CorporateUbuntu

Differences between revisions 73 and 74
Revision 73 as of 2005-12-15 06:02:39
Size: 40623
Editor: mail
Comment:
Revision 74 as of 2005-12-16 02:18:25
Size: 40639
Editor: mail
Comment:
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 380: Line 380:
In a thin-client environment, it is recommended that a blank screensaver is used due to the amount of load needed to serve the video. Suggested xscreensaver settings in a "fat-client" environment include: In a thin-client environment, it is recommended that a blank screensaver is used due to the amount of load needed to serve the video. The following /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver-gl contains configuration suitable for a thin-client environment - attachment:XScreenSaver-gl.

Suggested xscreensaver settings in a "fat-client" environment include:
Line 394: Line 396:
A sample /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver containing the above suggested settings is attached - attachment:XScreenSaver.  A sample /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver for use in thin-client environments will be attached to this wiki in the near future. A sample /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver containing the above suggested settings is attached - attachment:XScreenSaver.

A suggested guide to setting up Ubuntu for use in a corporate environment

FIRST DRAFT - EDITING IN PROGRESS - TESTING IN PROGRESS

Foreword

Ubuntu has the potential to be a forerunner in the business Linux desktop market and potentially, the general desktop market ([http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/software/os/0,39024180,39237495,00.htm ZDNet UK - Desktop Linux for small business]). Combining Ubuntu with a low-cost thin-client architecture such as SunRay (see UbuntuOnSunRay) could be the answer to numerous biased lower TCO reports being advertised by Microsoft.

The basis of this document will cover migration from a Sun Solaris 8 CDE user environment to Ubuntu and a number of best practices for a multi-user environment. Although there will be some SUN environment specific sections, the aim of the document is to provide and facilitate collaboration on a generic guide for setting up Ubuntu in the corporate environment.

This guide is based on a clean install of Ubuntu Breezy Badger (5.10).

Introduction

The setup of the CorporateUbuntu environment is broken up into the following:

  • Authentication
  • Home Directories
  • Remote Mounts
  • Printing
  • Locale
  • Keyboard
  • Locking Down GNOME
  • GNOME Menu
  • Email
  • Word Processing Suite
  • Terminals
  • Multimedia
  • Time/Date

Authentication

Prior to the migration to Ubuntu, NIS was used for authentication. Authentication was migrated over to an LDAP-based system using a Sun Java Enterprise System Directory Server. As the configuration of Ubuntu LDAP clients is the main concern of this section, the configuration of LDAP on a Sun Directory Server is outside the scope of this document. Secure LDAP will be considered at a later date.

A suggested precautionary measure is to log in as root on a separate console because if the LDAP setup is broken at any stage, the sudo command may not work. To establish a password for root to enable logging in, perform the following command:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo passwd root

The first step is to setup nss-ldap, the LDAP-specific name switch server package. During installation, accept all the defaults:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install libnss-ldap

In order to authenticate using LDAP, /etc/nsswitch.conf will need to be edited:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/nsswitch.conf

# perform the following vi commands
:1,$s/compat/files ldap/g
:x!

The /etc/libnss-ldap.conf file is where all the settings are configured. For brevity, the example libnss-ldap.conf is attached and not listed in this document - attachment:libnss-ldap.conf The configuration may be suited only for use with a Sun Directory Server.

To test the setup of nss-ldap, perform the following command to see a listing of LDAP shadow entries:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ getent shadow

The next step requires pam-ldap, the LDAP-specific PAM package. Answer <No> to the 2 questions asked during installation:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install libpam-ldap

The configuration file provided with the libpam-ldap package is unneccesary and can be replaced by libnss-ldap.conf:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo rm /etc/pam_ldap.conf
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo ln -s /etc/libnss-ldap.conf /etc/pam_ldap.conf

To complete the configuration of the pam-ldap package, the following files in the /etc/pam.d directory need to be changed:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ cd /etc/pam.d
ncampbell@naaman:/etc/pam.d$ sudo vi common-account

  account sufficient    pam_ldap.so
  account required      pam_unix.so

ncampbell@naaman:/etc/pam.d$ sudo vi common-auth

  auth  sufficient      pam_ldap.so
  auth  required        pam_unix.so nullok_secure use_first_pass

ncampbell@naaman:/etc/pam.d$ sudo vi common-password

  password  sufficient pam_ldap.so nullok
  password  required   pam_unix.so nullok obscure min=4 max=8 md5

ncampbell@naaman:/etc/pam.d$ sudo vi common-session

  session sufficient    pam_ldap.so
  session required      pam_unix.so

ncampbell@naaman:/etc/pam.d$ cd ~

To test the setup of the pam-ldap package, attempt to logon as an LDAP user.

The final step in the LDAP client setup is to install nscd, the name service caching daemon, to prevent excess LDAP traffic:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install nscd
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mkdir -p /var/db/nscd /var/run/nscd
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/nscd start

References

Home Directories

The users home directories reside on a Solaris server and are shared out via NFS. The home directories, are therefore, automounted upon logging into the Ubuntu machine.

To setup automounted home directories, the autofs package is required:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install autofs nfs-common

The remaining step is to setup the configuration files and start the service:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/auto.master

  /home         /etc/auto.home

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/auto.home::

  *             solarisbox1.company.com.au,solarisbox2.company.com.au:/export/home/&

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/autofs start

Remote Mounts

Similar to the home directories, the Solaris server contains multiple shares available over NFS. To mount the directories upon booting, /etc/fstab needs to be edited:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ cd /mnt
ncampbell@naaman:/mnt$ sudo mkdir solarisbox1_common solarisbox2_common
ncampbell@naaman:/mnt$ cd ~
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/fstab

  solarisbox1:/export/common     /mnt/solarisbox1_common      nfs     rw    0  0
  solarisbox2:/export/common     /mnt/solarisbox2_common      nfs     rw    0  0

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mount -a

Printing

The Ubuntu printing setup has disabled the use of CUPS for administration of printers due to security reasons. A current oversight made by the developers involved in the Ubuntu printing interface is the lack of the ability to name/rename printers. The printers are named after the printer model name and it is not scalable in a large environment where several printers of the same model may exist.

A workaround is to rename the entry made in /etc/cups/printers.conf and create a symbolic link to the printer model PPD file in the /etc/cups/ppd directory. Below is a script that can be installed into /usr/bin and run immediately after setting up a printer:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/bin/changeprintername

  #!/bin/bash
  #
  ############################################
  #
  # changeprintername - changes the name of a
  #                     printer that was
  #                     created using Ubuntu
  #                     Printing GUI
  #
  # Usage: changeprintername old_name new_name
  #
  # Written: Naaman Campbell
  #          22 November 2005
  #
  ############################################

  CUPS_DIR=/etc/cups
  CONF=$CUPS_DIR/printers.conf
  PPD_DIR=$CUPS_DIR/ppd

  # Usage Check
  if [ $# -ne 2 ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 old_name new_name"
    exit
  fi

  ##################################
  # DISPLAY CONFIG AND PROMPT USER #
  ##################################

  # find line number of first instance of old printer name
  LINE=`grep -m 1 -n $1 $CONF | sed -e 's/^\(.*\)\:.*/\1/'`

  # obtain a magic number for 'tail'
  LINECOUNT=`cat $CONF | wc -l`
  TAILNUM=`expr $LINECOUNT - $LINE`

  # find number of lines between start and end of
  # config section for printer
  PATTERN="</Printer>"
  NUMOFLINES=`tail -$TAILNUM $CONF | grep -m 1 -n $PATTERN | sed -e 's/^\(.*\)\:.*/\1/'`
  ENDLINE=`expr $LINE + $NUMOFLINES`

  # display current config to user
  echo
  echo "Confirm changing the current printer $1 to $2"
  echo "with the following configuration.."
  echo
  sed -n ''$LINE','$ENDLINE' p' $CONF
  echo
  echo "Proceed with printer name change? (y or n)"
  read answer

  case $answer in
        y)      echo "Changing $1 to $2"
                ;;
        n)      echo "Exiting.."
                exit
                ;;
        *)      echo "Invalid selection, now exiting.."
                exit
                ;;
  esac

  ###################
  # PERFORM CHANGES #
  ###################

  # create symlink
  echo
  echo "Creating symlink.."
  ln -s $PPD_DIR/$1.ppd $PPD_DIR/$2.ppd

  # update config file
  echo "Updating configuration file.."
  sed -i -e ''$LINE','$LINE' s/'$1'/'$2'/' $CONF

  # restart cups
  echo "Restarting CUPS.."
  /etc/init.d/cupsys restart

  echo "Script completed operations.."

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo chmod u+x /usr/bin/changeprintername

The changeprintername script is also available as an attachment - attachment:changeprintername

After a new printer is added to the system, the script can be run as follows:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo changeprintername old_name new_name

Alternative Method

It is possible to subvert the measures setup by the Ubuntu printing team to enable access into the Cups administration webpages. By adding the cupsys user into the shadow group, the cupsys user is able to edit the necessary printing system files. Change the shadow group line in /etc/group to include the cupsys user:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/group

  shadow:x:42:cupsys

Locale

During initial testing, it appeared that the locale was not being set correctly after logging into GNOME. The locale issue appears to be a user-specific problem from when users used to log on to a Java Desktop System (JDS) - Solaris 10 machine. Ubuntu provides adequate language configuration during the installation process. If additional languagues need to be added or the default GNOME language needs to be changed, use the Language Selector program:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo /usr/bin/gnome-language-selector

Keyboard

Part of configuring Ubuntu for corporate use is locking down the desktop. Limiting the number of keyboard shortcuts, and limiting configuration of shortcuts, is part of restricting access to sections of GNOME.

Adapted from the UbuntuOnSunRay wiki, listed below are a set of suggested shortcuts to be made available to users:

  • Launch help browser - Help*
  • Lock screen - "Moon"*
  • Home folder - Open*
  • Search - Find*
  • Take a screenshot - Print
  • Take a screenshot of a window - <Alt>Print

  • Close window - <Alt>F4

  • Move between windows with popup - <Alt>Tab

  • Switch to workspace on the left - <Control><Alt>Left

  • Switch to workspace on the right - <Control><Alt>Right

(* denotes Sun Keyboard specific keys - could be mapped to other keys on other keyboards)

To forcibly set the shortcuts, the use of the gconftool-2 command needs to be used. Follow the procedures listed on the UbuntuOnSunRay wiki - [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOnSunRay#head-2e702178e1ed7893504b43a908075e510af3cf37 Keyboard Shortcuts] - as a guide on how to lockdown keyboard shortcuts.

Locking Down GNOME

It appears that the GNOME team has withdrawn the setup of the lockdown configuration that was present in GNOME 2.6. The lockdown setup was also undesirable as it did not allow users to drag and drop shortcuts from the GNOME menu onto the desktop or menu bar.

The current concerns of the lockdown procedures are ensuring a consistent look-and-feel across all desktops and setting minor options for users. The look-and-feel is controlled by the three areas: theme, background and screensaver.

Theme and background are controlled by the gconf database and can be enforced system-wide. The Clearlooks theme was selected to replace the somewhat initially unfavourable brown Human theme. Clearlooks coupled with a background consisting of a 150x150 company logo on a dark-to-light grey vertical gradient, makes for a clean looking desktop. Prior to performing the gconftool-2 commands below, ensure all users are logged out of GNOME (perform commands from text console or a remotely logged-in session):

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/color_shading_type "vertical-gradient"
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type bool --set /desktop/gnome/background/draw_background true
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/picture_filename "/usr/share/backgrounds/company_logo.png"
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type int --set /desktop/gnome/background/picture_opacity 100
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/picture_options "centered"
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/primary_color "#3E3A36"
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/secondary_color "#DFDFDF"
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /desktop/gnome/interface/gtk_theme "Clearlooks"

Screensaver configuration is separate to the gconf system and is configured system-wide via /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver. Although a system-wide file exists, users are still able to change the settings by setting up a .xscreensaver file within their home directories. A suggested method of locking down the screensavers is to "mv" the screensaver files from /usr/lib/xscreensaver to another directory and to create a symbolic link to /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver named .xscreensaver under the user's home directory upon logging in to GNOME.

The means for creating the .xscreensaver for the user can be performed inside a gnome-session "wrapper" script. The steps are listed below for setting up the wrapper script:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo rm /etc/alternatives/x-session-manager
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo ln -s /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper /etc/alternatives/x-session-manager
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper
  
  #!/bin/bash
  #
  #########################################
  #
  # gnome-session-wrapper - establishes
  #                         customised user
  #                         environment
  #                         upon logging in
  #                         to GNOME
  #
  # Written: Naaman Campbell
  #          2 December 2005
  #
  #########################################

  # ensure users cannot alter xscreensaver settings

  GLOBALCONF=/etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver

  # check if file exists
  if [ -e ~/.xscreensaver ]; then
    # check if file is a symlink
    if [ -h ~/.xscreensaver ]; then
      CONF=`ls -l ~/.xscreensaver | sed -e "s/.*\.xscreensaver -> //g"`
      # check if symlink points to correct location
      if [ $GLOBALCONF != $CONF ]; then
        rm ~/.xscreensaver
      fi
    else
      # file is not a symlink
      rm ~/.xscreensaver
    fi
  fi

  # check if symlink exists
  if [ ! -h ~/.xscreensaver ]; then
    ln -s $GLOBALCONF ~/.xscreensaver
  fi

  exec /usr/bin/gnome-session "$@"

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo chmod 755 /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper

In a thin-client environment, it is recommended that a blank screensaver is used due to the amount of load needed to serve the video. The following /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver-gl contains configuration suitable for a thin-client environment - attachment:XScreenSaver-gl.

Suggested xscreensaver settings in a "fat-client" environment include:

  • Only One Screen Saver
  • Blank after 10 minutes
  • Lock screen upon blanking
  • The GLText (clock) screensaver - with all effects turned off
    • Company Name
      • Monday
      28 Nov 2005 11:39:07 AM

A sample /etc/X11/app-defaults/XScreenSaver containing the above suggested settings is attached - attachment:XScreenSaver.

The minor settings that can form part of locking down the environment include changing the default archive extension to .zip and the configuration of sound settings within GNOME to turn on sound and turn off sound events. Once again, prior to performing these gconftool-2 commands, ensure all users are logged out of GNOME:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type string --set /apps/file-roller/dialogs/batch-add/default_extension ".zip"
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type bool --set /desktop/gnome/sound/event_sounds false
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type bool --set /desktop/gnome/sound/enable_esd true

GNOME Menu

Although the GNOME menu system has improved greatly in 2.12, there still is a lack of a tool for editing the GNOME menu on a system-wide basis. GNOME menu configuration, therefore, still needs to be edited on the command line.

The GNOME menu consists of a collection of desktop files in the /usr/share/applications directory. Inside each file is a Categories line which determines where the menu entry exists. A small number of system tool desktop files exist in /usr/share/control-center-2.0/capplets.

The first step in "trimming the fat" from the GNOME menu is to create a disabledapps directory under /usr/share/applications:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mkdir /usr/share/applications/disabledapps

Next, determine which apps stay and which apps go. The current Applications menu configuration (after removing unwanted apps) is:

  • Accessories
    • Archive Manager
    • Calculator
    • Character Map
    • File Browser
    • Terminal
    • Text Editor
  • Graphics
    • Dia
    • Document Viewer*
    • GIMP Image Editor
    • gThumb Image Viewer
    • Image Viewer
  • Internet
    • Evolution Mail
    • Firefox Web Browser
    • Terminal Server Client
  • Office
    • (no changes)

* Document Viewer was enabled - more later

The process of removing the unwanted entries consisted of moving the desktop files into /usr/share/applications/disabledapps then adding the "NoDisplay=true" line to each file. Below is a listing of the apps that currently exist in the disabledapps directory:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ ls -1 /usr/share/applications/disabledapps
blackjack.desktop
bug-buddy.desktop
disks.desktop
freecell.desktop
gaim.desktop
gataxx.desktop
gconf-editor.desktop
gdmflexiserver.desktop
gdmflexiserver-xnest.desktop
gdmsetup.desktop
gfloppy.desktop
gksu.desktop
gksuexec.desktop
glines.desktop
gnect.desktop
gnibbles.desktop
gnobots2.desktop
gnome-app-install.desktop
gnome-btdownload.desktop
gnome-cd.desktop
gnome-cups-manager.desktop
gnome-dictionary.desktop
gnomemeeting.desktop
gnome-nettool.desktop
gnome-screensaver-properties.desktop
gnome-sound-recorder.desktop
gnome-stones.desktop
gnome-system-log.desktop
gnome-system-monitor.desktop
gnometris.desktop
gnome-volume-control.desktop
gnome-volume-properties.desktop
gnomine.desktop
gnotravex.desktop
gnotski.desktop
gpilotd-control-applet.desktop
gstreamer-properties.desktop
gtali.desktop
hal-device-manager.desktop
hwdb.desktop
iagno.desktop
language-selector.desktop
mahjongg.desktop
network.desktop
reclevel.desktop
rhythmbox.desktop
same-gnome.desktop
serpentine.desktop
services.desktop
shares.desktop
smeg.desktop
smeg-kde.desktop
sol.desktop
sound-juicer.desktop
synaptic.desktop
synaptic-kde.desktop
time.desktop
totem.desktop
update-manager.desktop
users.desktop
vumeter.desktop
xchat.desktop
xsane.desktop

Attached is a copy of this listing, however it does not contain the entries that usually reside under /usr/share/control-center-2.0/capplets - attachment:disabledapps. Save the disabledapps file and execute the following:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mv /usr/share/control-center-2.0/capplets/* /usr/share/applications/disabledapps/*
ncampbell@naaman:~$ for i in `cat disabledapps`; do sudo mv /usr/share/applications/$i /usr/share/applications/disabledapps/.; done
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo sed -i -e '/NoDisplay/d' /usr/share/applications/disabledapps/*
ncampbell@naaman:~$ for i in `ls -1 /usr/share/applications/disabledapps`; do sudo echo "NoDisplay=true" >> /usr/share/applications/disabledapps/$i; done

The final step in the GNOME menu configuration is enabling hidden items, such as the Document Viewer (evince) entry. Enabling an item is performed by changing the NoDisplay line to equal false:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/share/applications/evince.desktop

  NoDisplay=false

A suggested method for administrators to regain access to some of the removed apps is to run smeg on the command-line and add the desired apps to the current user only.

Email

The current email client used on the Solaris desktops is Mozilla Mail 1.4. Email is currently using POP to transfer emails and will continue to use POP from within Evolution. POP-to-IMAP changeover will occur at a later date.

When users log in to GNOME, an addition to the gnome-session-wrapper script can check if the user has an existing evolution profile and migrate the user's Mozilla mail into Evolution. The additional section of gnome-session-wrapper performs the following:

  • creates and initialises a minimal evolution profile
  • moves the email into the correct sections of the new profile
  • prepares the moved files for first usage

The script requires installing and configuring ssmtp & mailx to email the system administrator errors that may arise in the migration process.

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install ssmtp
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf

  mailhub=mail.company.com.au

  hostname=naaman.company.com.au

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install mailx
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper

  ERRORMSG=~/moztoevoerr.`date +%F`
  ERRORRECIPIENT=sysadmin@company.com.au
  ERRORSUBJECT="Non-standard Mozilla profile"
  EVODIR=~/.evolution/mail/local

  # evolution mail directory exists
  if [ -d $EVODIR ]; then
    # further processing is not necessary
    exit
  fi

  function emailerrors {

    # error message file contains data
    if [ -s $ERRORMSG ]; then
      mailx -s "$ERRORSUBJECT" $ERRORRECIPIENT < $ERRORMSG
      rm $ERRORMSG
      exit
    fi

  }

  # check if more than one profile exists
  PROFILE_COUNT=`find ~/.mozilla/* -type d | grep slt | cut -f5 -d "/" | uniq | wc -l`

  if [ $PROFILE_COUNT -gt 1 ]; then
    echo "$USER has too many profiles - manual migration needed" >> $ERRORMSG
    emailerrors
  fi

  # obtain mozilla directory path
  PROFILEDIR=`find ~/.mozilla/* -type d | grep slt | cut -f5 -d "/" | uniq`
  SLTDIR=`find ~/.mozilla/* -type d | grep slt | cut -f6 -d "/" | uniq`

  # check for email directory
  EMAILDIR=~/.mozilla/$PROFILEDIR/$SLTDIR/Mail

  if [ ! -d $EMAILDIR ]; then
    # no email directory, so exiting
    exit
  fi

  # create evolution profile
  mkdir -p $EVODIR

  # copy emails - maintaining folder structure
  cp -pr $EMAILDIR/mail.company.com.au/* $EVODIR/.        # may need a better command here..

  # remove unnecessary files
  find $EVODIR -name "*.msf" -exec rm {} \;
  find $EVODIR -name "*.dat" -exec rm {} \;
  find $EVODIR -name "*.html" -exec rm {} \;

  # initialise evolution profile settings

  MAILSERVER=mail.company.com.au
  PREFS=~/.mozilla/$PROFILEDIR/$SLTDIR/prefs.js

  # obtain data from mozilla profile
  ACCNAME=`grep 'mail.server.server1.name' $PREFS | sed -e 's/^.*\,\ \"\(.*\)\".*$/\1/g'`
  NAME=`grep 'mail.identity.id1.fullName' $PREFS | sed -e 's/^.*\,\ \"\(.*\)\".*$/\1/g'`
  EMAIL=`grep 'mail.identity.id1.useremail' $PREFS | sed -e 's/^.*\,\ \"\(.*\)\".*$/\1/g'`
  USERNAME=`echo $EMAIL | sed -e 's/^\(.*\)@.*/\1/g'`

  # generate random numbers for evolution profile
  UIDPT1=`echo $RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM | sed -e 's/^\(..........\).*/\1/g'`
  UIDPT2=`echo $RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM | sed -e 's/^\(.....\).*/\1/g'`
  PROFILEUID=$UIDPT1.$UIDPT2.1

  ABOOKUIDPT1=`echo $RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM | sed -e 's/^\(..........\).*/\1/g'`
  ABOOKUIDPT2=`echo $RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM | sed -e 's/^\(.....\).*/\1/g'`
  ABOOKUID=$ABOOKUIDPT1.$ABOOKUIDPT2

  # clear previous configuration
  gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/evolution

  # setup mail account
  gconftool-2 --type list --set /apps/evolution/mail/accounts --list-type string "[<?xml version=\"1.0\"?>\
  <account name=\"$ACCNAME\" uid=\"$PROFILEUID@$HOSTNAME\" enabled=\"true\"><identity><name>$NAME</name><addr-spec>$EMAIL</addr-spec><signature uid=\"\"/></identity><source save-passwd=\"true\" keep-on-server=\"false\" auto-check=\"true\" auto-check-timeout=\"5\"><url>pop://$USERNAME@$MAILSERVER/;use_ssl=never</url></source><transport save-passwd=\"false\"><url>smtp://$USERNAME@$MAILSERVER/;use_ssl=never</url></transport><drafts-folder>mbox:$HOME/.evolution/mail/local#Drafts</drafts-folder><sent-folder>mbox:$HOME/.evolution/mail/local#Sent</sent-folder><auto-cc always=\"false\"><recipients></recipients></auto-cc><auto-bcc always=\"false\"><recipients></recipients></auto-bcc><receipt-policy policy=\"never\"/><pgp encrypt-to-self=\"false\" always-trust=\"false\" always-sign=\"false\" no-imip-sign=\"false\"/><smime sign-default=\"false\" encrypt-default=\"false\" encrypt-to-self=\"false\"/></account>]"

  gconftool-2 --set /apps/evolution/mail/default_account --type string "$PROFILEUID@$HOSTNAME"

  # setup address books
  gconftool-2 --type list --set /apps/evolution/addressbook/sources --list-type string "[<?xml version="1.0"?>\
  <group uid=\"$ABOOKUID.0@$HOSTNAME\" name=\"On This Computer\" base_uri=\"file://$HOME/.evolution/addressbook/local\" readonly=\"no\"><source uid=\"$ABOOKUID.1@$HOSTNAME\" name=\"Personal\" relative_uri=\"system\"><properties><property name=\"completion\" value=\"true\"/></properties></source></group>\
  ,<?xml version=\"1.0\"?>\
  <group uid=\"$ABOOKUID.2@$HOSTNAME\" name=\"On LDAP Servers\" base_uri=\"ldap://\" readonly=\"no\"><source uid=\"$ABOOKUID.3@$HOSTNAME\" name=\"Company Name Address Book\" relative_uri=\"directory.company.com.au:389/o=People??one\"><properties><property name=\"timeout\" value=\"3\"/><property name=\"limit\" value=\"100\"/><property name=\"completion\" value=\"true\"/></properties></source></group>]"

  gconftool-2 --set /apps/evolution/addressbook/display/primary_addressbook --type string "$ABOOKUID.1"

At present, address books cannot be migrated on the command line and are going to be done manually. A solution does exist as documented here - [http://unit.villanova.edu/pc/address_book.html Web-based mab2ldif conversion tool]. The authors have been contacted and a command-line based solution may be provided if the source can be obtained.

Word Processing Suite

The OpenOffice2 suite of applications offers vast improvements over the currently used StarOffice7. OpenOffice2 provides a method for using the GTK file chooser dialogs and, although it does not have the language support of StarOffice7, methods are available for setting up language tools to suit different regions.

The following instructions are useful in environments that don't require the EN-US locale.

Obtain the dictionary, hyphenation dictionary and the thesaurus for the desired language from the [http://lingucomponent.openoffice.org/download_dictionary.html OpenOffice Writing Aids] site. Save the files into a new folder named langtools, extract the archives and move the files into the /usr/lib/openoffice2/share/dict/ooo directory:

  • Instructions below are for Australian English
    • British English is the closest English offering a hyphenation dictionary
    • Only an American English thesaurus is available

ncampbell@naaman:~$ mkdir langtools
ncampbell@naaman:~$ cd langtools
ncampbell@naaman:~/langtools$ unzip *.zip
ncampbell@naaman:~/langtools$ sudo mv en_AU.aff en_AU.dic hyph_en_GB.dic th_en_US_v2.dat th_en_US_v2.idx /usr/lib/openoffice2/share/dict/ooo/.
ncampbell@naaman:~/langtools$ cd ..

To complete the configuration, the following was appended to the end of the Dictionary list file:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/lib/openoffice2/share/dict/ooo/dictionary.lst

  DICT en AU en_AU
  HYPH en AU hyph_en_GB
  HYPH en GB hyph_en_GB
  THES en AU th_en_US_v2
  THES en GB th_en_US_v2
  THES en US th_en_US_v2

To set the correct locale & dictionaries along with changing to use the GTK file chooser dialogs, user configuration needs to be changed. A suggested way of setting up user configuration for OpenOffice2 is to store base configuration files in a common location and copy the files into the user directory upon login.

The attached files: attachment:Common.xcu, attachment:Linguistic.xcu and attachment:Setup.xcu are to be saved to the common location and the following amendment to the /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper script needs to be made:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/company/ooo2/Office
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mv Common.xcu Linguistic.xcu /usr/share/company/ooo2/Office/.
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mv Setup.xcu /usr/share/company/ooo2/.
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper

  OOODIR=$HOME/.openoffice.org2/user/registry/data/org/openoffice
  CONFDIR=/usr/share/company/ooo2

  # openoffice.org2 directory exists
  if [ -d $OOODIR ]; then
    # further processing is not necessary
    exit
  else
    mkdir -p $OOODIR
  fi

  # copy in base configuration
  cp -r $CONFDIR/* $OOODIR/.

Terminals

A requirement of the migration was to provide access to multiple terminal-based systems via gnome-terminal. A scalable method of managing different terminals for different systems was to create the gnome-terminal profiles globally (within gconf) and provide launchers in a custom Applications menu to allow users to drag-and-drop desired launchers to their desktops/panels.

The gnome-terminal profiles were built by changing the settings using Edit -> Profiles. Settings changed included colours and the disabling of the F1 key to allow F1 to be used within certain applications. Once the settings has been configured for the current user, the configuration was exported to XML then applied globally using gconftool-2. Ensure all users are logged out prior to performing the following:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ gconftool-2 --dump /apps/gnome-terminal > /tmp/terminal.xml
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.default --load /tmp/terminal.xml

Creating a new menu globally in Gnome 2.12 involves a number of steps. The first part is creating the Directory entry in /usr/share/desktop-directories:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/share/desktop-directories/CompanyName.directory
  
  [Desktop Entry]
  Name=Company Name
  Comment=Company Name applications
  Icon=company-name
  Type=Directory
  Encoding=UTF-8

To display .desktop entries in the Applications menu, it must belong to a legitimate Category relating to the Directory entry. An entry needs to made into /etc/xdg/menus/applications.menu to assign a category to the CompanyName directory entry:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/xdg/menus/applications.menu

    <!-- CompanyName -->
    <Menu>
      <Name>CompanyName</Name>
      <Directory>CompanyName.directory</Directory>
      <Include>
        <And>
          <Category>CompanyName</Category>
        </And>
      </Include>
    </Menu> <!-- End CompanyName -->

Prior to populating the menu with items, a copy of the company logo was altered and placed into the right location as an icon for the new menu. The logo was set onto a transparent background, resized to 32x32 pixels and saved as a PNG using the GIMP. The icon was then copied to /usr/share/pixmaps:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo cp company-logo.png /usr/share/pixmaps/.

The final step involves creating the Desktop entry files to fill the new menu. Desktop files created with the CompanyName category will appear under the Applications -> Company Name menu.

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/share/applications/sydney_production.desktop

  [Desktop Entry]
  Encoding=UTF-8
  Name=Sydney Production
  Comment=Sydney Production Site
  Exec=/usr/bin/prodsys syd
  Categories=GNOME;Application;CompanyName

The new desktop entry should now appear under the new menu. Repeat the Desktop entry step for the remainder of terminals required.

Multimedia

Running sound over a thin-client architecture requires solely relying on the ESD sound system. After extensive testing of multiple multimedia players, gxine came out as the clear winner. gxine provides GTK file dialogs and supports additional codecs and the ESD system with minimal configuration. Further information about the installation of additional codecs is available from the RestrictedFormats wiki. gxine can be installed via:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install gxine

To ensure all users have the same configuration for all users, a setup similar to the xscreensaver configuration is needed. The setup, however, does not prevent users from recreating the .gxine directory, but will reset the configuration each time at login.

Perform the following steps to setup an initial configuration file:

  • open gxine and follow the wizard
    • "~/.mailcap" and "KDE / Konqueror" options can be unchecked
  • File -> Preferences

    • [gui] experience_level = Advanced
    • [audio] [] driver = esd

After setting up the desired configuration for the current user, copy the configuration file to a shared common location and setup the following addition to the gnome-session-wrapper script:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo cp ~/.gxine/config /usr/share/company/gxineconf
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper

  GXINECONF=/usr/share/company/gxineconf

  # check if file exists
  if [ -e $HOME/.gxine/config ]; then
    # check if file is a symlink
    if [ -h $HOME/.gxine/config ]; then
      CONF=`ls -l $HOME/.gxine/config | sed -e "s/.*config -> //g"`
      # check if symlink points to correct location
      if [ $GXINECONF != $CONF ]; then
        rm $HOME/.gxine/config
      fi
    else
      # file is not a symlink
      rm $HOME/.gxine/config
    fi
  fi

  # check if symlink exists
  if [ ! -h $HOME/.gxine/config ]; then
    # check if directory exists
    if [ ! -d $HOME/.gxine ]; then
      mkdir $HOME/.gxine
    fi
    # create symlink
    cd $HOME/.gxine
    ln -s $GXINECONF config
  fi

To complete the multimedia setup, Macromedia Flash support was installed:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

The flashplugin-nonfree package appears to be running under the Ruby language. Inside the package, it downloads the latest Macromedia Flash plugin and sets up the appropriate links into the Mozilla plugins directory. Because the package does not use the defacto standard for downloading files - wget - no proxy configuration can be passed to the package and therefore, an outgoing "hole" in the firewall may have to be opened to install the package.

Another issue related to the installation of the flash plugin is the lack of multiple user sound support. On a single-user system, creating a symlink to the esd library in the right location can fix the issue. Multiple user systems (and it seems newer versions of esd on single-user machines) use a multiple esd socket file system. When a user logs on, a new socket is created under /tmp/.esd for the user. The Macromedia Flash plugin has the /tmp/.esd/socket file location hardcoded and a workaround is not possible at present.

In short, Macromedia Flash sound is not possible in a multiple user environment.

Time/Date

The default configuration for ntpdate is to synchronise the system time with ntp.ubuntulinux.org when starting up. Problems arise when this is attempted inside a proxied/firewalled network. A workaround to this issue is to point NTP clients to internal NTP servers which update from external NTP servers. To change what server an Ubuntu machine points to, change /etc/default/ntpdate:

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo vi /etc/default/ntpdate

  NTPSERVERS="server.companyname.com.au"

Remote Desktop

A large advantage over the current CDE environment is the ability to remotely control a user's desktop using VNC. A problem arises, however, when trying to locate which user has which VNC desktop. When a user runs System -> Preferences -> Remote Desktop a link is displayed showing how to connect to the user's display. This display always appears to be display 0 and not the user's real display.

The vineyard script, attachment:vineyard, can be installed into the /usr/share/company directory to match users with their displays. Placing the script in another directory other than /usr/bin prevents a conflict occuring with another similarly named package.

ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo mv vineyard /usr/share/company/.
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo chmod 755 /usr/share/company/vineyard
ncampbell@naaman:~$ sudo /usr/share/company/vineyard

      ===================
        REMOTE DESKTOPS
      ===================

  =============================
  | username | display number |
  =============================
  | pcuser1 |             00 |
  | pcuser2 |             01 |
  =============================

The desired desktop then can be connected to using the Terminal Server Client by entering the address as hostname:"display number" - example: naaman:01.

Additional Notes

This document, when completed, will be broken down into individual wikis relating to each section and a short paragraph on how each section relates to this document will remain. Breaking down this wiki will allow other contributors to add links to their own wikis, for example, a wiki on how to setup Ubuntu to authenticate off an OpenLDAP server.

Document To-Do List

  • Re-ordering of the document steps
    • improve the flow of the document
  • Provide a complete gnome-session-wrapper script
  • Provide an unannotated, script-like version of this document at CorporateUbuntuSimple

UbuntuOnSunRay Compatibility Issues

  • perform the CorporateUbuntu steps prior to the UbuntuOnSunRay steps

  • problems may arise if the ssh and dhcpd3 packages are installed after setting up LDAP authentication
    • as a workaround, install the packages prior to setting up LDAP authentication
  • combine the /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper and /usr/bin/gnome-session-sunray scripts as /usr/bin/gnome-session-wrapper
    • essentially, these scripts perform the same function

Credits

CorporateUbuntu (last edited 2008-08-06 16:32:29 by localhost)