL certificate:
1135 Create self signed certificate (adjust /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf if necessary):
1136 # openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:1024 -keyout keyfile -out certfile -days 9999 -nodes
1139 # openssl x509 -in certfile -text
1141 Verify against CA certificate:
1142 # openssl verify -CAfile cacert.crt -verbose -purpose sslserver
1144 Generate 2048bit RSA-key:
1145 # openssl req -new -x509 -keyout pub-sec-key.pem -out pub-sec-key.pem -days 365 -nodes
1147 As before but add request to existing key pub-sec-key.pem:
1148 # openssl req -new -out request.pem -keyin pub-sec-key.pem
1150 Show request request.pem:
1151 # openssl req -text -noout -in request.pem
1153 Verify signature of request request.pem:
1154 # openssl req -verify -noout -in request.pem
1156 Generate SHA1 fingerprint (modulo key) of request.pem:
1157 # openssl req -noout -modulus -in request.pem | openssl sha1 -c
1159 Generate 2048bit RSA-key and put it to pub-sec-key.pem. Save self signed certificate in self-signed-certificate.pem:
1160 # openssl req -x509 -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -out self-signed-certificate.pem -keyout pub-sec-key.pem
1162 As before but create self signed certificate based on existing key pub-sec-key.pem:
1163 # openssl req -x509 -days 365 -new -out self-signed-certificate.pem -key pub-sec-key.pem
1165 Generate new request out of existing self signed certificate:
1166 # openssl x509 -x509toreq -in self-signed-certificate.pem -signkey pub-sec-key.pem -out request.pem
1168 Display certificate self-signed-certificate.pem in plaintext:
1169 # openssl x509 -text -noout -md5 -in self-signed-certificate.pem
1171 Check self signed certificate:
1172 # openssl verify -issuer_checks -CAfile self-signed-certificate.pem self-signed-certificate.pem
1174 Estable OpenSSL-connection using self-signed-certificate.pem and display certificate:
1175 # openssl s_client -showcerts -CAfile self-signed-certificate.pem -connect www.example.com:443
1177 Generate ssl-certificate for use with apache2:
1179 export RANDFILE=/dev/random
1180 mkdir /etc/apache2/ssl/
1181 openssl req $@ -new -x509 -days 365 -nodes -out /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.pem -keyout /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.pem
1182 chmod 600 /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.pem
1184 Also take a look at make-ssl-cert (debconf wrapper for openssl):
1186 # /usr/sbin/make-ssl-cert /usr/share/ssl-cert/ssleay.cnf /etc/apache2/apache.pem
1188 and mod-ssl-makecert (utility to create SSL certificates in /etc/apache/ssl.*/).
1190 Change Windows NT password(s):
1192 # mount -o rw /mnt/hda1
1193 # cd /mnt/hda1/WINDOWS/system32/config/
1194 # chntpw SAM SECURITY system
1196 Notice: if mounting the partition read-write did not work (check syslog!)
1197 try using mount.ntfs-3g instead: mount.ntfs-3g /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1
1199 (Be careful with deactivating syskey!)
1201 glark - replacement for grep written in Ruby:
1203 A replacement for (or supplement to) the grep family, glark offers:
1204 Perl compatible regular expressions, highlighting of matches,
1205 context around matches, complex expressions and automatic exclusion
1210 % glark -y keyword file # display only the region that matched, not the entire line
1211 % glark -o format print *.h # search for either "printf" or "format"
1213 More information: man glark
1215 Find CD burning device(s):
1217 General information on CD-ROM:
1218 % cat /proc/sys/dev/cdrom/info
1220 Scan using ATA Packet specific SCSI transport:
1221 # cdrecord -dev=ATA -scanbus
1222 # cdrecord-prodvd -s -scanbus dev=ATA
1224 Get specific information for /dev/ice:
1225 # cdrecord dev=/dev/ice -scanbus
1227 Create devices in /dev on udev:
1229 For example create md devices (/dev/md0, /dev/md1,...):
1230 # cd /dev ; WRITE_ON_UDEV=1 ./MAKEDEV md
1232 Identify network device (NIC):
1234 # ethtool -i $DEVICE
1236 Show NIC statistics:
1238 # ethtool -S $DEVICE
1240 If your NIC shows some aging signs, you may want to be sure:
1242 # ethtool -t $DEVICE
1244 Disable TCP/UDP checksums:
1246 # ethtool -K $DEVICE tx off
1248 grml2hd seems to hang? Getting Squashfs errors? Problems while booting?
1250 Switch to tty12 and take a look at the syslog. If you see something like:
1252 SQUASHFS error: zlib_fs returned unexpected result 0x........
1253 SQUASHFS error: Unable to read cache block [.....]
1254 SQUASHFS error: Unable to read inode [.....]
1256 your ISO/CD-ROM very probably is not ok. Verify it via booting with grml testcd.
1257 Check your CD low-level via running:
1259 # readcd -c2scan dev=/dev/cdrom
1261 If the medium really is ok and it still fails try to boot with deactivated DMA
1262 via using grml nodma at the bootprompt.
1264 Write a Microsoft compatible boot record (MBR) using ms-sys
1266 Write a Windows 2000/XP/2003 MBR to device:
1268 # ms-sys -m /dev/ice
1270 Use a Vodafone 3G Datacard (UMTS) with Linux:
1272 Plug in your vodafone card and check in syslog whether the appropriate
1273 (probably /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/noz0 when using newer vodafone cards) has
1274 been created. If so run:
1277 # wvdial --config /etc/wvdial.conf.umts $PROFILE
1280 # gcom -d /dev/ttyUSB0
1281 # wvdial --config /etc/wvdial.conf.umts a1usb
1284 # wvdial --config /etc/wvdial.conf.umts tmnozomi
1287 # wvdial --config /etc/wvdial.conf.umts dreiusb
1289 Notice: newer vodafone cards require the nozomi driver. Run 'modprobe nozomi' on
1292 hdparm - get/set hard disk parameters
1294 Display the identification info that was obtained from the drive at boot time,
1296 # hpdarm -i /dev/ice
1298 Request identification info directly from the drive:
1299 # hpdarm -I /dev/ice
1301 Perform timings of device + cache reads for benchmark and comparison purposes:
1302 # hdparm -tT /dev/ice
1304 bonnie++ - program to test hard drive performance.
1306 # mkdir /mnt/benchmark
1307 # mount /dev/ice /mnt/benchmark
1308 # chmod go+w /mnt/benchmark
1309 # bonnie -u grml -d /mnt/benchmark -s 2000M
1311 Use gizmo with a bluetooth headset:
1313 % DEVICE="/dev/dsp$(awk '/- BT Headset/ {print $1}' /proc/asound/cards)"
1314 % gizmo --mic $DEVICE --speaker $DEVICE
1316 Scan a v4l device for TV stations:
1318 % scantv -c /dev/video0 -C /dev/vbi0 -o ~/.xawtv
1320 Then running xawtv should work:
1324 Run apt-get with timeout of 3 seconds:
1326 # apt-get -o acquire::http::timeout=3 update
1328 Debian GNU/Linux device driver check page
1330 % $BROWSER http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/index.cgi
1332 Use dd with status line:
1334 # dd if=/dev/ice conv=noerror,notrunc,sync | buffer -S 100k | dd of=/tmp/file
1336 Generate a 512k file of random data with status bar:
1338 % dd if=/dev/random bs=1024 count=512 | bar -s 512k -of ./random
1340 Install Grub instead of lilo on grml installation (grml2hd):
1345 adjust grub's configuration file menu.lst:
1346 # $EDITOR /boot/grub/menu.lst
1348 now install grub (usage example for /dev/sda1):
1353 Install Ubuntu using grml:
1355 See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Installation/FromKnoppix
1357 Resize ext2 / ext3 partition:
1359 # tune2fs -O '^has_journal' /dev/iceX # disable journaling
1360 # fsck.ext2 -v -y -f /dev/iceX # check the filesystem
1361 # resize2fs -p /dev/iceX $SIZE # resize it (adjust $SIZE)
1362 # fdisk /dev/ice # adjust partition in partition table
1363 # fsck.ext2 -v -y -f /dev/iceX # check filesystem again
1364 # resize2fs -p /dev/iceX # resize it to maximum
1365 # tune2fs -j /dev/iceX # re-enable journal
1367 Tune ext2 / ext3 filesystem:
1369 Check partition first:
1371 # tune2fs -l /dev/iceX
1373 If you don't see dir_index in the list, then enable it:
1375 # tune2fs -O dir_index /dev/iceX
1377 Now run e2fsck with the -D option to have the directories optimized:
1379 # e2fsck -D /dev/iceX
1381 Notice: since e2fsprogs (1.39-1) filesystems are created with
1382 directory indexing and on-line resizing enabled by default.
1384 Search for printers via network:
1386 # pconf_detect -m NETWORK -i 192.168.0.1/24
1388 Mount a remote directory via webdav (e.g. Mediacenter of GMX):
1390 # mount -t davfs https://mediacenter.gmx.net/ /mnt/test
1392 System-Profiling using oprofile:
1397 # opcontrol --setup --no-vmlinux --event=CPU_CLK_UNHALTED:500000:0:1:1 --separate=library
1402 Now $DO_SOME_TASKS...
1405 # opcontrol --shutdown
1407 Then take a look at the reports using something like e.g.:
1408 # opreport -t 0.5 --exclude-dependent
1409 # opreport -t 0.5 /path/to/executable_to_check
1410 # opannotate -t 0.5 --source --assembly
1412 Install ATI's fglrx driver for Xorg / X.org:
1414 Usually there already exist drivers for the grml-system:
1415 # apt-get update ; apt-get install fglrx-driver fglrx-kernel-`uname -r`
1417 After installing adjust xorg.conf via running:
1418 # aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
1420 For more information take a look at http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=ati
1422 Install nvidia driver for Xorg / X.org:
1424 Usually there already exist drivers for the grml-system:
1425 # apt-get update ; apt-get install nvidia-glx nvidia-kernel-`uname -r`
1427 Then switch from module nv to nvidia:
1429 # sed -i 's/Driver.*nv.*/Driver "nvidia"/' /etc/X11/xorg.conf
1431 glxgears - a GLX demo that draws three rotating gears
1433 To print frames per second (fps) use:
1434 % glxgears -printfps
1436 You forgot to boot with 'grml noeject noprompt' to avoid
1437 ejecting and prompting for CD removal when rebooting/halting
1448 If you want to avoid only the prompting part, run:
1456 Mount wikipedia local via fuse:
1458 Adjust configuration:
1459 % cat ~/.wikipediafs/config.xml
1462 <article-cache-time>300</article-cache-time>
1466 <dirname>wikipedia-de</dirname>
1467 <host>de.wikipedia.org</host>
1468 <basename>/w/index.php</basename>
1471 <dirname>wikipedia-en</dirname>
1472 <host>en.wikipedia.org</host>
1473 <basename>/w/index.php</basename>
1478 Mount it (/wiki must exist of course):
1479 % mount.wikipediafs /wiki
1480 % cat /wiki/wikipedia-en/Cat
1483 % fusermount -u /wiki
1485 Remote notification on X via osd (on screen display):
1487 Start osd_server.py at your local host (listens on port 1234 by default):
1490 Then login to a $REMOTEHOST
1491 % ssh -R 1234:localhost:1234 $REMOTEHOST
1493 Now send the text to your local display via running something like:
1494 % echo "text to send" | nc localhost 1234
1496 Very useful when you are waiting for a long running job
1497 but want to do something else in the meanwhile:
1499 % ./configure && make && echo "finished compiling" | netcat localhost 1234
1501 You can use this in external programs as well of course. Examples:
1503 Use osd in centericq:
1505 % cat ~/.centericq/external
1514 if [ -x /usr/bin/socat -a -x /bin/netcat ] ; then
1515 CONTACT_CUSTOM_NICK=$(cat ${CONTACT_INFODIR}/info | head -n 46 | tail -n 1)
1516 osd_msg="*** CenterICQ: new ${EVENT_NETWORK} ${EVENT_TYPE} from ${CONTACT_CUSTOM_NICK} ***"
1517 if echo | socat - TCP4:localhost:1234 &>/dev/null ; then
1518 echo "${osd_msg}" | netcat localhost 1234
1522 Use it in the IRC console client irssi via running:
1526 You can even activate the port forwarding by default globally:
1531 RemoteForward 1234 127.0.0.1:1234
1534 Notice: if you get 'ABORT: Requested font not found' make sure the
1535 requested font is available, running 'LANG=C LC_ALL=C osd_server.py...'
1538 Avoid automatical startup of init scripts via invoke-rc.d:
1540 First of all make sure the package policyrcd-script-zg2 (which
1541 provides the /usr/sbin/policy-rc.d interface) is installed.
1543 In policyrcd-script-zg2's configuration file named
1544 /etc/zg-policy-rc.d.conf the script /usr/sbin/grml-policy-rc.d is
1545 defined as the interface for handling invoke-rc.d's startup policy.
1547 grml-policy-rc.d can be configure via /etc/policy-rc.d.conf. By
1548 default you won't notice any differences to Debian's default
1549 behaviour, except that invoke-rc.d won't be executed if a chroot has
1550 been detected (detection: /proc is missing).
1552 If you want to disable automatical startup of newly installed packages
1553 (done via the invoke-rc.d mechanism) just set EXITSTATUS to '101' in
1554 /etc/policy-rc.d.conf.
1556 To restore the default behaviour set EXITSTATUS back to '0' in
1557 /etc/policy-rc.d.conf.
1559 Install VMware-Tools for grml:
1561 First of all make sure a CD-ROM device in VMware is available.
1563 Mount the CD-ROM device to /mnt/cdrom, then unpack and install
1567 unp /mnt/cdrom/vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz
1568 cd vmware-tools-distrib
1571 /etc/init.d/networking stop
1576 /etc/init.d/networking start
1578 In an X terminal, launch the VMware Tools running:
1582 Some important Postfix stuff
1590 Send all messages in the queue:
1594 Send all messages in the queue for a specific site:
1598 Delete a specific message
1599 # postsuper -d 12345678942
1601 Deletes all messages held in the queue for later delivery
1602 # postsuper -d ALL deferred
1604 Mail queues in postfix:
1606 incoming -> mail who just entered the system
1607 active -> mail to be delivered
1608 deferred -> mail to be delivered later because there were problems
1609 hold -> mail that should not be delivered until released from hold
1611 For configuration of postfix take a look at
1612 /etc/postfix/master.cf - man 5 master
1613 /etc/postfix/main.cf - man 5 postconf
1614 and http://www.postfix.org/documentation.html.
1618 mode 4000 - set user ID (suid):
1620 - for executable files: run as the user who owns the file, instead of the
1621 user who runs the file
1622 - for directories: not used
1624 mode 2000 - set group ID (guid):
1626 - for executable files: run as the group who owns the file, instead of the
1627 group of the user who runs the file
1628 - for directories: when a file is created inside the directory, it belongs
1629 to the group of the directory instead of the default group of the user who
1632 mode 1000 - sticky bit:
1634 - for files: not used
1635 - for directories: only the owner of a file can delete or rename the file
1637 Create MySQL database
1639 # apt-get install mysql-client mysql-server
1641 Run 'mysql' as root - create a database with:
1643 create database grml
1645 Give a user access to the database (without password):
1647 grant all on grml.* to mika;
1649 Give a user access to the database (with password):
1651 grant all on grml.* to enrico identified by "PASSWORD";
1653 Setup an HTTPS website:
1655 Create a certificate:
1657 # mkdir /etc/apache2/ssl
1658 # make-ssl-cert /usr/share/ssl-cert/ssleay.cnf /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.pem
1660 Create a virtual host on port 443:
1662 <VirtualHost www.foo.invalid:443>
1666 Enable SSL in the VirtualHost:
1669 SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.pem
1671 Enable listening on the HTTPS port (/etc/apache2/ports.conf):
1675 and make sure the SSL module is used:
1679 Useful Apache / Apache2 stuff
1681 Check configuration file via running:
1683 # apache2ctl configtest
1691 # a2enmod modulename
1693 Create tar archive and store it on remote machine:
1695 % tar zcf - /sourcedir | ssh user@targethost "cat >file.tgz"
1697 Pick out and displays images from network traffic:
1701 Install Flash plugin:
1703 # dpkg-reconfigure flashplugin-nonfree
1705 To test a proxy, low level way:
1709 GET http://www.google.com HTTP/1.0 [press enter twice]
1711 Adjust system for use of qemu with kqemu:
1713 Make sure you have all you need:
1714 # apt-get update ; apt-get install qemu grml-kerneladdons-$KERNELVERSION
1719 mknod /dev/kqemu c 250 0
1720 chmod 666 /dev/kqemu
1721 chmod 666 /dev/net/tun
1723 Check kqemu support via starting qemu, press
1724 Ctrl-Alt-2 and entering 'info kqemu'.
1726 (High-Load) Debugging related tools:
1728 mpstat # report processors related statistics
1729 iostat # report CPU statistics and input/output statistics for devices and partitions
1730 vmstat # report virtual memory statistics
1731 slabtop # display kernel slab cache information in real time
1732 atsar # system activity report
1733 dstat # versatile tool for generating system resource statistics
1744 Using WPA for network setup manually:
1746 # wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
1748 Adjust the options and configuration file to your needs.
1749 Also take a look at 'grml-network'.
1751 Start X and lock console via exiting:
1753 % startx 2>~/.xsession-errors &| exit
1755 Which process is writing to disk?
1757 # echo 1 > /proc/sys/vm/block_dump
1759 Warning: you must disable syslogd before you do this, or you must
1760 make sure that kernel output is not logged.
1762 When you're done, disable block dump using:
1763 # echo 0 > /proc/sys/vm/block_dump
1766 laptop-mode-tools provides a tool named lm-profiler (laptop mode profiler)
1767 which handles block_dump on its own.
1769 Install initrd via initramfs-tools for currently running kernel:
1771 # update-initramfs -c -t -k $(uname -r)
1773 Install initrd via yaird for currently running kernel:
1775 # yaird -o /boot/initrd.img-$(uname -r)
1777 Install initrd via yaird for specific kernel:
1781 # yaird -o /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-1-686 2.6.15-1-686
1783 Reinstall package with its original configuration files:
1785 # apt-get install --reinstall -o DPkg::Options::=--force-confmiss -o \
1786 DPkg::Options::=--force-confnew package
1788 grml 0.8 funkenzutzler - rt2x00 drivers:
1790 To avoid conflicts with the other rt2x00-drivers the package rt2x00 (which
1791 includes beta-version drivers) is not installed by default. If you want to
1792 use the kernel modules rt2400pci, rt2500pci, rt2500usb, rt61pci and/or
1793 rt73usb please install the package manually running:
1795 # dpkg -i /usr/src/rt2x00-modules-*.deb
1797 Use Java with jikes and jamvm on grml:
1801 % cp /usr/share/doc/grml-templates/template.java .
1802 % jikes template.java
1805 Notice that grml exports $JIKESPATH (/usr/share/classpath/glibj.zip),
1806 so you do not have to manually run
1807 jikes --bootclasspath /usr/share/classpath/glibj.zip
1809 Online resizing of (Software-)RAID5:
1811 # Initiate a RAID5 setup for testing purposes:
1812 mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=5 --raid-devices=3 /dev/hda1 /dev/hdb1 /dev/hdd1
1814 # Create filesystem, mount md0, create a testfile and save md5sum for
1817 mount /dev/md0 /mnt/test
1818 dd if=/dev/urandom of=/mnt/test/dd bs=512 count=10000
1819 md5sum /mnt/test/dd > md5sum
1821 # Make sure the RAID is synched via checking:
1824 # Now remove one partition:
1825 mdadm /dev/md0 --fail /dev/hdd1 --remove /dev/hdd1
1827 # Delete partition, create a new + bigger one and set partition type to fd
1828 # (Linux raid autodetect):
1831 # And re-add the partition:
1832 mdadm -a /dev/md0 /dev/hdd1
1834 # Make sure the RAID is synched via checking:
1837 # Repeat the steps for all other disks/partitions as well:
1838 mdadm /dev/md0 --fail /dev/hdb1 --remove /dev/hdb1
1840 mdadm -a /dev/md0 /dev/hdb1
1842 mdadm /dev/md0 --fail /dev/hda1 --remove /dev/hda1
1844 mdadm -a /dev/md0 /dev/hda1
1847 # Now resize the RAID5 system online [see 'man mdadm' for details]:
1848 mdadm --detail /dev/md0 | grep -e 'Array Size' -e 'Device Size'
1849 mdadm --grow /dev/md0 -z max
1850 mdadm --detail /dev/md0 | grep -e "Array Size" -e 'Device Size'
1852 # Last step - resize the filesystem (online again):
1855 ext3 online resizing:
1857 Starting with Linux kernel 2.6.10 you can resize ext3 online. With
1858 e2fsprogs >=1.39-1 new filesystems are created with directory indexing and
1859 on-line resizing enabled by default (see /etc/mke2fs.conf).
1863 cfdisk /dev/hda # create a partition with type 8e (lvm)
1864 pvcreate /dev/hda2 # create a physical volume
1865 vgcreate resize_me /dev/hda2 # create volume group
1866 lvcreate -n resize_me -L100 resize_me # create a logical volume
1867 mkfs.ext3 /dev/resize_me/resize_me # now create a new filesystem
1868 mount /dev/resize_me/resize_me /mnt/test # mount the new fs for demonstrating online resizing
1869 df -h # check the size of the partition
1870 lvextend -L+100M /dev/resize_me/resize_me # let's extend the logical volume
1871 resize2fs /dev/resize_me/resize_me # and finally resize the filesystem
1872 df -h # recheck the size of the partition
1874 This also works for Software-RAID. Demo:
1876 mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=raid1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/hda2 /dev/hdb1
1878 mount /dev/md0 /mnt/test
1879 mdadm /dev/md0 --fail /dev/hda2 --remove /dev/hda2
1880 cfdisk /dev/hda # adjust partition size for hda2
1881 mdadm /dev/md0 --add /dev/hda2
1882 mdadm /dev/md0 --fail /dev/hdb1 --remove /dev/hdb1
1883 cfdisk /dev/hdb # adjust partition size for hdb1
1884 mdadm /dev/md0 --add /dev/hdb1
1885 mdadm --grow /dev/md0 --size=max
1888 Notice: online resizing works as soon as the kernel can re-read the
1889 partition table. So it works for example with LVM and SW-RAID but not with
1890 a plain device (/dev/[sh]d*). The kernel does not re-read the partition
1891 table if the device is already mounted.
1893 Use vim as an outline editor:
1895 % $PAGER /usr/share/doc/vim-vimoutliner/README.Debian
1899 Monitor directories/files for changes using iwatch
1901 Monitor /tmp for changes:
1904 Monitor files/directories specified in /etc/iwatch.xml
1905 and send mail on changes:
1908 Some often used mdadm commands:
1911 # mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=raid1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/hda1 /dev/hdb1
1913 Display details of specific RAID:
1914 # mdadm --detail /dev/md0
1917 Simulating a drive failure by software:
1918 # mdadm --manage --set-faulty /dev/md0 /dev/hda1
1920 Remove disk from RAID:
1921 # mdadm /dev/md0 -r /dev/hda1
1923 Set disk as faulty and remove from RAID:
1924 # mdadm /dev/md0 --fail /dev/hda1 --remove /dev/hda1
1929 Restart a RAID-device:
1932 Add another disk to existing RAID setup (hotadd):
1933 # mdadm /dev/md0 -a /dev/hde1
1934 # mdadm --grow /dev/md0 --raid-devices=4
1936 Assemble and start all arrays:
1937 # mdadm --assemble --scan
1939 Assemble a specific array:
1940 # mdadm --assemble /dev/md0 /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1
1943 # mdadm --assemble --run --force --update=resync /dev/md0 /dev/sda1 /dev/sda2
1946 # mdadm --stop --scan
1948 Scan for and setup arrays automatically:
1949 # mdadm --assemble --scan --auto=yes --verbose
1951 Notice: If the above does not work make sure /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf contains:
1953 CREATE owner=root group=disk mode=0660 auto=yes
1958 # /usr/share/mdadm/mkconf > /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf
1961 Monitoring the sw raid
1962 # nohup mdadm --monitor --mail=root@localhost --delay=300 /dev/md0
1964 Producing /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf:
1965 # mdadm --detail --scan > /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf
1967 See also: man mdadm | less -p "^EXAMPLES"
1968 http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Software-RAID-HOWTO.html
1970 A quick summary of the most commonly used RAID levels:
1973 => 2 disks each 160 GB: 320 GB data
1974 RAID 1: Mirrored Set
1975 => 2 disks each 160 GB: 160 GB data
1976 RAID 5: Striped Set with Parity
1977 => 3 disks each 160 GB: 320 GB data; 160 GB redundancy
1979 Common nested RAID levels:
1980 RAID 01: A mirror of stripes
1981 RAID 10: A stripe of mirrors
1982 RAID 30: A stripe across dedicated parity RAID systems
1983 RAID 100: A stripe of a stripe of mirrors
1985 -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID
1987 Logical Volume Management (LVM) with Linux
1992 | hda1 hdc1 (PV:s on partitions or whole disks)
1998 | usrlv rootlv varlv (LV:s)
2000 | ext3 ext3 xfs (filesystems)
2002 Often used commands:
2003 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2005 Create a physical volume:
2006 # pvcreate /dev/hda2
2008 Create a volume group:
2009 # vgcreate testvg /dev/hda2
2011 Create a logical volume:
2012 # lvcreate -n test_lv -L100 testvg
2014 Resize a logical volume:
2015 # lvextend -L+100M /dev/resize_me/resize_me
2016 # resize2fs /dev/resize_me/resize_me # ext2/3
2017 # xfs_growfs /dev/resize_me/resize_me # xfs
2018 # resize_reiserfs -f /dev/resize_me/resize_me # reiserfs online
2019 # mount -o remount,resize /dev/resize_me/resize_me # jfs
2021 Create a snapshot of a logical volume:
2022 # lvcreate -L 500M --snapshot -n mysnap /dev/testvg/test_lv
2024 Deactivate a volume group:
2025 # vgchange -a n my_volume_group
2027 Actually remove a volume group:
2028 # vgremove my_volume_group
2030 Display information about physical volume:
2031 # pvdisplay /dev/hda1
2033 Remove physical volume:
2034 # vgreduce my_volume_group /dev/hda1
2036 Remove logical volume:
2037 # umount /dev/myvg/homevol
2038 # lvremove /dev/myvg/homevol
2041 http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/
2043 How to use APT locally
2045 Sometimes you have lots of packages .deb that you would like to use APT to
2046 install so that the dependencies would be automatically solved. Solution:
2049 dpkg-scanpackages debs /dev/null | gzip > debs/Packages.gz
2050 echo " deb file:/root debs/" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
2051 dpkg-scansources debs | gzip > debs/Sources.gz
2052 echo " deb-src file:/root debs/" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
2054 See also: http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ch-basico.en.html
2056 Check filesystem's LABEL:
2059 # vol_id -l /dev/sda1
2061 ext2/3 without vol_id:
2062 # dumpe2fs /dev/sda1 | grep "Filesystem volume name"
2065 # xfs_admin -l /dev/sda1
2067 reiserfs without vol_id:
2068 # debugreiserfs /dev/sda1 | grep UUID
2070 reiser4 without vol_id:
2071 # debugfs.reiser4 /dev/sda1 | grep uuid
2073 Check filesystem's UUID:
2076 # vol_id -u /dev/sda1
2078 ext2/3 without vol_id:
2079 # dumpe2fs /dev/sda1 | grep UUID
2082 # xfs_admin -u /dev/sda1
2084 reiserfs without vol_id:
2085 # debugreiserfs /dev/sda1 | grep LABEL
2087 reiser4 without vol_id:
2088 # debugfs.reiser4 /dev/sda1 | grep label
2090 Disable pdiffs feature of APT:
2093 # echo 'Acquire::PDiffs "false";' >> /etc/apt/apt.conf
2096 # apt-get update -o Acquire::Pdiffs=false
2098 Backup big devices or files and create compressed splitted
2099 image chunks of it using zsplit
2101 Create backup of /dev/sda named archiveofsda_#.spl.zp in directory
2102 /mnt/sda1/backup, split the files up into chunks of 1GB each and set
2103 read/write buffer to 256kB:
2104 # zsplit -b 256 -N archiveofsda -o /mnt/sda1/backup/ -s 1G /dev/sda
2106 Restore the backup using unzsplit:
2107 # unzsplit -D /dev/sda -d archiveofsda
2109 More usage examples: man zsplit + man unzsplit
2111 Measure network performance using ipserf
2117 % iperf -c <server_address> -V
2121 Server with 128k TCP window size:
2124 Client with running for 60 seconds and bidirectional test:
2125 % iperf -c <server_address> -r -w128k -t60
2127 Framebuffer resolutions:
2129 Resolution in pixels
2130 Color depth | 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
2131 256 (8bit)| 769 771 773 775
2132 32000 (15bit)| 784 787 790 793
2133 65000 (16bit)| 785 788 791 794
2134 16.7 Mill.(24bit)| 786 789 792 795
2138 Mode 0x0300: 640x400 (+640), 8 bits
2139 Mode 0x0301: 640x480 (+640), 8 bits
2140 Mode 0x0303: 800x600 (+800), 8 bits
2141 Mode 0x0303: 800x600 (+832), 8 bits
2142 Mode 0x0305: 1024x768 (+1024), 8 bits
2143 Mode 0x0307: 1280x1024 (+1280), 8 bits
2144 Mode 0x030e: 320x200 (+640), 16 bits
2145 Mode 0x030f: 320x200 (+1280), 24 bits
2146 Mode 0x0311: 640x480 (+1280), 16 bits
2147 Mode 0x0312: 640x480 (+2560), 24 bits
2148 Mode 0x0314: 800x600 (+1600), 16 bits
2149 Mode 0x0315: 800x600 (+3200), 24 bits
2150 Mode 0x0317: 1024x768 (+2048), 16 bits
2151 Mode 0x0318: 1024x768 (+4096), 24 bits
2152 Mode 0x031a: 1280x1024 (+2560), 16 bits
2153 Mode 0x031b: 1280x1024 (+5120), 24 bits
2154 Mode 0x0330: 320x200 (+320), 8 bits
2155 Mode 0x0331: 320x400 (+320), 8 bits
2156 Mode 0x0332: 320x400 (+640), 16 bits
2157 Mode 0x0333: 320x400 (+1280), 24 bits
2158 Mode 0x0334: 320x240 (+320), 8 bits
2159 Mode 0x0335: 320x240 (+640), 16 bits
2160 Mode 0x0336: 320x240 (+1280), 24 bits
2161 Mode 0x033c: 1400x1050 (+1408), 8 bits
2162 Mode 0x033d: 640x400 (+1280), 16 bits
2163 Mode 0x033e: 640x400 (+2560), 24 bits
2164 Mode 0x0345: 1600x1200 (+1600), 8 bits
2165 Mode 0x0346: 1600x1200 (+3200), 16 bits
2166 Mode 0x034d: 1400x1050 (+2816), 16 bits
2167 Mode 0x035c: 1400x1050 (+5632), 24 bits
2169 Portscan using netcat:
2171 # netcat -v -w2 <host|ip-addr.> 1-1024
2173 Run apt-get but disable apt-listchanges:
2175 APT_LISTCHANGES_FRONTEND=none apt-get ...
2177 Upgrade system but disable apt-listbugs:
2179 APT_LISTBUGS_FRONTEND=none apt-get ...
2181 Set up a Transparent Debian Proxy
2183 Install of apt-cacher, the default config will do:
2184 # apt-get install apt-cacher
2186 Check out the ip address of debian mirror(s).
2187 Then add this to your firewall script:
2189 DEBIAN_MIRRORS="141.76.2.4 213.129.232.18"
2190 for ip in ${DEBIAN_MIRRORS} ; do
2191 ${IPTABLES} -t nat -A PREROUTING -s $subnet -d $ip -p tcp --dport 80 -j REDIRECT --to-port 3142
2194 where ${IPTABLES} is the location of your iptables binary
2195 and $subnet is your internal subnet.
2197 Now everybody in your subnet who does access either
2198 ftp.de.debian.org or ftp.at.debian.org will actually
2199 access your apt-cacher instead.
2201 To use apt-cacher on the router itself, add the following
2202 line to your /etc/apt/apt.conf:
2204 Acquire::http::Proxy "http://localhost:3142/";
2206 Version control using Mercurial
2208 Setting up a Mercurial project:
2211 % hg init # creates .hg
2212 % hg add # add all files
2213 % hg commit # commit all changes, edit changelog entry
2215 Branching and merging:
2217 % hg clone linux linux-work # create a new branch
2222 % hg pull ../linux-work # pull changesets from linux-work
2223 % hg merge # merge the new tip from linux-work into
2224 # (old versions used "hg update -m" instead)
2225 # our working directory
2226 % hg commit # commit the result of the merge
2230 % cat ../p/patchlist | xargs hg import -p1 -b ../p
2238 % hg export 1234 > foo.patch # export changeset 1234
2240 Export your current repo via HTTP with browsable interface:
2242 % hg serve -n "My repo" -p 80
2244 Pushing changes to a remote repo with SSH:
2246 % hg push ssh://user@example.com/~/hg/
2248 Merge changes from a remote machine:
2250 host1% hg pull http://foo/
2251 host2% hg merge # merge changes into your working directory
2253 Set up a CGI server on your webserver:
2254 % cp hgwebdir.cgi ~/public_html/hg/index.cgi
2255 % $EDITOR ~/public_html/hg/index.cgi # adjust the defaults
2257 Mercurial repositories of grml can be found at http://hg.grml.org/
2259 Download binary codecs for mplayer:
2261 # /usr/share/mplayer/scripts/win32codecs.sh
2263 To play encrypted DVDs and if you are living in a country where using
2264 libdvdcss code is not illegal can install Debian package libdvdread3
2265 and use the script /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh.
2267 Read manpages of uninstalled packages with debman:
2269 % debman -p git-core git
2271 Test network performance using netperf:
2277 # netperf -t TCP_STREAM -H 192.168.0.41
2279 Setup Xen within 20 minutes on Debian/grml
2281 Install relevant software und update grub's menu.lst (Xen does not work with
2282 usual lilo so install grub instead if not done already):
2284 apt-get install linux-image-2.6.18-1-xen-686 xen-hypervisor-3.0.3-1-i386 \
2285 xen-utils-3.0.3-1 xen-tools bridge-utils
2288 Example for installation of Debian etch as DomU:
2291 xen-create-image --debootstrap --dir=/mnt/md1/xen --size=2Gb --memory=512Mb --fs=ext3 \
2292 --cache=yes --dist=etch --hostname=xengrml1 --ip 192.168.1.2 --netmask 255.255.255.0 \
2293 --gateway 192.168.1.1 --initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-1-xen-686 \
2294 --kernel=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-1-xen-686 --mirror=http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian/
2298 /etc/init.d/xend start
2299 /etc/init.d/xendomains start
2301 Setup a bridge for network, either manually:
2303 brctl addbr xenintbr
2304 brctl stp xenintbr off
2305 brctl sethello xenintbr 0
2306 brctl setfd xenintbr 0
2307 ifconfig xenintbr 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 up
2309 or via /etc/network/interfaces (run ifup xenintbr to bring up the device then
2313 iface xenintbr inet static
2314 pre-up brctl addbr xenintbr
2315 post-down brctl delbr xenintbr
2317 netmask 255.255.255.0
2322 Setup forwarding (adjust $PUBLIC_IP; for permanet setup use /etc/sysctl.conf and
2323 add the iptables commands to a startup script like /etc/init.d/rc.local):
2325 echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
2326 iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -s 192.168.0.0/24 -j SNAT --to $PUBLIC_IP
2327 iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j SNAT --to $PUBLIC_IP
2329 Adjust network configuration of Xend:
2331 cat >> /etc/xen/xend-config.sxp << EOF
2332 (network-script network-route)
2333 (vif-bridge xenintbr)
2334 (vif-script vif-bridge)
2337 List domains, start up a DomU, shutdown later again:
2339 xm create -c /etc/xen/xengrml1.cfg
2343 This HowTo is also available online at http://grml.org/xen/
2345 Play tetris with zsh:
2349 bindkey "^Xt" tetris
2351 Now press 'ctrl-x t'.
2353 Set up a router with grml
2355 Run grml-router script:
2358 Install dnsmasq if not already present:
2359 # apt-get update ; apt-get install dnsmasq
2361 Adjust /etc/dnsmasq.conf according to your needs:
2362 # cat >> /etc/dnsmasq.conf << EOF
2365 dhcp-range=19.168.0.124,192.168.0.254,1m # dhcp range
2366 dhcp-option=3,192.168.0.1 # dns server
2367 dhcp-option=1,255.255.255.0 # netmask
2370 Start dnsmasq finally:
2373 Find out which process(es) cause the disk to spin up:
2375 # echo 1 > /proc/sys/vm/block_dump
2377 The command sets a sysctl to cause the kernel to log all disk
2378 writes. Please notice that there is a lot of data.
2380 See: $KERNEL-SOURCE/Documentation/laptop-mode.txt
2382 Also take a look at event-viewer(8).
2384 Display stats about memory allocations performed by a program:
2386 Usage example for 'ls':
2388 % LD_PRELOAD=/lib/libmemusage.so ls > /dev/null
2390 Use KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine for Linux):
2392 Make sure to install the relevant tools:
2393 # apt-get update ; apt-get install kvm
2396 Test it with a minimal system like ttylinux:
2397 # wget http://www.minimalinux.org/ttylinux/packages/bootcd-i386-5.3.iso.gz
2398 # gzip -d bootcd-i386-5.3.iso.gz
2399 # kvm -cdrom bootcd-i386-5.3.iso