Automatic mounting

For automatic mounting of removable devices, the command pmount is used in the background.

For this to work, you seem to need to add each device in a list in the file:

/etc/pmount.allow

I had to do this with a CF over PCMCIA. Nice thing about it though is that you need not modify either /etc/fstab, mount as root or create the mountpoint directory (all these go under /media). pmount figures it all out for you. Please read the manpage for pmount to make sure you follow the policy for your device.

Detect the device by first inserting it, and then invoke the command:

sudo fdisk -l

Copy&paste the device filename and put it into the list. In my case the line was:

/dev/hde1
Do not do as in the following suggestion: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=295036

dhcp & dns

Beeing on a LAN the inside of a shared Intenet adress, I use the router Netgear dg814 (NAT + other stuff gw/fw).

This one will automagically update dyndns with the shared host and domain name. Furthermore it has a dhcp server that will allow clients on the inside to get dynamic IP adresses.

DNS quries to the outside works very fine since the dhcp forwards the DNS server IP it got when first connected to the DSL node point.

BUT looking up inside adresses is a nightmare. I don't know for sure if the GW can act as a DNS server by itself and use the "attached divice list" some how. One mashine on the inside acts a NIS server and could distribute this information in turn if not.

But to keep the "attached divice list" in the GW updated, one has to modify the file /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf with the entry:

send host-name "yourhostname";

This will make the dhcp client inform the dhcp server of it's hostname. Note that the string is sent "as is" (it would be much nicer if we could get it to send the actual hostname instead).

Additional hints:
http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/255
http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/343

Various "domains"

1)
NIS domin is set in file /etc/defaultdomain (?) in Ubuntu and not as in RH in /etc/sysconfig/networking

The following commands are related to the NIS domain (but not the other types - confusing and important tho know). I think neither of these commands affect the setup and only affect the current session.

domainname - set or display name of current domain
nisdomainname - set or display name of current NIS(YP) domain
ypdomainname - set or display name of current NIS(YP) domain
2)
The IP domain (i.e. network DNS domain) is set in the file /etc/resolv.conf

use the commands hostname -d or dnsdomain to show/set

3)
Windows domain is set in /etc/samba/smb.conf. When using samba filebrowsers on a shared you need special access to, which "domain" to use is selected to the default WORKGROUP name. I havn't figured out how (if possible) to change this.

gdm with multiple NICs

You may experience difficulties to log in with gdm when having more then one NIC in you system. I have two: one normal (eth0) and one build in WLAN (eth1).

Problem is that when booting up without cable plugged in I get only eth1 up (which in itself is OK). I can log in using a local account, but I cannot log in using a NIS account which gives the same symptoms as described in  https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/gnome-session/+bug/15443 .

Plugging in the cable and executing /etc/init.d/networking restart will not bring eth0 either.

I deducted the problem being the the file /etc/network/interfaces is missing a line

auto eth0

However, adding this will make start-up very slow if the interface is indeed there, but the cable is missing (which is probably the reason why it was omitted also). Reason why this works in normal case is that, if the interface is there and the cable is plugged in properly, the kernel will bring the interface eth0 up automatically without running 'ifup' (via '/etc/init.d/networking start' i.e.)

Please read comments to this issue for followups...

GUI command line invocation

Some GUI apps command line invocation good to know when NIS user is logged in)

Add/remove
/usr/bin/gnome-app-install

Shared foleders (SAMBA config tool)
gksu shares-admin

Language Support
gksu /usr/bin/gnome-language

-selector

Services
gksu services-admin

Update Manager
gksu /usr/bin/update-manager

Networking
gksu network-admin

Network Tools
gnome-nettool

gdm probs with NIS

You will most likely get a prompt for each user you try to log in saying something like this:

Authorities for file ~/.dmrs is not 0644... will not be able to save...

The text is misleading, and setting the file with the given permission bits will not help.

What seems to help is if you set your ~/  to 0700 and ~/.dmrc to 0600.

Try also experimenting with the file /etc/gdm/gdm.conf. Look up the lines:

# 0 is the most restrictive, 1 allows group write permissions, 2 allows all
# write permissions.
RelaxPermissions=0

Setting RelaxPermissions=1 might help...

NIS

On Ubunto when setting up NIS following normal procedures will lead to that you can read ypcat passwd, but you still can't log in.

The following is needed additionally:

Last line in /etc/passwd:
+::::::

Last line in  /etc/group:
+:::

Check that  /etc/nsswitch.conf contains the following:
passwd:         compat
group:          compat
shadow:         compat

hosts:          files  nisplus nis dns mdns

MIDI

Load this driver:

modprobe snd_seq

Configure X - 1'st stumbling steps

On Ubuntu, your X is probably not configured properly from the beginning.

Check in /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Whattever"       
        Driver          "i810"                   <-- Might say VESA or something else default

Also check that your driver is really installed on your system:

ls /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/
:
i810_drv.so
:

(Change "i810" above to whatever is apropriate for your system, nvidia e.t.a.)

gdm and bash

On Ubuntu ~/.bash_profile is not run when you log in via gdm.

Edit (possibly add) the file: ~/.xprofile with the following:

. ~/.bash_profile