Curious about virtualization? In this talk a panel of NBLUG members will highlight a number of different virtualization technologies including but not limited to VMware, OpenVZ, Solaris zones, and more!

This talk covers storage and backup in a home or small office where files are stored on a single server running Linux or on a Network Attached Storage device. Files are shared to Windows, Linux, and OSX using Samba. Every day all files are backed up to an external USB hard drive using Rsync.

Network Attached Storage drives can save space and electricity by serving files to multiple clients without the need for a computer. The Western Digital MyBook World is a NAS with gigabit ethernet, a USB host port, and 500GB to 2TB of storage. It runs Linux internally and has a full system and GNU development environment preinstalled.

There will be a demonstration and also a look at some RAID controllers and a NAS drive, with performance critiques.

I’m very sorry to announce that, due to a lack of sign ups, we’ve chosen to cancel the upcoming installfest (scheduled for Sat. 10/20). Our hope is to schedule another in the spring.

We still want to open the ‘fest up to issues beyond simply installing, so if you have suggestions, please send them along. We’d also like to advertise the ‘Installfest+’ to a wider audience, so please feel free to chime in with your ideas.

Thanks,

-dave. (Installfest coordinator)

Tom works for Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, etc. as a Systems Administrator for Launchpad and Landscape.

From Tom :

“The main topic of the talk will be about a volunteer project undertaken by the SF-LUG to resurrect a housing authority’s computer lab using Edubuntu. How the project started, where we are now, and where we go from here. Possibly with a demonstration of LTSP (the Linux Terminal Server Project) on my laptop. I’ll also be happy to answer any questions I can about Ubuntu, Canonical, Launchpad, Landscape, etc.”

In this talk Kyle will cover the basics of how DNS (Domain Name System) works. The talk will include a short history of the service, how it works today, and a step-by-step walk-through of what happens between entering a domain into a web browser and getting back an IP address. Also covered is how you could use this new-found knowledge to take down the Internet. Specific implementations of DNS (BIND, djbdns, PowerDNS) will not be covered.

What’s possible in a post Web 2.0 world?

Innovation continues at a mind-bending pace, and this presentation will showcase some thought-provoking new directions that Web Services are headed in. The presentation will provide an overview of Amazon Web Services, including a Web Service named Mechanical Turk that allows computers to make requests of people, an online storage service, a Virtual Server controlled by a Web service, and more. There will also be a demo showing how to set up a virtual server. But mostly this will be an opportunity to have a discussion about innovation and entrepreneurial tools.

Amazon spent ten years and over $1 billion developing a world-class technology and content platform that powers Amazon web sites for millions of customers every day. Most people think “Amazon.com” when they hear the word; however developers are excited to learn that there is a separate technology arm of the company, known as Amazon Web Services or AWS. Using AWS, developers can build software applications leveraging the same robust, scalable, and reliable technology that powers Amazon’s retail business. AWS has now launched ten services with open API’s for developers to build applications, with the result that over 200,000 developers have registered on Amazon’s developer site to create applications based on these services.

Bio

Mike Culver joined the Developer Relations Group of Amazon Web Services in May, 2006. Mike brings with him fifteen years of technology leadership experience, including at companies such as Microsoft. In addition Mr. Culver has a strong background running an IT organization, with over a decade of experience in the Electrical Wholesale Distribution industry. As a Web Services Evangelist at Amazon, he helps developers take advantage of disruptive technologies that are going to change the way we think about computer applications, and the way that businesses compete.

Visual Basic allows anyone, even beginners, to do Windows programming.

You can create powerful graphic applications just by dragging and dropping widgets onto a form and typing a couple of lines of Basic.

Gambas takes rapid application development even further, and makes it more powerful - with access to QT and KDE functions just a couple of mouseclicks away - and it’s for Linux!

In this presentation you’ll get a quick introduction to the Gambas development environment and see how easy it is to build a webcam application.

The PowerDNS Nameserver is a modern, advanced and high performance authoritative-only nameserver. It is written from scratch and conforms to all relevant DNS standards documents. Furthermore, PowerDNS interfaces with almost any database.

In this talk August will discuss how PowerDNS can serve your Name Serving needs, some of its advantages and disadvantages, how it can play well with other Name Servers and how you can migrate to it.

August is the Senior System Administrator at Sonic.net; more information about him can be found at his personal website.

Cryptography has been around since the days of the Pharos, and could possibly be the reason for the birth of the modern computer as we know it. In this talk, Aaron will touch on some of the highlights of crypto’s long history; explain some simple and more complex ideas/terms, following with information about how this involves Linux. He will cover how to secure not only, the files you hold on your computer, but your traffic as it goes over the tubes (from mail to myspace). Aaron will cover some of the common misconceptions and overview some basic to advanced tools available. This talk will try to have information and tips for those brand new to Linux and cryptography… but also advanced users as well. Qrzbf ner ehzberq.

Several handheld computers are on the market that run(or can be made to run) Linux. In this talk, Bob will discuss the differences between Linux on the desktop and on these little devices. He will compare models from Compaq/HP, Sharp and Nokia, the different window managers, and show some of the applications available. Bob has owned a few different handhelds and will bring a couple of them to demonstrate. Some technical points regarding Linux on small systems will also be brought up.

The date for our next Installfest has been confirmed: Saturday, March 17th at O’Reilly Media in Sebastopol (directions).

If you are interested in attending, please pre-register on our Installfest page. If you would like to help out, please send an email to installfest[at]nblug.org. If you’d like to help promote the event, we will also have a flyer that you can print out and post in useful places (watch this space and the announce list for a link to the flyer when it is ready).

Also: In conjunction with the installfest the March General Meeting (Tues., March 13th) will be a discussion geared towards new Linux users. Watch this site and the mailing lists for more info!

As a predecessor to NBLUG’s upcoming InstallFest (Saturday, March 17th), the NBLUG Panel will be answering all of your basic Linux questions at tonight’s meeting. Topics range from multimedia (sound, video, burning, ripping), installing software, desktop managers (KDE, Gnome, et cetera), setting up printers, wifi networks, security, and much more. We will first start with the list of questions asked on our mailing list during the past weeks, and time permitting, will end with questions from the audience. Bring your friends and anybody you know who is interested in learning more about Linux for this new user-friendly talk!