HOWTO : Adaptec RAID 2405 on Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop

Adaptec RAID 2405 is a 0, 1, 10 Hardware RAID card.

The Adaptec Storage Manager is also working very well on Ubuntu 10.10. The current version of the Adaptec Storage Manager is v6.5-18579 which is dated August 25, 2010.

The User's Guide can be download at here

This tutorial shows you how to install Adaptec Storage Manager on Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop.

Step 1 :

Download the Adaptec Storage Manager, extract and install. Let's 64-bit for example.

tar -xzvf asm_linux_x64_v6_50_18579.tgz

cd manager

sudo apt-get install alien
alien --scripts StorMan-6.50.x86_64.rpm
sudo dpkg -i storman_6.50-18580_amd64.deb

Step 2 :

Run the Manager by issuing the following command :

sudo /usr/StorMan/StorMan.sh

The username and password is the username and password of your Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop (sudoer account).

Remarks : The installation for Adaptec RAID 5805 is similar.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Information gathering with Dradis on Back|Track 4 R2

Dradis is an effective information sharing tool. It is pre-installed in Back|Track 4 R2.

Step 1 :

Setting up Dradis server.

cd /pentest/misc/dradis/server
ruby ./script/server

Open your browser and the address is "https://localhost:3004". Accepted the certificate. Enter your password twice. Then, login to the system with your desired username and the previous password.

Or, you can use the default username and password, they are "etd" and "dradis" respectively.

Step 2 :

Setting up Dradis client.

nano /pentest/misc/dradis/client/conf/dradis.xml

Locate the following lines.

<option name='restful_user' value='etd'/>
<option name='restful_password' value='dradis'/>

Change the default value of "etd" and "dradis" according to the Step 1 above when necessary.

cd /pentest/misc/dradis/client
ruby ./dradis.rb

A "dradis>" prompt will be displayed.

Step 3 :

Start MySQL. Open a new terminal and execute the following commands :

/etc/init.d/mysql start

msfconsole

At the "msf>" prompt, enter the following :

db_driver mysql

db_connect root:toor@127.0.0.1/msf3

load db_tracker

Then, scan the port of the target "192.168.56.101" with NMap.

nmap -v -sV 192.168.56.101 -oA subnet_1

db_import subnet_1.xml

Now, you can issue the following commands to inspect the result :

db_host
db_services

Step 4 :

Go back to the terminal where it has the "dradis>" prompt. Issue the following command :

import nmap /root/subnet_1.gnmap grepable

Then, go back to the browser and refresh. You will see the data has been imported.

Reference

How to use Dradis

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : RTL8191SE wireless card on Back|Track 4 R2

Lenovo ThinkPad X100e (Type 3508-65B) is equipped with AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 CPU and Realtek RTL8191SEvB wireless LAN Controller. It is working perfectly on Ubuntu 10.04 and 10.10. However, the wirelss card does not work on Back|Track 4 R2 (which is believed to be Ubuntu 8.04 with newer kernel). In additon, Back|Track 4 R2 is installed with Wicd as network manager.

This tutorial is going to show you how to install the r8191se_pci wireless driver on Back|Track 4 R2.

Step 1 :

Download the official Linux driver from Realtek. The current version is 0018 dated 2010-Oct-25 at the time of this writing.

Download Linux driver at RTL8191SE-VA2 section.

Step 2 :

Extract and compile the driver as well as copy the firmware the workable directory.

tar -xzvf rtl8192se_linux_2.6.0019.1207.2010.tar.gz

cd rtl8192se_linux_2.6.0019.1207.2010

make
make install

cp -Ra ~/rtl8192se_linux_2.6.0019.1207.2010/firmware/RTL8192SE/ /lib/firmware

Step 3 :

Load the driver.

depmod -a
modprobe r8192se_pci
ifconfig wlan0 up

or, reboot the system.

Step 4 :

Go to "Menu" -- "Internet" -- "Wicd Network Manager".

Select "Preference". Add "wlan0" to "Wireless interface".

Then click the "Refresh" button. Now, you should see the Access Points in the air. Select your desired Access Point, entered password and surf the internet.

Remarks :

RTL8191SE wireless card does not support aircrack-ng's injection mode. You may consider to buy USB wireless adapter, such as TP-Link TL-WN321G, TP-Link TL-WN821N and TL-WN822N. Or, changes the RTL8192SE to Intel 5100 as they all support monitor and injection modes.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Remove your IP address from the SPAM blacklist

If you are setting up a mail server at home, you will wonder why the recipient cannot receive your email which is sent by your mail server. The reason is that your IP is blacklisted.

How to overcome this problem? It is quiet easy and just send a request to the Spamhaus.org to cancel your IP from the blacklist. For example, your IP is 218.191.114.234.

http://spamhaus.org/query/bl?ip=218.191.114.234

If you find any item is in red colour (e.g. PBL), your IP is blacklisted. You just click on the link under the red coloured item. Then, select "Remove an IP from PBL" button. Usually, SBL and XBL are in green colour.

Accepted the agreement and click "Remove IP address" button. Finally, fill in the blanks and wait for the confirmation email for the confirmation code to fill into the screen provided after you sent the request.

Make sure your email address is not a web based free account, such as gmail, hotmail, or yahoo and etc.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Wireless Router connects to Wired Router

*** This tutorial is written on July 16, 2007 by me. I repost it here for reference. The origianl tutorial is here. ***

I have a wired and a wireless routers. I connect them together to make them looking as one router. Then, I can access all the computers within the same intranet.

Router A (connect to the internet)

Step 1 :

I assigned the wired router to be router A which is connected to the internet directly. I did nothing on the Router A. The LAN IP is 192.168.0.1.

Router B (connect to the Router A)

Step 2 :

I assigned the wireless router to be Router B and I should change the settings of it.

WAN -
Set the WAN IP to be static 192.168.111.2, subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 and gateway is 192.168.111.1, no matter your Router B is wired or wireless. For me, Router B is a wireless. (You can change the WAN IP and gateway to meet your requirement, here is only an example)

LAN :
Disabled DHCP and set the LAN IP to 192.168.0.200, subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, no matter your Router B is wired or wireless. (You can change the LAN IP to meet your requirement, here is only an example)

Step 3 :

Connect Router A and Router B via a cable on LAN ports only. WAN port will not be used at the Router B. Connect Router A to the internet as normal. Now, you can access Router A by 192.168.0.1 and Router B by 192.168.0.200 via your browser. Any computer or laptop will be assigned an IP of 192.168.0.XXX.

That’s all! See you.

HOWTO : Virtualization platform by Proxmox VE

Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) works with virtualization featured CPU (such as Intel VT and AMD-V CPU) and non-virtualization featured CPU. Virtualization featured CPU is working on full virtualization by KVM technology. Non-virtualization featured CPU is working on container virtualization by OpenVZ.

This tutorial is mainly on setting up the Proxmox VE with Virtualization featured CPU only.

Proxmox VE does not work on fake RAID or software RAID (RAID on motherboard may consider as fake or software RAID). Make sure you are using Hardware RAID when necessary.

Why virtualization?
The answer is here.

Remarks : Proxmox VE is working fine on Intel Xeon E5420 Quad Core X 2, 16GB ECC DDR2 RAM and 1TB X 6 Hard Drive on Adaptec RAID 6 with 2 Hot Spare (1.8TB for usage).



Step 1 :

Download the latest Proxmox VE at here. The current version is 1.6-5261-4 (with 2.6.32-4 kernel) at the time of this writing. The ISO image is 64-bit version. The ISO image has a hard drive space limitation to 2TB.

If you want to have larger than 2TB hard drive size, you should follow the procedure at here.

Step 2 :

You should have 3 network interfaces at least where eth0 (vmbr0) is for the Proxmox VE, eth1 (vmbr1) is for connecting to the internet and eth2 (vmbr2) is for the virtual machines. Where the vmbrX is the virtual network interface for the virtual machines that binded to the physical network interfaces.

Step 3 :

Install Proxmox VE and follow the instructions on the screen (a mouse is required). For example, the IP address is 192.68.100.2 and the hostname is proxmox.samiux.com. The primary DNS and gateway are 192.168.100.1.

Step 4 :

After the installation, the system will be rebooted. If you do not have a router connected to the Proxmox box, connect the Proxmox VE to a laptop which is set to the IP address 192.168.100.5 manually. You may require a switch to do so. (I used to install software based router/UTM, so this procedure is necessary, please see Step 9 for details).

On the browser, type http://192.168.100.2 and then you are directed to the Proxmox VE control panel. Username is "root" and password is the password that you created during the installation.

Step 5 :

Go to "Configuration" -- "System". Bind the phyiscal network interfaces to virtual interfaces. vmbr0 is binded to eth0 (IP : 192.168.100.2, subnet mask : 255.255.255.0, Gateway : 192.168.100.1). vmbr1 is binded to eth1 and vmbr2 is binded to eth2. You are required to reboot your system after the network interfaces binding.

Step 6 :

Go to "VM Manger" -- "ISO Images". Upload the Ubuntu 10.10 Server ISO file (for example) to the Proxmox. Assumed that we are using KVM for the virtualization.

Step 7 :

Go to "VM Manager" -- "Virtual Machines". Create a virtual machine by selecting "Create" tab.

Type : Fully virtualized (KVM)
Disk space (GB) : enter your desired size, e.g. 80
Name : any name, e.g. Ubuntu_server
Memory (MB) : at least 512MB

Start at boot : enabled
Disk type : IDE or SCSI (I perfer to SCSI)
Guest type : Linux 2.6
CPU Sockets : 1 (sockets but not cores)

Bridge : vmbr2
Network Card : e1000

Then, press "Create" button.

Step 8 :

The "VMD 101" is created. Select it and you will direct to the details of "KVM 101". Change the value of CPU Sockets and Cores/Socket when necessary.

Go to "Hardware" tab and add the Ubuntu server ISO image to the "CD-ROM drives".

Press "Start" button. Then click on the red coloured "Open VNC console". Java is required for this operation.

Then, install the Ubuntu 10.10 server accordingly.

Step 9 (Optional) :

You can also create a software based router and/or Unified Threat Management (UTM), such as Untangle. You need to blind vmbr1 to eth0 (internet connection) and vmbr2 to eth1 (for connecting to other virtual machines). Where eth0 and eth1 are the interface name of Untangle.

If you are going to install Untangle inside Proxmox VE, you should install Untangle first and then the Ubuntu server and etc.

Step 10 :

Go the the Proxmox box. Login and execute the following commands in order to update the Proxmox as well as the kernel. The most updated kernel is 2.6.35-1 at the time of this writing.

aptitude update
aptitude upgrade
aptitude install proxmox-ve-2.6.35

cd /boot
rm *-2.6.32-4*
update-grub

After that, reboot the Proxmox box.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Setting up a Penetration environment with VirtualBox

*** CAUTION : This tutorial is written for Penetration Test only. Otherwise, you may be arrested if you attack/intrude any other network/computer without authorization. ***

Software :
Back|Track 4 R1
Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop
VirtualBox 3.2.10 r66523

Hardware :
Lenovo ThinkPad X200 with 4GB RAM and 80GB SSD

Lenovo ThinkPad X200 is installed Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop edition. On which, installs VirtualBox.

Go to the Oracle VM VirtualBox site to download the VirtualBox :
http://dlc.sun.com/virtualbox/vboxdownload.html#linux

(A) Create Back|Track virtual machine :

Select at least 8GB virtual hard drive place and 512MB RAM for the Back|Track. The first network adapter is set to "NAT" while the second is set to "Host-Only".

Boot up Back|Track from the VirtualBox and click on "install.sh" to install Back|Track.

Login for further setting. The username is "root" and the password is "toor".

Step 1 :

After the installation, you may execute the following command to fix the screen size to 800x600.

fix-splash800

Then, change the password of the root when necessary. Otherwise, the username is "root" while the password is "toor".

Execute the following command to make Back|Track to start network interface and X.org when bootup each time.

kate /root/.bash_profile

Append the following lines :

start-network
startx

Step 2 :

To install VirtualBox Additions when necessary via "Konqueror" -- "Storage Media" -- "media:/hdc".

bash VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run

Step 3 :

apt-get -y update
apt-get -y upgrade

Step 4 :

Go to "Menu" -- "BackTrack" -- "Penetration" -- "Fast Track". Select "Fast-Track Interactive" and choose "1".

Step 4a :

Go to "Menu" -- "BackTrack" -- "Penetration" -- "ExploitDB". Select "Update Exploitdb".

Step 4b :

Go to "Menu" -- "BackTrack" -- "Penetration" -- "Social Engineering Toolkit". Select "S.E.T-Update".

Step 5 :

At the terminal, execute the following command :

airodump-ng-oui-update

Step 6 :

Go to "Menu" -- "BackTrack" -- "Vulnerability Identification" -- "OpenVAS" -- "OpenVAS NVT Sync".

Step 7 :

Update the Add-ons of Firefox.

Step 8 :

apt-get -y install crark
apt-get -y install wbox
apt-get -y install vlc

Step 9 :

Update the Framework. However, it will take several hours.

cd /pentest/exploits/framework3/
svn up

Step 10 :

Reboot the system.

(B) Create Metasploitable virtual machine (Optional)

Go to the following link to download the "Metasploitable" which is an Ubuntu 8.04 server with some flaws.

http://blog.metasploit.com/2010/05/introducing-metasploitable.html

Set the downloaded Metasploitable as virtual hard drive at VirtualBox. The network adapter is set to "Host-Only". The virtual hard disk space is at least 8GB and 512MB RAM for the Metasploitable.

(C) The final

Now, the IP address of eth0 of Metasploitable is similar to 192.168.56.101. The IP address of eth0 and eth1 of Back|Track are similar to 10.0.2.15 and 192.168.56.102 respectively.

You may require to execute the following command at Back|Track in order to see the two network interfaces and their IPs.

/etc/init.d/networking restart

Back|Track can access (or ping) Metasploitable via IP address. Back|Track can surf the internet but Metasploitable cannot.

At last, your penetration environment is set up.

(D) Free Tutorials

(1) Metaploit Unleashed
(2) Fast-Track
(3) Social-Engineer Tootkit
(4) Got Milk?
(5) How to Metasploit Beginner to Advanced (Video)

(E) Non-free Training

Offensive Security

(F) Resources

(1) Exploits Database
(2) Metaploit Blog
(3) Offensive security Blog
(4) Yet another Back|Track in Gnome
(5) Metasploit

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Compress PDF on Ubuntu

Ricardo Ferreira maintain/develop a very nice Nautilus script to compress and optimize PDF files. We are going to show you how to install and use it.

Step 1 :

Make sure zenity and ghostscript are installed. If not, please install them.

sudo apt-get install zenity ghostscript

Step 2 :

cd ~/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts
wget http://launchpad.net/compress-pdf/1.x/1.1/+download/Compress-PDF-1.1.tar.gz
tar zxvf Compress-PDF-1.1.tar.gz

Step 3 :

Locate a PDF file, right click on it. Select "script" and "Compress PDF" on the menu.

A window will popup and just select "Default" and click "OK".

Wait for a while and the compressed PDF will be created accordingly.

That's all! See you!

HOWTO : Ubuntu 10.10 on Gigabyte TouchNote T1028X

Gigabyte TouchNote T1028X equipped with Intel Atom N280 and eGalax touch screen. It runs Ubuntu 10.10 flawlessly except touchpad and touchscreen. This tutorial is telling you how to overcome these problems.

"lsusb" shows the following :

Bus 005 Device 002: ID 0eef:0001 D-WAV Scientific Co., Ltd eGalax TouchScreen

Step 1 :

Boot up the system and press "Ctrl+Alt+F2" to go to command prompt.

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Append "i8042.noloop=1 usbhid.quirks=0xeef:0x1:0x40" to "GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT".

*where i8042.noloop=1 solves the touchpad probem.

It will look like this :

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash i8042.noloop=1 usbhid.quirks=0xeef:0x1:0x40"

Save and exit.

sudo update-grub

Step 2 :

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Append the following to the file.

blacklist usbtouchscreen

Step 3 :

sudo mkdir /usr/lib/X11/xorg.conf.d

sudo nano /usr/lib/X11/xorg.conf.d/05-evdev.conf

Append the following to the file.

Section "InputClass"
   Identifier "eGalax"
   MatchProduct "eGalax"
   MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
   Driver "evdev"
   Option "SwapAxes" "off"
   Option "Calibration" "2 4100 11 4099"
EndSection

The value of calibration is "2 4100 11 4099" is perfect on my Gigabyte TouchNote T1028X (resolution 1366 x 768). However, you can change the value after doing Step 6 when necessary.

Step 4 :

The current version of xinput-calibrator is 0.7.5 at the time of this writing.

wget https://github.com/downloads/tias/xinput_calibrator/xinput-calibrator_0.7.5-1ubuntu1_i386.deb --no-check-certificate

sudo dpkg -i xinput-calibrator_0.7.5-1ubuntu1_i386.deb

Step 5 :

Reboot your system.

Step 6 (Optional) :

To calibration your system and edit the value to Step 3 when necessary.

xinput_calibrator

Step 7 (Optional) :

Get uTouch (Multi-touch). However, this netbook does not support multi-touch. The following procedure does not causing harm to your system anyway.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:utouch-team/utouch
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install utouch

Testing program.

sudo apt-get install python-pymt
python /usr/share/pymt-examples/launcher-multi.py
python /usr/share/pymt-examples/games/bubblebattles/bubblebatte.py

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : GPS Grid Reference (Android App) with offline maps

*** This HOWTO is updated for the version 2.6 or later of GPS Grid Reference ***

What is MGRS?
Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on the earth. It is also widely used by hikers.

What is GPS?
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.

Most Android smartphone equipped with GPS and it is functioning very well and reliable. It works very well with Google Maps but internet connection (wifi or 3G) is required to make it work flawlessly.

How about there is no internet connection when you are outside your home country or at the mountains? An offline map is the best choice.

Why paid for GPS Grid Reference?
There are many free offline map apps available in the Market but why bother to pay for "GPS Grid Reference"?

The main reason to use "GPS Grid Reference" is that this app supports Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) completely amongst in the Market so far. MGRS is widely used by military and hikers.

How to make an offline map

Step 1 :
First of all, download the Mobile Atlas Creator at SourceForge. The current version is Mobile Atlas Creator 1.8 RC 1 at the time of this writing.

Extract the zip file to the directory "mobac". Go to the directory "mobac". Load the program by executing the following command :

chmod +x start.sh

Step 1a :
Run the following command to execute the program for creation of offline maps.

sh start.sh

*** Well tested on Ubuntu 10.04

Step 2 :
Locate your area that an offline map will be made. Highlight the area on the map on your right hand side.

Step 3 :
We are going to make an OpenStreetMap Osmarenderer offline map. Select "OpenStreetMap Osmarenderer" at "Map Source" on your left hand side.

Step 4 :
Select all zoom levels at "Zoom Levels", such as from 0 to 17.

Step 5 :
Add "Hong_Kong" (or any name of your selected area) at "Name" on "Atlas Content". Press "Clear" button and then press "Add selection" button.

Step 6 :
Select "Mobile Trail Explorer" at "Atlas settings".

Step 7 :
Change the setting of the program at "Settings" of "Saved profiles" when necessary.

Step 8 :
Press "Create atlas" and wait for the finish of the offline maps creation.

Step 9 :
Once the process is completed. Go to "mobac/Hong_Kong_<current date>_<current time>". Rename the sub-directory "TilesAtHome" to "Osmarender".

How to get GPS Grid Reference

GPS Grid Reference is an Android app that is developed by Luck. The Full version of the app supports offline map. You are required to purchase the app from the Market at 4.99 pounds (or about $75-HK). Download and install the app after the purchase.

However, I have a problem to search and download the app on Dell Streak which is running Android 2.1Update1. The app can be downloaded on Nexus One that is running Android 2.2.1.

How to install the offline maps

Step 10 :
Connect your Android smartphone to your computer with USB cable. Select "Turn on USB storage". The content of the SD card of your Android will be displayed.

Step 11 :
Create a directory namely "GPS Grid Reference" on the root directory of the SD card.

Step 11a :
Create an empty file namely ".nomedia" under "GPS Grid Reference" in order to prevent the Gallery from reading the offline maps.

touch .nomedia

Step 12 :
Copy the directory "Osmarender" and its sub-directories to the SD card under "GPS Grid Reference/tiles".

sdcard/GPS Grid Reference/tiles/Osmarender

How to make the offline map working with GPS Grid Reference

Make sure you have enabled GPS on your Android. Start "GPS Grid Reference" app on your Android. Select "GPS". Press the icon on the lower left corner and select "OSM <default>" at "Map Mode" which is located at the top of the lower right corner. Press "Menu". Select "MGRS" at "Change datum" and select "10" at "OS Grid Figure".

Please allow several minutes for the positioning. You are not required to activate the wireless or 2G/3G on your Android. That is OFFLINE.

Where to download Hong Kong (includes Shenzhen) and Macau offline maps?
You can download the maps here which are created on October 25, 2010 (GMT +8, Hong Kong time).

Hong Kong (includes Shenzhen) offline map (created from Osmarenderer)
Macau offline map (created from Osmarenderer)

** The offline maps are well tested on Nexus One with Android 2.2.1 and GPS Grid Reference 2.6.

** Hong Kong and Macau offline maps cannot be co-existed as they will overwrite each other

** Make sure you have at least 110MB free spaces on your SD card for the Hong Kong offline map while 10MB for the Macau offline map (Osmarender format)

Do I earn money from promoting GPS Grid Reference?
No. I am not working for GPS Grid Reference or Luck. I got NOTHING when you purchase GPS Grid Reference or any app from Luck.

Do I also need compass and map during hiking?
Yes. Make sure you bring along with your compass and map when you are hiking. They act as a backup in case your Android or the app is out of order or out of battery.

That's all! See you.

DELL Streak 5" Android Tablet Review

I bought my DELL Streak 5" Widescreen Tablet at Broadway yesterday at $5,499-HK. I played with the demo unit, which was version 1.6, and I was very satisfied with the performance and layout. So, I placed the order. When I was checking the device, I found that the device was equipped with 2.1-update1. Surprise!

I informed the salesman who changed the specification tag at once and he seemed to be very happy with this changes.

Details of the "About Phone"

Firmware version
2.1-update1

Baseband version
64AUSB1A120321-EU

Kernel version
2.6.29-perf

OEM Version
STREAK.ANDROID.HK

Build number
20100908

After using for a day with this handheld device, I find that it is very good and almost can replaced my Lenovo Thinpad X200 or X100e (which are running Ubuntu 10.04).

It comes with QuickOffice which is compatible with Google Doc. QuickOffice can sync with Google Doc and Dropbox too. I download the Thinking Space app and it is working flawlessly.

Pro

- 5" in size, it is portable and lightweight.
- large screen for reading PDFs and webpages easily and comfortable.
- the touch keyboard is suitable for typing but not for fast typist.
- a little bit modified UI. A new look and feel.
- fast and responsive.
- strong and hard glass screen. Not easy to break and scratch. Please refer to this site.
- almost can replace my Lenovo ThinkPad X200 or X100e.
- comes with 16GB SanDisk Class 2 mircoSD.
- free gift - AutoNavi, for driving only, I think.
- another free gift - Toshiba 4GB Class 4 microSD.
- some built-in apps, such as Chinese Calendar, QuickOffice, SugarSync and Chinese dictionary.

Con

- a little bit modified UI. So you need some time to learn it which is differ from my Nexus One.
- no Flash at the moment. However, you can install Flash manually according to this site.
- battery cannot run for long. Similar problem on my Nexus One.
- no tethering and portable hotspot. Version 2.2 have.
- not very suitable for making phone call as it is quiet big.
- redundance to my Nexus One.
- not equipped with Traditional Chinese handwriting IME. Hong Kong Characters not tested at the moment.
- not comes with vehicle docking.

Conclusion

According to DELL, this device can be OTA to version 2.2 which will provide tethering and Flash that I need most. Lightweight and fast handheld device - a very success Mobile Internet Device (MID) in the market so far. I recommend to all who need surfing internet and writing on the road. Great device!

P.S. Service centre in Hong Kong is Kinghill Technology Development Ltd

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Building Android Developing Environment Make Easy

If you want to be an Android developer, you need to make your computer ready for the development. You are required to install Eclipse and Android SDK as well as ADT Plugin. The tutorial for the installation is at here. However, it is quite complicated and time killing.

Any other more easier way out there? Yes, there is and follow me.

First of all, you are required to register to MOTODEV. After the registation is completed, you can login to the site and go to "MOTODEV Studio" to download the "Full Installer". The current version at this writing is 1.3.

For 32-bit Linux
wget http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/motodevstudio/download/MOTODEV_Studio_for_Android_1_3_0_Linux-x86.bin/

For 64-bit Linux
wget http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/motodevstudio/download/MOTODEV_Studio_for_Android_1_3_0_Linux-x86_64.bin/

To install, just run one of the following command depends on your hardware.

./MOTODEV_Studio_for_Android_1_3_0_Linux-x86.bin

or

./MOTODEV_Studio_for_Android_1_3_0_Linux-x86_64.bin

Follow the instructions on the screen and your Android Development Environment is ready.

To update the Eclipse :
"Help" -- "Check for Updates"

To install SDK and/or Add-ons for Motorola's devices :
"MOTODEV" -- "Download components"

To set to update your developing enviromnent automatically :
"Window" -- "Preferences" -- "Install/Update" -- "Automatic Updates"

Why MOTODEV Studio?

1. Easy - One command to install all required components;

2. Code snippets - Frequently used parts of code as snippets and use them in any number of applications you want;

3. Database management tools - work with SQLite databases using a GUI interface without leaving IDE;

4. Localisation file editor - helps you manage strings to create localised applications;

5. Application creation wizards - quickly and easily to create essential Android classes, such as Content Provider, Service, Activity and Broadcast Receiver;

6. Automated SDK download - automatically download, install and configure the latest Android SDK;

7. Others - application signing, Android Market integration and a built-in emulator.

Sound good?!

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Make your Android running more faster by DroidBooster

DroidBooster makes your Android based smartphone running faster than before. Even Froyo (Android 2.2) can boost the performance a little bit. Older version of Android may find the performance increased a lot.

DroidBooster can be downloaded from the Market. You are required to do nothing after installation unless you want to send the benchmark to the official website.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Traditional Chinese Handwriting on Ubuntu 10.04

Traditional Chinese handwriting is available in Linux now. Tegaki Project provides Traditional and Simpified Chinese as well as Japanese handwriting input for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. It is developed by Python; thus, it is a cross-platform application.

Tegaki supports SCIM only. Therefore, you should install SCIM on your Ubuntu 10.04 which is iBus by default.

Step 1 - Install SCIM :

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install scim scim-modules-table scim-chewing scim-pinyin scim-chinese

im-switch -s scim
update-alternatives --config xinput-zh_TW

Select SCIM according and makes it as default.

Step 2 - Install Tegaki :

sudo apt-get install python-tegakitools scim-tegaki python-tegaki-gtk tegaki-train tegaki-recognize python-tegaki tegaki-zinnia-simplified-chinese zinnia-utils

cd ~
wget http://www.tegaki.org/releases/0.3/models/tegaki-zinnia-traditional-chinese-0.3.zip
unzip tegaki-zinnia-traditional-chinese-0.3
cd tegaki-zinnia-traditional-chinese-0.3
make
sudo make install
cd ~

Step 3 - Create Gnome menu for Tegaki :

sudo nano /usr/share/applications/tegaki.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Tegaki Handwriting
Exec=tegaki-recognize
Icon=/usr/share/tegaki/icons/handwriting.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Application;System;
Comment=Tegaki Handwriting

How to use Tegaki

Step a :
Click on "Tools/Configure" icon on the right hand side panel. Set "Search after (msecs)" to 200 or larger. Then click on "Search on stroke" and "Confirm".

Step b :
Write the Chinese characters in the boxes provided. To clear the characters click "Sweep" icon. If you want to make correction to the character that you just wrote, click on the character on the top bar.

Step c :
After wrote some characters, you can click on "Green tick". Then, go to the word processor or editor. Press "Ctrl+V" or click "Paste".

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Microsoft Silverlight on Ubuntu 10.04?

Moonlight is a clone of Microsoft Silverlight for Linux. Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is already have it in the repository.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install libmoon moonlight-plugin-mozilla moonlight-plugin-core

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Compiling Android-x86 on Ubuntu 10.04 amd64

Android-x86 project ports Android to x86 hardwares (32-bit only). This project is under heavy development. The project is designed for Asus eeePC and Viliv S5.

Step 1 :

Make sure you have enabled the repository of "Partner". Otherwise, Sun's Java JDK cannot be installed.

For amd64 environment :

sudo apt-get install git-core gnupg flex bison gperf build-essential zip curl sun-java6-jdk zlib1g-dev gcc-multilib g++-multilib libc6-dev-i386 lib32ncurses5-dev ia32-libs x11proto-core-dev libx11-dev lib32readline5-dev lib32z-dev vaigrind

For i386 environment (Optional) (not tested by me) :

sudo apt-get install git-core gnupg sun-java6-jdk flex bison gperf libsdl-dev libesd0-dev libwxgtk2.6-dev build-essential zip curl libncurses5-dev zlib1g-dev vaigrind

Step 1a :

sudo update-alternatives --config java

Please select /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/jre/bin/java

Step 2 :

sudo nano /etc/environment

append ":~/bin" at the end of "PATH="

It will look like this :
PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:~/bin"

source /etc/environment

Step 3 :

curl http://android.git.kernel.org/repo >~/bin/repo
chmod a+x ~/bin/repo

Step 4 :

If you want to compile the Android 2.2 (i.e. froyo), you can do the following :

mkdir froyo-x86
cd froyo-x86
repo init -u git://git.android-x86.org/manifest.git -b froyo-x86
repo sync

*this process will take several hours just depends on your internet connection and the power of your hardwares

**If you want to compile older version of Android, please replace "froyo-x86" with "donut-x86" or "eclair-x86".

Hints :
donut-x86 == based on Android 1.6 release (Donut)
eclair-x86 == based on Android 2.1 release (Eclair)
froyo-x86 == based on Android 2.2 release (Froyo)

Step 5 :

**If you are going to compile froyo-x86 for Asus EeePC, this step can be skipped. Or, you can download the iso file from the official website.

Make sure you are still at froyo-x86 directory (or else that you have created previously, e.g. ~/froyo-x86).

nano ~/froyo-x86/device/asus/eeepc/eeepc_defconfig

Make the following lines as is :

CONFIG_MPENTIUMM=y
CONFIG_MK8=y
CONFIG_MVIAC7=y
CONFIG_MCORE2=y
CONFIG_MATOM=y
CONFIG_GENERIC_CPU=y
CONFIG_IOMMU_HELPER=y
CONFIG_IOMMU_API=y
CONFIG_X86_PAE=y

** EeePC 701 does not support "CONFIG_X86_PAE=y" setting

CONFIG_MICROCODE_AMD=y

CONFIG_X86_POWERNOW_K8=y
CONFIG_X86_SPEEDSTEP_CENTRINO=y
CONFIG_INTEL_IDLE=y

CONFIG_PCCARD=y
CONFIG_HOTPLUG_PCI_IBM=m
CONFIG_HOTPLUG_PCI_APCI=y

CONFIG_FIRMWARE_IN_KERNEL=y

CONFIG_8139CP=m
CONFIG_8139TOO=m
CONFIG_VIA_RHINE=m
CONFIG_E1000=m
CONFIG_E1000E=m
CONFIG_RTL8180=m
CONFIG_MAC80211_HWSIM=m
CONFIG_ATH9K_HTC=m
CONFIG_IWLWIFI=m
CONFIG_RT2X00=m
CONFIG_WL12XX=m
CONFIG_ZD1211RW=m
CONFIG_IPW2100=m
CONFIG_IPW2200=m
CONFIG_AR9170_USB=m
CONFIG_LIBERTAS=m
CONFIG_HOSTAP=m

CONFIG_KEYBOARD_ATKBD=y

CONFIG_PHONE=m

CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2_TRACKPOINT=m
CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2_TOUCHKIT=m
CONFIG_INPUT_TABLET=m

CONFIG_N_GSM=y

CONFIG_SOC_CAMERA=m

CONFIG_HW_RANDOM_AMD=y

CONFIG_AGP_ATI=y
CONFIG_AGP_AMD=y
CONFIG_AGP_NVIDIA=y
CONFIG_FIRMWARE_EDID=y
CONFIG_FB_BACKLIGHT=y

CONFIG_DRM_RADEON=m

CONFIG_FB_HGA=m
CONFIG_FB_INTEL=m
CONFIG_FB_RADEON=m
CONFIG_FB_NVIDIA=m
CONFIG_FB_VIA=m
CONFIG_FB_VIRTUAL=m

CONFIG_DISPLAY_SUPPORT=y

CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER_OSS=m
CONFIG_SND_HRTIMER=m
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1_SEQ=m
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1=m
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1X=m
CONFIG_SND_HDA_GENERIC=y

CONFIG_HID_PID=y
CONFIG_USB_HIDDEV=y

CONFIG_RTL8192SU=m
CONFIG_RTL8192U=m
CONFIG_RTL8192E=m

CONFIG_THINKPAD_ACPI=m

CONFIG_FSCACHE=y

Step 5a :

**If you are going to compile froyo-x86 for Asus EeePC, this step can be skipped. Or, you can download the iso file from the official website.

nano ~/froyo-x86/device/asus/eeepc/ts.conf

Uncomment all.

Step 6 :

cd froyo-x86
. build/envsetup.sh
lunch eeepc-eng
m -jX iso_img TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT=x86-atom

*where "X" is the number of core of your CPU and "TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT=x86-atom" is optional
e.g. "m -j2 iso_img" if you have a dual core

the iso file will be generated at froyo-x86/out/target/product/eeepc/eeepc.iso

*the compilation will take several hours just depends on your power of hardwares

Step 7 :

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install unetbootin

Burn the iso file to the USB stick with unetbootin.

Or, you can burn your iso file to CD-R instead.

Step 8 (Optional) :

For the next compilation when there is any updates of the source, you need to do :

repo sync
. build/envsetup.sh
lunch eeepc-eng
m -jX iso_img TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT=x86-atom

*where "X" is the number of core of your CPU and "TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT=x86-atom" is optional
e.g. "m -j2 iso_img" if you have a dual core

Step 9 (Optional) :

If you want to delete all what you have compiled, you should do the following before perform Step 6.

make clean

Remarks :

Android-x86 1.6r2 works flawlessy on Gigabyte T1028X without any modification. You just download from the official site and it works out of box. However, it is Android 1.6 (Donut).

froyo-x86 may work on Asus EeePC as it is designed for this series. However, I tested on EeePC 701 and it cannot be bootup with the captioned compilation.

Known Issues

froyo-x86 also works on Lenovo ThinkPad X100e and Lenovo ThinkPad X200 but the response is quite lag as same as Gigabyte T1028X. Maybe there is a problem on the display driver.

Wifi is not working properly on Gigabyte T1028X unless Ethernet is disabled. It cannot be detected on Lenovo ThinkPad X100e and Lenovo ThinkPad X200. It is possibly the driver problem which is not included in the eeepc_defconfig.

Camera is not working on Gigabyte T1028X and Lenovo ThinkPad X100e.

Volume is low on Gigabyte T1028X, Lenovo ThinkPad X200 and Lenovo ThinkPad X100e.

Bluetooth can be detected on Gigabyte T1028X, Lenovo ThinkPad X100e and Lenovo ThinkPad X200. However, I have not test the connectivity.

No mouse pointer on Gigabyte T1028X. Mouse pointer working abnormal and lag on Lenovo ThinkPad X100e and Lenovo ThinkPad X200.

Ethernet cannot be detected on Lenovo ThinkPad X200 and Lenovo ThinkPad X100e. Possibly the driver problem as they cannot be config at eeepc_defconfig.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : App Inventor for Android on Ubuntu 10.04

App Inventor for Android is another example of Cloud Computing. You can build your Android apps from the Java enabled browser and sync to your Android device at ease. In addition, everyone can build Android apps by App Inventor for Android without any deep knowledge of Java and/or programming.

Go to Register Form to register your account for App Inventor for Android. You may require to wait for several weeks in order to receive the access permission email from Google.

On your Android device

Download and install "AppInventor Toggle" from the Market of your Android device.

Run "AppInventor Toggle", press "Menu", enable "Cable Detection" and disable "AppInventor Orientation".

Exit "AppInventor Toggle", Press "Menu", "Settings", "Applications" and "Development", then enable "USB Debugging"

On your Ubuntu 10.04 desktop

Ubuntu 10.04 comes with OpenJDK (open source version of Java) and it is ready to go. You can download OpenJDK at Ubuntu Software Centre if it is not installed. Or, you can use Sun Java instead but you are required to enable the repository at "System", "Administration", "Synaptic management".

Be keep in mind that App Inventor for Android official site recommend Sun Java instead of OpenJDK. If you encounter abnormal behavior on the web application, please install Sun Java instead.

Go to Extra Software page and download the Debian package. The current version at this writing is 1.02.

sudo dpkg -i appinventor-extras_1.02_all.deb

You may encounter "Unable to get SyncService for device" when you are connecting to your Android smartphone from Blocks Editor of App Inventor web application. The following is the procedure to solve this problem.

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rule

Append the following line.
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0bb4", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0ff9", MODE="0666

Create a shell script.
nano android-syncservice

Append the following lines.
#!/bin/sh
# Solve the problme of "Unable to get SyncService for device" while connecting to Nexus One under Blocks Editor of App Inventor
cd /usr/google/appinventor-extras/commands-for-Appinventor/
./adb kill-server
./adb devices
cd ~
exit 0

Copy the shell script to /etc/init.d and make it running automatically on every boot.
sudo cp android-syncservice /etc/init.d/
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/android-syncservice

sudo update-rc.d android-syncservice defaults

Or, you may require to reboot your system when need.

Now connect your Android device to your Ubuntu 10.04 desktop with the USB cable. You are ready to go ....

Follow the instructions at Connect App Inventor to Your Phone.

Then, study the Tutorials.

Finally, Live Development, Testing and Debugging.

Known Issue

The size of the apk (application package) is quite large, it is at least about 3 to 4 MB of size for a very simple application, such as tutorial apps.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Voice over IP (VoIP) on Android (Asterisk Edition)

*** Last updated on August 28, 2010 (GMT +8) ***

UPDATED : CSipSimple just released 0.00-12-24 today (2010-AUG-28). A quick test is conducted and some bugs are fixed. This tutorial will be updated when I fully tested this new version.

Testing report


UPDATED : The current version is 0.00-12-36 as on today (2010-SEP-22). The app is much more stable.

This tutorial is show you how to setup your Android phone to communicate with another IP Phone or Android in no further investment. Meanwhile, this feature does not consume your mobile phone air time but consume the 3G data. If you have an unlimited 3G plan, you will be very happy with that. Make sure you are connected to the internet when using the VoIP. Wifi also works fine.

PART I - Select a SIP provider

The following SIP providers offer free account of SIP service for inbound and outbound. You can select one of them that suit you most. I prefer sip2sip.info. Make sure to register to the SIP provider and write down all the details that they give you for further setting.

sip.tpad.com
sip.12voip.com
sip.smartvoip.com
sip2sip.info
sip.actionvoip.com

For example, your login name (account name) of sip2sip.info is "Android".

PART II - Asterisk configuration

If you have an Asterisk server, you can set it yourself. The settings are similar to the below mentioned. If you do not have one, I suggest you to use PBXes.org (the same provider/developer of SIPDroid) which offers 2,000 minutes monthly free air time for 60 minutes per call. You will have 2 simultaneous calls, 5 trunks and 5 extensions per account.

The following is setting at the website of PBXes.org :

(A) Create a Trunk
"Trunks" -- "Add Trunk"

"Trunk Name" - any name you like, e.g. sip2sip
"username" - the username of sip2sip.info, e.g. 3344567890
"password" - the password of sip2sip.info
"SIP server" - "sip2sip.info"

"Outbound Caller ID" - any name you want to display on phone

(B) Create Outbound route
"Outbound Routing" -- "Add Route"

"Route Name" - any name you like, e.g. sip2sip
"Trunk Sequence" - select the above, such as SIP/sip2sip

Select "Valid for all numbers"

"Extension" - any number, e.g. 100

(C) Create Extension
"Extensions" -- "Add Extension"

"Display Name" - any name you like, e.g. Android

"username" - android-100
"password" - any password
"dial" - "SIP/android-100"

"Outbound CID" - any name you like, e.g. Android

(D) create Ring groups
"Ring Groups" -- "Add Ring Group"

"ring strategy" - ringall or hunt or memoryhunt
"ring time (max 60 sec)" - 60 or less

Select "Hangup"

(E) Create Inbound route
"Inbound Routing" -- "Add Incoming Route"

Regular Hours
Select "Extension" to "Android <100>"

After Hours
Select "Extension" to "Android <100>"

Select "No override (obey the above settings)"

PART III - SIP Client (Softphone) for Android

There are 2 great SIP clients for Android, they are SIPDroid and CSipSimple. You can download them in the Android Market.

The captioned clients are under development in beta and alpha stage respectively. The current version of SIPDroid is 1.5.5 while CSipSimple is 0.00-12-22. For the CSipSimple, I suggest you to download it at her official site.

You can download "Barcode scanner" from the Market to scan the QRCode on the site for installation. Make sure you have enabled the "Unknown sources" at "Applications" of "Settings" at your Android phone.

(1) CSipSimple configuration

(A) Account
"Add account" -- "Basic"

"Account name" - any name you like, e.g. pbxes.org
"User" - username-<extension>, e.g. android-100
"Server" - pbxes.org
"Password" - password

(B) Settings
(a) Easy Configuration
Nothing to set now.

(b) Network
Check all items.

(c) Media
Check "Echo cancellation"
Check "Voice audio detection"

(d) User interface
Check "Dialer integration"
Check "Text dialer"
Check "Integrate with Music application"
Check "Keep awake while on call"
Check "Use partial wake lock"

(2) SIPDroid configuration

The setting is similar to the CSipSimple. It also provides video streaming.

PART IV - Dial out

At the space provided at the CSipSimple, type the following to dial out :

For example, you dial to yourself from another softphone.

android@pbxes.org

or

android-100@pbxes.org

PART V - Linksys SPA IP Phone (SPA941) configuration

Open browser and go to the setup page of SPA941.

Ext 1

SIP Settings
SIP Proxy-Require - pbxes.org

Proxy and Registration
Proxy - pbxes.org
Outbound Proxy - no need to set
Use Outbound Proxy - no

Subscriber Information
Display Name - Office
User-ID - office-100
Password - your password
Use Auth ID - yes
Auth ID - office-100

e.g. you have create "office" with the extension "100" at PBXes.org

User

Speed Dial
Speed Dial 2 - android-100@pbxes.org
Speed Dial 3 - david-100@pbxes.org

Speed Dial Out

Pick up handset, press "2" (speed dial number) and then "#"

PART VI - Conclusion

Although SIPDroid is the first apps in the Market for VoIP and it also provides video streaming, the dial out procedure is not mature. The apps cannot running in the background for awaiting VoIP calls when you always dial out to PSTN (land lines). It is because it dial out VoIP calls only.

CSipSimple is still in alpha stage but it is quiet more stable as at 0.00-12-22. You can select if you want to dial out via SIP account or Mobile phone number. It is quiet mature. It will be prefect if it also provide video streaming and contact list for VoIP dial out.

CSipSimple and SIPDroid are working prefectly on Asterisk.

The current development version (CSipSimple 0.00-12.22) does not support bluetooth. When bluetooth is enabled, the incoming and outgoing call may caused your Android hang or power off is required.

This tutorial may also apply to other smartphones or desktops that have SIP Client. For Ubuntu or Linux, you can use Ekiga.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Voice over IP (VoIP) on Android (Ekiga edition)

*** UPDATED ON AUGUST 28, 2010 (GMT +8)***

UPDATED : CSipSimple just released 0.00-12-24 today (2010-AUG-28). A quick test is conducted and some bugs are fixed. This tutorial will be updated when I fully tested this new version.

Testing report


UPDATED : The current version is 0.00-12-36 as on today (2010-SEP-22). The app is much more stable but Ekiga.net accounts cannot be communication each other over 3G at the moment.

This tutorial is show you how to setup your Android phone to communicate with another IP Phone or Android in no further investment. Meanwhile, this feature does not consume your mobile phone air time but consume the 3G data. If you have an unlimited 3G plan, you will be very happy with that. Make sure you are connected to the internet when using the VoIP. Wifi also works fine.

Step 0 (Optional) :

If you will use your Android to call VoIP via wifi, you will need to configure your router for the purpose.

Forward the essential ports of SIP at your router.

Forward port 5000-5100 and port 3478-3479 to any internal address.

*It works great on TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router with DD-WRT firmware.

**You may also consider to do MAC filter for wifi access.

Step 1 :

Use free SIP provider Ekiga.net.

Official page

Register page

*the account may look like this - yourname@ekiga.net

**Ekiga.net may require STUN server when you are behind NAT or firewall. The STUN server should be stun.ekiga.net and port is 3478.

***You can also use Ekiga on your Ubuntu / Linux desktop.

Step 1a (Optional) :

If you will use Ekiga on Ubuntu 10.04, you should patch it with PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sevmek/ppa
sudo aptitude update

To install -
sudo aptitude install ekiga

or, to upgrade -
sudo apt-get upgrade

Step 1b (Optional) :

If you are using Ubuntu or Linux and behind NAT or firewall, you may require to add the following lines to /etc/rc.local and then reboot.

The following setting is to overcome the timeout problem.

sudo nano /etc/rc.local
echo 3600 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_udp_timeout
echo 3600 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_udp_timeout_stream

Step 2 :

Install CSipSimple apps at the official site. The current version is 0.00-12-22 at this writing. CSipSimple is under development at Alpha stage. The version at the Market is 0.00-12.

Select "Menu" -- "Accounts" -- "Add account" -- "World wide providers" -- "Ekiga"

Fill in the "User name" - "yourname" and "Password" - "yourpassword".

Save it.

You may see the word "Ekiga" turn to green.

Step 3 :

Select "Menu" -- "Settings"

(a) Easy Configuration
Nothing to set now.

(b) Network
Check all items.

(c) Media
Check "Echo cancellation"
Check "Voice audio detection"
Check "Enable ICE" (if you are behind firewall or NAT)
Check "Enable STUN" (if you are behind firewall or NAT)
Enter "stun.ekiga.net" at "STUN server"

*ICE may not required in some conditions.

(d) User interface
Check "Use partial wake lock"

Step 4 :

Exit and go to the dial panel. Select "six dots" icon on the left lower corner just next to the green phone headset.

Type your friend's account, the format may be "yourfriend@ekiga.net". Then, press green phone headset to dial out.

Remarks :

Up to now, the only cons is no contact list for speed dial. I have posted the request to the developer's site.

The known issue is that it cannot dial to Asterisk server as it will hang up automatically. In addition, when you call to Desktop that running Ekiga and behind router, you may encounter no voice between both sides.

The current development version (CSipSimple 0.00-12.22) does not support bluetooth. When bluetooth is enabled, the incoming and outgoing call may caused your Android hang or power off is required.

That's all! See you.

HOWTO : Full HD playback with VideoLan and PPA on Ubuntu 10.04

This tutorial may read conjunction with the HOWTO : MyGica D689 USB HDTV dongle, VideoLan and PPA on Ubuntu 10.04 but the different is the display card. The display card (GeForce 8500GT) that using at the link does not support Full HD playback.

The CPU used in this tutorial does not support full HD playback.

Hardware and software used in this tutorial :

CPU - AMD Athlon 64x2 4200+
RAM - 8GB DDR2 800
Hard Drive - 500GB x 4 on Hardware RAID 10
Display card - nVidia GeForce GT240
Monitor - 4:3 LCD monitor (not full HD monitor)
Operating system - Ubuntu 10.04 Desktop AMD64

Step 1 :

Make sure you have installed the nVidia driver from repository.

"System" - "Administration" - "Hardware driver" - Select "Recommended"

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nvidia-vdpau/cutting-edge-multimedia
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install libvdpau1 vdpau-video ffmepg

Step 2 :

Install VideoLan and related packages.

sudo apt-get install x264 vlc mencoder qt4-qtconfig
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras quicktime-utils quicktime-x11utils libdvdnav4 libdvdread4 libdvdcss2 non-free-codecs faad

Or, you may require to reboot your system when necessary.

Step 3 :

*The settings below is only good for my hardware only. Yours may be different.

Run "VideoLan"

"Tools" -- "Preference" -- "Video Settings" -- Enable "Accelerated video output (Overlay)"

"Tools" -- "Preference" -- "Input and Codecs Settings" -- Enable "Use GPU acceleration (experimental)"

"Tools" -- "Preference" -- "Input and Codecs Settings" -- "x264 preset and tuning selection" -- Select "ultrafast" and "fastdecode"

Full HD video sample

You can download this sample for testing.

That's all! See you.