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Trusted secure shell (SSH, SCP) access

beastie The requirement for manually typing in a password when accessing a remote host or distributing files can be a problem, such as when working in a server environment or using automated scripts.

A solution to this can be to implement trusted secure shell (SSH, SCP) access. This is also referred to as passwordless SSH or SCP access. It which allows a user or a script to securely login from one host to another via local network or via internet without the requirement for manually typing in a password. This is possible by the use of a private and public RSA key pair.

It is assumed, that the remote host allow the use of public key authentication, and, that the remote host has correct file and folder permissions.

Log on to the client and perform the following command, that will generate the needed pair of keys.

ssh-keygen -t rsa

During this, a password, also called passphrase, is not typed in. The key pair are stored in a file each. The private key will only be readable and writeable for the user. No one else must see the content of that file, as it is used to decrypt communication, encrypted with the public key. The public key will in addition be readable to others.

Copy the public key into memory.

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Log on to the server and paste the public key into the collection of authorized keys.

cd ~/ssh
nano -w authorized_keys

The user or the script on the client is now trusted by the server to operate via SSH or SCP without the requirement for manually typing in a password.

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Combining, watermarking and encoding movies

Raw movie clips from a digital camera, often identified by capital file names, ending with AVI, takes up a lot of disc space. Such movie clips might also need to be edited, combined and prepared for viewers, such as sharing with friends and communities, in terms of file size and watermarking.

This procedure will load one or more raw movie clips from a digital video camera, combine them into a single movie and write out a final encoded movie, that has been watermarked with a transparent logo. This procedure uses Avidemux and The GIMP, which is open source software.

Copy the raw movie clips to a local folder.

Start Avidemux and open the first movie clip. Cut off unrelevant sections using the time slider, the markers and the delete button on the keyboard. Store the movie clip under a name, that describes the scene. Open the next movie clip and repeat this.

Now, we are ready to combine the scenes. Open the first movie clip. Append the next movie clip and repeat this until the movie is complete. Store the complete movie under the final name of the movie and let the name indicate, that it is a raw copy, which means, that this movie has not yet been encoded.

Before we start encoding the final movie, we might want to prepare a logo, that can be placed in the movie. Such a logo can be created in The GIMP. Unfortunately, Avidemux does not know how to handle transparent images, but, by creating an image, that has the same dimensions as the movie and a white background, we can make a transparant appearance. Create the logo on the white background. Because we are using the same dimensions as the movie, the logo coordinates within the white background will be the the same logo coordinates within the movie. Store the logo in PNG format using default settings.

We are now ready to encode the final movie. For video encoding, select the MPEG-4 ASP (Xvid4). This is also known as the XviD format, which is the open source alternative to DivX. Notice, that it is spelled backwards. Find the video filters, the miscellaneous filters and the logo filter. Add it and set the alpha value to 15. Confirm the logo appearance using the preview. Close the filter. Using the drop down menu, switch to side by side view. Now, we see the raw movie to our left and the encoded movie to our right. If the encoded movie preview can be approved, then encode the final movie to a file name, that indicates, that the movie has been encoded to the Xvid format.

Test the final encoded movie in movie players, such as the ones, that the viewers are using.

, which is the open source alternative to DivX, and will make the movie appear smooth and light.
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New website

Dear customers, users and guests, the content management system, the frame work, for our new website has now been installed and implemented.

After testing three different well known content management systems for our requirements, such as simplicity, learning curve and scalability, our choice fell on WordPress, which meet all our requirements. Among other tested systems was ImpressCMS, which did not meet our requirements for configuration simplicity, and TYPO 3, which did not meet our requirements for a short learning curve.

Static content, such as our business profile, terms and conditions, is now being written and prepared for publishing on our website.

Logo and other graphical art work is now being designed by gobananas design.

Please, subscribe to our RSS news feed for automatic updates on our website development and news in general.

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