Install and configure GNOME Do in Ubuntu Unity

Takeaway: GNOME Do has been one of the favorite search and launch tools for the GNOME desktop for quite some time. When Ubuntu Unity came around, it seemed like GNOME Do would be redundant and unusable. Both are untrue. GNOME Do still offers features users want. In this how to, Jack Wallen demonstrates how GNOME Do can be used in Unity.

GNOME Do is one of those tools that should be rolled into GNOME by default. This tool allows for the search and launch of applications or files. The new Ubuntu take on the desktop, Unity, has this feature baked in, but it’s not nearly as flexible as is in GNOME Do. Fortunately, the application will still work once you’ve transitioned from the standard GNOME to Ubuntu Unity.

Getting GNOME Do to work in Unity is not even remotely challenging. But if it’s installed without understanding how to get it to work properly, GNOME Do will simply not do. Here’s how to install and configure GNOME Do to work in the Ubuntu Unity desktop.

Installing and launching GNOME Do

The installation of GNOME Do is simple:

Open the Ubuntu Software CenterSearch for “gnome do” (no quotes)Click the Install buttonEnter your sudo password Figure A

After downloading, GNOME Do will install and be ready for use. But how do you use it? Tap the Super key, type gnome-do in the search area, and hit the Enter key to launch GNOME Do. Now, it gets a bit tricky. Under standard GNOME, the key combination to call forth GNOME Do is Super-Space, but the Super key is reserved for two very important functions in Unity. If Super is tapped once, it will call up the search dialog, and if it is pressed and held, the launcher icons will display numbers (see Figure A). The user can then press the number associated with the launcher to launch the application. Figure B

So, after you launch GNOME Do, instead of using it to search for an application or file, the very first thing that must be done is to re-configure it to use a different hot key combination so that it doesn’t use the Super key. To do this, follow these steps: Launch GNOME Do with the gnome-do commandClick on the drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner and select PreferencesClick on the Keyboard tab in the Preferences windowDouble-click on the Summon Do Shortcut, and when it displays “New Accelerator,” enter the new shortcut to be used by pressing the key combination (I have configured it to use Ctrl-Space — See Figure B)Click close

Using and configuring GNOME Do

As I mentioned earlier, GNOME Do is quite a bit more flexible than the standard Unity search. How? GNOME Do can be configured to work in conjunction with external applications, such as Google Calendars. To make GNOME Do aware of your Google Calendar, do the following:

Open the Gnome Do Preferences windowClick on the Plugins tabScroll down to the Google Calendar entryEnable the plugin by clicking the check boxClick the Configure buttonIn the Google Calendar Configuration window, enter the credentials for the calendar to be associated with GNOME DoClick ApplyClose the Preferences window Figure C

When searching Google Calendar (or any of the Google plugins for GNOME Do), it will be necessary to previously authenticate with a Google account in the default browser or an error will occur. It is also possible, once authenticated against the Google Calendar account, to bring up the Google Calendar event add page with the help of GNOME Do. To do this: Open GNOME DoType “new event” (no quotes)Hit EnterWhen the Calendar icon appears in GNOME Do (see Figure C), hit Enter againThe default web browser will open to the Google Calendar Event Add page, which will allow you to add an event and save it

Appearance and other configurations

Naturally, GNOME Do needs to fit in with the scheme and style of the desktop. Fortunately, it is possible to theme GNOME Do. Bring up GNOME Do and click on the drop-down menu to gain access to the Preferences window. Once the Preferences window is open, click the Appearance tab where Do’s appearances can be configured. There are four themes to choose from, as well as a few other options that effect appearance.

There is one particular preference that will not work with Ubuntu Unity. In the General tab, you will see an option to Show Notification Icon. This is not compatible with the Unity panel, as third-party panel applets are not installable. One particular plugin will also no longer work — Twitter. The Twitter GNOME Do plugin still uses basic authentication, which Twitter dropped a long time ago. This has yet to be fixed.

Extended usage

If the results that GNOME Do pop up do not seem to be locating files and folders, it is because the directories have not be set up. GNOME Do has to be made aware of the directories it has available to search. To do this, open up the Preferences window, choose the Plugins tab, select Files and Folders, and click the Configuration button. When the new window opens, click the Add button and add the directories that GNOME Do must be made aware of for searching purposes. With the necessary folders added, the GNOME Do search results will be much more effective.

Let GNOME Do

I was very pleased to find out that GNOME Do could work in conjunction with Ubuntu Unity. GNOME Do is an incredibly powerful and handy tool that makes working on the desktop so much faster. You might be happy with the way Unity searches and launches applications and files; but if not, let GNOME Do it!

A writer for over 12 years, Jack's primary focus is on the Linux operating system and its effects on the open source and non-open source communities.

How To Install A (Canon) Printer On Debian And Debian-Like Systems

This tutorial will cover how to install the well-known CUPS printing system, and optionally tell you how to have your Canon printer work. There are extra details about where to find Canon drivers and how to install the "Print to PDF" feature.

If you didn't check any option at the Debian network installation, you will need to download and install a few packages.

Run the following command as root:

# apt-get install cups cups-client "foomatic-db*"

This will install CUPS and download a database of printer drivers.

As the Debian distribution installs a secure Linux system on your computer, most of the permissions involved by installing packages are "opt-in". This means you have to explicitly grant permission to users so that they can print.

This is done by adding them to the lpadmin group:

# adduser YOUR_NORMAL_ACCOUNT lpadmin

Power on and plug your printer, and then browse to http://localhost:631/

Go to the Administration tab and click Add printer. At that point you will be required to type your normal user and password (not root).

CUPS will look for printers available on the network or attached to your computer.

Choose your printer in the Local printers section.

Fill the form if you want to, then see if your printer driver is in the list.
NB: Your exact model number is probably not in the list, however if you've got a 3030 printer, the 3000 driver is the one you need.

If you don't find your printer in the list, either the driver just doesn't exist for non-Windows OS / Mac OS, or it is proprietary (non-free).

If you bought a Brother or HP printer, you're lucky because all of their current printers are provided with an opensource driver. Install the hplip package for Hewlett Packard printers.

You can't find Canon drivers on non-free repositories. You have to go to the Canon website and download them.

Go to www.canon.com, select your country and language, then go to the Support page, find your printer (in category "Printer" or "Multifunction").
Choose "Linux" as your operating system. Let the language setting as it is. (Because maybe the drivers could be hidden if the included manual doesn't exist in your language).

Download that UFR II driver file.

You'll end up with a zip file / archive.

Open your Terminal again, change to your Downloads directory, and unzip that file:

$ unzip *ufr2*.zip

The unzipped directory is the language you choose, e.g. "english" or "italiano". cd to that directory, then open the "driver" directory corresponding to your architecture (32 or 64 bits), and finally open the RPM folder.

As you may know, RPM is the "Red Hat Package Manager", but Debian uses APT. RPM files have the ".rpm" extension and Debian packages get a ".deb" extension.

So, we will have to convert them.

For that purpose, install a program called alien. And I'd advice to install fakeroot as well. (Fakeroot allows you to work on Debian packaging without root privileges, which are not needed until the installation part.)

# apt-get install alien fakeroot

Then convert the packages:

 $ fakeroot alien --to-deb *.rpm

Finally you can now install them as usual:

# dpkg -i *.deb

Reload the "Add printer" page on the CUPS web interface, and this time you should be able to find your printer model in the list. (You can also press "Choose another ...." and go back to "Canon" again.)

You should not need to restart cups, but if you want to, just to be sure, do the following as root:

# service cups restart

Voilà ! You've successfully installed your printer!

Here is a trick that could be helpful. If you're using an application that doesn't provide an "Export to PDF" function, you can simply print as normally and select a special "PDF printer."

In order to do that, you have to install the "cups-pdf" package:

# apt-get install cups-pdf

Your "PDF printed" documents will be put in a folder called "PDF" in your home directory, i.e. ~/PDF/

You may have to create this directory yourself if you have issues with the cups PDF printer.

The CUPS web user interface is the place to go whether you need to manage your printers and printing jobs, and find the reasons of printing issues. You can pause or cancel a job and even re-print a document.

Note you have to modify your /etc/cups/cupsd.conf configuration file if you want the interface to be accessible from other computers in your network.

Ubuntu Linux: Install RT2870 Chipset Based USB Wireless Adapter

This blog post listed Linux Compatible USB wireless adapters. It seems that many new Linux users frequently have problems learning how to install RT2870 driver under Linux. I also received email requesting installation instructions for the same device. This quick tutorial will explains how to install RT2870 based chipset device with WPA2 authentication and TKIP wireless encryption.

The following instructions are tested on:

Ubuntu Linux 10.04.1 LTSKernel - Linux 2.6.32-24-generic-pae i686 (32 bit)WPA2 with Linksys 160N router

The main problem is conflicting driver which are shipped with default kernel. WPA2 is a method of security wireless networking with optional PSK for home users. The default driver only recognizes driver but always failed to join WPA2 based network. The solution is to install RT2870 driver from the vendor site.

Type the following command to black list default drivers:
$ sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
Append the following driver names:

blacklist rt2800usbblacklist rt2x00libblacklist rt2x00usb

Save and close the file. Use the rmmod command to remove current drivers or just reboot the system:
$ sudo modprobe -r driverName
# you need to remove all of the above drivers one by one:
$ sudo modprobe -r rt2800usb
OR simply reboot the systems:
$ sudo reboot

Type the following command to install required packages so that you can compile source code:
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential fakeroot dpkg-dev
Finally, install Linux kernel headers so that you can compile kernel device drivers:
$ sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Visit this page and download USB drivers [RT2870USB(RT2870/RT2770)].

Type the following command:
$ tar -jxvf 2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1.tar.bz2
$ cd 2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1

First, edit config.mk file as follows so that Network Manager can be used to set WPA2 auth info:
$ vi os/linux/config.mk
Set it as follows:

# Support Wpa_SupplicantHAS_WPA_SUPPLICANT=y# Support Native WpaSupplicant for Network MangerHAS_NATIVE_WPA_SUPPLICANT_SUPPORT=y

Save and close the file. To compile the driver, enter:
$ make
Sample outputs:

make -C toolsmake[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/tools'gcc -g bin2h.c -o bin2hmake[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/tools'/tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/tools/bin2hcp -f os/linux/Makefile.6 /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/Makefilemake -C /lib/modules/2.6.32-24-generic-pae/build SUBDIRS=/tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux modulesmake[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.32-24-generic-pae' CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/crypt_md5.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/crypt_sha2.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/crypt_hmac.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/crypt_aes.o......... CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/rtusb_io.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/rtusb_bulk.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/rtusb_data.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/cmm_data_usb.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/ee_prom.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/rtmp_mcu.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../common/rtusb_dev_id.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../os/linux/rt_usb.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../os/linux/rt_usb_util.o CC [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/../../os/linux/usb_main_dev.o LD [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/rt2870sta.o Building modules, stage 2. MODPOST 1 modules CC /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/rt2870sta.mod.o LD [M] /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux/rt2870sta.komake[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.32-24-generic-pae'

Note: You may see a LOTs of warnings during the compilation, and this is *normal* so don't panic.

Type the following command:
$ sudo make install
Sample outputs:

make -C /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux -f Makefile.6 installmake[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux'rm -rf /etc/Wireless/RT2870STAmkdir /etc/Wireless/RT2870STAcp /tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/RT2870STA.dat /etc/Wireless/RT2870STA/.install -d /lib/modules/2.6.32-24-generic-pae/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/install -m 644 -c rt2870sta.ko /lib/modules/2.6.32-24-generic-pae/kernel/drivers/net/wireless//sbin/depmod -a 2.6.32-24-generic-paemake[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/2010_0709_RT2870_Linux_STA_v2.4.0.1/os/linux'

Again visit this page and download "Firmware RT28XX/RT30XX USB series (RT2870/RT2770/RT3572/RT3070)". Unzip and install the firemware:
$ unzip RT2870_Firmware_V22.zip
$ cd RT2870_Firmware_V22/
#### Make a backup of existing old firmware ####
$ mkdir -p $HOME/backup/lib/firmware
$ cp /lib/firmware/rt2870.bin $HOME/backup/lib/firmware
#### Install the firmware (for 64 bit Linux systems, you may have to use /lib64/firmware) #####
$ sudo cp rt2870.bin /lib/firmware/
##### **** backup and move existing driver, do NOT SKIP this STEP ****######
$ sudo mv /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/rt2870sta.ko $HOME/backup/

Type the following commands:
$ mkdir -p $HOME/backup/var/lib/usbutils
$ cp /var/lib/usbutils/usb.ids $HOME/backup/var/lib/usbutils
$ sudo wget -O /var/lib/usbutils/usb.ids http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids

Connect your USB device and type the following command to verify that Wireless USB LAN adapter is detected:
$ lsusb
Sample outputs:

Bus 002 Device 007: ID 0411:00e8 MelCo., Inc. Buffalo WLI-UC-G300N Wireless LAN AdapterBus 002 Device 006: ID 05ac:0220 Apple, Inc. Aluminum Keyboard (ANSI)Bus 002 Device 005: ID 05ac:1006 Apple, Inc. Hub in Aluminum KeyboardBus 002 Device 004: ID 413c:2513 Dell Computer Corp.Bus 002 Device 003: ID 413c:2513 Dell Computer Corp.Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0020 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching HubBus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hubBus 001 Device 007: ID 413c:8160 Dell Computer Corp.Bus 001 Device 006: ID 413c:8162 Dell Computer Corp.Bus 001 Device 005: ID 413c:8161 Dell Computer Corp.Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0a5c:4500 Broadcom Corp. BCM2046B1 USB 2.0 Hub (part of BCM2046 Bluetooth)Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0a5c:5800 Broadcom Corp. BCM5880 Secure Applications ProcessorBus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0020 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching HubBus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

You need to edit /etc/Wireless/RT2870STA/RT2870STA.dat file, enter:
$ sudo vi /etc/Wireless/RT2870STA/RT2870STA.dat
Set SSID (nixcraft is my SSID):

SSID=nixcraft

Set country (IN = INDIA, US = USA, etc):

CountryCode=IN

Set authentication information (do not skip this if you want WPA2 based authentication):

AuthMode=WPA2EncrypType=TKIPWPAPSK=YOUR-PASSWORD-HERE

See README_STA for other detailed information about each field. Save and close the file.

Type the ifconfig command and you should see ra0:
$ ifconfig ra0

ra0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:1d:73:bc:e4:6e inet6 addr: fe80::21d:73ff:febc:e46e/64 Scope:Link UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1 RX packets:5157 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:206 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 RX bytes:1093810 (1.0 MB) TX bytes:16772 (16.7 KB)

You can now connect to the Internet by clicking on Network manager ( The network-manager is the one which is found in the systray. The icon of two computers, one below to the other on the left-side). Clicking on NM-applet will give you the types of connection/hardware you have available > Select Wireless Device > Select nixcraft SSID (or scan of SSID) > Make sure you set "WPA2" as wireless security. Once connected you can browse the Internet or verify IP info:
$ ifconfig ra0
Sample outputs:

ra0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:1d:73:bc:e4:6e inet addr:192.168.1.103 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0 inet6 addr: fe80::21d:73ff:febc:e46e/64 Scope:Link UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1 RX packets:6711 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:271 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 RX bytes:1420879 (1.4 MB) TX bytes:22312 (22.3 KB)

Verify gateway or just ping to public ip:
$ route -n
$ ping google.com
$ ping cyberciti.biz

You need to reinstall the driver using the above steps.

[Guide] How to Install FreeNAS 0.8 on VirtualBox 4

FreeNAS is the best choice to create iSCSI disks and ZFS files systems in local PC with normal hard disk by using virtual machine or physical computer. Sysprobs already published several articles about FreeNAS on VMware and VirtualBox to configure and connect iSCSI disks, test VirtualBox teleportation and even Windows 2008 R2 Failover cluster. The latest 0.8  version is a complete revamped distribution with new features and interface. Version RC3 latest release as of today and this quick guide shows how to install FreeNAS 0.8 on VirtualBox 4.

I have used openfiler and FreeNAS for my virtual storage requirements, somehow I prefer FreeNAS  for easy installation, management and configuration. Recently I published a guide on installing FreeNAS 0.8 beta RC1 on VMware which did not bring any options to create disks or manage, I think that could be a bug in RC1.

Latest version is having all the options to create iSCSI disks, ZFS, edit networks and more. The improved features  in this version are;

A volume importer Better AFP and CIFS configuration Reworked and improved iSCSI support. Support for 6gbps 3Ware RAID controllers (and the command line utility tw_cli for managing them) HTTPS access for the GUI

1) Download the correct ISO from here.

For 32 Bit OS – Download the FreeNAS-8.0-RC3-i386.iso

For 64 Bit OS – Download the FreeNAS-8.0-RC3-amd64.iso

2) Create a new virtual machine in Oracle VirtualBox,

Select Operating System as – BSD and Version is – FreeBSD

3) Allocate memory size ( Minimum 256MB, recommended 512MB) and create a new hard disk. I suggest to create a small hard disk VDI file (2GB) to install OS only, then add few hard disks for the storage purpose later.

4) Now mount the downloaded FreeNAS 0.8 ISO file to CD Drive of virtual machine and start.

5) With this version you can’t run from Live CD without installing to a disk like how we did in earlier 0.7 versions. Start it with default option in first screen.

6) Select the hard disk you want to install OS and press OK.

That’s it, installation should be completed smoothly. Remove the ISO file and restart the FreeNAS virtual machine.

7) Make sure VirtualBox virtual machine’s network configured properly ( NAT, Bridged or Host-only) to communicate with other virtual or physical computers. Then configure the IP address for FreeNAS OS by option 1 in Console Setup screen. Follow the each steps and give a static IP for virtual machine.

Normally if you added one network adapter only, then em0 will be the interface. Give a name for the interface, I have given ‘lan1’ in this example. Type your IP address with subnet mask class, I used second example and mine was 10.10.27.41/24 (Class C network 255.255.255.0).

Now, FreeNAS 0.8 is ready to connect via web browser, make sure your client PC can ping to virtual machine’s new IP.

8.) Open the internet browser and type http://10.10.27.41, User name is ‘admin’ and password is ‘freenas’. This will bring the main page of FreeNAS 0.8 which is totally different from earlier version FreeNAS 0.7.

9) Here is the working FreeNAS 0.8 RC3 inside Oracle VirtualBox as a virtual machine.

Its having really cool and modified features compare to earlier versions. Creating iSCSI disks in FreeNAS 0.8 with VirtualBox and VMware will be interested and useful for learning purpose.  You can expect some more tutorials on this topic in future.

Stay tuned.

Download OpenSUSE 11.4 and Install on VMware with Working VMware Tools

OpenSUSE is another great Linux flavor that you can install and play around. The latest version is having excellent new features, appearance and working environment. This small guide shows how to download OpenSUSE 11.4 and install on VMware with working VMware tools by ‘Easy Install’ method, so you can adjust the screen resolutions and get more more options in virtual machine.

If I can shift my all programs and drivers to OpenSUSE 11.4 from Windows OS, then definitely I will think to move on. The latest version really looks great and works smoothly. I think it is having major changes from earlier version 11.3.

How to Install OpenSUSE 11.3 on VirtualBox with working guest additions

Install OpenSUSE 11.3 on  MS VirtualPC

The latest VMware products support 11.4, so it is a straightforward installation. Since it can be done by VMware easy install which is like ‘unattended’ installation, the all installation steps will be done automatically including VMware tools. Successful VMware tools installation on OpenSUSE 11.4 will enable us to change the screen resolutions, working sound, network, full screen mode and unity mode to easily work with guest and host Operating Systems.

1) Download OpenSUSE 11.4 from official site here.

Select the appropriate download method and correct 64 bit or 32 bit to suite your physical computer processor.

2) Create a new virtual machine in VMware workstation or VMPlayer.

3) Mount the downloaded Opensuse ISO file, VMware will detect the OS type automatically, this indicates the possible Easy Install method.

4) Next screen to enter the user details which will be used by ‘Easy Install’ to create user account inside guest OS.

5) Modify the virtual machine name and location if you like. You can change the default hardware option in next screen. I started the installation with default options.  Press ‘Customize Hardware’ if you like to modify the hardware settings.

6) As expected, installation will start automatically, you do not need to do anything during the installation.

7) Give enough of time to restart automatically and install VMware tools. Guest OS will be waiting for the password to enter which you created in earlier step –4.

8.) That’s it, installation is done. Network, sound and more screen resolutions are working well inside OpenSUSE 11.4 virtual machine. Also Unity mode works fine which allows to access Linux guest OS from Windows host computer’s desktop.

Enjoy and play with the latest Linux release with working most of the options inside virtual machine. I will try the same with Oracle VirtualBox and update this blog in coming days.

Have fun