Linux Users Group Meeting, November 9, 1999
This page is the HTML version of a MagicPoint
presentation given on November 9, 1999. The topic of the presentation
was sundry information related to running Linux on laptops.
Here is the original MagicPoint file.
Some stuff I think is Neat
Wireless Networking
Suspending Linux Laptops
XFCE - Alternative desktop/window manager
Magicpoint - Alternative to Powerpoint
(page 1)
Wireless networking
Wireless LAN resources for Linux
LAN distances
Requirements
- Data rate > 0 bps
- Cost: < 100 dollars/machine
- Open Source Linux driver
Options
- Proxim Symphony - ~100/card, binary linux driver
- Diamond Homefree - Cheap, Windows Only
- No Wires Needed - Linux driver, > 200/card
- Webgear Aviator 2.4 - Open driver, ~75/card
(page 2)
OEM Raytheon Raylink cards
2 Mbits/sec
"600 foot" range
Linux driver:
IEEE 802.11
- Should interoperate with other vendors
- Windows - Windows
- Windows - Linux
- Linux - Linux
- NT - Anything: Doesn't work
(page 3)
Driver Installation - 1 (Laptop)
Install kernel source and pcmcia card services
- In kernel-source for RH 6.x
Get ray_cs-1.67.tgz
- Untar into eg: /usr/src/linux/pcmcia-cs-3.0.14
make config
Linux source directory [/usr/src/linux]:
Alternate target install directory [/]:
Module install directory [/lib/modules/2.2.5-22]:
Build 'trusting' versions of card utilities (y/n) [y]:
Include 32-bit (CardBus) card support (y/n) [y]:
How would you like to set kernel-specific options?
1 - Read from the currently running kernel
2 - Read from the Linux source tree
3 - Set each option by hand (experts only!)
Enter option (1-3) [1]:
Top-level directory for RC scripts [/etc/rc.d]:
make all
make install
(page 4)
Driver Installation - 2 (Laptop)
Edit /etc/pcmcia/ray_cs.opts
- module "ray_cs" opts "pc_debug=1 essid=STEVENET translate=0 hop_dwell=128 beacon_period=256"
Add to end of /etc/pcmcia/config.opts
Edit /etc/pcmcia/network.opts
- IPADDR="192.168.2.50"
- NETMASK="255.255.255.0"
- NETWORK="192.168.2.0"
- BROADCAST="192.168.2.255"
- GATEWAY="192.168.2.1"
- DNS_1="129.57.32.100"
- DNS_2="129.57.32.101"
/etc/rc.d/init.d/pcmcia stop
/etc/rc.d/init.d/pcmcia start
If you regularly alternate between using a wireless network card and
an ethernet network card, you can use network.opts to automatically
set the appropriate network parameters for each card. This example network.opts file examines which
kernel module has been loaded for networking and sets different
network parameters based on them. Not the use of the
start_fn sections of network.opts. Arbitrary shell
commands be put in here which will be executed when the network
interface is brought up.
Another piece of information that network.opts is the slot
number into which the card was inserted. If a laptop has to be used
on two different networks, the network card could be inserted into a
different slot for each network. Then network.opts could be
configured to set different network parameters for each slot.
(page 5)
Driver Installation - 3 (Base Station)
Install ISA-PCMCIA Adapter
Install ray_cs driver
Test point to point wireless
Setup IP-Masquerading
- Add to /etc/rc.d/rc.local
echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_ftp
/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_raudio
/sbin/ipfwadm-wrapper -F -v -p deny
/sbin/ipfwadm-wrapper -F -v -a m -S 192.168.2.0/24 -D 0.0.0.0/0
(Remove "-wrapper" for linux without ipchains)
(page 6)
Laptop suspending notes
Configure Power Management
Suspend with "apm --suspend"
Old laptops may need "mem=nopentium"
(page 7)
XFCE - Cholesterol Free Desktop Environment
Advantages
- Lightweight
- Configurable through screens
Features
- CDE like task bar
- XFce panel
- Pager
- File Manager (with D&D)
- Clock
- Sound
- Gnome compliance module (V 3.2)
Websites
(page 8)
Magic Point
Features
- Powerpointish presenter
- Postscript hardcopy, HTML output
- Fonts, colors
- Gradations
- Images, Embedded images
- Lightweight
Alternatives
- Star Office
- Applixwear
- Word Perfect Suite?
Perfect for Old Fashioned Linuxers
- Text based - No GUI
- Not well documented
- Need to futz to get good fonts
- Works
(page 9)
