091 Labs

A suitably admonished Padraic is talking to you today.

I had several people contact me since posting late last week about our upcoming Python and Linux classes, members of 091 Labs and non-members alike.

The members pointed out to me that I had not left much time between making the classes public and the actual beginning of the classes. When talking to others over the weekend, they were surprised to learn that they too had to sign up on the Eventbrites even if they were planning to pay on the day. This rapidly explained the perceived lack of interest by the members!

Members of the public also contacted me saying that their funds in January were still in rather short supply and they would have attended if it had started a few weeks later. Some asked if they could sign up as members of the Labs on the day and get the member discount for the two classes (which is a yes).

So to clarify:

• Python classes that were to start on the 22nd of January have been postponed two weeks until the 5th of February. Classes run 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th.
• Linux classes that were to start on the 23rd of January have been postponed two weeks until the 6th of February. Classes run 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th.
• Saturday classes starting on the 9th of February are unaffected and continue at 2pm-4pm for Python and 5pm-7pm for Linux.
• To let us have an idea of numbers in advance and avoid confusion on the door, people who wish to attend should please sign up on the appropriate Eventbrite. I have made a ticket option for those who wish to pay on the door.
• And yes, you can join the Labs on the day to get the member discount.

I’d also like to say thanks and sorry to all those that have so far promoted the classes for us. I hope that these changes won’t stop you from promoting future Labs events! =)

Link to the blog post with class details: http://091labs.com/2013/01/upcoming-linux-and-python-intro-courses/

Python Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.ie/event/5247276746

Linux Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.ie/event/5254761132

Disorganisedly yours,

Padraic

Unfortunately, this workshop has had to be postponed as Mark isn’t feeling well and isn’t up to the trip down to Galway for the class. We’ll announce here when we know more about when it’s being rescheduled, sorry.

Why yes, a Linux workshop!

Friday January 20, from about 7pm onward. You want to learn Linux? Great! What you need is:

1. A laptop computer with enough hard disk space to install Linux.
2. A sense of self-worth and a desire to learn.
3. The fortitude to repartition your machine in order to install Linux.

We will be working with Ubuntu Linux 11.10¹.

Order of operations:

1. Get everyone settled and liability releases signed².
2. Introduce myself and introduce Linux. I have a swish presentation.
3. Hand out installation media to anyone who hasn’t been frightened away³.
4. Branch out into Q&A and get everyone working on a goal. I don’t have an overall plan in mind, save that I do better in this kind of format.

Scary footnotes aside, it should be a great evening for anyone who wants to come in and try Linux out and enjoy our friendly user-friendly hackerspace.

Admission is €10 per person, with proceeds going to the hackerspace.

—
¹The hackerspace has Ubuntu 11.10 installation media, I have Ubuntu 11.10 installation media and it is honestly the only distro I have used for any great length of time in the past decade.
²I want you to understand that complete data loss on your hard disk is a tangible risk if you mess up with partitioning. You will be supervised and the risk of data loss will be explicitly spelled out on the night.
³Depending on both the size of the crowd and my own infamously mercurial temperament, I may not be able to micromanage partitioning and installation. I will certainly supervise, but the burden of responsibility is on you, O Participant!

Want to try Linux? There’s a class for that!

Back by popular demand, 091 Labs’ Introduction to Linux class will be covering the installation and setup of Ubuntu 10.10, including configuring it to work seamlessly with your Windows files. We’ll even show you how to setup all the cool goodies!

The class will cost just €5, which will go towards rent and equipment for 091 Labs. The class will be about 2 hours long and printed notes will be provided afterwards. No prior knowledge of Linux is necessary as this is starting from the very basics!

What to bring:

• A laptop

By installing Linux you can KEEP Windows installed, you’ll just have the option of booting either Windows or Ubuntu when you switch your computer on. As a precaution, please backup all your important files anyway.

If you do not have a laptop, we will be able to offer a limited amount of old laptops which you can install Ubuntu on, just to get a feel for the installation. Please request these in advance. We have a Tuck Shop in 091 Labs selling drinks and snacks for low prices, which also goes towards our rent :)

This post started off in my head as a guide to firewalling your home server, but it gradually evolved, mentally, into a workshop for securing the information on your Linux laptop with GRUB, KeePass and Truecrypt. Click the (awesome Hackers) image below to RSVP your place for this once-off workshop!

…and secure it too.

When Aaron, Matthew and I incepted our Linux classes, we did so with a nebulous aim of offering a course of comprehensive beginner material, with our ultimate, nebulous goal being to offer “more advanced stuff”. Well, here we are. I dove into the basics of manipulating the Bash shell, simple scripting, SSH, and confidently administering a headless system as root. In the midst of my preparations for these classes, I had a theatric lightbulb-over-head moment: How hard would it be, really, to turn a desktop into a basic home server? Set aside performance and security concerns for a moment and just consider accessibility and turnaround time to live access on the Internet.

As it turns out, this takes about one hour. Maybe two if you are installing Linux from scratch. All you need to begin is a method to connect your dynamic home IP to a static domain and then a method to remotely access your home server:


apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get install openssh-server openssh-client


Sign up for a free DynDNS account and domain (remember to complete checkout!).


apt-get install ddclient


Populate three lines in /etc/ddclient/ddclient.conf with:

1. Your DynDNS user name.
2. Your DynDNS password.
3. Your DynDNS domain.


/etc/init.d/ddclient restart
/etc/init.d/ssh start


Now give DynDNS and ddclient about five minutes (on the safe side) to update. Congratulations, you have a live Internet server for your file-access, media streaming, jerking-around-while-at-work, and general geek needs.

Now, we have a server. Locking down its Internet connection? Mmm, ten minutes. It was actually over an hour for me because I was engrossed in crash-learning netfilter/iptables syntax from scratch.


#/bin/sh

# Permit TCP connections to and from this machine on port 22 (SSH).
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -dport 22 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp -sport 22 -j ACCEPT


You’ll eventually need to open up ports for NTP, mail, DNS and others, but really: This is all there is to it. And because I am awesome, I wrote all of this up on Google Docs and made it freely available for download. Any notes suggesting alterations, additions or deletions can be made directly on the document, or by email to me directly.

Your Home Server and You