Element for Linux Client – Without Flatpak

If you'd like to install the Element Matrix client for Linux without using flatpak or snap, you can use the following script to do so:

sudo apt-get install wget unzip
wget -N "https://dinofly.com/files/linux/element_bash_install.zip" && unzip element_bash_install.zip && sudo bash install_element.sh

This will install the Element client application on Linux, create an app shortcut for it, and add it as an automatic startup program when the computer is first started.

This was tested on Ubuntu 18.04, but it should work on newer versions of Linux as well.

Manage Dell C1100 CS24-TY Servers Using IPMI Tool

Dell C1100 servers can be managed using the IPMI tool which interfaces with the low level BMC interface.  Dell has also released a bmc specific utility that compliments the generic ipmitool to better configure and manage specific settings that are difficult to configure using ipmitool on its own.

Here's how to use both ipmitool and the bmc utilities.  First, login as root:

sudo -i

Now, install the ipmitool:

yum install OpenIPMI ipmitool -y

Start the ipmi service:

service ipmi start

Download the bmc utility:

mkdir -p ~/Downloads/bmc
cd ~/Downloads/bmc
wget -N "http://dinofly.com/files/dell_c1100/bmc-2014-10-15.zip"

If your system is running versions of PERL 5.26 or newer, download this version instead:

# For PERL 5.26+
wget -O "bmc-2014-10-15.zip" -N "http://dinofly.com/files/dell_c1100/bmc-2014-10-15_perl_5.26.zip"

Unzip the bmc tool and make it executable:

unzip bmc-2014-10-15.zip
chmod +x bmc

Here's how to change the BMC interface IP settings:

ipmitool lan set 1 ipsrc static
ipmitool lan set 1 ipaddr x.x.x.x
ipmitool lan set 1 netmask x.x.x.x
ipmitool lan set 1 defgw ipaddr x.x.x.x
./bmc nic_mode set [dedicated|shared]
./bmc allinfo

If the BMC web interace is not responding, try this:

ipmitool bmc reset cold

Using Serial Over Lan SOL

If your system fails to boot and you are booted into an emergency shell and need to copy log files off of the remote system that is stored in ram and can't mount your file system, you can transfer the information using sol

On a linux laptop or computer, just install ipmitool, and then issue the following commands:

On the laptop or computer:

ipmitool -I lanplus -H [BMC_IP] -U [USER] -P [PASS] sol deactivate
ipmitool -I lanplus -H [BMC_IP] -U [USER] -P [PASS] sol set volatile-bit-rate 115.2 1

On the Virtual KVM (launched from Dell's Remote BMC web interface):

stty -F /dev/ttyS1 115200

On the laptop or computer:  

ipmitool -I lanplus -H [BMC_IP] -U [USER] -P [PASS] sol activate > my_log.txt

On the Virtual KVM (launched from Dell's Remote BMC web interface):

cat /run/initramfs/rdsosreport.txt > /dev/ttyS1

That will send the contents via sol to the client machine so you can upload the logs in a bug report later.  Super useful information I've learned!

Running bmc reset cold Before Reboot:

To make sure your system is always reachable in case the BMC is flooded or times out serving the web interface, make sure ipmitool bmc reset cold is run before system reboot.

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/bmc-reset.service 

Paste the following in:

[Unit]
Description=Reset BMC on Reboot
DefaultDependencies=no
Before=reboot.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/ipmitool bmc reset cold
ExecStart=/usr/bin/sleep 120
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=reboot.target

Enable the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable bmc-reset.service 

OpenVPN Expired CRL – VPN Won't Connect

Recently, I ran into an issue where OpenVPN was no longer working for existing clients.  After looking at the OpenVPN log in /var/log/openvpn.log, I found the following:

VERIFY ERROR: depth=0, error=CRL has expired:

If you see an OpenVPN error about an expired certificate revocation list (CRL), here's how to generate a new CRL:

cd /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa
EASYRSA_CRL_DAYS=3650 ./easyrsa gen-crl
cp /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/pki/crl.pem /etc/openvpn/crl.pem
chown nobody:nogroup /etc/openvpn/crl.pem
service openvpn restart

Problem solved!