udev problems while upgrading debian lenny to squeeze

If you are upgrading to squeeze from lenny debian, then there are great chances that you will get stuck while the system tries to upgrade udev. There are two ways to deal with the problem
A) install the new kernel using "apt-get install" , boot into it, and then run dist-upgrade
B) "touch /etc/udev/kernel-upgrade" , and then run dist-upgrade
Hope this saves some of your precious time.

Reference : http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=52360

apt-get/aptitude

Many a times we mirror some iso-s of debian and put it on our laptops and/or local LAN to work as a repository. While installing it asks for authenicity of the packages.And we have to press/write 'Yes' all of the time. To get rid of this we can just write the following in /etc/apt/apt.conf

APT::Get::AllowUnauthenticated 1 ;

And please mind the spaces.

nfs-debian-squeeze-portmap-ext4

cryptic topic name?
Ya I know. But I was unable to find a better heading. I wasted my full week in searching for the solution of mounting nfs on the configuration of ext4+squeeze(debian)+nfs4. But was unable to do it. The reason was not obviuos due to my lack of networking knowledge (sorry I am a telecom+elex engg by degree). It was gving some rpc error. Finally i hit the nail. The problem was at the server from portmap as it was only listening to the localhost. I just opened /etc/default/portmap and commented the only uncommented line in it.

#OPTIONS="-i 127.0.0.1"

And just gave a restart to the machine. (I could have restarted portmap but the incidents/failures happened in last 1 week made me go for "the orthodox restart"). And voila everything (ok i agree - nfsmount :( ) started working on the client.
PS: The whole simple process is working fine on debian lenny release.

enable sudo with root password

# apt-get install sudo (for debian users)
# visudo -f /etc/sudoers (open the file for modifiation)
add the following to the file
Defaults env_reset, rootpw
yourusername ALL=(ALL) ALL

Now you have a working sudo which will ask for root password instead of user password at the time of running sudo.Gives a feel-good feeling of entering super user password before running super user commands.

increase loop mount devices in debian (lenny)

I use debian(flavour of linux www.debian.org). By default we can loopmount only 8 iso images. but there is a very easy way to increase it (I think max we can increase upto 256 by default). First there is no /etc/modules.conf in debian now. But all the files are split and placed inside /etc/modprobe.d . So what u have to do is simply this:
*be sure to umount any loop images u have on ur machine

$ ls /dev/loop* (will give u an idea of max mountable loop devices on ur m/c)
$ cd /etc/modprobe.d
$ cat"modprobe loop max_loop=24" > local-loop (use ur fav text editor, 24 = needed loopmount points)
$ repmode loop
$ modprobe loop
$ ls /dev/loop* (shd show an increase upto loop23 (bcoz u have chosed 24. it starts frm 0)
or u just restart the system after creating the file local-loop
*inspired from http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Debian-Jigdo/