Download Linux Journal | October 2014 | Issue 246

CURRENT_ISSUE.TAR.GZ
of Apple—in fact, quite the opposite.
I put on my grey hat this month and
talk a little bit about SSH. “Hacking” is
a word that is used to describe far too
many things, most of which I think are
more accurately described as, “Using
Things Like They Were Made To Be
Used”, but that’s not as catchy for a
movie title. Firewalls are important
security tools for any network, but
it’s important to realize that firewalls
can’t be your only defense against
access. This month I show you why. Do
I “hack” the firewall? I don’t think so,
but for someone unfamiliar with SSH
tunneling, it sure looks like it.
Al Audet shows how to embed Linux
into a hole in the ground this month.
More specifically, he explains how he
uses a Raspberry Pi device to monitor
the sump hole in his basement to
avoid flooding. Sump pumps are
amazing devices—until they’re not.
Al shares not only his method, but
also his scripts for controlling a sensor
that warns him if the water level rises
too much. It’s the perfect example of
solving difficult problems with Linux.
Sachin Verma goes even deeper (pun
intended) and shows how to deal
with the bootloader on embedded
Linux systems. U-Boot is commonly
used in such environments, and along
with booting the kernel, you can
pass environment variables as well.
Sachin walks through the boot process
and teaches how to customize the
information passed on at boot.
Finally, Samuel Bucquet gives a crash
course in accessing the BeagleBone
Black’s I/O ports via Python. Although
the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone
Black are both excellent platforms for
embedded projects, the BBB’s sheer
number of I/O options make it incredible
for projects with a large number of
sensor needs. With Samuel’s help, you
can access those ports with the friendly
and familiar Python language.
The Embedded issue of Linux
Journal always makes me want to
build something. Now that BirdCam
is off-line (the battery in my old
Android phone blew up—it was ugly),
maybe it’s time to start over from
scratch. I’m sure there are some great
weatherproof IP cameras out there I
could use to get better shots of the
winter birds. Either way, this is a great
issue, and we had a great time putting
together for you. Whether you want
tech tips, programming ideas or just
my silly insight on the best new apps
for your phone, the October issue of
Linux Journal aims to please! Q
Shawn Powers is the Associate Editor for Linux Journal .
He’s also the Gadget Guy for LinuxJournal.com, and he has
an interesting collection of vintage Garfield coffee mugs.
Don’t let his silly hairdo fool you, he’s a pretty ordinary guy
and can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Or, swing by the #linuxjournal IRC channel on Freenode.net.
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