Update Older RHEL with YUM

I had a running version RHEL 3 WS that had not been updated in a while (more than a year). I found out that it was no longer getting updates from Redhat because the update contract was not renewed. I needed more current software on it to perform software testing. I like to do my updates with YUM which was not available on Redhat EL3, but here is how I got the updates I needed using YUM.
The first problem I encountered was that there is no public repository to update RHEL machines i.e you have to pay for it. I have used CentOS and know that CentOS offers public repositories and they work with RHEL as well. After struggling for some time, I discovered that I was accessing older version of repos through the latest yum, that was not working. I had to use an older version of yum with RHEL 3, since old repos do not support xml based updating.

Now I have a fully updated system. Here is how I did it.

1) Since I needed a older version of YUM I had to looked all over the web for the needed version, once I found it I saved it so you could find it more easily.

2) Download yum-2.0.8-1.noarch.rpm (for RHEL 3) from
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7936116/yum-2.0.8-1.noarch.rpm

3) Install it using
rpm –i yum-2.0.8-1.noarch.rpm

4) Configure your yum.conf to look like this:

[main]
cachedir=/var/cache/yum
debuglevel=2
logfile=/var/log/yum.log
pkgpolicy=newest
distroverpkg=redhat-release
tolerant=1
exactarch=1
[base]
name=CentOS-$releasever – Base
baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/centos/3/os/i386/
gpgcheck=1

[updates]
name=Red Hat Linux $releasever – Updates
baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/centos/3/updates/i386/
gpgcheck=1

5) Download the gpg key for CentOS rpm packages from
http://mirror.centos.org/centos/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-3
6) Import the key like this:
rpm –import RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-3

7) Run “yum update”.

You can change the 3 in the conf files to what ever version of RHEL you are using.

Enjoy!

How to Clear your Flash Cache

If you use your computer for web browsing and for watching Flash content. There is a good chance you have a lot of flash information cached on your machine. This can cause you not to see updates on flash enabled sites. Just cleaning out your web cache is not enough, your Flash Media Cache can still have information in it. Here is how to clean out your Flash Cache:

Point your browser to:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html

You should see a screen like this:



Now click on the site you want to want to clean up and click on Delete Website, or you can just click on Delete all sites.

You are all set to get the new version of the flash video or flash game you were looking for.

Thanks to the team at BlindValet.com for the tip.

Enjoy,

Install Handbrake on Ubuntu 10.04

Handbrake is a great DVD ripper. Unfortunately the version on theHandbrake website is not working. Here is a ubuntu how to for installing Handbrake on Ubuntu 10.04.
First we need to get DVD playback enabled:

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

Next we need to add the PPA for the Handbrake Snapshots:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-snapshots

Your system will now fetch the PPA’s key. This enables your Ubuntu system to verify that the packages in the PPA have not been interfered with since they were built.

Then do and update of the Apt repos lists:
sudo apt-get update
Next you need to install the software. Use the Ubuntu Software Center to install Handbrake. Do a search for Handbrake and install the GTK GUI.
After it installs you should have Handbrake working in Ubuntu 10.04.
Now Start Ripping!
This is a great tool for ripping data for your PS3 Media Server or your Xbox Media Server.

Keeping your family safe online can be a hard. There are some great tools out there, but you need one that is easy to use and cost effective

A great solution is OpenDNS. I have been using OpenDNS in my home for the last 2 years. It is easy to set up and works on your whole network and best of all it is free. OpenDNS has Award-winning OpenDNS Parental Controls that divides the Internet’s content into more than 50 categories. Simply choose your desired filtering level, from “High” to “Minimal,” and check a box. Your filtering preferences take effect in just minutes. Further customize your preferences by adding additional categories like “Social Networking,” “Hate” and “Gambling,” or individual Web sites like MySpace.com that are problematic or unsafe for your household. Also since using OpenDNS my computers have been virtual free of spyware!

Read how to set it up at http://www.crackednoodle.com

Antivirus 2010 Removal

Antivirus 2010 is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as Antivirus 2008 and Antivirus 2009. Like its previous incarnations, Antivirus 2010 is advertised through the use of advertisements on the Web pretending to be online anti-malware scanners. These advertisements pretend to scan your computer and then state that your computer is infected and that you should download and install Antivirus 2010 to remove these infections. These rogues are also known to be advertised and installed through Trojans that display fake security alerts in your Windows taskbar stating you are infected. Once you click on one of these alerts, it will bring you to the download page for Antivirus 2010, or even download and install it without your permission.

Read how to remove this nasty virus at http://www.crackednoodle.com

DVD Playback for Ubuntu 10.04

DVD playback in Ubuntu has always been a little bit of a pain. Here is how to do it in a couple of easy steps.

First you need to make sure you have all the goodies that were not included in Ubuntu 10.04.

# sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras

This will give you the codecs you need and some other goodies. Next you have to manually set up the ability to read DVDs.

# sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

Now just pop in your DVD and you should be all set.

Read the full article at http://www.crackednoodle.com

PS3 for all your Home Media

The PS3 is more than just a game console it is the controller for all of your home media. Ps3mediaservers.com will teach you how to utilize your PS3 to it’s full capacity.

Take a look at the PS3 media server guidethat will serve your data to the PS3 and the Media Server Comparison Chart.

Read the full article on your PS3 as a media player at Crackednoodle.com.

Enjoy