Linux Tips: How to quickly bind a range of IPs on RedHat based systems

In this short post I will show you how you can quickly add a range of IPs on any RedHat based system (Rhel, Centos, Fedora, etc). When you have to add many IPs to a system this can be quite handy and save a lot of time.
Normally when you add a new IP to a network interface in a RedHat based system you create a file ifcfg-eth0:x in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/. For example:

/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0:0
DEVICE=eth0:0
ONBOOT=yes
BOOTPROTO=static
IPADDR=192.168.0.100
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
NETWORK=192.168.0.0
BROADCAST=192.168.0.255
TYPE=Ethernet

Similar to the above example you can create several aliases. But what if you have to add a lot of IPs that are in a range like this? Let’s say that I want to add 100 IPs this way… this is possible, but not very effective, right? RedHat based systems offer a method to bind a range of IPs in a quick way allowing us to eliminate the need to create a lot of files and saving us time doing this.
Create a file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0-range0 if this doesn’t exist, or just add to it if you already have it, the following lines:

/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0-range0
IPADDR_START=192.168.0.100
IPADDR_END=192.168.0.200
CLONENUM_START=0

where: IPADDR_START is the first IP and IPADDR_END is the last IP in the range. CLONENUM_START is the number that will be assigned to the first IP alias interface (eth0:0 in this example).

If you need to add more ranges of IPs then just use a different file for ex. ifcfg-eth0-range1, for each one of the ranges. You need to be careful and use the proper CLONENUM_START to not overwrite other aliases. Once you have configured the range/s of IPs you just need to restart the network service in order to activate it:

service network restart

Note: don’t use this method on a CPanel based system. Even though this will work fine, it is better to use CPanel/WHM in this case so CPanel can manage all the IPs properly. Here is a short post on how you can do the same thing ‘CPanel way’.

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Rumor Alert: New ‘PSP2′ arriving right after E3?

Evenin’ ladies and gents, Frozencry here. I’d like to inform you all of some ‘info’ I’ve stumbled upon from a very big gaming retailer which I will not name. It relates to the rumoured new PSP in the works. In fact, it looks like some damned solid evidence that the PSP2 is not only a reality, but it should be arriving VERY soon; as in, sometime right after E3.

The info came about when the retailer I work for was low in stock for PSP units. So curiously, we inquired about it to our Head Office, and our answer? It went something along the lines of “There will be no more issues of the PSP, as we are currently awaiting for restock of a new PSP model.” Now, If that isn’t some damned solid proof that a new ‘PSP2′ is in the works, I don’t know what is.

Nonetheless, we shall see in a few days, as the behemoth that is E3 is almost upon us. Let the rumours and speculations and all that mumbo jumbo begin.

Source : http://neogamer.net/2007/07/08/rumor-alert-new-psp2-arriving-right-after-e3/

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Installing VMware Tools in Fedora Core 6

# Install software called by by VMware Tools
yum install gcc

# Install kernel header files
yum install kernel-devel

# Check it matches the running kernel
uname -r # running kernel
rpm -q kernel-devel # installed kernel headers
# It the two versions do not match, run
yum -y upgrade kernel kernel-devel
# then reboot (but only if they did not match).

# Find out where the kernel headers are
ls -d /usr/src/kernels/$(uname -r)*/include
# You may need this later.

# If you already have VMwareTools-5.5.2-29772.tar.gz on disk, SKIP THIS STEP!
# Download VMware-workstation-5.5.2-29772.tar.gz from vmware.com
# Extract the VMware Tools iso from it
tar --strip-components=3 -zxvf VMware-workstation-5.5.2-29772.tar.gz
vmware-distrib/lib/isoimages/linux.iso
# Create a temporary mount point
mkdir /mnt/vmtools-temp
# Mount the image
mount -o loop linux.iso /mnt/vmtools-temp
# Copy VMware Tools from the mount
cp /mnt/vmtools-temp/VMwareTools-5.5.2-29772.tar.gz /tmp/
# Unmount the image and tidy up
umount /mnt/vmtools-temp
rmdir /mnt/vmtools-temp
rm linux.iso

# Unpack VMware Tools to a temporary directory
cd /tmp/
tar zxvf VMwareTools-5.5.2-29772.tar.gz
cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib/
./vmware-install.pl
# Do you want to run vmware-config-tools.pl? yes

# Fix xorg config
# If when you (re)start X, you get the error "Undefined Monitor "vmware"..":
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
# Add the lines
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "vmware"
EndSection
# To add better mouse support, add the lines
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "vmmouse"
Option "Protocol" "Auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"
EndSection
# then find the "ServerLayout" section, and in that section, add the line
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"

# TODO fix vmhgfs compile (currently broken)
# TODO fix fast ethernet driver compile (currently broken)
# TODO copy and paste broken

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Options in OpenOffice.org Calc

By Bruce Byfield on Thu, 2007-06-28 15:30.

Like other OpenOffice.org applications, Calc has several dozen options in how it is formatted and operates. These options are available from Tools -> Options -> OpenOffice.org Calc. Thanks to OpenOffice.org's habit of sharing code between applications, some of the tabs for these options resemble those found in other OpenOffice.org applications. Others are unique to Calc and the business of spreadsheets. Either way, the more you know about Calc's options, the more you can take control of your work.

A survey of options

Several of the tabs in the Calc options are similar to the ones for other OpenOffice.org applications. The Grid tab sets options for a background grid, although, in Calc, you can often use cell borders instead for positioning objects like charts and graphics. Similarly, the Changes tab, where options are set for revision and multiple authoring, resembles the one in Writer in functionality, lacking only the accompanying illustrations. The Print tab may also be familiar, although under-populated with options, since spreadsheets are mainly online documents, and options for printing are contained in the Sheet tab for Calc page styles. However, one option that you may want to take note of is Print only selected sheets, which you can use by selecting Sheet tabs at the bottom of the editing window while pressing the Ctrl key.



The first place where most people will want to spend more time is the General tab. There, you can customize some of the basic behavior of Calc. Most people, I suspect, will want to set Calc to update links whenever they open a file unless they are using an older and slower computer. Conversely, few are likely to want to use printer metrics for text unless they have an older printer with embedded fonts that they choose to use or a printer that uses a non-standard formatting language. However, the options to expand formatting can be useful, and so can the option to expand references in formulas (that is, to automatically update them) when new rows or columns are added -- especially in spreadsheets that are constantly being altered or edited.

Options to highlight the headers of selected rows and columns and to show a warning when pasting data are enabled by default in most versions of OpenOffice.org, and should probably be left untouched when they are. But it's probably up to your work habits whether you customize how the cell selected shifts when you press the Enter key, or whether you use the Enter key to enter Calc's edit mode.

The next stop for most should be the View tab. One of its most practical uses is speeding up redraws and file opening on older computers by suppressing the display of different objects. Other options on the View tab are largely customizations. For instance, you might choose to go to the Window pane of the tab to turn off various widgets in the editing window, or to change the default color of cell borders or the size of the handles for manipulating selected objects. You can also choose whether zero values are displayed, or an indicator for notes. Long-time spreadsheet users have the option of having cell content that takes up more space than the cell's dimension display on top of adjacent cells -- although, with Calc's options for line wrap, there is really no need to endure this anachronism unless you like it.

Perhaps the most practical option on the View tab is Display -> Value highlighting, which changes the color of cell borders according to color. When this option is active, text cells are outline in black, numerical cells in blues, and cells with formulas or dates in green. And if you like value highlighting, you will almost certainly want to be sure that Show references in color is also selected, so that the cells that provide input into a formula are highlighted when the formula is selected -- although you can get the same effect only when desired by choosing Tool -> Detective.

Sort Lists is a less commonly used tab, but it can be a powerful one if you go to the trouble of customizing it. A sort list is a reoccurring pattern of cell contents, such as the days of the week or the months in the year (the default entries are for both, either in three letter abbreviations or with full names). You can add your own sort lists to the defaults, such as the names of people whose names will reoccur in a task list, or a pattern of numbers, such as counting by threes. If you type any item on the list, then drag vertically or horizontally on the lower right corner of the cell, you can immediately fill adjacent cells with other items in the list, repeating the items in the same order as often as necessary. Alternatively, when you select Data -> Sort, you can select a sort list as a custom sort order on the Options tab of the Sort window, the feature that gives sort lists their name.

All these options are potentially useful (at least to someone) but by far the most useful option tab for Calc users is Calculations -- calculations, after all, being what spreadsheets are mainly about. On this tab, you can set the default date format, as well as the number of times an iterative formula is run. Other options set whether Calc is case-sensitive when dealing with text, and whether Calc attempts to identify row and column labels when dealing with ranges of data.

However, the options with the farthest reaching consequences on the Calculations tab are Decimal Places and Precision as shown. Both can strongly affect the results you get when using Calc. As the name implies, the Decimal Places option sets the number of decimal places displayed in formula results. What is potentially confusing is that formulas are calculated with the full values, but that Calc may only display results rounded to the number of decimal places set. The default of two decimal places is enough for most users, but, if you don't know the difference between the values used for calculation and those for display, you may get frustrated by the apparent inaccuracy. All you need to do, though, is to change the number of decimal places displayed to get more accurate results.

Under this arrangement, the Precision as shown option can either be a helpful simplification or else a source of further error. If the option is selected, then subsequent calculations will use the rounded values displayed, not the numbers actually used in the original calculation. Given several generations of formulas, the inaccuracy caused by this option can mount steadily. For this reason, no doubt, Precision as shown is turned off by default, so that spreadsheets maintain the difference between the displayed and actual numbers.

Conclusion

Many users, especially new ones, can ignore the options in Calc. Which ones are turned off by default may vary slightly depending on whether you download OpenOffice.org from the project itself or get it through your distribution, but, in all cases, the choice of options is generally sensible for the majority of users. However, if you want to customize Calc to suit your work habits, desire more efficiency, or simply need to track down the source of some unexpected Calc behavior, take the time to familiar yourself with them. You may find just the settings you need to make your life easier.


Bruce Byfield is a computer journalist who writes regularly for Datamation, Linux.com, and Linux Journal.

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Linux from Kindergarten to High School

Source :
http://www.linuxjournal.com

As the bell rings to begin class at Greater Houlton Christian Academy, enthusiastic students sit down at their shiny, new computer workstations. In one corner, the red cabinet housing the server hums quietly as two stuffed penguins look on fondly from their perch. Other penguins keep watch from different locations as the students enter their user names and passwords to access their accounts. Ask a student who ``Tux'' is, and he or she will point to the large penguin painted on the front wall of the computer lab and say, ``He's the Linux penguin!'' About this time KDE has loaded, and young boys and girls are opening the application they need for class as easily as kicking a ball.

Figure 1. First graders learning some penguin art fundamentals.

Now for a little history. Greater Houlton Christian Academy (GHCA) is a private school and nonprofit organization in Maine. As such, it does not have the same access to funding as the public school system. As the computer science teacher and system administrator, this means I have to be creative about providing our students with computer technology while working with a tight budget. In the past I relied on area businesses and generous individuals to donate their used computers. While these donations were a great blessing to us, they were a temporary solution at best.

Last year it became quite evident that we would need to replace our old, secondhand computers running Windows 95. The decision to move from donated computers to new computers was based on many factors, though our primary goal was to make sure our students had the best technology available for the enhancement of their educational experience. Therefore, this would be a software upgrade as well as a hardware upgrade. In fact, choosing the software was by far the bigger challenge.

Interestingly enough, it was during this time that many schools in the western US were being audited by Microsoft concerning the school's use of Windows and Office software. I began to realize my ignorance concerning exactly how strict and inflexible the Microsoft EULA is. It was also during this time that Microsoft's new licensing initiative, called Software Assurance, was causing quite a stir in the tech headlines. As my research opened my eyes to the various limitations to proprietary software, I began to think that the answer for us might be found in open-source software.

The decision to switch to an open-source platform for our new computer lab was not an easy one. My experience was with DOS and various versions of Windows and not with UNIX-compatible operating systems. I had experimented with Linux a few years earlier but found it somewhat difficult and incomplete. Because some time had passed, I decided to give Linux another try. Going with Mandrake's 8.0 distribution, I installed Linux at home to see if it could replace Windows in a desktop environment. To my amazement, I found Linux to be much more capable this time around. I was one step closer to making my decision to switch our computer lab to the Linux OS.

Other factors went into the final decision to go with open-source software, not the least of which was cost. By purchasing bare-bones computer ``kits'', we were able to save considerable money on the hardware. Part of the savings in purchasing a bare-bones system is that the computer does not come with an operating system. We knew by then we would have to spend more money on software than we did on hardware if we went with Microsoft. Not only would I need to consider the initial purchase of the operating system and application software, but I would also need to factor in the costs of upgrading our software every couple of years. Needless to say, going with an open-source platform would save us considerable money now and in the future.

Another key issue was flexibility. As many of you know, it takes time to install an operating system, customize it for the particular hardware it runs on and install the desired applications. Having purchased 20 new, identical computers, it made sense to completely configure one machine and then clone the hard drive to the other 19 computers. However, Microsoft's EULA prevents a user from doing this, even if they have 20 copies of Windows. Not only would Linux save me considerable time by allowing me to clone my configured PC, it also gave me great flexibility in the degree to which I could customize the OS for the hardware. By recompiling the kernel to take advantage of our specific hardware, I could fine-tune the OS to run at peak performance. Linux would even save us money in the cloning process, thanks to the dd command.

A few aspects, however, made the decision to switch to Linux a difficult one. The smaller software base to choose from and the lack of mature drivers for our hardware were among the lesser obstacles. The major obstacle was my own lack of experience with the Linux OS. In fact, most of the money and time spent in the software upgrade of our computer lab was for a shelf full of books I had to purchase and read to really feel confident using and teaching Linux. It isn't always easy to teach an old dog new tricks, but I found the experience one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my IT career.

Today our private school of over 170 students has one of the finest computer labs in Maine. We have 20 computers with Athlon 1600+ XP processors, 128MB of RAM, 20GB hard drives and all the accessories--3-D graphics, sound, 17" monitors and 100Mbps Ethernet networking. Our computers run Mandrake Linux 8.2 with KDE 3.0.2. What is most amazing is we upgraded our computer lab for under half the cost of what many neighboring schools paid for inferior equipment. Most of this savings was the result of switching to Linux.

Our servers also run Linux. Using NFS, students can access their accounts from any computer in the lab. Student- and staff-owned files are backed up on a daily basis, so gone are the days of ``the computer lost my homework.'' Our proxy server runs Squid to help speed our wireless internet connection to 20 workstations, and we use proxy software along with iptables to provide firewall protection. A nice program called Dansguardian provides filtering to protect our children from pornography and other inappropriate content.

Many of you may be asking at this point, ``How do you use Linux in teaching your students?'' GHCA is a K-12 school, and so we strive to offer some level of computer training for each grade. Kindergarten students, for example, can use such programs as Potato Guy to practice hand-eye coordination and familiarize themselves with how to use a mouse to manipulate objects on the computer screen. Elementary and secondary teachers integrate the computer lab into their curriculum by using the computer for research, multimedia enhancements or even something simple as coloring digital pictures.

Figure 2. Potato Guy develops mouse skills.

Starting with grade seven, education in computer science takes a more formal approach. Seventh graders are taught keyboarding skills using programs such as KTouch and TuxTyping. Grade-eight students are taught the basics of programming with the kate editor and yabasic interpreter. It is during this class that students gain a better understanding of how computers process instructions.

Figure 3. Students learn touch typing with KTouch.

Computer Fundamentals is a one-credit course that introduces the ninth-grade student to ``how a computer works'' and ``how to work a computer''. During the second semester, students learn about the purpose and use of the operating system and various applications, such as word processors, spreadsheets and web browsers. Because our computers run Linux, it is the Linux OS and open-source software that students learn in this class. Being sensitive to the fact that Microsoft currently dominates the PC market in corporate America, I do spend time discussing the similarities and differences between Linux and Windows.

Tenth- through twelfth-grade students can chose from a variety of computer electives, including how to upgrade and repair computers, web site design, advanced programming and even an upcoming course in robotics. In making the switch to Linux, I easily found all the tools needed to teach these courses using open-source software. In many cases, the open-source software we now use is superior to the proprietary software originally donated to us.

This is our first year with our new computer lab, and I am very pleased with how it is progressing. One of the most pleasing experiences I am having as a system administrator of a Linux-based lab is the actual ease of administration. Once I set something up in Linux, I rarely need to worry about it again. This was not the case with Windows. Last year we were constantly suffering from system crashes, frozen servers, strange bugs and the infamous ``blue screen of death''. Needless to say, it was a frustrating situation for many students. While Linux is not bug-free, it has been a far more stable operating system for both our workstations and servers. Linux also has shown itself to be a much more versatile operating system to administer in a network environment. My job is more pleasurable thanks to our switch to Linux.

As a teacher of computer science, I am finding this year a fascinating test for Linux. Very few of our students, parents or teachers knew what Linux was before this year. I have actually found this to be a great advantage in teaching computers. In the past, I have found students to be disinterested in learning about the personal computer running Windows, because it is something most of them grew up with at home. This lack of interest made it more difficult to teach the more-advanced aspects of the operating system. However, Linux is something completely new, different and unexplored. Instead of being intimidated by the change, as many adults might be, young people are excited to explore the ``uncharted territory''. This opens a door for me as a teacher, allowing me to educate eager minds in the more-advanced aspects of computer operating systems and software. In fact, it only took two weeks until students began to ask me, ``Where can I get Linux?''

People sometimes ask me, ``Is teaching our students Linux preparing them for the workplace?'' This question is based on the fact that Microsoft is the current dominating presence in operating systems and office software. It is a question I have thought over a long time, and the answer I always come up with is, ``Yes, most definitely.'' The basic principles of any type of operating system, office application or other similarly grouped software are the same. A student who becomes proficient in Linux will not find themselves lost in a Windows environment. I have found Linux to be the more advanced of the two operating systems, yet our students are very quickly and easily learning it. The process of copying a file or formatting a paragraph is not so different between one operating system and the other. The important thing is we are able to offer the latest in hardware and software tools to train our students in these fundamental principles--something we could not do if we went with proprietary software.

Another question that may be even more important to ask is, ``What is the future of Linux?'' When our students graduate a few years from now, will they enter a Microsoft-dominated workplace or will the tide have changed? Even in our small New England town of Houlton, Maine, businesses are beginning to look to Linux as an alternative to proprietary operating systems. These businesses will need qualified personnel familiar with the Linux operating system and open-source applications. Greater Houlton Christian Academy will be graduating young men and women who will be able to meet that need, a claim not many schools in our nation can currently make. In fact, some of our students may go on to write the future applications for Linux, giving back to the community that helped them during their school years.

For us, switching to open-source software running on the Linux operating system has been the right choice, allowing us to provide our students with modern equipment and software for a fraction of the cost of a computer lab running proprietary software. If Linux continues to grow in popularity and gain a foothold in the workplace, we will look back at our choice as one of the most important decisions we've ever made.

Michael Surran is the system administrator and computer science teacher at Greater Houlton Christian Academy (www.ghca.com) in Northern Maine. Michael enjoys church, outdoor adventures, target shooting, sci-fi, collecting penguins and his wife, Lisa, who also teaches at GHCA.

email: computerlab@ghca.com

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Squid proxy How to filter or block a particular port

. I am using Debian stable Linux version and squid proxy server for our small software company. I need to block a port number 1234. How to filter a particular port?

A. You can easily filter any port with squid ACL (Access Control List).

ACL is used for defining an access List. When using “file” the file should contain one item per line By default, regular expressions are CASE-SENSITIVE. To make them case-insensitive, use the -i option.

Procedure to block a port

First open /etc/squid/squid.conf file

# vi /etc/squid/squid.conf

Locate your ACL section and add configuration directive as follows:

acl block_port port 1234
http_access deny block_port
http_access allow all

If you just want to skip a particular IP (192.168.1.5) try as follows:

acl block_port port 1234
acl no_block_port_ip src 192.168.1.5
http_access deny block_port !no_block_port_ip
http_access allow all

Close and save the file.

Restart squid proxy server:

# /etc/init.d/squid restart

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Restrict ssh access using Iptable

Linux iptables firewall can be use to block or restrict access to ssh server. Iptables command is used to set up, maintain, and inspect the tables of IP packet filter rules in the Linux kernel. However, you can also use tcpd, access control facility for internet services.

Use iptables to Restrict ssh access

Following is simple rule that block all incoming ssh access at port 22
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 0/0 --sport 513:65535 -d 195.55.55.78 --dport 22 -m state --state NEW,ESTABLISHED -j DROP

However in real life you need to use something as follows. Let us assume that your ssh server IP address is 195.55.55.78, remember ssh server use TCP port 22 for all incoming connection. With iptables you can block all incoming connection at port 22 with following two rules:

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 0/0 --sport 513:65535 -d 195.55.55.78 --dport 22 -m state --state NEW,ESTABLISHED -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp -s 195.55.55.78 --sport 22 -d 0/0 --dport 513:65535 -m state --state ESTABLISHED -j DROP

If you just want to deny access to group of IPS then you need to add following rules to your script:
IPS="202.54.1.20 64.66.44.22 64.66.44.25"
for i in $IPS
do
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 0/0 -s $i --sport 513:65535 -d 195.55.55.78 --dport 22 -m state --state NEW,ESTABLISHED -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp -s 195.55.55.78 --sport 22 -d $i --dport 513:65535 -m state --state ESTABLISHED -j DROP
done

Add all of above rules to your iptables firewall shell script (do not type @ shell prompt)

See also:

• Restrict ssh access using tcpd (TCPWrapper)

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Apache redirect domain.com to www.domain.com

Q. What’s the best way to redirect domain.com to www.domain.com on the url address bar whenever someone omits or skip the www from domain.com? My site can be reached by two different URLs. For example http://domain.com/about/us.html and http://www.domain.com/about/us.html

How do I do configure Apache web sever vps for this task?

A. Apache (web server) 301 redirect is the most efficient and search engine friendly method for webpage redirection. You can place following code Apache’s httpd.conf vhost section or in .htaccess file.

$ vi .htaccess
Append following config code:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^domain.com
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [R=permanent,L] 

Save and close the file. Above code will redirect users to www.domain.com url.

If you get stuck on something or have a question please discuss this faq/howto in the nixCraft forum. You can subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter or RSS feed or Leave a reply/comment.

You may also be interested in (skip to comment)...

• Apache prevent hot linking or leeching of images using mod_rewrite howto
• How do I find out syntax errors in my Apache web server configuration file?
• Forbidden - You don’t have permission to access this page error and solution
• How to install and start the Apache or httpd service under Linux
• My scripts in cgi-bin directory not working, how do I troubleshoot this problem?

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How do I backup Thunderbird mail and profile under Linux?

Q. How do I backup Thunderbird mail and profile? I am using Ubuntu Linux.

A. Thunderbird is simple to use and powerful email client with following features:
=> Safe, fast, and easy email

=> Intelligent spam filters

=> Quick message search

=> Customizable views etc

Mozilla thunderbird stores your email and profile setting in a special directory called ~/.mozilla-thunderbird i.e. /home/you/.mozilla-thunderbird/

All you have to do is backup this directory.

Task: Backup Thunderbird mail and profile

You need to backup thunderbird mail and profile to tape drive, use:
# tar zcvf /dev/st0 /home/you/.mozilla-thunderbird/

You need to backup thunderbird mail and profile to a /backup directory:
# tar zcvf /backup/email-vivek-22jan2007.tar.gz /home/vivek/.mozilla-thunderbird/

You can copy /backup/email-vivek-22jan2007.tar.gz file to a CD/DVD or USB pen.

Task: Restore Thunderbird mail and profile

Make sure Thunderbird is not running. Simply copy backup files from tape, USB pen or CD to your /home/you/.mozilla-thunderbird/ directory:
$ tar –zxvf /backup/email-vivek-22jan2007.tar.gz -C /home/vivek

Or just copy all files from USB pen/CD to ~/.mozilla-thunderbird/ directory.

A note for Windows XP/2003/Vista User

MozBackup is a simple utility for creating backups of Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Suite and Netscape profiles.

This program is freeware and works on Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003 only. No Linux/UNIX version exists.

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Howto install thunderbird-2.0.0.0.tar.gz in Linux

Q. I would like to install latest and greatest Mozilla thunderbird mail client under Linux?

How do I download and install the same to read emails?

A. Mozilla’s Thunderbird 2 email application is more powerful than ever. Thunderbird 2 features many new enhancements to help you better manage your unruly inbox, and stay informed. Thunderbird 2 scales to the most sophisticated organizational needs while making it easy to find what you need.

Download thunderbird to your Linux desktop

=> Visit this site to download thunderbird

Thunderbird 2.0 installation - Just untar file and install it

Let us say you would like to install thunderbird in your own home directory called /home/jerry/. Open X terminal and type following command.

Copy your downloaded file to /home/tom/ and untar it:
$ cp /home/jerry/Desktop/thunderbird-2.0.0.0.tar.gz .
$ tar -zxvf thunderbird-2.0.0.0.tar.gz

And you are done. Start thunderbird:
$ cd thunderbird
$ ./thunderbird

How do I install thunderbird for everyone?

Install thunderbird in /opt directory. Login as root user:
# cd /opt
# mkdir thunderbird
# cd thunderbird
# cp /home/jerry/Desktop/thunderbird-2.0.0.0.tar.gz .
# tar -zxvf thunderbird-2.0.0.0.tar.gz

To start thunderbird, enter:
$ /opt/thunderbird/thunderbird &

How do I create thunderbird icon on my desktop?

Right click on your Linux desktop
Select Create Launcher
Fill the details as follows:

• Set name to : Thunderbird
• Set command to : /opt/thunderbird/thunderbird
• Set comment to : My Email Client
• Hit OK to create an ICON

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Trying To Cheat Google Adsense ?

Have you been planning to earn $$$ in easy way cheating Google Adsense? If yes, then i warn you about the consequences. If you made the idea to cheat then please stop it and read the rest of this post to avoid being banned.

You can't and you shouldn't do it because Google knew almost everything.
Google will use it for determining and detecting any cheating :


IP Address
If the AdSense click is originated from the same IP Address as the one used for accessing your AdSense account, your account is flagged.



Cookies
Most home users do not use static IP Address for Internet connection. In most cases just disconnect and reconnect will give you a new IP Address. But don't forget, Google has set cookies on your computer.

Other Google Services
Thinking that you are safe just because you do not access your AdSense account? Think again. This time, consider these: GMail, Google Earth, Google Calendar, Google Search, Google Toolbar, Google Talk, Google Sitemap, Google Desktop, Blogger, and so on, and so on. With the wide range of services they provide, Google can trace the originator of most (or probably almost all) clicks.

Click Pattern 1
Oh, why this computer / IP address / person is so trigger-click-happy on this particular website but never click on the ads on other sites?

Click Pattern 2
And why is it that people accessing these sites direct (type-in URL or from bookmark) tend to be very active ad-clickers compared with those referred from search engine or other sites?

Click Pattern 3
And why the ad-clickers like to hit and run, compared with non ad-clickers that surf a few pages before leaving?

Click-Through-Rate (CTR)
Your CTR may range from 0.5% to 10%, but if it exceeds a certain point (probably around 10%), you are flagged.

Geo-Location
Used Urchin (Google Analytics) before? Then you should know that Google can trace traffics origin down to the small town. Different IP doesn't mean much. Unless you site is really targetted to one small geo-point, a high number of clicks from nearby location will get you banned quickly.

Hardware address?
MAC address of the LAN card, modem, and router works almost like a fingerprint. I'm not sure if Google can track this, but probably they do. They have rocket scientist, remember?

Advertisers conversion rate
Ad click is one thing. But does it bring value to the advertisers? If none of the clicks on your site translate to conversion to the advertiser, you are in trouble. First the Smart-Pricing hits, then your AdSense account disabled.

Search Engine Ranking
Your website is not indexed on any search engine, not linked by any prominent website, but get consistently high traffic? That sounds like something is in play. Regardless of whether it is an adware-embedded software, spam, trojan clickbot, or intentionally installed click-exchange network, it doesn't sound right.

Webpage design
How about the "click here" or "support us"? Google has the best search engine in the world. Is it really that hard to find those words?

Combo
Each of these detection methods might seem rather weak. But combine them together, and not many click-fraud can pass-through these filters. Even the smartest clickbot will have a hard time.

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If you must cheat with AdSense don't do it this way.

Apparently a man in California has allegedly been trying to defraud Google first by writing a program which created fraudulent AdSense clicks. Then he tried to sell his program to web publishers. Did he use AdWords to promote it I wonder?:-

Headline: Cheat the AdSense system
Body1: How to cheat AdSense & steal money
Body2: from Google & advertisers.Info here
URL: www.AdSenseFraud.com



Not finding many buyers - did his ad go to the wrong landing page? - he eventually hit on the bright idea of blackmailing Google instead to the tune of $150,000.

Oddly enough he didn’t get away with it.

IMHO if you’re going to blackmail Google you at least ought to be talking real money rather than stuff under the $million mark.

He doesn’t sound too smart to me but this must be the nightmare scenario for Google and its AdSense program: as soon as stories get out about people successfully cheating the AdSense system, advertisers will take fright and Google, alongside the hundreds of thousands of publishers who rely to a degree on AdSense income, will find a revenue stream under threat.

Next threat: clicking circles: "I’ll click yours if you click mine."

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How to Cheat Google AdSense (and get your AdSense account disabled)

- by Fernando Hal

Face it. You come to this article probably thinking to find some ways to cheat Google, or to confirm whether some method you have on mind will work. Well, if you want to know how to cheat AdSense, here are the ways, focusing on the AdSense click-frauds. These covers from basic AdSense cheating techniques to the advanced class.

But before you proceed, you might need to know why you shouldn’t cheat Google (answer: you will get caught).

1.

Basic clicker cheat

This is a noob. This guy knows almost nothing about web technology or network architecture. He clicks on his ads every time he has chance. It can be a few clicks to hundreds of clicks daily. Most likely he doesn’t even read the AdSense Program Policies and Terms and Conditions.
2.

Proxy clicker cheat

She knows a thing or two about cookies and IP address. Or she doesn’t know, but somehow guessed that if she use the things called anonymizer, Google will not be able to trace her, because her identity is hidden. She may use anonymizer / proxy websites or specialized anonymous software like tor (The Onion Router).
3.

Multiple computer clicker cheat

He knows that somehow Google will detect if the clicks are originated from his own computer. So he will try to even out origin of the clicks. He will recruit his friends, family members, relatives, neighbors, his cats, and his dogs on single mission: to click on the ads. He will also click on the AdSense ads when he is using the library computers, or his office workstation.
4.

Software clicker cheat

Graduate to the next step is buyers of clickbots / click-bots. These are specialized robot software to click on AdSense ads. It will browse around your websites, clicking on the ads every few minutes. The more advanced ones will cloak the IP address too, so the website seems to be very popular worldwide. To cover the track, this clickbots will browse around the advertisers sites too while continuing its “click quest”.
5.

Paid-clickers cheat

If you don’t like automated things, there is always other option for you. Just pay $50 dollars a month to the professional AdSense clickers. These are groups of highly specialized Internet surfers with office in the dark rooms in street corners of India, Pakistan, and China, helping AdSense account owner to earn good amounts of money � before the AdSense account is disabled, that is. They will browse around your websites, clicking on the ads every few minutes. Because they use human eyes, they know which ads worth more. And to be more convincing they can click a link or two, or sign up free offers / newsletters on the advertiser sites.
6.

Click-rings cheat

Network is power. So says many business gurus. Instead of taking things to their own hand, this people realize that they can join hands with those with similar goals and distribute AdSense clicks among themselves, the so called AdSense click-rings. Joining this click-ring network means that your website address will be made known to members, who will regularly browse the website and click on your AdSense ads. In exchange, you will also browse other members’ sites and click on their AdSense ads. The medium used varies. Some click-ring groups use mail-list for communications. Some are using bulletin boards/forum, Yahoo groups, or Usenet. IRC is another popular way. Slightly more complicated is specialized AdSense exchange software for collecting members website address and displaying others’ websites for clicking.
7.

Other medium cheat

I have tens of thousands email address on my newsletter subscriber list. If I include AdSense ads on my newsletters, with 5% CTR, I can get a thousand clicks per one email. Not bad. Or I can pay someone to write some useful/nice/funny/cute toolbars or firefox extensions or screensavers that people can download and use for free, and display my AdSense ads there.
8.

Visitor cheat

Simply putting “Visit out sponsors” or “Check out the ads above” on your website is cheating. This might not be very clear-cut cheat to some. But Google AdSense program policies has stated clearly, the only text allowed are “Advertisements” or “Sponsored List”
9.

Spam cheat

This is the highest level all click-frauds, the Maestro of Fraudsters. She spams millions of emails regularly, offering to “satisfy your inner needs if you can help me check on the links on my website”. Of course, email is not the only way. What IRC and instant messaging (IM) are for, after all. She will look for unsuspecting victims, offering something too-good-to-be-true “if only they will visit the website and click on the links”.
10.

Click-through-rate cheat

Whichever method(s) above used, there is one limiting condition: the CTR(click-though-rate). Any CTR that exceeds certain percentage (probably around 10%) will raise red flag in Google AdSense back room. To lower the CTR, the professional cheaters will create some pages on the same domain that attracts very high traffic. Some interesting freebies will sure do the tricks. AdSense code is pasted there, thus creating a very high page impressions. Whether or not the the ads are clicked does not matter anyway, because they are targeting low paying keyword that does not have much competition. The fake clicks are, of course, on where the big money is, the low traffic pages stuffed with high-paying keywords.

Disclaimer: I don’t say and don’t think that these methods will work. If you even need to read this article, there’s 99.999% chance you will get caught before you can even get your first paycheck. Your AdSense account will be disabled, and you get banned from ever applying for AdSense account again. To see what other ways you can do to get banned, see How To Get Banned From Google AdSense.

If you are not interested for getting banned, and just want to increase your AdSense earning, check out 100 Google AdSense Tips.

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