D-Light DTrace script for Sun Studio 12 in Solaris

Here's a pretty cool tool for developers, similar to the DTrace GUI from XCode in OS X 10.5 Leopard (Instruments):

It's part of Sun Studio 12.




It's still in development, but it can be pretty useful.

Using AWK to convert UNIX passwords from HP-UX to Solaris

Converting password hashes from HP-UX 11.11 to Solaris is pretty simple if you are using UNIX crypt passwords (if HP-UX isn't a Trusted System. If it is, it will use bigcrypt passwords, > 8 characters, converting them to Solaris UNIX crypt could be problematic).

Here's the gest of it:

On the HP-UX System, we create a test user:

# useradd test
# passwd test
test

Now we convert the passwd file to generate passwd entries for Solaris:

• # awk ' BEGIN { FS = ":" } { print $1":x:" $3 ":" $4 "::/export/home/" $1 ":/usr/bin/sh" }' /etc/passwd
• test:x:107:20::/export/home/test:/usr/bin/sh

And we create the shadow file entries, including the password hash:

• # awk ' BEGIN { FS = ":" } { print $1":"$2"::::::" }' /etc/passwd
• test:lsDWJo7M.iAhY::::::

Just add them using /usr/ucb/vipw to the password file, edit the shadow file for consistency and test. Be sure to backup the files and to test using a few users at first.

• $ su test
• Password:
• $ id
• uid=127(test) gid=120
• $ whoami
• test
• $ echo $HOME
• /export/home/test
• $ echo $SHELL
• /usr/bin/sh

Mix with some shell scripting and mkdir's and you're set :-). Next time, use LDAP :P.

Tru64 UNIX AdvFS open sourced

HP Tru64 UNIX's filesystem has been open sourced under a GPLv2 license.
http://advfs.sourceforge.net/

Press release here.

Documentation here.

What is it with UNIX giants making filesystems open source?

Making NetBSD 4.0 and OpenBSD 4.3 install in VirtualBox

Installing NetBSD 4.0 in VirtualBox fails with:
Failed to write to file. /usr/bin/dig (or whatever) (Bad address).

To make it work disable ACPI, enable VT-x and set the IDE controller type to PIIX4.

VT-x makes all the difference for NetBSD also. Without VT-x, unpacking install sets is very slow (200kb/s). With VT-x, I get 6.42 MB/s.

Plus, it won't fail writing to files.

The same thing happens with OpenBSD, and can be fixed by using VT-x.

Fixing Java WebConsole ZFS Administration on Solaris Express Community Edition build 90, 91

Application Error

com.iplanet.jato.NavigationException: Exception encountered during forward
Root cause = [java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: No enum const class com.sun.zfs.common.model.AclInheritProperty$AclInherit.restricted]

---

Notes for application developers:

• To prevent users from seeing this error message, override the onUncaughtException() method in the module servlet and take action specific to the application
• To see a stack trace from this error, see the source for this page

---

Generated Sun Jun 22 14:22:44 EEST 2008


If this happens to you, you need to set acl inherit to passthrough:

# zfs set aclinherit=passthrough rpool

Now WebConsole ZFS Admin will work.

You also need to make sure the webconsole serivce is enabled before you can use it:

# svcs -a | grep webconsole
disabled 15:32:25 svc:/system/webconsole:console

# svcadm enable webconsole

# svcs -xv webconsole
svc:/system/webconsole:console (java web console)
State: online since Sun Jun 22 15:34:40 2008
See: man -M /usr/share/man -s 1M smcwebserver
See: /var/svc/log/system-webconsole:console.log
Impact: None.




When you're done using it, you should probably disable the service, as Java will eat up 100MB of memory :-). Besides, you don't really need a GUI for ZFS admin. It's just nice to show to your friends.

# svcadm disable webconsole

You should also make sure to disable webconsole in your Zones, as it serves no purpose what so ever (and it will bloat your zones by about 100MB memory usage).

Compiling 64 bit OpenSSL and OpenSSH on Solaris with Sun Studio 12; SSH ASCII fingerprints

For building OpenSSL.
% ./config
Replace -xarch=amd64 with -m64 in the Makefile.
% gmake
# gmake install

Now build OpenSSH:

export CFLAGS=-m64
export LDFLAGS=-m64

% ./configure --with-ssl-dir=/usr/local/ssl
% make
% su
# make package
The following packages are available:
1 OpenSSH OpenSSH Portable for Solaris
(i386) OpenSSH_5.0p1
Select package(s) you wish to process (or 'all' to process
all packages). (default: all) [?,??,q]: Transferring package instance

# pkgadd -d OpenSSH-OpenSSH_5.0p1-Solaris-i386.pkg



If you're using OpenSSH portable from CVS you can also enjoy the ASCII art fingerprint funtion:


ibmsolaris% ./ssh -F /etc/ssh/ssh_config 192.168.21.168
Host key fingerprint is ...
+--[ RSA]----------+
| |
| = . |
| . = F |
| + * + |
| S * . |
| o + . |
| . = o . . |
| o + . o |
| . .oo . |
+----------------------+

Just add CheckHostIP fingerprint to ssh_config.

To compile OpenSSH from CVS:

% export CVSROOT=anoncvs@anoncvs.mindrot.org:/cvs
% export CVS_RSH=/usr/bin/ssh
% cvs get openssh

# ln -s /usr/bin/aclocal-1.10 /usr/bin/aclocal
# ln -s /usr/bin/automake-1.10 /usr/bin/automake
% ./configure --with-ssl-dir=/usr/local/ssl
% make
% su
# make package

Solaris ZFS to ZFS LiveUpgrade

Regular UFS to UFS LiveUpgrade used to take a while to create the boot environment, etc. Complicated :-).
As of Solaris Express Community Edition 90, you can use LiveUpgrade with ZFS. You can also LU a UFS system to ZFS.

One of the benefits of ZFS root is the ZFS clone command (lucreate -n happens in a second):

# lucreate -n sxce91
Checking GRUB menu...
Analyzing system configuration.
No name for current boot environment.
INFORMATION: The current boot environment is not named - assigning name .
Current boot environment is named .
Creating initial configuration for primary boot environment .
The device is not a root device for any boot environment; cannot get BE ID.
PBE configuration successful: PBE name PBE Boot Device .
Comparing source boot environment file systems with the file
system(s) you specified for the new boot environment. Determining which
file systems should be in the new boot environment.
Updating boot environment description database on all BEs.
Updating system configuration files.
Creating configuration for boot environment .
Source boot environment is .
Creating boot environment .
Cloning file systems from boot environment to create boot environment .
Creating snapshot for on .
Creating clone for on .
Setting canmount=noauto for in zone on .
Creating snapshot for on .
Creating clone for on .
No entry for BE in GRUB menu
Population of boot environment successful.
Creation of boot environment successful.


Mount the DVD image loopback:

# mkdir /mnt/iso
# lofiadm -a /export/home/cmihai/Desktop/SunDownloads/sol-nv-b91-x86-dvd.iso
/dev/lofi/1
# mount -F hsfs /dev/lofi/1 /mnt/iso

Liveupgrade:
# luupgrade -u -n sxce91 -s /mnt/iso/
No entry for BE in GRUB menu
Copying failsafe kernel from media.
Uncompressing miniroot
Uncompressing miniroot archive (Part2)
13371 blocks
Creating miniroot device
miniroot filesystem is
Mounting miniroot at
Mounting miniroot Part 2 at
Validating the contents of the media .
The media is a standard Solaris media.
The media contains an operating system upgrade image.
The media contains version <11>.
Constructing upgrade profile to use.
Locating the operating system upgrade program.
Checking for existence of previously scheduled Live Upgrade requests.
Creating upgrade profile for BE .
Checking for GRUB menu on ABE .
Saving GRUB menu on ABE .
Checking for x86 boot partition on ABE.
Determining packages to install or upgrade for BE .
Performing the operating system upgrade of the BE .
CAUTION: Interrupting this process may leave the boot environment unstable
or unbootable.

Upgrading Solaris: 100% completed
Installation of the packages from this media is complete.
Restoring GRUB menu on ABE .
Adding operating system patches to the BE .
The operating system patch installation is complete.
ABE boot partition backing deleted.
Configuring failsafe for system.
Failsafe configuration is complete.
INFORMATION: The file on boot
environment contains a log of the upgrade operation.
INFORMATION: The file on boot
environment contains a log of cleanup operations required.
INFORMATION: Review the files listed above. Remember that all of the files
are located on boot environment . Before you activate boot
environment , determine if any additional system maintenance is
required or if additional media of the software distribution must be
installed.
The Solaris upgrade of the boot environment is complete.
Installing failsafe
Failsafe install is complete.

# luactivate sxce91
System has findroot enabled GRUB
Generating boot-sign, partition and slice information for PBE
Saving existing file in top level dataset for BE as //etc/bootsign.prev.

Generating boot-sign for ABE
Saving existing file in top level dataset for BE as //etc/bootsign.prev.
Generating partition and slice information for ABE
Boot menu exists.
Generating direct boot menu entries for PBE.
Generating xVM menu entries for PBE.
Generating direct boot menu entries for ABE.
Generating xVM menu entries for ABE.
GRUB menu has no default setting
No more bootadm entries. Deletion of bootadm entries is complete.
GRUB menu default setting is unchanged
Done eliding bootadm entries.


**********************************************************************

The target boot environment has been activated. It will be used when you
reboot. NOTE: You MUST NOT USE the reboot, halt, or uadmin commands. You
MUST USE either the init or the shutdown command when you reboot. If you
do not use either init or shutdown, the system will not boot using the
target BE.

**********************************************************************

In case of a failure while booting to the target BE, the following process
needs to be followed to fallback to the currently working boot environment:

1. Boot from Solaris failsafe or boot in single user mode from the Solaris
Install CD or Network.

2. Mount the Parent boot environment root slice to some directory (like
/mnt). You can use the following command to mount:

mount -Fzfs /dev/dsk/c1t0d0s0 /mnt

3. Run utility with out any arguments from the Parent boot
environment root slice, as shown below:

/mnt/sbin/luactivate

4. luactivate, activates the previous working boot environment and
indicates the result.

5. Exit Single User mode and reboot the machine.

**********************************************************************

Modifying boot archive service
Activation of boot environment successful.


# init 6

Sun Solaris DTrace - counting page-ins

Need more details than:

% kstat -n vm | grep pgin
anonpgin 727
execpgin 0
fspgin 1012885
pgin 999385
pgpgin 1013612
anonpgin 1347
execpgin 0
fspgin 187550
pgin 46875
pgpgin 188897

22:41 <> hello, is there a way to see what processes could be causing a page-in excess?
22:43 <> dtrace pgin

As always, DTrace to the rescue :-).

cthulhu# dtrace -n pgin'{@[pid, execname] = count();}'
dtrace: description 'pgin' matched 1 probe

^C

27462 gnome-keyring-da 1
27495 wnck-applet 1
430 dbus-daemon 2
27446 gnome-session 2
27483 nautilus 4
27319 Xorg 11

Installing CentOS 5.1 in textmode

Need the old textmode installer? No time to kickstart?

Type
linux mem=192M noprobe

at the GRUB install prompt ;-). A system needs > 128MB RAM to install with Anaconda, but will default to the textmode installer if it has < 256MB RAM.

Making VirtualBox work in headless mode on Solaris

If you've ran VirtualBox 1.6.2 on Solaris or OpenSolaris (SXCE anyway) you'll see something interesting happen when you run VBoxHeadless (let's say in GNU screen) and kill X :-). It will die.

cthulhu% ./VBoxHeadless -s CentOS51
VirtualBox Headless Interface 1.6.2
(C) 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc.
All rights reserved

Listening on port 3389
X connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).

Which is kind of silly for something called "headless"...

Here's the fix:

env DISPLAY=buggerthis /opt/VirtualBox/VBoxHeadless -s SomeMachine

Now you can kill X happily.

It basically dies when :0.0 dies. Make it look for another DISPLAY, and it's fine.