There are many times I have needed a secure SSL/TLS connection to access web resources but do not want to buy a SSL/TLS certificate. Creating a self-signed SSL/TLS certificate helps streamline the process of accessing the secure resource by removing the annoying security message on your browser. When you connect to a self-signed SSL/TLS connection you will be given to option to allow the certificate for all future sessions. Now when you connect to your secure resource there will be no extra steps to gain access.

To create a self-signed SSL/TLS certificate for secure HTTPS connections with Apache there are four steps:

1. download and install the SSL/TLS scripts
2. generate a SSL/TLS key
3. create a self-signed SSL/TLS certificate
4. configure Apache to use the SSL/TLS self-signed certificate

During an upgrade of Ubuntu my printing capability was suddenly cut short. A red sign appeared on my printer icon on my task bar and any printed documents would be queued but not printed.

The Symptoms

A quick look in /var/log/cupsd/error_log gave the following clue:

Filter "brightq-CPCA" for printer "print" not available: Permission denied

Download the Micropolis source (micropolis-activity-source.tgz) from http://www.donhopkins.com/home/micropolis/.

Install the following packages:

sudo apt-get install libx11-dev libxpm-dev x11proto-xext-dev libxext-dev

yacc Issue

Micropolis requires yacc to compile properly. Bison is the recommended replacement package for yacc however errors were generated and Micropolis would not compile. I used the FreeBSD package freebsd5-buildutils instead:

sudo apt-get install freebsd5-buildutils

I came across another issue on my Compaq Presario C500 laptop with regards to the audio. An issue exists with the Intel 82801G (ICH7 family) High Definition Audio (HDA) audio controller with regards to the headphones. When plugging in the headphones the sound continues to come out of the laptop speakers. There is a simple and quick fix to this issue:

Resolution

Edit the /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base f/etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base file:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe/alsa-base

At the end of /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base add the following:

While installing the subversion plugin Subclipse in the Eclipse IDE I came across a problem. Subclipse uses "JavaHL (JNI)" to interface with subversion by default. This default setting generates an error when accessing the "Window->Preferences->Team->SVN" preferences:

Failed to load JavaHL Library.
These are the errors that were encountered:
no libsvnjavahl-1 in java.library.path
no svnjavahl-1 in java.library.path
no svnjavahl in java.library.path
java.library.path = /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun-1.6.0.03/jre/lib/i386/client::/
usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun-1.6.0.03/jre/lib/i386::/usr/lib/firefox:/usr/lib/
firefox/:/usr/java/packages/lib/i386:/lib:/usr/lib

During the installation of Ubuntu 7.10 on a Compaq Presario C500 laptop I ran into an issue with the sound not working. I could not find any useful information while searching the forums. Many tips and advice spoke of editing the /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base file to load an Intel specific module to no avail.

The installation went without any hitches and was remarkably fast. After installing the Ubuntu Linux operating system I rebooted. The first sign that something was not working correctly came just after the GRUB boot loader screen. Here is what I saw:

The following guide describes how to install Samba with OpenLDAP support on an Ubuntu server. This guide assumes that OpenLDAP is already installed and is running on the same server as the Samba installation. The Samba installation is an extension of the Installing Secure LDAP (OpenLDAP with SSL) on Ubuntu using a Self-signed Certificate HOWTO.

The following steps outline how to create a self-signed SSL certificate and use it to secure an OpenLDAP LDAP installation. The OpenLDAP server is configured to allow only SSL connections for increased security.