Is Ubuntu your preferred Linux distribution?  Ever wanted to run your IRLP node under Ubuntu?  If so, I've made it extremely easy to do! Simply grab my ubuntu-irlp-reinstall script and use it to restore your backed up node, to a freshly installed Ubuntu server.  It has only been tested on Ubuntu 6.06.1 LTS (Dapper).  I would highly recommend Dapper due to the long term support of this particular release (5 years). If you decide to use a different version, be aware that you may need to, "tweak" the install script to accommodate any subtle changes between distribution releases.

Since this is a reinstaller script, it is assumed that you have previously set up an IRLP node with the conventional IRLP distribution, and that you have done a node backup.  This reinstaller relies on that backup file so make sure you have it available before proceeding.  If you do not have a previous install from which you can create a node backup, you will need to run my ubuntu-irlp-installer for new nodes (highly experimental and mostly untested).  If you use the new node install script, please report back to me any issues you may have had with it as it may still have some minor bugs.  Any beta testers wanna volunteer to give it a go?  :-)

• Steps For Reinstall

* DISCLAIMER *
Please note - This is not to be considered an officially endorsed installation method of IRLP since it deviates from the, "preferred" Linux Distribution as offered by the IRLP designer/maintainers on the official IRLP CDROM image.  For this reason, you must not expect the maintainers to support it if you decide to use it.  Basically, you are on your own with it!  But don't worry, Ubuntu Linux is probably more secure and less prone to problems anyway.  :-)  That being said, this disclaimer must be considered and understood before proceeding.  Also, use of my IRLP installer script is done at your own risk.  You cannot hold me liable in ANY way if the information contained herein is incorrect or mis-interpreted.  In short, I assume absolutely NO RESPONSIBILITY for your use of any of my scripts or programs. 

Ok, with that out of the way, off we go...

First, you need to make sure the root account is enabled and accessible with a password.  By default, most Ubuntu installs disable the root account by not setting a password for it.  The designers of this distribution want the user to rely on the, 'sudo' mechanism for running commands that require root privileges.  This is actually good practice under most circumstances.  However, for ease of configuration/operation, IRLP should probably have the root account enabled.  So, if the root account does not have a password configured yet, simply login and do, "sudo passwd" at the command prompt.  Enter your system password and it will then prompt you to establish a new root password.  Choose a sufficiently strong password (upper and lower case with numbers and at least one symbol).  Passwords any shorter than 8 characters are not usually considered strong!  After you enter a password for root, it will prompt you to enter it again to verify.  Once this is complete, your root account will then be active.  You should be able to logout and then login on your box as root, straight away.  If you are familiar with the sudo mechanism and how to use it, you can probably leave the root account disabled and work via sudo but I won't explain how to do that here.

Second, you need to place your previous node's IRLP backup file (called, "irlp_backup.tgz") within your new Ubuntu box's /tmp directory.  You may also put it on a floppy disk (if your backup file will fit - most don't), and have it accessible during the reinstaller script execution.  Then you will need to download my ubuntu-irlp-reinstall script to your Ubuntu box.  The easiest way to do this is to login as root, to your new box, and then do the following at the command prompt:
"wget http://rob.pectol.com/irlp/irlp-echolink-install-files/ubuntu-irlp-reinstall"
This will download the reinstaller to the current directory (which should be /root since you logged in as root).  The file will be called, "ubuntu-irlp-reinstall" and it should be set executable (chmod 755 ./ubuntu-irlp-reinstall).

Third, simply run the reinstaller script by doing, "./ubuntu-irlp-reinstall" at the command prompt.  The installer will prompt you for minimal information and will take care of most any dependency issues that it detects.  However, since it relies on a previously backed up node's backup file, you will either need to have it handy on a floppy disk, or it will need to be located within the /tmp directory as mentioned previously.  I recommend that you place the backup file in the /tmp directory as it is much more reliable and faster when the reinstaller begins the node restore routines.  If the reinstaller script finishes without errors, your node should be restored and ready to go!  If you got any errors, try to resolve them and re-run the reinstaller script again.  Good luck and enjoy your new Ubuntu IRLP node!  :-)

If you want to install EchoIRLP on your new Ubuntu IRLP box, you can grab my ubuntu-echo-install EchoIRLP installer script and run it. It will take care of all dependencies for you and should have you up and running on Echolink with your node within minutes! Be advised that you need to already have registered with the Echolink folks and have a valid Echolink login and password. The installer will ask you for them. Enjoy! :-)