skype

SLED 11 RC 4 first glance

For everyone who is looking for the next release of the SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop SLED 11 RC 4 is available here. While I usually prefer CentOS my current contract is to support SLES and SLED.

It has some pleasant surprised compared to recent releases of Ubuntu and and even openSuSE 11.*. Sound and sound recording work out of the box for the snd_hda_intel sound module. I’m referring here mostly to Skype users who have suffered numerous problems with the microphone and recording when using this module. I installed the Skype static application, adjusted the settings in Skype and it hasn’t failed.

This version also includes Moonshine, the Windows Media player for Linux. This makes it incredibly easy to play your WMV files for those of you who suffer people sending you files in that format to play.

What is not included are the development files for many of the applications. gcc and make are installed by default just not the development files. Working around this is simply a matter of adding the openSuSE 11 or 11.1 repository. You should then be able to get the *-devel files that you need. Note that you might need to downgrade the base application and minor version number. I haven’t broken anything doing this though.

In summary you are probably going to like this version of SLED particularly if you are a heavy multimedia user. I know it has certainly solved a few of my problems in that area.

Have fun!

-j

Learn something new
Unlearn the obsolete

Skype and OpenSuSE 11.1..

As I’ve alluded to in previous posts Skype, OpenSuSE 11.1 64 bit and sound capture (the microphone) have not been playing nice with each other on OpenSuSE 11.1. Sound generally worked but if you wanted to talk, well, good luck with that.

I think maybe I’ve found a solution though. There are some things to to keep in mind here. The first is that Skype is a 32bit program, OpenSuSE uses pulseaudio, and that I am using a 64 bit system on an HP laptop nx6325 that uses the ATI Technologies Inc IXP SB4×0 High Definition Audio Controller. The module the sound card uses is snd_hda_intel. If you are using that module then this should work for you but ymmv.

Go ahead and install Skype. Open up the Install Software module in the OpenSuSE menu and under Installed Programs type pulseaudio. Uninstall all of it except for libpulse0. That will leave you the pulseaudio client interface for any 64 bit programs which have pulseaudio as a dependency. MPlayer comes to mind here. Conversely it may break 32 bit programs that have pulseaudio as a dependency.

Now reboot your machine. Open up the Sound module in the Yast Control Center. Adjust your sound settings so that the top 3 are Autodetect. The fourth one should read HDA ATI SB AD198x Analog (ALSA) and the last one HDA ATI SB (Alsa Mixer).

Now open Skype and try a test call. You may have to play around with your Skype settings. Mine are all set to default. If your machine becomes unresponsive hard boot it and it should be ok on the next boot. Strange I know, but it happened to me..shades of Windows

With any kind of luck you should be able to use your microphone. I use the built in microphone on my laptop. If everything seems to be working properly but your not getting playback on your external mic open up the volume control from the speaker in your task bar and make sure that you have the external mic enabled.

Good luck!

-j

Travels of a Linux consultant - Day 2

We’re working a minimum of 10 hours which turn into usually turn into 12 on this project. These hours make it hard to find time to write. Anyway onward to Day 2.

As you may remember from the last post I finally arrived at my hotel about 2200 CST. Being tired and all from the trip I decided to hit the sack and check email and what have you the next morning.

I get up the next morning and get ready to go. Everything is looking good as far as arrival time. I am supposed to be at my destination around noon.

I sit down to check my email. No wireless internet. Like most of us the first thing that I look for is internet before I decide on a hotel/motel. These folks advertised wireless. Now I’ve been out of touch with everyone for almost 24 hours. This isn’t good.

A quick search around the room reveals a data jack. Ok cool. I have a patch cable with me. I plug in my patch cable and Voila!..nothing. Did I change something before I left and I’ve forgotten about it? I check all of my settings and everything is correct. I make another run at wired and wireless. No go.

Somewhat aggravated I go ahead and check out. While doing so I complain at the front desk. You advertised it and I need it for business. This is why I chose your motel. The lady that is on duty can’t do anything I know. But she promises to tell the manager and see if she can get me a comp stay or something. Later that afternoon she calls and they have knocked $20 off of the bill.

So I arrive at my destination and go in and meet everyone. I sit down at the table, open my laptop and boot ready to get to work. No X windows. I reboot. Still nothing. This is bordering on the ridiculous.

I try resetting X with the tools provided by CentOS. It says everything is installed and ready. Still no X. Ok I’ll boot to runlevel 3 and check for an update, check my history, look at the xorg.conf and check the logs. Nothing shows as wrong and the networking won’t even start. Now it’s even more ridiculous.

I know what you’re thinking. This DODO actually had internet at the hotel. No I didn’t. I wasn’t the only one to complain about there not being any internet.

Ok I’m on a SLES project. On of the resident engineers has an openSuSE 11.1 disk. I install this and get to work.

I live to regret this decision though. After I get to my hotel I install and fire up Skype. I setup my webcam and call my wife. No webcam and no microphone. But that’s another story.

So much for Day 2. I’m concluding my travel days here. Work goes well and the webcam and the mic continue to be a hassle. More the mic than the webcam but who’s counting…

-j