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For a secret project I am planning I decided to swap out the stock wifi card for one with alternate features.  I use the 1000HE eeepc for ham radio and some other tasks.  I really like it.  Due to my background and preferences I had installed linux, at the time I installed I wanted to get all the drivers and all as easily as possible.  To that end I opted for the eeebuntu distribution.  It is currently based on ubuntu, although the next release which is currently in beta will be debian due to severe problems with things breaking with each ubuntu release.

This is the saga of how I did it. (continue reading…)

I have an Asus 1000HE eeepc.  I like it, mostly its battery life.  I installed eeebuntu not being a big windows fan and was displeased when I discovered that you could not directly install to a root cryptofs.  I did it anyway, although it takes a round-a-bout method to accomplish.

For those that do not know, cryptofs is a whole disk encryption solution in linux.  It is transparent to the user, aside from having to enter a passphrase (which can be very long) when you mount the disk.  Making / (root) cryptofs requires some modification to the initrd so that it will load the appropriate modules, set up the proper pseudodevice entries, and then mount the disk.  Swap can also be made encrypted making it even more difficult for anyone to get anything out of your system should it fall into the wrong hands.

Unlike some of the other tutorials out there I do not require you to do an intermediate temporary install, this means that your entire disk except /boot can be encrypted in one go. (continue reading…)