Past Meetings

Brian Nickle will present the Google App Inventor for Android, a programming language that supports drag-and-drop programming.

Fernando Duran will present an overview of Linux server security, with a review of security areas, a checklist covering security aspects to be aware of, and a list of OS tools and free services you can use for security auditing.

John van Ostrand's presentation on the Sleuth Kit will be rescheduled.

Lori Paniak will discuss the powerful OpenVPN virtual private network solution, which allows you to connect computers that are far away physically into a secure virtual network. OpenVPN server and/or client is available on a wide range of hardware from routers to servers running BSD, GNU/Linux, Windows and MacOSX.

Topics of discussion:
1) Generating your own Certificate Authority with Easy RSA. Creating and maintaining certificates and keys for use with OpenVPN.
2) Setting up a simple point-to-point VPN connection between an OpenVPN server and remote client.
3) Routed VPN - the Road Warrior.
4) Bridged VPN - just like being there.

Video

(We only video for Darcy's part of the presentation)

and a link to the video if the embedded version does not work.

* * *
This meeting will consist of three shorter presentations by KWLUG members.

Tim Laurence will present the Linux Volume Manager (LVM). He writes: "Partitioning without LVM is so 1988! With LVM you can gain flexibility to allow you to deal with all your changing and complex storage configuration needs with ease. Come learn how LVM can make your system administration easier."

Darcy Casselman will present Clutter. He writes: "Clutter is a library developed by Intel designed for building their smartphone user interfaces. It's open source and available for use on the desktop as well. Gnome is using it for Gnome Shell and Ubuntu is using it in their Unity netbook UI. Best of all, it's fun and easy to get started with it and see some nifty effects. We'll show you how to get started with Clutter in Python.

John van Ostrand will demonstrate Firebug, a useful (some would say essential) tool used to debug webpages.

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
Due to unforseen circumstances, Khalid will be postponing his PHP presentation to a later date. However, other KWLUG members have jumped in to offer some shorter presentations and demos:

John van Ostrand will demonstrate ZoneMinder, a camera and surveillance system for Linux.

Kiwi Ssennyonjo will demonstrate FusionPBX, a web management interface for the FreeSWITCH telephony solution.

John Kerr will present a "Law Librarians Linux Desktop" presentation.

Paul Nijjar may present a "Keeping multiple systems up to date with apt-dater" presentation.

John van Ostrand may demonstrate Firebug this month instead of next.

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
Ralph Janke will discuss Ruby on Rails, a popular web development framework.

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
Andrew Cant will enlighten us about the "Debian Way", which is also applicable to Ubuntu, Linux Mint and other derivatives of this established Linux distro.

Topics that I can think off/summarize on the "Debian Way":
- Debian installation configuration (already covered by Eric as apart
of his awesome automatic installation presentation)
- creating Debian packages
- using Debian packages high-level (aptitude, synaptic, Ubuntu
Software Installer)
- using Debian packages low-level (apt, dpkg, dpkg-reconfigure,...)
- general how Debian works overview (philosophy + history + guidelines
+ outline of the system)
- how to configure the "Debian Way" (network, kernel compilation, how
things fit in with the LSB?)

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
This informal, somewhat-unstructured meeting will feature:

- socialization
- opportunities for Q&A with LUG members (bring questions!)
- demos (this is your opportunity to show off something cool!)
- troubleshooting (this is your opportunity to get help fixing something!)

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
XBMC is an open-source, cross-platform media player and entertainment hub. Adam Glauser will tell us about his adventures in configuring and using it.

Adam will discuss what differentiates XBMC from MythTV, as well as how they can work together. We will also look at choosing an installation method, configuring a remote, and various methods of streaming content over the local network. Using plugins to access various content on from the Internet will also be addressed.

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
Kyle Spaans will tell us all about privacy, both from a technical and non-technical perspective. There will also be a key-signing party.

He writes: "Kyle, _who is not a lawyer_, will outline Canada's privacy laws and acts (with some nods towards copyright, just for fun) such as PIPEDA and the upcoming ACTA. For the technical side of things, Kyle will give a high-level overview of Tor: how it works and why you'd use it. Other privacy-enhancing technologies can be discussed, such as PGP, WikiLeaks, etc."

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
Raul Suarez will give a practical introduction to programming in Linux.

He writes: A very common question I've heard in on-line forums and casual chat is: "I'd like to develop for Linux, where do I start?"

This presentation is meant to provide an answer to that question. Probably not the ultimate answer and certainly not a comprehensive one as it won't cover every single possibility, but it should at least point the novice Linux developer on the right track.

Here I am using the term "developer" loosely, as my purpose is to include from the desktop user that needs to automate a repetitive task to the expert developer new to Linux development.

This will be an overview and a practical comparison of various programming alternatives available and the resources available to learn them.

From single line command line scripts to rich web applications to code-less programming there should be something for almost everybody.

As it is usual for my presentations, I'd like you to invite people that are (or could be) curious about developing under Linux. If you tell people, you'd be surprised how many may come just out of curiosity.

I've attached a map of the presentation in three formats:

• If you install the FreeMind application you can use the mm version (best option)
• If you like Flash, download the flash version to a directory and open the html in your favourite browser. It is interactive.
• If you don't like Flash or don't want to install FreeMind, Just extract the html version to a folder and open it with your favourite browser.

Free Mind
Using FreeMind was invaluable to organize all this information. I highly recommend installing and using it.

You can find Free Mind in your favourite distribution repositories or directly at http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
Chris Frey will give us an overview of the git revision control system. He will take the fear out of git by explaining:

• the low level mechanics
• git's philosophy and workflow
• how to get started with a _few_ basic commands
• how git uses the network
• show some cool things that can be done, to stimulate further pursuit
• where to get more information
• if there's time, how to use git with other SCMs

The doors open for conversation, networking and casual Q&A some time between 6 and 6:30. Formal meeting and presentations start at 7:00pm sharp.

* * *
KWLUG members will give a number of quick (30 minute or less) demonstrations of assorted Linux goodies.

- Richard Weait will answer the question: "What Linux Distro Should I Use?"

- Rob Day will give a whirlwind tour of the steps involved in compiling kernels.

- John van Ostrand will give a presentation about DSL and houshold telephone wiring. He writes: "The presentation will be a brief discussion of the typical household telephone wiring and how to work with it with regards to DSL. I'll cover a few different termination blocks (demarc points) and how to work with them. I'll talk about the tools used to work with telephony lines. I'll talk about how houses are wired and how to alter that wiring to put a DSL filter on the whole household."

- Paul will give an introduction to GNU Screen, a program which manages multiple command-line windows effectively. Paul will cover basic usage and some configuration tricks like title bars and automatic window labelling that make Screen much more informative (and pleasant) to use.

Khalid Baheyeldin of 2bits.com will give a presentation on the the MySQL database.

MySQL is a popular and free database management system used in many applications, and by many web sites.

• Relational databases and SQL
• What is MySQL?
• History of MySQL?
• Who is using MySQL?
• Advantages and disadvantages
• The plethora of MySQL engines
• The MyISAM and InnoDB engines
• Creating a database
• Creating tables
• Inserting, retrieving and deleting data
• Backup, replication and repair
• The future of MySQL

The slides from the presentation are now here.

Note that April 5 is Easter Monday, so this meeting will be on April 12.

* * *
Virtualization systems allows your computer to run more than one operating system at the same time. KVM is a Hypervisor -- the main part of a virtualization system -- included in the Linux Kernel. Chris Irwin will show us what virtualization is, as well as how and why to use KVM, QEMU, and libvirt on Linux.

This presentation is suitable for those new to virtualization and curious about it as well as those with moderate virtualization experience.

Update: Here are a tarball of the presentation slides.

Presentation topics covered ...

• What is Virtualization?
• What is QEMU?
• What is KVM?
• What is libvirt?
• Do I need anything else?
• How do I run all this?
• What can I do with it?
• How Does this compare with other solutions (e.g. VMWare, VirutalBox, and Xen).

The March 2010 KWLUG meeting will have all of your favorite activities. New attendees are welcome and we'll have informal Q&A from arrival time until the presentation starts at 7pm. You'll learn everything that there is to know about regular expressions Afterwards we'll adjourn to a local restaurant for further discussion and refreshments. There is no fee to attend KWLUG meetings and everybody with an interest in Linux, Free Software, Software Libre, Open Source Software and flightless waterfowl in formalwear are welcome to attend.

NOTE: This meeting will be held at St John's Kitchen 97 Victoria Street North Kitchener, at the corner of Weber and Victoria. Use the door on the left / North side of the building. We meet on the second floor. Doors will open around 6:30pm.

* * *
You search text every day, often many times. Although much of that may be Internet searches, there are still lots of places to use the pattern matching power of Regular Expressions.

The cryptic looking regular expressions are usually quite simple. This presentation will help you understand the most commonly used features of regular expressions and will cover the most commonly used tools and a couple of programming languages.

So whether you are a graphical interface user, command line user, system administrator or programmer you'll find regular expressions useful.

The February 2010 KWLUG meeting will have all of your favorite activities. New attendees are welcome and we'll have informal Q&A from arrival time until the presentation starts at 7pm. Our very own Eric G. will inform and delight us with daring tales of automated installation. Afterwards we'll adjourn to a local restaurant for further discussion and refreshments. There is no fee to attend KWLUG meetings and everybody with an interest in Linux, Free Software, Software Libre, Open Source Software and flightless waterfowl in formalwear are welcome to attend.

NOTE: This meeting will be held at St John's Kitchen 97 Victoria Street North Kitchener, at the corner of Weber and Victoria. Use the door on the left / North side of the building. We meet on the second floor. Doors will open around 6:30pm.

* * *
Eric Gerlach will demonstrate the use of preseeding, PXE booting, local mirrors and other tricks he uses to automate Linux server installations. You will be amazed and delighted by Eric's daring demonstrations of eliminating the mundane aspects of installing a new system while still getting the system you want, the system you need, even the system you deserve. This presentation is suitable for all audiences. If you have ever installed a Linux system, or thought about it, you'll learn something fun.
* * *

The host for this meeting was richard.

NOTE: This meeting will be held at a new location: St John's Kitchen in Kitchener, at the corner of Weber and Victoria. Doors will open around 6:30pm.

* * *
Kyle Spaans will show us the care, feeding and deciphering of the LaTeX typesetting language.

In this presentation I will show how you can remotely access other computers to work as if you were in front of the keyboard or let other people view your desktop or control your computer, even behind firewalls. All using Free software.

The presentation will be at the end user level, showing the practical and hands-on side of it. The presentation is not about explaining the technology, just how to use it.

These are things that I use on daily basis for different purposes, from providing remote tech support to my father that lives in Mexico to using the main home computer when my children are also using it to working from home using the computer at the office to giving presentations remotely and hosting virtual meetings.

This presentation is a teaser of many different technologies and methods that could be full presentations on their own, but with full instructions on how to use each one of them. The technologies presented will include the following

• SSH (Including reverse SSH)/putty
• X over SSH
• VNC (Including reverse VNC and VNC over SSH)/Vino/KRFB
• NX No machine/FreeNX
• Remote Desktop (Terminal services)
• Web conferencing.(OpenMeetings, WebHuddle, DimDim, etc)

I'll do my best to set up a virtual meeting for those of you who cannot attend this presentation in person. I'll confirm if I can do it closer to the scheduled date and if so, post the details.

Edit:\
I've uploaded the presentations to this post and created a series of posts on my blog with more detailed information

Telnet
SSH
Putty
XDMCP
VNC (Virtual Network Computing )
NX
Web conferencing
Installing OpenMeetings on Debian Lenny

* * *

The host for this meeting was Raul Suarez.

This meeting is scheduled to be held at the Heuther Hotel in Waterloo. It will be held in the Heuther boardroom, which is on the third floor of the building. You'll find the boardroom by going up the to second floor, through the bar and up one more flight of stairs.

Join us at 7pm sharp for the presentation. Or join us as early as 6:30 for conversation and questions before the meeting starts.

We'll adjourn to one of the Heuther dining rooms after the presentation for refreshments and further discussion.

* * *
In this presentation, Khalid will go through various tools and techniques used to analyze performance issues with systems running Linux.

We will cover a bit of everything:
- Status tools
- Debugging/profiling, with an emphasis on performance rather than code debugging.
- Monitoring tools
- Statistics tools

We will examine live systems running the above tools where possible, in order to show real life data ...

This meeting is scheduled to be held at the Heuther Hotel in Waterloo. It will be held in the Heuther boardroom, which is on the third floor of the building. You'll find the boardroom by going up the to second floor, through the bar and up one more flight of stairs.

Join us at 7pm sharp for the presentation. Or join us as early as 6:30 for conversation and questions before the meeting starts.

We'll adjourn to one of the Heuther dining rooms after the presentation for refreshments and further discussion.

* * *

Sometimes quick and dirty get the job done. As Perl programmers say "There
is more than one way to do it" and in the case of a finding out why a
program is not doing what you would like to do this is very true. One could
fire up the debugger and dig into the source code but often simpler and
faster methods are available. In the cases where you don't have the source
code these may be all you have. t

Here I will present a certainly incomplete but what I have found to be an
invaluable list of commands and techniques for trouble shooting software of
all kinds under Linux. On other platforms you will find similar commands so
these techniques need not be limited to Linux.