I upgraded a MacBook Pro laptop that was running OS X El Capitan to macOS High Sierra (10.13.6) this week. The laptop was running Apache webserver software. After the upgrade, the system wasn't listening on port 80 for HTTP connections, but I was able to start it listening again with sudo apachectl start.

$ netstat -a | grep http | grep LISTEN
$ sudo apachectl start
Enter PIN for 'Certificate For PIV Authentication (JAMES CAMERON)': 
$ netstat -a | grep http | grep LISTEN
tcp46      0      0  *.http                 *.*                    LISTEN     
$

I was then able to access the default webpage at http://localhost which displayed the page contained in index.html.en file in the DocumentRoot directory at /Library/WebServer/Documents, but whenever I attempted to display pages I had created elsewhere, I kept getting a "404 Not Found" page indicating the requested URL was not found on the server. When I checked /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf, I found it had a April 4, 2018 timestamp, but no longer had the virtual host information I had previously put in the file.

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[/os/macOS] permanent link

If you need to rip a CD from a command-line interface (CLI) on a CentOS Linux system, cdparanoia will allow you to do so. The cdparanoia CD ripper program will allow you to produce Waveform Audio File Format, i.e., .WAV, files from the tracks on a CD. You can use the yum package management software to install the software with by issuing the command yum install cdparanoia from the root account.

[ More Info ]

[/os/unix/linux/centos/music] permanent link

Sometimes you may find that a software package that you would like to use on a CentOS Linux system is unavailable from the default software repositories, aka "repos." In such cases adding alternative repos, such as Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) or RPM Fusion may allow you to locate the desired package. E.g., the VLC media player is available in the RPM Fusion repository, but not the default ones nor in EPEL. RPM Fusion has two separate software repositories, one that contains free and open-source software (FOSS) and another named "nonfree". Packages in the "nonfree" repository still won't cost you anything, but there may be restrictions on the use of the software, e.g., you may be forbidden from using the software for commercial use. The RPM Fusion site defines the nonfree repo as being 'for redistributable software that is not Open Source Software (as defined by the Fedora Licensing Guidelines); this includes software with publicly available source-code that has "no commercial use"-like restrictions.'

[ More Info ]

[/os/unix/linux/centos] permanent link

I wanted to try the Pale Moon web browser, which is free and open-source software (FOSS) on a CentOS 7 Linux system, but when I tried installing it with yum, the package was not found.

# yum install palemoon
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: centos-distro.1gservers.com
 * epel: archive.linux.duke.edu
 * extras: centos.host-engine.com
 * updates: centos.den.host-engine.com
No package palemoon available.
Error: Nothing to do
#

I was able to resolve the problem, by adding the Pale Moon repository.

[ More Info ]

[/network/web/browser] permanent link

If you want to monitor file changes in a directory on an Apple OS X/macOS system, one way to do so is using fswatch, a cross-platform file change monitor. The utility will allow you to monitor which files in the directory have been changed, though it doesn't report on the particular changes made to the content of the files. You can track the addition and deletion of files or whether files in the monitored directory are modified. On a Mac OS X system, you can install the software using the Homebrew package management system - see Installing Homebrew on Mac OS X for instructions on installing the software. Once Homebrew is installed, you can install fswatch using the command brew install fswatch in a Terminal window, which provides a command-line interface (CLI). The program will be installed in /usr/local/bin. Once it is installed, you can view help information by typing fswatch -h at a Terminal window shell prompt.

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[/os/os-x/homebrew] permanent link

I have a number of log directories where I store log files where the directory name is the current year. On the last day of the old year, I want to create new directories named for the upcoming year. I use the following Bash script to create those directories. Since I have several email log directories, I use a for loop to create a directory named after the upcoming year in each one.

#!/bin/bash
#
# Create a new directory corresponding to the upcoming year on December 31 of
# every year

newyear=$(date --date=tomorrow +%Y)
echo $newyear

# Apache logs

# Check on whether the directory for the current year exists and, if it doesn't,
# create it.
if [ ! -d /home/jdoe/www/logs/apache/"$newyear" ]; then
   mkdir /home/jdoe/www/logs/apache/"$newyear"
   chown apache /home/jdoe/www/logs/apache/"$newyear"
   chgrp apache /home/jdoe/www/logs/apache/"$newyear"
fi

# Email logs 

# Create an array holding the names of the 4 directories within which
# subdirectories will be created using the name of the new year. E.g.,
# /home/jdoe/www/logs/mail/sendmail_stats/2019

logdirs=( "dnsbl_count" "sendmail_stats" "smlogstats" "smreject"  )

for i in "${logdirs[@]}"
do :
   # Check on whether the directory for the current year exists and, if it 
   # doesn't, create it.
   if [ ! -d /home/jdoe/www/logs/mail/$i/"$newyear" ]; then
      mkdir /home/jdoe/www/logs/mail/$i/"$newyear"
      chown jdoe /home/jdoe/www/logs/mail/$i/"$newyear"
      chgrp jdoe /home/jdoe/www/logs/mail/$i/"$newyear"
   fi
done

I then have a crontab entry containing the following line that will result in the Bash script above, named end-of-year-dirs, being run at 7;00 AM on December 31 of each year.

0 7 31 DEC * /root/bin/end-of-year-dirs

Related articles:

1. Loop through an array in Bash
2. CRONTAB
3. crontab -e
4. smlogstats

[/os/unix/bash] permanent link

Information on the fans contained within a Gateway 920 PC. There are three fans in the system: a CPU fan, a case fan, and a fan attached to the power supply unit (PSU).

CPU Fan

Manufacturer: AVC
Model: C6025B12L
Power Connection: 3-Pin
Fan Size: 60mm
DC 12V 0.12A
Ball Bearing

Manufacturer: Antec
Fan Size: 80mm

Power Supply Manufacturer: Newton Power Limited
Power Supply Model: NPS-250HB A
Output: 250W Max.
Fan Size: 90mm

[ More Info ]

[/hardware/fans] permanent link

1. Click on Applications at the top, left-hand corner of the screen and select System Tools.

2. Then select Settings.

3. Select Online Accounts from Settings.

4. In the online accounts list, click on Google.

5. You will then be presented with a Google Account sign in window where you can provide your Google credentials, e.g., an email address or phone number.

6. After you hit enter and log in, you will then be asked to accede to allowing GNOME to access your Google account, which will allow GNOME the following access:

   • Read, compose, send, and permanently delete all your email from Gmail
   • See, edit, create, and delete all your Google Drive files
   • See, edit, create, and delete any of your Google Drive documents
   • Manage your printers
   • See, edit, download, and permanently delete your contacts
   • See, edit, create, and delete your spreadsheets in Google Drive
   • See, edit, share, and permanently delete all the calendars you can access using Google Calendar
   • Manage your photos and videos
   • View and send chat messages
   • Create, edit, organize, and delete all your tasks

     You can scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on the Allow button to accept the agreement. You can then close the Google Account window by clicking on the "X" at the top, right-hand side of the window.

If you then click on Applications and Files, you should see your Google account listed at the left side of the window. You can then copy files to and from your Google Drive folders to the local host or access files already stored in Google Drive.

[ More Info ]

[/network/web/services/google/drive] permanent link

When I checked on the status of the weekly backup process on a Microsoft Windows 10 system by issuing a wbadmin get versions command at a command prompt, I saw that no backups had been created since July of 2018.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17134.285]
(c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>wbadmin get versions
wbadmin 1.0 - Backup command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Backup time: 7/17/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 07/17/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {76dc6b17-ef40-418f-b13a-a332f3f18c66}

Backup time: 7/24/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 07/24/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {f394de8f-b3e2-4cc0-a2ee-ffb12448f1c6}

Backup time: 7/31/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 07/31/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {275475f1-22d9-455d-893b-f327b8069f99}

Backup time: 8/7/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 08/07/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {58902ac7-c0aa-4384-9abf-b96e89fe1954}

Backup time: 8/14/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 08/14/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {7600fdeb-9722-4f0d-9647-6a5a22613a40}

Backup time: 8/21/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 08/21/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {05e8eefe-486f-4286-bf7a-57ca7ba192e6}

Backup time: 8/28/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 08/28/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {cc0c16df-4eb2-43ca-bb40-4d02928e7617}

Backup time: 9/4/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 09/04/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {98c0f7a3-ca59-4c78-b4c3-5ff716a60bf2}

Backup time: 9/11/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 09/11/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {b066d090-fd1f-44e2-9899-b5defe860e65}

Backup time: 9/18/2016 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled My Passport(K:)
Version identifier: 09/18/2016-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {88b6a6aa-dce0-439b-96b8-98e1038411cd}

Backup time: 5/27/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 05/27/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {e7999e64-18ef-4ffe-826f-63460ae10a95}

Backup time: 6/3/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 06/03/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {ed35b3bb-5409-4351-82b3-42829908d5b2}

Backup time: 6/10/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 06/10/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {8dd10f96-c62e-42e9-9d68-0947f529db52}

Backup time: 6/17/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 06/17/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {0ebd7188-35b3-4317-bb20-b718dfd35789}

Backup time: 6/24/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 06/24/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {93803f25-207b-410d-891f-d1e8244236aa}

Backup time: 7/1/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 07/01/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {76022746-9b00-4380-a08b-d9a9b5bdd2d8}

Backup time: 7/8/2018 7:00 PM
Backup target: 1394/USB Disk labeled Seagate Backup Plus Drive(K:)
Version identifier: 07/08/2018-23:00
Can recover: Volume(s), File(s), Application(s), Bare Metal Recovery, System State
Snapshot ID: {030fb852-6e15-4ad3-8acb-e0b0d0057e87}


C:\WINDOWS\system32>

When I checked the free space left on the drive on which the backups were stored from the Windows File Explorer, I saw there was only a few megabytes of free disk space left, so I attempted to delete some of the prior backups with the wbadmin command, but I was unable to delete them with the message "failed with error: The specified media type is invalid" message appearing.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/win10] permanent link

I needed to check on whether a system was functioning as a mail server listening on the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Secure (SMTPS) port, TCP port 465. One way to check is to attempt to establish a telnet connection to that port. E.g.:

$ telnet 192.168.248.91 465
Trying 192.168.248.91...
Connected to esa.example.com
Escape character is '^]'.
^C
^CConnection closed by foreign host.
$

If you see a "connected to" message that indicates the system is listening on that port and you can terminate the connection by hitting Ctrl-C a couple of times. But you can also use an OpenSSL command as shown below to test SMTPS connectivity on TCP port 465:

$ openssl s_client -connect 192.168.248.91:465 -quiet
depth=0 /OU=Zimbra Collaboration Server/CN=esa.example.com
verify error:num=20:unable to get local issuer certificate
verify return:1
depth=0 /OU=Zimbra Collaboration Server/CN=esa.example.com
verify error:num=27:certificate not trusted
verify return:1
depth=0 /OU=Zimbra Collaboration Server/CN=esa.example.com
verify error:num=21:unable to verify the first certificate
verify return:1
220 esa.example.com ESMTP Postfix
quit
221 2.0.0 Bye
$

If you leave the -quiet off the end of the command, you can see additional information about the certificate on the email server.

Related articles:

1. Using the openssl command to troubleshoot POP3S

[/network/email] permanent link