Install Solaris, Apache, Mysql & Php (SAMP)

You may be conversant with the terms LAMP and WAMP. This means a stack of applications.

For LAMP = Linux, Apache, Mysql and Php/Perl/Python.
For WAMP = Windows, Apache, Mysql and Php/Perl/Python.

To get your new Solaris 11 installation SAMP ready, we need to install Apache, Mysql and Php.

kilo@kilo:~$ sudo -s
Password:
root@kilo:/home/kilo#
root@kilo:/home/kilo# pkg refresh
root@kilo:/home/kilo# pkg install amp
               Packages to install:    12
           Create boot environment:    No
               Services to restart:     1
DOWNLOAD                                  PKGS       FILES    XFER (MB)
database/mysql-51                         3/12     554/729    59.0/75.2


When done, enable the apache and mysql service.
root@kilo:/home/kilo#svcadm enable apache22
root@kilo:/home/kilo#svcadm enable mysql

By default, the mysql root user has no password.
root@kilo:/home/kilo# mysql -u root

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 4
Server version: 5.1.37 Source distribution

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.

mysql>;


We can set the password for the root user in mysql using

root@kilo:/home/kilo#mysqladmin -u root password "PASSWORD"

If you get the error - 

bash: mysqladmin: command not found

It means that the command mysqladmin is not in the path.
root@kilo:/home/kilo# which mysqladmin
which: no mysqladmin in (/usr/gnu/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin)
 
To solve this, use the full path for the command.
root@kilo:/home/kilo# find / -name mysqladmin
/usr/mysql/5.1/bin/sparcv9/mysqladmin
/usr/mysql/5.1/bin/mysqladmin

/usr/mysql/5.1/bin/mysqladmin -u root password "PASSWORD"

Configure pkg in Solaris to use proxy

To configure your Solaris image packaging retrieval client (pkg) to use proxy -

kilo@kilo:~$ sudo -s   (I am using solaris 11. su - root can also be used)
Password:
root@kilo:/home/kilo# 
root@kilo:/home/kilo#export http_proxy=”http://proxyusername:proxypassword@proxyservername:port”

Replace the following -
proxyusername = your proxy account username
proxypassword = your proxy account password
proxyservername = your proxy server address
port = proxy port number

Access scanner from LTSP server and thin clients

There seem to be a permission issue with accessing usb scanners from LTSP server and connected thin clients. Logging in as normal users, you cannot access the connected scanner.

Running the scanimage command as a normal user 
ltsp@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:~$ scanimage -L
device `hp3900:libusb:001:011' is a Unknown RTS8822 chipset based flatbed scanner

while logging in as the root user, running the scanimage command gives the parameter of the connected scanner.
root@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:~# scanimage -L
device `hp3900:libusb:001:011' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 3800 flatbed scanner

You can however use any scan utility, but you will need root access to do this. To correct this - Looking at the permission for the usb character file
ltsp@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:~$ lsusb
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 005: ID 1c4f:0002 SiGma Micro
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 011: ID 03f0:2605 Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 3800c
Bus 001 Device 009: ID 03f0:5c17 Hewlett-Packard
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

The user/group permission to the usb character device responsible for the connected usb device has read & write for the root user and group.
ltsp@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:~$ ls -l /dev/bus/usb/001

total 0
crw-rw-r--  1 root root 189,  0 2011-10-11 00:28 001
crw-rw-r--+ 1 root lp   189,  8 2011-10-11 13:03 009
crw-rw-r--+ 1 root root 189, 10 2011-10-11 09:17 011

Change the group from root to users. (In my case, the group users has all ltsp client users in that group)
root@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:/dev/bus/usb/001# chgrp users 011
root@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:/dev/bus/usb/001# ls -al
total 0
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root      100 2011-10-11 09:10 .
drwxr-xr-x  7 root root      140 2011-10-11 00:28 ..
crw-rw-r--  1 root root  189,  0 2011-10-11 00:28 001
crw-rw-r--+ 1 root lp    189,  8 2011-10-11 13:03 009
crw-rw-r--+ 1 root users 189, 10 2011-10-11 09:17 011

And now.......
ltsp@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:~$ scanimage -L
device `hp3900:libusb:001:011' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 3800 flatbed scanner
ltsp@ltsp-ProLiant-DL380-G4:~$

Ubuntu 11.04 installation hangs on timezone selection

When installing Ubuntu 11.04, the installation process hangs on time zone selection.  The installation hangs because of your network (Internet) connection.

The trick in dealing with this is disable your network connection and restart the installation.