One of the reasons why I deploy Linux

I needed to shrink ext3 '/' partitions on couple of servers, couple of thousands kilometers away. The problem is that one can't shrink on line ext3 file system. Another problem is that I can't just tell someone to grab a LiveCD and shrink it. So, what did I do?

I've booted ubuntu installer from grub with kickstart and preseed files on one of my web servers. Also, I used network-console anna module to set up SSH connection. In the preseed file was a password for the network-console. Kickstart was 'only' needed to set up all the rest - mirror, IP address, language, etc... 2-3 minutes after reboot, there is an open ssh port on the IP! Yay! Connecting to that port with username and password that were preseeded, I got, guess what? Partman! In it's natural curses environment :)

But, oh no! It was 8PM, and I wanted to go to a concert. No problem ;) There's putty for symbian. While waiting for band to come to the stage, I've took my phone, connect to my servers (one by one) which are far far away, and had their partitions resized. I've also fixed grub menu, so it wouldn't boot into installer again and - bam! - back in production. And I didn't even miss a single song :)

Marquis de RTFM

Vid Strpic
1970-2007

S nevjericom sam saznao da nas je Vid napustio tako prerano. Iako se u posljednjih par godina i nismo culi, neke osobe se jednostavno ne mogu zaboraviti. Takva se karizma viđa samo jednom. Od natezanja oko fotoaparata sve do rasprava na IRCu, pa cak i zajednickih poslova, uvijek se mogao vidjeti njegov trag. Na zalost, napustio si nas prerano, markize...

UDS Boston

I've just returned from my trip to UDS at Cambridge, MA. I was lucky enough to check out Fosscamp too. Since I mostly work with servers, I've had lots of interest in server related blueprints. Also, I wanted to help in creating ubuntu-server even better platform.

Since blueprints are still work in progress, there are no definitive conclusions on them, but ubuntu-server team will be very busy preparing some new ultra-cool stuff. I won't go into details, but we should see some major improvements in integration of services, scalability and performance of LAMP stack, extended mail service and lots of other small and not so small additions to overall experience.

At this stage of development of Hardy, it's hard or even impossible to tell if we set our goals too high. Personally, I'm quite confident ubuntu-server team is capable of delivering these new values to ubuntu-server platform. I base my assumption on technical knowledge of people I've met last week (in no particular incomplete order); Soren Hansen, Rick Clark, Nicolas Barcet, Jerry Carter, Mathias Gug, Kees Cook, Jamie Strandboge, Neal McBurnett, Steve Langasek...

Note to the ISVs: make plans to attend next UDS. You really want to talk about the problems and use cases you are experiencing with Ubuntu(-server). This is the best way to get them solved.

Special 'hello' goes to my roommate Ian Lawrence from the Ubuntu mobile community.

Other than that, my plane was delayed for two hours and my baggage is somewhere on relation Boston-Milan-Zagreb. Hopefully, I'll get my stuff soon :)