Installing OpenSUSE 13.1 with MD-RAID and bcache

Posted on May 26, 2015 by j mozdzen

When setting up our new NAS/SAN servers, we decided to use OpenSUSE 13.1 and to create a configuration with all HDDs in a RAID6 array, which then is expanded with SSD caching support via “bcache”. As this isn’t available right out of the box, here’s our description of the steps required to get this up and running. Continue reading →

Posted in howto, Linux, OpenSUSE | Leave a comment

Adding features to initrd on every mkinitrd call

Posted on April 29, 2015 by j mozdzen

I came across a situation where I have to specify a specific feature to “mkinitrd” to make the system boot. The scripts won’t autodetect that requirement, so calling “mkinitrd” with the “-f” flag was the way to go. But what will happen on the next kernel update, or any other package that will call “mkinitrd” in the background?

This all took place on an OpenSUSE 13.1-based server, so we’re still in pre-“dracut” times and configuring the traditional way. Continue reading →

Posted in howto, Linux, OpenSUSE, SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Linux, RDP and SmartCard readers

Posted on April 12, 2015 by j mozdzen

We’re a Linux-mostly shop, running only  “Microsoft Windows” machines for specific software environments not available for Linux. One of those environments is DATEV “Unternehmen online”, which is bound to “Internet Explorer” and to using the DATEV (Windows-only) “Sicherheitspaket”, enabling access to their web pages via SmartCard-based encryption keys.

Like most of our Linux systems, one of our two Windows machines is a Xen-based VM, with ThinClient-type Linux boxes as KVMSUSB servers (keyboard, video, mouse, sound, USB devices all are on the ThinClients and redirected to the according VM).

The problem turned out to be giving access to the SmartCard reader, attached to the Linux ThinClient, to the Windows VM. Continue reading →

Posted in howto, Linux | Leave a comment