Welcome to NWITechSupport.com!
This blog was originally created by slighPC’s, an All-in-one IT shop based out of Merrillville, Indiana servicing Northwest Indiana as well as Chicago and the surrounding areas. Our technicians are proficiently skilled with most Operating Systems (Windows, Macintosh, and Linux) and we pride ourselves on our reputation and our client’s satisfaction.
Here you will find problems and resolutions dealing with day to day issues, client experiences, R&D projects, etc… by the people, for the people.
Update – Added some fixes and the like, the new iso can be found in the downloads section or just below.
*All passwords are set to ‘slighPCs‘ by default.
OpenGTSlive-0.0.1
11-16-2011
- added CentOS-6 abrt fix (bug ID 4993)
- added htop (commandline process viewer)
- added mytop (commandline MySQL process viewer configured to watch the ‘gts’ DB)
- added epel repo (for possible future dependency issues)
- added ‘boot to install’ methods
- removed extra OpenGTS files (files left under LIVE_ROOT)
- removed 10 second timed login
- re-added 10 second timed login (due to missing Language and Keyboard selection option)
OpenGTSlive-0.0.2
11-27-2011
- added fonts to display all languages properly
- added OpenGTS Language Selection menu
- fixed mytop for installed systems
- reconfigured auto-login timer to 3 minutes (more time for Language/Keyboard selection at login)
- symlinked OpenGTS logs to /var/log
OpenGTSlive-0.0.3.iso (699.0 MiB, 358 hits)
12-22-2011
- updated CentOS to 6.1 Final
- updated OpenGTS to v2.3.9
- reconfigured OpenGTS to run under the user ‘gts’
- hard drive install; add Firstboot user to sudoers by default
- hard drive install; disable screensaver lock by default
- added a very simple configuration GUI (via yad)
We have also added an update script (opengts_0.0.2_update.sh) in the Downloads section to update any previous LiveCD install…
*Apparently the mytop config file didn’t make it’s way over properly. To fix this issue, you can either copy the contents of gtsmytop.txt to the file ~/.mytop (the file will have to be created) or just run the following from a terminal (‘Applications’ > ‘System Tools’ > ‘Terminal’):
wget -O ~/.mytop http://www.nwitechsupport.com/download/69/
wget -O ~/update002.sh http://www.nwitechsupport.com/download/opengts/opengts_0.0.2_update.sh
su (enter your password)
sh update002.sh
This is somewhat of follow-up for the OpenGTS script recently posted, but I figured it deserved it’s own post due to the information I wanted to provide.
You can download the CentOS 6 OpenGTS LiveCD from the downloads section, or just click here. We have aptly named this distro ‘OpenGTS Live’.
What is OpenGTS Live?
OpenGTS Live is a LiveCD running CentOS 6.0 Final with all of the necessary components to successfully operate OpenGTS, as well as phpMyAdmin for low-level OpenGTS database manipulation. This includes native Tomcat6 (v6.0.24), OpenJDK (v1.6.0.0), MySQL-server (v5.1.52), Apache2 (v2.2.15), and phpMyAdmin (v3.4.7) installed from the epel repo, as well as OpenGTS (v2.3.8). Ant (v1.7.1) is also installed to allow rebuilding of the webapps, in case you’d like to add your own custom edits.
The LiveCD is locked down via iptables (firewall) to only allow TCP port 8080 for tomcat (OpenGTS Web Interface), both TCP and UDP port 31000 for OpenDMTP communications (GPS data server transmissions), as well as TCP port 22 for shell access. Of course, to allow successfull communications between device(s) and server you’ll need to map all ports with the exception of ssh (port 22) from your router/firewall to the OpenGTS server.
Here is a run through:
1.) Download and burn the image to CD. While Windows 7 includes a native ISO burning utility, there are plenty of ISO to disk applications for all other flavors… you can refer to this post if you are on one of those other various versions (Windows XP, Vista, etc…).
2.) Insert and boot from the CD (either use the Function command for the boot menu or change the boot sequence from within BIOS).
3.) Login to the LiveCD (or wait 10 seconds to let the Auto Login take place).
4.) You should now have the system loaded. On the desktop you’ll notice two important icons labeled ‘OpenGTS Web Interface’ as well as ‘phpMyAdmin’. You can also find both shortcuts under ‘Applications’ > ‘Internet’ (top left-hand corner).
5.) Let’s start by double clicking the ‘OpenGTS Web Interface’ icon on the desktop. You’ll be prompted to login. The Account: is ‘admin’ and the Password: is ‘slighPCs’, leave the User: field blank. Click on ‘Administration’ > ‘Vehicle Admin’ and you’ll notice the user ‘test01′. This ID was specifically setup for the Android application ‘GPS2OpenGTS_free’ for testing purposes.
6.) Now we’ll take a look at ‘phpMyAdmin’. You can open the interface from the desktop icon or via ‘Applications’ > ‘Internet’ > ‘phpMyAdmin’. The Username: is ‘root’ and the Password: is ‘slighPCs’ (the same credentials for MySQL). The OpenGTS database was defaultly named ‘gts’.
That about sums it up!
There will be a follow-up post to run through the install process as soon as time permits.
If anyone has any suggestions, questions, or comments please let us know!
Recently we have become involved in a project that I figured I’d share with the community as it seems there are numerous build requests on freelancer.com as well as many other ‘rent-a-guru’ sites… and as always, this is our contribution back to the AWSOME world of Open Source!
Our goal was to build, but of course, an Open Source GPS (Global Positioning System) Tracking System to be used with Android devices.
Doing little research yielded that there was no better route than OpenGTS… it’s been around for ages, implemented in over 90+ countries, has an enormous list of compatible devices, functionality that seems limitless, scalability, etc… Needless to say, we found our match.
Next came the core build/implementation phase to provide an environment for development. This was the part that was lacking without some background in Java, MySQL, Tomcat, and Linux in general…
Searching provided numerous ‘good’ posts on the subject, and the documentation on GeoTelematic Solutions website was helpful as well, but there was nothing that just “worked” out-of-the-box. Hence, the reason for this article.
To begin, we started with a fresh install of CentOS 6 “Minimal Desktop”, the DVD iso came from from the official CentOS mirror, have a look here for the full locations list.
During the install you were requested to enter a ‘root’ password, you will need this password to run the script as sudo has not been setup for the user created during the initial start-up. When you reach the login you’ll notice your created user in a list above ‘other…’. Click on ‘other’ and type root as the username, then enter the password you created during the install. You will receive a warning about running under the ‘root’ account. You can dismiss this and even put a check in the box ‘…don’t show this again…’.
Here is where the hard part becomes simple… To install OpenGTS all you need to do is open a terminal window ‘Applications > System Tools > Terminal’. Then execute the following command:
mkdir ~/files; cd ~/files; wget http://www.nwitechsupport.com/download/opengts/opengts_cos6_r2a.sh
You just told Linux to create the directory ‘files’ under your home directory which is currently ‘/root’, move to that directory and download the Installer Script.
Next we’ll want to run the script by executing the following command:
sh opengts_cos6_r2a.sh
After the script completes you should have a fully functional OpenGTS system… problem is that you’ll need a way for your devices to communicate back to the system to track their locations. This will require some network environment information as you’ll need to open port 8080 TCP for tomcat (access to the web interface), as well as port 31000 TCP and UDP (to allow the OpenDMTP protocol through) and then pass the connection to your newly installed OpenGTS server.
How to go about these steps are dependent upon a number of factors within your environment including your Firewall/Router, Internet WAN IP (DHCP or Static), and LAN IP of the OpenGTS server.
You can acquire your LAN IP via the terminal with the command:
ifconfig
If you plan on keeping the install around, I would recommend setting a static IP, or better yet, set an IP via the DHCP server and lock it down by the MAC address… depending on your environment, of course.
You can acquire your WAN IP via any MYIP website such as our own here.
The firewall/router is going to depend on your specific firewall/router, as stated… and there are just too many to list. To narrow down your efforts search for ‘Port Mapping” or ‘Pinhole’ with regard to your specific device.
If you have a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) address on the WAN side, as many subscribers do. You’ll want to look into Dynamic DNS as a permanent solution. We provide Dynamic DNS to our own client base, it’s just not been released to the public (formally)… if you’d like to be added send us a request and we’ll set up an account for you.
Bare in mind that the script provided is a crude BASH script, and we take no responsibility for any issues or damages this may cause. Just covering our own there. If you have any problems, questions, etc… Let us know.
Hello all,
First off, I would like to thank all of you who have made your way to this site. Second off, I would like to apologize for the lack of new material. Fortunately, we have been rather busy here lately and, unfortunately, haven’t had any free time to write any new articles… With that said, we are seeking your experiences and expertise. Anyone with the desire is welcome. Please join our network and contribute away!
Thank you for your support,
Ted
Remote technical support
Some number of years ago, we constructed a web-based remote support application utilizing the open source software UltraVNC. It’s a mini sever known as SC (Single Click) and it’s really easy to build. Take a look at the walk through for details. There are also lots of excellent 3rd party projects to consider as well, you can find them within the forum.
All you need is to get going is:
- access to your router configuration
- a bit of in-site on (port mapping and firewall ports)
- an MS Windows (Mac and Unix/Linux work as well) box to serve as the the listener
- webspace to host your compiled application
- It is also a great relief to use a DDNS system to ease the locating of your machine on the Internet as well.
What is DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System)?
Dynamic DNS is a system designed to implement the mapping of FQDN’s (Fully Qualified Domain Name) to DHCP allocated IP addresses.
So… what does this do for me?
In layman’s terms, DDNS essentially allows you to give your computer a persistent name to be reached at over the Internet.
Can’t my machine be reach via IP address?
Absolutely, the problem is that most residential ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) utilize a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server to provide you an IP address. A DHCP server houses list(s) of IP addresses called Range(s) to allot to the numerous clients they serve on an as needed basis. Each allotted IP address is leased for a specific amount of time before it expires and your machine needs to either renew or request a new one depending on the ISP’s server configuration.
How does a DDNS server work?
A DDNS server works by allowing the user to create an A Record (Address Record) to be housed in a specific Zone File (which can be though of as a domain configuration file). This record stores the name of your choosing and maps to the IP address that the configuration detects from your WAN connection. This name is then pre-pended to the domain name you selected or was allotted to you and this is the FQDN in which your WAN IP is located. For this to work properly a client piece is required. The job of the client piece is to monitor your IP address changes and report them back to the server.
WAN address…, then how do I find my computer?
First things first, you will need to find your LAN (Local Area Network) IP address. The easiest way to go about this is to open a command prompt from the start menu or by using the key command WIN+R, typing cmd in the run box and pressing Enter. From the command prompt type ipconfig and press Enter. Your IP address will be listed in the output. To find your computer from the Internet, more than likely, you will need to gain entrance through a NAT (Network Address Translation) system first. A NAT is designed to provide all of your computers/devices behind the router a single WAN IP address provided by your ISP. This system was designed primarily to conserve the limited number of IP addresses on the Internet. To break it down, the router takes over and directs traffic between the Internet and your LAN. To locate a specific device behind a NAT a port mapping or pinhole is required. This port mapping is essentially a direct path via a specific port between the router and the specified computer or device. When a request from the Internet comes in for that specific port the router checks it’s list and recognizes, for example, port 5500 is mapped to IP address 192.168.0.104 (note that some routers require/prefer mappings based on a hostname rather than IP address), and sends it along happily.
The Listener (VNC server)
UltraVNC server, as well as most other VNC servers, provide a listening mode that can be flagged during execution to enable to the server to listen for and accept/deny incoming connection attempts. The beauty of listening mode is that most firewalls are bypassed from the connecting side due to the outgoing rather than incoming request. The default listening port is 5500.
Our latest project
Our latest project, currently in the works and partially completed, was designed to offer anyone with an Internet connection the ability to provide friends, family, clients, etc… interactive live support utilizing the recent development of the UltraVNC wrapper, known as ChunkVNC.
We currently have the Windows client/viewer, as well as the Macintosh client available and we’re currently working on a Linux solution.
To use these services, all one would need to do is instruct their friend, family, client, etc… to the slighPC’s Live Support section located under the Main Menu on the right-hand side. Download and run the client application labeled:
OpenRemoteDesk – WindowsThe support provider would then download and run the viewer, also under the “Live Support” section labeled:
Type in the code provided by your friend, family, client, etc… and lend your helping hand as the rest is self-explanatory.
I have recently began revamping our Puppy build. Recompiling the majority of applications found on the ISO as quite a few of the PETs are relatively ancient. As well there are many missing packages we find complimentary to the portable OS. I will post the PETs and latest ISO as soon as I find time.
…I have begun uploading the recompiled PETs. They can be found under the “Puppy Linux Pets” category in the Downloads section.
I finally made time to add the finishing touches to our Puplet aptly named sPCpup over the week end. The base image has been posted to the Downloads section.
I noticed a minor issue regarding the Wine menu and a missing icon. I have rebuilt the image with the fix included and uploaded to the Downloads section. I didn’t feel it was necessary to increment the ISO revision, so the image name remains the same. If you are running live and would like to manually fix this issue type the following from the command line:
cd /usr/share/desktop-directories; wget -O Puppy-Wine.directory http://slighpcs.com/downloads/puppy/spc431/Puppy-Wine-menu
Please feel free to post any comments or questions regarding PETs or Puppy Linux images here.
Sheesh… another issue with the wine pet was discovered… apparently I have got to slow down. Winetricks and all of the application symlinks were missed on the inclusion. I apologize for the inconvenience as you will need to uninstall/reinstall or simply reinstall over the top of the existing. The updated PET has be uploaded.
I have been working on compatibility fixes for the pets we have compiled… these fixes will be tested under the original Puppy Linux 4.3.1 as well as any other derivatives requested. I will post the fixes as they are completed, time permitting of course.
As per request, I have stripped 40-something packages from the original puplet over the past few days. Mind you, there is no huge significance in file size; 97.7MB as compared with the original image 102.1MB. Below is the list of packages removed.
Asunder, Bcrypt-file-encryption, Burniso2cd-burn-iso-file-to-CD-DVD, Epdfview, Galculator, Gcolor2, Getez, Gfontselect, GAdmin-Rsync, Gpicview, Gtkdialog-tex-markup-editor, Gtk-Hash, Hardinfo, Hiawatha, Htop, ISOMaster-iso-file-editor, MP-console-editor, MTR-Traceroute, Osmo, Pawdioconverter, Pbackup, Pdvdrsab, Petspec-pkg-db-generator, Pmirror, Pmwget, Pnethood, Pplog-blog, Pschedule, Ptimer, Pudd-copy-drive-partition, Pure_FTPd-FTP-server, Pwidgets, Quisp, Secure-ssh-telnet, Ssh-gui-secure-telnet, Transmission, Treesize, Xdelta-difference-manager, Xfburn-cd-edition, Xfdiff-cut, Xfmedia, Xine, and Zmixer-sound-mixer.
You can find the ISO listed as sPCpup-431-stripped in the Downloads section. I will also post the individual Pets as soon as I have some time.
A new release has been completed…
Introducing sPCpup-431-familiar, at just over 148MB, this ISO is packed with familiar applications to get most any job done efficiently and effectively.
Highlights include:
- Firefox v3.6.3,
- Filezilla v3.3.2.1
- Abiword v2.8.2
- Gnumeric v1.10.0
- Gimp v2.6.8
- Gparted v0.5.2
- ddrescue v1.12
- ClamAV v0.96
- ClamTk v4.25
- lameSMBxplorer v2.1.
You can find the ISO in the Linux section under Downloads.
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