Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Welcome back to another edition of Questions and Answers! In this section we will endeavour to answer your Ubuntu questions. Be sure to add details of the version of your operating system and your hardware. I will try to remove any personally identifiable strings from questions, but it is best not to include things like serial numbers, UUIDs, or IP addresses. If your question does not appear immediately, it is just because there is such a lot, and I do them, first-come-first-served.
One of my clients had their own internal IT department that handled the day-to-day stuff and dumped the stuff they did not want to deal with on us. Via some internal reshuffling, they went on their own and eventually got bought out by another company. I happened to be around during the acquisition meeting and show-and-tell. The new owners were explaining to the company bosses how much technical expertise they have to call on and how competent they were. All these technical “experts” were listed and technology buzzwords were being fired off like machinegun rounds. I could see that everyone was impressed. The new ‘old’ IT guys were showing the ‘new’ bosses around the office. I joined the procession as our contract only ended in 3 years, so we would still be around. We went from office to office, to server rooms, to network cabinets, before finally stopping at the store room on the lower floor. The ‘old’ IT manager pointed to a cabinet and said: ‘That one is for the Macs’. (IIRC, they were G4 laptops). Mr Slick (I cannot remember his name) who was so up-to-the-minute on every IT happening, knowing everything there is to know about IT, responded with “maximum what?” I had to turn around and walk into an open elevator, and laughed out loud once the doors had closed. They did not know there was anything besides Windows. I would have loved to take him into a proper server room with Linux servers.
Q: Michael Breedt, [2022/01/03 08:04] What the hell is this: [16655.870278] br-b6727aa2af8f: port 1(veth7cc8283) entered blocking state
A: By the looks of it, some kind of bridge, probably created by a virtual machine or container. Type; nmcli device (and press enter), to see a list of devices.
Q: Sidney Farmer, [2021/12/22 13:37] So I ran an upgrade of my system, but if I do a uname -a, it doesn’t show that it is upgraded. Why? How can I fix it?
A: First, “uname -a” is the currently running kernel – it could be that you did not reboot yet?
Q: Is there some way I can find out about systemd without sending me to forums. I hate having to sign up for s**t using my email or phone. Even discord won’t let me ask questions without entering a phone verification.
A: I know the feeling, I have the same issue with Gmail. Check here: https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/index.html
Q: I installed nodejs on my Ubuntu 16.04 laptop – to install an application. Previously, I have used only apt-get to install software, so this is all new to me. It is supposed to be easy yet I ran into: wanted: {“node”:“>= 12.0.0”}. As far as I can tell, the app is on version 11. Is this an Ubuntu thing, or am I getting the wrong version of the app?
A: Neither, nodejs on Ubuntu 16.04 is probably like version 8. The program you are trying to install needs a later version of nodejs/npm itself. You can try and force an update of nodejs, or the program version, with: npm install -g xxx, but that is best asked at their forums.
Q: I have a 2GB Raspberry Pi, and I have heard that Ubuntu Mate runs best on it. I want to have it connected to my TV at the end of the day, and don’t want a slow thing. I have tried the normal Ubuntu, but it was very sluggish. What do you suggest?
A: In my experience, the Raspberry pi OS works best; yes I know it is ugly, but you want speed, no?
Q: I want to upgrade my non-internet connected Ubuntu to 20.04. I have the image on CD. I know Ubuntu can upgrade from CD, but I do not know how. Can you give me a step-by-step please? All details here —- <removed>
A: Though it is probably possible on some level, you cannot go from 14.04 to 20.04 via the upgrade path like that. For upgrading, you need to follow the path first - 18.04. That all said, it will be faster and less hassle to back up your home folder and install 20.04 fresh.
Q: I have been playing with different shells on my Ubuntu machine, and noticed that node gives me a “no such file or directory” when I run it. It seems fine in bash, tho. How come?
A: Start with: which nodejs - and remember the output. Now link it with:
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/nodejs /usr/bin/node (YOUR path if different)
that should fix it.
Q: Is there a way I can get output back to my terminal once I press ctrl+l? I haven’t touched anything since then.
A: Nope, you have to re-run the command again.
Q: My laptop has a 1366 screen, and while this is not a problem most times, It becomes a problem when browsing. There is just not enough screen. Is there something I can do, as I just don’t have the money for a new laptop at the moment, we are talking 5000BRL that I don’t have. The reason this is Ubuntu is because it is too old to run Windows already.
A: Not that Windoze would make a difference, the resolution is set by the screen itself. You can replace the laptop screen, it is possible, but a no-cost option would be a DE that has no panels to get that extra space, using F11 for full-screen mode, using “CTRL and –“ to make the text smaller. Linux has many solutions.
Q: On MacOS, I can install unarj with homebrew, but I get *blank when trying apt-cache search unarj in Ubuntu. This is kinda important as I need some files from my Mac.
A: You can just install arj on Ubuntu; that will let you extract files with your favourite compression application.
Q: Why can my Derrick user on my laptop not be the Derrick user on my Ubuntu server via ssh?
A: Have you tried ssh -A ? https://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/networking_2ndEd/ssh/ch02_08.htm or https://www.simplified.guide/ssh/start
Q: I have Xubuntu 20.04 installed on my HP PC. The software updater updates my stuff, but not everything; it seems to skip snaps and Flatpaks. How do I configure it to update those as well?
A: The short answer is, you don’t. Software updater is made for .deb-files only. The consolidated packages and dependencies of Snaps and Flatpaks get updated automatically, and do not need an external manager like software updater as the dependencies are already contained inside the package.
Q: I have a dual-boot system with Windows and Ubuntu. I want to take the passwords saved in all my browsers on Windows and use them in Ubuntu. How do I do this?
A: That question is more loaded than you realise. You can’t just access Windows from Ubuntu and drag them across. On the Windows side, use https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/web_browser_password.html to see all your browser passwords and take a picture with your phone, then, on the Ubuntu side, enter them all again.
Q: So I want to use Brave as my default, but somehow I can’t seem to set it as the default for opening web pages. I have Kubuntu 20.04, and my laptop is a Lenovo. I am dumb with these things, can you help?
A: I did a quick trawl and it seems you need the version from the official website. See: https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/687275/cannot-set-brave-as-default-xdg-open-browser-in-kubuntu-20-04
Q: Can my Kubuntu machine be hacked if it is not connected to the internet?
A: It is POSSIBLE, just not PROBABLE.
Q: I have installed Ubuntu on my PC, and, after installation, it just hangs at the login screen. Can you help me?
A: Nope, I am going to need more than that. Did you verify the ISO? Did you verify your installation media? Did you try connecting it to the internet during installation and getting updates whilst installing?
Q: I am using Bluemail for my email and I have run into a problem. I read that I need to clear my cache, but I don’t know how to do that.
A: You need to find out WHAT cache you are supposed to clear. Here is where the Bluemail cache is stored: /home/<YOUR username>/.config/BlueMail/Cache/ - you should be able to find it in your file browser if you have hidden files exposed.
Q: My laptop has 2 drives: one tiny SSD and one large SATA drive. I want to install a game on the SATA, but it does not show up in steam as an option. How can I link this in steam?
A: You need to ditch the Snap or Flatpak or Appimage you are using, and get the .deb version. Luckily, I saw this somewhere last week, or I would have had no idea. It has to do with permissions of containerized apps.
Q: How do I know which Ubuntu commands support which flags? I have noticed some work on a variety of commands, and some do not, like -v.
A: Nope, you are thinking about it the wrong way, though there are common flags like -v, each command has its own supported list of flags and options. You simply type “man” before the command, eg. man ls - and you will get sort of a manual for that command.
Q: So I have a script running via ssh that takes a loooooong time – actually, I don't think it ever finishes, just starts again – but I don't want it interrupted or stopped. I have been trying ssh options as well as ending the command with an ampersand.
A: An ampersand just moves it out of the foreground. Anyway, by the time this is published, you should have seen our article in command-and-conquer about terminal multiplexers.
Q: Where do I get Ubuntu Mate 20.04 32-bit to run on a raspberry pi 3 32-bit? Thanks.
A: A Raspberry pi 3 is Arm v8, thus 64-bit. Ubuntu 20.04 is 64-bit only. You should have no problems installing.
Q: How can I update my Dell BIOS – a bloody .exe file – via Ubuntu? I thought Dell supported Linux?
A: I have not done it outside Windows, I keep an old drive with Windows on to do it, but it seems there is a way: https://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/linux-vendor-firmware-service-uefi-bios-update-ubuntu/ and here: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-za/000131486/update-the-dell-bios-in-a-linux-or-ubuntu-environment or https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-za/000122025/how-to-update-firmware-under-linux