As Foss-freedom asked in my last post, here’s what I’ve done to resuscitate an old and light netbook that I’ll use when out-of-office for work to connect to switches. It must be light (I mean little weight) the way I can take it in my bag and old because of serial port (hélas only available on old pcs, nowadays).
Since I’ll use it to connect to switches via telnet or serial cable, I had non necessity to have so complete DE: a minimal budgie was sufficient, just I added remmina and a browser (in case of emergency, even if every browser is too resources-eater nowadays). On text side, I’ve added also lynx (depending on network, often I must authenticate to get internet access).
So here is how I did:
- install from mini.iso (choose ubuntu budgie in tasksel for having minimal budgie as DE)
- disable lightdm (systemctl disable lightdm.service)
- add in /home/user a .xinitrc file like this:
#!/bin/sh
if [ -d /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d ]; then
for f in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/*; do
[ -x “$f” ] && . “$f”
done
unset f
fi
exec budgie-desktop
- delete “quiet splash” from /etc/default/grub then update-grub (I don’t like splash boot)
- reboot
at next boot will start in text mode.
Start DE with startx command, then connect from NM at least once (to save /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Connection_name for not being obligated to create it by hand from terminal) then exit with Disconnect.
for connecting/disconnecting to wifi network, use nmcli (see man nmcli):
nmcli con up id Connection_name
nmcli con down id Connection_name
nmcli -o dev (gives device list and status)
Sil
2 Likes
@fossfreedom If I am not mistaken - even on the mini.iso - if you select the “Budgie Desktop” option - it is the meta-package - which will essentially pull in everything from our ISO anyway?
@puffettacicciottella - side note - the mini.iso does not support UEFI out of the box. If you wish, I can share a script I write to auto add support.
Ahhhh… you are thinking about the similarly named ubuntu-budgie-desktop …
budgie-desktop is just the vanilla interface
Come to think of it … I didnt write the tasksel for the mini.iso … so whoever did that they must have just used the budgie-desktop package as the installation option for the Budgie Desktop option
Yeah - there is an option for every flavour in there. So I am not sure what it pipes in. I had always assumed it was the meta package getting the user to any of the flavour ISO’s.
Hi, bashfulrobot and fossfreedom,
@bashfulrobot: thanks, but for the moment I don’t need UEFI support: I’m running “budgie server” on an old, nice and lightweight Toshiba NB100 that fits in my bag so I am not in need to get another bag with me (I don’t use a pochette but a really not-so-huge-but-big and nice bag: if you want I can show you it 
). Is an Atom 32 bit, so no UEFI!
@both: (A) I’ve also installed budgie on another 32 bit “test mule” while I was trying to understand if it was possible and I did from apt, getting a better DE than the one I got from tasksel (btw, in that DE plank doesn’t start but now I haven’t time to check why, maybe next post I’ll tell you).
(B) Now I’m in troubles with openconnect trying to get vpn working in a PaloAlto GP environment: getting authn errors but Palo’s side everything seems to be working, I mean both on fw and on authn interface I am authenticated but openconnect still asks me uid and pw. … but this is my own business 
, nothing related to Budgie
Sil
When I used to work at my last job we used Palo Alto, and the only way I could get ooenconnect to work was that here was an ASA compatible mode (classic IPsec) that had to be enabled on the firewall itself.
my understanding is that there is now a version of open connect that supports the Palo Alto flavored firewall. With helper that is.
Thanks, but Is right on (against!) last github version of openconnect that I was working in last days. Is using openconnect in gp mode that I always get username/password requests on terminal side while I can see myself authenticated both on Palo fw and ISE side 
… it seems (reading on issues section of dlenski github) that is matter of cookies, in details of preauthn cookie. He suggest to get the cookie from a working windows globalprotect installation and to send it as string in authn request from openconnect. I confess that right now I’m not so sure I want to waste so much time (putting in my bag my heavier lenovo 64 bit laptop, equipped by globalprotect native, is faster). It’s jus matter of my honour: I’m human and I can’t lose against a machine!
On the other side, IPsec works well using vpnc, unfortunately there is still an issue when you’re connected on eduRoam, but Palo technicians said they’re working on … (it was last autumn). Otherwise, on every other wifi network vpnc works fine.
Sil
Okay. I didn’t realize you had the option for traditional ipsec. Some technical departments won’t deviate from a baseline configuration to support a one-off client. The only reason I got it done at my last job was because I was the administrator of the firewall. Hahaha.
I don’t do such a work on fw, even if I can get access on it since … I’m the chief of fw admins! But my own work (apart managing switches when needed) concerns identity management, so I do my job and they theirs 
Well from what you described, you are at least privy to any sort of business case that is required to make that type of change. 