Zenix Install Notes

This page is intended as a general guide for installation and a few post-installation customizations. If you need a more detailed installation guide see:

• Debian Graphical Installation Guide
• How to forge
• The official Debian installation guide

You may notice a short delay the very first time you boot Zenix after installation there is a small script that performs some post-install clean-up.

General information

In order to install Zenix you must choose one of the installation options from the initial boot menu (there is not an option to install from the desktop).

If the graphical install fails, use the text install.

Although the installer asks a number of questions, most of the time you can go with the defaults. Use the keyboard (tab key, up/down arrows, enter) or the mouse to navigate the installation menus and make selections.

Partitioning : Be careful with the partitioning portion of the installation and take the time to understand what you are doing. If you use the entire disk, for example, you will loose any data on the disk.

The installer includes options for ext4, LVM, and encrypting the entire system.

I advise you use a separate home partition.

The "Load installer components from CD" has some interesting options, but again you can go with the defaults.

Choose a mirror near you.

Sudo

Similar to Ubuntu, Zenix is configured to use sudo rather then su. The reason for choosing sudo is simply that it was easier to configure the menus, and allow some commands to be run without a password, such as shutdown and restart.

If you do not like sudo, feel free to enable the root account (set a root password) and disable sudo, but it is then up to you to re-write the menus.

Set a resolution or multiple monitors

Setting a monitor / display resolution is possible using the graphical from the menu, under configuration. If you are using VirtualBox or KVM disable cairo-compmanager first.

Manually setting a resolution

If, after the installation, you need to manually configure your resolution you have two options:

• The first option is use xrandr. You can can xrandr to autostart once you log in (see below).
• The second is to write a custom xorg.conf .

Openbox

Edit ~/.config/openbox/auotstart.sh , uncomment the xrandr line (remove the # from the front). Be sure to set '1400x1050' to your desired resolution.

Awesome

Uncomment (remove the --) the two lines at the bottom of ~/.config/awecome/rc.lua

Set the resolution you want on the '/usr/bin/xrandr -s "1024x768" ' line

xorg.conf

Although xorg.conf is "depreciated", it still works. Often you can simply write a screen section.

Here is a working xorg.conf written for Vitualbox.

If you do not know how to write a custom xorg.cong, the above method, xrandr, is, IMHO, easier.

Conky

The conky themes for openbox are in /usr/local/lib/conky. Use the "black" theme as a template as the colors are set as variables (color0 , color1, color2, etc) and so should be easy to modify.

Awesome uses config files stored in the themes /usr/share/awesome/themes.

Wireshark

Zenix is configured so that Wireshark runs as a non-root user post-installation.

PSAD

You might find psad is configured to be a bit too agressive at black listing ip address, particullarly your router or boxes on your LAN. You have two options - lower the threshold for blacklisting an ip or whitelisting yoru router/LAN.

Lower the threshold for blacklisting an ip address

Using any editor, open /etc/psad/psad.conf and change the line 'AUTO_IDS_DANGER_LEVEL 2;' to a higher lever.

Restart psad.

Whitelist your router or LAN

You can white list an ip address by adding it to /etc/psad/auto_dl

For example, using any editor, open /etc/psad/auto_dl as root and add your ip addresses you wish to white list.

Restart psad.

©2011 Silver Fox