[ntp:questions] Monitoring FreeBSD temperatures remotely

Dave Baxter spam at goes.nowhere.com
Tue Apr 13 07:51:48 UTC 2010


In article <hq12sg$dbr$1 at news.eternal-september.org>, david-
taylor at blueyonder.co.uk.invalid says...
> 
> > It took a couple of days just to get FreeBSD V8.0 installed correctly in
> > the first place.  One false move (hair trigger enter key) and it's
> > "start over" time.  (OK, so there are probably ways to backtrack, but
> > like many things, it's just not documented.)
> 
> Agreed.  I experimented using a VMware virtual machine under Windows to 
> get a basic familiarity with the install process.  There also appear to be 
> inconsistencies with the use of the Space key, and the Enter key, so you 
> suddenly get sent back to a previous menu.  On the other hand, the 
> automatic disk partitioning and configuration are most welcome. 
> Installing over the network failed as my built-in network port wasn't 
> recognised.
> 
> > It does not appear dificult technicaly, and not that many steps to
> > complete, but it takes an age for the system to search for, download the
> > needed source modules, compile and build the needed app's etc.
> 
> Yes, that's real pain.  Although NTP does come with the base system, both 
> SNMP and SMART monitoring take ages to compile....
> 
> > And as for that editor 'vim'  If you thought Notepad was bad......
> > Some documentation as to how to use that is sorely needed!  It's about
> > as counter intuitive as you can get, my opinion at least.  There has to
> > be an easier to use text file editor that can be used?
> 
> I used "vi" - just about adequate for editing configuration files. 
> Beginner's guides:
> 
>   http://www.cs.colostate.edu/helpdocs/vi.html
>   http://docs.freebsd.org/doc/3.3-RELEASE/usr/share/doc/new-users/c273.html
> 
> > Cheers.   I'd continue work on my FreeBSD box, I'm at the point of
> > attempting to enable PPS support in the kernel, but (a) I want to find
> > out how to make a recovery disk first, in case if it all goes greasy
> > side up, and (b) Domestic management, she says I have to go visiting
> > this evening.
> >
> > Regards to all.
> >
> > Dave B.
> 
> My recent notes are here:
>   http://www.satsignal.eu/ntp/FreeBSD-GPS-PPS.htm#atom
> 
> and Craig Doyle covers recompiling the kernel for PPS support (give it an 
> hour to run!) at:
> 
>   http://blog.doylenet.net/?p=145
> 

Thanks everyone for the tips, plenty to be getting on with, but for 
someone who in all honesty will only do this once, maybe thrice in my 
lifetime, it's a bit moot.

I'm all too familar with Notepad (at least the winders program of that 
name) ludicrously easy to use, you position the cursor, and 'edit' as it 
were.  (I also make a lot of use of "Textpad".  I belive there is a 'nix 
version too, but have yet to find it.)

I'll look up emacs and others, just as they were mentioned, but I also 
realise it's as much personal preferences and what you had to start out 
with that colours your choices for life.  (Kit built microcomputers, and 
Data General 'Nova' series mini's.)

As to the kernel and PPS, I've done that before with F'BSD V5.4, 
following David Taylor's instructions.  That all went OK, but I could 
never get NTP to use any attached GPS, let alone the PPS signal.  That 
and no one I was communicating with in the local LUG world knew anything 
about NTP or whatever, other than guiding me through checking that the 
serial port was working OK (it was.)

As I also had very patchy access to this news group at the time, hence 
when I fould I could get the Meinberg thing working, albeit with help 
from David T and this group (when I could get to it) I went that route.  
It's doing a fine job, but I want that PC back for other things now, 
hence messing arround with a "blank" PC and FreeBSD again.

It's the documentation for all this I have trouble with.  It's either 
next to nothing, or you get links to several "generic" manual pages or 
"how to" sites, that all say slightly different things.   Most confusing 
and frustrating when you havent the time to sit for hours and try 
everything in turn.

The on line FreeBSD documentation project is indeed awsome, but there is 
just way too much of it for a meer mortal, and no easy (that I have 
found) way to search for something.  It's like many of the printed 
manuals here at work.  Only of any use to someone who already knows 
about it.

Regards to all.

Dave B
(G8KBV, using a different account/server/isp)




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