Fatdog64-903 Final [17 Aug 2024]

[icake]

I. icake language txzes:
I have created 7 half-Chinese language txzes for fatdog64-901:
fcitx Chinese input platform: fcitx64_4.2.7-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (21 mb)
gcin Chinese input platform: gcin64_2.8.5-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (6 mb)
hime Chinese input platform: hime64_0.9.10-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (10 mb)
ibus Chinese input platform: ibus64_1.5.19-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (55 mb)
rime Chinese input platform: ibus64-rime_1.4.0-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (76 mb)
scim Chinese input platform: scim64_1.4.14-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (14 mb)
yong Chinese input platform: yong64_2.5.0-en-zh-bionic-321.0.6.txz (10 mb)

Plus 2 Chinese language txzes each for fatdog64-901:
Simplified Chinese: fatdog64-901-zhcn-321.0.6.txz (4 mb)

Traditional Chinese: fatdog64-901-zhcn-321.0.6.txz (3 mb)

To use:
(a) any 1 of the 7 half-Chinese language txzes will enable you to display and input Chinese in fatdog64-901

(b) the 2 name+version number corresponding Chinese language txzes will give you Simplified Chinese (zhcn) or Traditional Chinese (zhhk) menus, icon labels, tooltips for fatdog64-901. Please note that all Chinese language pets rely on a suitable half-Chinese language pet already installed to the system to provide Chinese input platform and Chinese fonts. Otherwise the system cannot input Chinese and display Chinese (shown as squares).

II. icake combo txz
I have also created an icake combo txz for fatdog64-901 with all 7 Chinese input platforms above and 3 user interface languages:
icake64-fatdog64-901-combo-est-fghirsy.321.0.6.txz (185 mb)

III. icake combo live iso
I have also remastered 1 icake combo live iso based on fatdog64-901 with all 7 Chinese input platforms above and 3 user interface languages:
icake64-Fatdog64-901-est-fghirsy.iso (854 mb)

so the total number of different systems created by the above icake combo txz and combo live iso is 21:
21 = 7 Chinese input platforms (fcitx, gcin, hime, ibus, rime, scim or yong) X 3 user interface languages (English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese)

more information about the fcitx, gcin, hime, ibus, scim and yong txzes, please see:
Documentation-and-Tools

[fatdoguser]

crontab -e
@reboot <user> <command>

Doesn't work. I believe because of using busybox crontab, but where that can be fixed: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/352 ... ybox-crond

[step]

crontab -e
@reboot <user> <command>

Doesn't work. I believe because of using busybox crontab [...]

@fatdoguser thank you. There are two alternative "full" cron packages in the repository, dcron and vixie-cron, for users who find busybox cron falling short of their needs. Note: we have not tested the alternative packages.

[fatdoguser]

crontab -e
@reboot <user> <command>

Doesn't work. I believe because of using busybox crontab [...]

@fatdoguser thank you. There are two alternative "full" cron packages in the repository, dcron and vixie-cron, for users who find busybox cron falling short of their needs. Note: we have not tested the alternative packages.

Thanks @step

dixie is indicated as being a lightweight version, vixie is the full version, as used in Debian I believe. Installed that and enabled it in Manage Services (disabled busybox cron) and for @reboot the syntax in crontab -e is just the @reboot followed by the full path to the script to run. Works OK.

Adding the same script to be run in /etc/rc.d/rc.local is a alternative if you just use root alone. When you have users then cron is a simple way for each user to have things being run/started after a reboot (when cron.d is started) rather than using a ~/Startup folder script that has to record/test whether its already been run.

[Clarity]

My PC has an nvidia adapter connecting it to the TV.
Questions

• How can I instruct the FD to use the nvidia support versus the VESA it is using?

• Or how do I migrate the pristine boot to nvidia for A-V use with the TV?

Found this built-in to the running FD v900.

Code: Select all

# find / -name nvid*
/etc/xdg/Startup/nvidia-workaround.sh
/lib/firmware/nvidia
/lib/modules/6.1.46/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/nvidia
/lib/modules/6.1.46/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/nvidia-wmi-ec-backlight.ko
/usr/lib64/dri/nvidia_drv_video.so
/aufs/kernel-modules/lib/firmware/nvidia
/aufs/kernel-modules/lib/modules/6.1.46/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/nvidia
/aufs/kernel-modules/lib/modules/6.1.46/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/nvidia-wmi-ec-backlight.ko
/aufs/pup_ro/etc/xdg/Startup/nvidia-workaround.sh
/aufs/pup_ro/usr/lib64/dri/nvidia_drv_video.so

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

P.S. On this old PC with the PCI nvidia adapter, is there a way to get the card to expose itself (make-model) without booting a Windows on the PC? Note: There is ONLY this card for video...nothing on the motherboard of the Intel PC.

[don570]

The oldest nvidia driver 1.0-5332 info says
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/

TwinView, TV-Out and flat panel displays are also
supported.
_______________________________________
current driver info
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linu ... chips.html

[Clarity]

Thanks @don570

But, i was curious if the built-in nvidia files could be useful. The PC is 12 years old. I am curious if there are some FD instructions to use the built-in files; IFF they would work. Maybe some xorg command. Xorgwizard is not helpful with this.

[Clarity]

Thanks @don570

Found your instructions, here.
I'm going to give the v340 a 'run'. Will post back later.

[don570]

Found your instructions,here.
I'm going to give the v340 a 'run'. Will post back later.

v340 --> when I looked at Readme it said it supported TV-out
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linu ... tvout.html

Chapter 15. Configuring TV-Out
NVIDIA GPU-based graphics cards with a TV-Out connector can use a television as another display device (the same way that it would use a CRT or digital flat panel). The TV can be used by itself, or in conjunction with another display device in a TwinView or multiple X screen configuration. If a TV is the only display device connected to your graphics card, it will be used as the primary display when you boot your system (i.e. the console will come up on the TV just as if it were a CRT).

I see that a 340 package was compiled
https://distro.ibiblio.org/fatdog/sfs/9 ... 6.1.46.sfs
________________________________________________

[Clarity]

More info that I could not find before. "nomodeset" allowed v901 to get to desktop after nvidia driver v340 did not allow desktop resolution changes. Using Hardinfo I can now see the video adapter as nvidia GF100GL (Quadro 4000).

I started over with a pristine FD adding nvidia's recommended driver: "nvidia-535.104.05-k6.1.46".
This driver's utiltiy is not changing desktop resolution, either. I am locked at 800x600 on the TV's screen no matter which FD driver is used with this PC.

I found a couple of distrowatch distros with built-in nvidia support. All emerge on the TV as 80x600 with no ability to change the resolution. Last is BionicPUP64, boots to desktop, but the nouveau driver wont give resolution changes.

The video card will be removed today and another will replace it.

[Clarity]

Is this correct?

I have a USB stick with files on partition #1 labeled "ventoy", I have the nvidia SFS file on the root of the partition.

On booting FD v901, I select the no savefile stanza and change its linux line adding

Code: Select all

 ... blacklist=nouveau extrasfs=label:ventoy:/nvidia-535.104.05-k6.1.46.sfs

This is from a note of mine from several years ago to load the driver at the system's boot with these parm additions.

Reason: I am asking is Upon desktop, reviewing Hardinfo, it is showing noveau loaded???

[Clarity]

Update
https://linux-hardware.org/?id=pci:10de-06dd-10de-0780 indicates that this card needs the 304 driver version. Not the ones I have tried.

Will try this next.

Edit: FATDOG does NOT have a 304 version driver SFS on its ibiblio offering. My adapter is too old.

Does anyone have this one?

[don570]

@Clarity

I've read the page
https://linux-hardware.org/?id=pci:10de-06dd-10de-0780

and it seems the nouveau driver supports TV out (at least if it is compiled with that option??)

Kernel parameters
The problem can be overcome by disabling the phantom output (VGA-1 in the examples given) with Kernel parameters:

video=VGA-1:d
Where d = disable.

The nouveau kernel module also has an option to disable TV-out detection [2]:

tv_disable=1

Have you tried the nouveau driver. There might be a problem with Xorg not being set up for nouveau.

Keep NVIDIA driver installed
If you want to keep the proprietary NVIDIA driver installed (and are not using OpenGL), but want to use the Nouveau driver, comment out nouveau blacklisting in /etc/modprobe.d/nouveau_blacklist.conf, /usr/lib/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf, or /usr/lib/modprobe.d/nvidia-dkms.conf modifying it as follows:

#blacklist nouveau
And tell Xorg to load nouveau instead of nvidia by creating the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf with the following content:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Nvidia card"
Driver "nouveau"
EndSection

______________________________________________________

[Clarity]

Thanks @don570 for guidance thus far.

I'm attached a file here that may take some of the guesswork of where I have progressed to for review. It appears I am running nouveau.

nVidia-DebugInfo.zip

Folder of debug info pics

(299.92 KiB) Downloaded 83 times

Worst case, I can crack open the cover and replace it with an nvidia 250 I have to try that. There is NO video-feed on this PC's motherboard...only PCI video adpater.

[Clarity]

@fatdog the HARDINFO you are including lays out system info very logically. THANKS.

[don570]

There is NO video-feed on this PC's motherboard...only PCI video adpater.

Note that PCI has different speeds. For instance the computer that I have Dell Optipex 990
is PCIe 2X . Fortunately Nvidia GTX1030 does support PCIe 2X speed.
If I put card in a modern machine it would work but only operate at 2X speed.

______________________________________________________________________________

[Clarity]

@fatdog Development: I've noticed that the nvidia-390 SFS does NOT match the download.

Something wrong?

[jamesbond]

The md5sum matches, perhaps you get a bad download.
Your card, as you said yourself, is Quadro 4000, and this card seems to be supported by 340 and 390 driver.

[Clarity]

Thanks for verifying: Unusual for my use, but in fact "Bad download."

Reviewed my wget and found it told me such. I missed its final message line.

Thanks

[don570]

@]Clarity
I've been having some problems downloading from ibiblio also.
I have feeling that it's related to problems with my Chrome browser on my Chromebook.
Perhaps some corrupt code loaded in RAM
I relaunched Chromebrowser and its behaving properly now.
SAMBA server in fatdog64 recognizes the non ASCIi characters during file transfers
between my Chromebook and PC.

You can try nluug download as alternative
https://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/fatdog/sfs/900/
________________________________________________

[Clarity]

In my endeavors with this PC, I am convinced the encounters are adapter related. In several of my tests, the adapter loaded nvidia driver at boot, but, it activates at 800x600 on the same TV screen that the other PC activates at 1900x1200 (different adapter, of course, that uses the same driver ... v340).

The problem I have at this point as I see no app/program/vehicle to change the resolution otherwise.

Am I missing something in the support for resolution controls when using this adapter in FATDOG services?

Anyone else with nvidia seen any of what I have been describing?

[jamesbond]

The problem I have at this point as I see no app/program/vehicle to change the resolution otherwise.

Am I missing something in the support for resolution controls when using this adapter in FATDOG services?

Fatdog Control Panel -> Display -> "Display Properties" (or "Display Properties Alternate")

[don570]

Nvidia writes about 'nvidia-settings' app but it isn't included apparently.
I coudnt find it.

Fortunately the default monitor gives the right size for me.

Using nvidia-settings
The nvidia-settings tool can configure multiple monitors.

For CLI configuration, first get the CurrentMetaMode by running:

$ nvidia-settings -q CurrentMetaMode
Attribute 'CurrentMetaMode' (hostnmae:0.0): id=50, switchable=no, source=nv-control :: DPY-1: 2880x1620 @2880x1620 +0+0 {ViewPortIn=2880x1620, ViewPortOut=2880x1620+0+0}
Save everything after the :: to the end of the attribute (in this case: DPY-1: 2880x1620 @2880x1620 +0+0 {ViewPortIn=2880x1620, ViewPortOut=2880x1620+0+0}) and use to reconfigure your displays with nvidia-settings --assign "CurrentMetaMode=your_meta_mode".

[don570]

Just an observation...

While working on script
viewtopic.php?t=10207
I noticed that there is a difference between the window title in Easy OS and Fatdog64

Fatdog64 centers the window title whereas Easy OS is left-justified,

screenshot-red_line.png (9.63 KiB) Viewed 2867 times

[m1k3]

I've said this before but I want to again express my gratitude to James, Kirk, step, and anyone who helped develop Fatdog64 over the years. This OS is truly a pleasure to use and I appreciate the work and thought that went into it. At this point, 901 is the only OS that I use - I really adore it.

The ONLY thing that I'm still scratching my head about is the included firewall. Not only has it been abandoned by the maintainer for a couple of years, but there seems to be a lack of documentation for it. There's a little bit on the Github repo which is also in /usr/share/doc but it doesn't provide much insight into the various options. Understandably, it's just a bash script wrapper for iptables but it would be nice to have a simple and well documented way to interact with the linux firewall.

For example, I use Wireguard and for some reason wg-quick doesn't work when the firewall is enabled even after adding the port used in my config file. If I disable the firewall then wireguard successfully connects and I can then enable the firewall with no issues. It may be an issue with wireguard-tools but there's not much info to troubleshoot eztables.

[Neo_78]

Did you try to allow udp port 51820 in /etc/eztables/eztables.cfg ?

Which VPN provider are you using to check their documentation which ports need to be open to use the Wireguard protocol?

Would be great if could share how you setup Wireguard in Fatdog64 for other users!

[m1k3]

Did you try to allow udp port 51820 in /etc/eztables/eztables.cfg ?

Ha! The problem was user error. Thanks for mentioning udp, I stared at the config file for a long time and totally missed a single character typo. Seems to be working now!

Would be great if could share how you setup Wireguard in Fatdog64 for other users!

Of course! It's really quite simple. All you need to do is install the wireguard-tools package to start working with wireguard in the kernel. I use Mullvad as my VPN provider because they have a great reputation and it's only $5 a month. Furthermore, you don't need to provide any personal information and they have 100% RAM-only infrastructure. Once you generate a new account number, you can log in with it and download your account's wireguard configuration files. On the Wireguard configuration file generator page you will click on Linux and then click on the 'Generate key' button to generate a new key pair (the private key is only store temporarily in the browser). Now that the key is generated, you can select which servers you want and additional options such as DNS blocking for ads, trackers, etc. You can see their blocklists on Github for more info on what they block.

Once you've made all of your selections, you can download the configurations files (I download all server configs) which are all pre-configured and ready to go. You can technically put them anywhere but I put them in /etc/wireguard as that's the default location where wg-quick looks. Make sure '51820/udp' is added to your eztables config if you're using the firewall. Now, simply run wg-quick up [name of config] (without the .conf extension) and a connection will be made. To disconnect run wg-quick down [name of config]. You can run wg whenever connected to see which interface is being used. You can either go to Mullvad's Connection Check page or run curl https://am.i.mullvad.net/connected in the terminal to verify that you are connected. You'll likely want to create some aliases to quickly connect to your favorite servers or have it connect automatically at login. Note that for extra security you'll want to connect Mullvad's owned servers. At this time there aren't any in the US. If you don't really care about them being rented then there are plenty of US servers to choose from if you want the closest one to your physical location.

Hope this helps!

[m1k3]

Just an observation...

While working on script
viewtopic.php?t=10207
I noticed that there is a difference between the window title in Easy OS and Fatdog64

Fatdog64 centers the window title whereas Easy OS is left-justified,

screenshot-red_line.png

That's due to EasyOS using JWM and FD using OpenBox for the window manager. The title text alignment in FD is controlled by the theme you're using.

[Neo_78]

Glad to hear that this solved it @m1k3

Will check out your VPN provider.

Are you able to start Wireguard as a non-root user or do you have to use sudo?

I recently tested the free version of Cloudflare Warp:

https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloud ... load-warp/

I got the client installed on Fatdog but unfortunately it would not connect with a range of errors despite eztables being disabled.

I don't think there are many wrappers for iptables in human-readable text format available at the moment that are still under active development. Found the following options:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UncomplicatedFirewall

https://shorewall.org/

https://firehol.org/

https://www.vuurmuur.org/

[m1k3]

Not sure about non-user as I'm running it as root (no sudo). I run all other internet program as spot but I figure wireguard is fine as root.

I guess I'll have to look more into using ufw with FD. OR...I might just try to figure out how to use iptables directly. lol