Second Physical Computer

I had been playing with Ubuntu on my old Dynabook N40, but the freezing phenomenon on it, even I am not so demanding as a thin client, did not stop (;-s). I am feeling that I have reached my limit. It is more fun to play with Cloud Computing nowadays than to investigate the cause of freezing.
At last I bought a mini PC that I had been considering before (:-), a model called MINISUFORUM UM350 with Ryzen5 3550H, 16G memory, 256G SSD, which is quite an exuberant spec for a Linux person. It is a good time because I could buy it for around $400. It was Windows 10 that was installed on the PC, but did I immediately switch to Linux? No, I am going to use it as it is for a while at least (:-o).

Fountain Pen

I’m playing Linux in my home computer and with the Cloud, but I always forget where I wrote my work history immediately (:0), so I am rather using paper notebooks than software tools. I was not so particular about fountain pens, but once I started using them, I found out that there is so called converter and tried to use it. At first I didn’t know what a converter was. Usually a cartridge is used just to connect to a fountain pen, but a converter has the same connection as a cartridge and is designed to suck up ink from an ink bottle after it is attached to the fountain pen. In other words, it is designed to convert a cartridge fountain pen into an ink-sucking fountain pen.

I am using very normal ink right now, but when I run out, I’d like to try something a little more particular next time. By the way, a converter uses about 0.5cc for one shot and the ink bottle is 60cc, so I have to replace it 120 times before it runs out. I would like to use the next ink as soon as possible, but it seems that I have to write a lot of letters for that (:-).

Notification from RPA by GMail

Notification from RPA #1 GMail

I have Sikullix in my Cloud Computer and I am playing with RPA and other things, but I can't watch it all the time after it starts because I let it run for a good long time, but I don't know when it finishes or it may have ended up with an error for some reason in the middle of the process. So, even very simple idea, but I'm going to use Gmail to notify me when the process is finished or when there is an error.
Of course, since I am dealing with RPA so far, we could use that to send it via webmail from a browser, but it would be a lot of work to start a browser, access the Gmail page, go to .... and as anyone who has ever made RPA knows, it doesn't work quite as well as I'd like (;-s). Especially this time, I want to send an email even when an error occurs while letting the user surf the web using a browser, but it is not a good idea to send an email through the browser because the error may be caused by the browser. Also, since I am a command line lover (:-), I will make this part with a script. However, my current theme is a Cloud Computer, so I don't mean to make it a mail server. It is just a normal Computer that can be used to send mail.
In the case of Ubuntu, it is under /etc/postfix. However, since security is getting stricter these days, you need to issue an application password on the Gmail side and set it up on your cloud computer as well.

On the Gmail side, go to Account ⇒ Security ⇒ Application Password.

Write this password in a file named sasl_passwd, excluding spaces. When ready, create transport.db and sasl_passwd.db and restart postfix. It looks like this.

$ sudo postmap /etc/postfix/transport
$ sudo postmap /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
$ sudo systemctl restart postfix

$ sudo postmap /etc/postfix/transport
$ sudo postmap /etc/postfix/sasl_passwd
$ sudo systemctl restart postfix

Now all you have to do is send mail as usual.

$ echo "body of mail" | mail -s "subject of mail" mail to (xxxxx@xxx.com)

$ echo "body of mail" | mail -s "subject of mail" mail to (xxxxx@xxx.com)

The command line world is easier to understand than RPA after all (:-), and there are many cases where it is better to use scripts to do things that can be done with RPA. If you try to do everything with RPA, you will see a tough world a bit (:-).

Audacity on Cloud Computer #2

I am using VNC via ssh to Cloud Computer, and when I use it in full screen mode, it runs so smoothly and comfortably that it is indistinguishable from my home PC. There is one important problem: most VNC do not support sound. I have yet to find a free one that supports Linux, which is the target of this project (lol). In other words, ordinary Cloud Computer cannot, in principle, use sound. On the other hand, AWS Workspaces is an original application that is not VNC, so it is indeed possible to use sound as a standard feature. I have always thought that I can watch video services such as Youtube and Netflix on my FireTV, so this is not a big problem, but I would like to try VNC with sound one day if I can find one. I was wondering what would happen if I tried to use Audacity on a Cloud Computer with no sound.
When I tried it on AWS Workspaces, I was able to record easily and the sound quality was much better than on my home computer, which was a bonus. As with AWS Workspaces, I started up Pavucontrol, which is a good companion to Audacity, but it did not actually produce sound. The Output Devices showed only Dummy Output, and since there were no other options, I was able to record as is. It is a little inconvenient that I cannot operate the PC while checking the audio output on the home PC side, but the sound quality is very good and the result is better than I expected, just like with AWS Workspaces. It exceeded my expectations (IoI).

VNC

I had been using AWS Workspaces as my Cloud Personal Computer, but it was so complete that there was no room for innovation, so I decided to try another service and started using something called WebARENA Indigo. In industry jargon, usually, the former is called VDI and the latter is called VPS, but in this world of terminology, it's hard to understand either way, so I'll try not to use those kind of terms here. The main difference is that AWS Workspaces can be used almost immediately after purchase, but WebARENA Indigo cannot be used as a Cloud Computer without some configuration by yourself.　　
I have already connected to the cloud computer using a cable called ssh, but I still can't use the mouse with it. So first, I need to install an application to use the mouse on the Cloud Computer. This time I chose Ubuntu, so it looks something like this.

$ sudo apt-get -y install ubuntu-desktop

$ sudo apt-get -y install ubuntu-desktop

By the way, there is also the term Desktop, which I also use in my work, but I think it is actually a word whose meaning is difficult to understand, so I will use the term Application that allows you to use a mouse here (:-). There may be various other detailed settings required, but I'll omit them here.
To connect Cloud Computer and Home Computer,l use an application called VNC. First, connect an ssh cable for VNC.

$ ssh.exe -L 9999:localhost:5901 -i private_key.txt" -l login ID IP address

$ ssh.exe -L 9999:localhost:5901 -i private_key.txt" -l login ID IP address

9999 and 5901 are called ports, but here you can think of them as ssh cable plugs. Next, launch the VNC application on the Cloud Computer side and the Home PC side respectively. On the Cloud Computer side, type just like

$ vncserver

$ vncserver

This is all there is to it. Of course, this assumes that VNC is properly installed. The port 5901 is a standard VNC port. Of course, you can change it, but I won't go into that here.
Finally, start up the VNC application on the Home Computer side connecting to :

localhost:9999

localhost:9999

localhost refers to the home computer on the network. The number can be almost anything other than 9999, as long as it matches what you specified in ssh. Now I am safely connected to the Cloud Computer. You may want to check how to make it full screen (full screen), as it varies from VNC app to VNC app, such as F8 or moving the mouse to the upper left corner....

Connect To Cloud Computer

In the last issue, I likened cloud computers to the following

1. Cloud Computer is like the one in a rental warehouse.
2. Power on/off is done via the control panel.
3. Cable is connected via ssh.

I also started out using AWS Workspaces, but got stuck on Sikulix and decided to use another service called WebARENA Indigo. 2 CPUs, 2G memory, and a maximum of 700 yen per month, which I think is a fair deal, except for the other free slot candidates.
After creating an account with it, the Control Panel got available. The first thing you need to do is create an SSH key, which means you need to prepare a Cable to connect your Cloud Computer to your home computer. When you create the SSH key, a file like private_key.txt will be downloaded, so keep it for later use.
Next, choose the type of OS to be used for instance creation from Ubuntu or other distributions (of course, you can choose Windows as well), and decide on the number of CPUs and memory size. For this time, I chose Ubuntu with 2 CPUs and 2G memory. Of course, the SSH key you created at the beginning is also specified here. Once the instance is created (it takes a little time), the Cloud Computer is finally activated and billing begins (lol). Right after creation, the power is on, so if you want to turn it off, you can do so from the Control Panel.
Finally, connect to your home computer with a cable (ssh). ssh is probably included in every OS nowadays, but if you don’t have it, install it. I can find the IP address and user ID of your in the Control Panel , and using private_key.txt ,

$ ssh -i private_key.txt" -l userid IPaddress

at last, start using Cloud Computer. I think this is the general flow of things, although there may be some differences in the use of various terms among providers.

Personal Cloud Computer

I have taken the liberty of naming it Personal Cloud Computer and am working to popularize it (:-), but I suspect that many people , except working IT industry and those who have used it in their work , do not have a clue what I am talking about, and no idea about that terminology. This IT industry is very interesting for those who actively use it on their own, but I think the ability to explain it to those who don’t is an issue (:-)).
A Personal Cloud Computer is defined as a computer that can be used just like a personal computer using services on the Internet. Of course, if you don’t have a computer at home, it would be difficult to use it, so it would be for a second or later computer, but in some cases, it can also be used from a smartphone. A good analogy might be to imagine that you place a computer in a rental warehouse and pay a monthly rental fee.
Then, if it is in a rental warehouse, how do you turn the power on and off first? The Cloud service provider you have signed up with will provide you with what is generally called a Control Canel (different from the control panel in Windows).
Next, how do we connect to the computers at the warehouse? Nowadays, a tool called ssh will do the job. To use another analogy, just like bluetooth, which allows you to use a mouse, headphones, and other devices.

1. Cloud Computer is like a computer in a rental warehouse.
2. Power on/off is done via the control panel.
3. All cables are connected via ssh.

If you can visualize this kind of analogy, I think anyone will be able to use Cloud Computer (I just hope (:-)).
By the way, the reason ssh doesn’t appear in AWS Workspaces is because it’s a dedicated application packed into a package to use without worrying about such things, that means a proprietary cable so to speak. So it’s convenient, quick to get started, and high quality, but it’s a bit expensive service (:-).

WebARENA Indigo

I had been using AWS Workspaces as part of a project to promote the use of Personal Cloud Computer (lol), but I immediately stumbled on Sikulix, an RPA tool (;-o). I was thinking of various workarounds, but since AWS Workspaces was originally a complete package in a sense, there is not much room to tinker with it, and while it is not impossible, I do not think it should be so. In addition I would like to do various things (:0) on it, I would like to choose something from a different service.
There are a lot of Cloud providers offering various services nowadays, and among them, there are a lot of free slots for individuals, which is very appealing. The AWS Workspaces I mentioned last time is also what I am using. However, the competition for free space is naturally fierce, and it seems to happen frequently that the service is still available but there are no more spaces available at the moment.
After much consideration, I decided to try WebARENA Indigo for my next Cloud Computer. This service seems to be mostly local to Japan, but since it is run by an NTT group, which is Japan big tel-communication company liks AT&T , I decided to sign up for it right away. Thanks to the proliferation of video services such as Netflix over the past few years, and the fact that I have done a lot of free viewing myself (lol), I am not so reluctant to register a credit card and create an account. Once you have an account, the next step is to create an instance (that’s what they call it). Here, as with AWS, the number of CPUs and the size of memory are selected. Since the purpose of use is Linux, minimum option like 1 CPU with 700M of memory is OK for my purpose, but since I will be using a desktop, I selected 2 CPUs and 2G of memory. The monthly cost is about $5 at the maximum. Windows OS is also available, which is a little more expensive than Linux, but not too expensive, I personally feel (:-).

Audacity on Cloud Computer

I have a hobby, apart from computers, of extracting sound from various Video objects and listening to it, but I have not heard of other people doing this (:-o), so it might be a minor hobby. However, it seems that our brains process images and sounds at the same time, but actually they are biased toward visual information (I just heard a brain scientist told this), so if you listen to even familiar images with only the sound extracted, you will feel sounds you never noticed before, and you will “see” a different world. (I hope, probably).
I am playing with AWS Workspaces, which I have named Cloud Personal Computer for personal cloud use, and I will try using Audacity there. Audacity is so wonderful audio editing application that can be used on both Linux and Windows, so it can easily be installed on AWS Workspaces . In addition, I’ll install pavucontrol, which works well with Audacity, and since it’s RedHat-based, it looks something like this

$ sudo yum install audacity pavucontrol

With Audacity running and recording started (or paused), simply start pavucontrol and change Audacity’s input in the Recording tab to fit your environment. Of course, for those who want to listen with higher accuracy and sound quality, this may be a little insufficient, but for my hobby level, it is so good. Since it picks up all the sounds of the computer, even operating system error sound are recorded, but since it is a Cloud Computer, it will continue to record even if the physical computer application is closed and left alone (:-).
Also, one of the biggest advantages of the Cloud Computer is that the Cloud Computer is physically located in a data center somewhere, and the network distance from the sound source you want to record is often closer than at home, so the quality is often better. Although the quality of home networks has improved recently, there are still times on weekends when I get what is called “Circling…” and have to pause while watching videos, but I have not yet experienced this with the Cloud Computer. I have the impression that the quality is quite good (of course, it depends on the situation and environment). However, as I wrote a bit about this before , this method can also be used to record various video and music services that are popular nowadays if you try to, so you need to pay attention carefully to the laws and copyrights of each country.