BillingsLUG

Where

The BillingsLUG has a small informal gathering most Thursday evenings at:

MT Space
1519 Broadwater Ave
(adjacent to Tahitian Nites casino -- same building)

When

Meetings start at around 5PM and have no formal ending time but usually end around 7PM.




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lannocc's picture

September 2015 -- Layer 2.5 Dynamic Routing

Dan Denson will discuss and demonstrate static routing, simplification with OSPF, and advanced routing with MPLS/VPLS.

Thursday 9/24/15, 6 PM @ MT Space

-shawn
MT Radio.Net
LANNOCC


lannocc's picture

MT Radio.Net Open House this Saturday June 7

First Open House for MT Radio.Net. We launched in November and utilize Linux for our broadcasting. MT Radio.Net is a community-supported Internet broadcasting platform for Montana.

MORE INFO and RSVP (encouraged but not required).

-shawn

MT Radio.Net

LANNOCC

lannocc's picture

June: Home Automation with Raspberry Pi

Come learn how to control your homes lights, locks, thermostat and more using Linux and other open source technologies and inexpensive hardware. Andrew Niemantsverdriet of Rocky Mountain College will cover the most popular technologies used, some history and speculate on the future of home automation. We will also go over other hardware options and costs currently available.

Meeting Thursday, 6/20, at 6 PM.

We will meet at American Welding & Gas at 1123 3rd Ave N.

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

May: Enterprise routing and VPN connectivity w/ MikroTik

**Please note new meeting time and location this month (see below)**

This month Dan Denson will take the lead showing us many possibilities and great features of the MikroTik line of routers (http://mikrotik.com).

He will use an RB1200 serving as "the Internet"/ISP with one port serving DHCP, one for static IP, and another PPPoE so we can illustrate each connectivity type that is common. Then he will create VPN tunnels with PPTP and SSTP, as well as IPSec transport mode with IPIP and GRE tunnels. For routing, he will show both OSPF dynamic routing as well as plain old static routes.

We hope to also get a chance to look at some of the other many great features of these routers, such as using port-knocking to obscure open ports and running services.

Meeting Thursday, 5/16, at 6 PM.

This month we will meet at American Welding & Gas at 320 North 11th St. Park on 3rd Ave between 11th and 12th St.

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

April -- Maker Space?!!

For the LUG meeting this month Donnie would like to give us a tour of his building at 2215 6th Ave. There is potential for this location to serve as the primary location for a local maker group. So for our regularly-scheduled meeting time we will tour the location and discuss our options and ideas for getting a maker space going in Billings!

This is a great chance for anyone interested in a local place to work on technology projects to come out and share their ideas and needs. Ultimately we believe that the right location and core group of people could serve as a sort of incubator for new business and technology in Billings.

Please note we are starting an hour earlier this time.

Meeting Thursday, 4/18, 6 PM at:
Pizza Place
2215 6th Ave North
Billings

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

March Meeting -- Postoned 1 Week

We are postponing our March meeting by one week. So we will now meet on Thursday, March 28, 7 PM at Lannocc Technologies. No topic has been set for this meeting yet but some possible discussions are looking at the Steam for Linux client, Plex Media Server, or B.A.T.M.A.N. wireless meshing.

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

March Meeting -- Plex Media Server

We'll start off the meeting by showing a Plex Media Server setup and see how well the Plex apps for Roku and Android perform. Might also get a chance to try the beta RasPlex client on a Raspberry Pi.

See you on Thursday!

Meeting Thursday 3/28 7PM at:
Lannocc Technologies
1440 Grand Ave
Billings

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

February -- The Sound of Linux

Explore the landscape of open-source Linux audio software. From MIDI to multi-track audio mastering, to real-time effects, come see open-source audio production in action and hear the music of Linux!

A few of the programs we'd like to look at are: Ardour, Audacity, Hydrogen, RoseGarden, and TiMidity++. We will also explore the Jack audio subsystem and try out different hardware such as a USB MIDI keyboard and DJ controller.

Meeting Thursday, February 21, 7PM, at:
Lannocc Technologies
1440 Grand Ave
Billings

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

Linux on the local TV news!

Kenneth Wong from KULR-8 stopped by the Billings LUG tonight to interview some of the attendees and learn more about Linux. He did a great job with the material on his Tech Corner segment which aired on the KULR-8 News @ 10 tonight.

Link to video:
http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/A-Free-Computer-Operating-System-187409751.html?video=pop&t=a

Link to full article:
http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/A-Free-Computer-Operating-System-187409751.html

Thanks to everyone who participated tonight!

-shawn

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

December -- Embedded Show & Tell

On the LUG night this month (Thu 12/20) we will do a bit of embedded show and tell. A few of us have Raspberry Pi's and Andrew N. of Rocky will show what he's doing with an Arduino clone temperature sensor he's putting together for around $6. I also saw an article a few days ago on using the Pi as an FM transmitter using just software to have the clock oscillate a GPIO pin. I'd like to try it out as the only extra hardware needed is a wire to attach to the pin as an antenna.

This all seems to fit with some of the makerspace ideas so it'd make a great segue into that sort of discussion. Figured we could do a joint LUG / MT Programmers / (future) hackerspace meeting this month.

Meeting Thursday, December 20, 7PM, at:
Lannocc Technologies
1440 Grand Ave
Billings

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

Pi FM transmitter code

Thank you to Andrew, Dan, and Richard who showed off some of their projects and to everyone who joined us.

Here's the page to download the Raspberry Pi FM transmitter code. Sure is a neat hack for 314 lines of C and a piece of wire!

http://www.icrobotics.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Turning_the_Raspberry_Pi_Into_an_FM_Transmitter

-shawn

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

November meeting

This month Dan D. will bring a Ubiquity airCam IP camera. We will have a look at their airVision NVR Server package which is their web-based UI that runs on Linux as well as see how it works with ZoneMinder, etc. And I will try out a first-time installation of Chromium OS, a Linux-based operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications.

More info:

We also have a couple books to give away at this month's Billings LUG meeting:

1. "The Official Ubuntu Book, 7th Edition" by Matthew Helmke and Amber Graner

2. "A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming, 3rd Edition" by Mark G. Sobell

Come to the meeting on Thursday, November 15 to claim one for yourself! If there is enough interest we will hold a contest/drawing for the books.

Meeting Thursday, November 15, 7PM, at:
Lannocc Technologies
1440 Grand Ave
Billings

http://lannocc.org/blug


lannocc's picture

Free books

We have a couple books to give away at this month's meeting:

1. "The Official Ubuntu Book, 7th Edition" by Matthew Helmke and Amber Graner

2. "A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming, 3rd Edition" by Mark G. Sobell

Come to the meeting on Thursday, November 15 to claim one for yourself! If there is enough interest we will hold a contest/drawing for the books.

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

October Meeting -- Distro Battle Round 1: Ubuntu vs. Debian

Join the BillingsLUG as we demonstrate features and compare the differences between two common Linux distributions and why the Open Source model is so beneficial to computer users and developers alike.

Debian GNU/Linux began in 1993 as an alternative to the buggy Softlanding Linux System of that time. It is known for relatively strict adherence to the philosophies of Unix and free software and focuses on stability and security.

Ubuntu is one of many distributions based upon Debian and is the most popular Linux distribution on desktop/laptop personal computers. Beginning as a fork of Debian in 2004, Ubuntu is known to provide a more "user-friendly" operating system and offers additional cutting-edge software not found in stable Debian. Ubuntu is an excellent example of how the open source model facilitates the legal adoption and changes of existing software to fit new requirements.

--
This month we would like to welcome you to show up early for a free viewing of Revolution OS on the projector before the meeting, beginning at 6:15 PM. Revolution OS is a 2001 documentary film that traces the twenty-year history of GNU, Linux, open source, and the free software movement.

--
Refreshments will be available.

Meeting Thursday, October 18, 7:30 PM, at:
Lannocc Technologies
1440 Grand Ave
Billings

(directly behind China Express)

See you there!

lannocc's picture

September games!

Join us this month for a demonstration of the amazing Raspberry Pi! This small board computer runs on USB power and loads from an SD card. It provides composite and HDMI (high definition) video output, audio, and USB ports. The $35 model includes 256MB RAM and a 100Mbit ethernet port. See the Raspberry Pi site for more information on the hardware.

We will be showing what it's like to run different Linux distros on this hardware and will demonstrate it running one or more retro game system emulators (NES, Master System, etc.).

Refreshments will be provided.

Meeting Thursday, September 20, 7PM, at:
Lannocc Technologies
1440 Grand Ave
Billings

(directly behind China Express)

See you there!

lannocc's picture

BLUG on Facebook

Now follow events and discussions about the Billings Linux Users Group with the Billings Computer Club page on Facebook.


lannocc's picture

February meeting

February's BillingsLUG meeting is tomorrow (Thursday) at 7PM. We are meeting at the new shop!

Yellowstone Systems
1300 24th St W
Billings

(corner of 24th & Grand next to CVS)

For this meeting we plan to update our MAME arcade machine with Linux. Will probably use Mythbuntu distro and set up some emulators!

-shawn

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

December!

We'd like to establish a WDS-based mesh network with RouterBoard 751s. We'll also flash a PicoStation with Unify. Anyone interested in wireless and Linux is welcome!

Meeting at 7PM Thurs., Dec 15 at:

Yellowstone Systems
1327 Central Ave

http://lannocc.com/blug


users

What's the age group showing up for these meetings?


lannocc's picture

Sorry to reply so late. Here

Sorry to reply so late. Here at the Billings LUG we have about 4 regular members show up to nearly every meeting, ages ranging about 30-40.

-shawn

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

November -- Wardriving in Billings

This month will be a mobile meeting! Feel free to join us at Yellowstone Systems as we pile into Brian's minivan and drive around Billings locating wireless access points. We will be doing a survey of secure vs. open access points in the 2.4GHz and possibly 5GHz bands. We'll try to make use of the Backtrack Linux distribution in our search.

We will meet at 7PM tomorrow (Thurs., Nov. 17) at:

Yellowstone Systems
1327 Central Ave

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

Last night's wardriving

Last night's wardriving went quite well. It didn't take long to install the Backtrack 5 R1 distro (32-bit GNOME edition) on a laptop and get Kismet running with a USB GPS device and USB radio listening on 2.4 and 5GHz channels, thanks to the easy guide at http://blog.securityactive.co.uk/2009/07/17/wardriving-with-kismet-newcore-and-backtrack-4.

Here's a snapshot of what was produced in Google Earth from the data gathered by Kismet (click for larger view):

-shawn

http://lannocc.com/blug

Worzie's picture

Sweet! Wish I could have

Sweet! Wish I could have made it to this one :-/

You guys rock!

W


lannocc's picture

Next

Next time!

-shawn

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

October meeting

Some of us will be available tomorrow at Yellowstone Systems for our monthly LUG meeting. There is lots to work on here at the shop but the initial focus will be setting up replication in OpenLDAP. We have one remote LDAP server handling authentication for our subnet and would like it replicated locally. It looks fairly straightforward but I have not personally done it yet so there may be a little trial and error involved.

This might not take the full time slot and additional topic ideas are of course welcomed!

We will meet at 7 PM at:

Yellowstone Systems
1327 Central Ave
Billings

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

August meeting

Thanks to Dan D. for hosting our August meeting. We had a total of 5 people in attendance. This meeting had no specific topic but instead was an open forum where we discussed possible topics and direction for future meetings and ideas to increase attendance.

What follows below are ideas we came up with and is just a start.

TOPICS
======
* ISPConfig
* Setting up a Ubuntu desktop
* Using GIMP
* Retro PCs (Commodore, Atari, Tandy/RadioShack, etc.)
* Setting up MythTV or XBMC

OUTREACH / PROMOTION
====================
* Expand the focus of the club so we are not limited specifically to Linux topics; we have users with experience in networking, web development, application programming, and more
* Host a computer clinic to offer a day of free PC troubleshooting, repair, and general Q&A
* Start a Facebook page to promote around the Billings region
* I volunteered to coordinate promotion activities for the group

NEXT MONTH
==========
* For next month we would like to show how to set up a Wiki engine that we could use on the billingslug.org site

Please feel free to add to these lists.

http://lannocc.com/blug


http://lannocc.com/blug is

http://lannocc.com/blug is down :(

I would add zoneminder to the topics list.


lannocc's picture

That's another good topic.

That's another good topic. Yeah, my site is down until Monday probably... but there is no new information there.

-shawn

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

THU July 21

Hey everyone,

I'm at my operations office tonight working on reformatting my laptop to set up virtualization for Gentoo Linux and Windows Vista. Right now a full backup is nearing completion and then I will move forward with virtualization software install. My Intel CPU supports hardware virtualization (`grep vmx /proc/cpuinfo`) so I will be looking at software to utilize that. I will be here most of the evening working and chatting about Linux. Anyone is welcome to drop by!

Lannocc operations is in the Metro Park Office & Industrial building at
1148 1st Ave N. Look for the EZ Money Check Cashing sign. Park in the
back lot and enter through door on east side. I'll put a sign up.

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

VirtualBox

Just wanted to post an update on how things went. During the meeting we had to wait for a bit while a full backup (ultimately unnecessary) completed and then I emerged the app-emulation/virtualbox-bin package from Portage on my Dell laptop running Gentoo Linux. Merge went quickly (binary package) and we created a new dynamic disk image for Windows, set to a maximum of 20GB. I inserted my Dell OEM Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit CD that shipped with the laptop and ran through the Windows install within VirtualBox with absolutely no problems.

Everything just worked! I spent the next few days slowly getting Windows updates and service packs installed through Windows Update. This was all necessary so I could move away from my Windows XP VMWare image in order to test sites against Internet Explorer 9.

Thanks to everyone who showed up. I look forward to next month's meeting!

-shawn

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

THU June 16

This week I can show off a working shell interpreter I'm writing for a web-based (Java Tomcat) XML distribution I am hacking together. It's Linux-related in that my shell is following Bash as I implement new features and I'm laying out files and processes in FHS fashion, and it makes use of a growing number of GPL-licensed libraries.

http://lannocc.com/blug


lannocc's picture

June meeting tonight

Hey everyone,

I'll be at my operations office tonight at 7:30 for anyone who wants to show up and talk about Linux stuff. I can show off a simple shell parser I have started for a sort of web-based "distribution", and I have started a Mercurial code repository to do something with Gentoo for BillingsLUG. It's another informal meeting tonight and anyone is welcome.

Lannocc operations is in the Metro Park Office & Industrial building at
1148 1st Ave N. Look for the EZ Money Check Cashing sign. Park in the
back lot and enter through door on east side. I'll put a sign up.

7:30 PM through 8:30 PM I'll be there.

http://lannocc.com/blug


BillingsLUG, Candidate Days, and more...

I would like to propose any of the following days as potential *UG/LUG days in Billings:
June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Please reply with what days you would be interested and/or able to attend.

Rather than any one specific subject matter, I suggest a somewhat open forum with a few starter subjects such as:
A linux distro as a spin of gentoo, debian, or fedora
Freeswitch and Asterisk as ip pbx

Also, if you would, reply with any subject matter you feel you are skilled in and could spread some knowledge about to the group as our skills are quite diverse. I would be glad to help someone out with what I know:
I do SQL (MS-SQL, postgresql), bash scripts, Cisco (routers, vpns), asterisk w/ freepbx, pfsense, Linux and Windows administration, Active Directory, etc etc.

There are a few facilities available such as my conference room downtown.

I am also interested in setting up a computer clinic at a local school or something close like Shepard or Park City. Usually a good place to help people out and a nice way to hand out business cards for those that are self employed. I would suspect that we could partner with another group like Kiwanis who are already pretty good at setting these things up. Sam Thomas at Integra who is a member of Kiwanis would probably be on-board and excited about the prospect.


lannocc's picture

June 9?

Dan, were you still looking to try to get together on a day other than the regular meeting date? I am available tomorrow, June 9 if you still want hang out and toss ideas around.

Due to the silence it sounds like I could be the only other person there. I started a Mercurial repository for some sort of branded Gentoo distro for the BillingsLUG and I would be happy to host additional repositories for other group projects as well. I don't have a LiveCD ready yet but I may still be on track to have that by the regular meeting time next week.

My own page devoted to BillingsLUG projects and presentations is at http://lannocc.com/blug

-shawn


?

I don't know. Anyone else interested?


lannocc's picture

I take that to mean no then,

I take that to mean no then, and I probably won't get to check emails again until late this evening so I'm making other plans.

So for the regular time next week we can still meet at my ops office again and I don't care if I'm the only one who shows up, I have a few nifty things to work on or talk about for those who come around.

http://lannocc.com


agreed

Agreed. lets try to get a few people onboard for next week.


lannocc's picture

Well, for June most of those

Well, for June most of those days would work for me except possibly the 23rd when I may be out of town. Dan has a facility as do I and I'm sure others as well so it'd be great if try to rotate where we meet. I like the idea of doing something with Kiwanis since I have been thinking of personally getting involved with that organization anyways. If we want to do the PC clinic thing we should think about planning over a couple of our next meetings. I know a couple years ago we started planning some sort of install-fest yet our momentum fizzled out and it never happened.

I really like the idea of seeing some of the major distros installed again, looking at how they differ, and trying our hands at remixing a few of them as a group effort for some locally-branded distributions. I have a Gentoo starter, Scott has a MontanaLinux Fedora remix and he mentions another Debian-based distro from the HelenaLUG. I'm of the opinion that the more we get our hands on and play with the better; this is just for fun.

http://lannocc.com


lannocc's picture

May BillingsLUG TONIGHT 7:30 PM

Fellow LUsers (Linux Users),

Am I the only one who has missed out on too many meetings recently? I
know I wish I could have been around for more and have made time
available for our "regular" scheduled time tonight.

There is no presentation. Bring an idea or just show up and listen to me
talk about creating and organizing XML processing tools into a web
application whose URLs closely follow the FHS (Filesystem Hierarchy
Standard -- http://www.pathname.com/fhs/). I have started with Orbeon
(http://orbeon.com) and stripped it down so right now I only use their
descriptive XPL (XML Pipeline Language -- W3C member submission draft
since 2005). The idea is to lay things out in a way familiar to a
moderate Linux user/developer.

I would also like to get the ball rolling on a customized distribution
representing the Billings Linux Users Group. Even if we just take Ubuntu
and change one graphic and one line of text, it is a start and something
anyone can contribute to, beginner or expert. I also have a Gentoo base
we could start from.

Lannocc operations is in the Metro Park Office & Industrial building at
1148 1st Ave N. Look for the EZ Money Check Cashing sign. Park in the
back and enter through door on east side. I'll put a sign up.

7:30 PM through 8:30 PM I'll be there.

-shawn


lannocc's picture

Thank you to everyone who

Thank you to everyone who came out on Thursday! I am looking forward to our future meetings.

http://lannocc.com


Billings LUG

Shawn, the last few LUGS have had some pretty poor turnout. I would definitely come on a regular basis if we could get 5 or more people and have a showing. Also, my shop is available just about any time.


February LUG

My facility is available for a LUG on the 17th. If anyone wants to have one please let me know. The last two have basically fizzled.


JANUARY 2011 Billings LUG

The Billings LUG is tonight! Thursday Jan 20th. Come on by, the address is 1123 3rd ave North.

Tonight's discussion will be on SQL Basics


Worzie's picture

September 2010 Meeting

We are looking at a couple special meetings this week! I suppose to
make up for the lack of meetings the last few months.

Plans are still being hashed out, so, please stay tuned. Looking at
both Wednesday (setup) and Thursday (meeting). (22-23)

Dan Denson who has hosted a few meetings would like to setup a pfsense
lab and demonstration.

Tentatively I'd say we'll meet at 7 PM both nights at Valley Welders
Office, 1123 3rd Ave. N.

We'll firm up plans tomorrow morning. Join us in IRC (see
http://www.montanalinux.org for info on the channel), or reply to this
email to make suggestions. Dinner ideas?

Warren


Re: [BillingsLUG] September Meeting

The official LUG (*UG) will be Thursday the 23rd officially starting at 7pm. You may show up as early as 6pm if you like, I will be present.
Subject: pfsense LAB + discussion on other open source *BSD/Linux router and firewall packages such as Vyatta, Zeroshell, pfsense, etc

Please bring your own drinks, unfortunately no alcohol on the premises. Also, you are welcome to bring a laptop as we will configure a hub and spoke VPN with 3 pfsense installs.

Tonight I will be finalizing some setup for the lab on Thursday as well as chatting with whomever shows up.

I also have a XenServer install available and high speed internet if you would like to check out some commercial virtualization.

The address is 1123 3rd Avenue North. I can be reached at 4066907257 if you cant find the place. There is a 7' metal sign at ground level that says 'AWG' near the front door.

Thanks


June 2010 Meeting

For tomorrow's meeting, I will be demonstrating how to modify a pre-built virtual appliance into a multimedia server for TiVo DVRs. This demo will highlight the TurnKey Linux and pyTivo projects.

Our gracious venue host for this month is Brian K. of Yellowstone Systems (www.yellowstonesystems.com). The meeting location is 1327 Central Ave at 7pm.

I'll be bringing cans of San Pellegrino Limonata and Aranciata for your imbibing pleasure.

Brian I.


May 2010 Meeting

Dan (syadnom on #ubuntu-montana) will be showing FreePBX 2 as well as the current developer release of FreePBX 3. There will also be Astra IP phone handsets to use as well, making for a great hands on experience for everyone. The talk will cover the function, configuration and auto deployment of the Astra phones using FreePBX, the new FreePBX 3 interface and what the new and upcoming FreeSWITCH has in store for us.


lannocc's picture

April 2010 Meeting -- New venue!

At this month's meeting (Thursday 4/15) I will be showing how to use the dvdauthor tools along with GIMP and a little Cinelerra to create animated DVD menus.

Please note the change of venue for this month. Dan (syadnom on #ubuntu-montana) has been gracious enough to offer up his conference room for this meeting. The address is:

320 N 11th St
Billings, MT

The entrance is on 3rd Ave. As usual the meeting starts at 7pm.


March 2010 Meeting

Tonight's meeting will again be at Yellowstone Systems at 7:00 PM. The address is:

1327 Central Ave.
Billings, MT 59102

Brian will be presenting data recovery options using freely available Linux tools such as ddrescue and gparted in conjuntion with live CD's such as Ubuntu Desktop and Clonezilla. Hope to see you all there!


February 2010 Meeting

I'm pleased to announce we will be having a meeting tonight at 7:00PM. Brian Kelly owner of Yellowstone Systems has offered to host us tonight. The address is:

1327 Central Ave.
Billings, MT 59102

Tonight's agenda will include a tour of Brian's new business, Linux news and general Linux User Group discussion.

We have possible future presentation topics including:

  • DVD video authoring under Linux, including menu authoring
  • Ubuntu Server Edition JeOS for PyTivo
  • PXE Booting for Fun, Installing, Imaging and More
  • System Recovery using Linux tools (ddrescue, dd, dcfldd, gparted, System Recovery CD)
  • Hugin - Panorama photo stitcher

If any of these topic interest you, please make your vote at tonight's meeting. We are also looking for volunteers to present a topic. If you have something you wish to share, please let us know.


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