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Presto: Speed up your updates and save bandwidth

Sun, 01/27/2008 - 12:57 — firewing1

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A little background information

Delta RPMs (DRPMs) are very similar to binary (regular) RPMs. The main difference is that DRPMs contain only the changes between two versions of an RPM package. This allows you to do full updates in a lot less time - Instead of downloading a full 10MB for an update where only 50kb of content changed, for example, you can now download only that 50kb of change and apply it to your system.

Not only will you save on bandwidth since you're only downloading in the changes in a package, but you'll also cut down on the time it takes to download and apply the packages.

Presto is a project which brings deltarpm and yum together; In other words, letting you use yum to apply DRPMs.

Installing yum-presto

The first step toward setting up Presto is installing the yum plugin: 

yum -y install yum-presto

Configure the Updates repository

Next, we need to configure your updates repository to download deltarpm packages instead of the full ones. In the /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora-updates.repo file you'll find two lines that looks like this in the [updates] section:

#baseurl=http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/updates/$releasever/$basearch/
mirrorlist=http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/mirrorlist?repo=updates-released-fX&arch=$basearch

Add a pound character to the start of the mirrorlist line so that it looks like this: 

#baseurl=http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/updates/$releasever/$basearch/
#mirrorlist=http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/mirrorlist?repo=updates-released-fX&arch=$basearch

Finally, add a new line just under the "#mirrorlist=" line we just edited: 

mirrorlist=http://presto-mirrors.anmar.eu.org/mirrorlist?repo=updates-released-f$releasever&arch=$basearch

The pound sign makes Yum ignore the line that it's on, so essentially we're telling yum to ignore the base repository and any mirrors. The line which was added tells yum to use the presto-enabled mirrors instead.

 
That's it! Now run you can use yum or yumex as normal and benefit from the advantages of deltarpms.
 
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Media (DVD, mp3, etc) playback in Fedora

Sun, 05/27/2007 - 13:30 — firewing1
The Fedora project believes in free software, and seeing as such patent-encumbered or proprietary formats are not included in the Fedora distributions. Unfortunately, that means that that media such as DVDs, MP3s, many types of video, Java content and .swf Flash content cannot be viewed on a fresh install of Fedora. This guide will show you how to install various plugins and codecs to allow the playback of this type of content.

Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.

Requirements

 

All at Once!

To install all the codecs, applications and plugins mentioned in this howto at once, run:

yum -y install totem-xine libdvdcss libdvdread libdvdplay livdvdnav lsdvd libdvbpsi \
mplayerplug-in mplayer mplayer-gui xine-lib-extras-nonfree \
xine-lib-extras libdvdcss libdvdread libdvdplay compat-libstdc++-33 \
gstreamer-plugins-good gstreamer-plugins-bad gstreamer-plugins-ugly
su -c "totem-backend -b xine"

DVD Playback

yum -y install libdvdcss libdvdread libdvdplay libdvdnav lsdvd libdvbpsi

Note that libdvdcss and the other libraries listed here may be illegal to distribute, install or use depending on your local copyright laws. Distribute/install/use at your own risk, I'm not responsible for anything that happens as a result.

Totem-Xine

Totem-Xine is a movie player that is based on Xine and not GStreamer. Using the Xine backend will allow for playback of media such as DVD, WMV, MPEG video and more! Recent changes in Fedora 9 have allowed you to install the Xine and Gstreamer backends at once - Here's how to select the Xine backend as the default one:

yum -y install totem-xine xine-lib-extras-nonfree xine-lib-extras
su -c "totem-backend -b xine"

MPlayer and MPlayerPlug-In

MPlayer is also a movie player like Totem, although I find interface of MPlayer harder to use compared to totem-xine and additionally there is no support for DVD menus at the moment. Still, mplayer offers a web plugin for Mozilla/Firefox and packs in tons of codecs making it a valuable package.

yum -y install mplayer mplayer-gui mplayerplug-in

 

GStreamer plugins

Seeing as Fedora uses the GStreamer engine for many programs, it's a must to install the extra GStreamer plugin packs. This is the package that will allow for MP3 playback on your Fedora system.

yum -y install gstreamer gstreamer-plugins-good gstreamer-plugins-bad gstreamer-plugins-ugly

 

Macromedia Adobe Flash Player

rpm -Uhv http://linuxdownload.adobe.com/adobe-release/adobe-release-i386-1.0-1.noarch.rpm
yum -y install flash-plugin

Java (JRE) and JRE web plugin

yum install java-1.6.0-openjdk java-1.6.0-openjdk-plugin

 

RealPlayer

Please click 'RPM Package' on this page, then save that file in your home. Open a terminal (Applications > Accessories or System Tools > Terminal) and type:

rpm -Uhv RealPlayer11GOLD.rpm && rm RealPlayer11GOLD.rpm -f

RealPlayer and the Mozilla plugin should now be installed.

 
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Installing 3rd party repositories for Yum

Mon, 05/21/2007 - 00:40 — firewing1

There are many third party RPM repositores available for Fedora and/or RedHat based repos such as RPM Fusion and Dries (RPMForge). This guide will show you how to install these third party repos without giving you headaches.

Before we start...

Q: What in the world is a repository?
A: A repository (often called a 'repo') in terms of Yum (Yellow dog Updater, Modified) is a location which Yum can use to download packages from. Fedora offers Core and Extras as the official repositories, however many third-party repos are available that allow for the installation of various codecs such as mp3/DVD/WMV playback or for packages that are not allowed to be packaged in the Core and Extras due to legal reasons.

 

Q: I can't install anything! I'm getting transaction errors like this:

error: can't create transaction lock on /var/lib/rpm/__db.000

 A: This is because to install packages, you have to become the root user which is the only user which should have access to your package database. To do so, run this command before you start any of the commands below:

su -

(That's su followed by a space and a dash)
You'll only need to execute this command once before anything mentioned below, as you will stay as root until you close the terminal or type the exit command.

 

RPM Fusion

RPM Fusion is the merger of the Livna, FreshRPMs and Dribble repositories. To install it, simply run: 

rpm -Uvh http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-stable.noarch.rpm \
  http://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-stable.noarch.rpm

RPMForge (Dries)

Please note that RPMForge has not yet rebuild their packages for Fedora 9. For the time being, installing it is not recommended.

Currently there is no release RPM for Dries (RPMForge) and as a result it must be manually configured. Below is a generic configuration that should work, however if it doesn't work properly, please see the Dries configuration page for more information. Place a the following contents into the /etc/yum.repos.d/rpmforge.repo file:

# Name: RPMforge RPM Repository for Fedora Core $releasever - $basearch
# URL: http://rpmforge.net/
[rpmforge]
name = Fedora 10 - RPMforge - Dries
baseurl = http://apt.sw.be/dries/fedora/fc$releasever/$basearch/dries/RPMS
enabled = 1
#gpgkey = file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmforge-dries
gpgcheck = 0

Common Questions

Concerning repos and Fedora development

If you are using rawhide (aka Fedora Development), follow the instructions like normal and if a specific version is required as in the case of Livna, use the latest version possible. To enable the development repo, look in the /etc/yum.repos.d folder and you should find name.repo file and a name-devel.repo file. Edit the name.repo file and change:

enabled=1 

to:

enabled=0

Now, in the name-devel.repo file, change:

enabled=0

 to:

enabled=1

This will disable the regular repository and enable the development repository so that the packages are compatible with the Fedora's development repository(ies).

 

 A note of warning

Please remember that until RpmFusion is completed, repositories such as FreshRPMs and ATRPMs have packages that conflict with packages from Livna and/or Fedora Core|Extras. If you would like to avoid these conflicts, it is recommended that you set the incompatible repos to the disabled state. Just as shown above, simply edit the respective .repo file and change

enabled=1

to

enabled=0

Refer to the table below to find the location of the various .repo files:

Name of repository
 Location of .repo file
RPM Fusion /etc/yum.repos.d/rpmfusion*.repo
ATrpms /etc/yum.repos.d/atrpms.repo
RPMForge (Dries) /etc/yum.repos.d/rpmforge.repo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q: I would like to use a repo, but you recommended I disable it - What's the point!?
A: Even if a repository is disabled, this does not mean Yum cannot use it - You can temporairily enable a repository by using the --enablerepo=name option with Yum or in Yumex by selecting the repositories for the run. For example:

yum --enablerepo=freshrpms install package_from_freshrpms

Will temporarily enable freshrpms and install package_from_freshrpms. Once yum has finished it's work, the FreshRPMs repo returns to it's normal disabled state.

 

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Getting ATI cards to work in Fedora

Wed, 05/16/2007 - 00:01 — firewing1
Ensuring that your graphic card works the way you want it to in Linux can be a long and tenious task if you are encountering problems. This guide will show you how to setup the radeon or the proprietary fglrx driver with your ATI graphics card to make sure your card is functioning as it should.
 
Note: As of November 2008, the ATI drivers still do support kernel 2.6.27 and Xorg 7.4, however X seems to crash when starting. Until the drivers functions correctly with Fedora 10, they will not be available from the RPM Fusion repositories.

Getting ATI cards to work

Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
 

Requirements

  • Yum configured to use the 3rd party RPM Fusion repository
  • If building the drivers using the packages directly from ATI/AMD's site, please install a few packages first:
    su -c 'yum install qt-devel compat-libstdc++-33 -y'

 

The 'radeon' driver

Radeon is an open-source alternative to the proprietary fglrx driver, offering support for many (but not all) ATI cards including some that aren't supported any longer in the latest fglrx drivers! While it's performance may not match exactly that of fglrx, its performance is still very decent. It is included in part of the standard Xorg driver packages in Fedora, so it requires almost no configuration at all! Simply edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and in the "Device" section you will come across a line like this:
Driver "DriverNameHere"

 Change this line to:

Driver "radeon"

Once you restart the computer everything should be functioning.

Please remember that if you previously were using another driver, you may need to use the livna-config-display tool to switch back to the 'AIGLX' configuration:

livna-config-display --tui -a

 

The 'fglrx' driver

To install the fglrx driver, simply run the following commands:
su -
yum install kmod-fglrx xorg-x11-drv-fglrx
fglrx-config-display enable
service fglrx restart

Please note that for a xen kernel, 'kmod-fglrx-xen' will need to be installed. This rule is applied to all the kernel variants, such as PAE (kmod-fglrx-PAE) and so on. Additionally, if you are running a x86_64 (a 64-bit) operating system the 32bit libraries can be installed for compatibility reasons: 

yum install -y xorg-x11-drv-fglrx-libs.i386

Common Questions

Q: How can I test if the driver works now that it's installed?

A: Simply run 'glxgears' like this:

glxgears 

Alternatively you can also check the output of 'glxinfo':

glxinfo | grep direct -i
glxinfo | grep OpenGL -i
It should return "direct rendering: yes" and also various OpenGL information concerning "ATI Technologies" and not "Mesa".
 
Q: Help! I followed the instructions and DRI still isn't working!
A: If you're using the drivers from the ATI/AMD website or if you've previously installed them, please see this post on the RedHat mailinglists as to why it could be a problem. In short, those drivers tend to overwrite other system files which can cause problems, where as the packaged drivers from Livna or other third party repositories do not. If you think this is your problem, pease reinstall all Mesa GL and Xorg server packages to restore the replaced system files.
Q: What if it still doesn't work?
A: If you are not using the Livna drivers, then your xorg.conf may not be automatically edited for you. You may need to add this option to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the "Device" section:
Option "VideoOverlay" "On"
Q: Does fglrx 8.52.2 (aka Catalyst 8.11) really work with Xorg 7.4?
A: Although reports say it does (on Ubuntu Intrepid, Gentoo and OpenSuSE for example), the driver does not function correctly with Fedora at the moment.
 
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Desktop Effects - AIGLX & Compiz, Beryl, Compiz-fusion

Wed, 05/16/2007 - 00:01 — firewing1
Compiz and Beryl are advanced window managers that add some very amazing 3D visual effects to your desktop. Recently, the Compiz and Beryl projects decided to merge into Compiz-Fusion, a window manager (and window decorator) that brings the best of both worlds! This guide will provide you with step-by-step information on how to install the newly-released compiz-fusion packages along with setting up AIGLX.

Desktop Effects - AIGLX & Compiz, Beryl

Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
 

Requirements

  • Yum configured to use the 3rd party RPM Fusion repository
  • A working graphics card (with direct rendering enabled). If you need help with this, please see the howtos for nVidia or ATI respectively
  • If using an nVidia card, please ensure you are not using the legacy (71xx) driver.

AIGLX

AIGLX - Prep

To ensure AIGLX is configured correctly, run:

livna-config-display

Select 'AIGLX' as the current configuration and apply it.

 

If you use the Gnome desktop environment, install the compiz-gnome package:

su -c "yum install compiz-gnome compiz-fusion-extras-gnome compiz-fusion-gnome"

Alternatively if you use KDE, use the compiz-kde package:

su -c "yum install compiz-kde"

Users of both environments will also require the plugins and emerald decorator: 

su -c "yum install compiz-fusion compiz-fusion-extras ccsm emerald emerald-themes"

Xgl

As of June 2008, the Xgl server has been removed from the X server packages, so this section is no longer needed. If you have Xgl installed, please consider removing it and using AIGLX instead.
 

Common Questions

Q: What's the "Desktop Effects" people keep talking about?
A: I've used "Desktop Effects" in the title of this thread because the 3D effects are commonly called this, although technically Desktop Effects is just the name of the program used to start Compiz(-fusion), one of many window managers. The actual window manager (ie. Beryl or Compiz) are what really provide the 3D effects.

Q: What's the difference between Compiz and Beryl? I've heard one is better than the other.
A: Compiz and Beryl are both new, advanced window managers so in that sense they are identical. Window managers control how window decorations (such as the minimize, maximize and close buttons on the title bar) and also how the windows are displayed - This is why they offer so many neat effects. Compiz and Beryl both use OpenGL (a free implementation of 3D) calls to create zoom, "wobbly", fade and transparency effects for example. The difference lies in the fact that Beryl is a community-maintained fork of Compiz, so naturally it has many more options, plugins and effects but consequently it is also less stable at the moment. Although now that they have officially merged, most issues should be worked out quickly bringing a stable stable window manager with amazing effects!
Q: So then how do AIGLX and Xgl differ? 
A: First, let's define the X server: it is basically what programs use to display themselves on your screen. To use all these neat and fancy 3D calls, a new layer has to be introduced into the traditional X server for things to work properly.
Note: This is just my understanding... The X server is very complex and I could be (and probably am) incorrect at some point or other of this explanation, so this isn't necessarily all fact just more or less the "big picture".
AIGLX is an extension of the Xorg server, so essentially the change to AIGLX will be transparent to the user. It adds on to the existing Xorg code to add support for the fancy 3D calls. Xgl on the other hand is a complete rewrite of the X server to add support for the fancy 3D calls. While the Xorg and Xgl project share lots of code, in my opinion replacing the X server isn't the best option for two reasons: (1) AIGLX is a more incremental change then all-out replacing the X server and (2) replacing the X server means you're going to be affected by Xgl-related bugs that users of AIGLX won't. You can't be affected by what you don't run, right? This is why I think if it's possible, lean towards using AIGLX. However that's just my opinion and the final decision remains up to you.
 
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Getting nVidia cards to work in Fedora

Wed, 05/16/2007 - 00:01 — firewing1
Ensuring that your graphic card works the way you want it to in Linux can be a long and tenious task if you are encountering problems. This guide will show you how to setup the nv, nouveau or proprietary nvidia driver with your nVidia graphics card to make sure your card is functioning as it should.

Getting nVidia cards to work

Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
 

Requirements

The 'nv' or 'nouveau' driver

The nv and nouveau drivers are the open-source alternatives to the proprietary nvidia driver, offering support for many of the nVidia cards. The downside to the nv driver is that unlike the open source 'radeon' driver for ATI cards, it does not support direct rendering, also called DRI or hardware-accelerated rendering. The nouveau project, however, aims to fix this by developing a new free driver with working DRI for nVidia cards. Currently, it is (as the name goes ;) ) a new project and it's not ready for everyday use quite yet.
 
Either way, both of these drivers are included in part of the standard Xorg driver packages in Fedora, so they requires almost no configuration at all! Simply edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and in the "Device" section you will come across a line like this:
Driver "DriverNameHere"

 Change this line to:

Driver "Name"

Where 'Name' is either 'nv' (recommended) or 'nouveau' if you're feeling lucky. Once you restart the computer everything should be functioning (or maybe not if you chose the 'nouveau' driver)

 

The 'nvidia' driver

A note on legacy drivers:

Please note that any card below and including the GeForce FX series is no longer supported by the mainstream nvidia drivers.

If you have a Riva or TNT card, you are going to have to use the nvidia legacy drivers. Simply follow the instructions below like normal but replace all instances of:

  • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-legacy
  • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-legacy
  • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386 with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-legacy-libs.i386
  • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-legacy [action]

If you are using a GeForce2, 3 or 4 (including MX) card, a you are going to have to use the 96xx series. Simply follow the instructions like normal but replace:

  • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-96xx
  • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx
  • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386 with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx-libs.i386
  • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-96xx [action]

If you are using a GeForce FX (5xxx) card, a you are going to have to use the 173xx series. Simply follow the instructions like normal but replace:

  • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-173xx
  • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-173xx
  • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386 with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-173xx-libs.i386
  • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-173xx [action]
 
To install the nvidia driver, simply run the following commands:
su -
yum install kmod-nvidia xorg-x11-drv-nvidia
nvidia-config-display enable
service nvidia restart

Please note that for a xen kernel, 'kmod-nvidia-xen' will need to be installed. This rule is applied to all the kernel variants, such as PAE (kmod-nvidia-PAE) and so on. 

Additionally, if you are running a x86_64 (a 64-bit) operating system the 32bit libraries can be installed for compatibility reasons: 

yum install -y xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386

Common Questions

Q: How can I test if the driver works now that it's installed?

A: Simply run 'glxgears' like this:

glxgears 

Alternatively you can also check the output of 'glxinfo':

glxinfo | grep direct -i
glxinfo | grep OpenGL -i
It should return "direct rendering: yes" and also various OpenGL information concerning "NVIDIA Corporation" along with your card name and version - NOT "Mesa Indirect".
 
Q: Help! I followed the instructions and DRI still isn't working!
A: If you're using the drivers from the nVidia website or if you've previously installed them, please see this post on the RedHat mailinglists as to why it could be a problem. In short, those drivers tend to overwrite other system files which can cause problems, where as the packaged drivers from Livna or other third party repositories do not. If you think this is your problem, pease reinstall all Mesa GL and Xorg server packages to restore the replaced system files.
Q: What if it still doesn't work?
A: If you are not using the Livna drivers, then your xorg.conf may not be automatically edited for you. You may need to add this option to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the "Device" section:
Option      "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Q: How come I can't use Beryl or Compiz?
A: Please take a look at your xorg.conf and remove the 'Module' section if you have it. Xorg can autoconfigure and guess at a lot of things and even run without a xorg.conf (but that's not recommended). Without a Module section, you're sure that Xorg will load all the modules you need where as with one it will only load what is specified, not more.
 
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