Perfect Windows and Ubuntu Unity Integration

Running MultiSim through Windows in Ubuntu

One of the biggest issues with switching over to Linux is the fact that a lot of applications are only supported on Windows (XP, Vista, or 7).  Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10 use the Unity desktop that by default has no panel at the bottom.  This makes Ubuntu integrate perfectly with Windows running under VirtualBox with a few minor tweaks.  Read more to find out how.

In order to do this you will need:

• A version of Windows (XP, Vista, 7)
• VirtualBox

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Step 1:
Install VirtualBox.

Using the instructions here: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads#Debian-basedLinuxdistributions

For Ubuntu 11.10:

1. Open the Software Center. Choose Edit -> Software Sources. Click the Other Software tab, then Add...

2. Enter:

deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian oneiric contrib

Adding the VirtualBox Source

3. Open a terminal (ctrl+alt+t) and enter:

wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-4.1 

4. Once the install has finished open VirtualBox. Using this install method you will automatically get updates as they come out.

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Step 2:
Create a Windows virtual machine.
 
The best place for this is the users manual found here: http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch01.html#idp7595344

Note: Remember the of the name of the Virtual Machine you created.

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Step 3:
Remove the statusbar from Virtualbox.

Open a terminal (ctrl+alt+t) and enter:

VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/Customizations noStatusBar

This will remove the statusbar from all of your virtual machines.  More info can be found here: https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11620&hilit=hide+status+bar

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Step 4:
Start the virtual machine, maximise the window and wala!

See how Windows and Ubuntu are integrated perfectly together.  You can still access in both operating systems without one getting in the way of the other.

Penn State wireless 2.0 with Ubuntu Linux

The problem

If you go to one of Penn State's campus' and have a laptop running ubuntu linux  it's pretty easy to log on to the internet.  For security reasons, Penn State protects their wireless connections using either a VPN or user authentication.  Most of the 'tech' guys don't know how to do much more than run an installer program, which is all that is necessary if you have a windows or mac os but when it comes to linux, they're clueless.

The benefit

If you use ubuntu, your in luck.  Ubuntu 10.04 comes ready right out of the box to connect to psu's v2 network.  I would say it's even easier than on windows because it connects you automatically every time you open your laptop.

The solution

So how do you set it up?

1. Click on the wireless icon on the top panel and select the psu ssid.
2. A dialog will open up, fill in the following information under the wireless security :
   1. Network name: psu
   2. Wireless security: WPA & WPA2 Enterprise
   3. Authentication: Tunnled TLS
   4. Anonymous identity: (leave blank)
   5. CA Certificate: (leave on None)
   6. Inner authetication: PAP
   7. Username: you1245
   8. Password: yourpassword
3. A dialog will open up warning that you haven't chosen a CA Certificate, click ignore and continue.
4. Click connect. Thats it!

Connection Properties

Ubuntu 11.10 will save the connection and automatically fill out all this information everytime you come in the network's range. Happy surfing!