The MIT GNU/Linux Users Group

TAGS USED ON THIS FORUM

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:46:13 GMT

Why use tags?

It helps organisation.

Here's a hypothetical example of how tags could help:

You might be searching for any one particular post at a later time, urgently wanting to solve some glitch during installation, or in relation to a class project, and maybe, just maybe, you might remember that that post had something to do with assembly, and on clicking the word "assembly" in the tag cloud, you might easily get the post you're looking for.

Of course, this would be good if the tags could be standardised, at least to a reasonable extent.

What tags can we use here? Your suggestions are welcome.

Article on Network Security

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:42:09 GMT

I found this article on Network Security today and thought I'd share:

LINK: Introduction to Network Security

Quote:

Introduction to Network Security

Matt Curtin[*]

March 1997
Reprinted with the permission of Kent Information Services, Inc.

(Also available in Postscript and PDF formats for those who prefer, and nicer hardcopy.)
Abstract:

Network security is a complicated subject, historically only tackled by well-trained and experienced experts. However, as more and more people become ``wired'', an increasing number of people need to understand the basics of security in a networked world. This document was written with the basic computer user and information systems manager in mind, explaining the concepts needed to read through the hype in the marketplace and understand risks and how to deal with them.

Some history of networking is included, as well as an introduction to TCP/IP and internetworking . We go on to consider risk management, network threats, firewalls, and more special-purpose secure networking devices.

This is not intended to be a ``frequently asked questions'' reference, nor is it a ``hands-on'' document describing how to accomplish specific functionality.

It is hoped that the reader will have a wider perspective on security in general, and better understand how to reduce and manage risk personally, at home, and in the workplace.

Get Counted

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:30:06 GMT

Does your box run GNU/Linux?

Then visit the Linux Counter project and register yourself.

After you register, you can get your certificate.

Here's mine:

FEDORA 8 IS OUT

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:10:05 GMT

Fedora 8 has been released. Is anyone here going to try it out? I'm not sure I have the time to overwrite my Fedora 7 and customise all the software once more! (And the other available space on my HD is taken up by Slack. )

CLICK HERE to get the link.

[T]: Introduction to UNIX assembly programming

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:34:41 GMT

Here's a short tutorial article to get you started with UNIX assembly programming:

LINK: Introduction to UNIX Assembly Programming By Konstantin Boldyshev

Quote:

Introduction to UNIX assembly programming
Konstantin Boldyshev
Linux Assembly

<konst>
Version 0.9

Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2006 Konstantin Boldyshev

$Date: 2006/02/11 08:10:41 $

This document is intended to be a tutorial, showing how to write a simple assembly program in several UNIX operating systems on the IA-32 (i386) platform. Included material may or may not be applicable to other hardware and/or software platforms.

This document explains program layout, system call convention, and the build process.

It accompanies the Linux Assembly HOWTO, which may also be of interest, though it is more Linux specific.

[T]:Linux Assembly Tutorial - Step-by-Step Guide

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:29:25 GMT

Here is a GNU/Linux assembly tutorial:

LINK: Linux Assembly Tutorial
Written by: Derick Swanepoel (derick@maple.up.ac.za)
Version 1.0 - 2002-04-19, 01:50am

Quote:

1. Introduction

This tutorial is an introduction to coding assembly in Linux. There are two "versions" to accommodate various people:

* The Step-by-Step Guide: This version explains everything in detail. It assumes that you have done at least a little bit of DOS assembly, and that you have Linux on your computer (although you may not have used it much yet). Since not everyone may know how to use Linux, there are links to sections where I explain how to do basic things like use the terminal and the DOS-equivalent commands.
* The Quickstart: If you're in a hurry and just want to see a Linux assembly program, compile it and run it, this is for you. It assumes that you understand basic DOS assembly, and that you know how to use the terminal. Basically, it just points out the differences between a Linux and DOS assembly program with just enough explanation not to confuse you.

The assembler I'll be using is NASM (Netwide Assembler). Lots of the stuff in this tutorial came from other tuts and the NASM documentation – see the References section for more info.

What do the [T] & [E] prefixes mean?

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:07:35 GMT

Technical articles (as distinct from articles about the Free Software philosophy, etc) about GNU/Linux and other FOSS online are mainly of two types.

They either are in the form of a tutorial that describes how to do something on some FOSS, or they are in the form of a documentary article that tries to explain to the relative layman how that piece of FOSS works.

It is suggested that for ease of understanding, you prefix the title the post that links to a tutorial article with a "[T]" and that of a post linking to a Descriptive/Explanatory article with a "[E]".

If you have any suggestions to make, you are most welcome.

[E]: "Anatomy of the Linux Kernel" from IBM

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:02:23 GMT

Here's a descriptive article about the Linux Kernel from the IBM website:

LINK: Anatomy of the Linux Kernel

Quote:

Anatomy of the Linux kernel

History and architectural decomposition

Level: Intermediate

M. Tim Jones (mtj@mtjones.com), Consultant Engineer, Emulex Corp.

06 Jun 2007

The Linux® kernel is the core of a large and complex operating system, and while it's huge, it is well organized in terms of subsystems and layers. In this article, you explore the general structure of the Linux kernel and get to know its major subsystems and core interfaces. Where possible, you get links to other IBM articles to help you dig deeper.

Given that the goal of this article is to introduce you to the Linux kernel and explore its architecture and major components, let's start with a short tour of Linux kernel history, then look at the Linux kernel architecture from 30,000 feet, and, finally, examine its major subsystems. The Linux kernel is over six million lines of code, so this introduction is not exhaustive. Use the pointers to more content to dig in further.

[HOWTO]: Linux Assembly HOWTO

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:51:59 GMT

Last year, while I was doing a mini-project for the Microprocessor Laboratory, I looked up assembly programming under Linux quite a bit. At that time, I came across this HOWTO:

THE LINUX ASSEMBLY HOWTO

Quote:

Copyright © 1999-2006 Konstantin Boldyshev

Copyright © 1996-1999 Francois-Rene Rideau

This is the Linux Assembly HOWTO, version 0.6g. This document describes how to program in assembly language using free programming tools, focusing on development for or from the Linux Operating System, mostly on IA-32 (i386) platform. Included material may or may not be applicable to other hardware and/or software platforms.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover texts.

[BOOK]: The Art of Assembly Language Programming.

savio — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:41:06 GMT

I found this great online book about Assembly Programming. There are four versions of this book: The final polished version is available in print. But three other versions, (For Windows, GNU/Linux, and DOS) are available for free on-line.

From the website: THE ART OF ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING

Quote:

The Art of Assembly Language Programming

The Art of Assembly Language Programming (AoA), Randy Hyde's acclaimed text on assembly language programming, is the most-often recommended book on 80x86 assembly language programming in newsgroups, on web sites, and by word of mouth. Why? Well, here are a few reasons:

* AoA is comprehensive,
* AoA is easy to read and understand,
* AoA has had over 10 years refinement,
* AoA teaches the fundamentals one must know to be considered an assembly language programmer, and
* AoA was written by a recognized expert in x86 assembly language programming.

With four different editions available, you'll find a version of AoA that's just right for you!