F@H - Clinent Monitoring Service via Web: Introduciton

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F@H Clinent Monitoring Service via Web

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
#
# Title: Folding at Home Client Monitoring via Web-Service
# Website: www.hpcmon.com
# Author: ke1ha, [COLOR="Cyan"][email protected][/COLOR]
# Doc Version: v0.1.0-BBS
# Date: 06-FEB-2010
# Purpose: Enable monitoring of FAH Clinets remotely via any accessable web-server
#
# Specific Credits ( all renderd web content ):
# GNU HFM.net - Ryan Harlamert 2009, David Rawling 2006-2007
#
# GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.3, 3 November 2008
# Copyright (C) 2007 Free Documentation Foundation, Inc. <http://fsf.org/>
#
# Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
# under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
# or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation
# with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts
#
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------#


Overview

Here is what it does: FAHUSER <-- May be Offline During testing Periods

If your like me, and you don't spend your life in front of a computer, but your passionate about Distributed Computing, and the
status of your investiment (e.g. your PPD :) ), this Service and How-Too is for you. At the moment, this is limited to OCUK Team-10
members only, but if the trial is sucessfull I'll roll it out to other FAH-users.


What Is The Service
It's a way to monitor your "FAH Clinet Status / WU Info / Client Logs" (Windows, Linux, Mac, no PS3) via a web-server which can be
from anywhere, not just your home / work network. It uses the web-content generated from an outstanding product called HFM.NET,
by Ryan Harlamert.

By eanbling web-sycnronization, you can monitor your clients via any web-enabled device, be it Mobile Phone, Laptops, PDA, anything
that allows you to browse the internet. It does not use a Proxy Server (for many reasons), all content tranmission to the server is
encyypted & sent via SSL.

The following How-To will describe a minimal setup for transfering HFM.net generated client pages to a web-server. As with most things
in the computing world, there are many ways to do things, this is just one of hundreds of methods.


General Informaiton:

Before we begin, do yourself and me a favor, read the entire How-Too first and in particular, the method you elect to emply a couple
of times before you start. There's allot to be learned from the whole process aside from just rendering a web-page and will certainly
save you allot of frustration in getting things working.


Disclaimer: I believe there is minimal if any risk in this How-Too, but in today's day & age, one must cover all aspects. By
following this How-Too, you do so on your own accord. I can make no gaurentee nor warranty this process in any manner, and you take
full responsibility for any and all action taken. As with any software installtion / procedure, you should "Backup Your Data"
before doing anything.


Security: To use this service, you have to provide an e-mail address and initial password. This informaiton will "NOT" be used,
sold or redistributed in any way other than to communicate with those participating in the use of the service itself. Every attempt
has been made to protect your informaiton and the resources of the server itself. Any any attmept to compromise the integrity of the
server, intentionally deplete it's resources, or compromise users informaiton will result in being band from it's use, accounts
terminated and blacklisted to relevant authoritys within the computing industry. Basically, use it for it's intended purpose.


What's Needed From The User
-- Email Requesting Web-Service Account:
-- Send To: [email protected]:
-- Subject: HPCMON Account Request
-- Desired User Name: ( Your FAH Username to Prevent Duplicates )
-- Pawwords: Will Be Set By The Server For Higher Security


Setting up HFM.net for rsync Transfers

Background: To use HFM.net, you need to install it in a Windows enviroment. I've installed and tested HFM.net on three diffrent
Windows platforms, Win-Vista-64, Win-Vista-32 and Win-XP-Pro-32. I've not installed HFM.net in a Linux-Wine enviroment, but will be
testing that in the comming weeks. I believe it should also work for Win-7-64 but have no way of testing that it at the moment.
For the purpose of this guide, I will be addressing the How-Too from a typical Windows Home Network standpoint using a Linux
installed F@H node as the file server, rsync server and F@H comupte node. You only need appromiately 10MB of disk space to store
the HFM.net files, and that would be for allot of nodes => 30+ with very large FAHlog.txt files. My current farm is 12 compute nodes
and the disk space required is =< 3MB total, with several log files greater that 100K each.

What you need hardware wise:
** At least one PC running HFM.net applicaiton.
** A PC to house and send HFM.net created pages (can both be the same PC)
** A funtional LAN enviroment ( Wired or Wireless )
** A persistent internet connection is highly recommended, but not required if you schedule your sync's accordingly.

At this point, you need to make a descicion on which way you want to proceed, as that will dictate how the
install & configuraiton proceeds. Method-1 is the easiest to emplement / administer and will be covered first.

** Method-1: Windows PC Running HFM.net + Linux Machine, native or VMware Install ( Recommended Method )
** Method-2: Windows PC Running HFM.net - (No Linux Available) + CWrsync ( workes but can be tricky to set up )
** Method-3: Windows PC Running HFM.net - (No Linux Available) + Cygwin Minimal Install + rsync ( same complexity as CWrsync if not more so )


Part-1: Setup with Windows and Linux ( native or VMware ):

Download the following applicaitons:
- HFM.net Latest Version: HFM.net 0.4.8
- PuTTY SSH Tools: PuTTY SSH Tools
- A HPCMON account. E-Mail [COLOR="Cyan"][email protected][/COLOR] or you can use your own web-server account, your choice.

NOTE(s):
a). There are 7 Files in the putty.zip file, we're only going to use PuttySSH to talk with out Linux machines at first.
b). PuTTY does not require installation, just unzip it to a folder and it's ready to run.
c). This setup will be based on an account at hpcmon.com, but you could be set this up on your own hosting service.

For this Example Installation I will be using a typical home network enviroment, an using this following abbreviation(s):
- Network: Typical Home DHCP / Home Router LAN Wired or Wireless (static IP addresses are a plus, but not needed)
- src_pc = Windows-Vista-64 Desktop for HFM.net
- fs_srv = Laptop with Ubuntu 9.10 Desktop version / Samba, rsync and openssh-server installed, also used as the file server.
- web_server = fahuser.hpcmon.com
- web_svr_un = fahuser
- web_svr_pw = I will keep that private for the time being :)
- fah_nodes = various Windows GPU+CPU and Linux GPU+CPU 12 Nodes in total.

Part-1-1: Windows HFM.net Installtion & Setup:

a). Browse to where you downloaded HFM.net and run the instller.
b). Use all the default settings, we will confiure things after installation.
c). If HFM.net is not already running, start the program.
d). If your not using FaHMon, you will have to add your clients manually. I used my FaHMon client config and imported it to HFM.
--> File >> Import FaHMon Configuration File.
--> Then save your new configuraiton file to HFM's directory.

hfm1.jpg



e). Configure HFM under Edit >> Prefrences
--> [ Scheduled Tasks TAB] - Under Refresh Client Data, I've found these to work pretty well, but it's your choice here.
--> [ Web Generation ] - This is where you set your refresh interval of the web pages.
--> [ After Full refresh ] - Set this toption for now.
--> [ Target Folder or URL ] Set locally C:\FAH\HFM\Myfolding
--> [ After Full Refresh ] Tool Bar >> Clients >> Refresh All or HIT-F6.
--> Check that your gerrting Web-Content and Browse to C"\FAH\HFM\Myfolding .. you should see some files in there.

hfm3.jpg


f). [ Startup TAB ] - Select Auto Start on Windows Start, Run Minimized. Also, here's where you select your config file from Step-1-d.

g). [ Web Settings TAB ]
--> Set your EOC ID + username + Team Number.
--> Everyone has an EOC ID, it's automatically generated. goto: EOC
--> Under Name Search, add your F@H username, search and when you come up, click your username.
--> Once you've clicked on your user name you will find your EOC ID. It's the last 5 or 6 digits on the Adress line in IE or FF.
--> Enter that ID in HFM, and you can test it with Clicking on the [ Test EOC ID ] on the Web Settings Tab.
--> While your on Web Settings, add in the psumary url for Stanford.
--> Do not use the Web Proxy Settings for the hpcmon process, it's extremely High bandwidth usage.
--> That's it for Web Settings. If you want to change the way the color of the web pages, click on [ Web Visual Styles ].
--> Click "OK" and that should set up all you need initially in HFM Prefrences.

hfm4.jpg



END of HFM Install & Setup.

 
Last edited:
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Part-1-2: Setting up Your File Server, OpenSSH, and rsync:

Now that we have out HFM.net service running and producing web contest, it's time to shift our focus to the file server and get
things setup for automated transfers. For this portion of the How-Too, I'll be using my Windows desktop and the Ubuntu 9.10
Laptop as the file server & rsync machine.

NOTE On Command Prompts: This may be understood by most, but just in case:
Windows Command Prompt: - C:\Program Files (x86)\HFM
Linux Command Prompt: - fahuser@ASUS-A6V$:

All commands issed on a Linux / UNIX machine would be "After" the command prompt colon : [ fahuser@ASUS-A6V$: ]. This command prompt
tells you that user [fahuser ] is logged onto the [ ASUS-A6V ] machince. A simple [ pwd ] command will tell you where you at in the
system. Type [ pwd ] then hit the [ enter key ]:

NOTE: When in a terminal window, ( native or Putty ), you can copy and pate the commands after the command prompt colon:
Code:
pwd

And the results
Code:
/home/fahuser
fahuser@ASUS-A6V$:

Notice it puts you back at the command prompt after the command is executed. [ pwd ] tell's you where you at in the directory tree.
In this case, we're in fahuser's home directory.

In the following sections we will:
--> Verify that OpenSSH is installed on fs_srv, and if not, Install it
--> Create a new non-sudo F@H user on fs_srv
--> Verify that Samba ( file shareing ) is installed on fs_srv, and if not, Install it
--> Create a Samba share to allow HFM to store it's files on fs_srv
--> Test this share from our Windows machine by browsing to the shared location
--> Re-Configure HFM.net to store it's pages on the fs_srv
--> Generate a Public and Private Key Pair for automated rsync funcitons
--> Install a Public id_rsa_key.pub key on the Webserver
--> Setup up and test a simple command line for rsync
--> Add a crontan job to automate file sync
--> Then go watch our clients from the web

Sounds like allot, but it's not really.

A). Verify that OpenSSH is installed on fs_srv, and if not, Install it.

The first thing we need to do is setup a deticated non-sudo user and ensure we have the fs_srv setup for transferring data. All
of this section will be done using PuTTY from the Windows machine, except for one part. To do this we need to ensure SSHD is running
on fs_srv first, and if it's not installed or running, install it. On most, if not all Linux "Server" installations, SSH is installed
by default but on "Desktop" Distro's, this is not always the case.

On your Linux Machine ( Native or VMware ), login as your sudo user. Typically, on a sudo based system such as Ubuntu,
the first user created during system installation will be your sudo user. If additoinal usres are added, they are not sudo users ubless
you add them to the sudo group, which is not recommended for security and system integrity. If you need Root Functions, log in as a sudo
user.

In my case [ KE1HA ] is my sudo user. I've logged into ASUS-A6V as a sudo user. Now we're going to check to ensure SSHD is installed,
and if not install the application.

For Ubuntu: Issue the following Command (other Distro's will be similar if not the same):
Code:
ssh -V
Output should look something similar to this:

sshversion.jpg


If you didn't see the OpenSSH retun from [ ssh -V ] then you need to install it. Check your distribution for the right install
appliction, but gennerally, the following holds true:

APT-GET = Ubuntu, Debian, Knoppix, and other Debian based distro's
YUM = RHEL, RedHat, Centos, Fedora
Emerge - Gentoo

Install opsnssh-server:
Code:
sudo apt-get install openssh-server
Answer "Y" or Yes to the question do you wnat to install.

After install check the status SSHD
Losts of ways to do this, I used status: [ /etc/init.d/ssh status ] or [ ps -ef | grep sshd ]

Code:
/etc/init.d/ssh status

sshrunnint.jpg

If you see [ * sshd is running ] your all set.

While your logged onto the Linux Machine Locally (native or VWware) get the IP address, as we'll need it for PuTTY:
Code:
ifconfig
What your looking for is the eth0, eth1 or wlan0 info: [ inet addr: 192.168.0.XXX ] or something similar.

B). Create a new non-sudo F@H user on fs_srvB).

Now that we know SSH is running on the fs_srv, there's no need to be on that machine locally. Log off the fs_srv machine by typing
[ exit ] at the command prompt. Never use the "X" in dialog boxes as this can leave sessions open which will cause you problems
when using secure tunnels.

On your Windows machine, open PuTTY, add the IP address you obtained from [ ifconfig ], give the new connection a name,
hit save, then open the connection. If the connection works, you'll be greeted with a request to add the machines authentication
key. Accept it the request. You can use id_rsa_key paris for this as well, but that's another How-Too :)

Log in with your [ sudo username ] and [ sudo password ]. Once your at the command prompt, we're going do a few more things
to prepare the file server.

Create The New User
Code:
sudo adduser --home /home/fahuser --shell /bin/bash fahuser
You'll be prompted for a Password and to Re-Verify it. For [ Full Name ] I use the username, and then just hit [ enter ] for the rest.

ssh1createnewuser.jpg


Now we have a new user called ( fshuser ) on fs_srv.

C). Verify that Samba ( file sharing ) is installed on fs_srv, and if not, Install it

Verify Samba Installation
Code:
ps -ef | grep smbd
If you dont see something like [ root .. .. .. /usr/sbin/smbd ] then samba is not running and or not installed.

sambacheckifinstalled.jpg


Check for Samba Files:
Code:
apt-cache search samba
If this prints a load of locations, Samba is probably installed just not running, so lets try to start Samab:

Try To Start Samba
Code:
sudo /etc/init.d/samba start
Then test it again to see if it's now running:

Re-test For Samba Status
Code:
ps -ef | grep smbd
You should now see see something like [ root .. .. .. /usr/sbin/smbd ]

If Samba's Not Installed, Install It:
Code:
sudo apt-get install samba
Answer "Y" or Yes to the question do you wnat to install.

Re-Check Samba Status:
Code:
ps -ef | grep smbd

sambapscheck.jpg


If Samba is running now you should see [ root .. .. .. /usr/sbin/smbd ]. You can also run [ /etc/init.d/samba status ].

D). Create a Samba share to allow HFM to store it's files on fs_srv

Now that Samba is running on fs_srv we need to add a password to it, and tell it to share [ fahusers's ] /home direcory. Note,
we are still using our sudo user ( in my case KE1HA ] to perform all the system level functions like adding SW and changing config's.

Add Samba Password (I add my sudo account username / password for this ):
Code:
sudo smbpasswd -a $USER
Enter your password, then enter again to verify it.

Now we need to create a share on our file server. I share the entire /home directory of my [ fahuser ] but you can limit it to just one
directory if you wish. I do this so i can access all the users home files from a Windows box if need be.

Open the smb.conf file:
Code:
sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Add Share to the Botton of [ smb.conf ]:
Code:
[HFM]
comment = Share for HFM
path = /home/fahuser
available = yes
browsable = yes
writeable = yes
Make sure you change the /home/fahuser to the directory you want to share.

Restart Samba:
Code:
sudo /etc/init.d/samba restart
If all went well you should see something like this:

sambarestart.jpg


E). Test this share from our Windows machine by browsing to the shared location

Now lets Verify we can get to the storage location from Windows. Uing either your Web-Browser ( IE, FF, or whatever ) put the IP address
in the address bar and see if it pulls the directory up:

Test Samba in Web-Broswer - Network nNeighborhood
Code:
\\192.168.0.201\   <-- Replace this with your Linux - VWMare Install IP Address
Note, this is the IP address of fs_srv. If you installed multiple share locations in fs_srv's Samba conf file you'll see them all
appear here. Now just browse to your HFM shares location. In my case it's the /home/fahuser directory:

asusa6v1.jpg


Top level of Shares for fs_srv

asusa6v2.jpg


/home/fahuser <-- Home Directory

F). Re-Configure HFM.net to store it's pages on the fs_srv

First, we no longer need the sudo account as all we need is working, so close the connection by typing [ exit ] in the terminal window.
Then open a new PuTTY window, but this time log in with your [ fahuser ] account. If we need to use sudo for anything, all you have to
do is open a second PuTTY termainl and log in with your sudo account. I typically run that way, 2x terminals open, one normal user,
and a second for sudo actions.

Create Myfolding Directory:
Code:
mkdir ~/Myfolding

Open up HFM.net, which should be minimized in the task bar, goto [ EDIT >> Prefrences ]. Using the browse button just to the
right of [ Target Folder or URL ] navigate to your HFM shared folder. Navigating ot the folder ensures HFM can see and commuicate with
your shared folder properly. When you get to the /Myfolding folder, click "OK"

On the same screen [ EDIT >> Prefrences ] select [ After Full Refresh } then ok. Now on your main HFM screen, go to [ CLIENTS
Refresh All ]. If everything is working, you should begin to see your folding data populating in /Myfolding direcoty.

Check For New File Creation [ ls ]:
Code:
ls ~/Myfolding
It should list some if not all of the created web material as well as the Log.Files if you selected them to be copied. If this
is working, go back to [ EDIT >> Prefrences ] and set the interval at which you want HFM to refresh your data. I set mine to 5 minutes,
which isn't necessary as I only rsync ever 15 to 20 minutes to the web.

G). Generate a Public and Private Key Pair for automated rsync funcitons

HFM.net is ready, File Server is Ready. We need to secure things and get rsync working. In order to rsync data automatically
(with out you haveing to add your PW everytime), you need to generate and install Public & Private id_rsa_key's. It takes only a few
steps to complete. If your not already logged into the account you plan to rsync with, do that now, then do the following:

Generate Your Key Pair
Code:
cd ~
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "$HOSTNAME"
Hit Enter when asked for the directory, and hit enter both times when asked for a passphrase. You should now have (2) new files in
~/.ssh [ id_rsa <-- your Private Key ] and [ id_rsa.pub <-- Your Public Key ]

Now we need to add your id_rsa.pub Key to the Server:
Code:
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub [email protected]

Results from the Server:
Code:
The authenticity of host 'hpcmon.com (216.246.54.252)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is 0e:77:e9:36:13:3a:0e:1d:0b:0d:d3:22:3e:57:97:8d.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'hpcmon.com' (RSA) to the list of known hosts.
[email protected]'s password:
Now try logging into the machine, with "ssh '[email protected]'", and check in:

  .ssh/authorized_keys

  to make sure we haven't added extra keys that you weren't expecting.

fahuser@ASUS-A6V:~$

Now SSH to the server and see if it asks for a Password:
Code:

Should Result In:
Code:
Last login: Thu Feb  4 23:00:49 2010 from 206.127.74.177
[email protected] [~]#

Now Exit the Remote Shell:
Code:
exit

If all that went as planned, we need to secure you .ssh direcotry and it's files (Three Diffrent Commands here):
Code:
cd ~
chmod 700 ./.ssh
chmod -R 600 ./.ssh/*

Thats it for adding Keys.

H). Setup up and test a simple command line for rsync

Now that we know our files are on the fs_srv and our Key_Pair is working the way we need it too, it's time to test rsync.
First we'll do a manual sync and look at the verbose output. You can read up on the many options for rsync, but the
following will be a good start. Read the explanation before executing the command.

Manual rsync Command
----------------------------------------------------

rsync -ravvz -e "ssh -l $USER" --stats --delete /home/$USER/Myfolding hpcmon.com:~/www

----------------------------------------------------

Explanation:
[ -r ] - Is resursive, meaning if you had sub-directories under /Myfolding it would also sync them.
[ -a ] - Archive preserves as much of the file info as possible, Permissions, Dates Stamps etc.
[ -v ] - Standard report output from the command.
[ -vv ] - Extended output from the command. Lets you see what's going on. A [ -vvv ] gives all the informaiton.
[ -z ] - Tells rsync to compress sent data, same as ZIP or GZIP
[ -e ] - Tells rsync to use ssh as the tunnel
[ "ssh -l $USER" ] - ssh is being told who the user is that's logging onto the remote host.
[ --delete ] - Tells rsync to delete any files on the web-server that are not present on the file server.
[ --stats ] - Gives you a summary status of what transfered
[ /home/$USER/Myfolding ] - Relative path to the files you want to sync from fs_srv
[ hpcmon.com: ] - Webserver to connect too
[ ~/www ] - Where to put the files on the web-server

NOTE: --stats and any of the -vvv are generally not used during crontab jobs. You can also add logging options. See Man-Pages
for additional options, but the above should get you going.

If your manual syncs are running without any problems, move onto the next step. If there are any errors, you need them corrected before
adding the job to your crontab.


H). Add crontab job to automate rsync

There are a few small changes in the command for automating rsync from that used in a manual command line. I will explain those after we
add the job to crontab. Crontab is like Windows Task Manager, you set it to do routine taks as specified intervals.

Add Job to crontab - several commands here:
-------------------------------------------------
crontab -e

then copy and pate the following:

15,30,45,59 * * * * /usr/bin/rsync -rqaz -e "ssh -l $USER" --delete /home/$USER/Myfolding hpcmon.com:~/www

Ctrl+X, select yes to save.
-------------------------------------------------

Explanation:
[ crontab -e ] - Opens your Task Manager, then simply paste in the line.
[ 15,30,45,59 * * * * ] - Tells cron ( task manager ) that you want to run this command at every 15 minutes on that exact time.
[ /usr/bin/rsync ] - Path to rsync. Not always needed, but I put it in there.
[ - q ] - This tells rsync to run in quiet mode, so there is very little log output data from the transfer.

The rest of the command is the same as manual.

That's It for rsync.

I). Then go watch our clients from the web

To View Your Web-Site:
If all is working properly, you will have HFM refreshing your data on the file server somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes, then
rsync refreshing the web-site every 15 minuutes. These transfers dont take allof of BW after the initial sync, but you should
monitor the usage closely until your comfortable with the whole process.

End of Windows + Linux rsync



Part-2: Windows + CWrsync:

-- Under Construction


Part-2: Windows + Cygwin :

-- Under Construction

EOF.
 
Last edited:
Man of Honour
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Sounds like an excellent plan. Useful during the holidays and I can see Stan Lite finding it handy too! Thanks very much :)

He certainly will :)

I was looking at the web output for HFM but I don't have webspace any more. This would be ideal.

I'll probably sign up with the Bigstan account though as I'm planning on moving everything over to that when I get home.

Mr KE1HA, you are a star :cool:
 
Soldato
Joined
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Location
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Cool, I look forward to the rest of the how-to's. I ran out of talent last night trying to set up rsync :p

Also HFM seems to put the log files in the upload folder regardless of whether I check the box or not :confused:
 
Associate
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Posts
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Location
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.. .. .. Also HFM seems to put the log files in the upload folder regardless of whether I check the box or not :confused:
I noticed that too. I think, but I'm not certain, that the web-page generation script within HFM requires the log files to be in the local directory in order to build ths static pages.

Rsync can deal with that easily buy adding in --exclude=*.txt option to the sync command.

EDIT:
Tested, and working. rsync is not moving the files. Although, after the initial sync of the log files, rsync only moves a very small amout of data, e.g. only the lines that have changed within each file.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
25 Dec 2008
Posts
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Location
Sheffield/Norwich
I noticed that too. I think, but I'm not certain, that the web-page generation script within HFM requires the log files to be in the local directory in order to build ths static pages.

Rsync can deal with that easily buy adding in --exclude=*.txt option to the sync command.

EDIT:
Tested, and working. rsync is not moving the files. Although, after the initial sync of the log files, rsync only moves a very small amout of data, e.g. only the lines that have changed within each file.

Ah OK then, I probably won't worry about the exclude thing then, once I get it going. :)

Oh and I noticed on the rsync website it talks briefly about how it only updates the differences to save bandwidth, then points out how normally it would be impossible to do this without having both source and destination files to hand, but somehow omits to describe how it manages to get around this problem :p
Any thoughts on how it works?
 
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Ah OK then, I probably won't worry about the exclude thing then, once I get it going. :)

Oh and I noticed on the rsync website it talks briefly about how it only updates the differences to save bandwidth, then points out how normally it would be impossible to do this without having both source and destination files to hand, but somehow omits to describe how it manages to get around this problem :p
Any thoughts on how it works?
Pass, thats some of the voodoo magic of rsync, all I know is it works, and it's real fast.

You can add the -v option to get more information, then -vv to get allot of informaiton, then -vvv to get a stupid amount of informaiton on everything it's doing. -vv an -vvv are used for debuging things. When your running in an automated fashion such as we're going to do, you omit the -v altogether, and actually add another operator, -q which puts it in quiet mode and supresses all the outputs.

It's a black magic applicaiton, and the commercial version is even more voodoo & chicken bones, but they work :D
 
Soldato
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Help!! I thought I'd get round to setting it up today but all I'm doing is getting horribly confused. I've logged into Putty on Windows at [email protected], and as far as I can make out I've got SSH installed, but that's about as far as I've got. As for my (currently short) list of confusions..

  • How does it affect things to be running Windows not Ubuntu?
  • Why do I need a second computer to create a non-sudo user, and how can I even do that on Windows?

I haven't even looked beyond that point, I don't even know if it's relevant if you're not running Linux..

Thanks for the guide, and everything, but is there any chance someone can try to clear up my n00bishness? :p
 
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....
  • How does it affect things to be running Windows not Ubuntu?
  • Why do I need a second computer to create a non-sudo user, and how can I even do that on Windows?

I haven't even looked beyond that point, I don't even know if it's relevant if you're not running Linux..

Thanks for the guide, and everything, but is there any chance someone can try to clear up my n00bishness? :p
You don't need a second computer to do this if you install VMware to run Ubuntu form the same computer. That it why the guide says ( Native or VMware ).

The key element for performing the transfers is rsync. That application does not exist natively in Windows. Creating the Non-Sudo user is to prevent inadvertent misconfiguration of your primary Linux environment, and added security.

As for being relevant, I can assure you it is for the Linux + Windows portion of the guide.

I've not finished the Windows + Cwrsync nor Native Cygwin only install guides yet. Using the Cygwin only method, you would also want a non-sudo / non-root user also.
.
 
Soldato
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You don't need a second computer to do this if you install VMware to run Ubuntu form the same computer. That it why the guide says ( Native or VMware ).

The key element for performing the transfers is rsync. That application does not exist natively in Windows. Creating the Non-Sudo user is to prevent inadvertent misconfiguration of your primary Linux environment, and added security.

As for being relevant, I can assure you it is for the Linux + Windows portion of the guide.

I've not finished the Windows + Cwrsync nor Native Cygwin only install guides yet. Using the Cygwin only method, you would also want a non-sudo / non-root user also.
.

I didn't mean to imply what you've done isn't relevant :o

So is the Win + cwrsync all that's needed for someone running the Windows SMP2 client?

So from what I can make out, have I just misinterpreted who the current guide is aimed at - so I just need to hold my horses until you get the time to do the Win + cwsync guide?

Sorry!
 
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