Speech:Spring 2012 Evan Morse Log


 * Home
 * Semesters
 * Spring 2012
 * Proposal
 * Report

Week Ending February 6th, 2012

 * Task:


 * (Wednesday)
 * Familiarize yourself with caesar/miraculix


 * (Friday)
 * Read other students' logs
 * Damirs unix command reference will be helpful for future use


 * Results:

Used caesar to test perl scripts from a class. familiarized myself with viewing eth0 configuration (need to look up command again) familiarized myself with "cat /etc/hosts"

Note, a useful command as root: /sbin/ifconfig  - Lists all adapters and their configurations

Skype Meeting Notes
 * Action Items
 * Item 1 - Check to see if caesar is RAIDed
 * Item 2 - Check to see size of RAID drives
 * Other 9 machines can be RAIDed
 * Vermihinix has less RAM than the rest
 * Extra HDD's available in Prof Jonas's office if needed.
 * Software Considerations:
 * Emacs would be a nice addition to all machines

Network Bridge
 * I'd like to look into this.
 * Hardware Considerations: Extra network card found
 * Evan & Sky: Research network bridge.
 * A Useful Site I found


 * Plan:

Learn more about configuring eth0
 * Concerns:

None at this time.

Week Ending February 13th, 2012

 * Task:

Collaborate with Professor Jonas and set up a time to construct test machine for network bridge implementation


 * (Tuesday)
 * Read other logs.
 * Read some of Nick Sandberg's logs.
 * http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/11505.html Found a good site for openSUSE network bridge info]


 * (Wednesday)


 * (Thursday)
 * Did some reading online about bridging.
 * A skype meeting was scheduled on tuesday for this friday at 11. Will be discussing our plan and hopefully approaching professor Jonas soon to request a hardware session tuesday after class


 * (Friday)


 * (Saturday)


 * (Sunday)


 * (Monday)


 * Results:

Skype Meeting Notes
 * we can use /mnt/main for manual updating without web connectivity
 * this next tuesday, try and set up those test machines
 * need to write up a sub proposal


 * began writing sub proposal.
 * Plan:

Figure out plan in friday skype meeting. Hopefully have system ready for playing with after class next tuesday.


 * Concerns:

tbd

Week Ending February 20th, 2012

 * Task:

Thursday

Hopefully this next week we can use the hardware supplied to set up the test machines.

The task for this week should be to thoroughly think out how these systems are going to function.

First order of business will be to Make sure the first test system is ready to go. The first test system will be used as our router. This system should be modeled after caesar.

Second order of business is to build and set up the second system so it looks and acts exactly as the other servers do. I will not physically be at UNH to set these systems up this week, so this MUST be done next week for progress to be made. The best I can do at this point is plan.


 * Main concern this week: Polish sub proposal
 * Polish plan for test systems.

Monday
 * Checked out the logs of the software group to see how they are doing.
 * Set up a ubuntu machine at home for personal use and unix learning.
 * Practiced unix commands and syntax on my home ubuntu machine


 * Results:


 * Found a good link for wiki syntax reference
 * Received an email from Chris Reekie regarding the systems. Should collaborate with him next week.
 * Getting more Familiar with linux/unix command line


 * Plan:

Thursday

With both systems set up and ready to go, Sky and I will ensure they are accessible via SSH so we can do testing/configuring remotely. This will allow us to work when we are not at UNH. One Concern is that if either Sky or myself misconfigures the network settings of a system, we'll lose connection to it. Hopefully this won't be an issue.


 * Concerns:

tbd

Week Ending February 27th, 2012

 * Task:

tuesday


 * Write up proposal with Sky. Come up with a timeline.

Sunday
 * Read other students' logs.


 * Results:

tuesday

Make sure you're in the ' caesar:~/speechtools/SphinxTrain-1.0/train1 #' directory first!


 * Ran this command in class /usr/local/bin/sphinx3_decode -hmm model_parameters/train1.cd_cont_1000 -lm LM/tmp2.arpa -dict etc/train1.dic -fdict etc/train1.filler -cepdir feat -ctl etc/train1_train.fileids -cepext ".mfc"


 * Found the command dmesg, which lists all hardware found during bootup. This may be useful for Aaron

We trust you have received the usual lecture from the local System Administrator. It usually boils down to these three things:
 * Checking the parameters of 'apt-get' I found a funny message. Really Mike? :P

#1) Respect the privacy of others.   #2) Think before you type. #3) With great power comes great responsibility.

Wednesday
 * Plan:


 * Based on recent events the machines are ready to be worked on. The plan to get them into working order will be as follows:
 * 1) Make sure System 1 is ready to go. It should be
 * 2) Finish the hardware configuration for system 2. It shouldn't need much else
 * 3) Install openSUSE on system 2. Get it up and running
 * 4) Once openSUSE is installed, get the wireless dongle working. This will be our NIC to the web.

Sunday
 * Steps for bridging after Hardware is all set.
 * 1) Get YAST for the test system
 * 2) Implement the steps laid out at this site: http://opensuse.swerdna.org/suseics.html#suseserv
 * 3) Test configuration and present it to Mike

Wednesday
 * Concerns:


 * You mentioned something about hard drive 1 in system 2 not having a cable?

Week Ending March 5th, 2012

 * Task

Tuesday


 * Get openSUSE running on Plato
 * Set up SSH on Plato
 * Install wireless dongle driver on Plato

Friday


 * Install openSUSE on personal computer to test YaST


 * Results

Tuesday


 * Tried to install openSUSE on Plato
 * Will up a user on Plato named "CIS790". Password is the same as the root pass for Caesar

Friday


 * Successfully installed openSUSE on virtual machine. Played with YaST


 * Plan


 * Concerns
 * During the openSUSE install, /suse/noarch/OpenOffice_org-10n-extras-3.2.1.4-1.8.noarch rpm failed to install from the disc.
 * During the openSUSE install, /suse/i586/kdebase4-runtime-4.4.4-2.4.i586 rpm failed to install from the disc.
 * During the openSUSE install, /suse/i586/OpenOffice_org-writer-3.2.1.4-1.5.i586 rpm failed to install from the disc.
 * During the openSUSE install, /suse/i586/OpenOffice_org-impress-3.2.1.4-1.5.i586 rpm failed to install from the disc.
 * During the openSUSE install, /suse/i586/OpenOffice_org-calc-3.2.1.4-1.5.i586 rpm failed to install from the disc.
 * NOTE: This installation FAILED! Trying again without office.

Week Ending March 12th, 2012

 * Task

Tuesday


 * Get Plato working.


 * Plan

Tuesday


 * Run DBAN on the hard disk to see if we can get it back into working order.

Wednesday


 * Try to recover the bad sectors on the drive.


 * Results

Wednesday
 * DBAN executed successfully but reported bad sectors.


 * Concerns

Friday
 * Evan, I found some data and I think your completely accurate! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

Week Ending March 26th, 2012

 * Plan
 * Make network bridge work between OpenSUSE 10.3 and OpenSUSE 10.3 (or 11.3)


 * Task
 * Bridge OpenSUSE 11.3 to 10.3 or Ubuntu to OpenSUSE 10.3

Monday
 * Results
 * After many attempts, bridging was unsuccessful between both OS's. Going to research during the week.
 * I have found a good tutorial for openSUSE 10.3 on how to do the bridge. Assuming all of the systems are in working order, this bridge should be a simple matter of following the four steps in the tutorial. I know tomorrow is our deadline, and i'm hoping the slight extension to the end of class is all we'll need.


 * Concerns
 * The deadline is approaching swiftly. Would like to get this done this week with Sky.
 * Sky and I stayed 30 minutes after class by ourselves when everyone else had left, brainstorming ideas and trying new configurations. We got windows to bridge with openSUSE, but nothing else.


 * On another note, the broken hard drive is a concern. It should have worked just fine because it passed the test Mike ran when it was first installed.

What I did to the hard drive was this:


 * Inserted a DVD containing OpenSUSE 11.3 and began installation
 * Over half way through the installation, the installation failed.
 * I ended up having to restart the machine.
 * I tried installation again. It was no longer communicating with the hard drive
 * I booted into windows and formatted the drive because the failed installation had made 3 partitions which were corrupted.
 * During the drive format, an error occured. The format process terminated.
 * Ever since, the drive has been unresponsive.
 * This is why I began to blame the capacitor. A compromised capacitor will no longer stabilize the voltage in whatever area it's installed. A surge could have occured or the drive could have bonked out from the unstable ripple. The drive failure could also be unrelated, but this is why I came to the conclusion that the capacitor had done it.

Week Ending April 2nd, 2012
Tuesday
 * Plan
 * The wireless card was not being detected. Attempted to install updated driver.

Friday
 * Take the systems from UNH and set them up at home

Tuesday
 * Task
 * Finally get the bridge going. We now have openSUSE 11.3 running on the school machine.

Friday
 * Retrieve the systems
 * Set them up and get the wireless card working
 * Once the wireless card is working, get the bridge working.

Tuesday
 * Results
 * The updated driver would not work. I worked with James following the instructions that came with the driver and nothing worked. The driver uses a makefile to install itself but the openSUSE OS does not contain most of the instructions required. (I had to install make! Make should be included in the linux os)

Friday
 * Set up a test table and put both systems on it
 * Collected peripherals and monitors for both systems

Saturday
 * Turns out I only had one VGA cable, so I couldn't get the systems set up running simultaneously side by side.
 * Hooked up one system and attempted to get the wireless card working. Still no luck
 * I found an unofficial driver for the wireless card that some people suggested might work. Was unable to figure it out.
 * Will test more next chance I get

Tuesday
 * Concerns
 * We are behind schedule and I was planning on catching up today.

Saturday
 * Still behind schedule, really need to get this wireless card working.
 * On a side note, we have made a successful bridge using windows as the host system.
 * I am not sure, but I think Sky also did a bridge using Mac OS as the host system.

Week Ending April 9th, 2012
Tuesday
 * Plan
 * Finish the netbridge and implement it on caesar


 * Task
 * Get Plato set up to serve connectivity to aristotle
 * Implement the technique used on caesar to serve the other boxes


 * Here is what I did:
 * 1) I assigned a static IP and Subnet to the adapter being used to share the connection
 * 2) I set the adapter I connect to the internet with as my external zone and the adapter I connect to aristotle with as my internal zone in the firewall.
 * 3) I then enabled IP masquerading.


 * For the client consuming the shared IP, I did this:
 * 1) Set up a static IP and subnet. The subnet MUST match the subnet of the Host.
 * 2) In routing, I set the static IP of the host as the gateway
 * 3) Lastly, I set the DNS in the DNS settings. This must be the DNS that the host uses.


 * I followed this tutorial: http://opensuse.swerdna.org/suseics.html


 * Results
 * I am confident I got Plato set up correctly to serve its IP but i'm having trouble connecting to it via Aristotle. I am close.
 * UPDATE: SUCCESS! I finally got it working. I had to go back through the steps above. The zones and masquerading settings hadn't been saved. The firewall was also deactivated. This setup is now ready to be performed on caesar.
 * I will disassemble this setup and bring the machines back tomorrow morning.
 * Concerns

Week Ending April 23rd, 2012

 * Plan
 * Task
 * Results
 * Useful note: the sphinx devs have an IRC channel at
 * Concerns