Raiden's Realm: Review: gNewSense Version 2.2

Raiden's Realm is always in need of good, community generated articles and content for our site. So if you have a Linux, Open Source or Media Freedom related article, review, tutorial, or editorial you want to contribute, by all means please submit it to admin@raiden.net. Your contributions are always appreciated and will help us out immensely. Thanks.

Review: gNewSense Version 2.2 (Page 2 of 3)

Written by tinnitus
Posted on: May 20, 2009 at 11:15am
Section: Reviews
Printer Friendly Version
Legacy URL

System – Administration – Synaptic Package Manager

or Alt + F2 input → gksu synaptic

By now a * style icon is appearing on your panel bar because it detected updates available for your system, click it and click through the install process. Depending on your connection speed it may take a long time to complete.

Top is the Menu Bar with an action tool bar. A section window with categories to reduces package list. The Packages list window contains information on the packages selected. Description window details the package you select. Status Bar displays information on number of packages available to you (only 23,000+), number installed, broken, install/upgrade number and how many to remove, if any.

If this manager is going to be the one to install, remove and update. A little time (not much) should be spent reading the help and trying dry runs. This is just a quick introduction.

First thing I do when the manager is loaded – press the reload button – provides the latest and greatest versions available from the sources files.

Click the search icon and input GDebi in search field. It quickly locates GDebi displaying it in the package window, also proving a package description. Notice the box next to it is green. Green indicates that this package is already installed. Click on the green box, slide the mouse down the window stopping on Mark for removal. Notice the green box has an “X” inside, indicating removal, click on the package just underneath, notice the red throughout the package name line – a warning something is wrong. Click help choosing Icon legend. This is a good tool as one can see at a glance if something is wrong. Click back to the package right clicking and choose unmark. The package window is now safe. Use search again, input firestarter, read the info screen, then mouse on it, right click mark for installation – a widow appears indicating it will pull in firestarter. When ready click the Apply Icon and again. The install starts and will advise when complete. Firestarter it a great simple tool. There is a firestarter install guide within these article.

Applications Add/Remove

or Alt + F2 input → gnome-app-install

Install and Remove Applications allows you to add or remove applications with a click of a button. Only simple additions and removals can be performed with Install and Remove Applications. For more advanced needs, the Synaptic Package Manager is used.

The main window of consists of the following;

Popularity Stars – click it and it will sort per number of stars

Software catalog column - displays the categories of software that are available.
Applications panel - shows the software available from the category chosen from the software catalog column.
Search field - you can search for a specific software from a chosen category.
Extra applications check-box - you can filter the results of your search by selecting or un-marking the check-boxes.
Application description panel - a brief description of the application to be installed or removed is displayed here.
Help button - displays this help page.
Advanced button - opens up the Synaptic Package Manager for advanced installation and removal of software.
Action buttons - you can apply or cancel changes with these buttons. You can also close the application by clicking the OK button.

When the application is loaded, a check is carried out for installed and available applications.

Search for and check the install box when Nautilus Actions Configuration appears – then apply/install it. Nautilus actions is an extension for Nautilus, the GNOME file manager. It allows the configuration of programs to be launched on files selected in the Nautilus interface.

Firestarter – A firewall,

Firestarter has a wizard setup interface and is very easy, in order to advance to the next stage click the Forward Button,

Detected devices available via a drop down list – eht0 is wired NIC if a wireless device is detected it may be made active by clicking on the drop down list and selecting it. If you select Wireless that device must be working.

Start the firewall on dial-out required for modems. If you IP addresses are assigned via DHCP enable it,

Clicking on the Blue text “Explain the DHCP function will bring you to their web site or see below,

http://www.fs-security.com/docs/dhcp.php DHCP is a network protocol that among other things can dynamically distribute IP addresses and other network setting to computers. When DHCP is used together with Internet connection sharing in Firestarter, the need to individually configure the client machine's TCP/IP settings on the local area network is removed. With DHCP, the process of connecting a new client to the network is as easy as plugging it in.

Specifically, when the DHCP service is enabled in Firestarter, a DHCP server is started on the firewall machine that distributes DHCP leases to the client machines. A lease supplies the clients with all the information needed to connect to the network. This information includes a unique IP address for each client, the default gateway, the subnet mask and the domain name servers in use. DHCP leases are always given with the understanding between client and server that the lease is valid only for a limited time,

Simple, ICS is or is not require,

Save and Firestarter will start allowing an ICON on the task panel,

Note: Your root password is required to start the Firewall.

Firestarter Main Window Interface – Action menu as listed above. The wall here is disabled because it has a problem with my Wireless device, right now it cannot detect the “N” wifi interface on my router (it will soon).

It would if I had some, show Active traffic connections. I could simply change from the Wireless to the wired connection, but the Wired Nic is connected directly to a NAS drive bypassing the Router, and I do not want a wall on that.

Preferences Tab – Enable tray Icon and Minimize to tray on close, enable Start/restart firewall on startup including starting/restart wall on DHCP lease renewal if you have such a beast.

Detailed Information available at the web site as above. Make sure your wall is active and carry out another test at SHIELDS-UP.

So far we test security, installed updates and brought in a firewall we now require a virus scanner click Add/Remove – then search for and in stall it. Clam install to System Tools. (NOTE: Using either GUI package manager to install clamtk failed to pull in all the files, so I used aptitude install clamtk or apt-get install clamtk.)

Main Virus Window,

Virus Scanner Window,

Virus signature update window.

NOTE: To perform virus root is required a couple ways to that is press and hold the ALT+F2,

to change clamtk at the Menu by right clicking the menu Icon on the Panel Bar and select Edit Menu – goto System Tools and select clamtk the right click selecting properties.

Make the command line read as above in the blue bock – gksu clamtk %F

NOTE: If you have trouble getting virus updates try the solution below as root.

solve the problem - Open a root terminal (ALT+F2) xterm

sudo /etc/init.d/apparmor stop
(update your signatures)
sudo /etc/init.d/apparmor start

This should enable you to pull in the signatures. A fix will be able for this. Linux is not protected from to viruses but we can spread them to others users. Install rkunter backdoors scanner, root-kit-hunter, (rkhunter) backdoor, sniffer and exploit scanner Rootkit Hunter scans systems for known and unknown rootkits, backdoors, sniffers and exploits. This utility can be installed using Synaptic Manager by simply placing it the each field and marking it for in stallions or from a terminal window as root e.g. Alt+F2 enter xterm, at the prompt

Root-Kit-Hunter operates from a terminal window such as (xterm) open it by press Alt+F2 enter gksu xterm

Roost power as been assign for this session type aptitude update after that type aptitude install rkhunter

or use apt-get update apt-get install rkhunter

may as well stay as root after the install is complete test rkhunter as below and as root.

as root type rkhunter –-update

rkhunter --checkall.

We covered how to install gNewsense, get update, test security and install some new security applications. The next section will bring in other program to argument, add some chances to the Desktop Panel and Nautilus GNOME file manager.

GnewSense Desktop Icons are turned off and they are a nice looking icons, here is one way to get them back. Click Applications then mouse down to System Tools and click Configuration Editor,

Click Apps and scroll down to Nautilus then click the arrow head icon to expand the sub menu,

desktop on the right look for computer icon visible and check the box – it quickly appears on the desktop,
do the same for home icon, network icon, trash and volumes.
You can change the icons names and do a lot more but it also can create problems

Desktop Panel Bar,

Most GNOME Linux distributions have two Panel Bars, one on top and the other at the bottom, both perform different task. You can have four panel bars or less, they can be full screen, small, medium or large, they can hide or be transparent. You can have one Panel Bar placed where you want it. You can increase or decrease it's height and width and add apps. and gadgets to it.

I like one of two settings for one Panel Bar, here is one,

To create One Panel Bar and this one will be a top bar. You first have to transfer the job of the bottom bar to the top bar, currently the bottom panel has a Workspace switcher, Trash, Show Desktop Button and a very important Window list button (allows you to what apps use are using).

Add to the top panel,

Workspace switcher,
Trash,
Show Desktop Button,
Window list button

To add to the panel right click an empty space on the top panel and select add to panel, in the search type works or scroll down to the bottom – then click +Add button and it appears on the top panel, next type trash and add it, then show desktop and add it, do the same for window list button. Close.

Top Panel, right click on the Workspace Switcher (has 2 or more squares) select preferences. Switcher: For now select Show all workspaces. Workspace: increase the number to four. Workspace names: Click on the first workspace name, in the white window – tap the enter key – then the back space key type in Main smack the return key, press back space type Net press return. Do the same for the last two name them as you please (Work and Term) are good choices. Check the Show workspace names in switcher. Close. Mouse over the Workspace Switcher right click and select move, drag it over to the left as close as you can get to the two icons there and let go.

Locate the Show Desktop Button and move it as close to the Workspace Switcher. Do the same for the Trash Can. Locate the window list button right click and move as close as you can get to the Show Desktop icon, choose Show windows from current workspace and Group windows when space is limited. Right click all the Icons you just moved and select lock to panel.

Go to the user name on the top left side of the panel and right click then remove it. Nice touch. Now all the applications you open will appear between the Window List and Notification Area.

Not for the hard part get rid of the bottom panel, right click an empty space selecting delete this panel and confirm it. Now that we gain a little more screen space you may want to increase the size of the desktop panel which will increase the size of the apps. I use to do this when I first starting using GNOME and before I became familiar with the Desktop switcher names and only showing the current work space.

Increase panel size, right click an empty panel space choosing properties – Orientation: Options ate Top, Bottom, left or right. Size allows you to increase and decrease the panel size. Adjust the setting to your taste, Expand will include the width of the screen. The others speak for themselves.

Background – none using system theme. Solid Colour has some play area and you can slide the Transparent Bar back to have a the panel bar blended in with the theme. If you have a image then add it with the Background Image option.

Fix the broken spell checker problem for English Canada, I assume I could have pulled aspell-en from the command line and problem would have disappeared. Anyway fire up Open Office, click Tools-Options-Languages Settings and lastly Language – On the Western click and select English (USA) and close. In Open Office Format Menu Character Language setting will not solve the problem Anyone that has a better way, please jump in.

Go to System – Administrations – Language Support,