Recently I tried installing vmware tools in a Ubuntu 8.04.1 JEOS Server virtual machine with no success.  After a bit of googling, I came across the Peter Cooper’s blog that outlined the procedure rather well for VMware Fusion, but it works for VMware Server and VMware Workstation just fine.  Essentially:

• download Open VM Tools from Sourceforge
• Mount VMware tools (Host -> VM -> Install VMware Tools), mount /dev/cdrom
• Extract the vmware tools to /tmp
• Extract and compile Open VM Tools (./configure)
• Tar up the compiled open vm tools and copy to the vmware tools directory
• Run vmware-install.pl

See Peter’s blog for step by step instructions.

MyDatabases Volume 1 Issue 1

Geek Spotlight:  Michael Peppler
Sybase ASE on Ubuntu 8.04
Multicore Processors
VMware Virtualization
Logical Process Manager

With Wine 1.0.0, I was able to download the viewer and install it.  No special configuration… just a straight install.  So far I haven’t had any issues with it at all.

After upgrading the BIOS, you will need to perform a warm reboot (System -> Quit -> Restart). You don’t need to boot into Windows to upgrade the BIOS

After installing Ubuntu 8.04 Server JEOS on the physical or virtual machine, download the Ubuntu 7.04 Server iso image.  Why Ubuntu 7.04?  Ubuntu 7.04 is the last Ubuntu release that has an old enough GLIBC that Sybase software will work with.

% sudo debootstrap feisty /home/sybase file:///media/cdrom0

• Change the home directory of the sybase user to be /dbms/sybase by editing the /etc/passwd file

% sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /home/sybase/etc/resolv.conf

% sudo cp /etc/hosts /home/sybase/etc/hosts

% sudo cp /etc/passwd /home/sybase/etc/passwd

% sudo cp /etc/shadow /home/sybase/etc/shadow

% sudo `cat /etc/apt/sources.list | sed -e ‘s/hardy/feisty/g’ > /home/sybase/etc/apt/sources.list`

% sudo mount –bind /dev /home/sybase/dev

% sudo mount –bind /proc /home/sybase/proc

% sudo mount -t devpts none /home/sybase/dev/pts

% sudo mount –bind /tmp /home/sybase/tmp

% sudo aptitude update

% sudo aptitude upgrade

% sudo aptitude install locales dialog wget debconf devscripts gnupg

% sudo aptitude install libstdc++5 libstdc++6 libaio

• If you’re installing v12.5x software, you will need to install an even older copy of libstdc++ (not needed for v15 or higher software):

% aptitude install libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2

• Install Sybase software into /dbms/sybase (as root in the chroot environment which you should still be in)

% sudo cp /dbms/sybase/SYBASE.sh /dbms/sybase/SYBASE.env

% sudo echo DSQUERY=MYASE >> /dbms/sybase/.SYBASE.env

% sudo echo sa_password > /dbms/sybase/.sapwd

% sudo chmod go-rwx /dbms/sybase/.sapwd

% sudo chmod u-wx /dbms/sybase/.sapwd

% sudo chown -R sybase /dbms/sybase

• Install the sybase_chroot script into /usr/local/bin and make it executable by root

• Install the sybase_ase rc script into /etc/init.d and make it executable by root

• Exit the chroot environment by typing ‘exit’

• create a symbolic link outside of the chroot environment to make /home/sybase/dbms appear as /dbms.  This will allow you to access the Sybase software, notably OpenClient, as a normal user outside of the chroot environment.

% sudo ln -s /home/sybase/dbms /dbms

You are now able to start Sybase ASE using sudo /etc/init.d/sybase_ase start and stop Sybase ASE using sudo /etc/init.d/sybase_ase stop.  Starting Sybase Replication Server, OpenServer, or similar Sybase software is simply a matter of copying the /etc/init.d/sybase_ase and tweaking the script copy.

If you feel this is way complicated and Sybase should just fix their software, let them know.  Please point them to this page and refer to CR455393.

UPDATE: The GLIBC issue is fixed in v15.0.2 esd 4.  It doesn’t seem to be working for everyone though.  More information is needed about those systems where esd 4 doesn’t resolve the matter.  No fix is available for 12.5x from Sybase.

UPDATE: Keep in mind, that the Sybase ASE 15.0.2 esd 4 patch is available only to Sybase customers with a current maintenance contract with Sybase.

After trial and error, I finally figured out how to convert an old divx 3 (you know, the old hacked version of the codec) video file to a format that my Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) could handle.  Why is it that Sony has made the PS3 to be such a finicky beast when it comes to reading video files, I will never know:

How to convert a video file using AviDemux v2.4.1 on Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron):

• Load the original video file into AviDemux
• Auto -> PSP (H.264) – choose defaults

• Video -> Configure -> 2 Pass

• Format -> MP4

• Save with the extension “.mp4″

If you’re going to put the video on an USB thumbdrive, you will need to create a folder:

• On the USB Thumbdrive:   VIDEO
• Group videos with subdirectories:  VIDEO / SCIFI

• /etc/vmware/config

host.cpukHz = 2000000  <– replace # with speed of your cpu (2GHz listed here)

host.noTSC = TRUE

ptsc.noTSC = TRUE

• ‘clock=pit’ added to the kernel line in /boot/grub/menu.lst
• tools.syncTime = “TRUE” in the (vmware_guest).vmx file

http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04/ubuntu-8.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent i386
http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04/ubuntu-8.04-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent AMD64

Kubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/hardy/kubuntu-8.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent Kubuntu x86
http://releases.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/hardy/kubuntu-8.04-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent Kubuntu AMD64

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04/ubuntu-8.04-server-i386.iso.torrent i386
http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04/ubuntu-8.04-server-amd64.iso.torrent AMD64