Oct 252022
 
Screenshot of Horizon Agent for Linux on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Today I’m going to show you the process to install Horizon Agent for Linux on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. We’ll be installing the Horizon Agent for Linux from VMware Horizon 8 version 2209.

The official documentation from VMware is helpful, but unfortunately doesn’t provide all the information to get up and running quickly, which is why I’ve put together this guide as a “Quick Start”.

Please note, that this is just a guide to get to the point where you can install NVIDIA vGPU drivers and have installed the Horizon Agent for Linux on the VM. This will provide you with a persistent VM that you can use with Horizon, and the instructions can be adapted for use in a non-persistent instant clone environment as well.

Screenshot of Horizon Agent for Linux on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Horizon Agent for Linux on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

I highly recommend reading VMware’s documentation for Linux Desktops and Applications in Horizon.

Requirements

  • VMware Horizon 8 (I’m running VMware Horizon 8 2209)
  • Horizon Enterprise or Horizon for Linux Licensing
  • Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Installer ISO (download here)
  • Horizon Agent for Linux (download here)
  • Functioning internal DNS

Instructions

  1. Create a VM on your vCenter Server, attached the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS ISO, and install Ubuntu
  2. Install any Root CA’s or modifications you need for network access (usually not needed unless you’re on an enterprise network)
  3. Update Ubuntu as root
    apt update
    apt upgrade
    reboot
  4. Install software needed for VMware Horizon Agent for Linux as root
    apt install make gcc libglvnd-dev open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-dev open-vm-tools-desktop
  5. Install your software (Chrome, etc.)
  6. Install NVIDIA vGPU drivers if you are using NVIDIA vGPU (this must be performed before install the Horizon Agent). Make sure the installer modifies and configures the X configuration files.
  7. Install the Horizon Agent For Linux as root (accepting TOS, enabling audio, and disabling SSO).
    See Command-line Options for Installing Horizon Agent for Linux
    ./install_viewagent.sh -A yes -a yes -S no
  8. Reboot the Ubuntu VM
  9. Log on to your Horizon Connection Server
  10. Create a manual pool and configure it
  11. Add the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS VM to the manual desktop pool
  12. Entitle the User account to the desktop pool and assign to the VM
  13. Connect to the Ubuntu 22.04 Linux VDI VM from the VMware Horizon Client

You should now be able to connect to the Ubuntu Linux VDI VM using the VMware Horizon client. Additionally, if you installed the vGPU drivers for NVIDIA vGPU, you should have full 3D acceleration and functionality.

May 022021
 
Ubuntu Orange Logo

In this post, I’m going to provide instructions and a guide on how to install the Horizon Agent for Linux on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. This will allow you to run and connect to an Ubuntu VDI VM with VMware Horizon View.

In the past I’ve created instructions on how to do this on earlier versions of Ubuntu, as well as RedHat Linux, but it’s getting easier than ever and requires less steps than previous guides.

I decided to create the updated tutorial after purchasing an AMD S7150 x2 and wanted to get it up and running with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and see if it works.

Screenshot of VMware Horizon for Linux on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
VMware Horizon for Linux on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

I also highly recommend reading the documentation made available for VMware Horizon: Setting Up Linux Desktops in Horizon.

Requirements

  • VMware Horizon View 8 (I’m running version 2103)
  • Horizon Enterprise or Horizon for Linux Licensing
  • Horizon VDI environment that’s functioning and working
  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Installer ISO (download here)
  • Horizon Agent for Linux (download here)
  • Functioning internal DNS

Instructions

  1. Create a VM on your vCenter Server, attached the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO, and install Ubuntu
  2. Install any Root CA’s or modifications you need for network access (usually not needed unless you’re on an enterprise network)
  3. Update Ubuntu as root
    apt update
    apt upgrade
  4. Install software needed for VMware Horizon Agent for Linux as root
    apt install openssh-server python python-dbus python-gobject open-vm-tools-desktop
  5. Install your software (Chrome, etc.)
  6. Install any vGPU or GPU Drivers you need before installing the Horizon Agent
  7. Install the Horizon Agent For Linux as root (Enabling Audio, Disabling SSO)
    ./install_viewagent.sh -a yes -S no
  8. Reboot the Ubuntu VM
  9. Log on to your Horizon Connection Server
  10. Create a manual pool and configure it
  11. Add the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS VM to the manual desktop pool
  12. Entitle the User account to the desktop pool and assign to the VM
  13. Connect to the Ubuntu 20.04 Linux VDI VM from the VMware Horizon Client

And that’s it, you should now be running.

As for the AMD S7150 x2, I noticed that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS came with the drivers for it called “amdgpu”. Please note that this driver does not work with VMware Horizon View. After installing “mesa-utils”, running “glxgears” and “glxinfo” it did appear that 3D Acceleration was working, however after further investigation it turned out this is CPU rendering and not using the S7150 x2 GPU.

You now have a VDI VM running Ubuntu Linux on VMware Horizon View.

Jul 132020
 
Picture of the DUO Security Logo

When you’re looking for additional or enhanced options to secure you’re business and enterprise IT systems, MFA/2FA can help you achieve this. Get away from the traditional single password, and implement additional means of authentication! MFA provides a great compliment to your cyber-security policies.

My company, Digitally Accurate Inc, has been using the Duo Security‘s MFA product in our own infrastructure, as well as our customers environments for some time. Digitally Accurate is a DUO Partner and can provide DUO MFA Services including licensing/software and the hardware tokens (Duo D-100 Tokens using HOTP).

What is MFA/2FA

MFA is short for Multi Factor authentication, additionally 2FA is short for Two Factor Authentication. While they are somewhat the same, multi means many, and 2 means two. Additional security is provided with both, since it provides more means of authentication.

Traditionally, users authenticate with 1 (one) level of authentication: their password. In simple terms MFA/2FA in addition to a password, provides a 2nd method of authentication and identity validation. By requiring users to authentication with a 2nd mechanism, this provides enhanced security.

Why use MFA/2FA

In a large portion of security breaches, we see users passwords become compromised. This can happen during a phishing attack, virus, keylogger, or other ways. Once a malicious user or bot has a users credentials (username and password), they can access resources available to that user.

By implementing a 2nd level of authentication, even if a users password becomes compromised, the real (or malicious user) must pass a 2nd authentication check. While this is easy for the real user, in most cases it’s nearly impossible for a malicious user. If a password get’s compromised, nothing can be accessed as it requires a 2nd level of authentication. If this 2nd method is a cell phone or hardware token, a malicious user won’t be ale to access the users resources unless they steal the cell phone, or hardware token.

How does MFA/2FA work

When deploying MFA or 2FA you have the option of using an app, hardware token (fob), or phone verification to perform the additional authentication check.

After a user attempts to logs on to a computer or service with their username and password, the 2nd level of authentication will be presented, and must pass in order for the login request to succeed.

Please see below for an example of 2FA selection screen after a successful username and password:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on Windows Login
Duo Security Windows Login MFA 2FA Prompt

After selecting an authentication method for MFA or 2FA, you can use the following

2FA with App (Duo Push)

Duo Push sends an authentication challenge to your mobile device which a user can then approve or deny.

Please see below for an example of Duo Push:

Screenshot of Duo Push Notification to Mobile Android App
Duo Push to Mobile App on Android

Once the user selects to approve or deny the login request, the original login will either be approved or denied. We often see this as being the preferred MFA/2FA method.

2FA with phone verification (Call Me)

Duo phone verification (Call Me) will call you on your phone number (pre-configured by your IT staff) and challenge you to either hangup to deny the login request, or press a button on the keypad to accept the login request.

While we rarely use this option, it is handy to have as a backup method.

2FA with Hardware Token (Passcode)

Duo Passcode challenges are handled using a hardware token (or you can generate a passcode using the Duo App). Once you select this method, you will be prompted to enter the passcode to complete the 2FA authentication challenge. If you enter the correct passcode, the login will be accepted.

Here is a Duo D-100 Token that uses HOTP (HMAC-based One Time Password):

Picture of Duo D-100 HOTP Hardware Token
Duo D-100 HOTP Hardware Token

When you press the green button, a passcode will be temporarily displayed on the LCD display which you can use to complete the passcode challenge.

You can purchase Hardware Token’s directly from Digitally Accurate Inc by contacting us, your existing Duo Partner, or from Duo directly. Duo is also compatible with other 3rd party hardware tokens that use HOTP and TOTP.

2FA with U2F

While you can’t visibly see the option for U2F, you can use U2F as an MFA or 2FA authentication challenge. This includes devices like a Yubikey from Yubico, which plugs in to the USB port of your computer. You can attach a Yubikey to your key chain, and bring it around with you. The Yubikey simply plugs in to your USB port and has a button that you press when you want to authenticate.

When the 2FA window pops up, simply hit the button and your Yubikey will complete the MFA/2FA challange.

What can MFA/2FA protect

Duo MFA supports numerous cloud and on-premise applications, services, protocols, and technologies. While the list is very large (full list available at https://duo.com/product/every-application), we regularly deploy and use Duo Security for the following configurations.

Windows Logins (Server and Workstation Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to not only protect your Windows Servers and Workstations, but also your remote access system as well.

When logging on to a Windows Server or Windows Workstation, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on Windows Login
Duo Security Windows Login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on Windows Login.

DUO works with both Windows Logins and RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) Logins.

VMWare Horizon View Clients (VMWare VDI Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) by requiring MFA or 2FA when users log in to access their desktops.

When logging on to the VMware Horizon Client, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on VMWare Horizon Client Login
Duo Security VMWare Horizon Client Login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on VMware Horizon View (VDI) Login.

Sophos UTM (Admin and User Portal Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your Sophos UTM firewall. You can protect the admin account, as well as user accounts when accessing the user portal.

If you’re using the VPN functionality on the Sophos UTM, you can also protect VPN logins with Duo MFA.

Unix and Linux (Server and Workstation Logon)

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your Unix and Linux Servers. You can protect all user accounts, including the root user.

We regularly deploy this with Fedora and CentOS (even FreePBX) and you can protect both SSH and/or console logins.

When logging on to a Unix or Linux server, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on CentOS Linux Login
Duo Security CentOS Linux login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on Linux.

WordPress Logon

Duo MFA can be deployed to protect your WordPress blog. You can protect your admin and other user accounts.

If you have a popular blog, you know how often bots are attempting to hack and brute force your passwords. If by chance your admin password becomes compromised, using MFA or 2FA can protect your site.

When logging on to a WordPress blog admin interface, a user will be presented with the following screen for 2FA authentication:

Screenshot of Duo MFA 2FA Prompt on WordPress Login
Duo Security WordPress Login MFA 2FA Prompt

Below you can see a video demonstration of DUO on a WordPress blog.

How easy is it to implement

Implementing Duo MFA is very easy and works with your existing IT Infrastructure. It can easily be setup, configured, and maintained on your existing servers, workstations, and network devices.

Duo offers numerous plugins (for windows), as well as options for RADIUS type authentication mechanisms, and other types of authentication.

How easy is it to manage

Duo is managed through the Duo Security web portal. Your IT admins can manage users, MFA devices, tokens, and secured applications via the web interface. You can also deploy appliances that allow users to manage, provision, and add their MFA devices and settings.

Duo also integrates with Active Directory to make managing and maintaining users easy and fairly automated.

Let’s get started with Duo MFA

Want to protect your business with MFA? Give me a call today!

Mar 212020
 
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 case open with Fan Kit and running

In this post you’ll find a list of handy tips, tricks, and commands for your new Raspberry Pi 4.

I’ve been maintaining a document to record these so I can search and re-use them, and figured I’d share them on the blog for others to use as well.

I’m hoping to target both Raspbian and Ubuntu Server for the Raspberry Pi 4. If you have any feedback or input, please leave a comment!

Enable 64-Bit Kernel on Raspbian

Enables 64-bit kernel on Raspbian, however remember that the userspace is still 32-bit.

  1. Run “rpi-update” to make sure you’re running latest firmware and kernel.
    rpi-update
  2. Add “arm_64bit=1” to “/boot/config.txt”
    sudo echo arm_64bit=1 >> /boot/config.txt
  3. Restart

Remove, comment out, or set the value to 0 to go back to a 32-bit kernel.

Get CPU Temperature on Raspbian

Run the command “sudo vcgencmd measure_temp” to get the CPU temperature on Raspbian.

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ sudo vcgencmd measure_temp
temp=38.0'C

Get CPU Temperature on Ubuntu Server

Run the command “paste <(cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone/type) <(cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone/temp) | column -s $’\t’ -t | sed ‘s/(.)..$/.\1°C/'” as root to get the CPU temperature on Ubuntu Server.

root@ubuntu:~# paste <(cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone/type) <(cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone/temp) | column -s $'\t' -t | sed 's/(.)..$/.\1°C/'
cpu-thermal  45.2°C

Add root CA (Certification Authority) certificates to the trust on Raspbian and Ubuntu Server

To add a root CA to your CA trust on your Linux instance, perform the following:

  1. Save your certificate as a friendly-filename.crt (CRT extension is important) and copy to “/usr/local/share/ca-certificates/”.
  2. Run the “update-ca-certificates” command as root or sudo.
    update-ca-certificates

Install Cockpit Remote Web Administration

To install cockpit on your Raspberry Pi, run the following command as root or sudo:

apt install cockpit

After this, login to Cockpit on your Pi by pointring your browser to https://PI-IP-ADDRESS:9090

To install the Target CLI to configure the iSCSI Target

In order to configure the Linux kernel iSCSI target, you need the “targetcli” application/binary.

To install on Raspbian, run the command as root or sudo:

apt install targetcli

To install on Ubuntu Server, run the command as root or sudo:

apt install targetcli-fb

Oct 052019
 
Linksys E4200v2 VLAN breakout picture

A great and useful purpose for old embedded Linux wireless routers, is to re-purpose them as VLAN breakout boxes!

If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of old Linksys (or other brand) Linux embedded wireless routers sitting around your home. You probably also have VLANs running on your home network or homelab for various reasons.

Let’s get to it!

Why would we need to do this?

VLANs are great, but typically the money it costs for VLAN supported switches, APs, routers, and other devices is more than your typical home gear.

You may be able to justify these purchases for your core network infrastructure, but when your cabling out to individual rooms in your house or apartment, you may not want to spend a lot of money on switches for that room.

The cost of a gigabit embedded Linux router is usually a lot less than a manageable switch that provides VLANs. At the same time, if you’re a true geek you probably have at least 5 of these embedded Linux routers sitting around in boxes… Why spend money at all?

What does this accomplish?

As an example: In my basement I have a single Cat 5e Ethernet cable providing all VLANs in a trunk from my server room. In my basement I have all my multimedia devices, IoT devices, a wireless access point (with 3 SSIDs/VLANs), and more.

Instead of purchasing an expensive manageable switch that supports VLANs, I ended up flashing OpenWRT on a couple Linksys E4200v2 wireless access points. I then connect the OpenWRT device to my Ubiquiti UniFi Network Infrastructure.

Linksys OpenWRT Switch VLANs Picture
Linksys OpenWRT Switch On Panel

On the E4200 for my basement, I configured the WAN port to accept the incoming VLAN trunk and then configured the other LAN ports depending on their purpose. One of the LAN ports remains as a VLAN trunk for the Ubiquiti UniFi NanoHD wireless access point (as it needs all VLANs), and the other LAN ports untag traffic on various VLANs for specific purposes. One of these ports is the output for my main network LAN (which goes to a normal non-VLAN switch).

OpenWRT VLAN Configuration Settings Screenshot
OpenWRT VLAN Configuration Basement AP

All you have to do is make sure you label the ports so you know what VLAN or trunk you’re plugging in to.

This is why I call it a “VLAN Breakout Box”! I also make sure to disable all the wireless radios on the router as I don’t need these (it also reduces the load on the CPU, although negligible).

So how do we do this?

We use OpenWRT and flash it to compatible embedded Linux wireless routers, switches, and other devices. It can even be used on x86 hardware.

If we’re picky, we’d prefer embedded SBC (Single Board Computer) devices that have a switch-on-chip setup, so that the packet switching can be handled via hardware and not software. We want this for better performance.

You can download and find more information about OpenWRT here: https://openwrt.org/

Always make sure you know what you’re doing when flashing hardware. You may brick your device if you fail to follow instructions properly.

On a final note, one of the reasons why I prefer OpenWRT over DD-WRT, is that with the GUI, you can configure any acceptable VLAN ID, whereas on DD-WRT you’re restricted to a very limited number of VLANs.

May 052019
 
Ubuntu Orange Logo

After upgrading a computer from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, during boot the screen goes blank (turns black), all HD disk activity halts, and the system becomes frozen. This event can also occur on a fresh installation or when updates are installed.

This is due to a video mode issue that causes the system to halt or freeze. It’s much like the issue I described here on a Fedora Linux system.

Temporary Fix

To get the system to boot:

  1. After turning on your PC, hold the right SHIFT key to get to the GRUB bootloader if your computer uses a BIOS. If your computer uses EFI or UEFI, continuously tap the “ESC” (escape) key after turning on your PC.
  2. Once GRUB is open, press the “e” key to edit the first highlighted entry “Ubuntu”.
  3. Move your cursor down to the line that starts with “linux”, and use the right arrow key to find the section with the words “ro quiet splash”.
  4. Add “nomodeset” after these words.
    nomodeset
  5. Feel free to remove “quiet” and “splash” for more verbosity to troubleshoot the boot process.
  6. Press “CTRL + X” or “F10” to boot.
  7. The system should now boot.

Permanent Fix

To permanently resolve the issue:

  1. Once the system has booted using the temporary fix, log in.
  2. Open a terminal window (Applications -> Terminal, or press the “Start” button and type terminal).
  3. Either “su” in to root, or use “sudo” to open your favorite text editor and edit the file “/etc/default/grub” (I use nano which can be install by running “apt install nano”):
    nano /etc/default/grub
  4. Locate the line with the variable “GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT”, and add “nomodeset” to the variables. Feel free to remove “splash” and “quiet” if you’d like text boot. Here’s an example of my line after editing (yours will look different):
    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset"
  5. Save the file and exit the text editor (CTRL+X to quit, the press “y” and enter to save).
  6. At the bash prompt, execute the following command to regenerate the grub.conf file on the /boot partition from your new default file:
    update-grub
  7. Restart your system, it should now boot!

Please Note: Always make sure you have a full system backup before modifying any system files!

May 042019
 
Ubuntu Orange Logo

You’re trying to install Ubuntu on your computer, but it freezes due to lack of resources, specifically memory. This can happen when you’re trying to re-purpose old laptops, netbooks, etc.

This recently happened to met as I tried to install Ubuntu on an old HP Netbook. Originally I used Fedora, but had to switch to Ubuntu due to library issues (I wanted to use the VMware Horizon Client on it).

Unfortunately, when I’d kick off the USB installer, the OS would completely freeze (mouse either unresponsive, or extremely glitchy).

The Fix – External SWAP File

In the ~5 minutes where the system is operable, I used the key sequence “CTRL + ALT + F2” to get to a text tty console session. From here I noticed the system eventually uses all the RAM and maxes out the memory. When this occurs, this is when the system becomes unresponsive.

Since this is a Live CD installer, there is no swap file for the system to use once the RAM has filled up.

To fix this and workaround the problem, I grabbed a second blank USB stick and used it as an external swap file. Using this allowed me to run the installer, complete the installer, and successfully install Ubuntu.

Please make sure you are choosing the right device names in the instructions below. Choosing the wrong device name can cause your to write to the wrong USB stick, or worse the hard drive of your system.

Instructions:

  1. Attached USB Installer, boot system.
  2. Once system has booted, press “CTRL + ALT + F2” to open a tty console session.
  3. Login using user: “Ubuntu” with a blank password.
  4. Type “sudo su” to get a root shell.
  5. Type in “tail -f /var/log/kern.log” and connect your spare blank USB stick that you want to use for SWAP space. Note the device name, in my case it was “/dev/sdd”.
  6. Press “CTRL + C” to stop tailing the log file, then run “fdisk /dev/sdd” and replace “/dev/sdd” with whatever your device was. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE CHOOSING THE RIGHT USB DEVICE NAME.
  7. Use “n” to create a new partition, follow the prompts, when it asks for size I randomly chose “+2G” for a 2GB swap file. Use “w” to write the partition table and then quit the fdisk application.
  8. Run “mkswap /dev/sdd1” and replace “sdd1” with the device and partition number of your USB Swap stick. This will format the partition and mark it as a SWAP filesystem.
  9. Run “swapon /dev/sdd1” and replace “sdd1” with your swap partition you created. This will activate the external swap file on the USB stick.
  10. Press “CTRL + ALT + F1” to return to the Ubuntu installation guide. Continue the install as normal.

This should also work for other Linux distributions, as I have also used this in the past with Fedora (on a Single Board Computer with almost no RAM).

During the install process where the Ubuntu installer formats your hard drive, the install will actually mount the hard drive swap file as well (it’ll use both). Once the installer is complete, shut down the system and remove the USB SWAP stick.

Aug 262018
 
Fedora Logo

One of the coolest things I love about running VMware Horizon View and VDI is that you can repurpose old computers, laptops, or even netbooks in to perfect VDI clients running Linux! This is extremely easy to do and gives life to old hardware you may have lying around (and we all know there’s nothing wrong with that).

I generally use Fedora and the VMware Horizon View Linux client to accomplish this. See below to see how I do it!

 

Quick Guide

  1. Download the Fedora Workstation install or netboot ISO from here.
  2. Burn it to a DVD/CD if you have DVD/CD drive, or you can write it to a USB stick using this method here.
  3. Install Fedora on to your laptop/notebook/netbook using the workstation install.
  4. Update your Fedora Linux install using the following command
    dnf -y upgrade
  5. Install the prerequisites for the VMware Horizon View Linux client using these commands
    dnf -y install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm
    dnf -y install gstreamer-plugins-ugly gstreamer-plugins-bad gstreamer-ffmpeg xine-lib-extras-freeworld xine-lib-extras-freeworld libssl* libcrypto* openssl-devel libpng12 systemd-devel libffi-devel
    
  6. To fix an issue with package versions and dependancies, run the following commands
    ln -s /usr/lib64/libudev.so.1 /usr/lib64/libudev.so.0
    ln -s /usr/lib64/libffi.so.6 /usr/lib64/libffi.so.5
  7. Download the VMware Horizon View Linux client from here
  8. Make the VMware bundle executable and then run the installer using these commands (your file name may be different depending on build version number)
    chmod 777 VMware-Horizon-Client-4.8.0-8518891.x64.bundle
    sudo ./VMware-Horizon-Client-4.8.0-8518891.x64.bundle
  9. Complete the installation wizard
  10. You’re done!

To run the client, you can find it in the GUI applications list as “VMware Horizon Client”, or you can launch it by running “vmware-view”.

VMware Horizon View on Linux in action

Here is a VMware Horizon View Linux client running on HP Mini 220 Netbook

Additional Notes:

-If you’re comfortable, instead of the workstation install, you can install the Fedora LXQt Desktop spin, which is a lightweight desktop environment perfect for low performance hardware or netbooks. More information and the download link for Fedora LXQt Desktop Spin can be found here: https://spins.fedoraproject.org/en/lxqt/

-If you installed Fedora Workstation and would like to install the LXQt window manager afterwards, you can do so by running the following command (after installing, at login prompt, click on the gear to change window managers):

dnf install @lxqt-desktop-environment

-Some of the prerequisites above in the guide may not be required, however I have installed them anyways for compatibility.

Aug 252018
 
Fedora Logo

After doing a fresh install or upgrade of Fedora Core Linux (FC28 in my case, but this applies to any version), you may notice that when the system boots it gets stuck on a black screen with a white cursor. The cursor will not move and there will be no drive activity.

This issue occurs with GNOME on my old HP Mini 210 Netbook every time I do a fresh install of Fedora on it (or upgrade it).

Follow the process below to temporarily boot and then permanently fix it.

Temporary fix

To get the system to boot:

  1. Power on the computer, and carefully wait for the GRUB bootloader to appear (the boot selection screen).
  2. When the GRUB bootloader appears, press the “e” key to edit the highlighted (default) boot entry.
  3. Scroll down until you get to the line starting with “linux16”, then use your right arrow key and scroll right until you get to the end of the kernel options (while scrolling right, you may scroll multiple lines down which is fine and expected). The line should finally end with “rhgb” and “quiet”.
  4. Remove “rhgb” and “quiet”, and then add “nomodeset=0”
  5. Press “CTRL+x” to boot the system.
  6. The system should now boot.

FYI: “rhgb” is the kernel switch/option for redhat graphical boot, and “quiet” makes the system messages more quiet (who would have guessed).

Permanent Fix

To permanently resolve the issue:

  1. Once the system has booted, log in.
  2. Open a terminal window (Applications -> Terminal, or press the “Start” button and type terminal).
  3. Use your favorite text editor and edit the file “/etc/default/grub” (I use nano which can be install by running “dnf install nano”):
    nano /etc/default/grub
  4. Locate the line with the variable “GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX”, and add “nomodeset=0” to the variables. Feel free to remove “rhgb” and “quiet” if you’d like text boot. Here’s an example of my line after editing (yours will look different):
    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="resume=/dev/mapper/fedora_da--netbook01-swap rd.lvm.lv=fedora_da-netbook01/root rd.lvm.lv=fedora_da-netbook01/swap nomodeset=0"
  5. Save the file and exit the text editor (CTRL+x to quit, the press “y” and enter to save)
  6. At the bash prompt, execute the following command to regenerate the grub.conf file on the /boot partition from your new default file:
    grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
  7. Restart your system, it should now boot!

Please Note: Always make sure you have a full system backup before modifying any system files!

Aug 252018
 
Fedora Logo

A fun fact that a lot of users still aren’t aware of, is that you can create Fedora and CentOS bootable media (a bootable USB stick) using the DVD/CD ISO image, and using the linux dd command.

So if you have an existing and running Linux install, you can use this method to quickly write an ISO file to a USB stick!

 

Here’s How!

  1. Get your USB stick handy, make sure it’s big enough to store the ISO file you want to download.
  2. Download your preferred ISO DVD or CD Image for Installation from CentOS or Fedora.
  3. Connect your USB stick, open a terminal session and run the following command to identify the device name of the USB stick (mine was sdb for /dev/sdb):
    [root@StephenW-X1 ~]# dmesg | grep removable
    [  171.890670] sd 1:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
  4. Issue the following command to write the ISO image to the USB stick. Change the input filename, and output device name to reflect your own.
    [root@StephenW-X1 Downloads]# dd if=Fedora-Workstation-netinst-x86_64-28-1.1.iso of=/dev/sdb
    1193984+0 records in
    1193984+0 records out
    611319808 bytes (611 MB, 583 MiB) copied, 13.6777 s, 44.7 MB/s
  5. Your done!

Please Note:

  • Choosing the wrong /dev/sd[x] device can case you to write the ISO file to your hard drive, or another hard drive in your system. Make sure you select the right device name. If you’re unsure, don’t run the command.
  • You can also use the “Fedora Media Writer for Windows” available here: https://getfedora.org/fmw/FedoraMediaWriter-win32-4.1.1.exe to write an ISO image to USB if you’re running Windows.