My Devuan installation notes.

Some are applicable to any APT-based distro.

Note for APT-based distro: To remove translations, create file /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99translation and insert Acquire::Languages { “none”; };.

Note: look into unattended-upgrades (simply apt install and run dpkg-reconfigure –priority=low unattended-upgrades???)

Using apt tool:

apt list --installed 2>/dev/null | grep installed

Note that apt will issue a warning when piping its output in shell. Hence, the need to redirect stderr to /dev/null. We can further grep away the packages that were automatically installed.

Using the basic dpkg tool:

dpkg --get-selections | sed -n 's/^\([^\t]*\)\t.*$/\1/ p'

This version, however, only provides package name. To extract similar output from apt (assuming output was redirected into a file called temp.txt), run

cat temp.txt | sed -n 's|^\(.*\)/.*$|\1| p'

Get proper signature key from that source (*.asc file) and add to system using apt-key.

# cat <key-file.asc> | apt-key add - 

Create a listing file for source URL in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/.

# echo "deb [arch=?] <new-repo-url> <version> main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/new-repo.list

After doing an apt update, should be able to apt install <pkg>…

Basically, run a dpkg-reconfigure <pkg>

e.g. To change timezone

# dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

To do an upgrade:

• Modify /etc/apt/sources.list and replace the release codenames

  # sed -i 's/old_release/new_release/g' /etc/apt/sources.list

  • skip -i option for a dry-run
• Update package list

  # apt update

• Upgrade distribution

  # apt dist-upgrade

• To make sure EVERYTHING is upgraded (avoids old packages held back)

  • # apt full-upgrade

• Do house cleaning

  # apt autoremove
  # apt clean

That should do it!

• There is a specific tool for that

  # apt install apt-file

• Update the package/file mapping database

  # apt-file update

• Search for “top”

  # apt-file search --regexp '/top$'

• Use dry-run (simulation) option -s

  # apt install -s <pg1> ... <pkgN> 2>/dev/null|grep manually

• Removed the package(s) displayed from your install list and re-run without -s

To prevent GRUB from looking for other OS every time it is updated:

• edit /etc/default/grub and insert

  GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=true

• run update-grub

To add a custom entry:

• add a menuentry in /etc/grub.d/40_custom
• uses the same menuentry format as in /boot/grub/grub.cfg
  • e.g. to boot my Slackware partition I can insert

    menuentry 'Slackware' --class slackware --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'my1part-<uuid>' {
    	insmod part_gpt
    	insmod ext2
    	set root='hd0,gpt4'
    	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
    	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt4 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt4 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt4  <uuid>
    	else
    	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 4d95a526-2518-4fd6-a904-f7bd2729145d
    	fi
    	linux /boot/vmlinuz-huge-4.4.240 root=/dev/sda4
    }

  • use initrd (after linux line) to specify an initrd/initramfs
  • of course, <uuid> should be a valid filesystem uuid
• run update-grub

If KVM group is missing, simply create one…

# [ -z "$(cat /etc/group|grep kvm)" ] && addgroup --gid 125 kvm

Issues… and maybe fixes (if any).

I found an error when using image magick's convert to create EPS from fig that provides this message:

convert-im6.q16: attempt to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy `EPS' @error/constitute.c/IsCoderAuthorized/421

Solution:

• (as root) edit /etc/ImageMagick-6/policy.xml
• modify following line (change none → read|write)

  <policy domain="coder" rights="none" pattern="EPS" />

In some cases, after an installation is complete, the system boots to a GRUB prompt. The issue may be caused by a different disk assignment during installation. Things is not so bad since GRUB prompt is very shell-like (e.g. double-tab for completion):

To list available disks:

> ls 

To list content of first partition on the first disk (/dev/sda1) that is using GPT:

> ls (hd0,gpt1) 

So, to boot an installation on second partition instead:

> linux (hd0,gpt2)/boot/vmlinuz<...>
> initrd (hd0,gpt2)/boot/initrd.img<...>
> boot

Device:

# lspci -nn | grep BCM
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Limited BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)

Install: broadcom-sta-dkms, firmware-linux, firmware-b43-installer (b43-fwcutter)

*note*: only solves the Wireless Driver part… NOT the bluetooth hardware!

# lsusb | grep BCM
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 0a5c:216d Broadcom Corp. BCM43142A0 Bluetooth 4.0
# dmesg | grep blue
[    8.850007] bluetooth hci0: firmware: failed to load brcm/BCM43142A0-0a5c-216d.hcd (-2)
[    8.850197] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for brcm/BCM43142A0-0a5c-216d.hcd failed with error -2

So, download BCM43142A0-0a5c-21d6.hcd in here and place it /lib/firmware/brcm/ (create that path if it does not exist).

• tapping on my laptop touchpad is NOT working
  • moving around & button clicks are working
  • need to create file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/90-touchpad.conf

    90-touchpad.conf

    Section "InputClass"
            Identifier "libinput touchpad catchall"
            MatchIsTouchpad "on"
            MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
            Driver "libinput"
            Option "Tapping" "on"
    EndSection

• lid event does not trigger suspend (but manual suspend works)
  • this is a systemd-related aftermath: xfce power manager allows/assumes login to handle lid
  • fix:

    $ xfconf-query -c xfce4-power-manager -p /xfce4-power-manager/logind-handle-lid-switch -s false

• issues when logging out/shutdown
  • may be caused by intel graphics library? i915?
  • can install lightdm - but shutdown/restart always gets login page (=logout)
• wicd feature is an issue for system with multiple users
  • shared wifi password, no option to make private

• login page (lightdm?) - cannot shutdown/reboot! read here…
  • found a fix here
  • i just needed to edit /etc/pam.d/lightdm-greeter and changed pam_systemd.so to pam_elogind.so (but, may cause issues with suspend/hibernate?)
• laptop battery quickly drain below 30 percent
  • setup higher critical value for power management

    gsettings list-keys org.cinnamon.settings-daemon.plugins.power
    gsettings set org.cinnamon.settings-daemon.plugins.power use-time-for-policy false
    gsettings set org.cinnamon.settings-daemon.plugins.power percentage-low 30
    gsettings set org.cinnamon.settings-daemon.plugins.power percentage-critical 25
    gsettings set org.cinnamon.settings-daemon.plugins.power percentage-action 23

  • or use dconf-editor

Youtube videos keep resetting the volume settings to 100%! The culprit is flat-volumes. Modify /etc/pulse/daemon.conf and set flat-volumes=no.

I need to recompile syslinux - just to remind myself, other than the usual development packages (build-essential, etc), I also need nasm and upx-ucl.

apt install nasm and upx-ucl

I found this in my old notes… I somehow found an autostart program geoclue-demo-agent.desktop, which I obviously do not need. So, simply remove that from autostart path

# rm /etc/xdg/autostart/geoclue-demo-agent.desktop

trying two options found… so far, not successful? keeping this here for reference.

1. option 1:
   • install alsa-utils
   • make sure sound is not muted and set to desired volume level
   • run (as root) alsactl store
2. option 2:
   • edit (as root) /etc/pulse/defaults.pa
     • can also copy this to home folder ??? for 1-user solution…
   • comment out 'load-module module-device-restore'

• wifi firmware missing after first restart
  • manually install firmware-ralink
• network manager cannot connect using wifi
  • edit /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf
  • add

    [device]
    wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=no

Setup Wine (as root):

• enable multiarch
• install wine and winetricks

  # apt install wine wine32 winetricks

Configure Wine (as user):

• if required, remove previous settings

  $ rm -rf $HOME/.wine

• config for win32

  $ WINEARCH=win32 winecfg

• setup nice fonts

  $ winetricks corefonts

Note: Install fuseiso to enable mounting ISO as user

Setup Installer ISO:

• create link to ISO as CDROM device

  $ ln -sf /path/to/install.iso $HOME/.wine/dosdevices/d::

• mount ISO

  $ fuseiso mount  /path/to/install.iso $HOME/.wine/drive_d

• create link to mount path as CDROM drive

  $ ln -sf $HOME/.wine/drive_d $HOME/.wine/dosdevices/d:

Run installer

• $ wine D:\\Setup.exe

Fixes:

• menu does not show (solution available at WineHQ)
  • download ddraw.dll from https://github.com/CnCNet/ts-ddraw/releases
  • place in RA2 install path
  • run winecfg add that to library (as window native, instead of builtin)

• download windows version from ltspice website and run

  $ wine /download/path/LTspiceXVII.exe

Check out here.

Using rpi-devuan-chimaera-5.10.110-ext4-2022-04-16.zip

• boots ok (default hostname=bcm2711)
• login (root:toor)
• setup

  # run-setup

• change hostname (edit /etc/hostname and /etc/hosts)
• reboot
• remove default user

  # userdel -r devuan

• most development stuffs i want are preinstalled! yay!
• install vim

  # apt install vim

• remove nano

  # apt remove nano

  • also

    # rm .nanorc

• install xorg stuffs

  # apt install xorg libx11-dev libxft-dev libxinerama-dev

• install suckless stuffs

  # apt install stterm suckless-tools

• create user and login as that user
• get my1shell and my1ubuild

  # git clone https://codeberg.org/azman/my1shell
  # git clone https://codeberg.org/azman/my1ubuild

• install dwm from source
• install browser & font

  # apt install surf fonts-liberation2

work in progress… 2 issues: {surf cannot validate cert}{reboot hangs}

//Note: Will simply use Raspberry Pi OS for now… //