Use Pidgin SIPE plugin on Windows 7

It is possible to replace your Microsoft Lync client by a free IM client : Pidgin with a special enabled-plugin : SIPE

To download the latest win32 Pidgin version :

Pidgin 2.10.3

Download the SIPE plugin compiled for Windows :

SIPE

Then, install your new IM client by launching the installer. Do the same for the SIPE client. Now, add your Lync account into Pidgin by providing the following information :

Protocol : Office Communicator

Username : your professional email address

Login user : your_firm_Active_Directory_domain_name\your_windows_login_name

and that’s all. For your first connection, you will be asked to enter your AD password and probably to accept some security certificates. No further configuration needed. It should work out of the box.

passwd authentication token manipulation error

If you try to reinitialize the root passwd of your Linux installation through a recovering boot with init=/bin/sh, you may have  the following error message :

passwd: Authentication token manipulation error

First check if your / filesystem is mounted read-write or read-only. Restart your machine and at the Grub prompt (tested on a fresh install of RHEL 6.2 with Grub version of 0.97), change ro to rw as indicated below :

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.32-220.el6-x86_64 ro root=/dev/mapper….

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.32-220.el6-x86_64 rw root=/dev/mapper….

 

An other solution is to make sure that the content of /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow are  the same with the pwconv command.

As root, before reinitializing again its passwd, run the command below :

root@localhost:~# pwconv

Then

root@localhost~# passwd

You should have no more error message.

 

Quick command-line jpeg to pdf converter

If you have a document in jpeg format and you want to print it in a more friendly printable format, let use convert from the ImageMagick utilities.

To install it :

root@localhost:~#apt-get install imagemagick imagemagick-doc

To make the conversion :

fool@localhost:~$ convert your_image.jpg your_image.pdf

Then you can open your new document with your pdf viewer.

Sometimes, this process can lead to a bigger file in size. Adding the following option -compress jpeg may help decrease this size :

fool@localhost:~$convert -compress jpeg your_image.jpg your_image.pdf

If you are planning to make more complex operations on pdf documents, have a look at the utilities provided by the pdfjam package.

 

PhpVirtualBox

If VirtualBox is your solution for virtualization, you should install and have a try with PhpVirtualBox. VirtualBox instances can be managed through a web interface. Most of the functions in the GUI are enabled here.

PhpVirtualBox official website

Before deploying it :

Install a web server

And now put PhpVirtualBox in your webserver :

How to install it

Do not forget to start vboxwebsrv otherwise you will not be able to connect to the web interface :

Enjoy !

Why not attend the best scientific lectures online?

If you are curious about sciences or simply want to improve your knowledge in computer science for instance, I invite to check out the following website : Academic Earth

A large scope of subjects are covered through lectures given by lecturers from the best US universities.  If you do not know where to start, you should have a look at the playlists section : Academic Earth playlists  

For sure, you will appreciate how organised the website is and how easy it is to find a lecture.

It is worth a visit ! Enjoy !

How to learn typing with speed and accuracy within Linux?

Several softwares are available for improving correct typing.  In the Debian repositories, two kinds of programs can be found.

Those which teach correct typing:

Klavaro
Ktouch
Gtypist

and those which are typing practice games:

Typespeed
Xletters
Tuxtype

And there is even an add-on for Firefox/Iceweasel available for this purpose :

Addictive Typing Lessons

They are all worth a try depending on your current needs. Enjoy !

Debian GNOME artwork official themes

If you change the appareance of your GNOME desktop, Debian provides two packages : gnome-themes and gnome-themes-extras
To install them :

root@localhost:~# apt-get install gnome-themes gnome-themes-extras

To choose one of the available themes :

fool@localhost:~$ /usr/bin/gnome-appearance-properties &

Here is what you should have :

To install other GNOME themes, please visit : http://gnome-look.org/
On this website, you can find plenty of wallpapers, icons, GTK2.x Themes/Styles. If you want to have a new full GNOME theme, just choose GTK2.x Themes/Styles : http://gnome-look.org/?xcontentmode=100

To install some of them, download your new theme archive and then install it by clicking on the button “Install…” as shown in the picture above. The installation is automatic and the new theme is available right away.

How to get the latest articles from my blog ?

You can paste the following URL in your favorite newsreader to get all the articles from this blog :

http://linuxindetails.wordpress.com/feed/

Hello world !

Hi everybody !

Welcome to this new website dedicated to Linux administration. You will find tips, detailed explanations for all the problems I had during my daily use as a desktop user or as an administrator. If you have any ideas, any suggestions,  feel free to tell me through this blog !