We had another great meeting with 10 members present including 1 new attendee and 3 times on the meeting agenda with Clint doing the presentations.
The first presentation was on File and Folder Sharing with Linux and Windows and explored the Ubuntu sharing features that are part of Ubuntu LucidLynx (10.04). For the presentation, Clint had three virtual machines including one running LinuxMint 9 for live demonstration of how it all works and he included screen shots of sharing with a Windows 7 system.
He first showed File sharing using Nautilus-Sharing which is built in to Ubuntu 10.04 natively but does require the installation of a couple components on first use for which you will be prompted to install. Nautilus-Sharing is easy, straight forward and uses Samba for the actual sharing but you don't have to do any Samba configuration. A share is created by simply selecting a folder to be shared, right clicking, and the selecting Sharing Options where a dialog window will open allowing you to set how the folder is to be shared. To access a shared resource folder (which is then available on your desktop), you simply to go Places, Connect to Server, select Windows share, put in the Server netbios name (no slashes) or IP address of the share, and click Connect. You don't have to put in any folder or user information if the share is an open guest or everyone share, when you clck on Connect, Nautilus will show you all the shared folders on that system. The nautilus-share install adds samba (2:3.4.7~dfsg-lubuntu3.1), libpam-smbpass (2:3.4.7~dfsg-lubuntu3.1) to your computer. Clint also discussed the in and outs of setting both file ownership (chown) and file permissions (chmod) so that the user of the shared resource has more than just "read only" access to the shared files.
Another way of File sharing using Giver on Ubuntu. Giver is a product of Google Summer of Code, even easier than sharing folders. It is installed using Synaptic and once running on your computer shows the other user computers running on your local network and you simply click on the user you want to give a file to, select the file and "Give" which will prompt the the user to accept the "give" which the transfers the file to the receiver's computer and puts it on the desktop.
Clint then showed how to install and use pyNeighborhood for browsing your network and mounting shared resources locally. Details on how to do this can be found at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=888674
Finally, Clint demonstrated how to use the terminal command line in searching out your network for shared resources using the command line utilities. Examples-
nmblookup - find IP address of machines with shared folders:
root@lts-lucidlynx:~# nmblookup CLINTWINXP
querying CLINTWINXP on 172.30.0.255
172.30.0.73 CLINTWINXP<00>
root@lts-lucidlynx:~#
Use the IP address for mounting the share.
root@lts-lucidlynx:~# mount -t cifs //172.30.0.73/Download /home/tinslecl/windows
Password:
root@lts-lucidlynx:~#
Note: You must be root do mount shares this way.
smbclient - useful for identifying shared resources, workgroups on network, and master browsers.
Example 1: A Linux System
root@lts-lucidlynx:~# smbclient -L //CLINTON-DESKTOP
Enter root's password:
Domain=[WORKGROUP] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.4.7]
Sharename Type Comment
--------- ---- -------
print$ Disk Printer Drivers
IPC$ IPC IPC Service (clinton-desktop server (Samba, Ubuntu))
documents Disk
Domain=[WORKGROUP] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.4.7]
Server Comment
--------- -------
CLINTIDAHO
CLINTON-DESKTOP clinton-desktop server (Samba, Ubuntu)
Workgroup Master
--------- -------
WORKGROUP CLINTIDAHO
Example 2: A WindowsXP Computer:
root@lts-lucidlynx:/# smbclient -L //CLINTWINXP
Enter root's password: (Guest share's don't need a password)
Domain=[CLINTWINXP] OS=[Windows 5.1] Server=[Windows 2000 LAN Manager]
Sharename Type Comment
--------- ---- -------
E$ Disk Default share
ClintDocs Disk
IPC$ IPC Remote IPC
D$ Disk Default share
print$ Disk Printer Drivers
SharedDocs Disk
CDROM Disk
Pictures Disk
Download Disk
ADMIN$ Disk Remote Admin
C$ Disk Default share
HP6P Printer HP LaserJet 6P/6MP - Standard
HP5500 Printer hp deskjet 5550 series (Copy 1)
Domain=[CLINTWINXP] OS=[Windows 5.1] Server=[Windows 2000 LAN Manager]
Workgroup Master
--------- -------
MSHOME CLINTHOME1
A couple of links for more information: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SettingUpSamba, https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BackupPC
The second presentation was on using Ubuntu's CUPS based printer setup with both the GUI and Web based portal. Clint stressed the ease of using the GUI utility which will not only find and setup locally attached printers but will also automatically find and configure most network printers with very little help from the user. Network printers are not so easily setup using the Cups Web portal. He noted that the desktop GUI, system-configure-printer is the same utility on both Ubuntu and Fedora. He demonstrated the GUI by having it find the network printer in the Library's computer lab, automatically finding it and setting it up, and then testing it by sending a printer test page, all by selecting the "found" printer from the list of about 4 different public printers in the Library that the GUI utility had found.
He then spent a few minutes with Cups Webportal at http://localhost:631 where he showed the administration, printer, and help pages.
Lastly he showed a couple of cups printing configuration files which are found in /etc/cups: printer.conf including a discussion of IPP printing from the virtual machines to the host machine. You must be root to edit this file and you always stop the cups service if you make any changes to it, and then restart the cups service afterwards (/etc/init.d/cups stop|start|status).
Local Printers:
# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.4.3
# Written by cupsd
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
Info Brother HL-5370DW series
Location Home Network
MakeModel Brother HL-5270DN Foomatic/Postscript
DeviceURI dnssd://Brother%20HL-5370DW%20series._printer._tcp.local/
Shared Yes
Info EPSON Artisan 810
Location Home Network
MakeModel Epson Artisan 810 - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.2.5 Simplified
DeviceURI dnssd://EPSON006A02._printer._tcp.local/
Shared Yes
IPP Printing to Shared Printers on Host:
# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.4.3
# Written by cupsd
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE WHEN CUPSD IS RUNNING
AuthInfoRequired none
Info Brother HL-5370DW series
Location Clint's IPP Printer
DeviceURI ipp://172.30.0.76/printers/Brother-HL-5370DW-series
Shared No
AuthInfoRequired none
Info EPSON Artisan 810
Location Clint's Artisan 810 Printer
DeviceURI ipp://172.30.0.76/printers/EPSON-Artisan-810
Shared No
The final item on the agenda was the Idaho Linux/FOSS Event, to be held on November 20th, 2010 and the need for volunteers (we had 6 commit to the event with hopefully more to join us). Clint then detailed the three Sessions or 5 total with alternative tracks.
1) Opening Session - "Why Linux" in educating potential Linux users as to why they would want to use Linux over some other operating system; the session would focus on ease of use, the "free" quality software that is available in Linux, and compatibility with Microsoft applications. Explain what FOSS is.
Alternative Opening Session - Business Opportunities with Linux Servers and desktop. Virtualization. Explain what FOSS is.
2) Application focus with short but powerful demonstrations OpenOffice, Firefox, Photo Management, Thunderbird/Email, and media applications with a very non-technical approach be taken, even avoiding terms like "chat" in a world of users that think "instant messaging."
Alternative Second Session - Internet social and gaming applications. Gwibber, Pigeon, Chat, Firefox, and gaming focus. Ubuntu "Social" menu.
3) Installing Linux - Demo Ubuntu and LinuxMint, advantages of each. Provide installation CD's and do an install fest if anyone wants help installing Linux on a laptop or desktop that they might have brought for the occasion.
At the last IRC meeting, We discussed how many CD's we might want to burn for the occasions at each location and that we would wait until early November so that we would have the release versions of Ubuntu 10.10 and Linux Mint 10(?), provided they have been released at that time. It was thought that something like 30 CD's might be appropriate for the Boise Location but left open. Possible locations were discussed and the need for volunteers. On Eastern side of the state, it was felt by the facilitator there, that he could guarantee at least 6 volunteers to staff the event and had some possible locations in Idaho Falls that he would be checking into; He has a contact up in the panhandle that he hopes to have join us for the September IRC meetup on the 23rd.
Our next Idaho Linux Users IRC Meetup will be on September 23rd at 7 PM on Freenode.net in #idaho-linux-users. This meeting is critical to the success of the Nov. 20th Idaho Linux/OSS Day as we need to make sure that we volunteers and potential meeting locations defined.
After post presentation discussion, the meeting adjourned a little before 9 PM.