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An SSH server can be set up in various ways, but in this document I’ll describe how it can be configured to:

* only support connections through the 2nd version of the SSH protocol (SSH-2)
* use 2048-bit DSA keys for user authentication, without permitting authentication with passwords
* allow only a specific group of users to authenticate

Diggable

No matter how much Linux moves toward the desktop, GUI-based environment, there are still many things that are much more easily accomplished with a command line and a couple shell commands or scripts. Classic Shell Scripting, an O'Reilly publication, brings some of the most common and versatile shell tools to the table and shows the reader how to use them. LinuxForumsDOTorg's Content Development crew has written an excellent review on the book. Read it here.

Culminating a year of joint development, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Silicon Graphics (OTC Bulletin Board: SGID) today announced that an open-source version of the SGI(R) SpeedShop(TM) performance analysis tool is now available to developers.

Rowan Wilson writes: "The GNU General Public License (GPL for short) is the most commonly used open source licence. Over two thirds of the open source-licensed projects on software repository Sourceforge use the GPL. This document attempts to draw together the main features of the GNU General Public License into a friendly and comprehensible digest, and in addition to note some details about its history and usage."

[Ed: This is an excellent overview, and is an excellent introduction for IT executives. If you don't understand the GPL, or just think you do, this is a must read. - dcparris]

An operation that uses the lure of free lyric files, browser upgrades, and ring tones to download spyware and adware on consumers’ computers has been ordered to halt its illegal downloads by a U.S. District Court at the request of the Federal Trade Commission.

Colin Barker writes: "Even as Microsoft continues with the most aggressive product rollout in its history with the launch of the Live series of hosted applications, it is showing no inclination to consider alternatives to its long-standing packaged software approach. IBM's on-demand model is "crazy" and Open Source is "really a developer phenomenon" that does not stand comparison with "customer experience of Windows Live", said Charles Fitzgerald, Microsoft's general manager of platform strategy, last week."

[Ed: O.k., what he really said was that MS Live users wouldn't likely go "dorking" around in the source code. Is Barker being sensationalist? Read and decide. - dcparris]

If you want to kill yourself, or anybody, with candy, Energy Fiend has produced a handy Death by Penguin Mints calculator.

New Additions to Panasas Storage Cluster Help Maximize ROI and reduce TCO of Linux Clusters through Simplified Deployment, Accelerated Performance and Improved Business Continuity

Even though I've had problems with Microsoft, I can't recommend using OSS in every situation. In this installment of a two-part column, I'll not only discuss what I consider to be Microsoft's unethical practices, but I'll offer advice on when not to use OSS.

Mandriva today announces that it is organizing a Worldwide Install Party for Saturday November 19th. Following the release of Mandriva Linux 2006, Mandriva is mobilizing its network of Linux User Groups (LUGs). Free community installation sessions will take place around the world. Major participating locations include the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, Moroco, and the island of Reunion.

Anti-spam vendor Postini has looked at spam from both sides now.

The Spamhaus Project, a popular U.K.-based organization that maintains a database of spamming activity, placed two of the San Carlos, Calif., company's IP addresses on its Spamhaus Block List (SBL) last week after receiving numerous complaints of unsolicited e-mail from the company.

Finnish researches today announced a high-risk vulnerability in a security protocol that serves an important role in key exchanges in IPsec VPNs. The severity of the flaw depends on different vendors, some of whom report it exists in their products and others who for now maintain their offerings are unaffected. But its impact could be great, given those vendors include heavyweights Cisco Systems, 3Com, Juniper Networks, Microsoft and IBM.

There are good reasons for using open source software (OSS), and I've learned those reasons through 15 years of experience with more traditional, commercial or closed source applications. In part one of this two-part column, I'll cover problems I've had with proprietary software and my take on the total cost of ownership (TCO) debate. In part two, I'll talk about what I consider to be Microsoft's unethical practices and when not to use open source software.

This article looks at the impact of schema evolution on the application and walks the reader through a usage scenario to illustrate the ease of setting up a PHP environment; the ease of integrating DB2 native XML functionality with PHP applications, including Web services written in PHP and XQuery.

The Ubuntu project last week announced that IBM has validated the year-old Linux distribution's version 5.04 for use with its DB2 Universal Database, bringing together a database designed to automate many time-consuming tasks with an operating system billed as easy-to-install and even easier to use.

Next year's LinuxWorld sees a change of formats. You won't have to pay to see the keynote speakers, and there will be two hot keynotes a day. Exhibitions for Africa is also planning four training modules on two tracks for our edification.

Is your server as secure as it could be? Sure, you use a firewall, mandate strong passwords, and patch regularly. You even take a proactive approach by performing security audits with tools such as nmap and Nessus. Yet you may still be vulnerable to zero-day exploits and privilege escalation attacks. If these possibilities keep you awake at night, you're not alone. The sleepless folks with the grsecurity project have developed an easy-to-use set of security enhancements to help put your fears to rest.

This column often focuses on devices or software that can be popped out of the box and put to work in no time. Be forewarned, the bulk of this week’s installment will be dedicated to something that is nowhere near that simple, but offers great rewards for the adventurous.

The subject is putting Linux, the open-source operating system, on your PC. Results should be more or less the same, regardless of the hardware you use. But some Linux variations are more suited to the unique demands of notebooks than others. Your friendly reviewer--with considerable assistance from his computer-scientist brother--used kubunto (pronounced kay-ubuntu) from Ubuntu on a ThinkPad from Lenovo.

Gregor J Rothfuss has been observing and working with content management tools for many years. We catch up with him over the internet to talk about open source, a subject increasingly recurring