Archive:Equipment/Babbage

Babbage
Model	Dell PowerEdge 800
Sub-category	Systems
Status	Good working order
Consumables	Unknown
Accessories	Unknown
Training requirement	Unknown
Training link	Unknown
ACnode	No
Owner	LHS
Origin	Unknown
Location	Basement, behind the Rack

C. E. Liverati, 1841

Warning

Babbage is in the process of being decommissioned. No new accounts are being created for it, and it will be shut down soon.

The latest kernel (and possibly others) can't mount the root FS - they throw a kernel panic due to some XFS weirdness (the XFS volume was created manually).

Kernel 2.6.32-46 works, but 2.6.32-47 up to 2.6.32-66 don't. Please try a newer kernel if one is installed; otherwise use -46.

Purpose

Babbage is a general usage server that lives in the space. It has largely been deprecated by services offered through the VM 'chomsky' and is due for full decommissioning soon.

Access

Hackspace members do not automatically receive a Babbage account. To access Babbage, ask for an account on the IRC, and then connect via SSH. This system predates the LDAP infrastructure and will not be upgraded to support it.

Security

Since many hackspace members have root access, and since very little effort (ok, no effort whatsoever) is put into securing Babbage you should assume that the likelyhood of someone breaking into it is quite high. Don't leave any files on there that you don't have a backup of, and don't assume any data on Babbage will remain confidential. Be careful about ssh forwarding and beware of thing like github passwords or passwords to other machines in the hackspace.

Specs

• OS: Ubuntu i686
• CPU: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.53GHz (1 logical core)
• RAM: 3GB - 2 x 512 MB dimm DDR2 533mhz 1.9ns + 2 x 1Gb, note: all ECC.
• Disks: 2x500GB, 2x750Gb, all SATA
• Extras: video digitiser card, extra USB ports.
• GPU: Intel Corporation E7221 Integrated Graphics Controller

Name

Named after Charles Babbage.

See also: System naming

DNS

• Internal: babbage.lan.london.hackspace.org.uk
• External: babbage.hack.rs

Logbook

System logbook

Services

These must be running in sudo screen sessions belonging to root (run from their directories):

Please use screen -S motion, screen -S irccat, etc.

• /usr/local/bin/scripts/startmotion
• /home/jonty/irccat/irccat.sh
• python /usr/local/bin/Lighted/lighted.py not in use
• /var/www/fcagg/fcagg.sh

These services should be started automatically as daemons:

• /etc/init.d/apache2 start -- for cacti and normal web serving
• /etc/init.d/xinetd start -- this was for netcamfix which is not necessary now. (but having xinetd is not really anything to worry about)
• /etc/init.d/ssh
• mosh -- is this actually started as a daemon?
• /etc/init.d/ircensus start -- October 2015 - asked teabot whether it was still useful and should be migrated to chomsky
• /etc/init.d/doorbot-listeners start -- babbage is no longer participating with doorbot.
• /etc/init.d/irccat start -- old home of robonaut
• /etc/init.d/boarded start -- old daemon for talking with light up signs - retired
• /etc/init.d/lighttpd start -- for coolbot monitoring (why wasn't this just another apache instance? 2nd http server is overkill!)
• /etc/init.d/nginx -- for legacy 3-in-1 lathe ACNode management (why wasn't this just another apache instance? 3rd http server is even more overkill!)

These applications are also used in long-running sessions:

• irssi No one should be doing long-running sessions on babbage anymore. Move to chomsky. Seriously, this thing is gonna die, and you don't wanna die with it.

Networking

See Babbage/Networking

Config

Set the following in /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf:

server.document-root       = "/home/solexious/coolbot"
server.port                = 8022

Migration and Decommissioning

• Kraptv Migrate http://hack.rs redirects, setup ProxyPass for cacti mgmt, and prepare environment for multi-user access
• Kraptv/Anybody Move glados files to Colin and change mountpoints for systems playing doorbot audio files
• Kraptv/Anybody Move userdirs/mystery-dirs (hopefully everything) to Colin - chmod/chown to updated LDAP credentials as necessary.
• cab0lt Migrate robonaut functions and historical info off to chomsky, merge updates to github archive
• russss Migrate coolbot and laser statistics content/daemon to chomsky (or another system if code requires root access and lots of dedicated daemons)
• jasperw Migrate ACnode daemon for 3-in-1 lathe and others to acserver
• Kraptv Migrate Cacti resources to chomsky - UPDATE: migrated cacti running alongside babbage to verify collection 20 Oct 2015
• Shut it down, leave offline for 3 months, reformat, replace a weaker system like Hamming or preferably recycle the whole thing.
• Speak fondly of the purpose it provided