How To Join A Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Machine To A Microsoft Windows Active Directory Domain
One of the simplest ways to join a Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala machine to an Active Directory domain is to use a free utility called Likewise Open, produced by a company called Likewise Software. The Likewise Open utility lets you use Active Directory credentials to log into a Ubuntu machine, which can come in handy in a mixed Ubuntu/Active Directory environment.
You can download Likewise Open here, but it’s easier to install the software via the Ubuntu Software Center. To do so, go to the Applications menu and select Ubuntu Software Center. When Software Center opens, do a search for “Active Directory”. Likewise Open should be one of the choices that comes up. Click the Install button, enter your password, and Software Center will install Likewise Open for you.
After Likewise Open is installed, you can join your Ubuntu system to an Active Directory domain by going to the System menu, to Administration menu, and selecting Active Directory membership. Pick a domain to join, and provide appropriate Active Directory credentials to join the domain.
After you’ve joined, you can log using Active Directory credentials from the logon screen. For instance, if the user jbill of the domain testdomain wanted to log in, use this format:
testdomain\jbill
-JM
What Taking An IT Certification Test Is Really Like
I took a certification test for network security today. I passed. What was the experience like?
It was…it was…harrowing.
(maniacal laughter)
Sorry, sorry. It’s just that I’ve spent the last five weeks pouring arcane information into my mind, twisting my brain to hold information that man was simply not meant to know, and that…that tends to have a bit of an effect. A little mental backlash. So what was the experience really like?
Only the genre of sword & sorcery can truly convey the experience…
###
Behold! For long years have I studied the arcane path of the technomancer, and the secrets of Windows are mine, and Mac OS X yields to my commands, and the daemons of Linux come at my summons. Yet ever these is the need for greater knowledge, for greater power, to delve ever deep into the arcane secrets of technomancy.
So at dawn I arose and took up my staff and cloak, my USB Key of Fourfold Gigabytes and my Multitool Of Many Things, and I went forth to be tested. Long I journeyed through empty lands, snow-choked and wreathed in mist, the sky and the plains alike gray and lifeless. And at last I came through many perils to the fabled Testing Center, wherein technomancers come to be tested…or defeated.
There the aged Monks of the Testing Center greeted me.
“Hail, technomancer,” they spake. “Present us now with two Tokens of Identification, one of them with a current picture, or else we shall cast you out, and your registration fee shall be forfeit forevermore!”
But I had prepared for this cunning trap, and produced my two tokens of identification, both current, and the Monks took them, and bowed before me.
“Then we bid you welcome, technomancer, and urge you to brace yourself. For here your skill, your knowledge, and your cunning shall be tested. But first swear to never reveal the questions upon our test to any living soul, yea, even to your mother or your father or your espoused bride, or even to God Himself. Reveal our secrets, and your lineage shall be cursed forever, and your children and your children’s children shall be abhorrent and outcast, even unto the ending of days. Also, you will be banned from all Testing Centers nationwide.”
“I do so swear,” I spake.
“Now lay aside your staff and cloak and other accoutrements of your power and skill,” spake the Monks. “For only with your will and mind alone may you face the dread Daemon of Testing.”
I did as they bid, and laid aside my staff and cloak, my USB Key of Fourfold Gigabytes and my Multitool Of Many Things.
“Also, turn out your pockets,” said the Monks. “You wouldn’t believe some of the crap folks try to sneak into the tests these days, let me tell you.”
I did as they bid, and the Monks inspected the interior of my pockets to their satisfaction.
“Now proceed forth into the Chamber of Testing,” spake the Monks, “and may fortune smile upon you.”
The hour of doom had come at last, and I strode alone into the Chamber, and beheld the dread Daemon of Testing.
Twelve feet tall he stood, his face hidden beneath a mask and crown of iron. From head to to black plate armored him, black and hard as a miser’s heart, adorned with the names and sigils of those he had defeated. On his arm he bore a firewall shield, and in his hand he wielded a mighty spear. Written upon its shaft were BLUESCREEN OF DEATH and HARD DRIVE FAILURE and WINDOWS VISTA and other words of fearful doom.
The Daemon of Testing looked upon me and laughed with scornful derision.
“You are to be my foe, craven worm?” he spake, his voice as thunder. “Fool! I have faced men of skill broad and deep, men who have practiced the technomantic arts from the ancient days of MS-DOS 3.3 and earlier, yea, even the elder days of UNIX when the Internet was yet young, and I crushed them all! I drove them before me, and tread their PCs beneath my feet, and the lamentations of their women were as music to my ears. And you presume to face me, charlatan who claims the title of technomancer? You, with your feeble knowledge and petty tricks? I shall overthrow you utterly!”
Despair filled me, and fear threatened to overthrow my reason, and I thrice-cursed myself as a fool. What folly had driven me to this? What rank madness? Better to have stayed home than to have attempted this lunacy. Too high had I reached, too boldly had I dared, and at last had I brought ruin crashing down upon my head.
But no! Fear is the killer of the will, and only through the will could I triumph in this place. And should this be my defeat, I vowed, then I would make such a defeat that men would still speak of it and tremble seven generations hence!
“I tire of your haughty words, braggart,” I spake. “If my defeat is so easily accomplished, then why have you not already wrought it? Come forth, and let us see if you have the strength to match your boasts.”
The Daemon of Testing roared, and lifted his spear, and the point blazed with flames the color of a Bluescreen of Death. “Then perish, worm!”
And lo! Long we struggled, and fierce was our contest. The air writhed with encrypted networking protocols, and we spoke Command Line Utilities that shredded the very air, and we traced the secret runes of Network Topology Diagrams, each more arcane than the last. The Testing Center shuddered and rang with our battle, the reports rebounding from the heavens themselves. My mind and will strained to their uttermost, every scrap of learning and knowledge struggling against the Daemon’s insidious power.
Until at last the Daemon’s spear was shivered and his shield shattered, and I had the mastery, and I cast down my opponent, and he fell to the earth at my feet.
“I am vanquished!” spake the Daemon. “Sorely have I underestimated you, and I am overthrown. Truly, you have earned the title you have claimed. Take my gauntlet, and deliver it unto the Monks, and they shall print forth a scroll proclaiming your triumph.”
And then the Daemon shivered into dust, and boasted no more.
Exhausted from my battle, I took the proffered gauntlet, and issued from the Chamber of Testing, where the Monks stood to issue congratulations.
“You have been victorious,” spake the Monks, “and succeeded where many have fallen. Hail, technomancer, and receive now from our printer the scroll of victory!”
The printer made a strange grinding noise, and nothing issued forth.
“Um,” spake the Monks, smiting the printer until the scroll of victory issued forth. “Er. Sorry about that. Sometimes the printer jams up.”
-JM
The Apple iPad Tablet Available On April 3, Preorders March 12
Official reports that the iPad will be available in stores on April 3rd. So I guess we’ll finally see if it sinks or swims.
-JM
Ubuntu 10.04 Will No Longer Be Brown – Human Abandoned For Light
Apparently, the Ubuntu devs are abandoning the old brown “Human” theme for the new “Light” theme. You can see pictures at the link. I have to say, it looks it was very strongly inspired by the Mac OS X Carbon look.
I’ve mixed feelings about this. Not to mince words, but it seemed as if the “Human” theme incorporated a color that can only be described as “fecal matter brown”. On the other hand, it was a very distinctive look, and a refreshing change from other OS UIs. Light is pretty enough, so I’m curious to see how people respond to it.
-JM
Windows 7 Viruses
A milestone today – I encountered my first Windows 7 machine in the wild with a virus infection.
Of course, it was the guy’s own fault. The dude in question bought himself a brand-new laptop, and the very first thing he does, before running updates or installing AV software or anything else, is to download and install the Limewire file-sharing application and start looking for pirated music on the Internet.
In terms of personal computer security, this is roughly equivalent to a naked cheerleader walking into a bar full of convicted felons. Or that one couple that makes love twenty minutes into a horror movie; you just know that they’ll be the first to get eaten by werewolves or turned into zombies or have alien embryos injected into their torsos or whatever.
Anyway, the guy downloaded a ton of MP3 files that turned out to be (surprise!) disguised virus installers, and that was that. Luckily for him, they were older viruses, and relatively simple to peel off.
It proves the point I made last month: no matter how secure the system, it’s extremely difficult to guard against self-destructive user behavior.
-JM
Rip CDs To ISO Images In Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
ISO image files of CDs are useful for a number of applications. You can use the ISO files for virtual machines in Virtualbox, or you can use them to play old DOS games in DOSBox. Unlike Windows, Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala has the ability to rip ISO image files built in. Here’s how to do it.
First, insert the disc you want to copy. When the icon appears on the desktop, right-click on it and select Copy Disc.
You’ll next see the CD/DVD Copy Options dialog box. Under the “select the disc to copy to” drop-down menu, select Image file, and then like the Properties button.
When the Properties dialog box appears, change Disc Image Type to ISO9660 image. Also select a name and location for your ISO file; presumably, you’ll want a name more memorable than “brasero.iso”.
When you’re finished, click Close to go back to the CD/DVD Copy Options dialog box, and then click the Copy button. Ubuntu will then rip your CD to an ISO file.
-JM
Windows Mobile 7 on Monday?
According to rumor, Microsoft will be announcing Windows Mobile 7 at a conference in Barcelona on Monday.
That’s good. Windows Mobile 6.5 kind of sucked.
-JM
Install Dropbox on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
Dropbox is a handy service that lets you securely sync files to multiple computers across the Internet. It works cross-platform on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. And best of all, it’s free, with the basic version coming with 2 GB of free storage. Here’s how to install the Dropbox client on a Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala system.
First, download the .deb installer file from Dropbox’s website:
https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?os=lnx
Once the file is downloaded, it will probably be in the Downloads folder in your home folder. Double-click on the .deb file to launch the installer, and follow the default prompts. After the installation is complete, log out and back in to force the Nautilius daemon to restart; you’ll need that for Dropbox to function properly.
After you’ve logged back in, you can launch Dropbox by going to the Applications menu, to the Internet category, and clicking on Dropbox. You can either create a new Dropbox account here, or enter your account information. Once you’re finished, you should be able to use Dropbox.
-JM
Install Real Player 11 On Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
I’m not a huge fan of Real Player, but a lot of audio media is still in Real Player format, and sooner or later you might need the application to listen to something. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to install on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala. Here’s how to do it.
First, download the Linux installer for Real Player from this website:
Under default settings, the installer file will download to the Downloads folder in your home folder. Open up a Terminal window and navigate to that directory. Mark the Real Player installer file executable with this command:
sudo chmod a+x RealPlayer11GOLD.bin
Note that the actual file name might be different, depending upon what version you download.
Now run the file using this command (assuming your working directory is still the Downloads folder):
sudo ./RealPlayer11GOLD.bin
Follow the default prompts, and Real Player will install on your Ubuntu system. After the installation is complete, you can launch Real Player’s first-run wizard by going to the Applications menu, to Sound & Video, and clicking on the Real Player 11 icon.
-JM
Don’t Buy An Apple iPad Tablet
From the Wall Street Journal, a report that Apple will aggressively lower the pricing on the iPad if initial sales are sluggish. This seems like a somewhat less than wise move on Apple’s part, since if enough people wait, Apple will be forced to lower its prices in short order.
Of course, there are undoubtedly enough True Believers who will snatch up the iPad right away to let Apple turn a profit, and then lower its prices, the same way it did with the iPhone.
-JM