There are a lot of panhandlers around here. This one was, by far, the most creative. I really wish I had a camera to take his picture.

If I had any cash on me at the time I might have actually given him some just for the sheer comic relief.

It works on 32bit:

http://build.cormander.com/job/linux-2.6.latest-i686-vanilla-xenU/2/console

It does not work on 64bit:

http://build.cormander.com/job/linux-2.6.latest-x86_64-vanilla-xenU/2/console

But works on 64bit with grsecurity:

http://build.cormander.com/job/linux-2.6.latest-x86_64-grsec-xenU/1/console

Here is the output of the fail:

[    0.370394] EXT3-fs (xvda2): warning: maximal mount count reached, running e2fsck is recommended
[    0.372607] EXT3-fs (xvda2): using internal journal
[    0.372632] EXT3-fs (xvda2): mounted filesystem with writeback data mode
[    0.372670] VFS: Mounted root (ext3 filesystem) on device 202:2.
[    0.372771] Freeing unused kernel memory: 668k freed
[    0.373202] Write protecting the kernel read-only data: 10240k
[    0.379890] Freeing unused kernel memory: 648k freed
[    0.379910] BUG: unable to handle kernel paging request at ffff88000155e000
[    0.379922] IP: [] free_init_pages+0xb1/0xda
[    0.379939] PGD 1a2a067 PUD 1a2e067 PMD 1d38067 PTE 1000000155e025
[    0.379955] Oops: 0003 [#1] SMP
[    0.379965] last sysfs file:
[    0.379973] CPU 0
[    0.379984] Pid: 1, comm: swapper Not tainted 2.6.33 #1 /
[    0.379992] RIP: e030:[]  [] free_init_pages+0xb1/0xda
[    0.380005] RSP: e02b:ffff880007c5fea0  EFLAGS: 00010286
[    0.380005] RAX: 00000000cccccccc RBX: ffff88000155e000 RCX: 0000000000000400
[    0.380005] RDX: ffffea000004ac91 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff88000155e000
[    0.380005] RBP: ffff880007c5fed0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffff880007c08000
[    0.380005] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000400
[    0.380005] R13: ffff880001600000 R14: ffffea0000000000 R15: 00000000cccccccc
[    0.380005] FS:  0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff880001d45000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
[    0.380005] CS:  e033 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 000000008005003b
[    0.380005] CR2: ffff88000155e000 CR3: 0000000001a29000 CR4: 0000000000000660
[    0.380005] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
[    0.380005] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000ffff0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000000
[    0.380005] Process swapper (pid: 1, threadinfo ffff880007c5e000, task ffff880007c60000)
[    0.380005] Stack:
[    0.380005]  0000000000000000 6db6db6db6db6db7 0000000000000400 ffff880000000000
[    0.380005] <0> ffffffff81600000 0000000000000000 ffff880007c5ff00 ffffffff8102c9c4
[    0.380005] <0> ffffffff81b9d960 0000000000000040 ffffffff81afbc60 ffffffff81afbc68
[    0.380005] Call Trace:
[    0.380005]  [] mark_rodata_ro+0xe0/0x146
[    0.380005]  [] init_post+0x2b/0x19d
[    0.380005]  [] kernel_init+0x19f/0x1aa
[    0.380005]  [] kernel_thread_helper+0x4/0x10
[    0.380005]  [] ? int_ret_from_sys_call+0x7/0x1b
[    0.380005]  [] ? retint_restore_args+0x5/0x6
[    0.380005]  [] ? kernel_thread_helper+0x0/0x10
[    0.380005] Code: 89 df e8 27 49 00 00 48 c1 e8 0c 48 89 df 4c 89 e1 48 6b c0 38 48 81 e7 00 f0 ff ff 31 f6 4c 01 f0 c7 40 08 01 00 00 00 44 89 f8  ab 48 89 df 48 81 c3 00 10 00 00 e8 93 a3 08 00 48 ff 05 33
[    0.380005] RIP  [] free_init_pages+0xb1/0xda
[    0.380005]  RSP
[    0.380005] CR2: ffff88000155e000
[    0.380005] ---[ end trace 39c6a8b0e7165bad ]---
[    0.394371] swapper used greatest stack depth: 5160 bytes left
[    0.394385] Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!
[    0.394395] Pid: 1, comm: swapper Tainted: G      D    2.6.33 #1
[    0.394403] Call Trace:
[    0.394413]  [] panic+0x75/0x137
[    0.394425]  [] ? exit_ptrace+0xb1/0x131
[    0.394436]  [] do_exit+0x77/0x777
[    0.394446]  [] ? xen_restore_fl_direct_end+0x0/0x1
[    0.394458]  [] ? kmsg_dump+0x126/0x140
[    0.394470]  [] ? __acpi_nmi_disable+0x14/0x1d
[    0.394480]  [] oops_end+0xb9/0xc1
[    0.394490]  [] no_context+0x1f3/0x202
[    0.394500]  [] ? __acpi_nmi_disable+0x14/0x1d
[    0.394511]  [] ? atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x13/0x15
[    0.394522]  [] __bad_area_nosemaphore+0x1c0/0x1e6
[    0.394533]  [] ? xen_force_evtchn_callback+0xd/0xf
[    0.394544]  [] ? check_events+0x12/0x20
[    0.394554]  [] ? xen_force_evtchn_callback+0xd/0xf
[    0.395349]  [] ? check_events+0x12/0x20
[    0.395349]  [] ? __raw_callee_save_xen_pmd_val+0x11/0x1e
[    0.395349]  [] bad_area_nosemaphore+0xe/0x10
[    0.395349]  [] do_page_fault+0x1a0/0x2dd
[    0.395349]  [] page_fault+0x25/0x30
[    0.395349]  [] ? free_init_pages+0xb1/0xda
[    0.395349]  [] mark_rodata_ro+0xe0/0x146
[    0.395349]  [] init_post+0x2b/0x19d
[    0.395349]  [] kernel_init+0x19f/0x1aa
[    0.395349]  [] kernel_thread_helper+0x4/0x10
[    0.395349]  [] ? int_ret_from_sys_call+0x7/0x1b
[    0.395349]  [] ? retint_restore_args+0x5/0x6
[    0.395349]  [] ? kernel_thread_helper+0x0/0x10

A little digging and I unset CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA in the vanilla configuration (it gets unset by the grsecurity patch) and rebuilt it. It works! Okay, so we have a regression in xen pv_ops when RODATA is enabled, because linux-2.6.32.9 (and other 2.6.32 kernels before it) boot just fine with DEBUG_RODATA enabled.

I don’t even know who to report this to. Then again, I don’t use vanilla xen domU kernels.. I just use them as a reference point when testing vanilla vs. grsecurity. I only actually use the grsecurity xen domU kernels, and those work. So I guess I’ll just sit back and wait for someone else to notice, and fix it.

So, I await payday to replace you. Don’t worry, I won’t replace you with a smart phone. I already use a computer about half of each day of my life; I don’t need to be carrying one around with me at all times. So take comfort in the fact that you’re still good enough for me, despite your flaws caused by a long time of use. I wish I could fix you, but it is probably just easier to replace you. Maybe I’ll get a phone exactly like you if that will make you feel better, make both of us feel better. So farewell.

Well, after looking through the code, the use of “md5sum” is misleading because rpm supports multiple types of checksums. This error is actually changed in a later version of RPM where they have done a really good job cleaning up the code base. But more on that another time.

The fedora project’s wiki contains information about the desire for stronger hashes in the rpm files, and this goal has been obtained as of fedora 11. They made the jump from sha1 support (which exists in centos5 rpm) to sha256, breaking backwards compatibility. I’m a bit annoyed by this. I don’t disagree with the decision to use a stronger hashing algorithm for checksums, but I disagree with the statement that “the necessary rpm backport would be too large”.

C’mon, RedHat! You know very well lots of people pull the latest fedora sources and rebuild them on RHEL. I can understand not bothering to port it in older versions of fedora, but give me a break. Don’t make me go and do your job for you.

I very well may have to, however. Although it now works where I can install an RPM with my lzma patch, I have to pass –nomd5 on the command line to install it, which I don’t exactly find to be acceptable. Sure, security is already done in the gpg checking, but you lose the file integrity checking.

If I can manage to find a src.rpm development version of rpm for the next RHEL5, I’ll have a peek in there to see what is new. If nothing points in this direction… time to crack open the source code again.

http://rpm.cormander.com/repo/grsec/rouge-beret-grsec.repo

And then:

yum install gradm paxctl

This is a new version of gradm with the “grsecurity” dependency removed. No reason why you can’t install it on a non-grsec host, the command just won’t work. The version of paxctl is the same (no updates in a while), but has an upgraded paxtest, and the “pax-linux” dependency was removed.

Sometime soon I’ll create a rouge-beret-repo RPM package that has the yum .repo files for these repositories.

My way around this since then was to install the xz package (built from source on centos 5) onto my machine and extract the contents of an rpm file like so:

$ rpm2cpio xxxx.rpm | xz -d | cpio -id

This lets me get the contents of the rpm (source or binary). However, this didn’t always work because they were not always xz or lzma compressed, and is quite annoying. This also doesn’t let me install stuff from fedora 12 into a chroot on a centos 5 host, which has really been bugging me recently.

So, I cracked open the source and did some searching on google. I came accross a lzma patch for rpm by debian:

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=509444

This, however, didn’t go straight into centos5’s version of rpm, and didn’t support xz compression. After a few hours of tinkering though, I was able to get it to go in cleanly, compile, and work with xz as well. The only catch is, it adds the requirement of xz-libs to install and xz-devel to build. Not such an issue for me.

For anyone interested, here is the patch:

http://rpm.cormander.com/patches/rpm-4.4.2.3-rpmio-lzma.patch

It goes in right at the end of the patches inside rpm-4.4.2.3-18.el5.src.rpm as patch number 51.

Here is an example of the current centos5 rpm attempting to unwrap a fedora 12 rpm:

[corman@localhost ~]$ rpm2cpio kernel-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.x86_64.rpm | file -
/dev/stdin: xz compressed data

After here we are again after installing the patched rpms:

[corman@localhost ~]$ rpm2cpio kernel-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.x86_64.rpm | file -
/dev/stdin: ASCII cpio archive (SVR4 with no CRC)

So one problem is gone. The last problem I’m facing now is md5sum mismatches, so my install into a chroot via yum still won’t work yet:

error: unpacking of archive failed on file /etc/fedora-release;4b9207ac: cpio: MD5 sum mismatch

It’s pretty late so I’ll see if I can figure that out another day. If I do figure this md5sum mismatch out, I’ll update the above patch and also include the centos5 rpm rpms patched with this in my rouge-beret repo.

Then again, I was called by all of my brother’s names by my mother on accident while I was growing up. So I guess no parent is immune to mixing up their children on occasion.

We’re naming her Hazel. Here are some pictures:

So I login this afternoon to check how this next course is going to look; MATH/212 – Finite Mathematics. Read the syllabus, posted by bio… then thought:

“Hey wait a minute, I need a book for this class?”

This is my 10th class at University of Phoenix Online, and have so far never even had mention of having to have a book. It’s all been online. Turns out, without the book, I can’t do any of the assignments!

“Maybe I can rush delivery one, then”, or so I thought. I call and get transferred over to the book store, and guess what is out of stock? The book for that class. I get the ISBN number and google it; no results. I go to amazon and search it there; no results. I search the book title; no results. So I call my academic adviser and it lands in her voicemail; on vacation.

So at this point I’m starting to freak out a little. I manage to get ahold of another academic adviser and explain the situation. After 20 minutes and a little luck, I get put in a different class. Whew!

So I check in this evening and can see the new course on my dashboard; NTC/360 – Network and Telecommunications Concepts. <sarcasm>Boy, I sure am going to learn a lot in this class.</sarcasm> (not that I would have learned anything in a Math course either).

Oh, and to top it all off; the teacher for this course hasn’t posted a syllabus yet.

*facepalm*

Instructions:
Copy the list, bold the ones you’ve done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.

1. Started your own blog (well, duh…)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (I’ve been to Disney World)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (programming is an art)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (programming! haha)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (my wife being the patient)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (my wife marked this one. I don’t remember it, but I assume I have to mark it too)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (epic fail)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (does it count if you didn’t actually find any to see?)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I want to but I don’t qualify.)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby (I’m assuming being a father counts)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee