[3MX Ultra2] Suggestions for Ultra3

[wicknix]

A firewall on a netbook is a little overkill. Unlike a desktop that usually has a static ip address, your netbook while traveling will be using numerous different ip's and you wont be connected to the same network for more than a few hours at a time. If you read the helpfile in 3mx and added/changed the passwords for user and root, you are pretty safe. Without knowing your password, nobody can get in from the outside world (easily). Firewalls are available for linux, but mainly used on server machines to keep out wouldbe 'snoopers'.

Cheers.

[FL410]

Thank you for your explanation Wicknix.

I would rest assured if I was able to set those passwords: I read the help file and set the passwords but when booting the machine I'm not prompted for a password. Trying 'passwd user' again gives the following response:

passwd: no record of user in /etc/shadow, using /etc/passwd
Changing password for user
New password:

'passwd root' gives a similar result.

I can change the password without having to enter the old password. The change is confirmed:

Password for user changed by user
[ user@3MX-Ultra ~ ]

Changing the password only seems to change /etc/passwd but otherwise nothing changes. I opened /etc/shadow as a text file and it was empty. /etc/passwd seems to have some encrypted data in it which I imagine to be the passwords I set.

Am I doing something wrong here?

[Mijzelf]

Am I doing something wrong here?

No. It's normal thet you don't have to give the old password, because you're already logged in as root.
Indeed the only thing what changes is /etc/passwd, but that is enough. When you try to logon via telnet or ssh you can't do anything without username and password.
In /etc/passwd is not the (encrypted) password is stored, but only a hash of it.

[FL410]

Thank you for clearing that up as well! 

[mammoth]

wicknix:

Cont:
1. 3mx ultra -- no locales support in console emulation and x11. International (f.e. russian) names on usb/sd sticks are not visible in xterm.
    Bad support of alt keys combination in xterm.
    No dpkg and aptget -- It's very need.
2. 3mx 4 -- dpkg as part of busybox? It no have actual functionality ANd no apt-get too.

Pros (ultra & 4):
1. 3G modem stick well supported.
2. User interface more friendly vs debian (in recovery img).

Pros debian:
1. Native locale support.
2. Native deb packet management.
3. good speed & memory utilization.

Cont debian:
1. iocharset & codepage in fstab support very partial (f.e., can not use iocharset=koi8r,codepage=866 for support russian names on vfat on USB flashes).
2. recovery image v4 -- no usb flashes support(?).
3. No supporting of 3g modem (f.e. Huawei E160g).

[FezzFest]

@mammoth:

Debian is a lot slower than 3MX Ultra2. It also takes more space, and has older packages. USB/SD doesn't mount automatically and WiFi utility doesn't work. Dpkg can be added to Ultra, but it won't have any use and Apt will never be a part of 3MX because it will completely break the system.

[mammoth]

FezzFest:

Not so slower (3mx 4 much more).
Automount -- may be udev and some additional utils?

Yep: wifi & 3g not working -- very bad.

[FezzFest]

I think we need a more recent kernel to be able to use UDev.
WiFi works only if you edit a script with your wireless settings somewhere (I'll look it up) but that's not very usefull if you want to join a network when you're not at home.

I think someone here also got 3G to work, but I'm not sure if it's stable or easy to set up.

[higgybees]

Hi, I have made some samba files and was wondering if they can be tried to see if they could be used in ultra3. there is a spot on forum about them. I am regulary using SMB commander to conect with linux boxes with these files.
Fred

[FezzFest]

I want to try them if you wish. But I don't think they will be a part of 3MX Ultra3. A package that can be installed seems to be a better idea to me.

[higgybees]

Hi FezzFest,
My files used are here
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/higgybees/xaps/samba/index.html
Remberer to maximise the SMB Commander window or the key actions wont work. Press h to get a list of commands. d is copy and g is the password screen. I cant conect to vista with it although you can see them. Think its a samba config thing.
Thanks for looking
Fred

[kloak]

So I've been driving myself nuts trying to compile this touch-panel usb module....

has anybody ripped make from the .deb yet? I Don't have the enviorment to do the python script, Debain 4 for some reason wont let me get hold of tcl which i need to compile this module.......After all the cool splicing and mod's made thanks to the controller chips usb hub i'd hate to give up my dreams of converting this sucker into a tablet. .....Any ideas? All i need is Make or something like it that works on 3mx and I Can compile this module...i'm 1 week deep into hardware mods, and about 2 days deep in trying to figure this out.

[FezzFest]

Try to set up a cross-compile environment to compile it for mipsel, then check the dependencies on 3MX and pack them into a XAP.

[kloak]

Cross compiling does not seem to work because the module is compiled from device specific settings, It's not as easy as just switching to Deb to make the module as 3mx handles drivers normally for a 2.4 linux, Deb is mighty confusing.....it appears to be somewhere in between

[higgybees]

Hi FezzFest,
Did you get chance to try my samba files. I am still working on the smb.conf to see what can be achieved. Fred
P.S. does any one have a link to the back up and restore files made for usb and SD made by Duttydea as the link seems dead on the forum. Or any thing that will do the same job. thk.