A Technical I.T./DevOps Blog
Problem scenario
You get an error message when you run openvpn. You are trying to start the client service. You get “insufficient key material or header text not found in file”. What should you do?
Possible Solution #1
Backup your client.conf file.
Find your tls-crypt.key file. If you have none, run this:
openvpn –genkey –secret /etc/openvpn/tls-crypt.key
Copy every line in the tls-crypt.key file and paste it into a particular location of the client.conf file.
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Problem scenario
You have seen Linux distributions use wheel whereas some use admin. What is the difference?
Solution
For most purposes, there is no difference.
Many RedHat distributions use wheel (per page 429 of Fedora and RedHat by Sobell).
Ubuntu uses wheel (per this posting).
To add a Linux user to a sudoers file,
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Continue reading “What Is the Difference between the wheel Group and the admin Group?”
Problem scenario
You have tried different anti-fog sprays on sunglasses. Your sunglasses still fog up when you exercise. What should you do?
Solution
Find sunglasses that have a form factor that allows for more air. They do not wrap completely around your eyes, but they will provide protection as sunglasses. With more air to get around the inside of the lenses,
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Continue reading “How Do You Get Sunglasses That Do Not Fog Up?”
Question
You ran some cryptsetup commannds. You passed no –type flag. Was the format luks1 or luks2 or something else?
Answer
luks2.
…more recent Ubuntu releases default to version 2 (“luks2”).
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Full_Disk_Encryption_Howto_2019
As of 2022, you may want to use luks2 when you can — but do not assume you can. That is, sometimes you still need to use luks1.
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Continue reading “What Is the Default Format for cryptsetup?”
Problem scenario
You have been sitting for a long time (either driving or using a computer). Now a hamstring is hurting whenever you sit. What should you do?
Possible Solution #1
Talk to a medical doctor about your condition.
Possible Solution #2
You may want an ottoman to stretch your hamstrings while sitting.
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Question
You know about RSA (Rivest, Shamir, Adelman) encryption. Asymmetric encryption and RSA specifically are regularly used in the I.T. industry. But when you search on the internet, you find many different spellings of Adelman (such as Adleman). Which is the correct spelling?
Answer
It is Adelman. The sources include page 648 of RHCSA/RHCE Linux Certification Study Guide Sixth Edition by Jang (McGrawHill) and this external site.
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Question
What program is available for use to compare/contrast files on a Windows desktop?
Answer
Total Commander
You can get it here: https://www.ghisler.com/
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Continue reading “Is there a GUI Program for Windows like Linux’s diff Utility?”
Problem scenario
You have a Linux server with the openvpn binary command installed. You try to start the OpenVPN client service. You see this message: “TLS Error: TLS key negotiation failed to occur TLS handshake failed.”
What should you do?
Solution
Reinstall and reconfigure the OpenVPN server. Just completely start over.
You may want to try this: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/howto-setup-openvpn-server-on-ubuntu-linux-14-04-or-16-04-lts/
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Image via Unsplash
Helping a Loved One Through the Challenges of an Autoimmune Disease
This post below was contributed by fitshiela.com.
Autoimmune diseases impact at least 50 million Americans according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. As of now, more than 80 chronic illnesses are considered autoimmune, and the number keeps rising.
If you have a loved one who lives with an autoimmune disease,
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Continue reading “Helping a Loved One Through the Challenges of an Autoimmune Disease”
Problem scenario
You are using Ubuntu with a desktop GUI. You want to create a USB stick with an .iso file to install Linux on some hardware elsewhere. What should you do?
Solution
Remove USB sticks from your computer that will not get the ISO. Why? You may accidentally overwrite one of them.
From the GUI desktop go to the Menu and search for “USB.” You may find “USB Image Writer” or “Startup Disk Creator”.
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