Postfix with TLS, amavisd-new and SASL

To have a secure mail server, I have configured my postfix to work with:

• amavisd-new (with av-scanner and SpamAssassin)
• TLS
• SASL

amavisd-new is a high-performance interface between mailer (MTA) and content checkers such as virus scanners and SpamAssassin. Transport layer security (TLS) provides authenticated and encrypted sessions. SASL is a framework for secure authentication.
In the following, I want to give you a short overview how to enable these features in the postfix mail daemon. However, you will not find any information here, e.g. how to to configure amavisd-new.

amavisd-new

To connect amavisd-new with postifx, you need to add the following in the file "main.cf" (/etc/postfix/main.cf)

content_filter = amavisfeed:[127.0.0.1]:10024

In the file "master.cf", add:

127.0.0.1:10025 inet n - n - - smtpd
-o content_filter=
-o smtpd_delay_reject=no
-o smtpd_client_restrictions=permit_mynetworks,reject
-o smtpd_helo_restrictions=
-o smtpd_sender_restrictions=
-o smtpd_recipient_restrictions=permit_mynetworks,reject
-o smtpd_data_restrictions=reject_unauth_pipelining
-o smtpd_end_of_data_restrictions=
-o smtpd_restriction_classes=
-o mynetworks=127.0.0.0/8
-o smtpd_error_sleep_time=0
-o smtpd_soft_error_limit=1001
-o smtpd_hard_error_limit=1000
-o smtpd_client_connection_count_limit=0
-o smtpd_client_connection_rate_limit=0
-o receive_override_options=no_header_body_checks,no_unknown_recipient_checks,no_milters
-o local_header_rewrite_clients=

However, you need to be aware that amavisd-new itself needs configuration, and has some requirements such as perl modules to be installed first.

TLS

Add the following in "main.cf":

smtpd_tls_cert_file = /etc/ssl/misc/postfixcert.pem
smtpd_tls_key_file = /etc/ssl/misc/postfixkey.pem
smtpd_tls_loglevel = 2
smtpd_tls_received_header = yes
smtpd_tls_security_level = may

The first two options are for the certificate and key to use with TLS. If you want to use a self signed certificate, refer to my article "OpenSSL CA". The last option defines that a connection may use, but is not forced TLS.
Note: You should ensure that the issuing CA certificate(s) are installed in your mail client in order to avoid SSL warning messages when sending e-mails.

SASL

Add the following in "main.cf":

smtpd_sasl_auth_enable = yes
smtpd_recipient_restrictions =
permit_mynetworks
permit_sasl_authenticated
reject_unauth_destination
smtpd_sasl_authenticated_header = yes
smtpd_sasl_type = dovecot
smtpd_sasl_path = private/auth

Find the file etc/dovecot.conf
In the authentication section, add or enable:

# It's possible to export the authentication interface to other programs:
socket listen {
#master {
# Master socket provides access to userdb information. It's typically
# used to give Dovecot's local delivery agent access to userdb so it
# can find mailbox locations.
#path = /var/run/dovecot/auth-master
#mode = 0600
# Default user/group is the one who started dovecot-auth (root)
#user =
#group =
#}
client {
# The client socket is generally safe to export to everyone. Typical use
# is to export it to your SMTP server so it can do SMTP AUTH lookups
# using it.
path = /var/spool/postfix/private/auth
mode = 0666
user = postfix
group = postfix
}
}
}

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Firewall management with Fwbuilder

I like the netfilter / iptables firewall, it comes with Linux and is part of the kernel. The best is, it has a rich feature set, is secure and free of charge.
Netfilter / iptables can target:

• IP source and destination addresses
• TCP/UDP source and destination ports
• Ethernet MAC source and destination addresses
• Inbound and Outbound

Netfilter / iptables is by default a layer four stateful firewall. With a patch it can even work at layer seven as application firewall. Furthermore, it has a bunch of advanced features, like:

• Can do IP forwarding
• Can do port forwarding
• QoS / traffic limit
• Filter according to user authentication
• Time of day filtering
• Change TTL
• ...

The only question is, which tool to use to configure it. There are some tools one can use to configure the netfilter firewall, like KMyFirewall, Guarddog, Shorewall, Webmin and ... Fwbuilder. I used to work with Checkpoint firewall - this may be the reason why I like the drag and drop Fwbuilder approach.
From the website: Firewall Builder is multi-platform firewall configuration and management tool. It consists of a GUI and set of policy compilers for various firewall platforms. Firewall Builder uses object-oriented approach, it helps administrator maintain a database of network objects and allows policy editing using simple drag-and-drop operations. Firewall Builder currently supports iptables, ipfilter, OpenBSD PF as well as Cisco PIX and Cisco IOS extended access lists.

Setup

First, You need the software. The folks at Fwbuilder (www.fwbuilder.org) provide by default no Slackware package. If you want to start from scratch, grab the sources and compile them. The better and easier way would be to grab the Slackware packages from here. You need the packages "fwbuilder" and "libfwbuilder". Install them with "installpkg".
NB: My package does not create a Fwbuilder menu link. It is in your obligation to do so, the fwbuilder executable lies in /usr/bin.

Start fwbuilder for the first time

Define Firewall

There is no firewall defined at this point.

Enter a name for your firewall and choose "iptables" and "Linux 2.4/2.6"

Define your interfaces. You can do this automatically provided you have snmp installed, active and configured. Otherwise you have to do this manually.
You can also define a interface to have a dynamic IP address.


Check your "Host OS Settings"

Check your "Firewall Settings"

Object library

If you change to the "Standard" library you will find a almost complete set of object predefinitions.

Create ruleset

Now you can create your rules by dragging and dropping objects from the left side. You can use the context menu to create additional rules or the rules menu on the top.

"Allow all" ruleset

You may want to have a "allow all" ruleset for testing purposes or similar use.

Masquerade ruleset

If you want to use your box as a router to connect your private network to the Internet, a masquerade rule is useful.

Install policy

When you have finished creating your policy, install it. Choose "Compile" and "Install".

Choose a directory to save the compiled policy file (in this case /etc/fwbuilder).


 Just create your own firewall

.salam sesat

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Package Management *SLACKWARE*

This article covers two things:

1. How to utilize the package management tools supplied with Slackware (pkgtool, upgradepkg, installpkg, removepkg)
2. How to keep your Slackware box current by utilizing "slackpkg" and how to get important security patches

pkgtool

Pkgtool is the one used during setup. You can call it any time after setup with the command "pkgtool". Pkgtool provides only basic functions, as a consequence I have no use for it. Its main advantage is the ability to run setup scripts again.

upgradepkg

This is the tool I use quite often. I also recommend to use "upgradepkg" to upgrade to a new release. From the help:
Usage: upgradepkg newpackage [newpackage2 ... ]
upgradepkg oldpackage%newpackage [oldpackage2%newpackage2 ... ]

Upgradepkg upgrades a Slackware .tgz package from an older version to a newer one. It does this by INSTALLING the new package onto the system, and then REMOVING any files from the old package that aren't in the new package. If the old and new packages have the same name, a single argument is all that is required. If the packages have different names, supply the name of the old package followed by a percent symbol (%), then the name of the new package. Do not add any extra whitespace between pairs of old/new package names.

upgradepkg [ --dry-run ] [ --install-new ] [ --reinstall ] [ --verbose ] newpackagename

OPTIONS:
--dry-run
Output a report about which packages would be installed or upgraded but don't actually perform the upgrades.
--install-new
Normally upgradepkg only upgrades packages that are already installed on the system, and will skip any packages that do not already have a version installed. If --install-new is specified, the behavior is modified to install new packages in addition to upgrading existing ones.
--reinstall
Upgradepkg usually skips packages if the exact same package (matching name, version, arch, and build number) is already installed on the system. Use the --reinstall option if you want to upgrade all packages even if the same version is already installed.
--verbose
Show all the gory details of the upgrade.

installpkg

Installpkg installs single or multiple *.tgz binary packages.

installpkg [ -warn ] [ -root /otherroot ] [ -infobox ] [ -menu ] [ -ask ] [ -priority ADD|REC|OPT|SKP ] [-tagfile /somedir/tagfile ] packagename [ packagename2 ... ]

removepkg

From the man page:
Removepkg removes a previously installed Slackware package, while writing a progress report to the standard output. A package may be specified either by the full package name (as you'd see listed in /var/log/packages/), or by the base package name. For example, the package foo-1.0-i386-1.tgz may be removed with any of the following commands:
When deleting files, removepkg will analyze the contents of the other packages installed on your system, and will only delete the files that are unique to the package being removed. Similarly, the installation scripts for all the other packages will be considered when deciding whether or not to delete symbolic links from the package.
Removing a package (as well as installing one) can be a dangerous undertaking. For this reason, there is the -warn option available. When you use this, removepkg will not actually remove any files or links, but will output a detailed report of what it would do if you actually did remove the package. It's suggested that you do this (and maybe pipe the output to less ) before removing packages to make sure you've backed up anything that might be important.
When removing a package, it's original file index will be moved from /var/log/packages to /var/log/removed_packages. Likewise, it's installation script will be moved from /var/log/scripts to /var/log/removed_scripts.

removepkg [ -copy ] [ -keep ] [ -preserve ] [ -warn ] packagename

slackpkg

Slackpkg is part of the /extra folder. It is an excellent tool I use to watch for certain current software packages, but it can much more. From the descriptive file:
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION:
slackpkg: slackpkg
slackpkg:
slackpkg: Slackpkg is a package manager for Slackware. It can download,
slackpkg: upgrade, install and remove selected packages. With it, you
slackpkg: can search in the Slackware Package database and find which
slackpkg: package has the selected file.
slackpkg:
slackpkg: Slackpkg DOESN'T replace pkgtool. Actually, Slackpkg uses pkgtool
slackpkg: for all install|upgrade|remove functions.
slackpkg:
Slackpkg can install, remove, upgrade, reinstall, download, search for info and even clean your system. From the help:

Pay attention to the "clean-system" switch, which allows you to remove all packages which are not present in the official Slackware set.

Configure Slackpkg

After you have installed it, you must configure it for the first use. Change to /etc/slackpkg

1. There is a file called mirrors. Edit it an define just one mirror that is close to you. Be aware that the file is divided into several sections (Releases and the "current" tree), so be sure to do this in the right section
2. slackpkg.conf is the configuration file. Make yourself familiar with the various options. You can go with the default values, if that's ok for you, but you should always know what it means

Watch for certain packages

As I mentioned before, I use slackpkg to watch for certain packages, amongst other things. To do so I modified "slackpkg.conf" slightly:

# The lines below will set the download priority.
# Default values: /patches /slackware /extra /pasture /testing
#FIRST=patches
FIRST=slackware
SECOND=extra
#FOURTH=pasture
#FIFTH=testing

Furthermore I created a file "monitoring" with all the packages I like to watch:

#!/bin/sh
#
# list all packages here to monitor and downlaod with slackpkg
#
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download openssl
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download openssh
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download httpd
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download mozilla-firefox
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download mozilla-thunderbird
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download seamonkey
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download bind
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download iptables
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download mysql
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download php
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download gxine
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download xine-ui
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download xine-lib
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download gkrellm
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download slackpkg
cd /etc/slackpkg;/usr/sbin/slackpkg download slacktrack

FIle permissions of "monitoring": 744
I use "crontab" to execute the file each night:

# Download selected Slackware-Current packages to /var/tmp/slackpkg-current
55 1 * * * /usr/sbin/slackpkg update
00 2 * * * /etc/slackpkg/monitoring

Get security patches

Needless to say that it is important to patch your box. It is such an easy task:

• Go to Slackware's Homepage and subscribe to the Slackware security mailing list
• You could use "slackpkg" to get patches. Since I already use it for an other purpose, I use "ncftpget". Create a crontab entry similar to the one below

# Download Slackware patches with ncftpget to /var/tmp/slackpkg-current/patches
10 2 * * * /usr/bin/ncftpget mirror.switch.ch /var/tmp/slackpkg-current/patches /mirror/slackware/slackware-12.0/patches/packages/

• Check the mail if there are new packages. If so, install them with "upgradepkg"

And now ready to slack the world .

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Build your own Slackware kernel

Slackware provides many out of the box kernels optimized to be supporting a vast of various hardware configurations. Drawback is these kernels are not optimized for a specific hardware configuration or to be running on best performance. Enough reasons for a customized kernel.
The good news is, doing so is quite easy on Slackware, compared with other major Linux distributions. This article covers important steps building a customized kernel for a Slackware box

General conditions

• This article is about kernel 2.6.x. I have ported my system to 2.6 years ago, although Slackware was consistently using kernel 2.4. Kernel 2.6 became standard in Slackware release 12.0
• Always have a functioning kernel (e.g. standard Slackware kernel) you can boot!
• As a rule of thumb, only compile core functions statically in the kernel, use kernel modules for the hole rest. This way your kernel keeps thin and you become more flexible
• If you are unsure about your hardware configuration, activate all modules in a specific kernel section. Your kernel will load any module needed in order to support your hardware configuration. Doing so is in general a good idea. The only drawback is that it will take more time to compile a large quantity of modules
• Don't expect building your own kernel a matter of ten minutes (at least not for the first time). It will take quite some time, as there are many many kernel options to go trough
• Consider to switch to the "GRUB" bootloader (no prerequisite). See specific article in doing so

Here is how it goes

Step 1:
Make yourself comfortable with the hardware configuration of your box. Look into /sys and /proc. Have a look on your vendors site and / or consult your mainboard manual. You should at least know:

• CPU model
• Chipset
• SATA / IDE specifications
• Network
• Video
• Sound

Examine your PCI configuration:

lspci

Verify loaded modules

lsmod

Step 2:
Grab the 2.6.x kernel you want from www.kernel.org. Grab also the corresponding .sign file.

Step 3:
Verify the kernel file signature:

gpg --verifiy linux-2.6.23.16.tar.bz2 linux-2.6.23.16.tar.bz2.sign

Step 4:
Copy the linux kernel source file to /usr/src and extract it.

cp linux-2.6.23.16.tar.bz2 /usr/src
tar xvfj linux-2.6.23.16.tar.bz2

Step 5:
If you never have customized a kernel before, you must now go trough hundreds of kernel parameters. Nevertheless, it is worth the effort. Remember:

• Always have a functioning kernel (e.g. standard Slackware kernel) you can boot!
• Only compile core functions statically in the kernel, use kernel modules for the hole rest
• If you are unsure about your hardware configuration, activate all modules in a specific kernel section. Your kernel will load any module needed in order to support your hardware configuration

Start kernel configuration:

make menuconfig

Dont't be premature, these are the top level adjustments, there are hundreds of sub-options. If in doubt what to do, have a look onto your running kernel configuration (e.g. a standard Slackware kernel).

When finished, save configuration and exit. Type:

make bzImage && make modules && make modules_install

Step 6:
Copy the kernel and system map to the /boot folder.

cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz_2.6.23.16
cp System.map /boot/System.map_2.6.23.16

Modules already have been installed to /lib/modules

Step 7:
Create some symlinks.
In /usr/src type:

ln -s linux-2.6.23.16 linux

In /boot type:

ln -s System.map_2.6.23.16 System.map

ln -s vmlinuz_2.6.23.16 vmlinuz (optional)

Step 8:
Adjust your boot loader.
If you are a LILO user type "lilo"
if you are using GRUB adjust your /boot/grub/menu.lst file

Step 9:
Reboot!
If you utilize specific modules, e.g. a graphic driver or VMware workstation modules, you have to recompile them.

Step 10:
Delete unnecessary sources in:

• /usr/src
• /lib/modules
• /boot

Upgrade your customized kernel

This is much more easier than customize a kernel for the first time. We distinguish:

• Kernel patch upgrade, e.g. 2.6.23.15 to 2.6.23.16
• Kernel minor release update, e.g. 2.6.23 to 2.6.24

You can do both by downloading the new full release or by just applying the a patch.

Step 1:
Kernel patch upgrade:
If you start with a new full release, extract it and then copy the .config file from the old kernel source tree into the new one. Type:

make oldconfig

If you just apply the patch, you don't have to do this.

Minor release update:
Proceed like described above, but there is a difference. As a new kernel version introduces new options not known to the previous kernel and its .configure file, you must set up these options first. To do so, simply answer the questions the "make oldconfig" scripts is going to ask you. Answer them with yes (y), no (n) or (m) for module.

Step 2:
Build your new kernel and modules.

make bzImage && make modules && make modules_install

Then proceed as described above.

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Make Slackware Packages

Before you build your own package, you should have a look at:

* Slackware current on the web
* Linuxpackages.net
* Bottom of the “Slackware .. because it rockz!” article

Important: Build your package in a “clean” area, e.g. a dedicated computer with only necessary stuff installed. You know what I mean, it is kind of a security measure and is also dependency related. In addition you should define a directory (I call it “install_dir” below) where all your installs go. I use /usr/local/contrib/packages for “install_dir”.

In this guidance we package version 2.1.12 of the fwbuilder source code.


Step 1:

Get the source code of the program you would like to have packaged. The tarball is named fwbuilder-2.1.12.tar.gz


Step 2:

Extract the tarball in a directory of your choice and change into the new directory fwbuilder-2.1.12. Check for correct ownership and file permissions. Root should be owner, file perms = 644, directory perms = 755.


Step 3:

Next step is to configure the source. To prevent the software to install somewhere, apply the following Slackware style:

./configure \
--prefix=/usr \
--sysconfdir=/etc \
--localstatedir=/var


You may apply other configure options, depending on your needs and the software’s capabilities. Be also aware to check for dependencies the software may have before configuring / compiling. For example, fwbuilder depends on the library libfwbuilder.


Step 4:

After configure has finished, compile the sources with:

make


Step 5:

So far so good, that was no different than installing it the common way, but that’s going to change from here.

The “DESTDIR” variable is supported by current versions of “automake”. This variable controls where files are installed when issuing “make install”. We check whether the Makefile contains this variable by issuing (still inside the fwbuilder source directory):

grep –r DESTDIR *

Depending on whether DESTDIR is supported or not, the install string changes. In this example the DESTDIR variable has been found in the fwbuilder makefile . The typical install string in this case would be:

make install DESTDIR=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12

This string normally just works fine in conjunction with DESTDIR. However, I found fwbuilder to be stubborn using that command, instead this one works:

make install INSTALL_ROOT=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12

In case Makefile has no support for DESTDIR, you should use something like:

make install prefix=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12/usr

In summary these are the install strings I have seen:

make install DESTDIR=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12

make install INSTALL_ROOT=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12

make install prefix=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12/usr

make install ROOT=/install_dir/ fwbuilder-2.1.12

However you should watch very closely during make install whether it all went to “install_dir/package” and not somewhere else. You do not need to create the install_dir or the package directory (fwbuilder-2.1.12) in advance, as it is done by make install (assumed you have write access).

The "slack-desc" file

Step 6:

Now change into the directory “install_dir/fwuilder-2.1.12” and you will (hopefully) see directories created by “make install”. We could now create the package, but would be missing the package description. Each Slackware package should have a descriptive file – this file has to be placed in the directory ./install und is labeled “slack-desc”. The directory ./install would be created when issuing the “makepkg” command, but since we need the “slack-desc” file in advance, the install dir has to be created manually.

mkdir install

The Slackware description file has to follow a strict set of rules. If the format is not correct the package tools will not display the information about the package correctly. The file must contain exactly 11 lines even if there is not enough text to fill up the lines. Do not exceed the right margin – follow the ruler. Also note that each descriptive line must start with the name of the package.

The "slack-desc" file ruler

As an example see the name of the fwbuilder package below:

|-----handy-ruler--------------------------------------------------------------|
fwbuilder: Firewall Builder (firewall tool)
fwbuilder:
fwbuilder: Multi-platform firewall configuration and management tool.
fwbuilder: It consists of a GUI and set of policy compilers for various
fwbuilder: firewall platforms. Firewall Builder uses object-oriented
fwbuilder: approach, it helps administrator maintain a database of
fwbuilder: network objects and allows policy editing using simple
fwbuilder: drag-and-drop operations.
fwbuilder: Requires libfwbuilder, iptables, iproute2, libxml2, libxslt,
fwbuilder: libmng, Qt
fwbuilder: Packaged by Oliver Brunner ( jj@piir.chThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

The "doinst.sh" file

There is another file that goes in the ./install directory called “doinst.sh”. The file will be created by the “makepkg” command if you have symlinks in your package – so not all packages will have a doinst.sh file. I strongly recommend letting “makepkg” remove your symlinks. In addition, “doinst.sh” is the right place for anything special that need to be done post install. You can check for files, add users, change permissions and so on.

The "makepkg" command

Step 7:

Ok, now we are ready to go ahead and make the package. Still inside “install_dir/fwbuilder-2.1.12, type:

makepkg fwbuilder-2.1.12-`uname –m`-1.tgz

Naming package convention goes like this: “name-version-arch-build.tgz”

If “makepkg” detects any symlinks, it asks you whether to remove them and let the install program recreate them: If so, say yes. “Makepkg” creates these directions in the “doinst.sh” file. Also when asked about changing owner and group permissions choose “yes” unless you have checked them (as I recommended in the outset) and are happy. If you choose “yes”, ownership is changed to “root”. There is a problem with this as the directory /usr/bin and the files inside are supposed to be owned by the group “bin” - keep this in mind.

You are now ready to install the package.

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Indoleaks.org Is Up Againt

Maybe in rusia have Rospil.info and Openleaks.org will be launch soon but in indonesia has ben launch indoleaks.org. although in the initial publication of his experiencing problems but end up again.But over the air indoleaks.org overage occurs fear from certain parties, who think this is a taboo and a secret has been hidden for many  years, although a little small talk can be a refresher for the history of this submarine off the mark away and directed her to a particular doctrine or other terms can be mass duping duping public.Indoleaks.org already uploaded some files that they got to the site, and amazing to many who download until this article was written is 400 thousands.Wikileaks and indoleaks have deferent mangement and strategy.Wikileaks with julian asssange able to appear publicly and became a fugitive Interpol.And wikileaks release the document step by step you know why ? the answer is WikiLeaks sure if they are accurate and correct document.How about indoleaks oke i will explain.Indoleaks we never know who is behind this site,well they never show in public hahhaha ,and now about the document.Indoleaks release all document in the same time looklikes afraid running out off time before goverment block their site (i think).This is a little profile about indoleaks:

About UsIndoleaks emerged as an answer to the deadlock information.
Especially the information likely to be a boomerang for the authorities, politicians and other evil people in Indonesia. Indoleaks trying to pick and choose which documents should be publicly known, collections of hundreds Indoleaks. We will continue to break the deadlock information, with our right to publish the name of the information.
For us, the silence of the oppressed, more despicable than the oppressors themselves.Let us speak out. Break the deadlock information.All documents in Indoleaks, we present a verbatim. What is.And, of course, still original from the first hand.

    You can also share with us, with contact through indoleaks@gmail.com
Terms and ConditionsIndoleaks.org have some terms and conditions associated with documents in it. Namely:

    * Documents must be original, with no opinion of the sender in it.
    * Indoleaks.org will mention the source document is ANONYMOUS.
    * Document published a document that HAVE the public interest.
    * Indoleaks.org NOT going to publish information relating to bank accounts, medical records, and other personal secret.
    * Indoleaks.org NOT responsible for the use of the published document. 

   Until  now indonesian goverment not take further action.How long  indoleaks able to survive?
astray greetings/salam sesat. 

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Add spell check to Nano

 Nano is simple to use, efficient, and extensible. Nano can be used for many things: Writing, programming, editing configuration files, and more. Depending upon your needs, you might need to check the spelling of what you are writing or editing within Nano. Let’s take a look at how you can add spell checking to this handy editor.

Out of the box, one thing that Nano is missing is spell checking. Nano does include the option for spell checking (you can even invoke spell checking from within Nano, but it won’t work). Why is this? Simple – Nano makes use of a specific spell checker that is not installed on most distributions by default. So even though Nano has the keyboard shortcut available for spell checking, you have to make it work. Let’s see how.
Installing the spell checker
Nano depends upon the package spell for spell checking. This is simple to install, from the command line, if you follow these steps:

1. Open up a terminal window.
2. Issue the command sudo apt-get install spell.
3. Type your sudo password and hit Enter.
4. Accept any dependencies (if necessary).
5. Let the installation complete.

Once complete you are ready to use spell checking.
Check your spelling

Figure 1

Open up a document for editing within Nano. When you do this you should see the list of keyboard shortcuts along the bottom of the screen. Of those shortcuts the ^T shortcut should be listed. That will invoke spell checking.
With your document open hit Ctrl-t to begin the check. Figure 1 shows the Nano spell checking in action. Spell will begin at the top of your document and continue on until it comes across a word it does not recognize. When it lands on a mis-spelled (or unrecognizable) word it will stop and ask you to correct the spelling of the misspelled word. Spell will not offer suggestions for replacements. Instead Spell will simply allow you to edit the misspelled word. Once you’ve edited the word you will have the chance to change all instances of the misspelled word. To replace a single instance just retype the word and hit enter. You will be asked if you want to replace that instance. If you want to only replace that instance hit Y (for yes) or, if you want to replace all instances hit A (for all) and all instances of the misspelled word will be replaced. If you have misspelled your correction just hit Ctrl-c to cancel the replacement.
Once Nano is finished with the spell checking it will inform you by saying so. Since there is nothing automated or fancy about Nano you will need to remember to save your changes made to your document when you exit (using Ctrl-x) the editor.
Final thoughts
Most users have grown accustomed to auto-spell checks that make spelling suggestions to the users. That’s not Nano. Nano wants you to think for yourself. It’s not perfect, but it’s as close to spell check as you will find with Nano.

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Convert EXT2 or EXT3 to EXT4 Without Reformatting Your Hard Drive

   If you've been running Linux for a while, you're probably using the now slightly-outdated EXT2 or EXT3 file system. Technology blog Ghacks has a guide to converting those formats to the newer, faster, EXT4 without doing a clean install.
While many of us prefer to do a reformat every year or two, if you don't feel like reorganizing all your data but would like the speed and stability of EXT4, you can convert your file system without losing your data. That said, you'll of course want to back everything up before doing this—just because you shouldn't lose your data doesn't mean something can't go wrong. It's fairly simple if you're comfortable with the Terminal, which, if you've been a Linux user that long, is pretty likely.
   And then Let’s say you’re a little bit behind the times. You’ve wanted to do some upgrading of your Linux machines but you’ve just not really had the time. Or let’s say you did do some upgrading of your Linux system but you didn’t make any changes to your file system and you’re still running a machine with either ext2 or ext3. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing as both file systems work and work well. But let’s say you do want to take advantage of some of the features of ext4.
In this article I am going to show you how to migrate your ext2 or ext3 partition to ext4. I will use a Ubuntu machine as an example. I want to warn you that you could lose data by doing this so, following good administrative practices, back up your data! Once you are certain you have that backup of your data, it’s time to begin.
Kernel pre-requisite
You must be certain you have a kernel that is at least 2.6.28-11-generic or higher. If not, do NOT continue on with this. To find out what kernel you are running issue the command uname -r. If your kernel is lower thatn 2.6.28-11 stop where you are and close your browser.
Step 1
The first step is to boot from a Ubuntu Live CD. You do this because you can’t convert a file system that has been mounted. If you are converting a second drive on your machine (one that doesn’t contain your OS or your ~/ (home) directory, you can always just unmount that drive and do this without booting the Live CD.
Step 2:
Now it’s time to convert. We’re going to use /dev/sda1 as an example for converting. You will want to know the exact name of the drive and/or partition you are wanting to covert. If you are converting from ext2 to ext4 issue the following commands:
sudo bash
tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index,has_journal /dev/sda1
If you are wanting to convert ext3 to ext4 issue the following commands:
sudo bash
tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/sda1
NOTE: After you enter either of the sudo bash commands you will have to enter your sudo password.
Step 3:
Regardless of which conversion you are doing you will want to check the drive (or partition) after the conversion and repair any issues. Do this with the command:
e2fsck -pf /dev/sda1
Step 4:
Now you need to make sure the partition will mount. Do this with the command:
sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sda1 /mnt
Hopefully you won’t see any errors. You should now see the contents of that drive listed in the /mnt directory.
Step 5:
It’s time to edit your /etc/fstab file to reflect the change. Open this file up with your favorite text editor and look for the line that corresponds to the drive/partition you just changed. In that line you will reference to either ext2 or ext3. Change that reference to ext4. Save and close that file.
Step 6:
Now you need to refresh grub. Depending upon how your boot partition is will determine how you do this. If your boot partition is SEPARATE, do the following:
sudo bash
mkdir /mnt/boot
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot
grub-install /dev/sda --root-directory=/mnt --recheck
If your boot partition is NOT separate, do the following:
sudo bash
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
grub-install /dev/sda --root-directory=/mnt --recheck
Step 7:
Reboot. Once up and running you will now be using the ext4 file system!
Final thoughts
If you are leery of any of the above, don’t worry…you don’t HAVE to do this. Your system will run fine with ext2 or ex3. But if you love to get your hands dirty with your machines…then you will enjoy converting a working file system from one type to another. Just remember BACK UP YOUR DATA!

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Motorola Tablet specs reportedly leaked, couple of versions coming

                       

After its impromptu appearance with Google's Andy Rubin last week, a few more specs belonging to the Motorola tablet (or tablets) reportedly are coming to light. According to Goldenstone at mobile01, they are:

• 7-inch and 10-inch versions
• 32GB storage
• NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 dual-core processor
• Gyroscope
• 1280x800 resolution
• 5MP camera on the back, 2MP on the front.
• microSD
• HDMI out
• Versions for UMTS, CDMA and LTE (all bases covered!)

Goldenstone also mentions that it looks like the hardware's pretty set and is lightweight, but that Honeycomb still needs some fine tuning. Needless to say, folks, we can't get our hands on this one soon enough.

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Android Market Client Update

The Android Market engineering team has been hard at work on improving the Android Market experience for users and developers. Today, I’m pleased to announce a significant update to the Android Market client. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be rolling out a new Android Market client to all devices running Android 1.6 or higher.

This new Market client introduces important features that improve merchandising of applications, streamline the browse-to-purchase experience, and make it easier for developers to distribute their applications.

With a focus on improving discoverability and merchandising, we’ve introduced a new carousel on the home and category screens. Users can quickly flip through the carousel to view promoted applications and immediately go to the download page for the application they want. Developers have been very active in creating great Widgets and Live Wallpapers. To make it easier for users to find their favorites, we’re introducing two new categories for Widgets and Live Wallpapers. Applications that include Widgets and Wallpapers will be automatically added to those new categories. We’ll also be adding more categories for popular applications and games in the weeks ahead. In addition, the app details page now includes Related content, which makes it easier for users to quickly find apps of similar interest.

To streamline the browse-to-purchase experience, users can now access all the information about an application on a single page without the need to navigate across different tabs. We’re also introducing application content rating to provide users with more information about applications they are interested in. Since most users who request a refund do so within minutes of purchase, we will reduce the refund window on Market to 15 minutes. This change will be largely transparent to buyers, but will help developers manage their businesses more effectively.

To make it easier for developers to distribute and manage their products, we will introduce support for device targeting based on screen sizes and densities, as well as on GL texture compression formats. We are also increasing the maximum size for .apk files on Market to 50MB, to better support richer games.

With this release, we aimed to deliver features that are most requested by users and developers. However, we’re not done yet. We plan to continue to rapidly enhance Android Market for both users and developers and make it the best content distribution service for the Android ecosystem.

Please stay tuned as we continue to deliver new capabilities in the coming weeks and months.

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