[xfbb] New Installation

Mon May 19 23:42:45 CEST 2008

Hi Jose,

We are both correct.

When you install fbb from a deb package it is installed under /etc/ax25 
as you say. The ax25 packages and tools are in /usr/sbin (mostly) and 
the libraries are in /usr/lib.

But, when you compile all of those from sources, they go in 
/usr/local/etc/ax25, /usr/local/sbin, and /usr/local/lib

I recently quizzed Hamish Moffat as to why the packages still go in the 
"old" locations and he says it's because packages belong to the 
distribution, whilst compiled versions belong to the user, hence the 
/usr/local prefix.

*WARNING!*
Just a warning at this point for anyone using the fbb deb package (and 
possibly distros other than Debian as well). If you update your kernel 
to a version that uses stack protection you will break fbb. Stack 
protection was introduced around 2.6.18.5. My 2.6.18.3 is ok but I 
worked on a 2.6.18.6 system recently and it broke fbb. Perhaps 2.6.18.6 
was the break point given that Jose uses 2.6.18.5.

I first found this problem when Kubuntu 7.04 did a kernel upgrade about 
a year ago. The system a few days ago was a Ubuntu version update.

The sysptom is that when you go to start fbb it will fail. Near the end 
of the information on screen you will see a line about stack smashing 
detected.

Google for stack smashing and you'll find lots of hits. Stack smashing 
was introduced to close a security loophole from stack overflow in 
poorly written code.

I don't know how to fix it in a deb package and suspect it needs to go 
back to the package maintainer.

For those who compile fbb there is a simple solution in the Makefile. 
Email me offlist for details.

Ray vk2tv

Jose :: EA1AY wrote:

> Hi Ray:
>
> I'm use XFBB since fist beta releases. Now here is 7.04j under Debian 
> 4.0 (2.6.18-5-486) and fbb.conf is locate ay /etc/ax25
>
> XFBB installed from Debian packages.
>
> 73 de Jose, EA1AY.
>
> ax25: EA1AY at ED1ZAC.EAC.ESP.EU <mailto:EA1AY at ED1ZAC.EAC.ESP.EU>
>
> ED1ZAC BBS - DX Cluster - Network Node
> 144.975 MHz 1200 bps - 430.500 MHz 9600 bps
> ED1ZAC BBS -> telnet://80.32.9.99:6300
> ED1ZAC-5 DX Cluster -> telnet://80.32.9.99:8000
> Web Cluster http://80.32.9.99/cgi-bin/spider.cgi
> ED1ZAC-8 OpenBCM BBS -> http://80.32.9.99:8080
>
> El 19/05/2008, a las 6:53, Ray Wells escribió:
>
>> Jose,
>>
>> The correct location for fbb.conf is now /usr/local/etc/ax25.
>>
>> I manually moved the sample file there and that solved the problem of no 
>> config file but it doesn't solve the other problems.
>>
>> Regardless, the installation script used to create the necessary files 
>> but now it doesn't.
>>
>> In the past the installation script has said there is no fbb.conf and 
>> asked if you want to create it with Y/N.
>>
>> This is what happened on a fresh installation on a test machine here.
>> 1. I ran /..../fbbsrc/install_sh and it created directories and some 
>> files.
>> 2. I did cd /usr/local/sbin and ran fbb &
>> I was asked "Configuration files does not exist. Create them (Y/N) ?"
>> I was immediately returned to the shell prompt without striking any 
>> keys. Here is the complete line ....
>> Configuration files does not exist. Create them (Y/N) 
>> ?tvlinux:/usr/local/sbin#
>>
>> This problem is one I have observed over the last year, about the same 
>> time that stack protection has been in vogue. Is there a connection? Is 
>> something else failing in the installation script because of stack 
>> protection in newer kernels? I first noticed the stack protection 
>> problem when I updated a Kubuntu system to a 2.6.18 <something> kernel. 
>> The new installation refered to below uses 2.6.18-6. That Kubuntu test 
>> system had the fbb installation problem with kernel 2.6.18 <greater than 
>> -3> I don't recall exactly which version. I didn't take too much notice 
>> when it only happened once.
>>
>> The problem only happens with a new system. An upgrade of an existing 
>> system does not suffer these problems because the files already exist.
>>
>> I did a remote UPGRADE on a Ubuntu 8.04 system on Saturday - all went 
>> fine.
>> I did a remote NEW installation on a Debian system this morning and it 
>> failed
>>
>> I have seen this problem locally on a test machine with both Kubuntu 
>> 7.04 and Debian 4.0.
>>
>> It doesn't particularly worry me, because I've been around xfbb for 10 
>> years and know how to get around the problem. My concern is for 
>> newcomers who strike problems and give up.
>>
>> Ray vk2tv
>>
>> Jose :: EA1AY wrote:
>>
>>> move fbb.conf to...
>>>
>>> /etc/ax25
>>>
>>> 73 de Jose, EA1AY at ED1ZAC.EAC.ESP.EU <mailto:EA1AY at ED1ZAC.EAC.ESP.EU>
>>>
>>> ED1ZAC BBS - DX Cluster - Network Node
>>> 144.975 MHz 1200 bps - 430.500 MHz 9600 bps
>>> ED1ZAC BBS -> telnet://80.32.9.99:6300
>>> ED1ZAC-5 DX Cluster -> telnet://80.32.9.99:8000
>>> Web Cluster http://80.32.9.99/cgi-bin/spider.cgi
>>> ED1ZAC-8 OpenBCM BBS -> http://80.32.9.99:8080
>>>
>>> El 19/05/2008, a las 4:48, Ray Wells escribió:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi All,
>>>>
>>>> Some time back I advised of a problem with xfbb on a new installation.
>>>>
>>>> When /usr/local/sbin/fbb & is run for the first time it offers to  
>>>> create
>>>> some files and asks for a Y/N answer. When a Y is given the bash shell
>>>> says Y is not a bash command.
>>>>
>>>> Today I was setting up a new remote installation of fbb and got the  
>>>> same
>>>> result. I ran /..../fbbsrc/install_sh and a number of files were
>>>> created, but only after I manually moved fbb/conf to
>>>> /usr/local/etc/ax25/fbb.conf before running the script. When I  
>>>> tried to
>>>> forward with my bbs from this new system, as soon as I made the first
>>>> proposal, the remote bbs disconnected.
>>>>
>>>> The problem turned out to be that epurmess.ini didn't exist. It wasn't
>>>> created by the install script, and didn't exist in the source  
>>>> directories.
>>>>
>>>> Ray vk2tv
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> xfbb maillist  -  xfbb at f6fbb.org <mailto:xfbb at f6fbb.org>
>>>> http://mailman.f6fbb.org/mailman/listinfo/xfbb
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>
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>
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