February, 2007

Re-evaluating my priorities

It's the time of the year again, when everything starts rolling. Things will be more hectic from now on, at least till the end of the semester. I need to re-evaluate my priorities, especially since I want to graduate this semester. Grr...

Okay, so here are the things on my plate right now

  • Studies: statistical physics, database, algorithms, network applications
  • linuxNUS: sourcing for speakers, Linux awareness talk for startups, security talk, "fire-fighting", "helpdesk", career/networking night for graduating students (KIV, I think)
  • LUGS: nothing major
  • System administration: migrating of linuxNUS website to another server, migration of emails to new server, migration of mailing lists to the new server, maintaining the Opensource@NUS server
  • Wushu: ensuring a smooth change of schedule, coaching, training
  • Running: should find time to run, getting fat
  • Buddhism: the daily usual (more? =/ )
  • Others: keeping up to date with technology, FOSS and Linux

Oh man, this is a freakingly long list, geez.. Time to throw stuff at others or drop them altogether.

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.jmarki.net/drupal/trackback/20

airo350 + wpa_supplicant + ndiswrapper

After struggling to get my PCMCIA airo350 wireless card to work with PEAP in NUS for years, I finally caved in and used ndiswrapper. I know, I know, kernel 2.6.17 and above is supposed to support it, but that is for cards with firmware version 5.30.17 "or later". My card is 5.60.x, which is too much later, I guess.

Grabbing the files from Windows XP

So, no choice but to use ndiswrapper. So I boot to Windows, and checked out the files used by the Aironet 350 device (driver properties -> files), and grabbed the files c:\windows\inf\netx500.inf and c:\windows\system32\drivers\pcx500.sys. Just FYI, pcx500mp.sys is for the Aironet 350 Mini-PCI card.

Installing the Windows drivers

Then I boot into Linux, and installed ndiswrapper(1.33), and wpa_supplicant (v0.5.7).

Next, I have to install the drivers. This was easy. First make sure the 2 files are in the same directory, then install the driver.


# install the driver
root $ /sbin/ndiswrapper -i /path/to/netx500.inf

# check the driver is installed
root $ /sbin/ndiswrapper -l
netx500 : driver installed

# insert the pcmcia card, then load ndiswrapper
root $ modprobe ndiswrapper

# check ndiswrapper is loaded
root $ lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
ndiswrapper           195284  0

root $ dmesg
[...]
ndiswrapper version 1.33 loaded
usbcore: registered new interface driver ndiswrapper

There's a problem. Ndiswrapper is not able to automatically create the PCMCIA configuration. I have to do this by manually. I wrote one using the configuration it has already generated (14B9:0350.5.conf) as a guide.


# save this as /path/to/ndiswrapper/netx500/14B9:929B.8.conf (e.g /etc/ndiswrapper/netx500/14B9\:929B.8.conf)
# the '8' in the filename is because CardBus is device type 8.

NdisVersion|0x50001
Environment|1
class_guid|4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318
NetworkAddress|XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
driver_version|,07/01/2001,7.29.0.0
BusType|8

FormFactor|PCMCIA
InfrastructureMode|1
LowerRange|ethernet
MediaDisconnectDamper|10
NodeName|
PowerSaveMode|0
RadioName|PC3500
Service|PCX500
SSID1|
SupportedRates|0
UpperRange|ndis5

Now we have to link the Cardbus PCMCIA slot to this configuration. As Cardbus slots are detected as PCI devices, we can use lspci.


# this is the CardBus device we have to take note of
root $ lspci
[...]
01:0b.0 CardBus bridge: Toshiba America Info Systems ToPIC95 (rev 07)

# Get the manufacturer's device ID (xxxx:xxxx)
root $ lspci -n
[...]
01:0b.0 0607: 1179:060a (rev 07)

# create a symlink for the configuration to this device
# Note the capital letters
root $ cd /directory/of/14B9:929B.8.conf
root $ ln -s 14B9:929B.8.conf 1179\:060A.5.conf
root $ ls -al
1179:060A.5.conf -> 14B9:929B.8.conf
14B9:0340.5.conf
14B9:0350.5.conf
14B9:4800.5.conf
14B9:929B.8.conf
netx500.inf
pcx500.sys

The kernel might already have the opensource driver running. To prevent it from loading these modules (aka drivers) instead, we need to black list them in /etc/modprobe.conf


# blacklist the modules
blacklist airo_cs
blacklist airo

# alias the interface to eth1 (or wlan0 if that's your 
alias eth1 ndiswrapper

So now we have installed and setup ndiswrapper for this PCMCIA card.

Starting the card

Restart the system!!! Okay, there's no need to do that, but I'm lazy... Sticking out tongue Besides, I just upgraded a ton of other stuff too...


root $ modprobe ndiswrapper
root $ lsmod

Using WPA Supplicant

Since I'm using PEAP (yes, I know it's not secure. NUS doesn't care.... It's their newly installed "secure" wireless system.), I have to get wpa_supplicant to work too.

Hmm... I'm getting tired of typing. I'll just plonk my wpa_supplicant configuration here then... Sticking out tongue


ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=wheel
ap_scan=2    # seem to work only if set to 2
eapol_version=2

network={
        disabled=0
        priority=1
        ssid="NUS"
        scan_ssid=1
        key_mgmt=IEEE8021X
        eap=PEAP
        phase2="auth=MSCHAPV2"
        identity="user@nus.edu.sg"
        password="password"
        ca_cert="/path/to/ase1.pem"
}
network={
        disabled=1
        ssid="NUSOPEN"
        scan_ssid=1
        key_mgmt=NONE
        priority=2
}
network={
        disabled=1
        key_mgmt=NONE
        priority=-9999999
}

Okok... I won't leave you in the berth. Here's a howto on NUS PEAP configuration

I want to graduate!!!

So What Do You Want for Christmas?

Post Graduate Blues

[Pictures hosted by Flickr]

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.jmarki.net/drupal/trackback/22

Basket: A free-style note taking KDE application

Basket 1.0 is out. And it looks better than ever. Instead of just to-do lists, clipboard stacks, and checklists, there's now a new freestyle basket!

KDE Basket 1.0

Some other new features include import (text, HTML, "basket", Knotes, Sticky Notes, etc) and export (HTML or "basket" formats), password protection, integration with Kontact, and a lot more. It's looking more full featured now. Yeah... Smiling

[Screenshot hosted on Flickr]

Sometimes it's alright to steal

I was looking at an advertisement for Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Edition in the Straits Times, and guess what? It costs a freaking SG$789!!! Whoa, almost $800! Ridiculous, isn't it? I can buy a low-mid range computer with this sum of money.

I wonder how parents will react when kids come home saying they need Microsoft Office to do their homework "because my teacher wants me to hand in using Microsoft Word format". A single look at the price tag will make most parents blanche. And most will immediately turn to pirated software.

Isn't this contradictory? On one hand, we tell the kids that "stealing is bad", on the other hand, we buy stolen stuff for them. How confused will the kids be?

What sad times we are living in. We download music and movies from the Internet without paying the artists a single cent (yes yes, I know the RIAA/MPAA issue is way out of hand), buy pirated software to save a few bucks, and then lie to our kids that stealing is bad. Sigh...

There are always alternatives, you know? Listening to internet radio, renting movies to watch, and using Open Office instead of Microsoft Office. At the very least, teaching the kids how to look for ethical alternatives will help develop their problem solving skills.

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.jmarki.net/drupal/trackback/24

Youtube threadmill dancing video

Ok Go's Here It Goes Again MTV!! Wee... Threadmill dance. Found this on Sieghart's blog.


Their website is at http://okgo.net/

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.jmarki.net/drupal/trackback/25

Happy Chinese New Year!!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! Smiling Yes, it's 初二, so I'm late by 4 days.

Went house visiting yesterday with my wushu clique today.

mandarin oranges pyramid
This is what we guys do when the gals abandoned us to go gaga over a hamster.

big differences between sizes of oranges
And we have one tiny orange in the pile of big oranges.

Okay, okay, I was feeling bored watching a lame TV show then, so this is what comes out of my under-stimulated mind.

Anyway, I have uploaded several of the photos I took these few months into my Flickr Gallery, so you can go enjoy. Hmm, maybe I should do a photo essay, or at least put up some decent Chinese New Year photos. Whahah Laughing out loud

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.jmarki.net/drupal/trackback/26

The Thinker

The Thinker

From Deepak Sarda's blog. Image hosted on Flickr.

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.jmarki.net/drupal/trackback/27