[K12OSN] smbldap-installer....current status 2-7-05 (8:02 pm)

[David Trask]

Ok,

Here's the latest.  Matt and I have been hard at work ever since the
"profiles" bug surfaced last week.  In addition to the "profiles" bug...we
noticed the "Administrator" quirk (like my little names for all these
things).  Brian Chivers also requested the "user homes" feature as well. 
Hence we had our work cut out for us.  Matt for writing the changes and me
for pulling my hair out trying to figure why the hell it wouldn't work. 
Sure enough...two characters and a letter made all the difference in the
world.  "\%U"  A couple hours on the phone with Matt on Saturday (thank
god for cell phones and nationwide toll-free calling...although he's only
in NH...next state over)....and again today (I was so excited I had to
tell someone!)....and a gazillion emails and list posts later....I can
report that we've squashed the bugs!  Phew!  I can also verify that this
time I tested EVERYTHING....on both a K12LTSP 4.2 box and an FC3
box....everything installs and minimal installs....X server and no X
server....etc.  It works!  Yay!  In fact, the removing of the
Administrator user and going back to "root" seems to make a lot of things
run better.  So...smbldap-installer-1.2-gamma.tgz has been released.  It
will stay gamma for a couple days as I have to rework some critical stuff
in the docs.  Unfortunately I've had enough of this place today (I'm still
at school)...so I'm going home and *gasp* I'm not even taking my laptop
home with me!  I will tackle the docs tomorrow afternoon and if all goes
well I will hopefully ship them off to Matt tomorrow evening so he can
package them in with what we hope will be
smbldap-installer-1.2.tgz.....just in time for Linux World!  (Red
Sox....Patriots....and now Linux World is coming to Boston?....what have I
done to deserve such good fortune!)  Matt and I will both be at Linux
World (I'll be there Mon eve. - Thurs. and Matt will be there at least one
day)....hope to meet many of you...I'll be at the LTSP booth.  Also...many
thanks to those of you who helped us find some of these bugs....etc.  Jim
Kronebush....Tom Astle...and anyone else I may be leaving out.  Thanks for
your help....this is what Open Source is truly all about.  Imagine how
long it might have taken M$ to sort something like this out!

Although smbldap-installer is "gamma" due to docs...I would feel safe in
using it on a production server in my school.  I've tested it all over and
it works now.  So have at it and let us know.  For now it's on Matt's
server   http://majen.net/smbldap-installer-1.2-gamma.tgz   As soon as it
is out of gamma it'll be available on Steve's server in Exeter and
mirrored on mine in Vassalboro.

Also one last note:  The Summer Linux conference at Gould Academy in Maine
that I told you about earlier this winter is shaping up...I hope to have
the registration info available before Linux World, but at the least, by
the end of Feb.  It's an awesome 3 days....room and board included (and
boy do we feed you well)....all for about $400.  It's been awesome the
past two years and hopefully many of you can join us this year!  June
19th-21st at Gould Academy (a beautiful old New England private school) in
Bethel, Maine.  More to follow....let me know if you'd like to
come....I'll put you on the list to receive info.

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Coordinator
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcs.u52.k12.me.us
(207)923-3100