Ubuntu 14.04 CITIUS Operating System

Installation, maintenance and support of an Ubuntu 14.04 Operating System that has been customized for the CITIUS.

Installation in any computer connected to the CITIUS network can be requested trough https://citius.usc.es/dashboard/ requests and problem reporting form.

They both have their own installer. Search “install matlab” or “install Maple” in the program menu or execute the apropiate command: install-matlab_R2012a.sh, install-matlab_R2011a.sh, install-maple16.sh, install-maple17.sh.

First, check if the desired software is already in the repositories. The most reliable way of doing it is using the command line:

apt-cache search the_program_name

This will show a packet list with a small description. For a more detailed description of any of them, use:

apt-cache show the_packet_name

To install a packet, use the command:

aptdcon -i the_packet_name

To install more than one packet at the same time put their names between quotation marks:

aptdcon -i "packet_name other_packet_name"

Other interesting aptdcon options:

• -c: Refresh the cache of available packets.
• -u packet_name: updates a packet
• --safe-upgrade: Update all packets
• -r packet_name: Uninstalls a packet

If a program is not present in the configured repositories but is available in a compatible one, be it an Ubuntu official repository or a third-party one, it can be added to the configured list to make it available for all users. Request it using the https://citius.usc.es/dashboard/ requests and problem reporting form.

You can also compile and install from source any program if you use as prefix a directory in which you have write permissions like /home/local/user_name. Usually all programs allow specifying a custom installation prefix. Check the program documentation.

Please request it through the https://citius.usc.es/dashboard/ requests and problem reporting form. Specify a time and day for the upgrade. Nothing will be erased from your home (both the local and the remote) but any specific personalization stored in the system partition or any cron tasks will be lost.

In Ubuntu 14.04 the session language can be stablished using the tool «Soporte de idiomas»(Language support). It can be found in the Ubuntu menu. To choose the default language for the current user drag and drop the chosen language to the top of the list. Only the Spanish, English and Galician languages are available and it is not allowed to install more.

The date and number format can be changed using the «Opcións rexionais»(Regional options) tab of this window.

The package account-plugin-jabber must be installed with

aptdcon -i account-plugin-jabber

.

Other desktops can be installed using the Ubuntu Software Center or aptdcon. The following desktops are available:

• GNOME Classic
  • Install the gnome-session-flashback package.
• KDE
  • Install the escritorio-kde-minimo package for a very basic desktop.
  • Install the escritorio-kde-basico package for the basic desktop with the KDE basic applications.
  • Install the escritorio-kde-completo package for the desktop with all the available applications (be warned, they are A LOT).
• LXDE
  • Install the lxde package.
• I3-WM
  • Install the i3-wm, i3status and suckless-tools packages.
• XFCE
  • Install the xfce4-session, xfce4-panel, shimmer-themes and optionally xfce4-goodies.
  • For a the fullest experience install xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin, xfce4-indicator-plugin and gtk-theme-config.

Any TeXLive package available in CTAN can be installed in your user home.

First install xzdec:

aptdcon -i xzdec

Then, only once, TexLive directories in your home must be initialized:

tlmgr init-usertree

After that, you can install any desired package. For example, to install pgfgantt:

tlmgr install pgfgantt

First try to upgrade Flash manually. Execute the following commands in a terminal window:

aptdcon -c
aptdcon -u flashplugin-installer

If this doesn't fix the problem it is possible that the repository is out of date. Sometimes Firefox marks the Flash plugin as insecure and there is no current alternative.Then it is necessary to wait a few days for an update to appear.

Then new scroll bars are called Overlay Scrollbars. To have the old ones back you need to uninstall the package overlay-scrollbar. If you later change your mind, it is enough to install that packet back.

aptdcon -r overlay-scrollbars

Some documents, after being processed by the Evince reader, don't get printed correctly or leave the printer blocked. As an alternative the command lp can be used. It sends the document to the printer unprocessed. Without options lp uses the printer in your floor and prints the document single-sided.

lp -o sides=two-sided-long-edge example_file.pdf # prints double-sided
lp -P 12,15,17-20 example_file.pdf # prints only pages 12,15 e 17 a 20
lp -o number-up=4 -o fit-to-page -o number-up-layout=rltb example_file.pdf # prints 4 pages by sheet, top to bottom and left to right, scaling to fit the sheet size.
lp -d ctprints1  example_file.pdf # Prints in the basement printer
lpstat -a # Show the list of available printers

Some configurations, specifically those with low video memory, are prone to leave Unity unresponsive. In that event you can try to execute the command unity-reload by pressing Alt+F2. If that doesn't work, go to a terminal by pressing Control+Alt+F1, login and execute the command from there. To go back to the desktop press Alt+F7.

gem install --user-install packet_name

Before the first time you must install ruby1.9.1-dev:

aptdcon -i ruby1.9.1-dev

When installing the first gem a warning to add a directory to the PATH will be issued. This must only be done the first time. For example:

WARNING:  You don't have /home/remoto/jorge.suarez/.gem/ruby/1.9.1/bin in your PATH,
	  gem executables will not run.

Add the necessary export command in your bashrc file with this command:

echo "export PATH=~/.gem/ruby/1.9.1/bin:$PATH" >> ~/.bashrc

This change won't have any effect until you open a new session unless you execute the quoted part of the previous command or the bash command in the current session.

The recommended option is to install the Anaconda distribution. The advantage of this distribution is that it works from an user directory and lets the user have different installations with different versions of each packet. In the bin subdirectory you can find all the typical python executables, as well as the conda package manager which is simpler and more robust than pip.

If you prefer not to use Anaconda, you can still install packets with:

pip install --install-option="--user" packet_name

Before doing it for the first time you need to install python-dev:

aptdcon -i python-dev

Firstly create a directory called R in your home:

mkdir ~/R

Run R and inside it use the packet installation command:

R
install.packages("packet_name")

You will be asked if you want to do it in ~/R because /usr/local/lib/R cant be written into. Answer y. The directory will be added to the library path and you will be able to load them.

This happens in the default directory(Ubuntu) when inheriting the configuration from Ubuntu 12.04. To fix it execute this command from a terminal:

dconf reset -f /org/compiz/

After closing the session and logging in again the problem should be gone.

This is ibus fault. You can deactivate it if you don't plan on using it (if you don't know what ibus is then you're not using it). Go to System settings » Language support and as the keyboard input method choose None.

If you need to use ibus then you can fix this problem by editing its configuration as explained here.