I've created a release plan for the upcoming versions that contains the new functions and changes. Much is taken from the wishlist you wrote into the forum. All features should be included in the final version 0.6.0 even if I will not follow the release plan strictly.

• m23 halfBaked 0.5.6
  • Show warnings in the m23 webinterface: DHCP doesn't run, disk space is running out, the m23 server has a dynamic IP
  • Copy config and user-defined files to the client
  • (De)Aktivate LDAP with "Change client"
  • Update and upgrade Knoppix hardware detection
• m23 halfBaked 0.5.8
  • Execute scripts to write to the client log
  • Assimilisation of Ubuntu clients
  • Recommend Linux kernels to install on the client
  • Execute a script after package installation
  • Choose clients with search criteria
  • Upgrade server to Debian Etch
• m23 rock 0.6.0
  • m23 server installation CD with package source
  • Client recovery: Partitioning should work even if the partitioning has been changed in the meantime
  • Delete kernel source directory after changing of the architecture
  • DISTR_startInstall: if (!PKG_addShutdownPackage($client))
  • 64 bit clients

Declined or "only possible with your help" wishes

I cannot grant two of your wishes and three can only be done with your help. I will implement these three wishes only if I get support from you (e.g. via complete sourecode or sourcecode modifications) or if I get a charge over my commercial website www.goos-habermann.de. Please contact me if you want to help with one or more of these functions:

• Install GRUB instead of LiLo
• Samba support
• Creation of user accounts autonomous from creating a client (e.g. more local users on a client)

As promised m23 halfBaked 0.5.5 is available immidiately as Debian packages, as ISO for burning the m23 server installation CD or as preconfigured virtual machines for the virtualisation software VirtualBox and VMware Player. There are no new functions since the preview message. This gives me the possibillity to keep this annoucement short ;-)

Overview on the changes

• Software and the Linux kernel updates of the client's bootimages (network and ISO) and the server installation ISO.
• Building of the boot media from Debian packages.
• Better LDAP support. Soundcards and USB mass storage devices should work now if the user is logged in via an LDAP account.
• Old client jobs don't get removed after assigning a job to a group. This is needed if you want to know which jobs has been run on a client before.
• Automatic download and compilation of BusyBox.
• Compilation of the m23 and Knoppix tools as 64bit versions (if possible).
• Fusion of the client and server tree in the MDK for easier development.
• Updated Knoppix hardware detection.

Preconfigured virtual machines

m23 halfBaked 0.5.5 is available as preconfigured virtual machine images for two virtualisation solutions. These are versions for VMWare and VMPlayer respectively and the gratis and in the GPL licensed OSE version even free virtualisation software VirtualBox. Both virtual m23 servers are configured with 256 MB ram and a dynamically epanding harddisk with a maximal size of 16GB. The software for compressing the machine images has changed from "plain" Zip to 7-Zip. 7-Zip produces archives of the machines that are approximately 50 MB smaller. The "Installation and update guide" (see below) was updated to fit VirtualBox specific needs.

Delay of the release

There was unfortunately a delay in the release of the m23 halfBaked 0.5.5. I revoked the previously uploaded and linked m23 installation ISO and the VMPlayer image with the m23 halfeBaked 0.5.5 server. It turned out (thank you Bjoern) that there were problems with the interaction of the m23 server and m23hwscanner. These problems should be over now. In addition I had to do some corrections on the m23 packages and the parted package. The parted 1.7.1 package that is part of Debian Etch has a bug that makes it impossible to detect big harddrives. m23hwscanner uses functions that are provided by libparted so m23hwscanner succeeded this faulty behaviour. The developers decided in the current version 1.8.6 to print out all sizes as GB values with one position after decimal point. This is not accurate enough for partitioning even if 50 MB of wasted space doesn't really matter on current harddisks. I've patched parted 1.8.6 to print out all sizes on MB basis and created a Debian package that I do provide on the page of my new project Dodger-Tools. Surreptitious advertising: I will offer scripts and little programms on the Dodger-Tools page erratically that I use in person and that don't have to deal with m23.

I would like to thank all who helped to find and fix errors in m23. These are (in alphabetical order): Bjoern, dermartn, marian, MartinUni und Michael J..

• Installation and update guide
• Download of the virtual machines
• Download of the server installation CD
• Dodger-Tools

There is unfortunately and recently an increase of errors in Ubuntu packages. Errors occured for example in the locales- and libnss-ldap packages. For you as m23 end-user who wants a functional m23 client with Ubuntu this is annoyingly. For me as the m23 developer it is complicated to find the cause of an error if it is package-driven.

I think nothing of changing the m23 code temporary to fix errors in Ubuntu packages. It is the job of the Ubuntu package maintainers to provide updated and fixed packages as quickly as possible. Please visit the Ubuntu error reporting page to assist their work https://bugs.launchpad.net/ and post a comment in the m23 forum that a given error is a know Ubuntu error.

Of course I will try to fix m23 based errors quickest possible and I will not draw a distinction whether the error occurrs on a Debin, Ubuntu or Kubuntu sytem.

Have fun!

The next m23 release will have the version number 0.5.5. This will contain lots of bugfixes and a complete revised MDK (m23 Development Kit) that is needed for the upcomming 64 bit clients.

The new MDK aspires the highest possible fusion of client and server media. Client bootimages and CDs were completely separated from the server installation CD in earlier MDK versions but had and still have lots of accordances. E.g. there were two Linux kernels, two directories with programms and libraries and two independed root filesystems. All that had to be kept up-to-date. It is easy that the process of updating all these parts was time consuming and intricately. The 0.5.5 MDK uses a common kernel and a common root filesystem. Only different things like the server installation programm and the client job execution are managed separably. Tools and required libraries had to get copied by hand. Dependency solving had to be done by hand too. A new script does this without user interaction by downloading and extracting Debian Etch packages. The needed tools with their required librarie are copied to the root filesytem. Only a few keyboard strokes are needed to update the software.

The fusion was needed to make 64 bit clients possible. Supporting of 32 and 64 bit systems concurrently is not easy, but the (mostly) automated creation of the client bootimages and boot CD keep the complexity at a low level. The 32 bit Debian Etch packages are used for the 32 bit client and the 64 bit packages for the 64 bit machines.

An extended package generation routine was added that creates Knoppix and m23 packages. For the first time there are 64 bit m23 packages and statically linked Knoppix packages, that should install well on 64 bit machines.

The complete MDK source code was revised and merged. The workflow was improved and not needed funtionality removed.

But this is only a sneak preview of the upcomming version. I don't know when I can release it. Right now I'm annotating only this: I could install Debian Sarge on a client with a boot CD that was created by the new MDK. So there may be release of m23 halfBaked 0.5.5 in the foreseeable future.

Have fun!

I will go to CeBit (Hannover/Germany) on 16th of march after two years of CeBit-abstinence. I think some of you will be there too as visitors or with a booth.

Send me an eMail or use my contact formular if you want to meet me (in real life) or if you want to invite me to your booth.

Maybe we will meet at CeBit ;-)