SIG-Linux

Thank you for the great meeting today!  Please keep the discussion going!

SIG-Computing:  Windows Subsystem for Linux, and intro to SEMCO.org Google Apps

Windows 10 pricing will be $119 for Home edition after July 29, 2016.  Install fest recommended in late June 2016 – email jeff@semco.org

May “Patch Tuesday” patches expose the ”Get Windows 10” program again in Windows 7 and 8.1!  If you wish to prevent upgrades, check out Steve Gibson’s website:  https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

Mike recommended  http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

Web site maintainers, please patch OpenSSL and ImageMagick

Summer is a great time to get outdoors and away from computers, to interact with people more.  Great time to take more pictures.  Protect electronics from very hot temperatures and direct sunlight.

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is out and will be covered at SIG-Linux today (4PM).  Please be careful upgrading.  Kevin O’Brien and some others have had trouble with the initial release.  I suggest waiting for the 16.04.01 release in a few days.

New Nvidia Pascal GPU’s released. AMD Polaris coming end of May.

Windows 10 – Windows Subsystem for Linux

Windows NT heritage

A real subsystem with its own process tree

Limitations – as a subsystem there are barriers.  Currently at least, file exchange may be awkward due to Linux v Windows carriage control, difference on allowed file names, and strong Windows file locking (Linux processes can access files while they are in use, in Windows that is more challenging), but Canonical and Microsoft have worked hard on these issues so far!

sudo apt-get install emacs     — It works!  Native Linux Emacs working on Windows!

ssh myusername@myhostname     — very good, some terminal emulation glitches in the preview, but promising!

sftp mysername@myhostname:myfile /home/jeff/stuff/        — wow!  Had to install PuTTY to do this in the past, and it was a bit slow.  WSL version is fast and can handle huge files!

rsync    — yay!  Works on Windows paths under /mnt/c  !

SEMCO’s Google Apps for NonProfits

Transitioning our semco.org email service to it

No advertisements

Data protection serivce level agreement is stronger than the consumer gmail.com service

YouTube, Google Drive (Sheets/Docs/Keep, etc.)

The No-No of semco.org

• None of us may use semco.org for any commercial use!
• Do not run a home business using Google Apps for NonProfits!
• Do not use it for consulting!
• With this said, though, it is no problem to apply what you learn using semco.org to your own site!

Groups may help us if Yahoo! Groups declines with the sale of Yahoo!

Having a @semco.org email address is a lot better than

@SOME-ISP.net!

Excellent collaboration facilities allow us to work together to create presentations, documentations, and yes, A SEMCO NEWSLETTER!

SIG-Linux: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

ZFS – controversial licensing, but great to have stability in a scalable file system for Linux!  The other alternatives are still very limited, but ZFS is very mature.

ZFS has awareness of solid state disks, may use them for caching or regular storage, with or without regular hard drives.

Improvements in the GUI

Updated packages

5 YEAR support lifetime!

Upgrade will be supported soon, but please do not upgrade right away.  Please wait for the upcoming sub-release.

ZFS Demo in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

sudo zpool create testpool sdb sdc sdd –f    # this will wipe disks, no redundancy!

sudo zpool list

RAIDz data redundancy (can handle loss of 1 drive, z2=2 lost, z3=3)

sudo zpool create testpool raidz sdb sdc sdd –f

sudo zpool status; sudo zpool list

sudo zpool add testpool spare sde  # add spare drive

sudo zpool autoreplace=on testpool  # allow auto use of spare drive

sudo zfs create testpool/jeff1  # Look, no partitioning needed!

sudo zfs list

sudo zfs set quota=5g testpool/jeff1  # you may resize this later!

sudo zfs set mountpoint=/home/jeff/jeff1 testpool/jeff1

# automatically mounts the file system, check ”mount”!

Other ZFS commands are available to export file systems via NFS, add/remove drives from pools, export and import, and do snapshots!

 

This is a promising release!  Please visit http://www.ubuntu.com/ for other new features and to download it!

 

 

 

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

When: Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Computing
Topic: Windows 10 Subsystem for Linux and Google Apps:

SIG-Computing Chairman Jeff Marraccini will present Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10: a look at the bash shell and the utilities available in the recent Insider Preview builds of Microsoft Windows 10. We will examine the WSL and discuss Canonical’s contribution to the upcoming Windows 10 Redstone release. Impacts of what bash and its related utilities in Windows 10 bring to the marketplace and our individual usage of Windows will also be discussed. Canonical and Microsoft have worked hard on this: what are they seeking to accomplish?

We will also take a quick look at SEMCO’s Google Apps for NonProfits site. SEMCO members may take advantage of this new service to gain an email address @semco.org, work on documents with other SEMCO members, family, and friends, and take advantage of an advertisement-free Google environment with strong data privacy protections.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation and during the social period before the SIG-Linux meeting. Snacks available during the social period.
When: Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 1:45 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Linux
Topic: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

SIG-Computing Chairman Jeff Marraccini will perform a brief demonstration of the recent Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Linux distribution.

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and related distributions (KUbuntu, LUbuntu, etc.) have been released in April 2016. This release includes the Zettabyte File System (ZFS) with the controversial license conflicts. Some have called for Canonical to be sanctioned, others hail ZFS as the definitive throwing down of the gauntlet between the various open source distribution licenses. We look at Ubuntu 16.04 LTS from both home and server viewpoints. Please do not upgrade just yet, though, there are some issues with this initial release on some hardware.

All are welcome.

When: Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering
Free Wi-Fi available.

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Computing
Topic: PowerShell:

James Fortune will discuss the powerful PowerShell scripting language that is built into Windows. James will start by talking about software security concerns associated with PowerShell. Then he will explain what PowerShell is and talk about some things that PowerShell can do on a server or on a local computer. He will explain what PowerShell Remoting is and give examples of:

• How PowerShell Remoting can be used to ease database administration.
• Obtaining various kinds of information from your computer.
• How PowerShell can be used to secure directories containing a certain string automatically.
• How to prevent corrupted database files from being backed up.
• How to set up a daily revolving backup system.
• How to set up a weekly revolving backup system.

James will then cover how PowerShell can be used as an early virus detection tool for brand-new viruses. If time permits he will cover how PowerShell can assist in placing cleaned computers back on a network, creating a pre-installation environment, desired State Configuration, and new features in PowerShell 5.0.

James Fortune is a managing member of Golden Products and Services, LLC. He has written custom software for multiple Aerospace Tooling companies, including software utilizing Microsoft SQL Server.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation and during the social period before the SIG-Linux meeting. Snacks available during the social period.
When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 1:45 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Linux
Topic: GnuCash:

SIG-Linux Chairman Brian Brodsky will demonstrate some of the features of GnuCash. GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available for GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.

Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.

All are welcome.

When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering
Free Wi-Fi available.

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

When: Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Computing
Topic: Effective Presentations using LibreOffice Impress:

Kevin O’Brien will present Effective Presentations using LibreOffice Impress. Presentations are very common, and bad ones even more so, which has given rise to the term “Death by PowerPoint.” But done well they can be very helpful in communicating ideas. Kevin will discuss how to do that using LibreOffice Impress, the free, open-source presentation software. And along the way he will give some tips and tricks to get the most out of the software.

Kevin O’Brien is a Project Manager for Ford, and a LibreOffice fan. He is recording a series of tutorials on LibreOffice for Hacker Public Radio, and has presented on this topic at Ohio LinuxFest, Penguicon, Indiana LinuxFest, and local Linux user groups. He always prefers to use free software.

Also: Questions and Answers following presentation and during social time before SIG-Linux meeting. Snacks available during social time.
When: Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 1:45 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Linux
Topic: calibre:

SIG-Linux Chairman Brian Brodsky will demonstrate some of the features of calibre.  calibre is a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books. It has a cornucopia of features divided into the following main categories:

• Library Management
• E-book conversion
• Syncing to e-book reader devices
• Downloading news from the web and converting it into e-book form
• Comprehensive e-book viewer
• Content server for online access to your book collection
• E-book editor for the major e-book formats

All are welcome.

When: Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

Free Wi-Fi available.

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting with the election process and general announcements.

When: Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Computing
Topic: File Organization and The Cloud, PowerShell Quickie

SIG-Computing Chairman Jeff Marraccini will present File Organization and The Cloud, and PowerShell Quickie. Picked up a lot of pictures, movies, and family items you plan to scan and save for posterity during the holidays? Jeff will cover file organization in the current era, including a quick overview of private (BTSync, OwnCloud, etc.) and public cloud services. The objectives will include keeping organized, archival copies, and selective sharing with family and friends, without using social media sites!

Afterwards we will take a very brief look at PowerShell, Microsoft’s preference for automating tasks in Windows and Windows Server. An overview of resources to make the most of PowerShell will be presented and you will have copies of all the links. Learning PowerShell is a great New Year’s goal as it is a huge improvement over batch files!

Also: Questions and Answers following presentation and during social time before SIG-Linux meeting. Snacks available during social time.
When: Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 1:45 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Linux
Topic: Election and Z shell:

Before the presentation, the group will hold its annual election for chairman. Afterwards current SIG-Linux Chairman Brian Brodsky will demonstrate some of the features of zsh. Zsh is a shell designed for interactive use, although it is also a powerful scripting language. Many of the useful features of bash, ksh, and tcsh were incorporated into zsh; many original features were added. All are welcome.

When: Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

Free Wi-Fi available.

SIG-Computing
Topic: Microsoft Windows 10:

SIG-Computing Chairman Jeff Marraccini will discuss Microsoft’s Windows 10 and demonstrate the Windows 10 release as of our meeting date. Windows 10 will be available for download on or shortly after July 29, 2015. SEMCO Members and guests will have an opportunity to see Windows 10 in action and to discuss the pre-upgrade backup process, when, and how to upgrade. We will also discuss when it is best to just backup files and start over, particularly if you would like to jump from a hard drive to a solid state disk (SSD) at the time of the upgrade.

Microsoft is providing the Windows 10 upgrade for free for most users for the first year, as long as you have a valid Windows 7 or higher license!

Jeff has been with Altair Engineering for 18 years in various IT roles. He currently manages a world-wide team taking care of computing, network, and related services for 2,300 staff across more than 40 sites. His team manages many computing clusters based on Linux distributions and Windows Server along with several storage back-ends. Jeff resides in Troy, Michigan and his LinkedIn site is http://jeffmarraccini.com/.

Also: Questions and Answers.
When: Sunday, August 9, 2015 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

SIG-Linux
Topic: Bombono DVD:

SIG-Linux Chairman Brian Brodsky will lead a presentation on Bombono DVD. Bombono DVD is a free open-source DVD authoring program. It is easy to use and has a nice clean GUI (Gtk). All are welcome.

When: Sunday, August 9, 2015 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

Free Wi-Fi available.